TRIM ANGLE CONTROL APPARATUS

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a trim angle control apparatus configured to control a trim angle of an outboard motor or a sterndrive.

Description of the Related Art

Research and development have been conducted to provide access to a sustainable transportation system in consideration of vulnerable traffic participants. In maneuvering of a small ship in marine traffic, it is preferable to adjust the trim angle of the outboard motor or the sterndrive according to the ship speed in addition to ship speed adjustment and the steering operation. However, it is difficult for an unfamiliar ship operator to appropriately adjust the trim angle according to the ship speed.

In this regard, there is a known device that automatically adjusts the trim angle of an outboard motor according to the ship speed. Such a device is described in JP 2021-123158 A, for example. In the device described in JP 2021-123158 A, during execution of a trim control mode (automatic mode) for automatically adjusting the trim angle to a preset target angle via a power trim tilt switch, when the power trim tilt switch is operated, the mode is switched from the automatic mode to the manual mode.

However, as in the device described in JP 2021-123158 A, when the automatic mode is always disabled in a case where the manual operation for changing the trim angle is performed, a function added on the premise of the automatic mode (e.g., a function of commanding fine adjustment of the trim angle in the automatic mode) is also disabled, and usability is low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is a trim angle control apparatus configured to control a trim angle of an outboard motor or a sterndrive attached to a watercraft. The outboard motor or the sterndrive includes a prime mover and a propulsor driven by the prime mover. The trim angle control apparatus includes: an actuator configured to change the trim angle; a sensor configured to detect a moving speed of the watercraft or a rotational speed of the prime mover; a switch configured to be operated by a ship operator to enable or disable an automatic trim for automatically adjusting the trim angle to a target angle predetermined in accordance with the moving speed of the watercraft or the rotational speed of the prime mover detected by the sensor; an electronic control unit including a processor and a memory coupled to the processor and configured to control the actuator so that the trim angle becomes the target angle when the automatic trim is enabled; and an operation member configured to be operated by the ship operator to input a change command for changing the target angle when the automatic trim is enabled. The processor is configured to disable the automatic trim when the target angle changed by the change command reaches a maximum value of the target angle predetermined in accordance with the moving speed or the rotational speed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of embodiments in relation to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of an outboard motor and a ship applied with a trim angle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the outboard motor in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a main part of the trim angle control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention:

FIG. 4 is a view for describing a target value of a trim angle:

FIG. 5A is a view for describing change of the target value of the trim angle in a support trim mode, in a case where a trim up command is input:

FIG. 5B is a view for describing change of the target value of the trim angle in the support trim mode, in a case where a trim down command is input:

FIG. 6 is a view for describing an example of a threshold for turning off the support trim mode:

FIG. 7 is a view for describing another example of the threshold for turning off the support trim mode:

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic trim processing executed by the trim angle control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention:

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of disablement processing executed by the trim angle control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the disablement processing executed by the trim angle control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. A trim angle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an outboard motor or a sterndrive attached to a ship, and controls a trim angle, which is an attachment angle of a propulsor of the outboard motor or the sterndrive with respect to the ship. Hereinafter, an example of controlling the trim angle of an outboard motor will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of an outboard motor 1 and a ship 100 applied with a trim angle control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the outboard motor 1. Hereinafter, for convenience, the up-down direction, the left-right direction, and the front-rear direction are defined as illustrated in the drawing, and each unit will be described in accordance with this definition.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the outboard motor 1 is attached to a transom board 100a at the rear of a hull (stern) of the ship 100 via a stern bracket 2 and a tilting shaft 3. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the outboard motor 1 is provided with a swivel case 4 in the vicinity of the stern bracket 2, and the vicinity of the swivel case 4 is provided with a trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 that adjusts a trim angle θ of the outboard motor 1 with respect to the ship 100 (the transom board 100a). The trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 includes an actuator 5a such as a hydraulic cylinder, and adjusts the trim angle θ by rotating the swivel case 4 with the tilting shaft 3 as a rotation axis. The trim angle θ and its target value (target angle) are expressed as “0%”, which is the minimum angle adjustable by the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5, and “100%”, which is the maximum angle adjustable by the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5.

An upper part of the outboard motor 1 is mounted with an engine 6 constituted by, for example, a spark-ignited water-cooled gasoline engine. The engine 6 is disposed such that a crankshaft 7 extends in the up-down direction, and the crankshaft 7 is provided with a crank angle sensor 7a that outputs a pulse signal with the rotation of the crankshaft 7. A rotation speed (engine speed) NE of the engine 6 can be calculated based on the pulse signal from the crank angle sensor 7a. The engine 6 includes an electric throttle valve 6a including, for example, a butterfly valve, and the engine speed NE is adjusted by adjusting the amount of intake air to the engine 6 by a throttle valve 6a.

The engine 6 (crankshaft 7) is connected to a propeller 11 that propels the ship 100 via a drive shaft 8 extending in the up-down direction, a shift mechanism 9, and a propeller shaft 10 extending in the front-rear direction. An axis 10a of the propeller shaft 10 is substantially parallel to the water surface when the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 is in an initial state (trim angle θ=0°). The propeller shaft 10 and the propeller 11 may be referred to as “propulsor”.

The shift mechanism 9 includes a forward bevel gear 9a and a reverse bevel gear 9b that engage with the drive shaft 8, a clutch 9c that connects and disconnects the forward bevel gear 9a or the reverse bevel gear 9b and the propeller shaft 10, a shift rod 9d, and a shift slider 9e. An upper end of the shift rod 9d is connected to an actuator 13 such as a motor via a reduction gear mechanism 12, and a lower end of the shift rod 9d is connected to the shift slider 9e.

The clutch 9c is driven by the actuator 13 via the shift rod 9d and the shift slider 9e, and switches the shift position of the shift mechanism 9 among the neutral position, the forward position, and the reverse position. When the shift position is switched to the forward position or the reverse position, the rotation of the engine 6 is transmitted to the propeller shaft 10 via the crankshaft 7, the drive shaft 8, and the shift mechanism 9, the propeller 11 rotates, and the ship 100 is propelled in the forward direction or the reverse direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a vicinity of a cockpit of the outboard motor 1 is provided with a shift throttle lever 14 operated by a ship operator. The shift throttle lever 14 is configured to be swingable in the front-rear direction from the central neutral position. When the shift throttle lever 14 is switched from the neutral position to the forward position on the front side, the shift mechanism 9 (actuator 13) in FIG. 2 is switched from the neutral position to the forward position. When the shift throttle lever 14 is switched from the neutral position to the reverse position on the rear side, the shift mechanism 9 is switched from the neutral position to the reverse position. When the shift throttle lever 14 having been switched to the forward position or the reverse position is further tilted forward or reverse, the opening degree of the throttle valve 6a is adjusted in accordance with the displacement amount of the shift throttle lever 14, and the engine speed NE is adjusted.

The shift throttle lever 14 is provided with a trim angle adjustment unit 15 that is operated by the ship operator and inputs a change command of the trim angle θ. The trim angle adjustment unit 15 includes a trim up unit 15a that inputs a trim up command and a trim down unit 15b that inputs a trim down command. When the trim up command is input via the trim up unit 15a, the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 (actuator 5a) is controlled such that the trim angle θ of the outboard motor 1 increases. When the trim down command is input via the trim down unit 15b, the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 is controlled such that the trim angle θ decreases.

The vicinity of the shift throttle lever 14 is provided with a switch 16 that is operated by the ship operator and switches on or off a support trim mode (automatic mode) for automatically adjusting the trim angle θ. When the support trim mode is off, the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 adjusts the trim angle θ in accordance with the command from the trim angle adjustment unit 15. On the other hand, when the support trim mode is on, the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 automatically adjusts the trim angle θ in accordance with a predetermined characteristic, and further adjusts the trim angle θ in accordance with the command from the trim angle adjustment unit 15 after the adjustment.

The support trim mode is enabled on condition that no failure has occurred in the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 and the like and necessary initial setting has been performed. In a case where the ship 100 is attached with a plurality of the outboard motors 1, the support trim mode is enabled on condition that all the outboard motors 1 include the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 and the like and are compatible with the support trim. In a case where the ship 100 is mounted with a plurality of the cockpits, more specifically, a plurality of operation units (the shift throttle lever 14, the trim angle adjustment unit 15, the switch 16, and the like), the support trim mode is enabled only by an operation from an enabled operation unit.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a main part of the trim angle control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. A trim angle control apparatus 500 according to the embodiment of the present invention mainly includes an electronic control unit 50. The electronic control unit 50 is mounted on the ship 100 side in the vicinity of the cockpit, for example. The electronic control unit 50 may be mounted on the outboard motor 1 side, or may include an electronic control unit mounted on the ship 100 side and an electronic control unit mounted on the outboard motor 1 side.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the electronic control unit 50 is configured to include a computer having a processor 51 such as a CPU, a memory 52 such as a ROM and a RAM, and other peripheral circuits. The electronic control unit 50 is connected with the trim angle adjustment unit 15, the crank angle sensor 7a, a ship speed sensor 17, a water depth sensor 18, an indicator 19, and an actuator group including the actuator 5a of the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5.

The ship speed sensor 17 is mounted on the ship 100 and detects a ship speed (navigation speed) VE of the ship 100. The ship speed sensor 17 receives a positioning signal from a positioning satellite such as a GPS, for example, measures an absolute position (latitude and longitude) of the ship 100 based on the received positioning signal, and calculates the ship speed (ground ship speed) VE based on a time-series positioning result. The ship speed sensor 17 may be an acoustic sensor or an electromagnetic sensor that detects the ship speed (log ship speed) VE of the ship 100. The ship speed sensor 17 may estimate the ship speed VE based on the engine speed NE detected by the crank angle sensor 7a.

The water depth sensor 18 is mounted on the ship 100 and detects the water depth around the ship 100. The water depth sensor 18 is installed on the bottom of the ship 100, for example, irradiates the bottom of water with ultrasonic waves or radar, and detects reflected waves to detect the water depth. The water depth sensor 18 may receive a positioning signal from a positioning satellite such as a GPS, measure an absolute position of the ship 100 based on the received positioning signal, and estimate the water depth around the ship 100 based on the positioning result and chart information stored in advance.

The indicator 19 is lighted when the support trim mode is on, and notifies the ship operator that the support trim mode is on. The indicator 19 is configured as an LED provided on the switch 16, for example. In a case where the ship 100 is mounted with a multi-function display (MFD), the indicator 19 may be configured as an indicator on the MFD in place of the LED provided in the switch 16 or in addition to the LED provided in the switch 16. The indicator 19 may be configured by an external device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal connected to the electronic control unit 50 in a wired or wireless manner.

FIG. 4 is a view for describing a target value (target angle) of the trim angle θ, and illustrates an example of a first target value θ1 of the trim angle θ for each rotation range or ship speed range of the engine 6 stored in advance in the memory 52 of the electronic control unit 50. FIG. 4 and the like illustrate an example in which the first target value θ1 is set stepwise in accordance with the engine speed NE and the ship speed VE, but the first target value θ1 may be set steplessly. During navigation of the ship 100, by adjusting the trim angle θ of the outboard motor 1, the direction of the propulsion force generated by the rotation of the propeller 11 under water, i.e., the inclination angle of the axis 10a (FIG. 2) of the propeller shaft 10 with respect to the water surface is adjusted, thereby adjusting the propulsion force with respect to the ship 100.

The engine speed NE and the ship speed VE are adjusted via the shift throttle lever 14 (FIG. 1), and the trim angle θ is adjusted to an appropriate angle in accordance with the navigation status of the ship 100 via the trim angle adjustment unit 15, thereby achieving smooth navigation of the ship 100. That is, smooth navigation of the ship 100 is achieved by adjusting the trim angle to an appropriate trim angle θ in accordance with a navigation status such as acceleration (NE1≤NE<NE2, VE1≤VE<VE2), planing (NE2≤NE<NE3, VE2≤VE<VE3), medium-speed navigation (NE3≤NE<NE4, VE3≤VE<VE4), and high-speed navigation (NE≥NE4, VE≥VE4). As described above, by adjusting the trim angle θ to the optimum value in accordance with the navigation status of the ship 100, it is possible to improve the acceleration performance, the maximum speed, the steering stability, the fuel efficiency, and the like of the ship 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the first target value θ1 of the trim angle θ is set in advance for each rotation range or ship speed range of the engine 6 such that the higher the rotation speed or the ship speed is, the larger the first target value θ1 becomes. For example, θ1(1) is set in an idle range (NE≤NE1, VE≤VE1), θ1(2) is set in an acceleration range (NE1≤NE<NE2, VE1≤VE<VE2), θ1(3) is set in a planing range (NE2≤NE<NE3, VE2≤VE<VE3), θ1(4) is set in a medium-speed range (NE3≤NE<NE4, VE3≤VE<VE4), and θ1(5) is set in a high-speed range (NE≥NE4, VE≥VE4) (NE1≤NE2≤NE3≤NE4, VE1≤VE2≤VE3≤VE4,θ1(1)≤θ1(2)≤θ1(3)≤θ1(4)≤θ1(5)).

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the first target value θ1 of the trim angle θ is set with hysteresis characteristics with respect to the engine speed NE or the ship speed VE. Therefore, it is possible to prevent hunting of the trim angle θ in a boundary region of the rotation range or the ship speed range.

The settings of the first target value θ1, the rotation range or the ship speed range, and the hysteresis characteristics can be changed by using a service tool in, for example, a store of the outboard motor 1 in accordance with specifications of the outboard motor 1 and the ship 100, a desire of the user (ship operator), and the like. When the ship 100 is mounted with the MFD, the settings of the first target value θ1, the rotation range or the ship speed range, and the hysteresis characteristics can be changed via the MFD. In this case, during navigation of the ship 100, the first target value θ1 can be changed based on the actual engine speed NE or the ship speed VE and the actual trim angle θ. When the ship 100 is attached with the plurality of outboard motors 1, the settings of the first target value θ1, the rotation range or the ship speed range, and the hysteresis characteristics can be performed individually by designating the target outboard motor 1, or can be performed collectively by designating all the outboard motors 1. The settings of the first target value θ1, the rotation range or the ship speed range, and the hysteresis characteristics may be changed via an external device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal connected to the electronic control unit 50 in a wired or wireless manner.

When the support trim mode is switched to on via the switch 16 (FIG. 1), the processor 51 of the electronic control unit 50 adjusts the trim angle θ to become the first target value θ1 in accordance with the engine speed NE or the ship speed VE based on a signal from the crank angle sensor 7a or the ship speed sensor 17. More specifically, after the support trim mode is switched to on, when the rotation range or the ship speed range of the engine 6 changes or the trim angle adjustment unit 15 is operated, the support trim mode is started. In the support trim mode, with reference to the characteristics (FIG. 4) stored in the memory 52, the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 (actuator 5a) is controlled such that the trim angle θ becomes the first target value θ1(n) in the rotation range corresponding to the current engine speed NE or the ship speed range corresponding to the ship speed VE.

Furthermore, when the trim up command or the trim down command is input via the trim angle adjustment unit 15, the processor 51 determines a change amount Δθ of the trim angle θ in accordance with the operation amount (e.g., operation time) of the trim angle adjustment unit 15. More specifically, when the trim up command is input via the trim up unit 15a, a positive change amount Δθ is determined, and when the trim down command is input via the trim down unit 15b, a negative change amount Δθ is determined. The processor 51 calculates a second target value θ2(θ2=θ1+Δθ) by adding the determined change amount Δθ to the first target value θ1, and further controls the trim angle adjustment mechanism 5 so that the trim angle θ becomes the second target value θ2.

By using the support trim mode, the ship operator of the ship 100 can perform smooth ship maneuvering by an operation of only the shift throttle lever 14 without adjusting the trim angle adjustment unit 15 by himself (trim angle θ=first target value θ1). Even during the use of the support trim mode, the trim angle θ can be further adjusted via the trim angle adjustment unit 15 in accordance with the navigation status at that time such as the boarding state of the ship 100 and weather conditions (trim angle θ=second target value θ2).

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views for describing change of the target value of the trim angle θ in the support trim mode, where FIG. 5A illustrates a case where a trim up command is input, and FIG. 5B illustrates a case where a trim down command is input. When the trim up or trim down command is input via the trim angle adjustment unit 15 after adjusting the trim angle θ to the first target value θ1 in the support trim mode, the processor 51 determines the change amount Δθ of the trim angle θ and calculates the second target value θ2 of the trim angle θ.

Furthermore, the processor 51 changes the target value of the trim angle θ from the first target value θ1 to the second target value θ2 and updates the RAM value of the memory 52. The second target value θ2 stored in the memory 52 as the RAM value is held for a period until the support trim mode is turned off, a period until the engine 6 is stopped, or a period until the electronic control unit 50 (FIG. 3) is turned off. The second target value θ2 stored in the memory 52 as the RAM value is erased when the support trim mode is turned off, the engine 6 is stopped, or the electronic control unit 50 is turned off. In this case, the target value of the trim angle θ stored in the memory 52 is reset to the first target value θ1.

As illustrated in FIG. 5A, when the trim up command is input, the processor 51 calculates the second target value θ2(n) in the current rotation range or the ship speed range, and determines whether or not the calculated second target value θ2(n) exceeds the first target value θ1(n+1) in the rotation range or ship speed range on the high rotation side. For example, when the trim up command is input in the planing range, the processor 51 determines whether or not the second target value θ2(3) in the planing range exceeds the first target value θ1(4) in the medium-speed range.

When it is determined that the second target value θ2(n) in the current rotation range or the ship speed range exceeds the first target value θ1(n+1) in the rotation range on the high rotation side or the ship speed range on the high ship speed side, the second target value θ2(n+1) in the rotation range on the high rotation side or the ship speed range on the high ship speed side is set such that the second target value θ2(n) in the current rotation range or the ship speed range is maintained when the engine speed NE or the ship speed VE increases. In the example of FIG. 5A, the second target value θ2(4) in the medium-speed range is set to the same value as the second target value θ2(3) in the planing range so that the second target value θ2(3) in the planing range is maintained.

On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 5B, when the trim down command is input, the processor 51 calculates the second target value θ2(n) in the current rotation range or the ship speed range, and determines whether or not the calculated second target value θ2(n) falls below the first target value θ1(n−1) in the rotation range on the low rotation side or the ship speed range on the low ship speed side. For example, when the trim down command is input in the medium-speed range, the processor 51 determines whether or not the second target value θ2(4) in the medium-speed range falls below the first target value θ1(3) in the planing range.

When it is determined that the second target value θ2(n) in the current rotation range or the ship speed range falls below the first target value θ1(n−1) in the rotation range on the low rotation side or the ship speed range on the low ship speed side, the second target value θ2(n−1) in the rotation range on the low rotation side or the ship speed range on the low ship speed side is set such that the second target value θ2(n) in the current rotation range or the ship speed range is maintained when the engine speed NE decreases. In the example of FIG. 5B, the second target value θ2(3) in the planing range is set to the same value as the second target value θ2(4) in the medium-speed range so that the second target value θ2(4) in the medium-speed range is maintained.

In this manner, the intention of the ship operator to change the trim angle θ for each rotation range or ship speed range is reflected in a necessary and sufficient range, whereby it is possible to prevent the ship operator from having a feeling of strangeness due to the trim down when the engine speed NE increases or the trim up when the engine speed NE decreases.

In the support trim mode, when entering a shallow water region, the ship operator may perform significant trim up of the outboard motor 1 while reducing the ship speed VE so that the outboard motor 1 (propulsor) does not come into contact with the bottom of water. At this time, if the support trim mode continues, the outboard motor 1 is automatically trimmed down with a decrease in the ship speed VE or the engine speed NE. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the trim angle control apparatus 500 is configured as follows so as to improve usability by disabling the support trim mode in a case where significant trim up is performed while receiving fine adjustment of the trim angle in the support trim mode.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are views for describing an example of a threshold for turning off the support trim mode. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the processor 51 disables the support trim mode when the target angle changed by the trim up command input via the trim up unit 15a reaches a maximum value θmax (the first target value θ1(5) in the example of FIG. 6) of a predetermined target angle. That is, the change amount Δθ determined by the trim up command is added to the first target value θ1 to calculate the second target value θ2, and when the calculated second target value θ2 reaches the maximum value θmax, the support trim mode is disabled.

The maximum value θmax of the target angle may be matched with a trim limit (e.g., about 20 degrees), which is a boundary value between the trim range and the tilt range, or may be set to an angle smaller than the trim limit. The automatic trim speed (change speed of the trim angle) in the tilt range is set to be larger than the automatic trim speed in the trim range, and the automatic trim sound (operation sound) in the tilt range is larger than the automatic trim sound in the trim range. When the current trim angle enters the tilt range from the trim range, the ship operator is notified of the entry into the tilt range via the indicator or MFD provided in the vicinity of the cockpit or an external device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal connected to the electronic control unit 50 in a wired or wireless manner.

When the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the trim up command is equal to or greater than the maximum value θmax, the processor 51 determines that significant trim up for avoiding contact with the bottom of water in the shallow water region has been performed, and disables the support trim mode. In this case, the light of the indicator 19 is turned off to notify the ship operator that the support trim mode is off. On the other hand, when the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the trim up command is less than the maximum value θmax, the processor 51 determines that the significant trim up has not been performed, and leaves or keeps the support trim mode enabled (continued). When the trim down command is input via the trim down unit 15b, the processor 51 continues the support trim mode even if the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the trim down command is equal to or greater than the maximum value θmax.

In order to prevent unnecessary disablement of the support trim mode, the processor 51 may disable the support trim mode only when a predetermined condition indicating that the probability that the ship 100 enters the shallow water region is high is satisfied. For example, the predetermined condition may be that the trim angle θ (first target value θ1) immediately before the trim up command is equal to or less than a predetermined angle (e.g., a minimum value θmin of a predetermined target angle (θmin=θ1(1) in the example of FIG. 6)). The predetermined condition may be that the engine speed NE or the ship speed VE is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The predetermined condition may be that the engine speed NE or the ship speed VE has decreased. The condition may be that a difference Δθ(Δθ=θ2−θ1) between the trim angle θ (first target value θ1) immediately before the trim up command and the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the trim up command is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The predetermined condition may be that the water depth detected by the water depth sensor 18 is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of automatic trim processing executed by the trim angle control apparatus 500 (processor 51). The automatic trim processing of FIG. 8 starts when the support trim mode is switched to on, and is repeated at a predetermined cycle until the support trim mode is switched to off. As shown in FIG. 8, first, in S1 (S: processing step), it is determined whether or not the ship 100 is accelerating and the current trim angle θ is smaller than a trim up stop angle (θ2-3%), which is smaller by 3% than the target angle (second target value θ2). When the determination is positive in S1, the process proceeds to S2, trim up is performed, the process proceeds to S3, and it is determined whether or not the current trim angle θ is equal to or greater than the trim up stop angle. When the determination is positive in S3, it is determined that the trim up is completed, the processing proceeds to S4, the trim up is stopped, and the process is ended. Trim up is performed by inertia from the trim up stop angle to the target angle. When the determination is negative in S3, the trim up is continued, and the process is ended.

When the determination is negative in S1, the process proceeds to S5, and it is determined whether or not the ship 100 is decelerating and the current trim angle θ is larger than a trim down stop angle (θ2+3%), which is larger by 3% than the target angle (second target value θ2). When the determination is positive in S5, the process proceeds to S6 to perform the trim down. When the determination is negative in S5, neither the trim up nor the trim down is performed, and the process is ended. In S7, it is determined whether or not the current trim angle θ is equal to or less than the trim down stop angle. When the determination is positive in S7, it is determined that the trim down is completed, the process proceeds to S4, the trim down is stopped, and the process is ended. Trim down is performed by inertia from the trim down stop angle to the target angle. When the determination is negative in S7, the trim down is continued, and the process is ended.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of disablement processing executed by the trim angle control apparatus 500 (processor 51). The disablement processing of FIG. 9 also starts when the support trim mode is switched to on, and is repeated at a predetermined cycle until the support trim mode is switched to off. As shown in FIG. 9, first, in S10, it is determined whether or not a change command for the trim angle θ has been input via the trim angle adjustment unit 15. When the determination is positive in S10, the process proceeds to S11, and when the determination is negative, the process is ended. In S11, the target angle (second target value θ2) of the trim angle θ is calculated by adding the change amount Δθ corresponding to the operation amount of the trim angle adjustment unit 15 in S10 to the first target value θ1 corresponding to the current engine speed NE or the ship speed VE. Next, in S12, it is determined whether or not the change command input in S10 is a trim up command and the target angle (second target value θ2) calculated in S11 is equal to or greater than the maximum value θmax. When the determination is positive in S12, it is determined that significant trim up has been performed, the process proceeds to S13, the support trim mode is disabled, and the process is ended. When the determination is negative in S12, it is determined that the significant trim up has not been performed, the process proceeds to S14, the first target value θ1 corresponding to the current engine speed NE or the ship speed VE is changed to the second target value θ2 calculated in S11, and the RAM value of the memory 52 is updated.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing another example of the disablement processing executed by the trim angle control apparatus 500 (processor 51). Describing a difference from the disablement processing of FIG. 9, in the disablement processing of FIG. 10, when the determination is positive in S12, the process proceeds to S20, and it is determined whether or not the predetermined condition indicating that the probability that the ship 100 enters the shallow water region is high is satisfied. When the determination is positive in S20, it is determined that significant trim up for avoiding contact with the bottom of water in the shallow water region has been performed, the process proceeds to S13, the support trim mode is disabled, and the process is ended. When the determination is negative in S12 or S20, it is determined that the significant trim up for avoiding contact with the bottom of water in the shallow water region has not been performed, the process proceeds to S14, and the first target value θ1 is updated.

As described above, when significant trim up is performed during the support trim mode (S10 to S12), the support trim mode is disabled (S13), and thus the outboard motor 1 is not automatically trimmed down even if the ship speed VE and the engine speed NE decrease. Since the support trim mode is continued unless significant trim up is performed, and the trim down command and the normal trim up command are received, it is possible to prevent deterioration in usability due to forcible disablement of the support trim mode.

According to the present embodiment, the following operations and effects are achievable.

(1) The trim angle control apparatus 500 controls the trim angle θ of the outboard motor 1 attached to the ship 100. The outboard motor 1 includes the engine 6 and a propulsor (the propeller shaft 10 and the propeller 11) driven by the engine 6. The trim angle control apparatus 500 includes: the actuator Sa that changes the trim angle θ; the ship speed sensor 17 that detects the ship speed VE or the crank angle sensor 7a that detects the engine speed NE; the switch 16 that is operated by the ship operator and enables or disables the support trim mode for automatically adjusting the trim angle θ so that the trim angle θ becomes a predetermined target angle (first target value θ1) in accordance with the ship speed VE detected by the ship speed sensor 17 or the engine speed NE detected by the crank angle sensor 7a; the electronic control unit 50 that includes the processor 51 and the memory 52 connected to the processor 51 and is configured to control the actuator 5a so that the trim angle θ becomes the target angle when the support trim mode is enabled; and the trim angle adjustment unit 15 that is operated by the ship operator and to which a change command for changing the target angle is input when the support trim mode is enabled (FIGS. 1 to 3). The processor 51 is configured to disable the support trim mode when the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command reaches the maximum value θmax of a predetermined target angle (FIG. 9).

In the support trim mode, when entering a shallow water region, the ship operator may perform significant trim up of the outboard motor 1 while reducing the ship speed VE so that the outboard motor 1 (propulsor) does not come into contact with the bottom of water. At this time, if the support trim mode continues, the outboard motor 1 is automatically trimmed down with a decrease in the ship speed VE or the engine speed NE. In the support trim mode, fine adjustment of the trim angle θ via the trim angle adjustment unit 15 is received, and in a case where significant trim up of a certain amount or more is performed via the trim angle adjustment unit 15 (the trim up unit 15a), the support trim mode is disabled, whereby usability can be improved.

(2) On condition that the trim angle θ before the target angle is changed by the change command is equal to or less than a predetermined angle, the processor 51 disables the support trim mode when the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command reaches the maximum value θmax of a predetermined target angle (FIG. 4 and FIG. 10). As described above, it is possible to prevent unnecessary disablement of the support trim mode on condition that the trim angle range has a high probability that the ship 100 enters the shallow water region.

(3) The predetermined angle is the minimum value θmin of a predetermined target angle (FIGS. 6 and 7). For example, when the target angle is set stepwise in accordance with the engine speed NE and the ship speed VE, the support trim mode disablement condition can be that the engine speed NE and the ship speed VE fall within the minimum range (within the idle range). As described above, it is possible to more reliably prevent unnecessary disablement of the support trim mode on condition that the navigation status has a high probability that the ship 100 enters the shallow water region.

(4) On condition that the ship speed VE detected by the ship speed sensor 17 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the processor 51 disables the support trim mode when the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command reaches the maximum value θmax of a predetermined target angle. As described above, it is possible to prevent unnecessary disablement of the support trim mode on condition that the ship speed range has a high probability that the ship 100 enters the shallow water region.

(5) On condition that the engine speed NE detected by the crank angle sensor 7a is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the processor 51 disables the support trim mode when the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command reaches the maximum value θmax of a predetermined target angle. As described above, it is possible to prevent unnecessary disablement of the support trim mode on condition that the rotation range has a high probability that the ship 100 enters the shallow water region.

(6) The trim angle control apparatus 500 further includes the water depth sensor 18 that detects the water depth around the ship 100 (FIG. 3). On condition that the water depth detected by the water depth sensor 18 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the processor 51 disables the support trim mode when the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command reaches the maximum value θmax of a predetermined target angle. As described above, it is possible to reliably prevent unnecessary disablement of the support trim mode on condition that the ship 100 has actually entered the shallow water region.

(7) On condition that the ship speed VE detected by the ship speed sensor 17 or the engine speed NE detected by the crank angle sensor 7a decreases, the processor 51 disables the support trim mode when the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command reaches the maximum value θmax of a predetermined target angle. As described above, it is possible to prevent unnecessary disablement of the support trim mode on condition that the ship speed decreases and the navigation status has a high probability that the ship 100 enters the shallow water region.

(8) On condition that the difference Δθ(Δθ=θ2−θ1) between the trim angle θ (first target value θ1) before the target angle is changed by the change command and the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the processor 51 disables the support trim mode when the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command reaches the predetermined maximum value θmax of the target angle. As described above, by providing the change amount Δθ of the trim angle θ with a threshold, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the significant trim up has been performed, and disable the support trim mode in an appropriate situation.

(9) When the target angle (second target value θ2) is changed by the change command to be smaller than the trim angle θ (first target value θ1) before the target angle is changed by the change command, the processor 51 leaves or keeps the support trim mode enabled even if the target angle (second target value θ2) changed by the change command is equal to or greater than the predetermined maximum value θmax of the target angle. That is, in the support trim mode, the trim down via the trim angle adjustment unit 15 (trim down unit 15b) is received regardless of the operation amount, and the support trim mode is continued.

In the above embodiment, an example of controlling the trim angle θ of the outboard motor 1 attached to the ship 100 has been described in FIGS. 1, 2, and the like, but the trim angle of the sterndrive can be similarly controlled. The watercraft only needs to be capable of mounting an outboard motor or a sterndrive, and may be a rubber boat, a raft, a surfboard, or any other craft for water transport.

In the above embodiment, the outboard motor 1 mounted with the engine 6 is illustrated in FIG. 2 and the like, but the prime mover of the outboard motor or the sterndrive is not limited to this. For example, an electric motor may be mounted as the prime mover. In this case, it is possible to use a sensor that detects the rotation speed of the electric motor in place of the crank angle sensor 7a.

In the above embodiment, the specific shape of the trim angle adjustment unit 15 (the trim up unit 15a and the trim down unit 15b) has been described in FIG. 1 and the like, but the operation unit which is operated by the ship operator and to which a change command for changing the target angle is input is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured as a button on the MFD. An external device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal connected to the electronic control unit 50 in a wired or wireless manner may be used as the operation unit.

In the above embodiment, the specific shape of the switch 16 has been exemplified in FIG. 1 and the like, but the switch operated by the ship operator to enable or disable the automatic trim is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured as a switch on the MFD. An external device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal connected to the electronic control unit 50 in a wired or wireless manner may be used as the switch.

In the above embodiment, the first target value θ1 of the trim angle θ set in five steps has been exemplified in FIG. 4 and the like, but the target angle determined in advance in accordance with the moving speed of the watercraft or the rotational speed of the prime mover is not limited to this. For example, the first target value θ1 of the trim angle θ may be set stepwise with three or less steps or six or more steps, or may be set steplessly. In a case where the first target value θ1 is set steplessly, when the trim up command is input in the support trim mode, the second target value θ2 corresponding to the current engine speed NE or the ship speed VE is calculated, and it is determined whether or not the first target value θ1 on the high rotation side or the high speed side falls below the calculated value, and the first target value θ1 in the rotation range or the ship speed range that falls below the calculated value is changed and updated to the calculated value. Similarly, when the trim down command is input in the support trim mode, it is determined whether or not the first target value θ1 on the low rotation side or the low speed side exceeds the calculated value, and the first target value θ1 in the rotation range or the ship speed range exceeding the calculated value is changed and updated to the calculated value.

In the above embodiment, the example in which the rotation range or the ship speed range is set at equal intervals has been described in FIG. 4 and the like, but the rotation range or the ship speed range can be set arbitrarily. The example in which the first target value θ1 of each rotation range or each ship speed range is different has been described, but the first target values θ1 of a plurality of adjacent rotation ranges or ship speed ranges may be set to the same value.

The above embodiment can be combined as desired with one or more of the aforesaid modifications. The modifications can also be combined with one another.

According to the present invention, it becomes possible to improve usability of the automatic trim.

Above, while the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood, by those skilled in the art, that various changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

TRIM ANGLE CONTROL APPARATUS

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