Autopilot autorelease systems and methods
AssigneeFLIR Systems, Inc.
InventorsMark Johnson, Christopher Yeomans
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide accurate, low lag, and reliable autopilot autorelease in a hydraulic steering system for mobile structures. A hydraulic steering system includes a logic device configured to communicate with an autopilot pump controller, a control surface reference sensor, an orientation sensor, and/or a gyroscope. Control and sensor signals provided by the pump controller and/or the various sensors are used to selectively enable and/or disable an autopilot release signal. The autopilot release signal enables or disables the autopilot pump controller and/or an autopilot pump, or controls the autopilot pump controller to enable or disable the autopilot pump.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- receiving control surface angles and autopilot control surface demands corresponding to a control surface for a mobile structure that is actuated by a hydraulic steering system;
- receiving an angular velocity of the mobile structure corresponding to a direction of motion for the mobile structure generated by the control surface;
- and
- selectively disabling an autopilot of the mobile structure by selectively enabling the autopilot release signal based, at least in part, on the angular velocity and the control surface angles and/or the autopilot control surface demands.
A method comprising:
- receiving control surface angles and autopilot control surface demands corresponding to a control surface for a mobile structure that is actuated by a hydraulic steering system;
- initiating an autorelease observation cycle based, at least in part, on the control surface angles and the autopilot control surface demands;
- and
- selectively disabling an autopilot of the mobile structure by selectively enabling the autopilot release signal during the autorelease observation cycle based, at least in part, on the control surface angles and/or the autopilot control surface demands corresponding to the initiated autorelease observation cycle.
A system comprising:
- a logic device configured to receive one or more sensor and/or control signals and provide an autopilot release signal for a hydraulic steering system coupled to a mobile structure, wherein the logic device is configured to:
- receive control surface angles and autopilot control surface demands corresponding to a control surface for the mobile structure that is actuated by the hydraulic steering system;
- receive an angular velocity of the mobile structure corresponding to a direction of motion for the mobile structure generated by the control surface:
- and
- selectively disable an autopilot of the mobile structure by selectively enabling the autopilot release signal based, at least in part, on the angular velocity and the control surface angles and/or the autopilot control surface demands.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.