02 Technologies to analyze the movements of other ships

Target Analyzer™ is an innovative technology that analyzes targets and identifies the dangerous ones that are likely to collide with your ship, using different colors according to the degree of danger. By displaying these dangerous targets in different colors, it becomes straightforward to understand and allows early detection of any threat to keep the navigation safe.

FURUNO's Target Analyzer™ and its color-coded recognition function can be used with both Magnetron and Solid-State based Doppler Radars.

With the Target Analyzer™ function (Doppler analysis) incorporated into the DRS - NXT Radar series, it is possible to track hazardous targets in real time by determining their approaching course using the Doppler effect. Stationary targets are displayed in green, hazardous targets in red and when the "Rain mode" is on, rain echoes are shown in blue.

The Furuno Radars for professionals, FAR Series, and their built-in Target Analyzer™ need only a few scans to acquire a target and analyze its characteristics in order to determine whether the vessel will collide with the ship or not.
With the Echo analysis method, it is possible to acquire even more kinds of targets than with Doppler analysis. Not only moving targets, but also stationary targets, rain and snow will all be shown in different colors in addition to dangerous targets.
Furthermore, with the echo analysis method, even with a multitude of ships around the own vessel, only the targets presenting a collision risk, with their trajectory overlapping own ship's trajectory, will be considered as dangerous targets.

The echo trail is a technique used to visually understand movements (path and speed) of other vessels by displaying a residual image (trail) at different times of an echo.

For example, if a ship is navigating at high speed, long trails will be displayed. Conversely, trails will not be shown on stationary targets such as ships or buoys at berth. If a moving vessel stops, the trail will gradually become shorter.

There are two distinct types of echo trails, true trail and relative trail.
With relative trail, the relative movement of other vessels based on your own ship's movement is displayed. On the other hand, with true trail, the true movement of the other ships, relative to the land and not your ship, is displayed. Therefore, there are no trails for stationary ships.

True trail shows the trail of other ships on the Radar screen as if the viewer were looking down from a birds-eye view. It shows the actual speed of all vessels, which allows the user to grasp the movement of other ships more intuitively.
With FURUNO's true trail, you can also use the Head-Up mode.

Fast Target Tracking™ (Fast TT) is a technology that instantaneously displays a vector indicating the speed and heading of the target.

With conventional TT, it takes some time to display the velocity vector to predict the target's trajectory once it is selected. However, with the Fast TT, targets are automatically tracked right from the beginning, making it possible to immediately calculate the target's trajectory and display the velocity vector. This Fast TT function is particularly useful in congested waters as it can instantaneously track any target.

With its advanced algorithm, the Fast TT's tracking performance is significantly improved compared to any other conventional TT. In addition to suppressing the acquisition focus bug (acquisition mark jumping to a nearby target) caused by the presence of multiple targets, the Fast TT also offers high-level tracking performance of other vessels that make steep turns.

In congested sea areas where many vessels navigate, it is essential to constantly monitor other vessels' movements to avoid collisions.
Risk Visualizer™ is a technology that displays hazardous areas where there is a potential risk of collision based on the positions and movements of your vessel and other vessels.

Assuming other vessels maintain their current course and speed, Risk Visualizer™ displays areas where there is a risk of collision if your vessel follows a certain course.
In case of a collision risk, it alerts the user with red indicators and warnings, helping to reduce human error and support situational awareness and navigation decisions.

Risk Visualizer™ is expected to be applied in future evasion navigation technologies.
By utilizing AI and sensor technology to calculate collision risks with other vessels and obstacles in real-time, it can propose safe and efficient navigation routes to the operator.
Radar technology, which serves as the foundational information for suggesting evasion routes, will significantly contribute to enhancing the safety of future maritime traffic.

While you can know the past movements of other vessels and targets to watch, you cannot know future risks.

Vectors show the course and position of targets after a set time, but you cannot know the positions where they will approach or collide.

Risk Visualizer™ allows you to know not only the approach and collision risks on your current course but also the risks if your vessel changes course.