Controlled trolling apparatus

Claim 2

A powered trolling apparatus for use on a vessel comprising: a frame member; a reel mounted to said frame member and including a control line coupled thereto; a reversible electric motor coupled to said reel for paying out and retrieving said control line from said reel such that an end of said control line can be immersed in the water; means for detecting the temperature of water at a reference point on said control line; and a temperature control circuit coupled to said detecting means and to said drive means for actuating said drive means to pay out or retrieve said control line wherein said temperature control circuit includes means for providing selectable electrical reference signals representative of upper and lower temperature limits, and comparator means coupled to said detecting means, to said providing means and to said drive means for developing electrical signals applied to said drive means to actuate said drive means when the detected water temperature is above or below said upper or lower limits, respectively, to raise or lower said reference point on said control line in the water to maintain said reference point on said control line within said temperature limits.

Claim 3

The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said control line is a two-wire electrical conductor, wherein said reference point is an end of said conductor which is lowered into the water and said detecting means includes a temperature responsive device coupled between said wires of said conductor at said end.

Claim 4

The apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said comparator means includes a first comparator circuit coupled to said detecting means and to said means for providing signals representative of said upper temperature limit for developing a control signal applied to a first output terminal of said temperature control circuit when the detected temperature exceeds the upper temperature limit, and a second comparator circuit coupled to said detecting means and to said means for providing signals representative of said lower temperature limit for developing a control signal applied to a second output terminal of said temperature control circuit when the detected temperature is below the lower temperature limit.

Claim 5

The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said drive means includes a motor control circuit having first and second input terminals coupled to said first and second output terminals of said temperature control circuit, respectively, a power source, and switch means coupled to said first and second input terminals and to said reversible motor for applying drive signals to said motor selectively actuating said motor for paying out or retrieving control line from said reel when said end of said line is outside said selected temperature limits.

Claim 6

A powered trolling apparatus for use on a vessel comprising: a frame member; a reel mounted to said frame member and including a control line coupled thereto; drive means coupled to said reel for paying out and retrieving said control line from said reel such that an end of said control line can be immersed in the water; means for measuring the depth of water through which the vessel is passing and developing an electrical signal representative Thereof; means for generating an electrical signal representative of a selectable distance from the bottom at which an end of said control line is to be maintained; and means for developing an electrical signal representative of the length of control line payed out; and depth control circuit means coupled to said measuring means, to said generating means and to said developing means and to said drive means for correlating depth, line length and distance from the bottom information and responsive to said electrical signals representative of such information for developing control signals applied to said drive means for actuating said drive means to maintain the end of said control line at a selected depth from the bottom as the water depth varies.

Claim 7

A powered trolling apparatus for use on a vessel comprising: a frame member; a reel mounted to said frame member and including a control line coupled thereto; drive means coupled to said reel for paying out and retrieving said control line from said reel such that an end of said control line can be immersed in the water; means for measuring the depth of water through which the vessel is passing and developing an electrical signal representative Thereof; means for generating an electrical signal representative of a selectable distance from the bottom at which an end of said control line is to be maintained; and means for developing an electrical signal representative of the length of control line payed out; and depth control circuit means coupled to said measuring means, to said generating means and to said developing means and to said drive means for correlating depth, line length and distance from the bottom information and responsive to said electrical signals representative of such information for developing control signals applied to said drive means for actuating said drive means to maintain the end of said control line at a selected depth from the bottom as the water depth varies.

Claim 8

The apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said depth measuring means comprises a fathometer.

Claim 9

The apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said developing means comprises a counter coupled to said reel for supplying electrical signals indicating the length of line payed out from said reel.

Claim 10

A powered trolling apparatus for use on a vessel comprising: a frame member; a reel mounted to said frame member and including a control line coupled thereto; drive means coupled to said reel for paying out and retrieving said control line from said reel such that an end of said control line can be immersed in the water; fathometer means for measuring the depth of water through which the vessel is passing and developing an electrical signal representative thereof; means for generating an electrical signal representative for a selectable distance from the bottom at which an end of said control line is to be maintained; counter means coupled to said reel for developing an electrical signal representative of the length of control line payed out; and depth control circuit means including a scaling circuit coupled to said counter for converting the signal from said counter to a signal representing the equivalent depth of said end of said control line, said circuit means coupled to said fathometer, to said generating means, and to said drive means for correlating depth, line length and distance from the bottom information and responsive to said electrical signals representative of such information for developing control signals applied to said drive means for actuating said drive means to maintain the end of said control line at a selected distance from the bottom as the water depth varies.

Claim 11

A powered trolling apparatus for use on a vessel comprising: a frame member; a reel mounted to said frame member and including a control line coupled thereto; drive means coupled to said reel for paying out and retrieving said control line from said reel such that an end of said control line can be immersed in the water; fathometer means for measuring the depth of water through which the vessel is passing and developing an electrical signal representative thereof; means for generating an electrical signal representative for a selectable distance from the bottom at which an end of said control line is to be maintained; counter means coupled to said reel for developing an electrical signal representative of the length of control line payed out; and depth control circuit means including a scaling circuit coupled to said counter for converting the signal from said counter to a signal representing the equivalent depth of said end of said control line, said circuit means coupled to said fathometer, to said generating means, and to said drive means for correlating depth, line length and distance from the bottom information and responsive to said electrical signals representative of such information for developing control signals applied to said drive means for actuating said drive means to maintain the end of said control line at a selected distance from the bottom as the water depth varies.

Claim 12

The apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said depth control circuit means further includes a first subtracter coupled to said scaling circuit and to said fathometer for providing a difference signal at an output terminal of said first subtracter representative of the distance of said end of said control line from the bottom.

Claim 13

The apparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein said depth control circuit means further includes a second subtracter circuit coupled to said output terminal of said first subtracter and to said generating means to provide a signal at an output terminal thereof which is representative of the distance said end of said control line is from the selected distance from the bottom.

Claim 14

The apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said depth control circuit means further includes threshold detecting means coupled to said output terminal of said second subtracter for providing said control signals applied to said drive means.

Claim 15

The apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said depth control circuit means further includes means for delaying the application of the output signal from said fathometer to said first subtracter to compensate for the relative position in said end of said control line with respect to the vessel as the vessel travels through the water.

Claim 16

A powered trolling apparatus for use on a vessel comprising: a frame member; a reel mounted to said frame member and including a control line coupled thereto; drive means coupled to sAid reel for paying out and retrieving said control line from said reel such that an end of said control line can be immersed in the water; means for detecting the temperature of water at a reference point on said control line; a temperature control circuit coupled to said detecting means for providing control signals for actuating said drive means to pay out or retrieve said control line to maintain said reference point on said line within a desired temperature range in the water; means for measuring the depth of water through which the vessel is passing and developing an electrical signal representative thereof; means for generating an electrical signal representative of a selectable distance from the bottom at which said reference point of said control line is to be maintained; means for developing an electrical signal representative of the length of control line payed out; depth control circuit means coupled to said measuring means, to said generating means and to said developing means for correlating depth, line length and distance from the bottom information and responsive to said electrical signals representative of such information for developing control signals for actuating said drive means to maintain the end of said control line at a selected depth from the bottom as the water depth varies; and means selectively coupling one of said temperature control circuit or said depth control circuit means to said drive means for applying the respective control signals therefrom to said drive means for maintaining said reference point on said control line at a desired temperature in the water or at a desired depth from the bottom respectively.

Claim 17

A powered trolling apparatus for use on a vessel comprising: a frame member; a reel mounted to said frame member and including a control line coupled thereto; drive means coupled to sAid reel for paying out and retrieving said control line from said reel such that an end of said control line can be immersed in the water; means for detecting the temperature of water at a reference point on said control line; a temperature control circuit coupled to said detecting means for providing control signals for actuating said drive means to pay out or retrieve said control line to maintain said reference point on said line within a desired temperature range in the water; means for measuring the depth of water through which the vessel is passing and developing an electrical signal representative thereof; means for generating an electrical signal representative of a selectable distance from the bottom at which said reference point of said control line is to be maintained; means for developing an electrical signal representative of the length of control line payed out; depth control circuit means coupled to said measuring means, to said generating means and to said developing means for correlating depth, line length and distance from the bottom information and responsive to said electrical signals representative of such information for developing control signals for actuating said drive means to maintain the end of said control line at a selected depth from the bottom as the water depth varies; and means selectively coupling one of said temperature control circuit or said depth control circuit means to said drive means for applying the respective control signals therefrom to said drive means for maintaining said reference point on said control line at a desired temperature in the water or at a desired depth from the bottom respectively.