US 12,405,610 B1
Marine propulsion system and method for wake control
Aadish Dilip Naik, Champaign, IL (US); Brandon L. Tate, Walnut Hill, IL (US); and Trevor George, Savoy, IL (US)
Assigned to Brunswick Corporation, Mettawa, IL (US)
Filed by Brunswick Corporation, Mettawa, IL (US)
Filed on Sep. 6, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/903,938.
Int. Cl. G05D 1/00 (2024.01); B63B 79/10 (2020.01); B63B 79/40 (2020.01); B63H 20/12 (2006.01)
CPC G05D 1/0206 (2013.01) [B63B 79/10 (2020.01); B63B 79/40 (2020.01); B63H 20/12 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A propulsion control system for a marine vessel comprising:
a propulsion device;
a steering actuator configured to steer the propulsion device about a steering axis;
an orientation sensor configured to sense a heading of the marine vessel;
one or more controllers configured to:
receive an instruction to engage a wake control mode;
automatically control the steering actuator to effectuate a first steering change in a first direction;
monitor a heading change of the marine vessel sensed by the orientation sensor and detect whether a first threshold heading change occurs in response to the first steering change;
determine whether a minimum steerage speed requirement is met based on whether the first threshold heading change occurs; and
control a propulsion output of the propulsion device so that the minimum steerage speed requirement is met.