Patent ID: 7216599

Claim:
A method for controlling a marine vessel having a first steering nozzle, a reversing deflector and one of a bow thruster and a second steering nozzle, comprising: receiving a first vessel control signal corresponding to at least one of a translational thrust command and a rotational thrust command; generating at least a first actuator control signal and a second actuator control signal in response to the first vessel control signal; coupling the first actuator control signal to and controlling the first steering nozzle; coupling the second actuator control signal to and controlling one of the second steering nozzle, the reversing deflector, and the bow thruster; inducing a net translational force to the marine vessel, in response to the first actuator control signal and the second actuator control signal corresponding to the first vessel control signal comprising only the translational thrust command and a zero rotational thrust command, so that substantially no net rotational force is induced to the marine vessel; and inducing a net force to the marine vessel, in response to the first actuator control signal and the second actuator control signal comprising a combination of the translational thrust command and the rotational thrust command, substantially in a direction of a combination of the translational thrust command and the rotational thrust command for all combinations of the rotational and translational thrust commands.