Arthur L Cole

US Patent:

39477410, Mar 30, 1976

Filed:

Jan 15, 1974

Appl. No.:

5/433505

Inventors:

Kenneth H. Ball - Tarzana CA
Arthur L. Cole - Saugus CA

Assignee:

Walt Disney Productions - Burbank CA

International Classification:

B63H 2502
G05D 100
B64C 1318

US Classification:

318588

Abstract:

A guidance system for controlling the path of a boat comprising a first conductor disposed below the surface of water in a first elongated loop and connecting at the terminals thereof across an A. C. source of electrical signal and a second conductor driven in a quadrature with the first conductor and disposed in a second loop partly superposed over the first loop. A first and second orthogonal inductive coil, mounted in the boat along a plane parallel to the loop and a plane normal to the loop plane and substantially parallel to the centerline thereof sense the vertical and horizontal components of the electromagnetic field generated about the conductor loops to produce corresponding induced signals respectively varying in amplitude and phase according to the amplitude of the electromagnetic field and the position thereof. Such induced signal of the first and second coils are then clipped by signal limiters and connected to a common phase detector to produce a phase angle signal indicative of the amplitude of deviation of the coils relative the loops. The phase detector output signal is then connected to control a steering apparatus.