Watercraft speed control device
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for controlling the velocity of a watercraft having an engine for propulsion, said apparatus comprising:
- a velocity measuring device capable of obtaining a first measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft;
an inertia measurement device capable of obtaining a measurement of the acceleration of said watercraft;
a velocity algorithm capable of creating a second measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft from said acceleration measurement;
an observed velocity algorithm capable of creating an observed velocity measurement of the velocity of said watercraft from said first measurement of the velocity of said watercraft and said second measurement of the velocity of said watercraft;
a predetermined desired velocity of said watercraft and a predetermined desired acceleration of said watercraft;
an engine speed algorithm capable of creating a first engine speed output correction from said observed velocity measurement, said predetermined desired velocity, said predetermined desired acceleration, and said acceleration measurement; and
said first engine speed output correction being capable of causing said watercraft to be propelled at substantially said predetermined velocity.
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Abstract
An automatic speed control system that provides desired watercraft velocity over land. The coupled algorithms correct engine speed and torque using inertia based measurements, GPS, and tachometer measurements, and the corrections are augmented and enhanced by velocity/speed and torque/speed relationships that are dynamically and adaptively programmed with real-time data collected during replicated operations of the watercraft in specified conditions.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. An apparatus for controlling the velocity of a watercraft having an engine for propulsion, said apparatus comprising:
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a velocity measuring device capable of obtaining a first measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft;
an inertia measurement device capable of obtaining a measurement of the acceleration of said watercraft;
a velocity algorithm capable of creating a second measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft from said acceleration measurement;
an observed velocity algorithm capable of creating an observed velocity measurement of the velocity of said watercraft from said first measurement of the velocity of said watercraft and said second measurement of the velocity of said watercraft;
a predetermined desired velocity of said watercraft and a predetermined desired acceleration of said watercraft;
an engine speed algorithm capable of creating a first engine speed output correction from said observed velocity measurement, said predetermined desired velocity, said predetermined desired acceleration, and said acceleration measurement; and
said first engine speed output correction being capable of causing said watercraft to be propelled at substantially said predetermined velocity. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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2. An apparatus for controlling the velocity of a watercraft having an engine for propulsion, said apparatus comprising:
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a velocity measuring device capable of obtaining a first measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft;
an inertia measurement device capable of obtaining a measurement of the acceleration of said watercraft;
a velocity algorithm capable of creating a second measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft from said acceleration measurement;
an observed velocity algorithm capable of creating an observed velocity measurement of the velocity of said watercraft from said first measurement of the velocity of said watercraft and said second measurement of the velocity of said watercraft;
a predetermined desired velocity of said watercraft and a predetermined desired acceleration of said watercraft;
a velocity comparator capable of determining the velocity magnitude difference between said predetermined desired velocity of said watercraft and said observed velocity of said watercraft;
an engine speed algorithm capable of creating a first engine speed output correction from said velocity magnitude difference, said predetermined desired acceleration, and said acceleration measurement; and
said first engine speed output correction being capable of causing said watercraft to be propelled at substantially said predetermined velocity.
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3. An apparatus for controlling the velocity of a watercraft having an engine for propulsion, said apparatus comprising:
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a velocity measuring device capable of obtaining a first measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft;
an inertia measurement device capable of obtaining a measurement of the acceleration of said watercraft;
a velocity algorithm capable of creating a second measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft from said acceleration measurement;
an observed velocity algorithm capable of creating an observed velocity measurement of the velocity of said watercraft from said first measurement of the velocity of said watercraft and said second measurement of the velocity of said watercraft;
a predetermined desired velocity of said watercraft and a predetermined desired acceleration of said watercraft;
a velocity comparator capable of determining the velocity magnitude difference between said predetermined desired velocity of said watercraft and said observed velocity of said watercraft;
an acceleration comparator capable of determining the acceleration magnitude difference between said predetermined desired acceleration and said acceleration measurement;
an engine speed algorithm capable of creating a first engine speed output correction from said velocity magnitude difference and said acceleration magnitude difference; and
said first engine speed output correction being capable of causing said watercraft to be propelled at substantially said predetermined velocity.
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25. An apparatus for controlling the velocity of a watercraft having an engine for propulsion, said apparatus comprising:
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a velocity measuring device capable of obtaining a first measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft;
an inertia measurement device capable of obtaining a measurement of the acceleration of said watercraft;
a velocity algorithm capable of creating a second measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft from said acceleration measurement;
a predetermined velocity of said watercraft and a predetermined acceleration of said watercraft;
a tachometer device capable of measuring the speed of said engine propelling said watercraft;
an algorithm capable of creating a first engine torque output correction from said tachometer speed measurement, said first velocity measurement, said second velocity measurement, said predetermined velocity, and said predetermined acceleration; and
said first engine torque output correction being capable of causing said watercraft to be propelled at substantially said predetermined velocity. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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26. An apparatus for controlling the velocity of a watercraft having an engine for propulsion, said apparatus comprising:
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a velocity measuring device capable of obtaining a first measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft;
an inertia measurement device capable of obtaining a measurement of the acceleration of said watercraft;
a velocity algorithm capable of creating a second measurement of the velocity magnitude of said watercraft from said acceleration measurement;
an observed velocity algorithm capable of creating an observed velocity measurement of the velocity of said watercraft from said first measurement of the velocity of said watercraft and said second measurement of the velocity of said watercraft;
a predetermined velocity of said watercraft and a predetermined acceleration of said watercraft;
a tachometer device capable of measuring the speed of said engine propelling said watercraft;
an algorithm capable of creating a first engine torque output correction from said tachometer speed measurement, said observed velocity measurement, said predetermined velocity, and said predetermined acceleration; and
said first engine torque output correction being capable of causing said watercraft to be propelled at substantially said predetermined velocity.
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Specification