Event sensor

• US 9,092,033 B1
• Filed: 01/28/2011
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enovation Controls, LLC (Helios Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enovation Controls, LLC (Helios Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Walser, Michael W., Guglielmo, Kennon H., Shouse, Kenneth R., Grogan, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Keith, Jack W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chuong P
• Application Number:
  US13/016,187
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/21, 701/25, 701/300, 701/400, 701408-413, 701/466, 701/468, 340/984, 340/988, 340/995.1, 340/995.14, 34099517-99525, 340/995.27, 340/995.28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 provides a measure of time of passage of a watercraft through a prescribed course. Inertial or other estimates augmented by GPS speed/position measurements are used to track position of a watercraft, and those estimates are used to allow the locations of prescribed courses to be mapped and memorized. The apparatus may automatically detect passage of a watercraft through mapped courses for the purpose of measuring and reporting time of passage past key points in the course, and for modifying the behavior of the speed control of the apparatus if necessary at certain points in the mapped course. GPS speed control may be 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 may be used as the key input to produce boat speed-based pull-up profiles.

Claims

1. A system for measuring steering accuracy through a water course, comprising:

a position observer subsystem;

a timing measurement device;

a computing device in communication with the position observer subsystem and the timing measurement device; and

a non-volatile storage coupled to the computing device and including locational information describing a preferred path of a mapped water course;

wherein the computing device is configured to receive an observed position and an observed velocity of a watercraft from the position observer subsystem, compare the observed position and the observed velocity with the locational information describing the preferred path of the mapped water course to determine a deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path, and use the deviation to compensate for an error in a time measurement that is received from the timing measurement device and that measures an elapsed time between a plurality of points in the mapped water course.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the preferred path of the mapped water course comprises a centerline of the mapped water course.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the time measurement is a time period to complete the mapped water course.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the using the deviation to compensate for the error in the measurement received from the timing measurement device includes the deviation resulting from the watercraft being steered away from the preferred path.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path comprises a distance deviation.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is adapted to determine a driver score related to the deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is adapted to measure a displacement of the watercraft along the preferred path.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the computing device is configured to factor the deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path into the measured displacement of the watercraft along the preferred path.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the preferred path of the mapped water course is related to a the plurality of points in the mapped water course.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of points include an entry point, an exit point, and at least one intermediate point.

11. A system for measuring steering accuracy through a water course, comprising:

a Global Positioning System (GPS) device configured to provide a plurality of GPS information related to a watercraft;

an accelerometer configured to provide a watercraft acceleration of the watercraft;

a timing measurement device configured to measure a time period;

a permanent storage medium configured to include locational information describing a preferred path of a water course; and

a computing device coupled to the GPS device, the accelerometer, the time measurement device, and the permanent storage medium, wherein the computing device is configured to receive and use the GPS information, the watercraft acceleration, and the locational information to determine a deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path, and use the deviation to compensate for an error in a time period that is received from the timing measurement device and that includes an elapsed time between a plurality of points in the mapped water course.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the time period is associated with the completion of the water course.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the using the deviation to compensate for the error in the time period received from the timing measurement device includes the deviation resulting from the watercraft being steered away from the preferred path.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path comprises a distance deviation.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing device is configured to measure a displacement of the watercraft along the preferred path.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device is configured to factor the deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path into the measured displacement of the watercraft along the preferred path.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the preferred path of the mapped water course comprises a centerline of the mapped water course.

18. A steering accuracy measurement system, comprising:

an accelerometer;

a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit;

a time measurement device;

a permanent storage medium;

a computing device coupled to the accelerometer, the GPS unit, the time measurement device, and the permanent storage medium, wherein the computing device is configured to;

receive a observed position of the watercraft determined using the GPS unit;

compare the observed position of the watercraft to information retrieved from the permanent storage medium that describes a preferred path of a mapped water course;

determine a deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path based on the comparison of the observed position and the information describing the preferred path;

receive a time measurement from the timing measurement device that measures an elapsed time between a plurality of points in the mapped water course; and

compensate for an error in the time measurement using the deviation.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the computing device is configured to factor the deviation of the watercraft from the preferred path into a measured displacement of the watercraft along the preferred path.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the time measurement is a time period required to complete the water course.