Small Watercraft Auto-Navigation With Adaptive Control Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing small watercraft navigation systems are inefficient due to suboptimal route selection, which can lead to prolonged travel times and increased energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A small watercraft equipped with a propulsion device, direction change device, and control unit that adjusts control patterns based on the angular difference and separation distance between the watercraft's travel direction and destination, allowing for efficient automatic navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automatic navigation control is implemented with fixed control patterns, then the navigation system is simple to implement, but the navigation efficiency deteriorates due to suboptimal route selection
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit dynamically switches between multiple control patterns (first control pattern for large angular differences, second control pattern for small angular differences) based on real-time navigation conditions. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize route selection and navigation efficiency without requiring a completely complex fixed-structure system, resolving the contradiction between productivity improvement and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes control parameters (control pattern selection) based on the angular difference between the watercraft's travel direction and the destination direction. By adjusting the control pattern according to the angular difference parameter, the system achieves efficient navigation while maintaining a manageable control structure that adapts to different operational conditions.
2Measurement precision
If the watercraft continuously adjusts direction and propulsion during navigation, then the accuracy of reaching destination improves, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit applies partial action by selecting appropriate control patterns based on navigation conditions. When the angular difference is large, the first control pattern applies stronger direction adjustment; when the angular difference is small, the second control pattern applies milder adjustments. This partial action approach achieves sufficient destination accuracy while avoiding excessive energy consumption that would result from continuous maximum-adjustment navigation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the watercraft uses a single control pattern for navigation, then the control system is simple to operate, but the adaptability to different navigation conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically adapts to different navigation conditions by automatically selecting between the first control pattern (for large angular differences) and the second control pattern (for small angular differences). This dynamic selection mechanism provides high adaptability to various navigation scenarios while maintaining relatively simple control logic that does not require complex algorithms or multiple specialized subsystems.
Data Source
AI summary
A small watercraft includes: a watercraft body; a propulsion device that imparts the watercraft body with a propulsion force; a direction change device that changes a travel direction of the watercraft body; and a control unit that sets a destination of the watercraft body and executes automatic navigation control of controlling the propulsion device and the direction change device so that the watercraft body moves toward the set destination. The control unit varies control patterns of the propulsion device and the direction change device in the automatic navigation control depending on a combination of an angular difference between a destination direction that is a direction from the watercraft body toward the destination and a travel direction of the watercraft body, and a separation distance from the watercraft body to the destination.