Boat speed control

• US 20030027468A1
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Stephen W. Into
• Original Assignee: Stephen W. Into
• Inventors: Into, Stephen W.
• Application Number:
  US10/256,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20030027468A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 440/84
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/21 Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/22 the propulsion power units being controlled from exterior of engine room, e.g. from navigation bridge; Arrangements of order telegraphs

Abstract

A control system for controlling the speed of a boat of the type including a motor having a throttle control lever coupled to a throttle of the motor provides for stable and predictable control of the speed of a boat The control system includes a position detector configured to detect the position of the throttle control lever and to generate a first signal representative of a target speed of the motor; a sensor which generates a second signal representative of the actual speed of the motor; an actuator adapted to control the throttle; and a servo controller, which in response to the first signal and the second signal, generates an output to adjust the position of the actuator.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling the speed of a boat including a motor having a throttle control lever coupled to a throttle of the motor and adjustable to a plurality of positions, the control system comprising:

a position detector configured to detect the position of the throttle control lever and to generate a first signal representative of a target speed of the motor;

a sensor which generates a second signal representative of the actual speed of the motor;

an actuator adapted to control the throttle; and

a servo controller, which in response to the first signal and the second signal, generates an output to adjust the position of the actuator.

2. The control system of claim 1 wherein the position detector and the throttle control lever are remotely located from the actuator.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the first input and the second input are electrical signals.

4. The control system of claim 1, further comprising a manual override mechanism concentrically mounted and releasably coupled to the control system.

5. The control system of claim 4, further comprising a pin for releasably coupling the manual override mechanism to the control system.

6. A control system for controlling the speed of a boat having a motor, the motor having a throttle, the control system comprising:

an input device adjustable to a plurality of positions;

a position sensor configured to detect the position of the input device and to generate a first input representative of a target speed of the boat;

a sensor which generates a second input representative of the actual speed of the boat;

an actuator adapted to control the throttle; and

a servo controller, which in response to the first input and the second input, generates an output to adjust the position of the actuator.

7. The control system of claim 6 wherein the position detector and the throttle control lever are remotely located from the actuator.

8. The control system of claim 6, wherein the first input and the second input are electrical signals.

9. The control system of claim 6, further comprising a manual override mechanism concentrically mounted and releasably coupled to the control system. {SWI—

we don;

t cover the manual override case at all in the text . . . We do now.}

10. The control system of claim 9, further comprising a pin for releasably coupling the manual override mechanism to the control system.

11. A method of controlling the speed of a boat, the method comprising:

detecting a position of an input device; and

generating a first input based on the position of the input device representative of a target speed of a motor of the boat.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting an actual speed of the motor;

generating a second input representative of the actual speed of the motor; and

generating an output, on the basis of the first input and the second input, to minimize the difference between the first input and the second input.

13. A control system for controlling the speed of a boat, the control system comprising:

an input device adjustable to a plurality of positions to establish a target speed of the boat; and

a position sensor configured to detect the position of the input device and to generate a first input for controlling the speed of the boat.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the positions of the input device are representative of a target speed of a motor of the boat.

15. The control system of claim 13, wherein the positions of the input device are representative of a target speed of the boat.

16. The control system of claim 13, further comprising a servo controller adapted to receive the first input.

17. The control system of claim 13, wherein the first input is an electrical signal.

18. A motor comprising:

a throttle;

a position sensor configured to detect a position of an input device, the sensor generating a first input representative of a target speed of the motor.

a sensor configured to generate a second input representative of the actual speed of the motor; and

a servo controller, which in response to the first input and the second input, generates an output to adjust the position of the throttle.

19. A boat comprising:

a control system for controlling the speed of a boat, the control system including;

an input device adjustable to a plurality of positions; and

a position sensor configured to detect the position of the input device and to generate a first control input.

20. A speed control system comprising:

a first servo control loop to control the speed of the boat, the first servo control loop having a plurality of input signals and an output signal;

a second servo control loop to control the speed of the motor, the second servo control loop having a plurality of input signals, one of which is the output signal from the first servo control loop.

21. The control system of claim 20 further comprising a third servo control loop to control the position of an actuator coupled to a throttle of the motor.