System for controlling position and speed of a marine vessel

• US 9,857,794 B1
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
• Original Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
• Inventors: Jarrell, Matthew David, Osthelder, Robert Raymond, Gable, Kenneth G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALSOMIRI, MAJDI A
• Application Number:
  US14/807,252
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• 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: B63H 2025/045 making use of satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 25/04 automatic, e.g. reacting to compass
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles

Abstract

A system and non-transient computer readable medium for executing a method for controlling position and speed of a marine vessel propelled by a marine propulsion device along a route including a plurality of waypoints are disclosed. An input source provides the plurality of waypoints to a controller, each individual waypoint being associated with a respective operator-selected desired speed of the marine propulsion device. A position determination device determines an actual geographical location of the vessel, and a speed sensor determines an actual speed of the marine propulsion device. The controller receives a given waypoint and its respective desired speed from the input source, the actual geographical location from the position determination device, and the actual speed from the speed sensor. The controller compares these values and outputs commands to propel the marine vessel to the given waypoint and concurrently to operate the marine propulsion device at the respective desired speed.

Claims

1. A system for controlling position and speed of a marine vessel propelled by a marine propulsion device along a route comprising a plurality of waypoints, the system comprising:

a controller in signal communication with the marine propulsion device;

an input source that provides the plurality of waypoints to the controller, each individual waypoint in the plurality of waypoints being manually associated by an operator of the marine vessel with a respective numerical value of a desired speed of the marine propulsion device;

a position determination device that determines an actual geographical location of the marine vessel; and

a speed sensor that determines an actual speed of the marine propulsion device;

wherein the controller receives a given waypoint and its respective desired speed from the input source, the actual geographical location from the position determination device, and the actual speed from the speed sensor;

wherein the controller compares the actual geographical location to the given waypoint and the actual speed to the respective desired speed, and outputs commands to propel the marine vessel to the given waypoint and concurrently to operate the marine propulsion device at the respective desired speed;

wherein the input source is a user interface that allows the operator to associate each given waypoint with its respective desired speed; and

wherein the user interface includes a user-selectable function by which the controller flags any waypoints for which the respective desired speed exceeds a known waterway speed limit for a geographical area containing the waypoint.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes buttons with which the operator can manually associate each given waypoint with its respective desired speed.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user interface includes buttons with which the operator can manually associate each of the waypoints in the plurality of waypoints with a single desired speed.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of waypoints comprises all the waypoints in the route.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of waypoints comprises a subset of all the waypoints in the route.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the user interface includes a touch-sensitive display screen that allows the operator to select the subset of all the waypoints by individually selecting each waypoint to be included in the subset from a map rendered on the display screen.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the user interface includes a touch-sensitive display screen that allows the operator to select the subset of all the waypoints by drawing a perimeter around the subset on a map rendered on the display screen.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a touch-sensitive display screen, and wherein the controller causes the display screen to highlight the flagged waypoints on a map rendered on the display screen.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a button that allows the operator to select a function by which the controller automatically changes the respective desired speed associated with each flagged waypoint to the respective known waterway speed limit for the geographical area containing the flagged waypoint.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the desired speed of the marine propulsion device is one of a speed of the marine vessel and a speed of an engine powering the marine propulsion device, and wherein the speed sensor senses one of an actual speed of the marine vessel and an actual speed of the engine, respectively.

11. A non-transient computer readable medium programmed with computer readable code that upon execution by a processor causes the processor to execute a method for controlling position and speed of a marine vessel propelled by a marine propulsion device along a route comprising a plurality of waypoints, the method comprising:

accepting the plurality of waypoints from an input source, each individual waypoint in the plurality of waypoints being manually associated by an operator of the marine vessel with a respective numerical value of a desired speed of the marine propulsion device;

rendering a screen on a user interface that allows the operator to associate each individual waypoint in the plurality of waypoints with its respective desired speed; and

sending the plurality of waypoints and the respective desired speeds to a marine propulsion system controller, which thereafter outputs commands to propel the marine vessel to a given waypoint and concurrently to operate the marine propulsion device at the respective desired speed;

wherein the screen on the user interface allows the operator to one of manually associate each given waypoint with a potentially unique respective desired speed, and manually associate each of the waypoints in the plurality of waypoints with a single desired speed; and

wherein the screen on the user interface allows the operator to select each of the waypoints in the plurality of waypoints, which comprises a subset of all the waypoints in the route, by one of individually selecting each waypoint to be included in the subset from a map rendered on the screen, and drawing a perimeter around the subset on the map rendered on the screen.

12. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

causing the screen on the user interface to highlight any waypoints for which the respective desired speed exceeds a known waterway speed limit for a geographical area containing the waypoint.

13. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

rendering an option on the screen on the user interface that allows the operator to select a function by which each given waypoint in the plurality of waypoints is automatically associated with a target speed based on the known waterway speed limit for the geographical area containing the given waypoint.

14. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the screen on the user interface allows the operator to select a given waypoint from an already-charted route and to associate a respective desired speed with the given waypoint.

15. The non-transient computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the screen on the user interface allows the operator to add a given waypoint to a new or unfinished route and to associate a respective desired speed with the added given waypoint.