Patent Application
20220243693
This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-014567 filed on Feb. 1, 2021. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a power supply system for a watercraft.
A battery for starting a drive unit such as an engine or an electric motor is connected to a marine propulsion device. The marine propulsion device starts the drive unit by the electric power supplied from the battery. A watercraft may be equipped with a plurality of marine propulsion devices. In that case, a plurality of batteries are mounted on the watercraft. The plurality of batteries are connected to the plurality of marine propulsion devices, respectively. For example, the watercraft disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-241207 includes three marine propulsion devices and three batteries. A first battery is connected to a first one of the three marine propulsion devices, a second battery is connected to a second one of the three marine propulsion devices, and a third battery is connected to a third one of the three marine propulsion devices.
As described above, when the plurality of batteries are connected to the plurality of marine propulsion devices, respectively, if the number of marine propulsion devices increases, the number of batteries mounted on the watercraft increases proportionally. Therefore, in the watercraft, the space for mounting the batteries is increased.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention reduce the number of batteries while maintaining good startability of the drives in the marine propulsion devices.
A system according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is a power supply system for a watercraft. The watercraft includes a first marine propulsion device, a second marine propulsion device, and a third marine propulsion device. The first marine propulsion device includes a first engine. The second marine propulsion device includes a second engine. The third marine propulsion device includes a third engine. The power supply system includes a first battery, a second battery, and a battery management device. The battery management device connects the first battery to the first engine and supplies an electric power from the first battery to start the first engine. The battery management device connects the second battery to the second engine and the third engine, and supplies an electric power from the second battery to start the second engine and the third engine.
A system according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is a power supply system for a watercraft. The watercraft includes a first marine propulsion device, a second marine propulsion device, and a third marine propulsion device. The first marine propulsion device includes a first drive. The second marine propulsion device includes a second drive. The third marine propulsion device includes a third drive. The power supply system includes a first battery, a second battery, and a battery management device. The battery management device connects the first battery to the first drive, and supplies an electric power from the first battery to start the first drive. The battery management device connects the second battery to the second drive and the third drive, and supplies an electric power from the second battery to start the second drive and the third drive.
The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The first marine propulsion device 1a is located on the port side of the watercraft 100. The third marine propulsion device 1c is located on the starboard side of the watercraft 100. The second marine propulsion device 1b is located at the center of the watercraft between the first marine propulsion device 1a and the third marine propulsion device 1c. The fourth marine propulsion device 1d is located between the first marine propulsion device 1a and the second marine propulsion device 1b. The fifth marine propulsion device 1e is located between the third marine propulsion device 1c and the second marine propulsion device 1b.
The first marine propulsion device 1a includes a first drive unit 2a, a drive shaft 3, a propeller shaft 4, a shift mechanism 5, a first generator 6, and a housing 7. The first drive unit 2a generates a driving force to rotate the drive shaft 3. In the present preferred embodiment, the first drive unit 2a is an internal combustion engine, for example. The first drive unit 2a includes a crankshaft 13. The crankshaft 13 extends in the vertical direction of the first marine propulsion device 1a. The drive shaft 3 is connected to the crankshaft 13. The drive shaft 3 extends in the vertical direction of the first marine propulsion device 1a.
The first drive unit 2a includes a first starter motor 8a. The first starter motor 8a is connected to the crankshaft 13. Alternatively, the first starter motor 8a may be connected to the drive shaft 3. The first starter motor 8a starts the first drive unit 2a. The first generator 6 generates an electric power by being driven by the first drive unit 2a. The first generator 6 is connected to the drive shaft 3 via, for example, a gear mechanism. Alternatively, the first generator 6 may be connected to the crankshaft 13.
The propeller shaft 4 extends in the front-rear direction of the first marine propulsion device 1a. The propeller shaft 4 is connected to the drive shaft 3 via the shift mechanism 5. A propeller 10 is attached to the propeller shaft 4. The shift mechanism 5 includes, for example, a gear and a clutch. The shift mechanism 5 is switched between a forward state, a reverse state, and a neutral state. In the forward state, the shift mechanism 5 transmits rotation from the drive shaft 3 to the propeller shaft 4 in the direction in which the watercraft 100 moves forward. In the reverse state, the shift mechanism 5 transmits rotation from the drive shaft 3 to the propeller shaft 4 in the direction in which the watercraft 100 moves backward. The housing 7 houses the first drive unit 2a, the drive shaft 3, the propeller shaft 4, and the shift mechanism 5.
The second to fifth marine propulsion devices 1b to 1e each have the same configuration as the first marine propulsion device 1a. As illustrated in
The power supply system 300 is mounted on the watercraft 100. The power supply system 300 controls the electric power supplied to the first to fifth marine propulsion devices 1a to 1e. The power supply system 300 includes a first battery 21, a second battery 22, and a battery management device 23. The first to fifth marine propulsion devices 1a to 1e are connected to the first battery 21 and the second battery 22 via the battery management device 23.
The watercraft 100 includes a remote controller 14, an input device 15, a display device 16, and a start switch 17. The remote controller 14, the input device 15, the display device 16, and the start switch 17 are located in the cockpit of the watercraft 100. The remote controller 14 is connected to the first to fifth ECUs 9a to 9e. The remote controller 14 includes a first throttle lever 18 and a second throttle lever 19. The first throttle lever 18 and the second throttle lever 19 are operable by an operator. The remote controller 14 transmits a throttle command to the first to fifth ECUs 9a to 9e in response to an operation of the first throttle lever 18 and the second throttle lever 19. The first to fifth ECUs 9a to 9e control the outputs of the first to fifth drive units 2a to 2e in response to the throttle command.
The input device 15 is operable by the operator. The input device 15 outputs a signal indicating an operation input to the input device 15. The display device 16 displays an image corresponding to a signal input to the display device 16. The display device 16 is, for example, a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The input device 15 includes, for example, a switch. Alternatively, the input device 15 may be a touch screen integrated with the display device 16.
The start switch 17 is operable by the operator. When the start switch 17 is operated, an ON signal is output from the start switch 17. When the start switch 17 is operated, the first to fifth ECUs 9a to 9e start the first to fifth drive units 2a to 2e. The display device 16 and the remote controller 14 are connected to the battery management device 23. The start switch 17 is connected to the battery management device 23 via the remote controller 14.
The battery management device 23 includes a first electric circuit 31, a second electric circuit 32, first to fourth switches 33 to 36, a connection circuit 37, and a controller 38. The first electric circuit 31 connects the first battery 21 to the first marine propulsion device 1a and the fifth marine propulsion device 1e. Specifically, the first electric circuit 31 is branched into a first circuit 41 and a fifth circuit 45. The first circuit 41 is connected to the first marine propulsion device 1a. The fifth circuit 45 is connected to the fifth marine propulsion device 1e. The first battery 21 supplies electric power to the first drive unit 2a and the fifth drive unit 2e. The electric power from the first battery 21 drives the first starter motor 8a of the first drive unit 2a and the fifth starter motor 8e of the fifth drive unit 2e.
The second electric circuit 32 connects the second battery 22 to the second marine propulsion device 1b, the third marine propulsion device 1c, and the fourth marine propulsion device 1d. Specifically, the second electric circuit 32 is branched into a second circuit 42 and a third electric circuit 39. The second circuit 42 is connected to the second marine propulsion device 1b. The third electric circuit 39 is branched into a third circuit 43 and a fourth circuit 44. The third circuit 43 is connected to the third marine propulsion device 1c. The fourth circuit 44 is connected to the fourth marine propulsion device 1d. The second battery 22 supplies electric power to the second drive unit 2b, the third drive unit 2c, and the fourth drive unit 2d. The electric power from the second battery 22 drives the second starter motor 8b of the second drive unit 2b, the third starter motor 8c of the third drive unit 2c, and the fourth starter motor 8d of the fourth drive unit 2d.
The first to fourth switches 33 to 36 are, for example, solenoid relays. The first to fourth switches 33 to 36 are connected to the controller 38. The first to fourth switches 33 to 36 are switched between a closed state and an open state according to a signal from the controller 38, respectively. The first switch 33 is provided in the first electric circuit 31. The first switch 33 switches between an electrical connection and a disconnection between the first drive unit 2a and the first battery 21. Further, the first switch 33 switches between an electrical connection and a disconnection between the fifth drive unit 2e and the first battery 21.
The second switch 34 is provided in the second circuit 42. The second switch 34 switches between an electrical connection and a disconnection between the second drive unit 2b and the second battery 22. The third switch 35 is provided in the third electric circuit 39. The third switch 35 switches between an electrical connection and a disconnection between the third drive unit 2c and the second battery 22. Further, the third switch 35 switches between an electrical connection and a disconnection between the fourth drive unit 2d and the second battery 22. The fourth switch 36 is provided in the connection circuit 37. The connection circuit 37 connects the first electric circuit 31 and the second electric circuit 32. The fourth switch 36 switches between an electrical connection and a disconnection between the first electric circuit 31 and the second electric circuit 32.
The battery management device 23 includes a housing 50, first to fifth connection ports 51 to 55, a first battery connection port 56, and a second battery connection port 57. The first to fifth connection ports 51 to 55, the first battery connection port 56, and the second battery connection port 57 are provided on the housing 50. The first connection port 51 is connected to the first circuit 41 in the housing 50. The second connection port 52 is connected to the second circuit 42 in the housing 50. The third connection port 53 is connected to the third circuit 43 in the housing 50. The fourth connection port 54 is connected to the fourth circuit 44 in the housing 50. The fifth connection port 55 is connected to the fifth circuit 45 in the housing 50. The first to fifth connection ports 51 to 55 are connected to the first to fifth drive units 2a to 2e via electric cables, respectively.
The first battery connection port 56 is connected to the first electric circuit 31 in the housing 50. The second battery connection port 57 is connected to the second electric circuit 32 in the housing 50. The first battery connection port 56 is connected to the first battery 21 via an electric cable. The second battery connection port 57 is connected to the second battery 22 via an electric cable.
The controller 38 transmits a signal to the first to fourth switches 33 to 36 to control the first to fourth switches 33 to 36. The controller 38 includes, for example, a computer that includes a processor and memory. The controller 38 controls the discharge and charge of the first battery 21 and the second battery 22 by controlling the first to fourth switches 33 to 36.
The controller 38 connects the first battery 21 to the first drive unit 2a and the fifth drive unit 2e by switching the first switch 33 to the closed state to supply the electric power to start the first drive unit 2a and the fifth drive unit 2e from the first battery 21 to the first drive unit 2a and the fifth drive unit 2e. The controller 38 connects the second battery 22 to the second to fourth drive units 2b to 2d by switching the second switch 34 and the third switch 35 to the closed state to supply the electric power to start the second to fourth drive units 2b to 2d from the second battery 22 to the second to fourth drive units 2b to 2d.
The ON signal from the start switch 17 is input to the remote controller 14. When the remote controller 14 receives the ON signal from the start switch 17, the remote controller 14 transmits a command signal to start the first to fifth drive units 2a to 2e to the first to fifth ECUs 9a to 9e. The remote controller 14 sequentially starts the first to fifth drive units 2a to 2e at different timings. The remote controller 14 transmits a command signal to start the first to fifth drive units 2a to 2e to the first to fifth ECUs 9a to 9e at different timings. Specifically, the remote controller 14 starts the first drive unit 2a, the fourth drive unit 2d, the second drive unit 2b, the fifth drive unit 2e, and the third drive unit 2c in this order. As a result, it is prevented that the first to fifth drive units 2a to 2e are started at the same time.
The power supply system 300 includes a first sensor 25 and a second sensor 26. The first sensor 25 is connected to the first battery 21. The first sensor 25 detects the voltage and current of the first battery 21 and transmits a signal indicating the voltage and current to the controller 38. The second sensor 26 is connected to the second battery 22. The second sensor 26 detects the voltage and current of the second battery 22, and transmits a signal indicating the voltage and current to the controller 38.
The controller 38 calculates a first remaining battery power that indicates a remaining electric power of the first battery 21 based on the signal from the first sensor 25. The controller 38 calculates a second remaining battery power that indicates a remaining electric power of the second battery 22 based on the signal from the second sensor 26. The first battery 21 and the second battery 22 are charged by the generators of the first to fifth marine propulsion devices 1a to 1e. The remaining battery powers are indicated by SOC (State Of Charge). SOC defines a fully charged state as 100% and a fully discharged state as 0%.
The controller 38 controls the discharge and charge of the first battery 21 according to the first remaining battery power. The controller 38 controls the discharge and charge of the second battery 22 according to the second remaining battery power. For example, the controller 38 stops the discharge of the first battery 21 when the first remaining battery power reaches a predetermined lower limit value, and charges the first battery 21 by the generators of the first to fifth marine propulsion devices 1a to 1e. When the second remaining battery power reaches a predetermined lower limit value, the controller 38 stops the discharge of the second battery 22, and charges the second battery 22 by the generators of the first to fifth marine propulsion devices 1a to 1e.
The controller 38 acquires the life of the first battery 21 and the life of the second battery 22. The controller 38 calculates the life of the first battery 21 from the first remaining battery power and the current and voltage of the first battery 21. The controller 38 calculates the life of the second battery 22 from the second remaining battery power and the current and voltage of the second battery 22. The controller 38 displays a warning on the display device 16 according to the life of the first battery 21 and the life of the second battery 22. For example, the warning is displayed on the display device 16 by a predetermined period before the life of the first battery 21 and the life of the second battery 22 reach the end of their lives. The warning includes text or images to draw attention to the operator.
The controller 38 calculates the discharge depth of the first battery 21 and the discharge depth of the second battery 22. The controller 38 controls the discharge and charge of the first battery 21 so that the discharge depth of the first battery 21 does not exceed the first threshold value. The controller 38 controls the discharge and charge of the second battery 22 so that the discharge depth of the second battery 22 does not exceed the second threshold value. The first threshold value is set to an appropriate value of the discharge depth so as not to excessively shorten the life of the first battery 21. The second threshold value is set to an appropriate value of the discharge depth so as not to excessively shorten the life of the second battery 22.
The controller 38 controls the first to fourth switches 33 to 36 according to the operation of the input device 15. The controller 38 receives the signal from the input device 15. The operator is able to manually switch between the closed state and the open state of the first to fourth switches 33 to 36 by operating the input device 15. For example, when an abnormality occurs in one of the first battery 21 and the second battery 22, the operator is able to switch the fourth switch 36 to the closed state by operating the input device 15. As a result, the first electric circuit 31 and the second electric circuit 32 are connected. As a result, even if one of the first battery 21 and the second battery 22 is abnormal, the first to fifth drive units 2a to 2e are able to be started by the other normal battery.
In the power supply systems 300 according to the preferred embodiments described above, the first drive unit 2a of the first marine propulsion device 1a is started by the electric power from the first battery 21. Further, the second drive unit 2b of the second marine propulsion device 1b and the third drive unit 2c of the third marine propulsion device 1c are started by the electric power from the second battery 22. Therefore, the second battery 22 is shared by the second drive unit 2b and the third drive unit 2c. Thus, the number of batteries is reduced while maintaining good startability of the drive units 2a to 2e.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described preferred embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.
The marine propulsion devices are not limited to outboard motors, but may be other propulsion devices such as a sterndrive or a jet propulsion device. The number of marine propulsion devices is not limited to five. The number of marine propulsion devices may be less than five or more than five. The number of batteries is not limited to two and may be more than two. The structures of the marine propulsion devices are not limited to that of the above-described preferred embodiments, and may be changed. For example, the drive unit is not limited to the internal combustion engine, and may be an electric motor. In that case, the drive unit may be driven by the electric power from the battery not only at the time of starting but also at the time of navigation after starting. The drive unit may be a hybrid system of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The drive unit may be directly connected to the propeller shaft without going through the drive shaft.
The order of starting the drive units by the start switch 17 is not limited to that of the above-described preferred embodiments, and may be changed. For example, the drive units may be started at the same time in the marine propulsion devices connected to the first battery 21 and the marine propulsion devices connected to the second battery 22. The configuration of the battery management device 23 is not limited to that of the above-described preferred embodiments, and may be changed. For example, the combination of the first to third switches 33 to 35 and the marine propulsion devices connected to them may be changed.
While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-014567 | Feb 2021 | JP | national |
