SHIP STEERING DEVICE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-207244 filed on Dec. 7, 2023, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a ship steering device.

2. Description of Related Art

There is technology for performing control of a ship, by using a stick (joystick) that can be tilted in all directions. In relation to this, a ship steering device that can cause a ship to advance in a direction a stick is tilted is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-076761 (JP 2014-076761 A).

SUMMARY

The present disclosure implements ship steering according to an intention of an operator.

One aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure is a ship steering device that controls one or more propulsion units of a ship based on an operation performed with respect to an input device having an operation unit that is movable from a neutral position, the ship steering device including a plurality of regions in which a movable region of the operation unit is divided into a plurality of directions centered on the neutral position, the plurality of regions having a center angle of a region of at least one direction being different from a center angle of regions of other directions, and a control unit that determines a propulsion force in the ship based on a region where the operation unit is positioned from among the plurality of regions.

Moreover, a method executed by the device, a program that causes a computer to implement the method, and a computer-readable storage medium that non-temporarily stores the program, are included as other aspects.

According to the present disclosure, ship steering according to an intention of an operator can be implemented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like signs denote like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a ship 1 according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a ship steering interface of the ship 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the ship 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation unit of a joystick;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a software configuration of the ship steering controller 100;

FIG. 6A illustrates the relation between the propulsion force vector and the input to the operation unit;

FIG. 6B1 is a diagram illustrating a method of dividing zones according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 6B2 is a diagram illustrating a method of dividing zones according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 6B3 is a diagram illustrating a method of dividing zones according to a first embodiment;

FIG. 6C illustrates the relation between the propulsion force vector and the input to the operation unit;

FIG. 7A illustrates the relation between the propulsion force vector and the propulsion directions of the engines;

FIG. 7B illustrates the relation between the propulsion force vector and the propulsion directions of the engines;

FIG. 7C illustrates the relation between the propulsion force vector and the propulsion directions of the engines;

FIG. 7D illustrates the relation between the propulsion force vector and the propulsion directions of the engines;

FIG. 7E illustrates the relation between the propulsion force vector and the propulsion directions of the engines;

FIG. 7F illustrates the relation between the propulsion force vector and the propulsion directions of the engines;

FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a model for calculating a propulsion force vector;

FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating a model for calculating a propulsion force vector;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a process performed during stop control;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by the ship steering controller in the first embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a process executed by the ship steering controller according to the first embodiment; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a method of dividing a zone in the third embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the past, most small ships were operated by throttle and steering, but small ships with stick-type controllers that can be tilted in all directions have appeared as interface devices for ship steering. Such a controller (hereinafter referred to as a joystick) can indicate a traveling direction and a speed of a ship according to a direction and an angle in which a stick as an operation unit is tilted, and thus is useful in a scene in which fine-grained operation is required, such as at the time of shore contact.

The joystick is widely adopted in the game controller, and has the feature that the intuitive operation is possible. However, depending on the contents of the ship steering, the vessel maneuvering may not be performed as intended by the operator. For example, consider a case where a ship is moved backward by operation of a joystick. When the ship is to be retracted, the operator usually performs an operation while grasping the controller while visually checking the rear of the ship. That is, when the ship is to be retracted, the operator is in a posture in which only the face looks back in a state in which the operator holds the controller fixed to the hull.

When an operation is performed in such a posture, the operator cannot view the hand, and thus there is a possibility that an operation error may occur. This is because, for example, even in a case where the hull is desired to be advanced directly behind, it is not possible to accurately grasp the direction in which the joystick is tilted in the posture looking back. As a result, for example, even if the operator intends to tilt the stick backward, the stick may tilt backward obliquely to the left or backward obliquely to the right, and the ship may unintentionally travel in the left-right direction.

The ship steering device according to the present disclosure solves such a problem.

A ship steering device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a ship steering device that controls one or more propulsion units of a ship based on an operation performed on an input device having an operation unit movable from a neutral position, wherein a movable region of the operation unit is a plurality of regions divided in a plurality of directions around the neutral position, and a center angle of the region in at least one direction has a plurality of regions different from regions in other directions, and a control unit that determines a propulsion force to be applied to the ship based on a region in which the operation unit is located among the plurality of regions.

The input device is a device capable of inputting a direction by an operation unit, and is typically a joystick. The input device may, for example, be capable of tilting the operation unit in all directions of 360 degrees.

The region in which the operation unit can move is radially divided in a plurality of directions around the neutral position.

The control unit determines a propulsion force (a propulsion force pattern) to be applied to the ship in accordance with a region in which the operation unit is located among the plurality of divided regions. For example, in a case where an area for moving forward, backward, leftward, or rightward is provided, a propulsion force for advancing the ship, a propulsion force for backward, a propulsion force for moving leftward, and a propulsion force for moving rightward can be applied to the ship by moving the operation unit in each area.

In the ship steering device according to the present disclosure, the center angles of the plurality of regions are not equal, and at least one center angle is different from the center angles of the other regions. For example, if there is a first region for advancing the ship and a second region for retracting the ship, the center angle of the second region may be wider than the first region. By doing so, it is possible to provide play for the operation, and it is possible to suppress the behavior of the ship that does not conform to the intention of the operator in an environment in which the position of the operation unit is easily displaced.

Further, the control unit may start the stop ship control for stopping the ship at a predetermined ship stopping site by controlling the propulsion force of the one or more propulsion units when the first operation for moving the operation unit from the first position displaced from the neutral position to the neutral position is performed.

The control unit may start the stop ship control for stopping the ship at a predetermined ship stopping site when the first operation is performed. The predetermined ship stopping site does not necessarily have to be a point where the first operation is performed, as long as the ship stopping site is a point where the operator does not feel uncomfortable. For example, a point ahead of the point where the first operation is performed may be set as a predetermined ship stopping site.

The stop control is a control for controlling a propulsion unit of a ship and positively moving the ship to a predetermined ship stopping site. During the stop control period, for example, a control for decelerating the ship by reversely rotating the propulsion unit, a control for correcting the bow direction by operating the thruster, and the like are performed.

If the propulsion unit is stopped immediately when the first operation is performed, the ship flows due to inertia or disturbance, and the ship cannot be stopped at a point intended by the operator. On the other hand, according to the ship steering device of the present disclosure, when the first operation is performed, the ship can be stopped at a point intended by the operator.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The hardware configuration, the module configuration, the functional configuration, and the like described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to only those unless otherwise specified.

First Embodiment
Outline of the Ship

FIG. 1 is a top view of a ship 1 as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 1, two engines, each of which is a propulsion unit, are attached to the rear portion of the hull 1A. In the present embodiment, an engine mounted on the left side is referred to as a left engine 410, and an engine mounted on the right side is referred to as a right engine 420. The two engines are mounted at symmetrical positions across the center line of the ship 1.

A bow thruster 310, which is one of the propulsion units, is attached to the bow portion of the hull 1A. The bow thruster 310 is a propulsion unit for obtaining a propulsion force in the left-right direction. The bow thruster 310 is disposed in a lateral hole provided in the vicinity of the bow under the water surface. The bow thruster 310 may be an engine (internal combustion machine) or an electric motor. Similarly, the left engine 410 and the right engine 420 are engines (internal combustion machines) in the present embodiment, but may be replaced with electric motors.

In the description of the embodiment, the bow thruster 310, the left engine 410, and the right engine 420 may be collectively referred to as an “engine”.

The ship 1 has a cockpit 1B, and the cockpit 1B is provided with a joystick 110, a thruster lever 130, and a throttle lever 140 as an interface for ship steering.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the joystick 110, the thruster lever 130, and the throttle lever 140.

The throttle lever 140 is a set of levers for indicating the propulsion force and the propulsive direction of the left and right engines. The thruster lever 130 is a lever for indicating a propulsion force and a propulsive direction of the bow thruster. The two are used to directly control each engine, and the propulsion force can be specified by the angle at which the lever is tilted. That is, the propulsion force and the propulsive direction instructed by the throttle lever 140 are directly transmitted to the left and right engines, and the propulsion force and the propulsive direction instructed by the thruster lever 130 are directly transmitted to the bow thrusters.

The joystick 110 is an operation unit that can tilt in all directions to integrally control the movement of the ship. When ship steering is performed using the joystick 110, the propulsion force and the propulsive direction of each engine are calculated by a ship steering controller 100 described later in response to an input.

A configuration of a device constituting a ship according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration of hardware included in the ship 1 according to the present embodiment.

Hardware Configuration

The ship 1 according to the present embodiment includes a ship steering controller 100, a joystick 110, a GPS module 120, a thruster lever 130, a throttle lever 140, a switching controller 200, a thruster controller 300, and an engine controller 400. In addition, the ship 1 includes the above-described bow thruster 310, the left engine 410, and the right engine 420 as propulsion units.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the joystick 110 is an input device having an operation unit (stick) that can be tilted in all directions.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an angle at which an input can be performed by an operation unit (stick). The operation unit can be tilted in all directions, so that a value (azimuth angle) α (0 degrees or more and less than 360 degrees) indicating an azimuth can be acquired. The azimuth angle is expressed by, for example, a numerical value (relative azimuth) in which the bow direction is 0 degrees. Further, the joystick 110 can acquire a value (inclination angle) β indicating the depth of inclination of the operation unit.

Further, the joystick 110 is configured to be rotatable about the head about the axis of the operation unit. As a result, a value (rotation angle) 0 representing the rotation amount can be acquired.

GPS module 120 is a unit for acquiring position information of the ship 1. GPS module 120 includes GPS antennae and a positioning module for positioning the position data. GPS antenna is an antenna that receives a positioning signal transmitted from a positioning satellite (also referred to as a GNSS satellite). The positioning module is a module that calculates position information based on the signals received by GPS antennae.

The thruster lever 130 is a lever for indicating a propulsion force and a propulsive direction of the bow thruster. The thruster lever 130 has, for example, a mechanism that can be tilted in the left-right direction, and can instruct a propulsion force in a stepless manner.

The throttle lever 140 is a set of levers for indicating the propulsion force and the propulsive direction of the left and right engines. The throttle lever 140 includes a left lever and a right lever. In the throttle lever 140, the operator can instruct the propulsion force of each engine by steplessly moving the left lever and the right lever forward and backward. Further, each lever has a forward region and a reverse region, and by moving the lever to each region, the propulsion direction of the engine can be indicated.

The ship 1 according to the present embodiment can be ship steering in a manual control mode and an automatic control mode. The manual control mode is a mode in which the operator uses the throttle lever 140 and the thruster lever 130 to directly indicate the propulsion force and the propulsion direction of each engine. When in manual control mode, the propulsion force and propulsion direction of each engine is determined by the position of throttle lever 140 and thruster lever 130.

The automatic control mode is a mode in which the ship steering controller 100 calculates the propulsion force and the propulsive direction of each engine. In the present embodiment, the automatic control mode includes, for example, a mode (joystick mode) in which a propulsion force (and a propulsion direction) necessary for each engine is calculated based on an input from the joystick 110. The autonomous control mode is a mode (autonomous navigation mode) in which the propulsion force and the propulsion direction are automatically calculated based on the position information acquired by GPS. Note that “automatic control” refers to obtaining a propulsion force (and a propulsion direction) necessary for each engine by calculation, and does not necessarily mean autonomous navigation. That is, the mode in which the joystick is ship steering is also classified into the automatic control mode.

The switching controller 200 is a unit that switches between the manual control mode and the automatic control mode described above. When the manual control mode is specified, the thruster lever 130 and the thruster controller 300 are connected so that the output of the bow thruster 310 can be directly controlled. Further, the throttle lever 140 and the engine controller 400 are connected to each other so that the output of each engine can be directly controlled.

When the automatic control mode is designated, the ship steering controller 100, the thruster controller 300, and the engine controller 400 are connected to each other, so that the calculation result by the ship steering controller 100 is reflected in each engine.

As described above, the ship steering controller 100 is a unit that calculates a propulsion force (and a propulsive direction) necessary for each engine in the automatic control mode. The ship steering controller 100 calculates the propulsion force (and the propulsion direction) required for the respective engines based on the information inputted from the joystick 110 and GPS module 120. The result is commanded to the thruster controller 300 and the engine controller 400. The ship steering controller 100 is also referred to as maneuver ECU.

The thruster controller 300 is a unit for controlling the bow thruster 310. The thruster controller 300 receives, for example, data specifying a propulsion force and a propulsive direction of the bow thruster, and controls fuel injection, gear input, voltage, current, and the like of the bow thruster 310 based on the received data.

The engine controller 400 is a unit for controlling the left and right engines. The engine controller 400 receives, for example, data specifying a propulsion force and a propulsion direction of the left and right engines, and controls fuel injection, gear input, voltage, current, and the like of the left engine 410 and the right engine 420 based on the received data.

The bow thruster 310 is a propulsion unit attached to the bow portion of the hull 1A. The bow thruster 310 generates a propulsion force in a direction perpendicular to the center line of the hull 1A, so that a force can be applied to the bow in the left-right direction.

The left engine 410 is a propulsion unit mounted on the left side of the center line of the hull 1A. The right engine 420 is a propulsion unit mounted on the right side of the center line of the hull 1A. The left and right engines are mounted at symmetrical positions across the center line of the hull 1A. The left and right engines can generate a propulsion force in a direction parallel to the center line of the hull 1A, but do not have a function of tilting a direction in which the propulsion force is generated with respect to the hull, that is, a function of steering.

Detailed Configuration of the Ship Steering Controller

Next, the configuration of the ship steering controller 100 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration of the ship steering controller 100 according to the present embodiment.

The ship steering controller 100 can be configured as a computer including a processor (such as a CPU, GPU), a main storage device (such as a RAM, ROM), and an auxiliary storage device (such as an EPROM, a hard disk drive, and a removable medium). The secondary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, and the like. By executing the program stored therein, it is possible to realize each function (software module) that meets a predetermined purpose, as will be described later. However, some or all of the functions may be realized as a hardware module by, for example, hardware circuitry such as an ASIC, FPGA.

The ship steering controller 100 includes a control unit 101 and a storage unit 102.

The control unit 101 is an arithmetic unit that realizes various functions of the ship steering controller 100 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 101 can be realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU. In addition, the control unit 101 may be configured to include a RAM, read only memory (ROM), a cache memory, and the like.

The control unit 101 includes three software modules: a first navigation control unit 1011, a stop control unit 1012, and a second navigation control unit 1013. The software modules may be implemented by executing programs stored in the storage unit 12 (described later) by the control unit 101 (CPU or the like).

First, the first navigation control unit 1011 will be described.

The first navigation control unit 1011 controls the propulsion force (and the propulsive direction) of each engine based on the input content from the joystick 110. Specifically, the first navigation control unit 1011 calculates a propulsion force (hereinafter referred to as a propulsion force vector) necessary for the navigation of the ship based on the three types of angles described with reference to FIG. 4. The propulsion force vector calculated here is defined for the hull.

Further, the first navigation control unit 1011 determines a propulsion force (and a propulsion direction) to be output by each engine based on the calculated propulsion force vector, and issues a control command to each engine.

Here, the relation between the input to the joystick 110 and the propulsion force vector will be described referring to FIG. 6A.

As described above, the azimuth angle α obtained by the joystick 110 is a value that is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than 360 degrees. In the present embodiment, this is divided into four zones, and for each zone, the first navigation control unit 1011 determines the direction in which the propulsion force is generated with respect to the hull.

The front zone is a zone for advancing the ship. If the operation unit is in the front zone, a forward propulsion force vector is calculated for the hull.

The rear zone is a zone for retracting the ship. If the operation unit is in the rear zone, a backward propulsion force vector is calculated for the hull.

The right zone is a zone for moving the ship to the right in parallel. When the operation unit is in the right zone, a propulsion force vector directed rightward with respect to the hull is calculated.

The left zone is a zone for moving the ship to the left in parallel. When the operation unit is in the left zone, a propulsion force vector directed leftward with respect to the hull is calculated.

The propulsion force vector in the present embodiment represents the propulsion force applied to the hull, which is obtained by the reaction force of the water flow generated by the engine.

The magnitude of the propulsion force vector increases in proportion to the tilt angle β of the operation unit.

In the present embodiment, the area of the rear zone is larger than that of the front zone. That is, the center angle of the sector around the operation unit is larger in the rear zone than in the front zone. In other words, in the backward movement, the “play” of the operation in the left-right direction is larger than that in the forward movement.

When the operator takes a posture in which only the face looks back while holding the joystick fixed to the hull, the operator cannot confirm his or her hand, and therefore the operation unit may be displaced in the left-right direction even if the operator intends to move the operation unit to the rear.

This will be explained by referring to FIGS. 6B1 to 6B3.

FIG. 6B1 is an example of an operation of retracting a ship. When the ship is to be moved backward, as shown in the figure, an operation of tilting the operation unit backward (180 degrees direction) is required. FIGS. 6B2 and 6B3 are exemplary cases where the operation unit is displaced rightward during the operation of retracting the ship. FIG. 6B2 is an example in which each zone is divided at an equal angle. FIG. 6B3 is an example in which each zone is divided by the methods according to the present exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6B2, in the conventional case, the operation unit is shifted to the right, so that the operation unit enters the right zone, so that the propulsion force vector “to move the ship to the right” may be calculated. In such a case, the operator attempts to retract the ship, but the ship moves to the right.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B3, since the center angle of the rear zone is wide, even if the operation unit deviates to some extent to the left and right, the operation unit does not deviate from the rear zone, and the propulsion force vector “retracts the ship” is calculated. This allows the ship to be retracted as intended by the operator.

Next, referring to FIG. 6C, the manipulation of turning the ship will be described.

In the present embodiment, in addition to the four zones described above, two zones for turning the ship are defined.

The left rotation zone is a zone for turning the ship counterclockwise. When the head of the operation unit is rotated to the left, it becomes a left rotation zone. When the operation unit is in the left rotation zone, two propulsion force vectors are generated for the hull. That is, in the vicinity of the bow, a propulsion force vector in the leftward direction is generated, and in the vicinity of the stern, a propulsion force vector in the rightward direction is generated.

The right rotation zone is a zone for turning the ship clockwise. When the head of the operation unit is rotated to the right, the right rotation zone is set. When the operation unit is in the right rotation zone, two propulsion force vectors are generated for the hull. That is, a rightward propulsion force vector is generated in the vicinity of the bow, and a leftward propulsion force vector is generated in the vicinity of the stern.

The magnitude of the propulsion force vector increases in proportion to the rotation angle θ of the operation unit.

Here, the above-described four zones and the basic zone are referred to, and the two zones for turning the ship are referred to as additional zones.

Next, a method of determining the propulsion force (and the propulsion direction) of the respective engines from the propulsion force vectors determined as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7F.

When the propulsion force vector is forward, that is, when the ship moves forward, both the left engine and the right engine generate a propulsion force toward the rear (FIG. 7A).

When the propulsion force vector is backward, that is, when the ship is retracted, both the left engine and the right engine generate a propulsion force toward the front (FIG. 7B). When the propulsion force vector is forward or backward, the propulsion force of the bow thruster is 0.

When the propulsion force vector is leftward, that is, when the ship moves in parallel to the left, the left engine generates a propulsion force toward the rear, and the right engine generates a propulsion force toward the front. Further, the bow thruster generates a propulsion force toward the right (FIG. 7C). When the bow thruster of the bow is provided with a propulsion force in the rightward direction, the hull turns to the left, but by propelling the left engine in the rearward direction and the right engine in the forward direction, the hull can be translated in the leftward direction by canceling the propulsion force.

When the propulsion force vector is rightward, that is, when the ship moves in parallel to the right, the left engine generates a propulsion force toward the front, and the right engine generates a propulsion force toward the rear. Further, the bow thruster generates a propulsion force toward the left (FIG. 7D). When the bow thruster is provided with a leftward propulsion force, the hull turns to the right, but by propelling the left engine in the forward direction and the right engine in the rearward direction, the hull can be translated in the rightward direction by canceling this.

When the propulsion force vector is left rotation, that is, when the ship is turned to the left, the left engine generates a propulsion force toward the front, and the right engine generates a propulsion force toward the rear. Further, the bow thruster generates a propulsion force toward the right (FIG. 7E). As a result, the hull can be turned to the left.

When the propulsion force vector is a right rotation, that is, when the ship is turned to the right, the left engine generates a propulsion force toward the rear, and the right engine generates a propulsion force toward the front. Further, the bow thruster generates a propulsion force toward the left (FIG. 7F). As a result, the hull can be turned clockwise. In either case, the magnitude of the propulsion force of each engine is proportional to the magnitude of the propulsion force vector.

The first navigation control unit 1011 calculates the propulsion force vector F of the hull using the propulsion force calculation model 102A. FIG. 8A is a diagram illustrating a propulsion force calculation model 102A.

The propulsion force calculation model 102A is a model for outputting the propulsion force vector F of the hull by inputting the three types of angles (α, β, θ) of the operation unit described above. In the present embodiment, the propulsion force calculation model 102A is configured to be able to determine the propulsion force vector for each zone in which the operation unit is located, as shown in FIG. 6A.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, the center angles at the time of dividing the basic zones are not uniform. That is, each basic zone is provided such that the center angle of at least one region is different from the center angle of another region. The propulsion force calculation model 102A includes information related to the division of the basic zone, and determines in which zone the operation unit is located based on the inputted angle α (or θ). In addition, the propulsion force calculation model 102A has information in which the respective zones and the propulsion direction of the ship are associated with each other, and thus the direction of the propulsion force vector F can be determined. Further, the propulsion force calculation model 102A may determine the magnitude of the propulsion force vector F based on the inputted angular velocity β (or θ). The propulsion force calculation model 102A is stored in a storage unit 102 which will be described later.

The first navigation control unit 1011 can reflect the instruction given from the joystick 110 to each engine during navigation by the above-described processing.

Next, the stop control unit 1012 will be described.

The stop control unit 1012 displaces the operation unit of the joystick 110 from the neutral position (first position). In other words, when an operation is performed from the state in which the operation unit is tilted to the neutral position, stop control is performed in which the hull is stopped at a predetermined ship stopping site.

The neutral position is a state in which the operation unit is not tilted. The operation of setting the operation unit from the first position to the neutral position is referred to as the first operation.

Here, the stop control will be described.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of the stop ship control according to the present embodiment.

In the initial state, it is assumed that the operator places the operation unit of the joystick in the first position, so that the ship 1 is traveling at a predetermined speed and in the traveling direction by the propulsion force of each engine. Here, it is assumed that the operator moves the operation unit of the joystick from the first position to the neutral position at a timing indicated by reference numeral 901 in the drawing. Here, if the stop control is not performed, the propulsion force of all the engines is controlled to 0 by setting the position of the operation unit of the joystick to the neutral position. In this case, the ship 1 continues to proceed with inertia without stopping on the spot. In the present embodiment, the stop control is started by the stop control unit 1012 at this timing.

During the stop control, the stop control unit 1012 calculates a propulsion force vector to decelerate the ship 1 at a predetermined deceleration, and controls each engine. Reference numeral 902 denotes the ship 1 being decelerated at a predetermined deceleration.

When the velocity of the ship 1 falls below a predetermined threshold value (reference numeral 903), the stop control unit 1012 acquires coordinates (for example, latitude and longitude) of the point from GPS module 120 and sets the coordinates as a ship stopping site. In addition to the coordinates, the bow direction is associated with the ship stopping site. The stop control unit 1012 calculates a propulsion force vector so as to guide the ship 1 to the set ship stopping site while decelerating, and controls each engine. Specifically, the coordinates of the ship stopping site (and the bow direction) are compared with the current coordinates (and the bow direction), a propulsion force vector for matching the two is calculated, and each engine is controlled based on the calculated propulsion force vector. Thus, at the set coordinates, the ship 1 stops facing the set bow direction.

During navigation, the first navigation control unit 1011 calculates the propulsion force vector F of the hull using the propulsion force calculation model 102A. However, during the stop control, the stop control unit 1012 calculates the propulsion force vector F of the hull using the propulsion force calculation modeling 102B. FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating a propulsion force calculation model 102B.

When performing the stop control, the stop control unit 1012 calculates a deviation (position deviation, Pdef) between the ship stopping site and the current position of the ship 1, and a deviation (azimuth deviation, Adef) between the bow direction at the ship stopping site and the current bow direction of the ship 1. The position error Pdef can be calculated based on the coordinates of the ship stopping site and the present coordinates. Further, the azimuth deviation Adef can be calculated based on the bow direction of the ship stopping site and the present bow direction.

The propulsion force calculation model 102B is a model that receives the position deviation Pdef and the azimuth deviation Adef as inputs, and calculates and outputs the propulsion force vector F of the hull such that the position deviation and the azimuth deviation approach 0. By performing the control of bringing the position deviation and the azimuth deviation close to 0, the ship I can be guided to the ship stopping site.

The propulsion force calculation modeling 102B is stored in a storage unit 102 which will be described later.

Next, the second navigation control unit 1013 will be described.

The second navigation control unit 1013 calculates a propulsion force vector based on the information acquired from GPS module 120, and controls the respective engines. Specifically, the second navigation control unit 1013 calculates the propulsion force vector so that the ship 1 is directed to the target coordinates on the basis of the target coordinates set in advance and the coordinates acquired from GPS module 120. Then, a control command is issued to each engine in order to give the calculated propulsion force. The target coordinates may be coordinates of a destination of the ship 1 or coordinates of a point at which the ship 1 is stopped. For example, when fishing or the like is performed, when it is desired to keep the ship 1 at a specific point without being affected by wind or tidal current, a target coordinate may be set.

The storage unit 102 is a unit that stores information, and is configured by a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. The storage unit 102 stores programs executed by the control unit 101, data used by the programs, and the like.

Further, the storage unit 102 stores the propulsion force calculation model 102A and the propulsion force calculation model 102B described above.

Processing Flowchart

Next, the details of the processing executed by the ship steering controller 100 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of processing executed by the ship steering controller 100. The process illustrated in FIG. 10 is executed when an operation mode (joystick mode) using a joystick is designated while the ship 1 is navigating.

First, in S11, the first navigation control unit 1011 acquires the status of the operation unit from the joystick 110. In this step, three of the azimuth angle α, the tilt angle β, and the rotation angle θ indicated by the operation unit are acquired.

Next, in S12, the first navigation control unit 1011 determines whether or not the operation unit is currently in the neutral position as a consequence of the operation unit being moved from the first position to the neutral position.

In S12, when it is determined that the operation unit is not in the neutral position, it means that the ship steering operation by the joystick continues. The process then transitions to S13.

In S13, the first navigation control unit 1011 calculates a required propulsion force vector based on the ship steering maneuver. Specifically, the values of α, β, and θ obtained by S11 are inputted into the propulsion force calculation model 102A shown in FIG. 8A, and the outputted propulsion force vector F is obtained.

The propulsion force calculation model 102A determines the zone corresponding to the operation unit based on the value of α (or θ), and determines the direction corresponding to the determined zone as the direction of the propulsion force vector F. Further, the magnitude of the propulsion force vector F is determined based on the value of β (or θ).

If the operation unit is moved from the first position to the neutral position, and consequently the operation unit is determined in S12 to be currently in the neutral position, this means that the joystick has instructed to stop. The process then transitions to S14.

In S14, the stop control unit 1012 determines whether or not the speed of the ship 1 is equal to or less than a predetermined speed. The predetermined speed may be, for example, a speed preset in the ship steering controller 100.

In S14, when it is determined that the speed of the ship 1 exceeds the predetermined value, the stop control unit 1012 determines that the deceleration is required first, and shifts the process to S15.

In S15, the stop control unit 1012 calculates a propulsion force vector required for deceleration. In the present embodiment, when the operation unit of the joystick is returned to the neutral position, the ship 1 is decelerated at a predetermined deceleration. The predetermined deceleration may be, for example, a deceleration preset in the ship steering controller 100 by an operator. The ship steering controller 100 may hold and use the set value of the deceleration for each operator. Alternatively, the operator may select deceleration. In S15, a propulsion force vector F for realizing the deceleration is calculated.

In S14, when it is determined that the speed of the ship 1 is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the stop control unit 1012 determines that the ship hull has sufficiently decelerated, and shifts the process to S16.

In S16, the stop control unit 1012 temporarily stores the present position (coordinates) and the heading of the ship 1 as the stop position. The present position and heading of the ship 1 can be obtained from GPS module 120.

In S17, the stop control unit 1012 calculates a propulsion force vector for holding (holding control) the position of the ship 1 at the set ship stopping site.

FIG. 11 is a more detailed flow chart of a process executed by the stop control unit 1012 in S17.

First, S171 acquires the current position and the current heading of the ship 1. The current position and the current heading of the ship 1 can be obtained from GPS module 120. Here, the current position of the ship 1 is referred to as Pact, and the current heading is referred to as Aact.

Next, in S172, the target position and the target heading are acquired. The target position is the coordinates stored in S16. The target heading is the heading stored in S16. Here, the target position is referred to as Ptrg, and the target heading is referred to as Atrg.

Next, in S173, the position deviation and the azimuth deviation are acquired. The position deviation is a deviation between the current position of the ship 1 and the target position. Here, the position error is referred to as Pdef. The position error can be obtained by Pdef=Ptrg−Pact equation: The azimuth deviation is a deviation between the current heading of the ship 1 and the target heading. Here, the azimuth deviation is referred to as Adef. The azimuthal deviation can be obtained by Adef=Atrg−Aact equation:

Next, in S174, a required propulsion force vector F is calculated. The required propulsion force vector F represents the required propulsion force for setting the position deviation Pdef and the azimuth deviation Adef to 0. The fact that the position deviation Pdef and the azimuth deviation Adef are zero means that the ship 1 is located at the ship stopping site. In the present embodiment, the propulsion force vector F is calculated by using the propulsion force calculation modeling 102B as described with reference to FIG. 8B.

When S17 process is completed, the process transitions to S18.

In S18, the stop control unit 1012 controls the propulsion force of the engine based on the determined propulsion force vector F. The stop control unit 1012 determines the propulsion force (and the propulsive direction) of the left engine 410, the right engine 420, and the bow thruster 310 according to the direction of the propulsion force vector, as described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7F. The determined propulsion force (and propulsion direction) is also communicated to the thruster controller 300 and/or the engine controller 400. Thus, the propulsion force of each engine is controlled.

Note that, in the present embodiment, six types are illustrated as the directions of the propulsion force vectors as illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7F, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The stop control unit 1012 may calculate a propulsion force vector having an arbitrary direction, or may determine the propulsion force and the propulsive direction of each engine based on the propulsion force vector.

Any method can be used to determine the propulsion force and propulsion direction of each engine based on any propulsion vector. For example, a model in which a propulsion force vector is an input and a propulsion force and a propulsion direction of each engine are output may be used.

In S19, the stop control unit 1012 acquires the status of the operation unit from the joystick 110 in the same manner as in S11. In this step, the azimuth angle α, the tilt angle β, and the rotation angle θ indicated by the operation unit are acquired. Next, in S20, the stop control unit 1012 determines whether or not the operation unit is in the neutral position. Here, when both of the azimuth angle α, the tilt angle β, and the rotational angle θ acquired by S19 are zero, it is determined that the position of the operation unit remains neutral.

If the position of the operation unit remains neutral, the process transitions to S17. As a result, the control for bringing the ship 1 closer to the stop position is continued. If the position of the operation unit is other than neutral, the process transitions to S11. If the position of the operation unit is other than neutral, this means that the stop operation has been cancelled. In this case, the propulsion force vector is newly calculated (for example, in S13) based on the operation performed on the operation unit, and the propulsion force of the respective engines is controlled.

By repeating the processing of the illustrated flowchart, the ship steering controller 100 can guide the ship 1 to a predetermined stop position when a stop operation is performed. Further, by continuing the process (holding control) of S17 to S20 after the stop of the ship, it is possible to maintain the stopping position of the ship 1.

As described above, in the ship 1 according to the present embodiment, the ship steering controller calculates the propulsion force vector based on the input performed by the joystick, and controls each engine. In addition, when the operation unit is moved to the neutral position, control for guiding the hull to the predetermined stop position is started without immediately shutting off the propulsion force. This makes it possible to stop the ship 1 at a point close to the intention of the operator when the operator performs the stop operation.

Second Embodiment

In the first embodiment, by repeating the process of S17 to S20 after the ship 1 is stopped, it is possible to generate a propulsion force that opposes the wind and the tidal current (disturbance), and thereby it is possible to keep the ship 1 at a predetermined stop position.

On the other hand, such control is cancelled when the ship 1 starts again. For example, when the wind is blowing from the left direction, if the ship starts again from the stopped state, the hull is caused to flow to the right even if the ship intends to travel straight.

Therefore, the propulsion force vector F at the time of stopping the ship may be stored, and based on this, the correction for the disturbance may be continued. When the vehicle stops at a predetermined stop position and there is no wind or tidal current, the propulsion force vector becomes 0. On the other hand, when there is wind or tidal current, a propulsion force vector F that opposes the wind or tidal current is generated, and therefore, when the vessel stops at a predetermined coordinate, the propulsion force vector may not become 0. The value at this time is stored, for example, as a propulsion force G that opposes the disturbance, and the stored propulsion force vector F is added to the calculated propulsion force vector F after the relapse, for example, S13 (S15). This makes it possible to continue the correction for the disturbance even after the recurrence proceeds.

Modification

The above-described embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist thereof.

For example, the processes and means described in the present disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as there is no technical inconsistency.

Further, in the embodiment, the joystick is exemplified as the input device, but it is not necessary to use an input device that can be tilted in all directions as long as the propulsion force can be designated.

Further, in the embodiment, the area in which the operation unit can move is divided into four basic zones, and the direction of the propulsion force vector is determined for each zone, but the number of basic zones may be more or less. In either case, however, the zone for retracting the ship is set to be wider than the zone for advancing the ship.

FIG. 12 is an example in which the azimuth angle is divided into eight basic zones. In this example, in addition to the front-rear and left-right directions, four zones are added: a right front (zone 2), a right rear (zone 4), a left rear (zone 6), and a left front (zone 8). When an operation unit is located in the zone, a propulsion force vector for advancing the ship obliquely is calculated by the propulsion force calculation modeling 120A.

When the propulsion force vector is set in an oblique direction with respect to the hull, the ship steering controller 100 sets a difference in the rotational speed of the left and right engines or activates the bow thruster in an auxiliary manner. For example, in FIG. 7A and in FIG. 7B, such control may be performed to advance the ship while tilting the bow in a desired orientation.

Further, the processing described as being performed by one apparatus may be performed by a plurality of apparatuses in a shared manner. Alternatively, the processes described as being performed by different devices may be performed by a single device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change which hardware configuration (server configuration) realizes each function.

The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and reading and executing the program by one or more processors included in the computer. Such a computer program may be provided to a computer by a non-transitory computer readable storage medium connectable to a system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be any type of disk. Examples include magnetic disks (floppy (registered trademark) disks, hard disk drives (HDD), and the like), optical disks (CD-ROM, DVD disks, Blu-ray disks, and the like). Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, optical cards, any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions.

SHIP STEERING DEVICE

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