Watercraft network
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A watercraft comprising:
- a hull defining an operator'"'"'s area; and
a network supported by the hull and connecting;
an outboard motor supported by the hull and comprising an engine, a throttle valve configured to control a power output of the engine, an actuator configured to control movement of the throttle valve, an engine speed sensor configured to perform a function of detecting a speed of the engine and generating a signal indicative of the speed of the engine, and an outboard motor transceiver configured to transmit engine speed data from the outboard motor across the network and configured to receive throttle actuator control data for the outboard motor from the network;
a remote control device disposed in the operator'"'"'s area and remote from the outboard motor, the remote control device comprising a throttle lever and a sensor configured to perform a function of detecting a position of the throttle valve and generating a throttle position signal indicative of the position of the throttle lever, and a transceiver configured to transmit the throttle position data across the network, the remote control device also including a memory containing data indicating a correlation of a plurality of addresses on the network with the functions, respectively; and
a display device disposed in the operator'"'"'s area and being configured to perform a function of displaying indicia indicative of the engine speed of the engine, the display device comprising a transceiver configured to receive the engine speed data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network for a vehicle correlates network addresses with functions. The network can be used to connect control devices and an outboard motor mounted to a watercraft. Each physical node on the network can include one or plurality of functional nodes. The network can be configured to assign network addresses to devices on the network based on the functions performed by the devices, respectively.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A watercraft comprising:
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a hull defining an operator'"'"'s area; and a network supported by the hull and connecting; an outboard motor supported by the hull and comprising an engine, a throttle valve configured to control a power output of the engine, an actuator configured to control movement of the throttle valve, an engine speed sensor configured to perform a function of detecting a speed of the engine and generating a signal indicative of the speed of the engine, and an outboard motor transceiver configured to transmit engine speed data from the outboard motor across the network and configured to receive throttle actuator control data for the outboard motor from the network; a remote control device disposed in the operator'"'"'s area and remote from the outboard motor, the remote control device comprising a throttle lever and a sensor configured to perform a function of detecting a position of the throttle valve and generating a throttle position signal indicative of the position of the throttle lever, and a transceiver configured to transmit the throttle position data across the network, the remote control device also including a memory containing data indicating a correlation of a plurality of addresses on the network with the functions, respectively; and a display device disposed in the operator'"'"'s area and being configured to perform a function of displaying indicia indicative of the engine speed of the engine, the display device comprising a transceiver configured to receive the engine speed data. - View Dependent Claims (16)
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- 2. A watercraft comprising an input device configured to accept an input from an operator of the watercraft, a plurality of at least one of sensors and actuators configured to perform a plurality of functions, respectively, related to the operation of the watercraft, and a network connecting the input device with the plurality of at least one of sensors and actuators, wherein the input device includes a correlation module comprising a correlation of a plurality of addresses on the network with the plurality of functions, respectively.
- 10. A vehicle comprising a an input device, a device controlled by the input device and disposed remotely from the input device, a network connecting the input device and the controlled device, and a data table for a network, the data table correlating network addresses and functions of devices attached to the network, including at least the controlled device and the input device.
Specification