Boat Gesture Control for Towed User Propulsion Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boat control systems require users to operate buttons on a control device attached to their wrist, which can divert their line of sight away from the hull, making it difficult to easily change the propulsion state while being towed.
Innovation Solution
A boat control system that uses an imager to capture user gestures and an image processor to determine the user's state, allowing a controller to adjust the thruster to change the propulsion state without the need for manual operation of wrist-mounted buttons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user operates buttons on a wrist-mounted control device, then the propulsion state of the hull can be changed, but the user's line of sight is diverted away from the hull, increasing safety risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical button-operating system with an optical recognition system. The image processor detects gestures (hand movements, body posture) to control the propulsion state, eliminating the need for physical button operation. This substitution allows users to control the hull while maintaining their line of sight on the hull, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system (image processor and gesture recognition algorithm) between the user's intent and the propulsion control. Instead of direct button operation, the user's gestures are captured by the imager, processed by the image processor, and translated into propulsion commands. This intermediary enables contactless control that doesn't require the user to look at or touch a control device, thereby maintaining safety while enabling operation.
2Ease of operation
If a wrist-mounted control device with buttons is used, then the user can control the propulsion state, but the control device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control functionality from the physical wrist-mounted device and relocates it to the hull-mounted system. The buttons and control interface are removed from the user's wrist, leaving only a simple imager. The complex processing is moved to the hull's controller, which uses the image processor to interpret gestures and generate propulsion commands. This extraction simplifies the user-worn device while maintaining full control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses optical copying of user gestures instead of physical contact with buttons. The imager captures visual information about the user's hand movements and body posture, creating a digital representation of the control input. The image processor analyzes this visual copy to determine the intended propulsion state, replacing the need for physical button presses and simplifying the control interface.
Data Source
AI summary
A boat control system includes an imager to image a user towed by a hull, an image processor to determine a predetermined state of the user from an image captured by the imager, and a controller configured or programmed to perform a control to adjust a thruster operable to change a propulsion state of the hull based on the predetermined state of the user determined by the image processor to change the propulsion state of the hull.