WATERCRAFT CONTROL SYSTEM AND WATERCRAFT CONTROL METHOD

Abstract

A watercraft control system comprises a digital controller that controls outboard propulsion units to produce a predetermined lateral thrust to hold a watercraft against a docking structure during a dock holding mode, sets at least one of a target position and a target heading based on at least one of a current position and a current heading during the dock holding mode, and performs a correction operation to restore at least one of the target position and the target heading by generating at least one of a forward-rear thrust using the outboard propulsion units upon determining a deviation of the current position from the target position and a moment using the outboard propulsion units upon determining the current heading has deviated from the target heading while generating the predetermined lateral thrust during the dock holding mode.

Description

Claims

1. A watercraft control system comprising: a plurality of outboard propulsion units;a user input configured to output a dock holding command;a positioning system configured to determine at least one of a current position and a current heading of a watercraft; anda digital controller configured to receive the dock holding command, the digital controller configured to start a dock holding mode upon receiving the dock holding command,control the outboard propulsion units to produce a predetermined lateral thrust to hold the watercraft against a docking structure during the dock holding mode,set at least one of a target position and a target heading based on at least one of the current position detected by the positioning system and the current heading detected by the positioning system during the dock holding mode, andperform a correction operation to restore at least one of the target position and the target heading by generating at least one of a forward-rear thrust using the outboard propulsion units upon determining a deviation of the current position from the target position and a moment using the outboard propulsion units upon determining the current heading has deviated from the target heading while generating the predetermined lateral thrust during the dock holding mode.

2. The watercraft control system according to claim 1, wherein the digital controller is further configured to perform the correction operation upon determining the deviation from the target position being greater than a predetermined amount with respect to the current position.

3. The watercraft control system according to claim 1, wherein the digital controller is further configured to increase the forward-rear thrust as a difference between the current position and the target position increases.

4. The watercraft control system according to claim 1, wherein the digital controller is further configured to perform a longitudinal correction operation by at least one of changing the forward-rear thrust and performing a steering operation of the outboard propulsion units.

5. The watercraft control system according to claim 1, wherein the digital controller is further configured to perform the correction operation upon determining a deviation from the target heading being greater than a predetermined amount in the heading.

6. The watercraft control system according to claim 5, wherein the digital controller is further configured to increase the moment as a difference between the current heading and the target heading increases.

7. The watercraft control system according to claim 1, wherein the digital controller is further configured to perform a heading correction operation by at least one of changing the forward-rear thrust and performing a steering operation of the outboard propulsion units.

8. The watercraft control system according to claim 1, wherein the digital controller is further configured to terminate the dock holding mode upon receiving a termination command from the user input.

9. The watercraft control system according to claim 1, wherein the digital controller is further configured to update at least one of the target heading, the target position, and the predetermined lateral thrust based on a user input operation using the user input during the dock holding mode.

10. The watercraft control system according to claim 9, wherein the user input includes a joystick for updating the at least one of the target heading, the target position, and the predetermined lateral thrust.

11. The watercraft control system according to claim 10, wherein the digital controller is further configured to update the target heading in response to the joystick being twisted during the dock holding mode.

12. The watercraft control system according to claim 10, wherein the digital controller is further configured to increase or decrease a moment generated towards the target heading in response to the joystick being twisted during the dock holding mode.

13. The watercraft control system according to claim 10, wherein the digital controller is further configured to update the target position in response to the joystick being moved in a longitudinal direction during the dock holding mode.

14. The watercraft control system according to claim 10, wherein the digital controller is further configured to increase or decrease the forward-rear thrust in response to the joystick being moved in a longitudinal direction during the dock holding mode.

15. The watercraft control system according to claim 10, wherein the digital controller is further configured to update the predetermined lateral thrust in response to the joystick being moved in a lateral direction during the dock holding mode.

16. The watercraft control system according to claim 12, wherein the digital controller is further configured to increase the moment generated towards the target heading in response to the joystick being twisted in a first direction during the dock holding mode, and decrease the moment generated towards the target heading in response to the joystick being twisted in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction during the dock holding mode.

17. The watercraft control system according to claim 10, wherein the digital controller is further configured to generate a forward thrust toward the target position in response to the joystick being moved in a forward direction during the dock holding mode, and generate a rearward thrust toward the target position in response to the joystick being moved in a rearward direction during the dock holding mode.

18. The watercraft control system according to claim 10, wherein the digital controller is further configured to generate a starboard lateral thrust toward the target position in response to the joystick being moved in a starboard side direction during the dock holding mode, and generate a port lateral thrust toward the target position in response to the joystick being moved in a port side direction during the dock holding mode.

19. A watercraft comprising the watercraft control system according to claim 1, and further comprising: a watercraft body provided with the outboard propulsion units, the user input, the positioning system and the digital controller.

20. A watercraft control method comprising: starting a dock holding mode using a digital controller upon receiving a docking holding command;controlling a plurality of outboard propulsion units using the digital controller to produce a predetermined lateral thrust to hold a watercraft against a docking structure;setting at least one of a target position and a target heading using the digital controller based on at least one of a current position detected using a positioning system and a current heading detected by the positioning system during the dock holding mode; andperforming correction operation using the digital controller to restore at least one of the target position and the target heading by generating at least one of a forward-rear thrust using the outboard propulsion units upon determining a deviation of the current position from the target position and a moment using the outboard propulsion units upon determining the current heading has deviated from the target heading while generating the predetermined lateral thrust during the dock holding mode.