Joystick with control members

Abstract

A lever control member, also known as joystick, for generating command signals that control the movement of boats, watercrafts or the like includes a base, a stick, a shaft for supporting the stick, a joint mechanically coupled to the shaft and positioned in a supporting housing included in the base, one or more sensors, one or more electronic circuits, and one or more control mechanisms, for example, one or more buttons. A subset of those control mechanisms possibly may be positioned on the stick and may be used to manage the swaying of one or more outboard motors around a horizontal axis parallel to the transom, known as “trim.” The joystick may be provided with an ergonomically shaped control mechanism and/or a rotating member, which may be activated by an operator.

Claims

1. A multi-axis articulated lever control member, configured as a joystick, for generating command signals aimed to control a movement of a boat by an operator, comprising: a base; a stick; a shaft for supporting the stick; a joint mechanically coupled to the shaft and contained in a supporting housing; one or more status sensors; one or more electronic circuits comprising at least one microprocessor; and one or more control mechanisms configured as one or more buttons, a subset of the buttons being positioned on one or both of the stick or on the base of the lever control member, the buttons being usable by the operator for managing a swaying movement of at least one or more outboard motors around a horizontal axis parallel to a transom, the swaying movement being a trimming.

2. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein the one or more status sensors are configured to detect information on a status of the shaft and of the joint, the joint being configured as a spherical member, the information comprising information on position with reference to at least two and up to five degrees of freedom, the at least one microprocessors being electrically coupled to the one or more status sensors and configured to detect a status of the shaft and of the spherical member and a consequent transition between two or more possible operative statuses at predetermined time intervals, the at least one microprocessors being adapted to generate the command signals aimed to control the movement of the boat, the lever control member being adapted for manual activation.

3. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein one, a subset, or a totality of the one or more buttons comprises a device adapted to maintain an activation or deactivation status set by the operator without subsequent mechanical actions for maintaining the activation or deactivation status, the buttons having an individual light, a common light, or an acoustic signal to indicate the activation status.

4. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein the one or more control buttons are provided with an electric, mechanical, or electromechanical device adapted to determine a progressive pressure exerted by the operator, the electric, mechanical, or electromechanical device being electrically coupled to the one or more microprocessors for a modular and progressive management of an inclination of at least one of the one or more outboard motors.

5. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more of the control mechanisms has a predetermined geometrical shape prearranged for use by the operator for setting various types of controls for managing movement or parking of the boat.

6. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more of the control mechanisms is equipped with graphical or tactile symbols of various shapes and sizes, adapted to facilitate recognition and selection by the operator.

7. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein the one or more motors are adapted to operate independently and are mechanically secured at a stern of with a mechanism that enables a positioning of the one or more motors along a longitudinal plane normal to the transom, the mechanism being driven by one or more actuators adapted to control the positioning of at least one of the one or more motors depending on the command signals processed by the one or more microprocessors based on one or more algorithms acting input signals coming from the buttons.

8. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, further comprising a system that generates acoustic signals with one or more electroacoustic transducers, a control action being differentiated according to a type of action by the operator, or to a configuration of the one or more electronic circuits.

9. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein an end part of the stick is equipped with an operative unit configured to carry out at least one sway when manually stimulated by the operator, the sway occurring independently of other possible movements carried out by the operator on the control member, and wherein the operative unit comprises an ergonomic outline that facilitates use by the operator.

10. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 9, wherein the operative unit is provided with one or more control mechanisms electrically coupled to at least one of the one or more electronic circuits, one, a subset, or a totality of the buttons having a device adapted to maintain an activation or deactivation status set by the operator, without successive mechanical actions for maintaining the status, the buttons having an individual light, a common light, or an acoustic signal to indicate the activation status.

11. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the buttons are positioned on a surface of a casing of the stick or on a rotating head positioned at an end part of the stick so as to enable activation by the operator with an action of a thumb without interfering with other possible actuations of the control member.

12. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, further comprising a rotating body (that is manually positionable by the operator in one or more predefined positions, or in any status of a range of variable positions between a maximum and a minimum position when predefined positions are not provided, the maximum and minimum positions not being limited a priori.

13. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 12, wherein the rotating body is equipped with a system of one or more status sensors electrically connected to the one or more microprocessors for processing signals generated in response to static or dynamic conditions following actuation by the operator.

14. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 12, wherein the rotating body comprises one or more light indicators adapted to signal, continuously or temporarily according to a predefined duration, a status of the rotating body.

15. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 1, wherein the stick has an at rest position when not stimulated by the operator, the at rest position being maintained by one or more mechanical members provided with biasing features so as to hold the shaft in a predetermined position without hampering a movement of the stick according to various degrees of freedom.

16. A multi-axis articulated lever control member, configured as a joystick, for generating command signals aimed to control a movement of a boat by an operator, comprising: a base; a stick; a shaft for supporting the stick; a sphere-shaped member mechanically coupled to the shaft and contained in a supporting housing; one or more status sensors; one or more electronic circuits comprising at least one microprocessor; one or more control mechanisms configured as one or more buttons, a subset of the buttons being positioned on one or both of the stick or on the base of the lever control member; and an operative unit positioned in an end part of the stick and configured, able to carry out at least one rotation, when manually stimulated by the operator, around a longitudinal axis of the shaft, the rotation occurring independently of movements carried out by the operator on the control member.

17. A multi-axis articulated lever control member, configured as a joystick, for generating command signals aimed to control a movement of a boat by an operator, comprising: a base; a stick; a shaft for supporting the stick; a sphere-shaped member mechanically coupled to the shaft and contained in a supporting housing; one or more status sensors; one or more electronic circuits comprising at least one microprocessor; and a rotating body that is manually positionable by the operator in one or more predefined positions, or within a range of variable positions between a maximum and a minimum position when positions are not predefined, the maximum and minimum positions not being limited a priori.

18. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 17, wherein the rotating body is arranged on a surface integral with the base of the control member and in-line with the shaft supporting the stick.

19. The multi-axis articulated lever control member according to claim 17, wherein the rotating body is shaped as a ferrule rotatable in one or two directions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of some exemplary embodiments, which are not intended to be exhaustive or limitative, and with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0047] FIG. 1 shows an overall view of a possible embodiment of the lever control member also known under the term joystick.

[0048] FIG. 2 shows an overall view of a possible implementation of a stick 2 of the lever control member or joystick.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows two of many possible implementation variants of the base 1 of the control member.

[0050] FIG. 4 shows a top view of the base of the lever control member.

[0051] FIG. 5 shows a possible embodiment of the free end part of the stick.

[0052] FIG. 6 shows another possible embodiment of the free end part of the stick in a bottom view.

[0053] FIG. 7 shows a side view of the free end part of the stick in contact with the user's thumb.

[0054] FIG. 8 shows a further possible embodiment of the free end part of the stick with an indication of two possible degrees of movement.

[0055] FIG. 9 shows other possible embodiments of the stick.

[0056] FIG. 10 shows other possible embodiments of the base of the control member.

[0057] FIG. 11 shows an implementation embodiment of a spherical member rotating within a supporting housing.

[0058] FIG. 12 shows the elements of the previous figure positioned in a possible Cartesian plane XY and also presenting an embodiment of the shaft supporting the stick.

[0059] FIG. 13 shows an assembly of the mechanical and electrical members possibly comprised in the base of the lever member.

[0060] FIG. 14 shows an assembly of the mechanical and electrical members possibly comprised in the base of the lever member and connected to an embodiment of the stick, including the free end part.

[0061] FIGS. 15, 16, 17 and 18 show views of a possible implementation of the lever member as a whole.

[0062] FIG. 19 shows some details shown in the previous figures, in particular with reference to a possible realization of the control buttons on the base with an example of possible graphic symbols associated to said buttons.

[0063] FIG. 20 shows some particulars of a possible embodiment in details of the members between the base and the linked part of the stick.

[0064] FIG. 21 shows some particulars of a possible embodiment of the base of the lever control member.

[0065] FIG. 22 shows some particulars of a possible embodiment of the stick of the lever control member.

[0066] FIG. 23 shows an overall view of the embodiment of FIGS. 21 and 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0067] With reference to the above figures, FIG. 1 shows an overall view of a possible embodiment of the lever control member also known under the name of joystick, comprising a series of members among which it can be identified the base 1 which can be mechanically anchored to a horizontal or oblique plane and acting, among other things, as a support for the stick 2, which stick is provided with two or more degrees of freedom manually activated by the operator using the same; the joystick in this example includes, among other things, manually operated control buttons 8 and 8′ which are available to the operator according to the control requirements of the boat, and an operative unit located on top of the shaft 9 able to perform sway movements around an axis substantially parallel to the shaft and provided with a recess 91 ergonomically shaped for accommodating the operator's thumb.

[0068] In an embodiment of the invention, said control mechanisms comprise two buttons 8, 8′ disposed on the base 1 or on the stick 2 in the portion of the surface closest to the base 1, which buttons are positioned in the front area A of said member with reference to the grip condition of the stick 2 or in the position most distant from the body of the user gripping the stick 2 with one hand and possibly gripping the base 1 with the other hand. In this way, the buttons can be pushed without moving the hand away from the grip position and the operator can control the boat by moving the lever and simultaneously activate the buttons 8, 8′ with a slight movement of one or two fingers of the hand without reducing the control of the joystick lever. Preferably, the two buttons are used for controlling the trimming position of the thrusters to respectively control the increase or decrease of the angular inclination of the same with respect to the horizontal axis parallel to the transom.

[0069] More in detail, FIG. 2 shows an overall view of a possible implementation of a stick 2 of the lever control member or joystick, while FIG. 3 exemplifies two of the many possible implementation variants of the base 1 of the lever control member; with reference to FIG. 2 it can be noticed a possible modeling of the stick for obtaining a particular ergonomy to improve the use by the operator; it is also noticeable the presence of a surface shell adapted for covering the entire lateral profile of the stick 2 and an end part 22 completing the upper part of the stick 2. This figure also shows two devices for controlling the inclination of the trimming i.e. of the thrust system of the boat along the longitudinal plane normal to the transom, said devices being a possible variation of the features characterizing the invention and represented in this and other examples in form of trim buttons 8 and 8′.

[0070] In other possible embodiments, these buttons can be located on the base of the joystick as seen in the two views of FIG. 3 which share some design aspects, such as the support for the stick 2, but differ in other characteristics such as the positioning and orientation of the trim buttons 8, 8′. Continuing with the possible embodiments of the joystick base 1 and with reference to FIG. 4 showing a top view of base 1, an implementation variant is shown in which, in addition to two trim buttons located in the upper part of base 1 other parts are included, such as a rotary selector 12 here represented in the form of a rotating ferrule designed to be manually activated by the operator and to be set in an arbitrary position by the operator, possibly limited between a minimum and a maximum rotation angle, according to the cause-effect relations set by the algorithm acting by means of one or more processing devices possibly included in the joystick.

[0071] Also referring to FIG. 4, the rotating body shaped like a ferrule 12 includes a series of light indicators 13 positioned on the surface of said ferrule to provide visual positioning indications to the operator such as, for example, the offset angle with respect to an initial position and/or contextual indication for the movement of the actuating members; the base 1 exemplified in this figure also includes a number of auxiliary control buttons 11 located at the bottom of a crown which is concentric to the rotating ferrule for reasons of implementation and offers further possibilities for generating specific commands for controlling the boat; in the lower part of the base is finally included a system for generating acoustic and/or vocal signals 15, the signals being able to be generated by a transducer positioned inside the base and the base having appropriate slots to allow the propagation of sound towards the operator.

[0072] FIG. 5 shows a possible implementation embodiment of the free end part of the stick 2, evidencing the movable head surface 93 and shell surface 92, said surfaces being able to comprise one or more control devices such as, for example, auxiliary control buttons 11 as exemplified in FIG. 6, while the shape of said end part can be modeled in such a way as to make it ergonomic and thus easily activatable by the operator, for example, upon using the thumb (FIG. 7) which fits into the outline 91 of the shell shown in FIG. 8, simplifying any possible rotation actions of the end part.

[0073] Further embodiments of the control member are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in their respective stick (FIG. 9) and base (FIG. 10) references.

[0074] Going into more detail of a possible embodiment, FIG. 11 shows a spherical-shaped member 4 constrained in translation to a supporting housing 41 that prevents linear displacement while leaving it free to rotate within the seat; said spherically shaped member 4 is provided with a cylindrical cavity suitable to accommodate a hollow shaft 3 as shown in FIG. 12; shaft 3 and spherical member 4 are mechanically coupled together and, by virtue of the rotational freedom of said spherical organ within the supporting housing 41, providing the stick 2 with the capacity to sway about the normal of the two-dimensional plane XY in which the supporting housing lies, as shown in FIG. 12.

[0075] The embodiment of FIG. 13 shows an assembly of the mechanical members forming part of the base 1, in particular with reference to a spring mechanism 14 whose elastic characteristic is used to compensate the force of gravity and maintain the shaft in a vertical position when not stimulated, it is also possible to use the characteristic elastic force which, being directly proportional to the displacement, provides the operator using the joystick with the perception of the progressive displacement with respect to the rest position, since the return force increases as the offset between the rest position and the manually set position increases.

[0076] The concentric spring 14 surrounding the shaft 3 is held in position by the supports 141 and 142, which prevent it from moving towards the base 1 and the stick 2 of the joystick, respectively; the end of the shaft 3 opposite the stick 2 is coupled by means of one or more status sensors 5 to one or more electronic circuits 6, properly anchored to the supporting housing 41 and comprising one or more microprocessors 7 for processing the state, managing the commands and whatever is necessary for the functioning of the joystick management logic algorithm.

[0077] FIG. 14 shows a coupling between the members described above and the stick 2 of the joystick, said stick being connected to said members by means of an appropriate mechanical fastening on the shaft 3 and maintained in the rest position by the spring 14 as previously described; this embodiment comprises the presence of an operative member 9 arranged on the end of the stick, said operative member being able to sway around an axis possibly coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the shaft 3, and said operative member being provided with one or more auxiliary control buttons 11 possibly provided with a mechanism for maintaining the state of activation and/or light and/or tactile indication.

[0078] Other views of a possible embodiment are shown in FIGS. 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19; the embodiment of FIG. 19 further comprises an example of control buttons 16 as already shown in FIG. 4 and shown again in FIG. 20, which are positioned at the crown of the rotating ferrule and comprise graphic illustrations 161 for identifying the specific function that is recalled upon activation of said buttons.

[0079] FIG. 21 discloses a possible embodiment of the base 1 of the joystick comprising a system for generating acoustic and/or vocal signals 15, said signals being able to be generated by a transducer positioned within said base and said base being provided with appropriate slots allowing sound to propagate towards the operator.

[0080] FIG. 22 further shows an embodiment of the stick with associated elastic spring member 14 for controlling the movement and swivel head 9 with thumb outline 91 and comprising an auxiliary control button 11, while the trim buttons 8, 8′, the ferrule-shaped rotatable ferrule 12 and the control buttons 16 with illustrations 161 can be seen in FIG. 23.