In the future, a modern bridge will increasingly be equipped with new 16:10 widescreen displays. This will result in a radar image with greater size and clearer structure, which will make the use of radar easier.
Furthermore, new functions contribute to improved situation awareness. The first NSC radars with the new wide-screen will be delivered by Raytheon Anschütz shortly.
These new wide screen displays in 16:10 format are almost the same height as conventional displays but have the advantage of being distinctly broader. Raytheon Anschütz offers an increased, quadratic target area on the radar screen (PPI). The user controls a larger area of the display and needs to change the range less often. This means reduced work load for the navigator, thus increasing safety at sea.
Thanks to the additional space, a carefully redesigned presentation of the radar screen allows a clear display of all control functions and status indications. The NSC radar reduces sub-menus and offers an intuitive and direct operation of all important controls.
The new radar presentation goes hand in hand with the unique user interface of NSC radars: all operator buttons are used for combined operator and status applications which help to save on space and de-clutter the display. Thus, the radar screen appears simplified and well structured with large visual area buttons, which provide safe operation even under rough conditions.
Due to a common operating philosophy, it is possible to operate all radar functions with an ergonomic trackball. An operation panel with rotary knobs and soft keys is still available to directly control important functions.
The radar now offers additional functions. In combination with the new wide-screen displays, these functions can become still more valuable for the operator. Disturbances of the radar image caused by heavy sea can be compensated with an auto-mode, reducing manual settings on a minimum. To combat clutter caused by rain, the NSC radar offers, apart from the common FTC function the well-proven and patented Raytheon RainRate function, which measures the actual rain attenuation and applies continuous filtering.
Together with optimised radar reception, the new NSC radar is developed to put special emphasis on situational awareness. For example, all NSC radars are fitted with the innovative SeaScout function, which analyses the traffic situation relative to all plotted targets and displays dangerous areas when the operator presses a single soft-key.
Based on a targets position, the closest point of approach (CPA), heading and speed the function continuously calculates "no go areas" and shows them graphically on the screen. Particularly in stress situations, this function provides intuitive assistance to the navigator, to assist him in finding the correct course out of danger based on the specific traffic situation. It is obvious, that the use of larger radar screens increases this benefit by providing the maximum possible overview in any situation.
Optionally, modern radars also offer an integrated autopilot function, which enables the user to change the course of the ship while watching the radar screen. On the screen the course change is displayed as a "curved heading line". This is especially useful for evasive action, during which the navigator has to keep the radar in view. The autopilot function of the NSC radar also offers an override tiller, which allows steering with any rudder angle in the event of an emergency. During evasive action it is not only important to know if the new course fits into traffic situation, but also whether the water depth is sufficient for the vessel. In this situation, the chart radar can provide additional sea chart information on the radar screen to simplify the interpretation of the radar image.
The chart radar achieves this by presenting ECDIS information in the PPI to indicate where the ship is located with respect to shore lines, shallow water areas and traffic separation zones. As a special feature, Raytheon Anschütz stores all sea chart information within the NSC chart radar, which makes the chart radar an independent chart station.
For both, autopilot function and chart radar, the larger target area of the wide-screens contributes to improved situation awareness, particularly when coming into a situation, where an evasive action is necessary.
In addition, the AIS transponder data of foreign vessels are displayed as vectors on the radar screen and further information is available at the touch of a soft-key. The target association compares AIS with ARPA targets and combines them to one single vector, which also contributes to a tidy radar image.
An important side effect is the reduction of "dangerous target alarms" which is possible by operator settings. The target association is mandatory since latest IMO Performance Standards came into force in 2008. Raytheon Anschütz was the first producer worldwide to certify and deliver its radars according to the new standards.
When the radar is a part of an Integrated Bridge System additional capabilities are achieved. As an example, modern multifunctional systems combine functions of radar, chart radar, ECDIS, conning display and alarm monitoring at one dedicated position in the integrated bridge. Other important integration aspects are AIS, overlays for ECDIS, route monitoring from ECDIS, cursor sharing and alarm transfer systems, which contribute to intelligent alarm handling on the bridge.
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