Boat speed control

Abstract

A control system for controlling the speed of a boat of the type including a motor having a throttle control lever coupled to a throttle of the motor provides for stable and predictable control of the speed of a boat The control system includes a position detector configured to detect the position of the throttle control lever and to generate a first signal representative of a target speed of the motor; a sensor which generates a second signal representative of the actual speed of the motor; an actuator adapted to control the throttle; and a servo controller, which in response to the first signal and the second signal, generates an output to adjust the position of the actuator.

Description

BACKGROUND[0001] This invention relates to a system for controlling the speed of a boat.[0002] Motorboats typically include a throttle lever positioned in the cockpit and connected via a push-pull cable to the throttle of the motor. The word "throttle" is intended to mean any device that controls the output of a motor. For example, in carbureted vehicles, the throttle controls the fuel and air intake into the motor; while in some fuel-injected vehicles, the throttle controls air intake.[0003] Referring to FIG. 1, a boat 1A includes a motor 5A mounted to the stem of the boat and a throttle 7A for regulating the speed of the motor. Within the cockpit area of boat 1A is a throttle lever 10A, which is connected to throttle 7A via a push-pull cable 12A (e.g., Bowden cable). A shift mechanism connected to the boat's transmission is generally incorporated within the throttle lever 10A as well. The position of the lever, therefore, is used to regulate the speed and usually the direction (i....

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011] The method further includes detecting an actual speed of the motor, generating a second input representative of the actual speed of the motor, and generating an output, on the basis of the first input and the second input, to minimize the difference between the first input and the second input. Among other advantages, the control system provides for stable and predictable control of the speed of a boat. With this arrangement, the control system and its method of operation allows the operator to maintain the speed of the boat or motor without having to repeatedly adjust the hand lever. The control system can be interfaced to an existing standard boat control such that little or no training is required to learn the operation of the control system since the user interface is similar to standard controls. The control system can be used at all boat speeds, including very slow speeds. The control system can also be installed on standard locations on the boat without the need for much additional hardware mounting space. The cascaded loops allow fast servo loop response to maintain steady RPM control, while the slower boat speed control loop adjusts the desired RPM. This makes it possible to have quick response and a high degree of control.

Problems solved by technology

Manually positioning the throttle lever 10A, however, does not ensure that the speed of the boat is constant.

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