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Systems and methods for positioning a marine vessel

  • US 8,924,054 B1
  • Filed: 03/14/2013
  • Issued: 12/30/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for orienting a marine vessel, the system comprising:

  • a marine propulsion device;

    a control circuit that controls operation of the marine propulsion device;

    a user input device that inputs to the control circuit a user-desired global position and a user-desired heading of the marine vessel;

    wherein the control circuit calculates a position difference between the user-desired global position and an actual global position of the marine vessel;

    wherein, when the position difference is greater than a threshold distance from the user-desired global position and an actual heading of the marine vessel is not oriented towards the user-desired global position, the control circuit provides no authority for the marine vessel to translate in a fore/aft direction and a left/right direction and controls the marine propulsion device to cause the marine vessel to yaw until the actual heading is oriented towards the user-desired global position;

    wherein, when the position difference is greater than the threshold distance and the actual heading is oriented towards the user-desired global position, the control circuit thereafter controls the marine propulsion device to drive the marine vessel in forward gear so as to minimize the position difference;

    wherein, when the position difference is less than the threshold distance and the actual heading is not equal to the user-desired heading, the control circuit provides an increasing amount of authority for the marine vessel to translate in the fore/aft direction and the left/right direction and at the same time controls the marine propulsion device to cause the marine vessel to yaw so as to minimize a difference between the actual heading and the user-desired heading; and

    wherein, when the position difference is less than the threshold distance and the actual heading is equal to the user-desired heading, the control circuit provides full authority for the marine vessel to translate in the fore/aft direction and the left/right direction so as to minimize the position difference.

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