Patent Publication Number: US-10319356-B2

Title: Transducer array having a transceiver

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/618,987, entitled “Transducer Array Having a Transceiver”, filed Feb. 10, 2015, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Discussion of the Related Art 
     This section is intended to provide background information to facilitate a better understanding of various technologies described herein. As the section&#39;s title implies, this is a discussion of related art. That such art is related in no way implies that it is prior art. The related art may or may not be prior art. It should therefore be understood that the statements in this section are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     Operators of marine vessels may use instruments to map the water and underwater terrain in the vicinity of the marine vessel, and to detect fish or objects in the water. The map of the underwater terrain within the vicinity of the vessel may be used for navigation purposes, while fishing, or for other purposes. Accordingly, it is important for the operator of the vessel to have a visualization of the water and terrain in the vicinity of the vessel. 
     SUMMARY 
     Described herein are implementations of various technologies for a transducer array. The transducer array may include a first receiver having a first aperture width. The transducer array may include a second receiver having a second aperture width that is substantially equal to the first aperture width. The transducer array may also include a transceiver having a third aperture width that is larger than the first aperture width and the second aperture width. 
     Described herein are also implementations of various technologies for a method. The method may include transmitting acoustic signals with a transceiver. The method may include receiving first reflected signals at a first receiver. The method may include receiving second reflected signals at a second receiver. The method may also include receiving third reflected signals at the transceiver. The first receiver has a first aperture width. The second receiver has a second aperture width that is substantially equivalent to the first aperture width. The transceiver has a third aperture width that is larger than the first aperture width and the second aperture width. 
     Described herein are also implementations of various technologies for a transducer array. The transducer array may include a first receiver having a first aperture width. The transducer array may include a second receiver having a second aperture width that is substantially equal to the first aperture width. The transducer array may include a first element having a first portion of a transceiver. The transducer array may also include a second element having a second portion of the transceiver. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Implementations of various technologies will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only the various implementations described herein and are not meant to limit the scope of various technologies described herein. 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of a vessel in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of a transducer array having a unitary transceiver in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. 
         FIG. 3  is an illustration of a transducer array having a split transceiver in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates graphs of signals transmitted and received at a transducer array in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a graph of a coarse array pattern, transmit pattern, and two way pattern in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. 
         FIG. 6  is a flow diagram of a method for mapping the water around a vessel in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. 
         FIG. 7  is a marine electronics device in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In certain implementations of various techniques described herein, a vessel may be configured to map the water and underwater terrain in the vicinity of the vessel. The vessel may map the water and underwater terrain in the vicinity of the vessel using a transducer array for transmitting and receiving acoustic signals through the water in the vicinity of the vessel. A marine electronics device on board the vessel may be used to display an image of the water and underwater features from the acoustic signals received by the transducer array. 
     In general, the transducer array transmits acoustic signals, which bounce off of various underwater features and result in reflected signals that are received at the transducer array. The marine electronics device can then determine or estimate the distance of an underwater feature from the transducer array, or the depth of an underwater feature, based on the delay between the transmitted acoustic signals and the reflected signals. The marine electronics device can determine or estimate the angle of the underwater feature based on the relative delays of the reflected signals at various positions of the transducer array. The vessel is described in more detail with reference to  FIG. 1 . The transducer array is described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The transmitted and reflected signals are described with reference to  FIGS. 4-5 . The method for determining the distance and angle of an underwater feature is described in more detail with reference to  FIG. 6 . The marine electronics system is described with reference to  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram of a vessel  100  in connection with various techniques described herein. The vessel  100  includes instrumentation, which will be described in greater detail below, to navigate the open water. The open water includes an underwater terrain  105  that may include natural formations that cause variations in the depths in the underwater terrain  105 . The open water may also include fish or other objects. 
     The vessel  100  includes a transducer array  110 , a marine electronics device  115 , and a connection  120 . The transducer array  110  transmits and receives acoustic signals that propagate through the open water in the vicinity  105 ′ of the vessel  100 . The open water in the vicinity of the vessel  100  through which signals propagate can include a plane defined by a radius and a first arc. The width of the plane can also be defined by radius r and a second arc. In one implementation, the first arc may be between 40 to 50 degrees, and the second arc may be between 5-20 degrees. The second arc is illustrated in view  130 , which is a top view of the vessel  100 . 
     After the acoustic signals are transmitted by the transducer array  110 , the acoustic signals reflect off of features  105 ( 0 - n ) in the vicinity  105 ′ of the vessel. The transducer array  110  then receives the reflected signals. A marine electronics device  115  may process the reflected signals and display the location of features  105 ( 0 - n ). 
     The signals received by the transducer array  110  are transmitted to the marine electronics device  115  over the connection  120 . For example, the connection  120  may be a bus, wires, cables, or a wireless connection. The marine electronics device  115  may then process the signals received by the transducer array  110 . The marine electronics device  115  may determine a range or distance and an angle of reflection, also referred to as the angle of incidence, corresponding to the reflected signals. For example, the range and angle of incidence may be determined based on a time delay between the reflected signals received at different locations, or elements, on the transducer array  110 , i.e., phase shift, and the array pitch. An array pitch may be defined as the center to center distance between elements in the transducer array  110 . 
       FIG. 2  is an illustration of a transducer array  200  having a unitary transceiver in accordance with implementations described herein. The transducer array  200  includes a first receiver  205 , a second receiver  210 , and a transceiver  215 . A transceiver  215  is a device that is capable of transmitting and receiving signals. For example, a portion of the circuitry in the transceiver  215  may be commonly used for both transmitting and receiving signals. The first receiver  205  or second receiver  210  may be a crystal receiver. The transceiver  215  may be a crystal transceiver. 
     In operation, the transducer array  200  may be fixed to a marine vessel. The transceiver  215  may transmit acoustic signals in the vicinity of the vessel. The first receiver  205 , the second receiver  210 , and the transceiver  215  may then receive reflected signals. 
     The first receiver  205  has an aperture width  230  and a length  260 . The second receiver  210  has an aperture width  240  and a length  270 . The transceiver  215  has an aperture width  250  and a length  280 . In one implementation, widths  230  and  240  may be equivalent or substantially equivalent, and lengths  260 ,  270 , and  280  may be equivalent or substantially equivalent. The width  250  of the transceiver  215  may be larger than the widths  230  and  240 . 
     In a filled array, the pitch may be one half of the wavelength of signals transmitted by the array, so as to provide unambiguous data. The total array length of the filled array is limited by the number of array elements. The transducer  200  may have a pitch that is greater than one half of the wavelength of signals transmitted by the transceiver  215 . The transducer  200  may be referred to as a sparse array. The transmit beam of the transducer  200  may be configured to prevent acoustic energy from entering the zone in which the sparse array produces ambiguous results. 
     The transducer  200  comprises three subarrays with different pitches. The first subarray is an array composed of the receivers  205  and  210 . The first subarray has a pitch  220 . The second subarray is an array composed of the receiver  210  and the transceiver  215 . The second subarray has a pitch  225 . The third subarray is an array composed of the receiver  205  and the transceiver  215 . The third subarray has a pitch that is the sum of pitches  220  and  225 . In one implementation, pitches  220  and  225  may be approximately equivalent. The ambiguity of signals received by the transducer array  200  may increase as the pitch of the subarrays increases in size compared to the wavelength. The first subarray may be the least ambiguous of the three subarrays. For example, the transducer  200  may be configured so that the first subarray may be effectively unambiguous. The second and third subarray may be ambiguous, regardless of the configuration of the transmit pattern. 
     The connection  120  between the transducer array  200  and a marine electronics device, such as the marine electronics device  700  described in  FIG. 7 , may include a first wire connected to the first receiver  205 , a second wire connected to the second receiver  210 , and a third wire connected to the transceiver  215 . 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a transducer array  300  having a split transceiver in accordance with implementations described herein. The transducer array  300  includes a first receiver  305 , a second receiver  310 , and a transceiver divided into two transceiver portions  315  and  317 . The first receiver  305  and second receiver  310  may be crystal receivers. The portions  315  and  317  may be portions of a crystal transceiver. 
     The first receiver  305  has an aperture width  330  and a length  360 . The second receiver  310  has an aperture width  340  and a length  370 . The first transceiver portion  315  has an aperture width  350  and a length  380 . The second transceiver portion  317  has an aperture width  355  and a length  390 . Widths  330  and  340  may be equivalent or substantially equivalent. Widths  350  and  355  may be equivalent or substantially equivalent. Lengths  360 ,  370 ,  380 , and  390  may be equivalent or substantially equivalent. In one implementation, widths  330 ,  340 ,  350 , and  355  may be equivalent or substantially equivalent. The first transceiver portion  315  and second transceiver portion  317  may be separated by a space  327 . The space  327  may be foam placed between the portions  315  and  317 . Compared to a single transceiver element, the transceiver portions  315  and  317  may transmit signals, i.e., a transmit beam, with a narrower beam for the same frequency. 
     The transducer  300  may have a pitch that is greater than one half of the wavelength of signals transmitted by the transceiver portions  315  and  317 , i.e., a sparse array. The transmit beam may be configured to prevent acoustic energy from entering the zone in which the sparse array produces ambiguous results. 
     The transducer  300  comprises three subarrays with different pitches. The first subarray is an array composed of the receivers  305  and  310 . The first subarray has a pitch  320 . The second subarray is an array composed of the receiver  310  and the transceiver portions  315  and  317 . The second subarray has a pitch  325 . Pitch  325  extends from the center line of the receiver  310  to a point equidistant between the center line of the portion  315  and the center line of the portion  317 . The third subarray is an array composed of the receiver  305  and the transceiver portions  315  and  317 . The third subarray has a pitch that is the sum of pitches  320  and  325 . In one implementation, pitches  320  and  325  may be approximately equivalent. The ambiguity of signals received by the transducer array  300  may increase as the pitch of the subarrays increases in size compared to the wavelength. The first subarray may be the least ambiguous of the three subarrays. For example, the transducer  300  may be configured so that the first subarray may be effectively unambiguous. The second and third subarray may be ambiguous, regardless of the configuration of the transmit pattern. 
     In one implementation, the connection  120  between the transducer array  300  and a marine electronics device, such as the marine electronics device  700  described in  FIG. 7 , may include a first wire connected to the first receiver  205 , a second wire connected to the second receiver  210 , and a third wire connected to both portions  315  and  317  of the transceiver. In this implementation, portions  315  and  317  of the transceiver may be connected in parallel. In yet another implementation, the first transceiver portion  315  and the second transceiver portion  317  may be connected in series. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates graphs of signals transmitted and received at a transducer array in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. The graphs illustrate signals transmitted and received at the transducer arrays  200  or  300 , described above. In the graphs  410 ,  415 ,  420 , and  425 , the vertical axis  400  shows voltage and the horizontal axis  405  shows time. Graph  410  represents a signal  430  that is transmitted by a transceiver, such as the transceiver  215  in  FIG. 2 , or  315  and  317  in  FIG. 3 . Graph  415  represents a signal  440  that is received by a first receiver, such as the receiver  205  or  305 . Graph  420  represents a signal  450  that is received by a second receiver, such as the receiver  210  or  310 . Graph  425  represents a signal  460  that is received by the transceiver  200  or  300 . 
     The signals  440 ,  450 , and  460  are similar but offset in time. The offset in time between the signals  440  and  450  is illustrated by offset  470 . The offset in time between the signals  450  and  460  is offset  490 . The offset in time between signals  440  and  460  is offset  480 . The offsets  470 ,  480 , and  490  may be determined by the location of the receivers or transceivers in the transducer array. The offsets  470 ,  480 , and  490  may be measured and then used to determine the angle of incidence. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a graph of functions in accordance with various implementations described herein. The functions illustrate the relationship between signals, such as those illustrated in  FIG. 4 , that are received at a transducer array  200  or  300 , described above. The vertical axis  505  shows decibels and the horizontal axis  510  shows angles. The graph represents a spatial plot of acoustic energy. The function  515  is a coarse array pattern, between two receivers, such as receivers  205  and  210  or  305  and  310 . Function  520  is a transmit pattern of transceiver  215  or  315  and  317 . Function  525  represents a two way coarse pattern. 
     The coarse angle of incidence cannot be determined without ambiguity at angles greater than positive or negative 48 degrees. As such, the transceiver  215  or the transceiver portions  315  and  317  may be configured to minimize energy that is present at angles greater than positive or negative 48 degrees. As a result, the coarse array pattern may be approximately unambiguous when determining an angle of incidence.  FIG. 6  describes a method in which the functions illustrated in  FIG. 5  may be used to determine the angle of incidence. 
       FIG. 6  is a flow diagram of a method  600  for mapping the water around a vessel in accordance with various techniques described herein. In one implementation, method  600  may be performed by any computer system, such as a marine electronics device  700 , and the like. It should be understood that while method  600  indicates a particular order of execution of operations, in some implementations, certain portions of the operations might be executed in a different order, and on different systems. Further, in some implementations, additional operations or steps may be added to the method  600 . Likewise, some operations or steps may be omitted. 
     At block  605 , a transceiver transmits an acoustic signal through the water surrounding a vessel. The transceiver may be a part of a transducer array. For example, the transceiver may be the transceiver  215  described in  FIG. 2 , or the transceiver formed by portions  315  and  317  in  FIG. 3 . 
     At blocks  610 - 612 , the elements of the transducer array receive reflected signals. As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a transducer array may comprise a first receiver, second receiver, and transceiver. At block  610 , a first receiver receives reflected signals. At block  611 , a second receiver receives reflected signals. At block  612 , the transceiver receives reflected signals. 
     At block  613 , the distance or range of a feature may be determined. For example, the range may be determined by calculating a time delay between the transmitted and received signals. The range may be a distance between the transducer array and an underwater object or feature, where the signals are reflected by the underwater object or feature. 
     At block  615 , a time delay is measured between the first and second receiver to determine a coarse angle of incidence. The coarse angle of incidence may be an unambiguous measurement. At block  616 , a time delay is measured between the second receiver and the transceiver to determine a medium resolution angle of incidence. At block  617 , a delay is measured between the first receiver and the transceiver to determine the fine resolution angle of incidence. The array pitch may be used to calculate the coarse angle of incidence at block  615 , the medium resolution angle of incidence at block  616  or the fine resolution angle of incidence at block  617 . The medium resolution angle of incidence and fine resolution angle of incidence may be ambiguous measurements. 
     At block  618 , the coarse angle of incidence, which is the unambiguous measurement, may then be used to select the medium resolution angle of incidence or the fine resolution angle of incidence. 
     Computing System 
     Implementations of various technologies described herein may be operational with numerous general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the various technologies described herein include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, smart phones, tablets, wearable computers, cloud computing systems, virtual computers, marine electronics devices, and the like. 
     The various technologies described herein may be implemented in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that performs particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Further, each program module may be implemented in its own way, and all need not be implemented the same way. While program modules may all execute on a single computing system, it should be appreciated that, in some implementations, program modules may be implemented on separate computing systems or devices adapted to communicate with one another. A program module may also be some combination of hardware and software where particular tasks performed by the program module may be done either through hardware, software, or both. 
     The various technologies described herein may be implemented in the context of marine electronics, such as devices found in marine vessels and/or navigation systems. Ship instruments and equipment may be connected to the computing systems described herein for executing one or more navigation technologies. As such, the computing systems may be configured to operate using sonar, radar, GPS and like technologies. 
     The various technologies described herein may also be implemented in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network, e.g., by hardwired links, wireless links, or combinations thereof. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices. 
     Marine Computing System 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an example schematic of a marine electronics device  700  in accordance with implementations of various techniques described herein. The marine electronics device  700  includes a screen  705 . In certain implementations, the screen  705  may be sensitive to touching by a finger. In other implementations, the screen  705  may be sensitive to the body heat from the finger, a stylus, or responsive to a mouse. The marine electronics device  700  may be attached to a National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) bus or network. The marine electronics device  700  may send or receive data to or from another device attached to the NMEA 2000 bus. For example, the marine electronics device  700  may transmits commands and receive data from a motor or a sensor using an NMEA 2000 bus. In one implementation, the marine electronics device  700  may be capable of steering a vessel and controlling the speed of the vessel, i.e., autopilot. For example, one or more waypoints may be input to the marine electronics device  700 , and the marine electronics device  700  may steer a vessel to the one or more waypoints. The marine electronics device  700  may transmit or receive NMEA 2000 compliant messages, messages in a proprietary format that do not interfere with NMEA 2000 compliant messages or devices, or messages in any other format. The device  700  may display marine electronic data  715 . The marine electronic data types  715  may include chart data, radar data, sonar data, steering data, dashboard data, navigation data, fishing data, engine data, and the like. The marine electronics device  700  may also include a plurality of buttons  720 , which may be either physical buttons or virtual buttons, or a combination thereof. The marine electronics device  700  may receive input through a screen  705  sensitive to touch or buttons  720 . 
     As mentioned above, a marine computing system may be used to record and process sonar data. In one implementation, the marine computing system may take the form of a marine electronics device  700 . 
     The marine electronics device  700  may be operational with numerous general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. 
     The marine electronics device  700  may include any type of electrical and/or electronics device capable of processing data and information via a computing system. The marine electronics device  700  may be a multi-function display (MFD) unit, such that the marine electronics device  700  may be capable of displaying and/or processing multiple types of marine electronics data. In particular, the MFD unit may include the computing system, the screen  705 , and the buttons  720  such that they may be integrated into a single console. 
     The computing system may include a central processing unit (CPU), a system memory, a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a system bus that couples various system components including the system memory to the CPU. In various examples, the computing system may include one or more CPUs. 
     The CPU may include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a processor, a programmable integrated circuit, or a combination thereof. The CPU can comprise an off-the-shelf processor such as a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC), or a Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages (MIPS) processor, or a combination thereof. The CPU may also include a proprietary processor. 
     The GPU may be a microprocessor specifically designed to manipulate and implement computer graphics. The CPU may offload work to the GPU. The GPU may have its own graphics memory, and/or may have access to a portion of the system memory. As with the CPU, the GPU may include one or more processing units, and each processing unit may include one or more cores. 
     The CPU may provide output data to a GPU. The GPU may generate graphical user interfaces that present the output data. The GPU may also provide objects, such as menus, in the graphical user interface. A user may provide inputs by interacting with the objects. The GPU may receive the inputs from interaction with the objects and provide the inputs to the CPU. A video adapter may be provided to convert graphical data into signals for a monitor. The monitor includes a screen  705 . In certain implementations, the screen  705  may be sensitive to touching by a finger. In other implementations, the screen  705  may be sensitive to the body heat from the finger, a stylus, or responsive to a mouse. 
     The system bus may be any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus. The system memory may include a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help transfer information between elements within the computing system, such as during start-up, may be stored in the ROM. 
     The computing system may further include a hard disk drive interface for reading from and writing to a hard disk, a memory card reader for reading from and writing to a removable memory card, and an optical disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable optical disk, such as a CD ROM or other optical media. The hard disk, the memory card reader, and the optical disk drive may be connected to the system bus by a hard disk drive interface, a memory card reader interface, and an optical drive interface, respectively. The drives and their associated computer-readable media may provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computing system. 
     Although the computing system is described herein as having a hard disk, a removable memory card and a removable optical disk, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the computing system may also include other types of computer-readable media that may be accessed by a computer. For example, such computer-readable media may include computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, and removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, software modules, or other data. Computer-readable storage media may include non-transitory computer-readable storage media. Computer storage media may further include RAM, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computing system. Communication media may embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and may include any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” may mean a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. The computing system may include a host adapter that connects to a storage device via a small computer system interface (SCSI) bus, Fiber Channel bus, eSATA bus, or using any other applicable computer bus interface. 
     The computing system can also be connected to a router to establish a wide area network (WAN) with one or more remote computers. The router may be connected to the system bus via a network interface. The remote computers can also include hard disks that store application programs. 
     In another implementation, the computing system may also connect to the remote computers via local area network (LAN) or the WAN. When using a LAN networking environment, the computing system may be connected to the LAN through the network interface or adapter. The LAN may be implemented via a wired connection or a wireless connection. The LAN may be implemented using Wi-Fi™ technology, cellular technology, Bluetooth™ technology, satellite technology, or any other implementation known to those skilled in the art. The network interface may also utilize remote access technologies (e.g., Remote Access Service (RAS), Virtual Private Networking (VPN), Secure Socket Layer (SSL), Layer 2 Tunneling (L2T), or any other suitable protocol). In some examples, these remote access technologies may be implemented in connection with the remote computers. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computer systems may be used. 
     A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk, memory card, optical disk, ROM or RAM, including an operating system, one or more application programs, and program data. In certain implementations, the hard disk may store a database system. The application programs may include various mobile applications (“apps”) and other applications configured to perform various methods and techniques described herein. The operating system may be any suitable operating system that may control the operation of a networked personal or server computer. 
     A user may enter commands and information into the computing system through input devices such as buttons  720 , which may be physical buttons, virtual buttons, or combinations thereof. Other input devices may include a microphone, a mouse, or the like. 
     Certain implementations may be configured to be connected to a global positioning system (GPS) receiver system and/or a marine electronics system. The GPS system and/or marine electronics system may be connected via the network interface. The GPS receiver system may be used to determine position data for the vessel on which the marine electronics device  700  is disposed. The GPS receiver system may then transmit the position data to the marine electronics device  700 . In other examples, any positioning system known to those skilled in the art may be used to determine and/or provide the position data for the marine electronics device  700 . 
     The marine electronics system may include one or more components disposed at various locations on the vessel. Such components may include one or more data modules, sensors, instrumentation, and/or any other devices known to those skilled in the art that may transmit various types of data to the marine electronics device  700  for processing and/or display. The various types of data transmitted to the marine electronics device  700  from the marine electronics system may include marine electronics data and/or other data types known to those skilled in the art. The marine electronics data received from the marine electronics system may include chart data, sonar data, structure data, radar data, navigation data, position data, heading data, automatic identification system (AIS) data, Doppler data, speed data, course data, or any other type known to those skilled in the art. 
     In one implementation, the marine electronics system may include a radar sensor for recording the radar data and/or the Doppler data, a compass heading sensor for recording the heading data, and a position sensor for recording the position data. In a further implementation, the marine electronics system may include a sonar transducer for recording the sonar data, an AIS transponder for recording the AIS data, a paddlewheel sensor for recording the speed data, and/or the like. For example, the marine electronics system may include a sonar transducer  200  or  300 . 
     The marine electronics device  700  may receive external data via the LAN or the WAN. In one implementation, the external data may relate to information not available from the marine electronics system. The external data may be retrieved from the Internet or any other source. The external data may include atmospheric temperature, tidal data, weather, moon phase, sunrise, sunset, water levels, historic fishing data, and other fishing data. 
     The detailed description is directed to certain specific implementations. It is to be understood that the discussion above is only for the purpose of enabling a person with ordinary skill in the art to make and use any subject matter defined now or later by the patent “claims” found in any issued patent herein. 
     It is specifically intended that the claimed invention not be limited to the implementations and illustrations contained herein, but include modified forms of those implementations including portions of the implementations and combinations of elements of different implementations as come within the scope of the following claims. Nothing in this application is considered critical or essential to the claimed invention unless explicitly indicated as being “critical” or “essential.” 
     Reference has been made in detail to various implementations, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and figures. In the detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the implementations. 
     It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first object or step could be termed a second object or step, and, similarly, a second object or step could be termed a first object or step, without departing from the scope of the invention. The first object or step, and the second object or step, are both objects or steps, respectively, but they are not to be considered the same object or step. 
     The terminology used in the description of the present disclosure herein is for the purpose of describing particular implementations only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used in the description of the present disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof. 
     As used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context. 
     “Alternatively” shall not be construed to only pertain to situations where the number of choices involved is exactly two, but rather refers to another possibility among many other possibilities. 
     Additionally, various technologies and techniques described herein include receiving user requests for a number of different operations. In certain instances, the user request for a particular operation will be explicitly described. It shall be understood that a “request” or “can request” shall also include, but are not limited to, touching a screen, double tapping a screen (tapping the screen twice in rapid succession), pressing a particular physical or virtual button, making a selection from a menu, swiping the screen (placing a finger towards an edge of the screen and traversing the screen while maintaining contact between the finger and the screen) placement of a cursor at a particular location, stylus pointing, mouse selection, an audible command, as well as the explicit description of the “request” for the particular operations. While the foregoing is directed to implementations of various techniques described herein, other and further implementations may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, which may be determined by the claims that follow. Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.