Patent Application
20240409197
Watercraft like speedboats are an ubiquitous part of recreation and water sports on lakes, rivers, bays and the ocean. Some of these vessels are quite expensive and are often purchased by an owner as a status symbol that is proudly displayed to the envy of all. The same can be said for high end automobiles and other land vehicles. Owners of expensive automobiles, SUV, four-wheel drive trucks, and so on, like to show off their vehicles by cruising the streets, attending car shows, participating in car rallies. In fact, any activity that allows the owner of a high end boat or land vehicle to exhibit their machines is going to be popular with these owners.
The aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein generally employ a motor or engine powered multi-wheeled land vehicle to propel and steer a boat body. More particularly, in one implementation, the aquatic vehicle converter includes a boat body having propulsion and steering systems. In addition, a propulsion interfacing system is included that interfaces a driven wheel or wheels of the land vehicle with the propulsion system of the boat body. The propulsion interfacing system employs the rotation of the driven wheel or wheels of the land vehicle to rotate one or more output shafts that are used to power the propulsion system of the boat body. The rotational speed of the output shaft or shafts is greater than the rotational speed of the driven wheel or wheels of the land vehicle by a prescribed speed factor. Additionally, the aquatic vehicle converter includes a steering interfacing system that interfaces the wheel or wheels of the land vehicle used for steering with the steering system of the boat body. The steering interfacing system employs the yaw direction rotation of the wheel or wheels of the land vehicle that are used for steering to turn the aquatic vehicle converter using the steering system of the boat body.
In another implementation, the aquatic vehicle converter is the same as described previously, except that the boat body has two longitudinal hulls separated by a deck. In addition, the propulsion interfacing system employs the rotation of the driven wheel or wheels of the land vehicle to rotate an output shaft in each hull to power the propulsion system of the boat body.
The foregoing Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified form, that are further described hereafter in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the claimed subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.
The specific features, aspects, and advantages of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
In the following description of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific implementations in which the aquatic vehicle converter can be practiced. It is understood that other implementations can be utilized, and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the aquatic vehicle converter.
It is also noted that for the sake of clarity specific terminology will be resorted to in describing the aquatic vehicle converter implementations and it is not intended for these implementations to be limited to the specific terms so chosen. Furthermore, it is to be understood that each specific term includes all its technical equivalents that operate in a broadly similar manner to achieve a similar purpose. Reference herein to “one implementation”, or “another implementation”, or an “exemplary implementation”, or an “alternate implementation” means that a particular feature, a particular structure, or particular characteristics described in connection with the implementation or implementation can be included in at least one implementation of the aquatic vehicle converter. The appearances of the phrases “in one implementation”, “in another implementation”, “in an exemplary implementation”, “in an alternate implementation”, “in one implementation”, “in another implementation”, “in an exemplary implementation”, and “in an alternate implementation” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation or implementation, nor are separate or alternative implementations/implementations mutually exclusive of other implementations/implementations. Yet furthermore, the order of process flow representing one or more implementations or implementations of the aquatic vehicle converter does not inherently indicate any particular order nor imply any limitations of the aquatic vehicle converter.
Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “including,” “has,” “contains,” variants thereof, and other similar words are used in either this detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive, in a manner similar to the term “comprising”, as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements.
In general, the aquatic vehicle converter includes a boat body having a flat deck with interfacing units for interfacing with a land vehicle (such as an automobile) that provides input power which is then converted into propulsion for the converter. The boat body can be any high-speed water vehicle that has a flat deck, or which can be converted to have a flat deck. The boat body has a partial powertrain in that the engine and any transmission components that would typically be included are not needed, but the propulsion system portion of the powertrain that employs one or more propeller blades, or one or more water jets, is still needed. For example, the powertrain in a speed boat having an inboard motor system with a straight shaft includes an engine typically mounted in the middle portion of the boat hull. A transmission is mounted to the rear of the engine and is connected to the input shaft of the propulsion system. In the context of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein, the engine and transmission are not there, but the input shaft and the rest of the propulsion system is present. Another example of an appropriate boat body is a speed boat that is designed to employ a sterndrive powertrain. In a sterndrive powertrain, an engine is located inside the hull at the back end (i.e., stern) of the boat behind its transom. The engine is attached to an input shaft that extends through the transom to a drive unit which is similar to the lower part of an outboard boat motor. In the context of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein, the engine is not there, but the input shaft and drive unit (which together make up the propulsion system) are present. With regard to a boat body that employs water jets in its propulsion system, these systems typically have a water inlet on the bottom of the boat that is connected to a pump that draws water in and forces it out at a high speed through a nozzle at the stern of the boat. Typically, an input shaft attached to an engine provides power to the pump. In the context of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein, the engine is not there, but the input shaft, pump and the other components of the water jet are present.
The boat body is chosen to be large enough to accommodate the type of land vehicle that will be used for input power. Additionally, the boat body chosen is designed to maintain the stability of the aquatic vehicle converter on the water in view of the size and weight of the land vehicle being employed, and in view of the anticipated conditions on the water (e.g., lake, river, ocean) and the speeds the aquatic vehicle converter will be travelling. In one implementation, the boat body chosen should be able to remain stable at the maximum speeds typical for a speedboat (e.g., up to 50-60 mph on the water). The boat body chosen for the aquatic vehicle converter can have a single hull (i.e., monohull) or multiple hulls such as a catamaran (two longitudinal hulls) or trimaran (three longitudinal hulls). A multi-hulled configuration has added stability benefits, especially in the roll direction. However, a single hull boat body can be equipped with conventional roll stabilization systems as well. In the case of a catamaran configuration, the flat deck would stretch between the hulls. In the case of the trimaran configuration, the center hull would carry the flat deck. In one implementation, the single hull boat body can take the form of a hydrofoil. The hydrofoil configuration has advantages in that it already includes a roll stabilization system. The boat body can be made of any appropriate material, however in one implementation a portion of the hull that is above the surface of the water is made of a transparent material (e.g., plexiglass) so as to create the appearance that the land vehicle is gliding across the surface of the water on its own. Examples of the various hull configurations with a land vehicle in place on the deck are shown in
The land vehicle can be any four-wheeled vehicle that has enough power to operate the aquatic vehicle converter at a desired maximum speed (e.g., about 300 horsepower to operate at speedboat speeds of about 50-60 miles per hour on the water). For example, the land vehicle could take the form of an automobile, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), recreational vehicle (RV), golf cart, and so on) with powered drive wheels and front wheels that steer.
In one implementation, where the land vehicle is a four-wheeled vehicle, the interfacing units interface with its front wheels, or rear wheels, or both. The interfacing units are part of an aquatic vehicle converter propulsion system that connects to the existing propulsion system of the chosen boat body and converts rotation of the drive wheels of the land vehicle to a propulsive force for the aquatic vehicle converter. For example, the boat body could have a propulsion system that employs one or more propeller blades, or one or more water jets, to propel the aquatic vehicle converter across the water. If the land vehicle has a front-wheel drive, then the front wheels of the land vehicle interface with front interface units (which are closest to the bow of the boat body). If the land vehicle has a rear-wheel drive, then the rear wheels of the land vehicle interface with rear interface units (which are closest to the stern of the boat body). And, if the land vehicle has four-wheel drive and it is intended to operate the vehicle in its four-wheel drive mode, then the front wheels of the land vehicle interface with front interface units and the rear wheels interface with rear interface units. In operation, rotation of the drive wheels of the land vehicle is converted by the aquatic vehicle converter propulsion system to the input required by the chosen boat body's propulsion system to turn the propeller(s) or operate the waterjet(s).
The wheels of the land vehicle responsible for steering (typically the front) interface with a steering interface unit of the aquatic vehicle converter. As will be described in more detail in a section to follow, the steering interface unit is also responsible for interfacing with the steering mechanism that is present in the chosen boat body. When the wheels of the automobile are turned in the direction the operator wants to go as if he or she were steering a land vehicle, the steering interface unit senses the motion of the front wheels of the vehicle. In one implementation, the steering interface unit senses the motion and causes one or more rudder devices to turn the aquatic vehicle converter in the desired direction. In the case where the propulsion unit is one or more water jets, the steering interface unit could alternately cause the nozzle(s) of the water jet(s) to point in a direction that will cause the aquatic vehicle converter to turn in the desired direction.
As described previously, the aquatic vehicle converter propulsion system connects to the existing propulsion system of the chosen boat body and converts rotation (in the pitch plane) of one or more of the land vehicle's driven wheels to a propulsive force for the aquatic vehicle converter. In one implementation, each of the driven wheels of the land vehicle rotate a pair of rollers that form part of each drive wheel interface, one of which is shown in
The drive wheel gearbox 208 is a multi-purpose gear box that increases the speed of an output shaft 210 (such as via a gear train), as well as employing angle converter gears to make the output shaft form a right angle in relation to the input shaft 206. It is noted that while the drive wheel gearbox is depicted as a single integrated unit, it can also take the form of two or more separate gearboxes that are connected. The input shaft 206 of the drive wheel gearbox 208 is connected to the drive roller 202 of the twin-roller unit 200 and has a length that aligns the drive wheel gearbox in the lateral direction with the existing propulsion system's input. In some boat bodies, the input of the existing propulsion system is angled. If the drive wheel gear box can be mounted such that its output shaft substantially matches the angle of the existing propulsion system's input (by rotating the gearbox about its input shaft), it is made long enough to reach the propulsion system's input and no further measures are needed other than an appropriate coupler. If however, the input to the existing propulsion system is not angled and does not line up vertically with the output shaft of the drive wheel gearbox, then an additional angle converter gearbox is employed for each of the drive wheel gearbox. More particularly, in one implementation illustrated in
The increase in speed of the output shaft of the drive wheel gearbox in relation to the input shaft is advantageous for various reasons. For example, it facilitates propelling the aquatic vehicle converter at speed boat speeds across the water. In general, a drive wheel of a land vehicle typically rotates at speeds that would ultimately result in the aquatic vehicle converter not being able to reach speedboat speeds on the water. For example, assuming a typical wheel diameter of about 30 inches, it is believed a drive wheel of a land vehicle would rotate at a speed of about 900 rpm when its speedometer reads 50-60 mph. It is believed a typical propeller speed for a speed boat at maximum speed (e.g., about 50-60 mph on the water) is about 5000-6000 rpm. Thus, an increase between the rotation speed of a land vehicle's drive wheel and the speed of the output shaft of the drive wheel gear box of about 5-7 fold would be needed to propel the aquatic vehicle converter at approximately speed boat speeds. Additionally, an increase between the rotation speed of a land vehicle's drive wheel and the speed of the output shaft of the drive wheel gear box of about 5-7 fold would roughly equate the speed a driver would see on the land vehicle's speedometer to the speed of the aquatic vehicle converter on the water. This gives the driver the impression that he or she is driving the aquatic vehicle converter across the water in the same manner as they would driving the land vehicle across land. It is noted that the foregoing calculations are rough estimates and not intended as exact or tested values. In addition, the foregoing assumes that the land vehicle has power and torque approximately equal to a speed boat (e.g., about 300 horsepower), and that the weight of the aquatic vehicle converter with the land vehicle onboard and the speed boat are approximately the same (e.g., about 4000 pounds).
The rollers in the twin-roller unit are believed to have roller diameters ⅓ to ½ the size of the land vehicle wheel. As such, the speed increase caused by having a smaller roller than wheel diameter would be approximately 1:2 to 1:3. This means the speed increasing drive wheel gearbox needs to have about a 1:2.5 to 1:3.5 speed increasing ratio for a roller that is about ½ the diameter of the land vehicle's drive wheel, down to a 1:1.66 to 1:2.33 speed increasing ratio for a roller that is about ⅓ the diameter of the land vehicle's drive wheel, in order to achieve a 5-7 fold increase in speed at the gearbox's output shaft. However, if equating the speed a driver would see on the land vehicle's speedometer to the speed of the aquatic vehicle converter on the water is not a priority, then employing a drive wheel gearbox having speed increasing ratios above about 1:3.5 can be advantageous for various reasons. For example, achieving speed boat speeds at lower land vehicle speedometer speeds would mean the land vehicle drive wheels are not rotating as fast. It is believed that slower land vehicle wheel speeds would reduce the amount of slippage between the rollers of the twin-roller unit and the land vehicle's wheels. In addition, running the land vehicle at slower speedometer speeds could conserve fuel.
The aquatic vehicle converter propulsion system can be configured in a variety of ways. If the land vehicle being used is a four-wheeled vehicle with rear wheel drive only, then only rear interfacing units are needed. In one implementation, shown in
It is noted that the foregoing aquatic vehicle converter propulsion system configurations represent a single output shaft implementation, however some boat body propulsion systems have two propellers or two water jets that each require a different output shaft from the boat's engine or engines. For example, many two hulled, catamaran-like boat bodies employ a separate propeller or water jet at the back of each hull. In a two output shaft implementation where the land vehicle employed is a four-wheeled vehicle with rear wheel drive only, as shown in
In another version (shown in
Aquatic vehicle converter propulsion system configurations for use with a four-wheeled land vehicle with front wheel drive only require forward interfacing units. The configurations and their operation are the same as those described previously in connection with a rear wheel drive land vehicle shown in
Additionally, in yet another version (not shown) of either the front wheel drive or rear wheel drive implementations described previously, the first drive wheel gearbox is located to the starboard side of the rearmost roller of the starboard-side twin-roller unit and is connected to an input shaft coming from this roller. The second drive wheel gearbox is located to the port side of the forwardmost roller of the port-side twin-roller unit and is connected to an input shaft coming from this roller. This creates a diagonal version. The rest of the configuration is the same as previous versions. Here again, if the existing propulsion system of the boat body requires a particular rotation direction, the required rotation can be achieved in the diagonal version by using reverse rotation gearing (e.g., a reversing bevel gear) as part of the drive wheel gearbox. In another diagonal version (not shown), the first drive wheel gearbox is located to the starboard side of the forwardmost roller of the starboard-side twin-roller unit and is connected to an input shaft coming from this roller. The second drive wheel gearbox is located to the port side of the rearmost roller of the port-side twin-roller unit and is connected to an input shaft coming from this roller. The rest of the configuration is the same as previous versions. Here again, if the existing propulsion system of the boat body requires a particular rotation direction, the required rotation can be achieved in the diagonal version by using reverse rotation gearing (e.g., a reversing bevel gear) as part of the drive wheel gearbox.
If the land vehicle being used is a four-wheeled vehicle with active four-wheel drive, then both front and rear interfacing units can be employed. In one implementation, shown in
In another version (shown in
It is noted that the foregoing aquatic vehicle converter propulsion system implementations shown in
In another implementation of the aquatic vehicle converter using a four-wheeled vehicle with active four-wheel drive as the land vehicle and a boat body propulsion system requiring two output shafts as input, the configuration shown in
In other alternate versions (not shown), the implementations shown in
It is noted that the implementations depicted in
The foregoing implementations depicted in
In one implementation, the length of the rollers in each of the twin roller units employed in the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein are made long enough to accommodate the wheel track width of any four-wheeled vehicle it is anticipated would be used as the land vehicle. In addition, in one version of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations that include two pairs of twin roller units (namely a rear pair that interfaces with rear wheels of a four-wheeled vehicle and a forward pair that interfaces with the front wheels of the vehicle) the distance between the rear and forward twin roller units on the starboard side and on the port side is adjustable to accommodate land vehicles with differing wheelbases. In other words, the twin roller units on the same side can be moved closer together or further apart so that the land vehicle's wheels on the same side fit down onto and equally between the rollers. It is noted that only one twin roller unit on each side needs to be adjustable to accommodate the particular wheelbase of the land vehicle being employed. Advantageously, the rear twin roller units are made adjustable so that the aquatic vehicle converter steering system (that will be described in a section to follow), which is typically associated with the front wheels of the land vehicle, are unaffected by any wheelbase length adjustment. Once the adjustable twin roller units are placed to match the wheelbase of the land vehicle, they are secured in place using any appropriate securing mechanism, and the land vehicle is secured to the deck as will be described next. It is noted that the adjustable twin roller units are moved forward or back along with the associated drive wheel gearbox. This means that the output shaft from the drive wheel gearbox must be adjustable in length. A standard adjustable length drive shaft can be employed for this purpose.
The land vehicle is driven onto the deck of the boat body from the shore, or a dock, or a pier, or the like using an appropriate removable ramp. The vehicle is then maneuvered so that its drive wheels (front, or back, or both depending on the drive configuration of the vehicle) are cradled between the rollers of the twin roller units as described previously. Appropriate securing devices are then employed to secure the vehicle to the deck of the boat body. This keeps the land vehicle from moving relative to the deck when the aquatic vehicle converter is in motion on the water. In addition, securing the land vehicle holds it down onto the rollers of the twin roller units. This helps prevent the drive wheels of the land vehicle from slipping relative to the rollers, especially when the land vehicle's wheels are rotating at high speeds. In addition, the securing devices prevent the land vehicle from sliding laterally on the rollers of the twin roller units. As an example, an appropriate securing system employed to secure the land vehicle to the boat body can be similar to the system used to secure vehicles for transit in a large ocean-going transport vessel. These systems use removable hooks designed to attach to the vehicle's bumpers or to its frame. The vehicle is then lashed with nylon tie-down straps that are looped through the removable hooks and clasps at the other end of the straps are attached to holes or rings on the deck. The straps are sinched down using a releasable ratchet device to hold the vehicle in place on the deck. Typically, a minimum of four such hook and strap pairs are used to secure the vehicle, with a pair located at or adjacent each corner of the vehicle.
In general, the aquatic vehicle converter employs whatever steering mechanism that is already included in the chosen boat body. This existing mechanism can be mechanical, hydraulic, electric, optical, pneumatic, or any other scheme. The aquatic vehicle converter steering system includes provisions for adapting the existing boat steering mechanism to allow the land vehicle's steering system to steer the aquatic vehicle converter.
For example, in one implementation depicted in
The aforementioned measured distance is provided to a computing device 1208 that uses the measurement to determine the degree of yaw rotation of the wheel and its direction of rotation (or measurements if two range finding setups are employed). For example, the computing device 1208 can use pre-established look-up tables stored in its memory to “look up” the degree of yaw rotation of the wheel and its direction of rotation given the measured distance for the particular land vehicle being used to power the aquatic vehicle converter. The computing device 1208 then computes a boat body steering degree and direction that the existing steering mechanism of the boat body is to be moved to steer the aquatic vehicle converter based on the computed degree of yaw rotation and direction of rotation of the steering-responsible wheels of the land vehicle. For example, the computing device 1208 can employ pre-established look-up tables stored in its memory to “look up” the boat body steering degree and direction given the computed degree of yaw rotation and direction of rotation of the steering-responsible wheels for the of the land vehicle. In one version, the conversion between the computed degree of yaw rotation and direction of rotation of the steering-responsible wheels for the of the land vehicle and the boat body steering degree and direction is established so that the aquatic vehicle converter mimics the way the land vehicle would turn if it was being operated on land.
The computing device then controls a steering apparatus 1210 of the aquatic vehicle converter steering system. The steering apparatus 1210 employs a mechanical and/or electrical and/or other appropriate device to operate the boat body's existing boat steering mechanism to steer the aquatic vehicle converter based on the control instructions received from the computing device 1208. These instructions implement the computed boat body steering degree and direction. In other words, the steering apparatus 1210 of the aquatic vehicle converter steering system 1200 causes the boat body's rudder(s) or water jet nozzle(s) to rotate to an appropriate degree in the appropriate direction such that the aquatic vehicle converter turns as desired.
When operating a boat on the water, it is sometimes convenient to reverse the thrust of the propulsion system in order to slow, stop, or reverse the direction of the boat. If the propulsion system employs propellers for propulsion, the reverse thrust can typically be accomplished by rotating a propeller in the opposite direction that it was spinning to propel the boat forward. In the context of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein, the reverse thrust can be initiated by first applying the land vehicle's brakes to stop the rotation of the drive wheels, and so stop the rotation of the rollers of the twin roller units involved, which in turn stops the rotation of the propeller or propellers. The land vehicle is then put into reverse and powered such that the drive wheels rotate in the opposite direction they turn when the aquatic vehicle converter is propelled in the forward direction. This reverse rotation causes the rollers of the twin roller units associated with the drive wheels to rotate in reverse which in turn causes the propellers to also rotate in a reverse direction.
Boats that employ a water jet or jets reverse thrust either by using a reversing bucket, or by directing the nozzle(s), so the direction of the water stream slows, or stops, or reverses the direction of the boat. The reversing bucket is a structure that is rotated in front of the stream of water exiting a water jet. The reversing bucket redirects the water stream in a direction that causes the boat to slow and stop, and ultimately reverse course if the boat was moving forward. If the boat is already stopped, rotating the reversing bucket(s) into its reverse position and then starting the water jet or jets will cause the boat to move in the reverse direction.
Referring to
One implementation of the aquatic vehicle converter employs a boat body having one or more water jets for propulsion that reverses by rotating the water jet nozzle(s) into a reversing position. The water jet nozzle(s) are rotated into the reverse position to slow and stop the boat body and ultimately reverse course if it was moving forward using an existing reversing mechanism. If the converter is already stopped, rotating the water jet nozzle(s) into the reversing position, and then starting the water jet or jets, will cause the boat to move in the reverse direction. Referring to
It is noted that a typical water jet used in a boat body having one or more water jets for propulsion is designed to operate with an input shaft that rotates in a prescribed direction. Thus, if such a boat body is configured for a particular water jet input shaft rotation when operating in its forward direction mode, the boat body cannot be operated in the reverse direction mode if reversing the rotation of the rollers of the twin roller units being driven by the drive wheels of the land vehicle also reverses the rotation direction of the input shaft to the water jet or jets. To overcome this issue, in implementations of the aquatic vehicle converter that employ one or more water jets, a gearbox that converts two-way rotation (i.e., the input shaft can rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise) to one way rotation (i.e., the rotation direction required to operate the water jet) is located between each output shaft of the propulsion interfacing system and the associated input to a water jet. In this way, the water jet or jets can be operated whether the land vehicle is in forward or reverse.
While the aquatic vehicle converter has been described by specific reference to implementations thereof, it is understood that variations and modifications thereof can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the converter. For example, while the aquatic vehicle converter has been described for use with four-wheeled land vehicles, the aquatic vehicle converter propulsion and steering systems can be modified to accommodate three-wheeled vehicles (e.g., motorized tricycle) and two-wheeled vehicles (e.g., motorcycle) by matching the location of the drive wheel interface with the drive wheel(s) of the vehicle and matching the steering interface with the wheel(s) used to steer the vehicle.
When the aquatic vehicle converter is moving across the water, it is possible that some water could splash onto the deck and the land vehicle, especially at high speeds. A cover can also be employed to protect the air intakes associated with the land vehicle's engine from splashed water. This cover is designed to let air in, but to keep water out.
It is also noted that any or all of the aforementioned implementations throughout the description may be used in any combination desired to form additional hybrid implementations. In addition, although the aquatic vehicle converter implementations have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
What has been described above includes example implementations. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. In regard to the various functions performed by the above described components and the like, the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the claimed subject matter.
The previously described computing device(s) and memory components of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations can employ numerous types of general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations.
The computing device should have sufficient computational capability and system memory to enable basic computational operations. In particular, the computational capability of the simplified computing device 10 shown in
In addition, the simplified computing device 10 may also include other components, such as, for example, a communications interface 18. The simplified computing device 10 may also include one or more conventional computer input devices 20 (e.g., touchscreens, touch-sensitive surfaces, pointing devices, keyboards, audio input devices, voice or speech-based input and control devices, video input devices, haptic input devices, devices for receiving wired or wireless data transmissions, and the like) or any combination of such devices.
Similarly, various interactions with the simplified computing device 10 and with any other component or feature described herein, including input, output, control, feedback, and response to one or more users or other devices or systems associated with the aquatic vehicle converter implementations, are enabled by a variety of Natural User Interface (NUI) scenarios. The NUI techniques and scenarios enabled by the aquatic vehicle converter implementations include, but are not limited to, interface technologies that allow one or more users to interact with the aquatic vehicle converter implementations in a “natural” manner, free from artificial constraints imposed by input devices such as mice, keyboards, remote controls, and the like.
Such NUI implementations are enabled by the use of various techniques including, but not limited to, using NUI information derived from user speech or vocalizations captured via microphones or other sensors (e.g., speech and/or voice recognition). Such NUI implementations are also enabled by the use of various techniques including, but not limited to, information derived from a user's facial expressions and from the positions, motions, or orientations of a user's hands, fingers, wrists, arms, legs, body, head, eyes, and the like, where such information may be captured using various types of 2D or depth imaging devices such as stereoscopic or time-of-flight camera systems, infrared camera systems, RGB (red, green and blue) camera systems, and the like, or any combination of such devices. Further examples of such NUI implementations include, but are not limited to, NUI information derived from touch and stylus recognition, gesture recognition (both onscreen and adjacent to the screen or display surface), air or contact-based gestures, user touch (on various surfaces, objects, or other users), hover-based inputs or actions, and the like. Such NUI implementations may also include, but are not limited, the use of various predictive machine intelligence processes that evaluate current or past user behaviors, inputs, actions, etc., either alone or in combination with other NUI information, to predict information such as user intentions, desires, and/or goals. Regardless of the type or source of the NUI-based information, such information may then be used to initiate, terminate, or otherwise control or interact with one or more inputs, outputs, actions, or functional features of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein.
However, it should be understood that the aforementioned exemplary NUI scenarios may be further augmented by combining the use of artificial constraints or additional signals with any combination of NUI inputs. Such artificial constraints or additional signals may be imposed or generated by input devices such as mice, keyboards, and remote controls, or by a variety of remote or user worn devices such as accelerometers, electromyography (EMG) sensors for receiving myoelectric signals representative of electrical signals generated by user's muscles, heart-rate monitors, galvanic skin conduction sensors for measuring user perspiration, wearable or remote biosensors for measuring or otherwise sensing user brain activity or electric fields, wearable or remote biosensors for measuring user body temperature changes or differentials, and the like. Any such information derived from these types of artificial constraints or additional signals may be combined with any one or more NUI inputs to initiate, terminate, or otherwise control or interact with one or more inputs, outputs, actions, or functional features of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein.
The simplified computing device 10 may also include other optional components such as one or more conventional computer output devices 22 (e.g., display device(s) 24, audio output devices, video output devices, devices for transmitting wired or wireless data transmissions, and the like). Note that typical communications interfaces 18, input devices 20, output devices 22, and storage devices 26 for general-purpose computers are well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail herein.
The simplified computing device 10 shown in
Retention of information such as computer-readable or computer-executable instructions, data structures, programs, sub-programs, and the like, can also be accomplished by using any of a variety of the aforementioned communication media (as opposed to computer storage media) to encode one or more modulated data signals or carrier waves, or other transport mechanisms or communications protocols, and can include any wired or wireless information delivery mechanism. Note that the terms “modulated data signal” or “carrier wave” generally refer to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. For example, communication media can include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection carrying one or more modulated data signals, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, laser, and other wireless media for transmitting and/or receiving one or more modulated data signals or carrier waves.
Furthermore, software, programs, sub-programs, and/or computer program products embodying some or all of the various aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein, or portions thereof, may be stored, received, transmitted, or read from any desired combination of computer-readable or machine-readable media or storage devices and communication media in the form of computer-executable instructions or other data structures. Additionally, the claimed subject matter may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof to control a computer to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, or media.
Some aspects of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein may be further described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as programs, sub-programs, being executed by a computing device. Generally, sub-programs include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like, that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Some aspects of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by one or more remote processing devices, or within a cloud of one or more devices, that are linked through one or more communications networks. In a distributed computing environment, sub-programs may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including media storage devices. Additionally, the aforementioned instructions may be implemented, in part or in whole, as hardware logic circuits, which may or may not include a processor. Still further, aspects of the aquatic vehicle converter implementations described herein can be virtualized and realized as a virtual machine running on a computing device such as any of those described previously.
Alternatively, or in addition, the functionality described herein can be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, and without limitation, illustrative types of hardware logic components that can be used include FPGAs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), system-on-a-chip systems (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and so on.
