Granted Patent B2

US 10,802,141 · App. 15/940,120 · Granted Oct 13, 2020

Inventor: Paul Stokes (Fleet, GB)

Assignee: FLIR BELGIUM BVBA

G01S15/86A01K97/00G01K13/00G01K13/02G01S7/539G01S7/6272G01S7/6281G01S15/89G01S15/96G01K2013/026G01K2213/00

Abstract

Claims (74)

1. A system comprising:

a logic device configured to communicate with a water temperature sensor configured to measure water temperatures of a body of water proximate to a mobile structure, wherein the logic device is configured to:

receive the water temperatures of the body of water proximate to the mobile structure from the water temperature sensor; and

generate a three dimensional perspective view of the body of water comprising a water temperature spatial distribution based, at least in part, on the received water temperatures.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the water temperature sensor comprises a contact temperature sensor, the water temperatures comprise a series of water temperature measurements along a direction of motion of the mobile structure, and wherein the logic device is configured to:

determine a series of positions corresponding to the series of water temperature measurements based, at least in part, on position and/or orientation data provided by a position and/or orientation sensor of the mobile structure and/or the contact temperature sensor;

generate a spatial temperature map of estimated water temperatures configured to cover the water temperature spatial distribution by, at least in part, extrapolating from and/or interpolating between the series of water temperature measurements and positions; and

generate the water temperature spatial distribution of the three dimensional perspective view based on the determined spatial temperature map of estimated water temperatures.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the water temperature sensor comprises a non-contact temperature sensor, the water temperatures comprise a series of thermal images of the body of water along a direction of motion of the mobile structure, and wherein the logic device is configured to:

determine a spatial mapping of thermal image data in the series of thermal images to corresponding positions on a surface of the body of water based, at least in part, on position and/or orientation data provided by a position and/or orientation sensor of the mobile structure and/or the non-contact temperature sensor;

generate a spatial temperature map of the series of thermal images configured to cover the water temperature spatial distribution based, at least in part, on the determined spatial mapping; and generate the water temperature spatial distribution of the three dimensional perspective view based on the determined spatial temperature map of the series of thermal images.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the water temperature spatial distribution is generated along a surface of the body of water as presented in the three dimensional perspective view of the body of water; and

the water temperature spatial distribution comprises a color mapping, an intensity mapping, and/or isothermal lines configured to indicate the water temperatures and/or water temperature gradients in the water temperature spatial distribution.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic device is configured to:

identify one or more temperature features in the received water temperatures and/or the generated water temperature spatial distribution;

determine casting guidance parameters corresponding to the one or more identified temperature features; and

generate at least one casting guidance identifier based, at least in part, on the determined casting guidance parameters.

6. The system of claim 5 , further comprising a user interface comprising a display, wherein the identifying the one or more temperature features comprises:

rendering the generated three dimensional perspective view on the display;

determining one or more absolute or relative positions within the rendered water temperature spatial distribution based, at least in part, on user input received by the user interface; and

identifying the one or more temperature features as the one or more absolute or relative positions corresponding to the user input received by the user interface.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the identifying the one or more temperature features comprises:

detecting one or more temperature gradients in the received water temperatures and/or the generated water temperature spatial distribution;

determining one or more absolute or relative positions corresponding to the one or more detected temperature gradients; and

identifying the one or more temperature features as the one or more absolute or relative positions corresponding to the one or more detected temperature gradients.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile structure comprises a watercraft, the system further comprising:

a sonar transducer assembly adapted to be mounted to the mobile structure and placed in the body of water; and

the water temperature sensor configured to measure the water temperatures of the body of water proximate to the mobile structure;

wherein the logic device is configured to receive sonar data from the sonar transducer assembly and generate the three dimensional perspective view of the body of water comprising sonar imagery corresponding to the received sonar data and the water temperature spatial distribution.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein:

the sonar transducer assembly comprises an array of sonar transducer elements, a sonar position and/or orientation sensor (SPOS), and/or a sonar actuator configured to adjust a position and/or orientation of the sonar transducer assembly; and

the logic device is configured to ensonify at least a subset of the three dimensional perspective view that extends below the water temperature spatial distribution using the array of sonar transducer elements, the SPOS, and/or the sonar actuator.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the water temperature sensor comprises an infrared imaging module, the system further comprising a portable imaging device comprising a display, the infrared imaging module, and an imager position and/or orientation sensor (IPOS), wherein the logic device is configured to:

generate the three dimensional perspective view according to a perspective of the portable imaging device relative to the body of water;

determine a waterline of the body of water relative to a field of view (FOV) of the display, using image data, position data, and/or orientation data provided by the portable imaging device and/or the IPOS; and

render at least a subset of the received sonar data in a portion of the FOV of the display that extends below the waterline in the FOV of the display.

11. A method comprising:

receiving sonar data from a sonar transducer assembly adapted to be mounted to a mobile structure and placed in a body of water;

receiving water temperatures of the body of water proximate to the mobile structure from a water temperature sensor; and

generating a three dimensional perspective view of the body of water comprising sonar imagery corresponding to the received sonar data and a water temperature spatial distribution based, at least in part, on the received water temperatures.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the water temperature sensor comprises a contact temperature sensor and the water temperatures comprise a series of water temperature measurements along a direction of motion of the mobile structure, the method further comprising:

determining a series of positions corresponding to the series of water temperature measurements based, at least in part, on position and/or orientation data provided by a position and/or orientation sensor of the mobile structure and/or the contact temperature sensor;

generating a spatial temperature map of estimated water temperatures configured to cover the water temperature spatial distribution by, at least in part, extrapolating from and/or interpolating between the series of water temperature measurements and positions; and

generating the water temperature spatial distribution of the three dimensional perspective view based on the determined spatial temperature map of estimated water temperatures.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the water temperature sensor comprises a non-contact temperature sensor and the water temperatures comprise a series of thermal images of the body of water along a direction of motion of the mobile structure, the method further comprising:

determining a spatial mapping of thermal image data in the series of thermal images to corresponding positions on a surface of the body of water based, at least in part, on position and/or orientation data provided by a position and/or orientation sensor of the mobile structure and/or the non-contact temperature sensor;

generating a spatial temperature map of the series of thermal images configured to cover the water temperature spatial distribution based, at least in part, on the determined spatial mapping; and

generating the water temperature spatial distribution of the three dimensional perspective view based on the determined spatial temperature map of the series of thermal images.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

the water temperature spatial distribution is generated along a surface of the body of water as presented in the three dimensional perspective view of the body of water; and

the water temperature spatial distribution comprises a color mapping, an intensity mapping, and/or isothermal lines configured to indicate the water temperatures and/or water temperature gradients in the water temperature spatial distribution.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

identifying one or more temperature features in the received water temperatures and/or the generated water temperature spatial distribution;

determining casting guidance parameters corresponding to the one or more identified temperature features; and

generating at least one casting guidance identifier based, at least in part, on the determined casting guidance parameters.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the identifying the one or more temperature features comprises:

rendering the generated three dimensional perspective view on a display of a user interface;

determining one or more absolute or relative positions within the rendered water temperature spatial distribution based, at least in part, on user input received by the user interface; and

identifying the one or more temperature features as the one or more absolute or relative positions corresponding to the user input received by the user interface.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the identifying the one or more temperature features comprises:

detecting one or more temperature gradients in the received water temperatures and/or the generated water temperature spatial distribution;

determining one or more absolute or relative positions corresponding to the one or more detected temperature gradients; and

identifying the one or more temperature features as the one or more absolute or relative positions corresponding to the one or more detected temperature gradients.

18. The method of claim 11 , the further comprising:

detecting one or more temperature gradients in the received water temperatures and/or the generated water temperature spatial distribution; and

rendering one or more temperature gradient identifiers over a rendering of the generated water temperature spatial distribution.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

the sonar transducer assembly comprises an array of sonar transducer elements, a sonar position and/or orientation sensor (SPOS), and/or a sonar actuator configured to adjust a position and/or orientation of the sonar transducer assembly; and

the method further comprises ensonifying at least a subset of the three dimensional perspective view that extends below the water temperature spatial distribution using the array of sonar transducer elements, the SPOS, and/or the sonar actuator.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the water temperature sensor comprises an infrared imaging module, the method further comprising:

generating the three dimensional perspective view according to a perspective of a portable imaging device relative to the body of water, wherein the portable imaging device comprises a display, the infrared imaging module, and an imager position and/or orientation sensor (IPOS);

determining a waterline of the body of water relative to a field of view (FOV) of the display, using image data, position data, and/or orientation data provided by the portable imaging device and/or the IPOS; and

rendering at least a subset of the received sonar data in a portion of the FOV of the display that extends below the waterline in the FOV of the display.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (9)

Cited By (1)

US 12,306,327