Event sensor

• US 20080243321A1
• Filed: 09/19/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Econtrols Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Econtrols Incorporated
• Inventors: Guglielmo, Kennon H., Shouse, Kenneth R., Grogan, Joseph, Walser, Michael W.
• Application Number:
  US11/903,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243321A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/21
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 34/60 Arrangements for towing, e.g. for use with water-skis or wakeboards
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 49/00 Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/10 using sensors, e.g. pressure sensors, strain gauges or accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 79/40 for controlling the operation of vessels, e.g. monitoring their speed, routing or maintenance schedules
• CPC Class Codes: B63J 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/10 by using measurements of speed or acceleration G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/203 Specially adapted for sailing ships
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 70/00 Maritime or waterways transport

Abstract

An automatic timing measurement system that provides a measure of time of passage of a watercraft through a prescribed course. Algorithms based on inertial or other estimates augmented by GPS speed/position measurements are used to track position of a watercraft. Said position estimates are used to allow the locations of prescribed courses to be mapped and memorized. Algorithms are then used to allow the apparatus to automatically detect passage of a watercraft through mapped courses for the purpose of measuring and reporting time of passage of said watercraft past key points in said course, and for modifying the behavior of the speed control portion of the apparatus if necessary at certain points in the mapped course. A measure of accuracy of driver steering can be provided along with the ability to automatically steer the watercraft through the course if “steer-by-wire” mechanism is available. GPS speed control is augmented with a secondary velocity measurement device that measures speed over water resulting in an optional user selectable real-time compensation for water current. Furthermore, GPS is used as the key input to produce boat speed-based pull-up profiles.

Claims

1. A system for detecting the time of an event, said system comprising:

a position observer subsystem;

a computing device in communication with said position observer system;

non-volatile storage programmed with locational information describing at least one water course;

wherein said computing device is adapted to compute a position of a watercraft relative to said water.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising

A user interface allowing driver inputs to permanently store and identify locations of a prescribed course using measurements derived by 1 above.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said user interface further comprises a progress indicator adapted to substantially represent said watercrafts position relative to said mapped water course.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said user interface is further adapted to provide an audible signal when said watercraft crosses the plane of a buoy.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said computing device is adapted to automatically detect passage of said watercraft through defined points in said course.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein

said permanent storage medium contains a plurality of mapped water courses;

and

wherein said computing device is adapted to automatically detect which of said plurality of mapped water courses said watercraft is entering.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said computing device is adapted to measure driver accuracy in steering said watercraft through said mapped water course.

8. The system of claim 1

wherein said computing device is adapted to automatically compute a desired path through a mapped course;

and

further comprising a control system adapted to steer said watercraft along an actual path substantially in conformance with said desired path.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising

A computing device adapted to map and display the track of a skier relative to the course location in real time.

10. The system of claim 1 further comprising

An algorithm adapted to map and log the track of a skier relative to the course location based on post-processing data.

11. An apparatus for measuring the position of a watercraft, said apparatus comprising:

a GPS device capable of computing a substantially correct position of said water craft;

a permanent storage medium containing locational information for at least one memorized water course;

wherein said GPS device is adapted to calculate a position of said watercraft relative to said at least one memorized water course.

12. A method of detecting an event comprising the steps of:

recording map data into a memory;

receiving a velocity signal and a location signal;

outputting a normalized signal based upon said velocity signal and said location signal;

comparing said normalized to said map data;

outputting said even based upon said comparison.