Patent Application
20230211865
The present invention is in the technical area of remote-control apparatus and methods and pertains in particular to remote rudder control for such as racing shells.
Racing shells, being relatively long and narrow boats adapted for rowing, are well-known in the art. There are many models known, such as single-person shells, two-person shells, and so on. In some instances, the shell will have a rudder with a handle which may be manipulated by a coxswain, and in other instances, the rower or rowers may manage direction for the shell by manipulating the paddles in a manner to change direction. In all cases, to manage direction for a shell it is necessary that the person or person managing is able to see the direction of the shell and able to focus on one or more reference points.
Because of the need to see to guide a shell, in the current art the sport of boat racing is limited to sighted persons, and not open to those without good eyesight.
What is clearly needed is apparatus whereby a sighted person in a separate boat may control direction for a rowing shell operated by sight-challenged persons.
In one embodiment of the invention a system for guiding a first watercraft remotely is provided, comprising a rudder proximate the stern of the first watercraft, having a rudder shaft extending upward from a deck area at the stern, a servo device having an output servo horn coupled to the rudder shaft by a linkage, adapted to turn the rudder shaft in concert with the servo horn, a radio receiver/controller adapted for receiving radio signals for guiding the first watercraft, the radio receiver/controller coupled to the servo device, and a radio transmitter having an input wheel for providing steering commands. The system is characterized in that the input wheel of the radio transmitter is manipulated by a user remote from the first watercraft, the radio signals for guiding the first watercraft are transmitted from the radio transmitter to the radio receiver/controller on the first watercraft, and the radio receiver/controller provides operating signals to the servo device to rotate the servo horn either clockwise or counterclockwise, guiding the first watercraft.
In one embodiment the system further comprises a mounting plate joined to the deck area at the stern, upon which mounting plate the rudder shaft, the rudder, and the servo device are mounted, and a waterproof container holding a battery pack as a power supply for the system and the radio receiver/controller, the waterproof container having an output port coupled by a three-wire cable to the servo device, providing the operating signals to the servo device. Also, in one embodiment the mounting plate is a hinged mounting plate available from McMaster Carr™. In one embodiment the mounting plate and the waterproof container are joined to the deck area by conventional fasteners. And in one embodiment the system further comprises cut pieces of 3M™ Dual-Lock™ reusable fastener material, joined to the deck area at the stern of the first watercraft and to the underside of both the mounting plate and the waterproof container, whereby the mounting plate and mounted elements and the waterproof container are joined to and removed from the first watercraft.
In one embodiment of the system the rudder and the rudder shaft are permanently installed in the first watercraft, the servo device is mounted on the mounting plate, and the radio receiver/controller and a battery pack are provided in a waterproof container. Also, in one embodiment the mounting plate and the waterproof container are joined to the deck area by conventional fasteners. Also, in one embodiment the mounting plate, the waterproof container and the deck area have cut pieces of 3M™ Dual-Lock™ reusable fastener material adhered by adhesive, whereby the mounting plate with the servo device and the waterproof container may be joined to and removed from the first watercraft. In one embodiment the system further comprises a second water craft, wherein the user manipulating the radio transmitter follows the first watercraft while providing guidance signals to the first watercraft. In one embodiment the first watercraft is a rowing shell.
In another aspect of the invention a method for guiding a first watercraft remotely is provided, comprising connecting an output servo horn of a servo device to a rudder shaft connected to a rudder, the rudder shaft and rudder proximate the stern of the first watercraft, by a linkage adapted to turn the rudder shaft in concert with the servo horn, sending guidance signals to a receiver/controller on the first watercraft from a radio transmitter having an input wheel, the radio transmitter operated by a user remote from the first watercraft, and guiding the first watercraft by sending operating signals to the servo device from the receiver/controller.
In one embodiment the method further comprises mounting the rudder shaft, the rudder, and the servo device joined to the rudder shaft by linkage, to a mounting plate, and placing the radio receiver/controller in a waterproof container also holding a battery pack as a power supply for the system, the waterproof container having an output port coupled by a three-wire cable to the servo device, providing the operating signals to the servo device, and mounting the mounting plate and the waterproof container to a deck area at the stern of the first watercraft. Also in one embodiment the mounting plate is a hinged mounting plate available from McMaster Carr™, further comprising mounting the rudder shaft, the rudder, and the servo device joined to the rudder shaft by linkage, to the McMaster Carr™ mounting plate. In one embodiment the method further comprises securing the mounting plate and the waterproof container to the deck area by conventional fasteners. And in one embodiment the method further comprises adhering, by adhesive, cut pieces of 3M™ Dual-Lock™ reusable fastener material to the deck area at the stern of the first watercraft and to the underside of both the mounting plate and the waterproof container, whereby the mounting plate and mounted elements and the waterproof container are joined to and removed from the first watercraft.
In one embodiment the rudder and the rudder shaft are permanently installed in the first watercraft, and the method further comprises mounting the servo device on the mounting plate and placing the radio receiver/controller and a battery pack in a waterproof container. In one embodiment the method further comprises joining the mounting plate and the waterproof container to the deck area by conventional fasteners. Also, in one embodiment the method further comprises joining cut pieces of 3M™ Dual-Lock™ reusable fastener material to the mounting plate, the waterproof container and the deck area by adhesive, and joining and removing the mounting plate with the servo device and the waterproof container from the first watercraft. In one embodiment the method further comprises a second water craft, further comprising the user manipulating the radio transmitter providing guidance signals to the first watercraft while following the first watercraft in the second watercraft. And in one embodiment the first watercraft is a rowing shell, and the method further comprises guiding the rowing shell for a sight-challenged person operating the rowing shell.
Shell 100 in this example comprises a hull 101 covered with a deck 102 into which a cockpit 103 is implemented. The shell has a bow and a stern as shown in the figure. A pair of foot stirrups 104 is mounted to the hull in the cockpit and provides an anchor for a user's feet with the user sitting on a seat 105 that is mounted on a track such that as the user pushes with the feet and pulls on the oars, the seat may progress forward with a rowing stroke, and backward as the user returns the oars to start another stroke.
Oars 108a and 108b are mounted in collars 107a and 107b at the outboard ends of bars 106a and 106b that extend from the hull. The user sits on seat 105 facing toward the stern to operate the shell. Typically, the user will focus on one or more reference points to guide the shell.
In
In the example illustrated by
Rudder shaft 212 is welded to a rudder plate 213 in this example. In other embodiments the rudder plate may be mounted, for example, by conventional screw fasteners. A servo unit 208 is mounted on plate 204, in this example by adhesive, but may be mounted and constrained in other ways. Servo 208 has a horizontally oriented server horn 209 on a vertically oriented output shaft, and server horn 209 is joined to a similar arm 211 extending from rudder shaft 212 by a linkage 210 that is adjustable in length. As the servo is activated to rotate its output shaft in either rotary direction link 210 moves arm 211, and the rudder shaft is rotated to move rudder 213 to steer the shell.
In this example a watertight container 214 houses a controller and receiver along with a set of batteries as a power supply. The receiver tracks radio communications from a Tactic TTX300 3 channel radio device that has a rotary input for varying a signal to the controller to manage signals to the servo. The radio device, which is operated by the third person mentioned above that may follow the shell in a separate boat, is described in more detail below. The controller communicates with servo 208 on a three-wire cable 215 that plugs into the controller through an interface on the watertight container 214.
In one embodiment apparatus 203 is permanently mounted to the stern deck of the shell to be guided. In another embodiment apparatus 203 may be an aftermarket unit that may be added to an existing shell and removed when the shell is no longer needed to be remotely guided.
The underside surfaces of hinged mounting plate 204 are provided also with shaped pieces 303a and 303b of the Dual-Lock™ material, mounted by adhesive. In this example, apparatus 203 may be placed on deck 102 with corresponding pieces of the Dual-Lock™ material facing, and the apparatus may be urged toward the deck until the Dual-Lock™ material snaps together, strongly joining the apparatus to the deck. The apparatus may be removed as desired by pulling the apparatus from the deck, separating the pieces of Dual-Lock™ material. In this manner apparatus 203 is an aftermarket apparatus that may be added to the stern deck of just about any rowing shell. Piece 302d of the Dual-Lock™ material is for mounting container 214 which has a corresponding piece of the material adhered on the underside.
It should be noted that the mounting as described above is not a limitation in the invention. The apparatus may be joined to the deck of a rowing shell by, for example, drilling holes in the mounting plate and joining the apparatus to the deck of the shell with conventional screw fasteners.
At step 602 an assembled apparatus 203, having pads of Dual-Lock™ material adhered to a bottom surface of a mounting plate of the apparatus, is urged onto the rear deck of the shell, causing the Dual-Lock™ pads to lock together, firmly joining the apparatus to the shell. The rudder in this step is positioned to be in the water at the rear of the shell.
At step 603 a lid of container 214 of the apparatus is opened, and On switch 406 is thrown to initiate the system, then the lid is closed again. At step 604 the user positions herself in a separate boat to follow the shell to be guided, holding remote radio controller 501. The following boat may be powered and operated by a third party or may be operated by the user with the radio controller. The user follows and monitors the shell and determines at step 605 if a correction in the direction of the shell is needed. If correction is needed the user, at step 606 turns input wheel 503 to operate the rudder of the apparatus added to the shell. Input wheels 606 operates as a steering wheel in the system. As each correction is made action loops back through step 605 until no further guidance is needed, at which time the process is ended.
Embodiments described above this far are aftermarket systems that may be added to essentially any rowing shell, to enable remote direction control by a person other than the person rowing the shell. A principal use of embodiments of the invention is to enable blind and otherwise sight-challenged rowers to exercise and to compete in rowing races. An advantage of the aftermarket system is that it may be added and removed from any rowing shell. In some circumstances, however, a shell may have an existing rudder permanently mounted at the stern of the shell.
As described briefly above, the apparatus 203 may be applied to any shell or other watercraft that has no rudder, and the apparatus 706 may be applied and adapted to a watercraft that has an existing rudder and rudder shaft. A person operation radio controller 501 to steer a watercraft enabled by either apparatus 706 or apparatus 203 may be in a following boat. The person operating the radio controller may, however, be in the watercraft that is adapted with one or the other apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. It is well known that some rowing shells are equipped with rudders that are operated by an on-board coxswain. In one embodiment of the invention the rudder and rudder shaft of such a shell may be adapted with an apparatus 706, and the coxswain may operate the rudder by carrying and using radio controller 5101. In this embodiment radio controller 501 functions as a sort of steering wheel for the shell.
