Method of steering a boat with double outboard drives and boat having double outboard drives

• US 7,367,854 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AB Volvo
• Original Assignee: AB Volvo
• Inventors: Arvidsson, Lennart
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson; Lars A.
• Application Number:
  US11/579,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20070224893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 440/1, 440/2, 440/84, 440/87, 607/02, 607/06
• US Class Current: 440/1
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 20/00 Outboard propulsion units, e.g. outboard motors or Z-drives; Arrangements thereof on vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2020/003 Arrangements of two, or more outboard propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/21 Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/22 the propulsion power units being controlled from exterior of engine room, e.g. from navigation bridge; Arrangements of order telegraphs
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 5/08 of more than one propeller
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 5/125 movably mounted with respect to hull, e.g. adjustable in direction , e.g. podded azimuthing thrustersoutboard units or Z-drives B63H20/00; movably mounted for steering purposes only, rudders carrying propellers B63H25/42

Abstract

Boat with a hull with double engines which are controlled by a respective electronic engine control unit and are coupled to a respective outboard drive, which drives are driven by electric servomotors/electronic drive control units. The drive control units communicate with the engine control units and continuously monitor the steering function of the drives and together with the engine control units, upon detection of a steering fault in a control system, gradually to reduce the speed of the engine in question to idling, to activate an alarm, to reduce the throttle of the other engine, to disengage and lock in neutral position the gear of the failing drive, and to lock the drive in the current angular position. After acknowledgement from the driver, neutral lock is cancelled and a gear can be engaged. The associated engine can then be used with but limited to approximately half throttle.

Claims

1. Method of regulating engine speed and steering in the event of fault detection in a control system in a boat with two engines (40), which are speed-controlled by electronic engine control means (34) depending on signals from sensors (35) which are coordinated with manually operable gear and throttle controls (36), and an outboard drive (5) coupled to each engine, which has an underwater housing (36) which is rotatable relative to the hull of the boat and in which at least one propeller shaft (7,8) can be driven via an electrically operated transmission (13-18), with forward, neutral and reverse gear, arranged in a housing in the drive and the rotation of which is regulated by means of an electric servomotor (26) controlled by an electronic control unit (31) depending on signals to the control unit from a sensor (32) coordinated with manually operable steering means (30), characterized in that—

in the event of detection of a fault in the control system of one drive (5) during driving—

the following measures are initiated automatically by the engine and drive control electronics (34, 31);

gradual reduction of the engine speed from a speed within the higher speed range of the engine to a predetermined lower speed in at least the internal combustion engine belonging to the drive with the control system in which the fault has been detected,

alarm for a driver,

locking of the drive with the control system in which the fault has been detected in the current steering position,

limiting of the maximum permitted engine speed to a lower speed than the maximum speed in at least the engine belonging to the drive with the control system in which the fault has been detected after acknowledgement from the driver that the fault detection has been noted.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the engine speed of the engine (40) coupled to the drive (5) with the control system in which the fault has been detected is first reduced gradually to idling speed, while the engine speed of the other engine (40) is reduced gradually to a speed higher than idling speed but lower than maximum speed.

3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that a speed limit above idling speed but below maximum speed is set for the engine (40) coupled to the drive (5) with the control system in which the fault has been detected after acknowledgement from the driver that the fault detection has been noted.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the drive (5) with the control system in which the fault has been detected is shifted to neutral position and locked in this position and in that the locking is cancelled after acknowledgement from the driver that the fault detection has been noted.

5. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that adjustment of the said manual gear and throttle controls (36) into neutral position constitutes acknowledgement that the fault detection has been noted.

6. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the drive (5) with the control system in which the fault has been detected is shifted to neutral position and locked in this position and in that the locking is cancelled after acknowledgement from the driver that the fault detection has been noted.

7. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that adjustment of the said manual gear and throttle controls (36) into neutral position constitutes acknowledgement that the fault detection has been noted.

8. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive (5) with the control system in which the fault has been detected is shifted to neutral position and locked in this position and in that the locking is cancelled after acknowledgement from the driver that the fault detection has been noted.

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that adjustment of the said manual gear and throttle controls (36) into neutral position constitutes acknowledgement that the fault detection has been noted.

10. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that adjustment of the said manual gear and throttle controls (36) into neutral position constitutes acknowledgement that the fault detection has been noted.

11. Boat with a hull (1) in which an outboard drive (5) is mounted on each side of a longitudinal central plane (b) of the hull, each of which drives on the one hand is coupled to an internal combustion engine (40), which is speed controlled by electronic engine control means (34) depending on signals from sensors (35) which are coordinated with manually operable gear and throttle controls (36), and on the other hand comprises an underwater housing (6) which projects downwards from the outside of the hull and is mounted rotatably relative to the hull and in which at least one at least in the main horizontal propeller shaft (7,8) is rotatably mounted and can be driven via an electrically operated transmission (13-18), with forward, neutral and reverse gear, arranged in a housing in the drive and the rotation of which is regulated by means of a control system which comprises an electronic control unit (31) and an electric servomotor (26) which is controlled by the control unit depending on signals from a sensor (32) coordinated with manually operable steering means (30) and communicating with the control unit, characterized in that the control units (31) communicate with the engine control means (34) and are adapted so as continuously to monitor the steering function of the drives (5) and together with the engine control means—

in the event of detection of a steering fault in the control system of one of the drives—

to initiate gradual reduction of the speed of at least the engine (40) belonging to the drive with the control system in which the fault has been detected to a predetermined lower speed, to activate alarm means communicating with the control unit, to lock the drive with the control system in which the fault has been detected in the current steering position and, after a signal from manually operable means (36), to limit the maximum permitted speed to a lower speed than the maximum speed in at least the engine belonging to the drive with the control system in which the fault has been detected.

12. Boat according to claim 11, characterized in that the control units (31) and the engine control means (34) are arranged so as gradually to reduce the engine speed of the engine (40) coupled to the drive (5) in which the fault has been detected to idling speed and the engine speed of the other engine (40) to a speed higher than idling speed but lower than maximum speed.

13. Boat according to claim 12, characterized in that the control units (31) and the engine control means (34) are arranged so as to set a speed limit above idling speed but below maximum speed for the engine (40) coupled to the drive (5) in which the fault has been detected after a signal from the said manually operable means (36).

14. Boat according to claim 13, characterized in that the control units (31) and the engine control means (34) are arranged so as to shift the drive (5) with the control system in which the fault has been detected into neutral position, to lock the drive in this position and to cancel the locking after a signal from the said manually operable means (36).

15. Boat according to claim 13, characterized in that the said manually operable means are formed by the said manually operable gear and throttle controls (36).

16. Boat according to claim 12, characterized in that the control units (31) and the engine control means (34) are arranged so as to shift the drive (5) with the control system in which the fault has been detected into neutral position, to lock the drive in this position and to cancel the locking after a signal from the said manually operable means (36).

17. Boat according to claim 12 characterized in that the said manually operable means are formed by the said manually operable gear and throttle controls (36).

18. Boat according to claim 11, characterized in that the control units (31) and the engine control means (34) are arranged so as to shift the drive (5) with the control system in which the fault has been detected into neutral position, to lock the drive in this position and to cancel the locking after a signal from the said manually operable means (36).

19. Boat according to claim 18, characterized in that the said manually operable means are formed by the said manually operable gear and throttle controls (36).

20. Boat according to claim 11, characterized in that the said manually operable means are formed by the said manually operable gear and throttle controls (36).