Patent Grant
9132903
The present disclosure relates to marine vessels and particularly to control systems for maneuvering marine vessels.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,853, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a docking system which utilizes the marine propulsion unit of a marine vessel, under the control of an engine control unit that receives command signals from a joystick or push button device, to respond to a maneuver command horn the marine operator. The docking system does not require additional propulsion devices other than those normally used to operate the marine vessel under normal conditions. The docking or maneuvering system uses two marine propulsion units to respond to an operator's command signal and allows the operator to select forward or reverse commands in combination with clockwise or counterclockwise rotational commands either in combination with each other or alone.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,771, which is incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a control system for a marine vessel, which incorporates a marine propulsion system that can be attached to a marine vessel and connected in signal communication with a serial communication bus and a controller. A plurality of input devices and output devices are also connected in signal communication with the communication bus and a bus access manager, such as a CAN Kingdom network, is connected in signal communication with the controller to regulate the incorporation of additional devices to the plurality of devices in signal communication with the bus whereby the controller is connected in signal communication with each of the plurality of devices on the communication bus. The input and output devices can each transmit messages to the serial communication bus for receipt by other devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,068, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a marine vessel maneuvered by independently rotating first and second marine propulsion devices about their respective steering axes in response to commands received from a manually operable control device, such as a joystick. The marine propulsion devices are aligned with their thrust vectors intersecting at a point on a centerline of the marine vessel and, when no rotational movement is commanded, at the center of gravity of the marine vessel. Internal combustion engines are provided to drive the marine propulsion devices. The steering axes of the two marine propulsion devices are generally vertical and parallel to each other. The two steering axes extend through a bottom surface of the hull of the marine vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,305,928, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a vessel positioning system that maneuvers a marine vessel in such a way that the vessel maintains its global position and heading in accordance with a desired position and heading selected by the operator of the marine vessel. When used in conjunction with a joystick, the operator of the marine vessel can place the system in a station keeping enabled mode and the system then maintains the desired position obtained upon the initial change in the joystick from an active mode to an inactive mode. In this way, the operator can selectively maneuver the marine vessel manually and, when the joystick is released, the vessel will maintain the position in which it was at the instant the operator stopped maneuvering it with the joystick.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,595, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a method for controlling the movement of a marine vessel, which rotates one of a pair of marine propulsion devices and controls the thrust magnitudes of two marine propulsion devices. A joystick is provided to allow the operator of the marine vessel to select port-starboard, forward-reverse, and rotational direction commands that are interpreted by a controller which then changes the angular position of at least one of a pair of marine propulsion devices relative to its steering axis.
00081 U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/157,128, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses a system for maneuvering a marine vessel, which comprises an input device for requesting a reverse thrust of a marine propulsion device and a control circuit that, based upon the request for the reverse thrust from the input device, controls movement of the marine propulsion device into a trim position wherein the marine propulsion device provides a reverse thrust that is not impeded by a hull of the marine vessel. Optionally, the input device can comprise a joystick.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/227,578, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in entirety, discloses systems for maneuvering a marine vessel. The systems comprise an input device for requesting lateral movement of the marine vessel with respect to the longitudinal axis and a plurality of propulsion devices including at least a port propulsion device, a starboard propulsion device and an intermediate propulsion device disposed between the port and starboard propulsion devices. A control circuit controls orientation of the port and starboard propulsion devices inwardly towards a common point on the marine vessel, and upon a request for lateral movement of from the input device, operates one of the port and starboard propulsion devices in forward gear, operates the other of the port and starboard propulsion devices in reverse gear, and operates the intermediate propulsion device in reverse gear.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Systems are for maneuvering a marine vessel, that extends along a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stern. A plurality of steerable propulsion devices each generate forward and reverse thrusts that propel the marine vessel. The plurality of propulsion devices comprise a port propulsion device, a starboard propulsion device and at least one intermediate propulsion device located between the port and starboard propulsion devices. A control circuit controls steering orientation, magnitude of thrust, and direction of thrust of each propulsion device in the plurality. An input device inputs to the control circuit an operator's request for lateral movement of the marine vessel with respect to the longitudinal axis. The control circuit controls the plurality of propulsion devices to achieve the lateral movement, by (1) controlling the steering orientation of the port and starboard propulsion devices so that thrusts provided by the port and starboard propulsion devices extend along axes that intersect at or forwardly of a center of turn of the marine vessel, (2) operating one of the port and starboard propulsion devices to provide a forward thrust and operating the other of the port and starboard propulsion devices to provide a reverse thrust so that the lateral movement is achieved and a resultant yaw component is applied on the marine vessel during the lateral movement, and (3) operating the intermediate propulsion device to apply an opposing yaw component on the marine vessel that counteracts the resultant yaw component applied on the marine vessel by the port and starboard propulsion devices.
Methods are for maneuvering a marine vessel that extends along a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stern. The methods can comprise: (1) inputting to the control circuit an operator's request for lateral movement of the marine vessel with respect to the longitudinal axis, and (2) controlling the plurality of propulsion devices to achieve the lateral movement by controlling steering orientation of the port and starboard propulsion devices so that thrusts provided by the port and starboard propulsion devices extend along axes that intersect at or forwardly of a center of turn of the marine vessel, (3) operating one of the port and starboard propulsion devices to provide a forward thrust and operating the other of the port and starboard propulsion devices to provide a reverse thrust so that the lateral movement is achieved and a resultant yaw component is applied on the marine vessel during the lateral movement, and (4) operating the intermediate propulsion device to apply an opposing, yaw component on the marine vessel that counteracts the resultant yaw component applied, on the marine vessel by the port and starboard propulsion devices.
Further examples, including but not limited to marine vessels and methods of operation for marine vessels are also disclosed.
Examples of methods and systems according to the present disclosure are described with reference to the following drawing figures. Like numbers are used throughout the drawing figures to reference like features and components.
In the present disclosure, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes only and are intended to be broadly construed. The different systems and methods described herein may be used alone or in combination with other systems and devices. Various equivalents, alternatives and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims. Each limitation in the appended claims is intended to invoke, interpretation under 35 U.S.C. §112 only if the terms “means for” or “step for” are explicitly recited in the respective limitation.
For example, the control circuit 14 (see e.g.
Further, certain types of input devices such as a joystick 22, a steering wheel 24, a shift/throttle lever 26, and a keypad. 28 are described. It should be understood that the present disclosure is applicable with other numbers and types of input devices such as video screens, touchscreens, voice command modules, and the like. It should also be understood that the concepts disclosed in the present disclosure are able to function in a preprogrammed format without user input or in conjunction with different types of input devices, as would be known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Further equivalents, alternatives and modifications are possible as would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.
Further, the examples shown, marine vessels 12 have three (i.e. port, intermediate and starboard) and four (i.e. port, intermediate port, intermediate starboard and starboard) marine propulsion devices; however, the concepts of the present disclosure are applicable to marine vessels having more than two marine propulsion devices. Configurations with more than four marine propulsion devices are contemplated. Parts of this disclosure and claims refer to a “propulsion device”. These descriptions are intended to equally apply to arrangements having “one or more propulsion devices.” The concepts in the present disclosure are also applicable to marine vessels having any type or configuration of propulsion device, such as for example electric, motors, internal combustion engines, and/or hybrid systems configured as an inboard drive, outboard drive, inboard/outboard drive, stern drive, and/or the like. The propulsion devices can include any different type of propulsor such as propellers, impellers, pod drives and/or the like.
In
As shown in
In this example, the center of turn 29 represents an effective center of gravity for the marine vessel 12. However it will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that the location of the center of turn 29 is not, in all cases, the actual center of gravity of the marine vessel 12. That is, the center of turn 29 can be located at a different location than the actual center of gravity that would be calculated by analyzing the weight distribution of various components of the marine vessel 12. Maneuvering a marine vessel 12 in a body of water results in reactive forces exerted against the hull of the marine vessel 12 by the wind and the water. For example, as various maneuvering thrusts are exerted by the marine propulsion devices 16a, 16b, 16c, the hull of the marine vessel 12 pushes against the water and the water exerts a reaction force against the hull. As a result, the center of turn identified at 29 in
As shown in
The marine vessel 12 also includes a helm 19 (see e.g.
A schematic depiction of a joystick 22 is depicted in
Referring to
In the example shown, each command control section 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d receives user inputs via the control circuit area network 54 from the joystick 22, steering wheel 24, shift and throttle lever 26, and keypad 28. As stated above, the joystick 22, steering wheel 24, shift and throttle lever 26, and keypad 28 can be wired directly to the command control sections 18a, 18h, 18c, 18d or via the control circuit area network 54. Each command control section 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d is programmed to convert the user inputs into electronic commands and then send the commands to other control circuit sections in the system 10, including the engine control sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d and related steering control sections and trim control sections. For example, when the shift and throttle lever 26 is actuated, as described above, each command control section 18a. 18b, 18c, 19d sends commands to the respective engine control sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d to achieve the requested change in throttle and/or shift. Rotation of the shift and throttle lever in the aftward direction will request reverse shift and thrust of the marine propulsion devices 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d to achieve reverse movement of the marine vessel 12. Further, when the steering, wheel 24 is actuated, as described above, each command control section 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d sends commands to the respective steering control sections 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d to achieve the requested change in steering. When the joystick 22 is moved out of its vertical position, each command control section 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d sends commands to the respective engine control sections 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d and/or steering control sections 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d to achieve a movement commensurate with the joystick 22 movement. Depending upon the direction of movement of the joystick 22, one or more yaw control sections 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d can operate to affect bow rotation, as discussed further herein below. When the handle 42 of the joystick 22 is rotated, each command control section 18a, 18b, 18c, 18d sends commands to the respective steering control section 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d to achieve the requested vessel yaw or rotation. Movement of the joystick 22 out of its vertical position effectively engages a “joystick mode” wherein the control circuit 14 controls operation and positioning of the marine propulsion devices 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d based upon movement of the joystick 22. In another example, “joystick mode” can be actuated by user input to the keypad 28 or other input device.
In the incorporated U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/227,578, filed Sep. 8, 2011, it is disclosed that through experimentation, it has been determined that lateral maneuvering capabilities of marine vessels are often limited by the relatively lower thrust capabilities of the one of the port or starboard propulsion device that is operating in the reverse gear. Such systems often cannot efficiently utilize the maximum thrust capacity of the forwardly operating device while still achieving the requested lateral thrust vector. This is because propellers generally provide less thrust in reverse than forward. This becomes a serious problem in cases where a large lateral thrust is necessary to achieve a lateral movement of the vessel.
Through further experimentation, the present inventors have determined that because of typical mechanical and design space limitations for propulsion devices, the outermost port and starboard propulsion devices in prior art systems often cannot sufficiently rotate about their respective steering axes far enough to direct thrust at, and/or aft of the center of turn of the marine vessel. Instead, the outermost propulsion devices typically are only capable of pivoting so that thrusts provided by the propulsion devices extend along axes that intersect at the center of turn or at a common point that is located forward of the center of turn. In these situations, as discussed herein below with respect to
Referring to
When demand is applied to the intermediate propulsion device 16c in reverse gear, such demand can also be added to the forwardly running marine propulsion device 16a or 16b to compensate for the reverse component of the thrust of the intermediate propulsion device 16c. This leaves only a sidle component of the intermediate propulsion device 16c thrust, which is applied to the center of turn 29 of the marine vessel 12. In some examples, if there is additional thrust capability available in the intermediate propulsion device 16c, the yaw section 17c of the control circuit 14 can operate the intermediate propulsion device 16c to apply an additional yaw in a direction requested by the operator via the input device. Thus, the intermediate propulsion device 16b can be controlled by the control circuit 14 to any angle between the straight ahead position in alignment with the longitudinal axis L and parallel to the steering angle of the port/starboard propulsion device 16a, 16b in the direction of translation. The intermediate propulsion device 16c can then be placed in reverse gear to produce a thrust that creates a yaw moment opposite that caused by the force created by the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16b. If there is demand left in reserve on the intermediate propulsion device 16c, it can be operated, by the control circuit 14 to apply additional yaw in that direction, if desired by the operator.
In an alternate example, which is not shown in
The present disclosure thus provides examples of systems 10 for maneuvering marine vessels 12 that extend along a longitudinal axis L from bow to stern. In certain examples, the systems 10 comprise a plurality of steerable propulsion devices, e.g. 16a, 16b, 16c, and optionally 16d, that each generate forward and reverse thrusts. A control circuit 14 controls operational characteristics of each propulsion device in the plurality including steering orientation, magnitude of thrust, and direction of thrust. One or more input devices input to the control circuit 14 an operator's request for a lateral movement of the marine vessel 12 with respect to the longitudinal axis L. Upon the request for transverse movement, the control circuit 14 (1) controls steering orientation of the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16h so that forward thrusts provided by the propulsion devices extend along axes that intersect at or forwardly of a center of turn 29 of the marine vessel 12; (2) operates one of the port and starboard propulsion devices to provide a forward thrust and the other of the port and starboard propulsion devices to provide a reverse thrust to thereby achieve the lateral movement and apply a resultant yaw component is applied on the marine vessel 12 during the lateral movement, and (3) operates the intermediate propulsion device 16c to apply an opposing yaw component on the marine vessel 12 that counteracts the resultant yaw component applied on the marine vessel 12 by the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16b. In certain examples, the control circuit 14 controls at least one of the direction of thrusts and steering orientation of the intermediate propulsion device 16c to apply the opposing yaw component. The control circuit 14 can control the intermediate propulsion device 16c to provide a reverse thrust that is oriented, at an angle to the longitudinal axis L. The reverse thrust of the intermediate propulsion device 16c can be oriented parallel to the reverse thrust of the one of the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16b that is operated in reverse gear. The control circuit 14 can be configured to control the intermediate propulsion device 16c to provide a magnitude of thrust that is sufficient to completely negate the resultant yaw component applied on the marine vessel 12 by the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16b.
In certain examples, the user input device can be configured to input to the control circuit 14 an operator's request for turning movement of the marine vessel 12 with respect to the longitudinal axis L. Upon such a request for turning movement, the control circuit 14 can further control the intermediate propulsion device 16c to apply an additional yaw component on the marine vessel 12 that is in addition to the opposing yaw component and that causes the marine vessel 12 to yaw. The user input device can include a joystick 22 and the operator's request for turning movement of the marine vessel 12 can be input to the control circuit 14 by rotating the handle 42 of the joystick 22. In certain examples, the operator's request for lateral movement of the marine vessel 12 with respect to the longitudinal axes L can be input to the control circuit 14 by pivoting the joystick 22 out of the vertical position.
In certain examples, the system 10 can include a port intermediate propulsion device 16c and a starboard intermediate propulsion device 16d, which are both located between the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16b. In these examples, the control circuit 14 can be configured to control a direction of thrust provided by each of the port intermediate propulsion devices 16c and the starboard intermediate propulsion device 16d to apply the noted opposing yaw component on the marine vessel 12. The control circuit 14 can control one of the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d to apply a forward thrust and the other of the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d to apply a reverse thrust, thereby applying, the opposing yaw component on the marine vessel 12. In certain other examples, the control circuit 14 can control steering orientation of the port intermediate propulsion device 16c and starboard intermediate propulsion device 16d to apply the noted opposing yaw component. Upon the request for lateral movement of the marine vessel 12, the control circuit 14 can control steering orientation of the port and starboard intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d so that forward and reverse thrusts provided by the port and starboard intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d are parallel to the longitudinal axis L. Alternately, the control circuit 14 can control the steering orientation of the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d so that forward thrusts provided by the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d extend along axes that intersect at a location that is aftward of a center of turn 29 of the marine vessel 12.
In certain examples, the method can comprise controlling at least one of the steering orientation and direction of thrust of the intermediate propulsion device 16c to apply the opposing yaw component. In certain examples, the method can comprise controlling the intermediate propulsion device 16c to provide a reverse thrust that is oriented at an angle to the longitudinal axes L. The method can optionally further comprise orienting the reverse thrust of the intermediate propulsion device 16c parallel to the reverse thrust of one of the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16b being operated in reverse gear. The method can further optionally comprise controlling the intermediate propulsion device 16c to apply a magnitude of thrust that is sufficient to negate the resultant yaw component applied on the marine vessel 12 by the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16b.
In certain examples, wherein the intermediate propulsion device is one of a port intermediate propulsion device 16c and a starboard intermediate propulsion device 16d located between the port and starboard propulsion devices 16a, 16b, the method can comprise controlling a direction of thrust provided by each of the port intermediate propulsion device 16c and the starboard intermediate propulsion device 16d to apply the noted opposing yaw component. In these examples, the method can comprise controlling one of the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d to apply a forward thrust and controlling the other of the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d to apply a reverse thrust, thereby applying the noted opposing yaw component. In further examples, the method can comprise controlling steering orientation of the port intermediate propulsion device 16c and starboard intermediate propulsion device 16d to apply the opposing yaw component. In these examples, upon request for lateral movement of the marine vessel 12, the method can comprise controlling steering orientation of the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d so that forward and reverse thrusts provided by the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d are parallel to the longitudinal axes L. Alternately, the method can comprise controlling steering orientation of the intermediate propulsion devices 16c, 16d so that thrusts provided by the devices 16c, 16d extend along axes that intersect at a common point that is located rearwardly or aftwardly of a center of turn 29 of the marine vessel 12.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/764,105, filed Feb. 13, 2013.
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