US3685352A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Course-made-good apparatus for sailboats
Assignee: Signet Scientific Co
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Filing: 1970-12-02
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Granted: 1972-08-22
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Expires: 1990-12-02
Abstract
Abstract A sailboat measures and displays course-made-good information with the use of a gimbal-mounted magnetometer sensor for detecting the direction of the earth''s magnetic field. The magnetically sensitive axis of the sensor is aligned with the earth''s magnetic field when the boat is headed on a desired course, and the sensor is then locked in a fixed position relative to the boat, with the magnetometer thereafter producing a voltage which is proportional to the cosine of the angular deviation of the boat from the desired course. A voltage signal representing boat speed is coupled with the voltage from the magnetometer in a multiplier to produce a voltage proportional to the vector component of the boat speed in the direction of the desired course. The voltage from the magnetometer sensor is fed to a meter to display the angular deviation of the boat from the desired course, and the voltage from the multiplier is fed to a meter to display the boat''s velocity vector component in the direction of the desired course.
Inventors
- 👤 Edwin Pounder
- 👤 John R Casani
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 01:48
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01C; G01C21/00; G01C21/20; G01C21/203
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
183 words
Course-made-good apparatus for detecting the heading of a sailboat that produces the maximum component of boat velocity in a desired direction, the apparatus comprising: a. means for sensing the direction of a reference point from a point on the boat so as to produce a continuous measurement representative of the angle between the reference point and a reference line on the boat; b. adjustable alignment means on the boat to cooperate with the sensing means to produce a reference measurement of the angle between the desired direction of the boat and the reference point; c. means responsive to the instantaneous magnitude of the reference measurement and the angle measured by the sensing means for producing a course deviation signal representative of the angular deviation of the reference line on the boat from the desired direction of the boat; d. means for producing a speed signal representative of the instantaneous speed of the boat; and e. means responsive to the course deviation signal and speed signal for producing a velocity vector signal representative of the vector component of boat speed in the desired direction.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
183 words
Course-made-good apparatus for detecting the heading of a sailboat that produces the maximum component of boat velocity in a desired direction, the apparatus comprising: a. means for sensing the direction of a reference point from a point on the boat so as to produce a continuous measurement representative of the angle between the reference point and a reference line on the boat; b. adjustable alignment means on the boat to cooperate with the sensing means to produce a reference measurement of the angle between the desired direction of the boat and the reference point; c. means responsive to the instantaneous magnitude of the reference measurement and the angle measured by the sensing means for producing a course deviation signal representative of the angular deviation of the reference line on the boat from the desired direction of the boat; d. means for producing a speed signal representative of the instantaneous speed of the boat; and e. means responsive to the course deviation signal and speed signal for producing a velocity vector signal representative of the vector component of boat speed in the desired direction.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 including means responsive to the velocity vector signal for monitoring the vector component of the boat speed in the desired direction.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
74 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the sensing means includes a magnetometer sensor for sensing the direction of the earth''s magnetic field; and wherein the alignment means includes means for maintaining the axis of the sensor in a fixed position relative to the reference line on the boat, whereby the sensor may be initially aligned with the earth''s magnetic field when the boat is headed on the desired course to produce the reference measurement.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
45 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the means for producing the course deviation signal includes magnetometer circuit means coupled to the magnetometer sensor for producing a voltage proportional to the cosine of the angle between the axis of the sensor and the earth''s magnetic field.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
209 words
For use with a sailboat, course-made-good apparatus for detecting the heading of a sailboat that will produce the maximum component of boat velocity in a selected direction, the apparatus comprising: a. magnetometer means including a movable sensing element for detecting the direction of a magnetic reference point from a point on the boat; b. means for adjusting the position of the sensing element and setting the element at a fixed reference position relative to a reference line on the boat defining an initial angle between the magnetic reference point and the reference line on the boat when the boat is headed in the selected direction; c. means coupled to the sensing element and responsive to the setting of the initial angle for producing a heading signal representative of the cosine of the angular deviation of the sensing element from its reference position; d. means for producing a speed signal representative of boat speed; and e. means responsive to the heading signal and the speed signal for producing a velocity vector signal representative of the vector component of boat speed in the selected direction. 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 including means responsive to the velocity vector signal for monitoring the vector component of boat speed in the selected direction.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
Apparatus aCcording to claim 5 wherein the means for maintaining the sensing element in a fixed position includes a gimbal system fixed to the boat and having a stable gimbal element for mounting the magnetometer sensing element to stabilize the motion of the sensing element in the horizontal plane.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
46 words
Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the means for maintaining the sensing element in a fixed position further includes means for moving the sensing element relative to the boat, and releasable locking means for maintaining the sensing element in a fixed position relative to the boat.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the means for producing the velocity vector signal includes multiplier means for producing an output signal representing the product of the magnitude of the boat speed and heading signals.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the means for producing the velocity vector signal further includes rectifier means for producing a signal representing the absolute value of the magnitude of the heading signal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus according to claim 10 including means responsive to the heading signal for monitoring the angular deviation of the boat from the desired direction.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
158 words
A method of detecting the heading of a sailboat that produces the maximum component of boat velocity in a desired direction, the method comprising: a. sensing the direction of a fixed reference point from a point on the boat to continuously produce a sensed measurement representative of the angle between the fixed reference point and a reference line on the boat; b. producing a reference measurement of the angle between the desired direction of the boat and the fixed reference point; c. responding to the reference measurement and the sensed measurement to produce a course deviation signal representative of the angular deviation of the reference line on the boat from the desired direction of the boat; d. producing a speed signal representative of the instantaneous speed of the boat; and e. combining the course deviation signal and the speed signal to produce a velocity vector signal representative of the vector component of boat speed in the desired direction.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
158 words
A method of detecting the heading of a sailboat that produces the maximum component of boat velocity in a desired direction, the method comprising: a. sensing the direction of a fixed reference point from a point on the boat to continuously produce a sensed measurement representative of the angle between the fixed reference point and a reference line on the boat; b. producing a reference measurement of the angle between the desired direction of the boat and the fixed reference point; c. responding to the reference measurement and the sensed measurement to produce a course deviation signal representative of the angular deviation of the reference line on the boat from the desired direction of the boat; d. producing a speed signal representative of the instantaneous speed of the boat; and e. combining the course deviation signal and the speed signal to produce a velocity vector signal representative of the vector component of boat speed in the desired direction.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
12 words
The method according to claim 12 including monitoring the velocity vector signal.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
112 words
The method according to claim 12 in which (a) a sensing device senses the direction of the reference point and generates an output representative of the angle between the reference point and the reference line on the boat, (b) the reference measurement is produced by positioning the sensing device with respect to the fixed reference point so that it generates a given output when the boat is headed in the desired direction, and (c) the output of the sensing device varies as the reference line on the boat deviates from the desired direction of the boat, the output being representative of the angular deviation between the reference line and the desired direction.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method according to claim 14 including multiplying the course deviation signal and speed signal to produce the velocity vector signal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3141725A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-08-22 | 1976-02-21 | 1976-08-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-22 | 1980-02-21 | 1980-08-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-22 | 1984-02-21 | 1984-08-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |