Peter A Reid

US Patent:

20160214534, Jul 28, 2016

Filed:

Dec 30, 2015

Appl. No.:

14/985392

Inventors:

- Meer, BE
Peter A. Reid - Solvang CA, US
Jay E. Robinson - Ventura CA, US
Andrew C. Teich - West Linn OR, US
Christopher Daniel Gatland - Fareham, GB
Gordon Pope - Fareham, GB

International Classification:

B60R 1/00
H04N 13/02
H04N 5/225
B63B 69/00
H04N 5/33

Abstract:

A watercraft may include a safety system having an imaging component and a control component. The control component may modify the operation of the watercraft based on images from the imaging component. The imaging component may include a thermal imaging component and a non-thermal imaging component. The watercraft may include more than one imaging component disposed around the periphery of the watercraft to monitor a volume surrounding the watercraft for objects in the water such as debris, a person, and/or dock structures. Operating the watercraft based on the images may include operating propulsion and/or steering systems of the watercraft based on a detected object. The control component may operate the propulsion and/or steering systems to disable a propeller when a swimmer is detected, to avoid detected debris, and/or to perform or assist in performing docking maneuvers. The imaging components may include compact thermal imaging modules mounted on or within the hull of the watercraft.