Boat maneuvering control method for boat and boat maneuvering control system for boat

• US 9,771,138 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Avila, Stephen P
• Application Number:
  US15/193,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20170137103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 20/00 Outboard propulsion units, e.g. outboard motors or Z-drives; Arrangements thereof on vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/12 the vessels being motor-driven B63H21/175, B63H21/18 take precedence; cooling circuits with liquid-to-liquid heat-exchange relative to marine vessels F01P3/207
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/21 Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels

Abstract

A boat maneuvering control method for a boat includes setting a target boat speed, detecting an actual boat speed of the boat, and acquiring a base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed that is set, correcting the base engine rotational speed according to a difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed so as to set the base engine rotational speed that is corrected as a target engine rotational speed, and controlling an engine based on the target engine rotational speed that is set such that the actual boat speed approaches the target boat speed.

Claims

1. A boat maneuvering control method for a boat provided with an engine, the boat maneuvering control method comprising:

setting a target boat speed;

detecting an actual boat speed of the boat; and

acquiring a base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed that is set, correcting the base engine rotational speed according to a difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed so as to set the base engine rotational speed that is corrected as a target engine rotational speed, and controlling the engine based on the target engine rotational speed that is set such that the actual boat speed approaches the target boat speed;

wherein

the target engine rotational speed is acquired by performing a correction to increase or decrease the base engine rotational speed according to the difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed.

2. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 1, wherein the base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed is acquired from a map in which the target boat speed and the base engine rotational speed are associated with each other.

3. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 2, wherein the map is updatable.

4. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 3, further comprising acquiring an actual engine rotational speed, wherein

the map is updated based on the actual boat speed and the actual engine rotational speed.

5. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 4, wherein in a case in which the target boat speed remains unchanged for a certain period of time and the actual boat speed converges or substantially converges on the target boat speed, the map is updated based on the actual boat speed and the actual engine rotational speed.

6. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 1, wherein the correcting of the base engine rotational speed is limited when a predetermined condition is not satisfied.

7. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 6, wherein

a correction amount to correct the base engine rotational speed is acquired according to the difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed;

the correction amount is limited, and the base engine rotational speed is corrected by adding the correction amount after limitation to the base engine rotational speed when the predetermined condition is not satisfied; and

the base engine rotational speed is corrected by adding the correction amount to the base engine rotational speed without limiting the correction amount when the predetermined condition is satisfied.

8. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 7, wherein the correction amount is limited by setting an upper limit and a lower limit for the correction amount.

9. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined condition includes at least one of a condition that the actual boat speed reaches a predetermined boat speed, a condition that an actual engine rotational speed of the engine reaches a predetermined engine rotational speed, a condition that the difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed reaches a predetermined value, and a condition that a predetermined time elapses after control of the engine is started.

10. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 1, wherein the engine is controlled by controlling a throttle of the engine.

11. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 1, wherein the base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed that is set is acquired, the base engine rotational speed is corrected according to the difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed so as to set the base engine rotational speed that is corrected as the target engine rotational speed, and the engine is controlled based on the target engine rotational speed that is set such that the actual boat speed approaches the target boat speed, when an instruction to start target boat speed control is received.

12. The boat maneuvering control method according to claim 11, wherein the base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed that is set is acquired, the base engine rotational speed is corrected according to the difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed so as to set the base engine rotational speed that is corrected as the target engine rotational speed, and the engine is controlled based on the target engine rotational speed that is set, when an instruction to start an acceleration mode of accelerating the boat is received.

13. A boat maneuvering control system for a boat, comprising:

an engine;

a speed controller that sets a target boat speed;

a boat speed detector that detects an actual boat speed of the boat;

a storage that stores a base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed; and

a controller that acquires, from the storage, the base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed that is set, corrects the base engine rotational speed according to a difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed so as to set the base engine rotational speed that is corrected as a target engine rotational speed, and controls the engine based on the target engine rotational speed that is set;

wherein

the controller acquires the target engine rotational speed by performing a correction to increase or decrease the base engine rotational speed according to the difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed.

14. The boat maneuvering control system according to claim 13, wherein

the storage stores a map in which the target boat speed and the base engine rotational speed are associated with each other;

and

the controller acquires the base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed from the map in which the target boat speed and the base engine rotational speed are associated with each other.

15. The boat maneuvering control system according to claim 14, wherein the controller acquires an actual engine rotational speed and updates the map based on the actual boat speed and the actual engine rotational speed.

16. The boat maneuvering control system according to claim 15, wherein in a case in which the target boat speed remains unchanged for a certain period of time and the actual boat speed converges or substantially converges on the target boat speed, the controller updates the map based on the actual boat speed and the actual engine rotational speed.

17. The boat maneuvering control system according to claim 13, wherein the controller limits correction of the base engine rotational speed when a predetermined condition is not satisfied.

18. The boat maneuvering control system according to claim 13, further comprising an instruction input that receives an instruction to start target boat speed control;

wherein

the controller acquires the base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed that is set, corrects the base engine rotational speed according to the difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed so as to set the base engine rotational speed that is corrected as the target engine rotational speed, and controls the engine based on the target engine rotational speed that is set such that the actual boat speed approaches the target boat speed, when the instruction input receives the instruction to start the target boat speed control.

19. The boat maneuvering control system according to claim 18, wherein the controller acquires the base engine rotational speed associated with the target boat speed that is set, corrects the base engine rotational speed according to the difference between the target boat speed and the actual boat speed so as to set the base engine rotational speed that is corrected as the target engine rotational speed, and controls the engine based on the target engine rotational speed that is set, when the instruction input receives an instruction to start an acceleration mode of accelerating the boat.