Patent ID: 6181302
Filing Date: 2001-01-30
Classification: G01C,G02B,G06T

Abstract:
A navigation system for a marine vessel that employs a composite image produced by superimposing a virtual image comprising navigational data over a real image of a portion of a surrounding environment, comprising:(a) an ocular device comprising a housing in which are disposed a set of positionable optical lenses that image light reflected from the portion of the surrounding environment so as to directly form a field of view of the real image of the portion of the surrounding environment on a user's retina;(b) a virtual image generator that produces an optical signal directed toward the user's retina so as to form a virtual image on the retina, said optical signal being generated in response to a video input signal;(c) an azimuth sensor that produces an azimuth signal, the azimuth sensor being coupled to the ocular device, said azimuth signal being indicative of an orientation of the field of view formed by the ocular device;(d) a plurality of instruments disposed onboard and related to a bearing and position of the marine vessel, including a vessel direction sensor that produces a vessel direction signal indicative of a direction in which the vessel is heading and an absolute position sensing instrument that produces an absolute position signal indicative of a position of the marine vessel; and(e) a navigational computer coupled in communication with the ocular device and the plurality of instruments, said navigational comprising:(i) a processor and a memory for storing machine instructions executable on the processor;(ii) a video display controller that generates the video input signal;(iii) a persistent storage means for storing the navigational data; and(iv) the machine instructions that are stored in the memory, when executed by the processor, cause it to perform a plurality of functions, including:(1) processing the azimuth signal and the absolute position signal, and as a function thereof, determining the field of view produced by the ocular device;(2) determining a portion of the navigational data that should be included in the virtual image, based at least in part upon the field of view that has been determined and the vessel direction signal; and(3) including only said portion of the navigational data thus determined in the composite image.