Marine Joystick Force Feedback for Proximity-Aware Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current marine electronic vessel control systems lack the ability to provide force feedback to operators, which can lead to reduced situational awareness and increased risk of collisions with surrounding objects.
Innovation Solution
A marine maneuvering system that includes a proximity sensor to detect surrounding objects, a movable joystick with a force feedback device, and a marine vessel control unit that calculates the distance to detected objects and adjusts the force feedback accordingly to assist the operator in navigating safely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If force feedback device is added to the joystick, then operator situational awareness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The force feedback device is integrated into the existing joystick structure, merging the feedback mechanism with the control interface. This combination provides situational awareness information directly through the joystick without requiring separate display devices or control elements, thus improving information feedback while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The force feedback device acts as an intermediary between the proximity sensor system and the operator. It translates proximity data into tactile sensations that the operator can perceive intuitively, bridging the gap between raw sensor information and human understanding without requiring complex visual or auditory interfaces.
2Reliability
If force feedback is applied based on proximity data, then safety is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The force feedback application is made dynamic and adaptive based on real-time proximity conditions. The system adjusts the magnitude and characteristics of force feedback according to the detected proximity levels, applying stronger feedback only when objects are closer and potential risk is higher. This dynamic adjustment optimizes energy consumption by avoiding continuous maximum force application while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of force feedback (magnitude, frequency, duration) based on proximity distance and risk assessment. By varying these parameters dynamically rather than applying fixed force levels, the system achieves improved safety through enhanced operator awareness while minimizing unnecessary energy consumption during low-risk periods.
Data Source
AI summary
A marine maneuvering system for a marine vessel is provided. The marine maneuvering system comprises a marine vessel control unit configured to: obtain a requested movement of a joystick indicating a speed value and a direction value for an upcoming navigation of the marine vessel; obtain proximity signals from a proximity sensor in response to a target being sensed in at least portions of an environment surrounding the marine vessel at least towards a direction indicated by a direction value of the joystick; determine a distance between the marine vessel and the target based on the proximity signals; and control a force feedback device to apply a force feedback to the joystick based on the determined distance.