Systems and methods for controlling a marine vessel having a joystick with adjustable display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10000268-B1
Application number	US-201514830988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 20, 2015
Priority date	Aug 20, 2015
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

A joystick device for controlling propulsion and steering of a marine vessel has a handle configured to be moveable by an operator to provide propulsion and steering control commands for a marine vessel, and a housing at the base of the handle such that the handle extends out of the housing. The joystick device also has an adjustable display thereon that adjusts based on at least one of a control mode and a movement of the handle.

First claim

We claim:

1. A joystick device for controlling propulsion and steering of a marine vessel, the joystick device comprising:
a handle configured to be movable by an operator to provide propulsion and steering control commands for a marine vessel;
a housing at a base of the handle such that the handle extends out of the housing;
an adjustable display on the joystick device, wherein the adjustable display includes at least one of an upper display on a top portion of the handle or a lower display on the housing that extends around a base of the handle; and
a control unit configured to modify the adjustable display based on movement of the handle by the operator.

2. The joystick device of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable display indicates a control command provided by the movement of the handle by the operator.

3. The joystick device of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable display is one of a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electronic paper display, an electroluminescent display (ELD), or a plasma display panel (PDP).

4. The joystick device of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable display indicates a direction of the movement of the handle providing a control command.

5. The joystick device of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable display includes an illuminable ring, and the control unit controls the illuminable ring to illuminate at least a portion thereof in response to the movement of the handle.

6. The joystick device of claim 5 , wherein the lower display includes an illuminable ring.

7. A marine vessel propulsion and steering control system comprising:
a joystick device having a handle and a housing, the handle configured to be movable by an operator;
a control unit operably connected to the joystick device that associates a movement of the handle with a control command to control propulsion and steering of a marine vessel based on a control mode; and
an adjustable display on the housing of the joystick device and extending around a base of the handle, wherein the adjustable display is operated by the control unit based on the control mode.

8. The marine vessel propulsion and steering control system of claim 7 , wherein the adjustable display is one of a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electronic paper display, an electroluminescent display (ELD), or a plasma display panel (PDP).

9. The marine vessel propulsion and steering control system of claim 7 , further comprising an upper display on a top portion of the handle operated by the control unit based on the control mode.

10. The marine vessel propulsion and steering control system of claim 7 , wherein the adjustable display is an illuminable ring, and wherein the control unit illuminates at least a portion of the illuminable ring based on the control mode.

11. The marine vessel propulsion and steering control system of claim 7 , wherein the control unit adjusts the adjustable display in response to movement of the handle by an operator.

12. The marine vessel propulsion and steering control system of claim 11 , wherein the control unit controls the adjustable display in response to the movement of the handle to indicate receipt of a valid control command and/or to indicate that the movement is not associated with a permissible control command.

13. The marine vessel propulsion and steering control system of claim 12 , wherein the adjustable display is an illuminable ring; and
wherein the control unit illuminates a portion of the illuminable ring associated with a direction of movement of the handle to indicate the receipt of the valid control command.

14. A method of controlling a marine vessel, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a joystick device, comprising a movable handle, a housing, and an adjustable display, and a control unit associated with the joystick device, the joystick device and control unit configured to cooperate to receive control commands to control propulsion and steering of a marine vessel;
wherein the adjustable display includes an illuminable ring;
determining a control mode for the joystick device with the control unit;
detecting a movement of the handle by an operator, and
illuminating at least a portion of the illuminable ring on the joystick device with the control unit in response to the movement of the handle.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising illuminating at least a portion of the illuminable ring on the joystick device with the control unit to indicate at least one of the control mode, a control option, and an error.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising determining that the movement of the handle is not associated with a permissible control command; and
wherein the step of illuminating the illuminable ring on the joystick device with the control unit in response to the movement of the handle includes illuminating the illuminable ring to indicate and error.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the step of illuminating the illuminable ring on the joystick device with the control unit in response to the movement of the handle includes illuminating the illuminable ring in response to receipt of a valid steering command.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein illuminating the illuminable ring in response to receipt of a valid steering command includes illuminating a portion of the illuminable ring associated with a direction of the steering command.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the adjustable display includes an upper display on a top portion of the joystick and a lower display on the housing;
wherein the lower display is the illuminable ring and the upper display is one of a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electronic paper display, an electroluminescent display (ELD), or a plasma display panel (PDP); and
further comprising adjusting the adjustable display in response to the control command by indicating the control mode on the upper display and illuminating at least a portion of the illuminable ring of the lower display.

Assignees

• Brunswick Corp

Inventors

• Poirier Brian J
• Abellera Ryan C
• Dannenberg Todd D
• Henker Mark W
• Foltice Yana V

Classifications

• B63H25/02 Primary

  Initiating means for steering {, for slowing down, otherwise than by use of propulsive elements, or for dynamic anchoring} · CPC title

• H01H2219/022

  Plasma display · CPC title

• B63H2025/026

  using multi-axis control levers, or the like, e.g. joysticks, wherein at least one degree of freedom is employed for steering, slowing down, or dynamic anchoring · CPC title

• H01H2221/012

  Joy stick type · CPC title

• H01H25/04

  Operating part movable angularly in more than one plane, e.g. joystick · CPC title