Marine sonar display device

Abstract

A marine sonar display device comprises a display, a sonar element, a memory element, and a processing element. The display presents sonar images. The sonar element generates a sonar beam and presents transducer signals. The processing element is in communication with the display, the sonar element, and the memory element and receives the transducer signals, calculates sonar data from the transducer signals and generates a three-dimensional view of a portion of the body of water, wherein the view includes a plurality of sonar images. Each sonar image is generated from sonar data derived from a previously-generated sonar beam and includes representations of underwater objects and a water bed. The processing element also generates a cursor plane and a cursor positioned thereon, both of which appear on the three-dimensional view. The processing element further controls the display to present the three-dimensional view, the sonar images, the cursor plane, and the cursor.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A marine sonar display device comprising:
 a display;   a multibeam, phased-array sonar element configured to generate—
 a first sonar beam directed towards a starboard side of a marine vessel, 
 a second sonar beam directed towards a port side of the marine vessel, and 
 transducer signals based on reflections of the first and second sonar beams; 
   a memory element configured to store sonar data; and   a processing element in communication with the display, the sonar element, and the memory element, the processing element configured to—
 receive the transducer signals from the sonar element, 
 generate a first sonar image derived from the transducer signals corresponding to the first sonar beam, 
 generate a second sonar image derived from the transducer signals corresponding to the second sonar beam, and 
 control the display to visually present the first sonar image and the second sonar image in a split-screen configuration. 
   
     
     
         2 . The marine sonar display device of  claim 1 , wherein the first sonar image and second sonar image are presented as elevational views. 
     
     
         3 . The marine sonar display device of  claim 1 , wherein the split-screen configuration is a 2D forward split view. 
     
     
         4 . The marine sonar display device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing element is further configured to control the sonar element to alternate between generation of the first sonar beam and the second sonar beam. 
     
     
         5 . The marine sonar display device of  claim 4 , wherein the processing element is configured to control the sonar element to generate a plurality of pings, wherein the first sonar beam is generated on odd-numbered pings and the second sonar beam is generated on even-numbered pings. 
     
     
         6 . The marine sonar display device of  claim 1 , wherein the processing element is configured to control the sonar element to generate a plurality of pings and control the display to redraw the first sonar image and second sonar image after each ping so that the first sonar image and second sonar image are near real time presentations of the transducer signals. 
     
     
         7 . A marine sonar display device comprising:
 a display;   a multibeam, phased-array sonar element configured to generate—
 a first sonar beam directed towards a starboard side of a marine vessel, 
 a second sonar beam directed towards a port side of the marine vessel, and 
 transducer signals based on reflections of the first and second sonar beams; 
   a memory element configured to store sonar data; and   a processing element in communication with the display, the sonar element, and the memory element, the processing element configured to—
 control the sonar element to generate a plurality of pings by alternating between generation of the first sonar beam and the second sonar beam, 
 receive the transducer signals from the sonar element, 
 generate a first sonar image derived from the transducer signals corresponding to the first sonar beam, 
 generate a second sonar image derived from the transducer signals corresponding to the second sonar beam, 
 control the display to visually present the first sonar image and the second sonar image in a split-screen configuration, and 
 control the display to redraw the first sonar image and second sonar image after each respective ping so that the first sonar image and second sonar image are near real time presentations of the transducer signals.