Single-Drive Boat Thrust Bursts for Assisted Docking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Boats with a single drive unit lack the maneuverability and control capabilities for assisted docking and rotational movement, as they cannot simultaneously provide thrust in multiple directions like boats with multiple drive units.
Innovation Solution
A method for maneuvering a boat with a single drive unit using a rotatable propeller shaft and alternating bursts of thrust, where primary and secondary bursts are directed to provide a net momentum and force, allowing for precise control of rotational and translational movements without requiring extensive manual input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a boat is provided with multiple drive units to enable simultaneous thrust in different directions, then the boat can achieve improved maneuverability and control for rotation and translation, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lower unit is made rotatable about a steering axis, allowing the single drive unit to dynamically change the direction of thrust in a horizontal plane. This dynamic adjustment enables the boat to achieve rotational and translational control that would otherwise require multiple fixed drive units, resolving the contradiction between maneuverability and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds a rotational dimension to the single drive unit by enabling the lower unit to rotate about a steering axis. This dimensional addition allows the propeller to generate thrust in multiple directions sequentially, achieving the versatility of multiple drive units while maintaining a single physical drive unit installation
2Device complexity
If a single drive unit is used instead of multiple drive units, then the device complexity is reduced, but the boat loses the ability to provide simultaneous thrust in multiple directions for controlled rotation and translation
Solution Approach 1:
The control system triggers a series of periodic thrust bursts with alternating directions. By sequencing these periodic thrust applications in different directions, the single drive unit achieves the net momentum and control capability that would require multiple simultaneous drive units, resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the single drive unit by varying the direction of thrust through lower unit rotation and controlling the timing and magnitude of thrust bursts. This parameter control enables the single drive unit to achieve multiple control functions, compensating for the lack of multiple physical drive units
3Measurement precision
If multiple drive units are provided for assisted docking control, then precise control of rotation and translation is achieved, but the space requirements around the boat increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable lower unit enables precise directional control of thrust by adjusting the steering axis rotation. This dynamic directional control allows the single drive unit to achieve precise docking control through controlled momentum application, eliminating the need for multiple drive units and reducing the required operational space around the boat
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables improved maneuverability and accuracy in boat movements, including rotation and translation, using a single drive unit with reduced manual effort and space requirements, while accounting for external factors like wind and water currents.
Implementation Method 1
a lower unit comprising a propeller shaft for carrying a propeller for generating thrust
Implementation Method 2
the lower unit is configured such that the lower unit, or at least a portion of the lower unit carrying the propeller shaft, is rotatable about a steering axis such that a direction of a horizontal component of the thrust is variable in a horizontal plane by rotation of the lower unit about the steering axis
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for maneuvering a boat provided with a single drive unit, includes: Obtaining net momentum direction data indicative of a target horizontal rotational movement of the hull, triggering a series of bursts of thrust by the drive unit, said series of bursts of thrust comprising a plurality of primary bursts and a plurality of secondary bursts directed differently than the primary bursts, The primary bursts and the secondary bursts are directed such that they provide a respective longitudinal thrust component parallel to a hull longitudinal axis. The primary bursts are directed such that the longitudinal thrust components of the primary bursts act in the opposite direction with respect to the direction of the longitudinal thrust components of the secondary bursts. The primary bursts and the secondary bursts are further directed such that they jointly provide a net momentum on the hull associated with said net momentum direction data.