Control devices, ships, computing devices and systems, interference data collection systems

Abstract

The present invention provides a control device, a ship, a computing device and system, and an interference data collection system. The fuel consumption rate when the ship's posture reaches a target angle is reduced. It is equipped with: two propulsion generating devices respectively arranged on both sides of the hull; a steering gear, which is used to control the turning of the hull; a turning instruction acquisition unit, which acquires a turning instruction value including a turning direction and a turning amount; a speed acquisition unit, which acquires a speed instruction value of the hull; and a turning control unit, which, when the speed instruction value acquired by the speed acquisition unit is above a speed threshold, puts the steering gear in a neutral position, and controls the two propulsion generating devices so that the propulsion of the propulsion generating device on the inner side of the turning direction is smaller than the propulsion of the propulsion generating device on the outer side of the turning direction, so that the ship turns according to the turning instruction value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a ship. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a so-called two-engine two-shaft ship having two main engines and two propellers fixed to each main engine is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that in a two-engine two-shaft ship, steerability is improved by combining the difference in propulsion force of each main engine and rudder operation.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-068580 Summary of the invention

[0006] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] However, the system of Patent Document 1 always performs rudder return when turning, so the fuel consumption rate until the posture of the ship reaches the target angle is improved.

[0008] The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a turning control device and a ship that can reduce the fuel consumption rate when the posture of the ship reaches a target angle.

[0009] Solutions for solving problems

[0010] In order to solve this problem, a turning control device in one embodiment is used to control the turning of a ship, wherein the ship comprises: two propulsion generating devices, the two propulsion generating devices are arranged at different positions in the width direction of the ship, and are used to generate propulsion for the ship; a steering gear, which is used to turn the ship; and a turning command unit, which generates a turning command including a turning direction and a turning amount of the ship,

[0011] The turning control device has:

[0012] a turning instruction acquisition unit that acquires the turning instruction from the turning instruction unit;

[0013] a speed acquisition unit that acquires the speed of the ship; and

[0014] The turning control unit controls the steering gear to a neutral position and controls the two propulsion force generating devices so that the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device on the inner side of the turning direction is smaller than the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device on the outer side of the turning direction when the speed acquired by the speed acquiring unit is above a prescribed speed threshold value when a turning command is acquired from the turning command unit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the first embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a flowchart showing a series of processes performed by the turning control unit during automatic navigation control according to the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the second embodiment.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the third embodiment.

[0019] Figure 5 It is a schematic configuration diagram of the interference data collection system according to the fourth embodiment.

[0020] Figure 6 A schematic top view of a ship according to a fourth embodiment is shown.

[0021] Figure 7 This is an example of an electronic nautical chart in the fourth embodiment.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the fifth embodiment.

[0023] Fig. 9 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the sixth embodiment.

[0024] Fig.10 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the seventh embodiment.

[0025] Fig.11 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the eighth embodiment.

[0026] Fig.12 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the ninth embodiment.

[0027] Fig.13 This is a front view of the ship according to the ninth embodiment.

[0028] Fig.14 This is a front view of the ship according to the ninth embodiment.

[0029] Fig.15 This is a front view of the ship according to the ninth embodiment.

[0030] Fig.16 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the tenth embodiment.

[0031] Fig.17 An example of a designated route in the tenth embodiment is shown.

[0032] Fig.18This is a block diagram of a ship posture calculation system in the eleventh embodiment.

[0033] Fig.19 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the twelfth embodiment.

[0034] Fig. 20 This is a flowchart showing the control process performed by the turning control device according to the twelfth embodiment.

[0035] Fig.21 This is a schematic structural diagram of a microbubble generating device according to a twelfth embodiment.

[0036] Fig. 22 This is a block diagram of a ship according to the 13th embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] [First embodiment]

[0038] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a ship. The ship V1 includes: a turning control device 100; a manual steering unit 101 that outputs a turning command corresponding to a manual input; and an automatic steering unit 105 that outputs a turning command including a turning direction and a turning amount to a turning command acquisition unit 103 according to a designated route. The manual steering unit 101 outputs a turning command corresponding to the operation amount of the steering unit (not shown) to the turning command acquisition unit 103. The automatic steering unit 105 performs automatic navigation control to control the direction of the bow according to the designated route, and outputs a turning command to the turning command acquisition unit 103.

[0039] The turning control device 100 includes: a speed acquisition unit 107 that acquires a speed instruction input to the manual steering unit 101; and a position acquisition unit 109 that acquires the current position using GPS, a nautical chart, etc. The information related to the current position includes information related to whether the current position is within a specified area such as a bay or outside the specified area. The speed acquisition unit 107 outputs a speed instruction to the turning control unit 111. The speed instruction is an instruction value of the propulsion speed, including the speed required by the operator. The speed can be any of the speed over the ground and the speed over the water. The speed instruction can also represent the output value of the propulsion force generating device described later.

[0040] The ship V1 includes a steering gear 115 and two propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R provided at different positions in the width direction of the ship. The turning control unit 111 controls the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R and the steering gear 115 to turn the ship based on the speed command, the current position and the turning command. In addition, the control for moving the ship V1 forward in the traveling direction is a known technology, so the detailed description is omitted.

[0041] The propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R include an engine 117 and a propeller 119. The propeller 119 may be a variable pitch propeller capable of controlling a blade angle. When the propeller 119 is a variable pitch propeller, the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R refer to the total value of the propulsion controlled by both the blade angle of the propeller 119 and the engine 117.

[0042] The turning control unit 111 makes the propulsion forces of the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R have a difference, controls the steering gear 115, or performs both in response to the turning command, thereby turning the ship body based on the turning command. In a situation where the ship speed is above the speed threshold, the turning performance of the ship body is high, and the ship body is turned only by the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R, the turning control unit 111 controls the steering gear 115 to a neutral position, and turns the ship body only by the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R. The turning control unit 111 controls the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R so that the propulsion forces of the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R have a difference, and the propulsion force on the inner side of the turning direction indicated by the turning command is smaller than the propulsion force on the outer side of the turning direction. In order to make the propulsion forces of the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R have a difference, the control value of one of them can be not changed and only the control value of the other can be increased or decreased, or the control values ​​of both can be increased or decreased. Since the difference in propulsion force corresponds to the turning amount, the turning control unit 111 determines the difference in propulsion force based on the turning amount corresponding to the turning instruction.

[0043] The turning control unit 111 can change the turning amount according to whether the output source of the turning instruction is the manual steering unit 101 or the automatic steering unit 105. When the turning instruction acquisition unit 103 acquires the turning instruction from the manual steering unit 101, it is considered that emergency avoidance is performed. Therefore, when the turning instruction acquisition unit 103 acquires the turning instruction from the manual steering unit 101, the turning control unit 111 increases the difference in the propulsion force of the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R compared to the case where the turning instruction indicating the same steering angle is acquired from the automatic steering unit 105. In this case, the propulsion force of the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R on the outside of the turning direction can be maximized, and the propulsion force of the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R on the inside of the turning direction can be minimized (idle state or dead slow). Thereby, the followability to manual steering can be improved. The difference between the propulsion forces of the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R may be increased only when the amount of change in the turning command from the manual steering unit 101 is greater than a fixed value. The turning control unit 111 may control the steering gear 115 in addition to the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R in response to the turning command output from the manual steering unit 101 to turn the hull.

[0044] When a turning command is inputted when the current position is in a predetermined area such as a bay, a channel, or a coast, the turning control unit 111 may increase the difference in the propulsion force of the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R compared to when the same turning command is inputted outside the predetermined area. Thus, the steerability in the predetermined area can be improved. In addition, the turning control unit 111 may control the steering gear 115 to turn the hull in the predetermined area.

[0045] Figure 2 1 is a flowchart showing a series of processes performed by the turning control unit during automatic navigation control. When a series of processes are started by inputting a turning command from the automatic steering unit 105, in step S1, the turning control unit 111 determines the turning direction and the turning amount based on the turning command. In step S2, the turning control unit 111 controls the number of revolutions of the engine 117 and the blade angle of the propeller 119 so that the propulsion force of the propulsion generating device 113L, 113R on the inner side of the turning direction is less than the propulsion force of the propulsion generating device 113L, 113R on the outer side of the turning direction. In step S3, the turning control unit 111 determines whether the desired turning angle is obtained. This judgment can be based on the judgment of the passage of time calculated based on the difference in propulsion force and the hull resistance, or the result obtained by monitoring the bow angle based on the position information. In addition, in step S3, the turning degree (the change in the turning angle per unit time) can be referred to instead of the turning angle. In step S4 , the turning control unit 111 makes the difference between the propulsion forces of the propulsion force generating devices 113L and 113R zero, and ends a series of processes.

[0046] By controlling as described above, the workload of the steering gear 115 can be reduced, and the increase in fuel consumption rate due to turning the rudder can be suppressed. In addition, the hull is turned by the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R only when the speed command is above the speed threshold, which can ensure the turning performance under the slow speed state.

[0047] Furthermore, when a turning command is output from the manual steering unit 101, the followability to the manual steering can be improved by increasing the difference in propulsion force between the propulsion force generating devices 113L and 113R or using the steering gear 115 at the same time.

[0048] Furthermore, by controlling the difference in propulsion force between the propulsion generating devices 113L and 113R based on the current position, safety in ports and waterways can be improved.

[0049] [Second embodiment]

[0050] Conventionally, the speed of a ship during automatic navigation is controlled based on the engine output, that is, the operator adjusts the engine output based on his or her own experience to adjust the speed.

[0051] There is also a desire to be able to control the speed of a vessel theoretically rather than empirically.

[0052] In order to solve such a problem, a propulsion control device in one embodiment is used to control a propulsion force generating device of a ship, and the propulsion control device includes:

[0053] a speed acquisition unit that acquires a target speed of the ship and a current speed of the ship; and

[0054] The propulsion force instruction unit outputs an instruction to the propulsion force generating device to generate a propulsion force that brings the current speed close to the target speed.

[0055] According to this configuration, the navigation speed can be controlled according to the target speed.

[0056] In this case, it can also be,

[0057] The propulsion force command unit calculates a target rotation speed of a main engine of the propulsion force generating device based on a difference between the target speed and the current speed, or calculates a target blade angle of a variable pitch propeller of the propulsion force generating device based on the difference between the target speed and the current speed.

[0058] According to this configuration, the navigation speed can be controlled according to the target speed.

[0059] In this case, the propulsion control device may include:

[0060] a route acquisition unit that acquires a route from a current position to a destination; and

[0061] The time acquisition unit acquires the current time and the target time when the ship should arrive at the destination.

[0062] The target speed is the target speed over the ground calculated based on the required time, which is calculated based on the route, current time and target time.

[0063] The propulsion force command unit outputs a command to the propulsion force generating device to generate a propulsion force that brings the current speed of the ship close to the target ground speed.

[0064] According to this configuration, it is possible to arrive at the destination before the target time.

[0065] In this case, it can also be,

[0066] The speed acquisition unit acquires a plurality of target speeds with different speeds.

[0067] The propulsion control device includes a notification unit that notifies a fuel consumption rate and an arrival time when the vehicle is traveling from a current position to a destination position along a predetermined route at each of a plurality of target speeds.

[0068] According to this configuration, the fuel consumption rate and arrival time at each target navigation speed can be notified.

[0069] In this case, it can also be,

[0070] The propulsion control device further includes a display unit that displays any one of a plurality of target ship speeds in a selectable manner.

[0071] The propulsion force instruction unit instructs the magnitude of the propulsion force so that the actual speed approaches the target speed based on the difference between the selected target speed and the actual speed.

[0072] In this case, the propulsion control device may include:

[0073] A position acquisition unit, which acquires the current position of the ship;

[0074] a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a joystick for controlling the number of revolutions of the host machine;

[0075] an actual number of revolutions acquisition unit, which acquires the actual number of revolutions of the host;

[0076] a rotation number instruction unit that outputs an instruction of a target rotation number of the host machine based on the actual rotation number and the position of the joystick; and

[0077] The control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on the instruction from the propulsion instruction unit if the current position is within the specified area, and causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on the instruction from the rotation speed instruction unit if the current position is outside the specified area.

[0078] According to this configuration, the control method of the propulsion force can be changed according to the current position.

[0079] In this case, the propulsion control device may include:

[0080] A position acquisition unit, which acquires the current position of the ship;

[0081] Another ship position acquisition unit, which acquires the position of another ship;

[0082] a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a joystick for controlling the number of revolutions of the host machine;

[0083] an actual number of revolutions acquisition unit, which acquires the actual number of revolutions of the host;

[0084] a rotation number instruction unit that outputs an instruction of a target rotation number of the host machine based on the actual rotation number and the position of the joystick; and

[0085] The control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on the instruction from the propulsion command unit if the current position and the position of other ships are less than the distance threshold, and causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on the instruction from the rotation speed command unit if the current position and the position of other ships are greater than the distance threshold.

[0086] According to this configuration, the method of controlling the propulsion force can be changed according to the distance from other ships.

[0087] In this case, the propulsion control device may include:

[0088] A ship information acquisition unit, which acquires the current position and direction of the ship;

[0089] An other ship information acquisition unit, which acquires the position, speed and direction of other ships;

[0090] a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a joystick for controlling the number of revolutions of the host machine;

[0091] an actual number of revolutions acquisition unit, which acquires the actual number of revolutions of the host;

[0092] a rotation number instruction unit that outputs an instruction of a target rotation number of the host machine based on the actual rotation number and the position of the joystick; and

[0093] A control unit calculates the degree of danger based on the information acquired by the ship information acquisition unit and the speed acquisition unit, as well as the information acquired by other ship information acquisition units; if the calculated degree of danger is above a threshold value of the degree of danger, the control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on the instruction from the propulsion command unit; if the degree of danger is less than the threshold value of the degree of danger, the control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on the instruction from the speed command unit.

[0094] According to this configuration, the propulsion control method can be changed based on the degree of danger calculated based on the current position, speed, and direction of the own ship and the position, speed, and direction of other ships.

[0095] In this case, the propulsion control device may include:

[0096] a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a joystick for controlling the number of revolutions of the host machine;

[0097] A revolution acquisition unit, which acquires the actual revolution of the host;

[0098] a rotation number instruction unit that outputs an instruction of a target rotation number of the host machine based on the actual rotation number and the position of the joystick; and

[0099] The control unit causes the propulsion force generating device to generate propulsion force based on the instruction from the propulsion force instruction unit if the current speed is less than the speed threshold, and causes the propulsion force generating device to generate propulsion force based on the instruction from the rotation speed instruction unit if the current speed is greater than the speed threshold.

[0100] According to this configuration, the control method of the propulsion force can be changed according to the current speed.

[0101] Figure 3 A block diagram of a ship is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the ship 200 includes a control device 201, a steering unit 203, an operating unit 205, a propulsion generating device 207, and a steering gear 209. The steering unit 203 is used by the operator to manually steer the steering gear 209. The operating unit 205 includes a telegraph 211, a display unit 213, and a selection unit 215. The telegraph 211 is input with an instruction of the engine speed or an instruction of the speed through the operation of the operator. The display unit 213 is a monitor that displays information to the operator. The selection unit 215 is an input interface such as a keyboard for the operator to input instructions to the control device 201 or select information displayed on the display unit 213. The propulsion generating device 207 includes: an engine 217, the engine 217 is driven and controlled by a governor; and a variable pitch propeller 219, which is fixed to the output shaft of the engine 217.

[0102] As a structure for acquiring various information, the control device 201 includes a speed acquisition unit 221, a position acquisition unit 223, an other ship position acquisition unit 225, an actual speed acquisition unit 227, a route acquisition unit 229, a time acquisition unit 231, and a pole position acquisition unit 233. The speed acquisition unit 221 acquires the current speed of the ship. In addition, when the ship is sailing automatically, the speed acquisition unit 221 acquires the target speed based on the sailing distance and the scheduled arrival time. The sailing speed of the ship can be acquired from instruments of the ship such as a speed sensor, or from the outside. The position acquisition unit 223 acquires the current position using a measurement unit such as GPS, and acquires information related to the current position with reference to a nautical chart. As information related to the current position, there is information such as whether the current position is in a bay, a channel, a near sea, or an area where the sailing speed is restricted, or in an open sea, or an area where the sailing speed is not restricted. The other ship position acquisition unit 225 wirelessly communicates with other ships to acquire information related to the current position of other ships. The actual speed acquisition unit 227 acquires the actual speed of the engine 217. The route acquisition unit 229 acquires the route from the current position to the destination. The time acquisition unit 231 acquires the current time and the target time. The pole position acquisition unit 233 acquires the position of the telegraph 211.

[0103] As a structure for performing various calculations, the control device 201 includes an acceleration calculation unit 235 and a fuel consumption rate calculation unit 237. The acceleration calculation unit 235 calculates the acceleration based on the change in acceleration, that is, the current speed and the past speed. The fuel consumption rate calculation unit 237 calculates the fuel consumption rate during acceleration based on the acceleration and the current fuel consumption.

[0104] The propulsion force command unit 239 outputs a command to the propulsion force generating device 207 to generate a propulsion force that brings the current speed close to the target speed. The propulsion force command unit 239 calculates the target speed of the main engine of the propulsion force generating device 207 based on the difference between the target speed and the current speed. The propulsion force command unit 239 calculates the target blade angle of the variable pitch propeller 219 of the propulsion force generating device 207 based on the difference between the target speed and the current speed. The speed command unit 241 outputs a command of the target speed of the engine 217 based on the actual speed and the position of the telegraph 211.

[0105] The control unit 243 controls the steering gear 209 and the propulsion generating device 207 based on the calculation results obtained by the speed acquisition unit 221, the position acquisition unit 223, the other ship position acquisition unit 225, the actual number of revolutions acquisition unit 227, the route acquisition unit 229, the time acquisition unit 231, and the rod position acquisition unit 233. The control unit 243 controls the propulsion force of the ship (the output of the engine 217 or the blade angle of the propeller 19) so that the current speed is close to the target speed. In this way, the target speed can be maintained. In addition, in the case of deviation from the designated route due to the influence of interference, the current speed can be controlled based on the calculated interference such as the deviation from the designated route. In this specification, interference includes sea conditions and meteorological factors such as tides and winds during navigation. In addition, in the case of considering the hull resistance, in addition to the sea conditions and meteorological factors, it also includes hull fouling (barnacles attached to the propeller) and changes in propulsion resistance caused by the number of passengers. In addition, the current speed can also be controlled so that the average speed so far becomes the target speed. Thus, the destination can be reached before the scheduled time. In addition, the average speed can be calculated so that the destination can be reached at the scheduled time, and the ship can be controlled at the calculated average speed. Thus, the fuel consumption rate can be reduced. If the average speed can be calculated by plotting the scheduled time and the destination on the nautical chart, the operation becomes easy.

[0106] When the position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 223 indicates a specified area such as a bay, the control unit 243 monitors the current speed acquired by the speed acquisition unit 221 while controlling the propulsion force to keep the current speed constant (speed feedback control). In addition, when the position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 223 indicates the open sea, etc., the control unit 243 monitors the engine speed while controlling the propulsion force to keep the engine speed constant (speed feedback control). In addition, the control unit 243 switches between speed feedback control and speed feedback control according to the current speed. In this case, the control unit 243 performs speed feedback control when the current speed is less than a predetermined speed threshold, and performs speed feedback control when the current speed is above the speed threshold.

[0107] When the speed feedback control is executed, the control unit 243 controls the speed governor of the engine. If the speed feedback control is performed within the specified area, it is easy to maintain the position relationship with other ships. In this case, the control unit 243 calculates the distance between the positions of other ships and the current position of the own ship, and performs speed feedback control if the distance is less than a predetermined distance threshold. When the distance is greater than the distance threshold, the control unit 243 performs rotation speed feedback control.

[0108] In addition, the control unit 243 may also calculate the risk level by taking into account the position, speed and orientation of other ships and the position, speed and orientation of the own ship. When the risk level is above a predetermined risk level threshold, the control unit 243 performs speed feedback control. When the risk level is less than the risk level threshold, the control unit 243 performs rotation speed feedback control. If the ground speed information of other ships is obtained and the ground speed is adjusted to be consistent with the ground speed of other ships, it is less likely to be affected by the performance of the ship, the operating conditions of each ship, interference, etc., compared to the case where the distance with other ships is maintained only based on the relative position relationship with other ships.

[0109] The control device 201 causes the display unit to display the fuel consumption rate and arrival time when the vehicle is traveling from the current position to the destination along a predetermined route based on different operating conditions. When the operating condition is selected using the selection unit 215, the control device 201 controls the steering gear 209 and the propulsion force generating device 207 based on the selected operating condition. The different operating conditions include operation based on rotation speed feedback control, operation based on speed feedback control, operation to maintain the route in consideration of interference, operation to prioritize speed, operation to prioritize fuel consumption rate, and the like.

[0110] The display unit may also display a message for the operator to select any one of the fuel consumption rate mode that emphasizes fuel consumption rate, the safety mode that emphasizes the motion performance of the ship, and the time mode for sailing to the destination in the shortest arrival time. In the fuel consumption rate mode, the control unit 243 controls the steering gear 209 to eliminate the change in engine load caused by disturbance.

[0111] As another example of the fuel consumption rate mode, the control unit 243 may also calculate the actual values ​​of the speed and fuel consumption rate based on the distance from the departure point to the current position and the fuel consumption to date, and use these actual values ​​to calculate the fuel consumption rate and arrival time to the destination. The control unit 243 can calculate the fuel consumption rate, ground speed, and arrival time from the current position to the destination taking into account the actual values. In this mode, the influence of interference that is difficult to predict is included in the actual value, so a more accurate fuel consumption rate can be calculated without predicting the interference. If the influence of interference such as weather conditions and tidal currents from the current position to the destination is taken into account, a more accurate predicted value can be calculated.

[0112] In the safety mode, in order to improve the motion performance of the ship, for example, the engine output is increased when turning at a low speed to improve the turning performance. In addition, in the safety mode, the optimal propulsion force for changing the route can also be calculated according to the nautical chart, and the steering engine 209 and the propulsion generating device 207 can be controlled simultaneously based on the calculated propulsion force.

[0113] The display unit may also display the fuel consumption rate. During acceleration, the fuel consumption rate during acceleration is displayed, and when the engine is operated at a fixed number of revolutions, the fuel consumption rate during constant speed operation is displayed. The displayed fuel consumption rate is changed according to the operating state. As the fuel consumption rate during acceleration, there is the fuel consumption per hour for output (g / kWh), or a value obtained by the formula: acceleration ÷ (instantaneous fuel amount - steady fuel amount).

[0114] [Third Embodiment]

[0115] Energy is used in various situations, such as energy for propelling the ship when the ship is sailing, energy for turning the ship, etc. A technology for comprehensively managing the energy required for sailing a ship has not yet been established.

[0116] In order to solve such a problem, a ship control device in one embodiment is a control device for controlling a ship, the ship having a plurality of propulsion generating devices and a plurality of traveling direction control devices, the ship control device including:

[0117] A time acquisition unit, which acquires a target time to arrive at a destination;

[0118] a calculation unit that calculates energy consumed when arriving at a destination before a target time along a designated route to the destination during automatic navigation control, the calculation unit calculating a total energy consumed for each of a plurality of modes formed by a combination of at least one of a plurality of propulsion generating devices and at least one of a plurality of traveling direction control devices; and

[0119] The propulsion control unit propels the ship using the propulsion force generation device and the traveling direction control device included in the mode with the least energy consumption calculated by the calculation unit among the plurality of modes.

[0120] In one embodiment, a ship control device is a control device for controlling a ship, the ship including a propulsion generating device and a plurality of traveling direction control devices, and the ship control device includes:

[0121] A time acquisition unit, which acquires a target time for the ship to arrive at the destination;

[0122] a calculation unit that calculates energy consumed when arriving at a destination before a target time along a designated route to the destination during automatic navigation control, the calculation unit calculating a total energy consumption for each of a plurality of modes formed by at least one of the plurality of travel direction control devices; and

[0123] The traveling direction control unit controls the traveling direction of the ship based on the mode with the least energy consumption calculated by the calculation unit among the plurality of modes, using the traveling direction control device included in the mode.

[0124] In addition, a ship control device in one embodiment includes a traveling direction control device and a plurality of propulsion force generating devices, and the ship control device includes:

[0125] A time acquisition unit, which acquires a target time for the ship to arrive at the destination;

[0126] a calculation unit that calculates the energy consumed when arriving at a destination before a target time along a designated route to the destination during automatic navigation control, the calculation unit calculating a total energy consumed for each of a plurality of modes formed by at least one of the plurality of propulsion generating devices; and

[0127] The propulsion control unit propels the ship using the propulsion generating device included in the mode having the least energy consumption calculated by the calculation unit, among the plurality of modes.

[0128] Figure 4300 is a block diagram of a ship. The ship 300 includes a propulsion generating device 301, a traveling direction control device 303, and a control device 305. The propulsion generating device 301 includes multiple mechanisms such as an engine, a motor, a sail, and a variable pitch propeller that provide propulsion to the ship. The traveling direction control device 303 includes multiple mechanisms such as a steering gear and a side thruster that change the direction of the bow of the ship.

[0129] The control device 305 includes a calculation unit 307, a control unit 309, and a time acquisition unit 311. The time acquisition unit 311 acquires the target time for the ship to arrive at the destination. The target time is the time input by the operator. The calculation unit 307 calculates the energy consumption when sailing according to the designated route to the destination during automatic navigation control. More specifically, the calculation unit 307 has information related to the energy consumption of each of the multiple mechanisms of the propulsion generating device 301 and the energy consumption of each of the multiple mechanisms of the traveling direction control device 303. The information related to the energy consumption can be a theoretical value or information obtained based on past information statistics. The calculation unit 307 calculates the total energy consumption for each of the multiple modes formed by the combination of at least one of the multiple mechanisms of the propulsion generating device 301 and at least one of the multiple mechanisms of the traveling direction control device 303 when sailing according to the designated route. The calculation unit 307 calculates the total energy consumption when navigating the designated route using only the engine and the steering gear under the calculated multiple modes, for example, and the total energy consumption when navigating the designated route using the engine, motor, steering gear, and lateral thruster in combination. In addition, the calculation unit 307 calculates the navigation speed for all combinations, thereby dividing all combinations into combinations that cannot reach the destination before the target time and combinations that can reach the destination before the target time. In addition, in the above-mentioned multiple modes, the engine or motor and the propeller (variable pitch propeller or fixed pitch propeller) are always processed in groups. In other words, the above-mentioned multiple modes always include any one of the combination of the engine and the variable pitch propeller, the combination of the engine and the fixed pitch propeller, the combination of the motor and the variable pitch propeller, and the combination of the motor and the fixed pitch propeller. In the case where the variable pitch propeller is included in the combination, the change in energy consumption caused by controlling the blade angle of the variable pitch propeller is considered. The calculation unit 307 calculates the energy consumption for all combinations that can reach the destination before the target time. The calculation unit 307 may also take into account information related to disturbances such as wind and tidal currents.

[0130] The control unit 309 selects a mode that can reach the destination before the target time and consumes the least energy calculated by the calculation unit 307 from the plurality of modes, and controls the ship using only the mechanism included in the selected mode. In addition, when it is expected that the weather conditions or tides will change in the middle of the route, the mechanism to be used may be switched, such as using the engine to travel halfway through the designated route and then using the sail to travel.

[0131] [Fourth embodiment]

[0132] Conventionally, it is known to refer to data related to disturbances such as tidal currents and winds in order to formulate a navigation plan. Currently, tidal current data and wind speed data that are often used are data based on simulations.

[0133] There is a requirement for a system to collect measured values ​​of interference.

[0134] In order to solve this problem, an interference data collection system in one embodiment has:

[0135] an information collection unit that collects information on the speed over the ground, the speed over the water, the position information of the ships, and the traveling directions of the ships of a plurality of ships in navigation; and

[0136] The calculation unit calculates the speed and direction of the disturbance in the sea area corresponding to the position information based on the information collected by the information collection unit.

[0137] In this case, it can also be,

[0138] The interference data collection system includes a transmission unit that transmits the calculation result of the calculation unit to an electronic chart display system shared via a network.

[0139] Figure 5 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an interference data collection system. The interference data collection system 400 is connected to a plurality of ships S via a network. The interference data collection system 400 comprises: an information collection unit 401 that collects information related to ground speed, water speed, position information of the ship, and the traveling direction of the ship from a plurality of ships; a calculation unit 403 that calculates the speed influence and direction of interference including tidal current and wind in the sea area corresponding to the position information based on the information collected by the information collection unit 401; and a transmission unit 405.

[0140] Figure 6 The schematic top view of the ship is shown. The calculation unit 403 calculates the disturbance of the surrounding sea area of ​​each ship based on the ship's ground speed, water speed, position information and travel direction. The disturbance (indicated by a dashed line) is calculated as the sum of the vector represented by the ground speed and its direction (indicated by a solid line) and the vector represented by the water speed and its direction (indicated by a dotted line).

[0141] Return to Figure 5 The sending unit 405 calculates the interference of the surrounding sea area of ​​each ship, and sends the calculation result in association with the position information to the electronic chart display system 407. The electronic chart display system 407 sends the received information as follows: Figure 7 The interference data based on the actual measurement values ​​can be shared on the electronic chart as shown. In addition, by obtaining the interference data based on the actual measurement values, the prediction accuracy of the interference change can be improved. In addition, the interference impact on each ship is not necessarily the same. A unique coefficient representing the degree of interference impact can be determined for each ship, and the size of the interference can be calculated based on the coefficient.

[0142] [Fifth embodiment]

[0143] In the past, it was known that steering control was performed by considering the influence of disturbances such as tides and wind. The steering angle and the turning length are not necessarily proportional to each other because they are affected by the ship's sailing speed in addition to the disturbances such as tides and wind. The inventors have obtained the following new idea: the load of the ship is closely related to the propulsion resistance of the hull, which also affects the turning length.

[0144] In order to solve such a problem, a turning control device in one embodiment is used to control the turning of a ship, and the ship includes: a steering gear for turning the ship; and a turning command unit that outputs a command including a turning direction and a turning amount of the ship.

[0145] The turning control device has:

[0146] a turning instruction acquisition unit that acquires an instruction from the turning instruction unit; and

[0147] the estimation section, which estimates the propulsion resistance of the vessel;

[0148] a correction unit that corrects the target rudder angle value so as to increase the target rudder angle value when the propulsion resistance increases compared with the reference value, and corrects the target rudder angle value so as to decrease the target rudder angle value when the propulsion resistance decreases compared with the reference value, the target rudder angle value indicating an angle of a steering gear for turning the ship according to the command; and

[0149] The steering gear control unit controls the steering gear according to the corrected target steering angle value.

[0150] In this case, the estimation unit may estimate the propulsion resistance at each of the first time point and a second time point after the first time point, and the steering gear control unit may compare the propulsion resistance estimated at the second time point with the propulsion resistance estimated at the first time point as a reference value.

[0151] In this case, the turning control device may include:

[0152] a position acquisition unit that acquires position information of the vessel; and

[0153] A detection unit detects the entry and departure of ships based on the position information,

[0154] The estimation unit estimates the propulsion resistance based on the detection result of the detection unit, with the first time point being before the ship enters the port and the second time point being after the ship leaves the port.

[0155] In this case, the estimation unit may estimate the propulsion resistance based on the propulsion force and the water speed of the ship.

[0156] In this case, the estimation unit may estimate the propulsion resistance based on the rudder angle, the propulsion force, and the amount of change in the azimuth, or may estimate the propulsion resistance based on the rudder angle, the propulsion force, and the turning radius.

[0157] Figure 8 is the block diagram of a ship. Figure 8 As shown, the ship 500 includes a telegraph 501, a steering unit 503 as a turning command unit, an engine 505, a steering gear 507, a control device 509, and a speed governor 511. The target speed of the engine 505 is input to the telegraph 501 by the control of the operator. The steering unit 503 inputs a command including the turning direction and the turning amount of the ship. The steering unit 503 inputs a rudder angle command to the control device 509. The rudder angle command may be a value manually input by the operator or a value determined based on automatic navigation control.

[0158] The control device 509 includes: an estimation unit 513 that estimates the propulsion resistance; a correction unit 515 that corrects the target rudder angle value; a rudder angle control unit 517; a position acquisition unit 519 that acquires the position information of the ship; and a detection unit 521 that detects the entry and exit of the ship based on the position information. The estimation unit 513 estimates the propulsion resistance based on the propulsion force and the water speed of the ship. The estimation unit 513 can also estimate the propulsion resistance based on the change amount of the rudder angle, the propulsion force and the azimuth, or estimate the propulsion resistance based on the rudder angle, the propulsion force and the turning radius. The correction unit 515 corrects the target rudder angle value based on the increase or decrease of the propulsion resistance. Specifically, when the propulsion resistance increases compared with the reference value, the correction unit 515 corrects the target rudder angle value in a manner that increases the target rudder angle value, which represents the angle of the steering gear 507 used to turn the ship 500 according to the instruction. In addition, when the propulsion resistance decreases compared with the reference value, the correction unit 515 corrects the target rudder angle value in a manner that decreases the target rudder angle value. The reference value is a predetermined value determined based on past propulsion resistance and target rudder angle value.

[0159] The estimation unit 513 may estimate the propulsion resistance at each of the first time point and the second time point after the first time point. In this case, the control device 509 uses the propulsion resistance estimated at the first time point as a reference value and compares it with the propulsion resistance estimated at the second time point. In addition, the first time point is before the ship enters the port, and the second time point is after the ship leaves the port. Thus, even if the amount of cargo changes after entering the port and the propulsion resistance of the ship changes, the target rudder angle value can be appropriately corrected.

[0160] The steering angle control unit 517 controls the steering gear 507 based on the corrected steering angle command in consideration of the change in responsiveness due to the increase in resistance.

[0161] In addition, the kinematic performance based on the rudder angle, especially the turning radius, is affected by the mass of the entire ship including the cargo (the influence of inertia). Therefore, the change in the mass of the entire ship caused by loading the cargo can be calculated based on the increase in the amount of fuel input, and this mass change can be taken into account when correcting the rudder angle command.

[0162] [Sixth embodiment]

[0163] As described in the fifth embodiment, in the current prior art, there is no useful solution to the problem of reduced motion performance of a ship due to loading of cargo and fuel. The reduced motion performance has a particularly large impact on the situation of sailing on an evasive route in an emergency or the like.

[0164] In order to solve such a problem, a turning control device in one embodiment is used to control the turning of a ship, and the ship includes: a steering gear for turning the ship; and a rudder angle command unit that outputs a rudder angle command including a turning direction and a turning amount of the ship.

[0165] The turning control device has:

[0166] A location acquisition unit, which acquires the current location;

[0167] A rudder angle command acquisition unit, which acquires a rudder angle command;

[0168] a correction unit, which corrects the steering angle command acquired by the steering angle command acquisition unit according to the current position; and

[0169] The sending unit sends the corrected steering angle command to the steering gear.

[0170] In this case, it can also be,

[0171] When the current position indicates a harbor, the correction unit corrects the steering angle command so as to increase the steering angle command.

[0172] Fig. 9It is a block diagram of a ship. The turning control device 600 includes a position acquisition unit 601, a rudder angle instruction acquisition unit 603, and a correction unit 605. The ship V6 includes a steering gear 607 controlled by the turning control device 600. The position acquisition unit 601 acquires position information using information from the GPS and information from the electronic nautical chart. The position information includes information on whether the current position is in a specified area such as a bay where the navigation speed is restricted. The rudder angle instruction acquisition unit 603 acquires a rudder angle instruction indicating the steering angle. The rudder angle instruction can be a value manually input by the operator or a value determined based on automatic navigation control.

[0173] The correction unit 605 corrects the rudder angle command based on the position information, and outputs the corrected rudder angle command to the steering gear 607. For example, just after loading fuel and cargo in a harbor, the ship's motion performance decreases. In addition, depending on the quality of the fuel replenished in the harbor, the engine output for the amount of fuel used may sometimes decrease. Therefore, in a sea area where sharp turns may be made, such as in a harbor, the correction unit 605 corrects the input rudder angle command to increase the rudder angle command under the premise that the ship's motion performance decreases. The increase in the rudder angle command can be a predetermined amount, or it can be an amount determined according to the weight based on the estimated increased weight. The correction unit 605 does not need to maintain the temporarily determined correction amount, and can gradually reduce the correction amount over time. As a result, even if it is assumed that the driving performance is reduced, evasive action can be appropriately performed.

[0174] When the correction unit 605 determines based on the position information that the ship is out to sea, etc., it ends the correction of the steering angle command.

[0175] [Seventh embodiment]

[0176] A technology for improving the turning performance of a ship is proposed.

[0177] In order to solve this problem, a turning control device in one embodiment is used to control the turning of a ship, and the ship includes: a main engine; a steering gear, which is used to turn the ship; a rudder angle command unit, which outputs a rudder angle command including a turning direction and a turning amount; and an output command unit, which outputs an output command of the main engine,

[0178] The turning control device has:

[0179] An output acquisition unit, which acquires an output instruction;

[0180] A rudder angle command acquisition unit, which acquires a rudder angle command;

[0181] a correction unit that performs correction to decrease the steering angle command when the output of the main engine is equal to or greater than an output threshold, and performs correction to increase the steering angle command when the output of the main engine is less than the output threshold; and

[0182] The sending unit sends the corrected steering angle command to the steering gear.

[0183] Fig.10 The turning control device 700 includes a propulsion force acquisition unit 701, a steering angle command acquisition unit 703, a correction unit 705, and a transmission unit 707. In addition to the turning control device 700, the ship V7 also includes a steering gear 709 and a propulsion force generation device 711. The turning control device 700 sends the calculated steering angle correction value to the steering gear 709 of the ship V7 to control the steering angle.

[0184] The propulsion force acquisition unit 701 acquires propulsion force information of the propulsion force generating device 711. The propulsion force generating device 711 includes an engine 713 and a variable pitch propeller 715 for generating propulsion force. The propulsion force information of the engine 713 is the engine speed, and the propulsion force information of the variable pitch propeller 715 is the blade angle. The rudder angle command acquisition unit 703 acquires a rudder angle command indicating a steering angle. The rudder angle command may be a value manually input by an operator or a value determined based on automatic navigation control. The correction unit 705 corrects the rudder angle command according to the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 711. When the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 711 is large, the correction unit 705 reduces the rudder angle command, and when the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 711 is small, the correction unit 705 increases the rudder angle command. The correction unit 705 determines whether the propulsion force is large or small based on the judgment of whether the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 711 is above or below the propulsion force threshold. The amount of correction of the steering angle command may be a fixed amount or an amount determined according to the amount of propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 711. The steering angle command corrected by the correction unit 705 is transmitted to the steering engine 709 by the transmission unit 707.

[0185] In a situation where the turning performance is high (the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 711 is large), the steering angle command can be reduced, and in a situation where the turning performance is low (the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 711 is small), the steering angle command can be increased. Thus, stable turning performance can be obtained.

[0186] [Eighth embodiment]

[0187] A technology for improving the turning performance of a ship is proposed.

[0188] In order to solve this problem, a turning control device in one embodiment includes:

[0189] a steering angle command acquiring unit, which acquires a steering angle command; and

[0190] an output instruction input unit to which an output instruction is input; and

[0191] The correction unit performs correction to increase the output when the steering angle command is large, and performs correction to decrease the output when the steering angle command is small.

[0192] Fig.11 800 includes a propulsion command input unit 801, a rudder angle command acquisition unit 803, and a correction unit 805. In addition, the turning control device 800 is configured in the ship V8. The ship V8 includes a steering gear 807 and a propulsion force generating device 809. The turning control device 800 supplies the propulsion force calculated by the correction unit 805 to the propulsion force generating device 809 to control the propulsion force.

[0193] The propulsion command of the propulsion generating device 809 is input to the propulsion command input unit 801 from an input device such as a telegraph. The propulsion generating device 809 includes an engine 811 and a variable pitch propeller 813 for generating propulsion. The propulsion command of the engine 811 is the engine speed, and the propulsion command of the variable pitch propeller 813 is the blade angle. The rudder angle command acquisition unit 803 acquires the rudder angle command indicating the steering angle. The rudder angle command can be a value manually input by the operator or a value determined based on automatic navigation control. The correction unit 805 corrects the propulsion command in response to the rudder angle command. The correction unit 805 increases the propulsion when the rudder angle command is large, and reduces the propulsion when the rudder angle command is small. The correction unit 805 determines whether the rudder angle command is large or small based on whether the rudder angle command is above or below the rudder angle threshold. The amount of correction of the propulsion can be quantitative or determined according to the amount of propulsion of the propulsion generating device 809.

[0194] When the steering angle command is large, the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 809 is increased to improve the turning performance, and when the steering angle command is small, the propulsion force of the propulsion force generating device 809 is reduced to reduce the fuel consumption rate. Thus, stable turning performance can be obtained.

[0195] In addition, a speed acquisition unit for acquiring the current speed of the ship can be provided in the turning control device 800, and the steering angle command can be corrected according to the speed. In this case, the correction unit decreases the steering angle command when the speed is above the speed threshold, and increases the steering angle command when the speed is below the speed threshold.

[0196] In addition, a propulsion control device that uses the same control to control the propulsion force may also be configured. In this case, the propulsion control device includes a propulsion command acquisition unit that acquires the propulsion command output from the propulsion command unit of the ship. The correction unit performs correction to increase the propulsion force when the rudder angle command is large, and performs correction to reduce the propulsion force when the rudder angle command is small.

[0197] [Ninth embodiment]

[0198] A technology for improving the turning performance of a ship is proposed.

[0199] In order to solve this problem, a ballast control device in one embodiment is used to control the ballast of a ship, the ship includes a rudder angle command unit, the rudder angle command unit outputs a rudder angle command including a turning direction and a turning amount, and the ballast control device has:

[0200] a port ballast adjustment part, which adjusts the amount of ballast water on the port side;

[0201] a starboard ballast adjustment unit, which adjusts the amount of ballast water on the starboard side;

[0202] a steering angle command acquiring unit, which acquires a steering angle command; and

[0203] The ballast determination unit determines the ballast water amount based on the rudder angle command so that the amount of water on the inner side of the turn of the port ballast adjustment unit and the starboard ballast adjustment unit is greater than the amount of water on the outer side of the turn.

[0204] Fig.12 It is a block diagram of a ship. The ballast control device 900 is applied to a ship V9 having a port ballast tank 901L and a starboard ballast tank 901R which are arranged on the left and right and are independent of each other. The ship control system includes a port ballast adjustment unit 903L for adjusting the amount of water in the port ballast tank 901L and a starboard ballast adjustment unit 903R for adjusting the amount of water in the starboard ballast tank 901R. The ballast control device 900 includes a rudder angle instruction acquisition unit 905 for acquiring a rudder angle instruction and a ballast determination unit 907 for determining the amount of ballast water on the left and right. The rudder angle instruction can be a value manually input by an operator or a value determined based on automatic navigation control.

[0205] The ballast determination unit 907 determines the ballast water volume based on the rudder angle command so that the water volume on the inner side of the turn is larger than the water volume on the outer side of the turn. When determining the ballast water volume, the ballast determination unit 907 adjusts only the ballast water volume of one side to increase or decrease, or reduces the ballast water volume of one side and increases the ballast water volume of the other side based on the current ballast water volume. The ballast determination unit 907 outputs the result to the port ballast adjustment unit 903L and the starboard ballast adjustment unit 903R.

[0206] Figure 13 to Figure 15 This is the main view of the ship. Fig.13 The state where the ballast water amounts of the port ballast water tank 901L and the starboard ballast water tank 901R are the same is shown. Fig.14 The state in which the ballast water amount of the starboard ballast water tank 901R is increased and the ballast water amount of the port ballast water tank 901L is reduced is shown. In this state, the hull is tilted toward the starboard side, and the turning performance toward the starboard side is improved. Fig.15The state in which the ballast water amount of the port ballast water tank 901L is increased and the ballast water amount of the starboard ballast water tank 901R is reduced is shown. In this state, the hull is tilted toward the port side, and the turning performance of the ship toward the port side is improved.

[0207] When the ship is navigating along a designated route during automatic navigation control, the ballast determination unit 907 may start adjusting the ballast amount before reaching a turning point on the designated route.

[0208] In addition, the adjustment amount of the port ballast tank 901L and the starboard ballast tank 901R can be calculated based on the predetermined speed and turning radius. When the speed over the ground is fast and the turning radius is small, the difference in water volume between the port ballast tank 901L and the starboard ballast tank 901R is increased.

[0209] [10th embodiment]

[0210] Provided is a technology for reducing the amount of deviation from a designated route during automatic navigation control.

[0211] In order to solve such a problem, a traveling direction control device in one embodiment is a traveling direction control device for a ship equipped with a steering gear, and includes:

[0212] A designated route management unit for managing a designated route formed by connecting a plurality of passing points;

[0213] a direction determination unit that determines the direction of the ship when passing through the nth passing point by considering the positional relationship between the nth passing point and the n+1th passing point closest to the specified route in the traveling direction; and

[0214] The steering angle control unit controls the steering gear based on the direction determined by the direction determination unit.

[0215] Fig.16 1 is a block diagram of a ship. The traveling direction control device 1000 includes a designated route management unit 1001, a posture determination unit 1003, and a rudder angle control unit 1005. The designated route management unit 1001 stores a designated route to be followed during automatic navigation control, and the posture determination unit 1003 reads the designated route as needed. The traveling direction control device 1000 controls the steering engine 1007 of the ship V10.

[0216] The posture determination unit 1003 determines the posture of the ship based on the designated route. The posture of the ship in this embodiment refers to the direction of the bow. Fig.17An example of a designated route is shown. The posture determination unit 1003 determines the rudder angle (the ship S1 represented by the dotted line) so that the bow of the ship is directed toward the n+1th passing point when passing the nth passing point based on the positional relationship between the nearest nth passing point and the n+1th passing point in the traveling direction. It is also possible that at the nth passing point, the bow of the ship is not completely directed toward the n+1th passing point and there is a certain degree of error. That is, as long as Fig.17 As indicated by the dot-dash line, the ship may start the rudder angle control so that the bow faces the n+1th passing point before reaching the nth passing point (ship S2).

[0217] [11th embodiment]

[0218] Provided is a system for calculating an optimal ship's posture before leaving a port, thereby reducing the ship's fuel consumption rate.

[0219] In order to solve this problem, a ship posture calculation system in one embodiment has:

[0220] an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of sea conditions information and weather information at a predetermined point in a route on which the ship is sailing;

[0221] a prediction unit that predicts a change in the ship's posture due to a disturbance at a predetermined location based on the acquired information;

[0222] a posture estimating unit that estimates a posture of the ship for eliminating a change in the predicted ship posture;

[0223] an arrangement determination unit that determines the arrangement of the cargo in the cargo hold of the ship so as to achieve the estimated posture of the ship at a predetermined point; and

[0224] A notification unit notifies the boat operator of the determined configuration.

[0225] In this case, it is preferable that the information acquisition unit acquires at least one of sea conditions information and weather information at a plurality of locations in the route.

[0226] The prediction unit predicts changes in the ship's posture due to disturbances at each of the plurality of locations.

[0227] The posture estimation unit estimates a posture for eliminating changes in the ship's posture at each point.

[0228] The ship attitude calculation system further includes a calculation unit that calculates a fuel consumption rate when the ship is traveling on a route in the attitude calculated based on the estimation result of the attitude estimation unit in a state without interference.

[0229] The arrangement determination unit determines the arrangement of the loaded object so as to achieve an optimal fuel consumption rate based on the calculation result of the calculation unit.

[0230] Fig.18 The ship posture calculation system 1100 includes an information acquisition unit 1101, a prediction unit 1103, a posture estimation unit 1105, a configuration determination unit 1107, and a notification unit 1109. The ship posture calculation system 1100 calculates the optimal posture of the ship before loading cargo on the ship, and outputs the optimal configuration of the cargo.

[0231] The information acquisition unit 1101 acquires sea condition information and weather information at a predetermined location on a predetermined route from outside the system. The prediction unit 1103 predicts the change in the hull posture caused by interference at a predetermined location based on the information obtained from the sea condition information and weather information. The posture estimation unit 1105 estimates the posture of the ship for eliminating the predicted change in the hull posture. For example, when it is predicted that the interference from the starboard side to the port side is strong due to the influence of the crosswind and the tide, the posture estimation unit 1105 calculates the posture for moving the center of gravity of the ship to the starboard side. In addition, when it is predicted that there is almost no interference influence, the posture for maintaining the center of gravity of the ship is calculated. The configuration determination unit 1107 determines the configuration of the load in the cargo hold of the ship based on the estimation result of the posture estimation unit 1105. Depending on the total amount and shape of the cargo, there is a situation where there is no configuration that can obtain the posture estimated by the posture estimation unit 1105. In such a case, the configuration determination unit 1107 determines the configuration for making the posture of the ship in the unloaded state close to the posture estimated by the posture estimation unit 1105.

[0232] The decision result of the arrangement decision unit 1107 is output to the notification unit 1109 and can be used as an instruction when loading cargo.

[0233] [12th embodiment]

[0234] Conventionally, the bow direction is generally changed by using a rudder. When the bow direction is changed at a small angle, the rudder control is repeated until the desired direction is obtained, which leads to an increase in fuel consumption.

[0235] The twelfth embodiment provides a rudder control device capable of performing minute angle control while suppressing deterioration in fuel consumption rate.

[0236] In order to solve this problem, a turning control device in one embodiment is used to control the turning of a ship, and the ship includes: two propulsion resistance reducing units, which are independently provided on two sides of the ship and are used to reduce the propulsion resistance of the ship; and a turning instruction unit, which indicates the turning direction and turning amount of the ship.

[0237] The turning control device has:

[0238] a turning instruction acquisition unit that acquires an instruction from the turning instruction unit; and

[0239] The resistance control unit controls the two propulsion resistance reducing units so that the reduction amount of the propulsion resistance on the inner side of the turning direction is smaller than the reduction amount of the propulsion resistance on the outer side of the turning direction when receiving the instruction from the turning instruction unit.

[0240] In this case, it can also be,

[0241] The resistance control unit includes a steering angle command output unit that outputs a command for controlling a steering gear of the ship.

[0242] According to this configuration, the resistance control unit and the steering gear can be used simultaneously to realize the steering angle based on the steering angle command and suppress the deterioration of the fuel consumption rate.

[0243] In this case, it can also be,

[0244] When the steering angle command is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, the control value is supplied only to the steering angle control unit.

[0245] According to this configuration, when the steering angle command is large, the steering angle is controlled only by the steering gear, and incomplete steering can be suppressed.

[0246] In this case, it can also be,

[0247] The turning control device includes a resistance information acquisition unit that acquires hull resistance information.

[0248] The turning control device supplies a control value to the first resistance control device and the second resistance control device based on the hull resistance information.

[0249] In this case, it can also be,

[0250] The two drag control devices are bubble generating devices that generate bubbles under the boat.

[0251] In this case, it can also be,

[0252] The bubble generating device includes a plurality of discharge ports for discharging bubbles to the starboard side and the port side, respectively, so that the amount of bubbles discharged from the discharge ports on the inner side of the turn is smaller than the amount of bubbles discharged from the discharge ports on the outer side of the turn.

[0253] Fig.191 is a block diagram of a ship. The ship 1200 includes a turning control device 1201 and a steering gear 1203. The turning control device 1201 includes a first resistance control device 1205 provided on the port side, a second resistance control device 1207 provided on the starboard side, and a steering gear control unit 1209 for controlling the steering gear 1203. The first resistance control device 1205 and the second resistance control device 1207 constitute a resistance control unit. The first resistance control device 1205 and the second resistance control device 1207 are composed of a microbubble generating device that is arranged on the side of the hull to reduce the hull resistance. The turning control device 1201 includes: a steering angle command acquisition unit 1211 that acquires a steering angle command; and a control value supply unit 1213 that supplies a control value to the first resistance control device 1205, the second resistance control device 1207, and the steering gear control unit 1209 based on the steering angle command.

[0254] The first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 reduces the resistance of one side of the hull to turn the hull, so the limit of the rudder angle that can be achieved (called the first rudder angle threshold) is smaller than the limit of the rudder angle that can be achieved by the steering gear 1203. When the rudder angle command is smaller than the rudder angle threshold, the control value supply unit 1213 supplies the control value only to the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207, thereby turning the hull while suppressing the fuel consumption rate. When the rudder angle command is greater than the rudder angle threshold, the control value supply unit 1213 performs a turn at an angle equivalent to the rudder angle threshold through the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207. The control value supply unit 1213 performs a turn at an angle that is insufficient for the turn performed by the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 through the steering gear 1203. Furthermore, when the steering angle command is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (referred to as a second steering angle threshold), the control value supply unit 1213 operates the steering gear 1203 in accordance with the original steering angle command.

[0255] The turning control device 1201 includes a hull resistance information acquisition unit 1215 for acquiring hull resistance information. The hull resistance information may be a predetermined value or a value calculated based on the following coefficients: a hull resistance coefficient K1 based on meteorological conditions such as wind or tidal current, draft, and gross weight of the hull; and a coefficient K2 based on the performance of the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207. This will be described later.

[0256] Fig. 201 is a flowchart showing the control process of the turning control device. When the rudder angle instruction acquisition unit 1211 acquires the rudder angle instruction, a series of processes are started. In step S11, the control value supply unit 1213 determines whether the rudder angle instruction is less than the first rudder angle threshold. When the rudder angle instruction is less than the first rudder angle threshold (step S11: "Yes"), in step S12, the control value supply unit 1213 supplies a control value based on the rudder angle instruction to the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207, and turns the hull only by the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207. When the rudder angle instruction is greater than the first rudder angle threshold (step S11: "No"), in step S13, the control value supply unit 1213 determines whether the rudder angle instruction is less than the second rudder angle threshold. When the steering angle command is less than the second steering angle threshold value (step S13: Yes), in step S14, the control value supply unit 1213 supplies the control value to either the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 and the steering gear control unit 1209. When the steering angle command is greater than or equal to the second steering angle threshold value (step S13: No), in step S15, the control value supply unit 1213 supplies the control value to the steering gear control unit 1209.

[0257] The method by which the control value supply unit 1213 calculates the control value supplied to the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 is described. The control value supply unit 1213 obtains the hull resistance information and the rudder angle command, and calculates Δμ in a manner that satisfies the formula: rudder angle command = K1 × K2 × Δμ. The value Δμ is a value obtained by subtracting the starboard hull resistance from the port hull resistance. When turning the hull to the port side, the resistance on the port side is made greater than the resistance on the starboard side to satisfy the inequality: Δμ ≥ 0. At this time, only the first resistance control device 1205 may be controlled, or both the first resistance control device 1205 and the second resistance control device 1207 may be controlled. When both are controlled, the control value is calculated to satisfy the formula: port resistance value = starboard resistance value + Δμ.

[0258] When a microbubble generating device is used as the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 , the amount of bubbles discharged may be adjusted in the microbubble generating device.

[0259] Fig.211 is a schematic structural diagram of a microbubble generating device. The microbubble generating device 1221 is arranged on the left and right sides of the hull in a manner of sandwiching the hull centerline L. The microbubble generating device 1221 has a plurality of bubble holes 1223. Bubbles are released from each bubble hole 1223. Air is supplied to the left and right microbubble generating devices 1221 from independently controlled compressors. The control value supply unit 1213 makes the bubble discharge amount of the bubble hole 1223 on the inner side of the turn less than the bubble discharge amount of the bubble hole 1223 on the outer side of the turn. As a result, the resistance on the inner side of the turn is higher than the resistance on the outer side of the turn, which can improve the turning performance.

[0260] [13th embodiment]

[0261] Provided is a technique capable of calculating the acceleration fuel consumption rate when a ship accelerates.

[0262] In order to solve the problem, a fuel consumption rate calculation device in one embodiment calculates a fuel consumption rate of a ship, the ship including a main engine that transmits rotational power to a propeller, and the fuel consumption rate calculation device includes:

[0263] an acceleration calculation unit for calculating the acceleration when accelerating from the first speed to the second speed;

[0264] a determination unit that determines whether the calculated acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; and

[0265] The calculation unit calculates the fuel consumption rate during acceleration based on the required time from the first time point to the second time point and the amount of fuel injected into the main engine during the period from the first time point to the second time point.

[0266] Fig. 22 The block diagram of a ship equipped with a fuel consumption rate calculation device is shown in FIG. The ship 1300 is equipped with a propulsion generating device 1301 and a fuel consumption rate calculation device 1303. The propulsion generating device 1301 is equipped with an engine 1305 and a propeller 1307. The fuel consumption rate calculation device 1303 is equipped with an acceleration calculation unit 1309, a determination unit 1311, and a calculation unit 1313.

[0267] The acceleration calculation unit 1309 calculates the acceleration based on the change in speed per unit time when accelerating from the first speed to the second speed. The judgment unit 1311 judges whether the calculated acceleration is greater than a predetermined value. The calculation unit 1313 calculates the fuel consumption rate during acceleration based on the required time from the first time point to the second time point and the amount of fuel input to the engine 1305 during the period from the first time point to the second time point.

[0268] By calculating the fuel consumption rate during acceleration in this way, it is possible to improve the calculation accuracy of the fuel consumption rate until reaching the destination.

Claims

1. A propulsion control device for controlling a propulsion generating device of a ship, the propulsion control device comprising: a speed acquisition unit, which acquires a target speed of the ship and a current speed of the ship; a propulsion force instruction unit that outputs an instruction to the propulsion force generating device to generate a propulsion force that makes the current speed approach the target speed; A position acquisition unit, which acquires the current position of the ship; a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a joystick for controlling the number of revolutions of a main engine of the propulsion force generating device; an actual number of revolutions obtaining unit, which obtains the actual number of revolutions of the host; a rotation number instruction unit that outputs an instruction of a target rotation number of the host machine based on the actual rotation number and the position of the joystick; as well as a control unit, wherein if the current position is within a specified area, the control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on an instruction from the propulsion command unit, and if the current position is outside the specified area, the control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on an instruction from the rotation number command unit, The propulsion force command unit calculates a target rotation speed of the main engine based on a difference between the target speed and the current speed.

2. A propulsion control device for controlling a propulsion generating device of a ship, the propulsion control device comprising: a speed acquisition unit, which acquires a target speed of the ship and a current speed of the ship; a propulsion force instruction unit that outputs an instruction to the propulsion force generating device to generate a propulsion force that makes the current speed approach the target speed; A position acquisition unit, which acquires the current position of the ship; Another ship position acquisition unit, which acquires the position of another ship; a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a joystick for controlling the number of revolutions of a main engine of the propulsion force generating device; an actual number of revolutions obtaining unit, which obtains the actual number of revolutions of the host; a rotation number instruction unit that outputs an instruction of a target rotation number of the host machine based on the actual rotation number and the position of the joystick; as well as a control unit, wherein if the current position of the ship indicates a specified area in the bay and the distance between the current position and the position of the other ship is less than a distance threshold, the control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on a command from the propulsion command unit, and if the current position of the ship indicates an open sea and the distance between the current position and the position of the other ship is greater than the distance threshold, the control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on a command from the rotation speed command unit, The propulsion force command unit calculates a target rotation speed of the main engine based on a difference between the target speed and the current speed.

3. A propulsion control device for controlling a propulsion generating device of a ship, the propulsion control device comprising: a speed acquisition unit, which acquires a target speed of the ship and a current speed of the ship; a propulsion force instruction unit that outputs an instruction to the propulsion force generating device to generate a propulsion force that makes the current speed approach the target speed; A ship information acquisition unit, which acquires the current position of the ship and the direction of the ship; an other ship information acquisition unit, which acquires the position of other ships, the speed of the other ships, and the direction of the other ships; a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a joystick for controlling the number of revolutions of a main engine of the propulsion force generating device; an actual number of revolutions obtaining unit, which obtains the actual number of revolutions of the host; a rotation number instruction unit that outputs an instruction of a target rotation number of the host machine based on the actual rotation number and the position of the joystick; as well as a control unit that calculates a degree of danger based on the information acquired by the ship information acquisition unit and the speed acquisition unit, and the information acquired by the other ship information acquisition unit, and that causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on an instruction from the propulsion command unit if the calculated degree of danger is above a threshold value of danger, and that causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on an instruction from the rotation speed command unit if the degree of danger is less than the threshold value of danger, The propulsion force command unit calculates a target rotation speed of the main engine based on a difference between the target speed and the current speed. If the calculated risk level is equal to or higher than the risk level threshold, the target speed is set to coincide with the speed of the other ship.

4. A propulsion control device for controlling a propulsion generating device of a ship, the propulsion control device comprising: a speed acquisition unit, which acquires a target speed of the ship and a current speed of the ship; a propulsion force instruction unit that outputs an instruction to the propulsion force generating device to generate a propulsion force that makes the current speed approach the target speed; A position acquisition unit, which acquires the current position of the ship; a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a joystick for controlling the number of revolutions of a main engine of the propulsion force generating device; A revolution acquisition unit, which acquires the actual revolution of the host; a rotation number instruction unit that outputs an instruction of a target rotation number of the host machine based on the actual rotation number and the position of the joystick; as well as a control unit, wherein if the current position of the ship indicates a specified area in the bay and the current speed is less than a speed threshold, the control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on a command from the propulsion command unit, and if the current position of the ship indicates an open sea and the current speed is greater than the speed threshold, the control unit causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on a command from the rotation speed command unit, The propulsion force command unit calculates a target rotation speed of the main engine based on a difference between the target speed and the current speed.

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