Boat control system and boat

Abstract

A boat control system controls a boat. The boat control system includes a boat propulsion device and a specific device. The boat propulsion device includes an electric motor and a first controller that controls the drive of the electric motor. The specific device is communicatively connected to the first controller. The first controller performs a specific process other than the drive control of the electric motor based on information transmitted from the specific device.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a boat control system and a boat.

[0002] Known boat control systems are equipped with a boat propulsion device. The boat propulsion device includes an electric motor and an MCU that controls the electric motor (see JP 2024-098736 A).

[0003] It is the object of the present invention to provide boat control system having a low number of parts.

[0004] According to the present invention said object is solved by a boat control system having the features of independent claim 1.

[0005] Preferred embodiments are laid down in the dependent claims.

[0006] (1) A boat control system disclosed herein controls a boat. The boat control system includes a boat propulsion device and a specific device. The boat propulsion device includes an electric motor and a first controller that controls the drive of the electric motor. The specific device is communicatively connected to the first controller. The first controller performs a specific process other than the drive control of the electric motor based on information transmitted from the specific device. According to this boat control system, the number of parts in the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the specific process.

[0007] (2) In the above boat control system, the first controller may transmit the information generated in the specific process to a device external to the boat propulsion device. According to this configuration, the number of parts in the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the specific process.

[0008] (3) The above boat control system may further include a joystick unit having a joystick and outputting an operation signal in response to an operation performed on the joystick, and the joystick unit may transmit the operation signal directly to the boat propulsion device. According to this configuration, since the joystick unit transmits operation signals directly to the boat propulsion device, there is no need for another controller to connect the joystick unit and the boat propulsion device, thus reducing the number of parts in the boat control system.

[0009] (4) The boat control system may further include a joystick unit having a joystick and outputting an operation signal in response to an operation performed on the joystick, and the specific device may be a transmitter that transmits the operation signal to the first controller, the information transmitted from the specific device may be information on the operation amount of the joystick, and the specific process may be a process of determining whether or not the joystick is in a specific position. According to this configuration, the number of parts in the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the process of determining whether the joystick is in the specific position or not.

[0010] (5) In the above boat control system, the specific process may be a process of determining whether or not the joystick is in the neutral position. According to this configuration, the number of parts of the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the process of determining whether the joystick is in the neutral position or not.

[0011] (6) In the above boat control system, the first controller may determine that the joystick is in the neutral position when the operation amount is smaller than a threshold value and may determine that the joystick is out of the neutral position when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value. According to this configuration, the number of parts of the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the process of determining whether the joystick is in the neutral position or not.

[0012] (7) In the above boat control system, when a user of the boat starts the boat, the first controller may complete the starting of the boat if the joystick is in the neutral position and abort the starting of the boat if the joystick is out of the neutral position. According to this configuration, the boat is inhibited from starting against the intention of the user, thus ensuring safety related to the starting of the boat.

[0013] (8) In the above boat control system, the boat control system may include a plurality of the joysticks, and the first controller may abort the starting of the boat when at least one of the plurality of joysticks is out of the neutral position. According to this configuration, the boat is inhibited from starting against the intention of the user, thus ensuring safety related to the starting of the boat.

[0014] (9) The above boat control system may further include a steering device that controls the steering angle of the boat, the specific device may be a second controller that controls the operation of the steering device, the information transmitted from the specific device may be information related to the control of the steering device, and the specific process may be a process of transmitting the information received from the second controller to an external controller disposed outside the boat propulsion device together with the information of the first controller. According to this configuration, the number of parts in the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the process of transmitting the information received from the second controller to the external controller.

[0015] (10) In the above boat control system, in the specific process, the first controller may overwrite the information of the first controller having a group identification information which is common to the information transmitted from the second controller with the information transmitted from the second controller and transmit the overwritten information to the external controller with the source address of the first controller. According to this configuration, the number of parts in the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the process of transmitting the information received from the second controller to the external controller.

[0016] (11) The above boat control system may further include a display device, and the external controller may display the information transmitted from the first controller on the display device. According to this configuration, the number of parts in the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the process of transmitting the information received from the second controller to the external controller.

[0017] (12) The boat control system may further include electric equipment, and the specific process may be a control process of supplying electric power to the electrical equipment. According to this configuration, the number of parts of the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the control process of supplying electric power to the electric equipment.

[0018] (13) In the above boat control system, the electrical equipment may be an LED. According to this configuration, the number of parts in the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the control process of supplying electric power to the LED.

[0019] (14) In the above boat control system, the boat control system may further include a display device, and the specific device may be a third controller that controls the display of the display device, and the information transmitted from the specific device may be the brightness information of the LED. According to this configuration, the number of parts in the boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the control process of supplying electric power to the LED.

[0020] (15) A boat disclosed herein includes a boat body and the boat control system described in any one of (1) through (14) above. According to this boat, the number of parts of the boat control system in the boat can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the specific process.

[0021] The technology disclosed herein can be implemented in various forms, e.g., in the form of a boat control system, a boat equipped with a boat control system, or the like.

[0022] According to the technology disclosed herein, the number of parts in a boat control system can be reduced because the first controller not only performs the drive control of the electric motor but also performs the specific process.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a boat of a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a boat control system in a boat. FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a configuration of an electric propulsion device. FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating a configuration of the electric propulsion device. FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a drive unit. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view illustrating a detailed configuration of a joystick unit. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the neutral determination process. FIG. 8 is a side view schematically illustrating a configuration of a boat of a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSFIRST EMBODIMENT

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration of a boat 10 of a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a boat control system 10S in the boat 10. FIG. 1 and other some drawings described below show arrows representing each direction with respect to the position of the boat 10. More specifically, some figures show arrows representing the front direction (FRONT), rear direction (REAR), left direction (LEFT), right direction (RIGHT), upper direction (UPPER), and lower direction (LOWER), respectively. The front-rear direction, left-right direction, and upper-lower direction (vertical direction) are orthogonal to each other. Each component in the boat control system 10S is communicatively connected to each other by, e.g., controller area network (CAN) communication.

[0025] The boat 10 includes a boat body 200 and an electric propulsion device 100. The electric propulsion device 100 is an example of the boat propulsion device.

[0026] The boat body 200 is a part of the boat 10 for the user (crew) to ride. The boat body 200 includes a boat main body 210, a pilot seat 220, an operation device 230, a display device 260, a display control device 262, an input device 270, a BCU 300, a GPS 310, and a battery 320. The display control device 262 is an example of the third controller.

[0027] The boat main body 210 includes a living space 212. The pilot seat 220 is installed in the living space 212. The boat body 200 further includes a partition wall 214 and a transom 216. The partition wall 214 divides the rear side of the living space 212. The transom 216 is disposed at the rear end of the boat body 200. In the front-rear direction, a space 215 exists between the transom 216 and the partition wall 214.

[0028] The operation device 230 is a device for steering the boat. The operation device 230 accepts operations from the user. The operation device 230 outputs operation signals in response to operations from the user. The operation device 230 is installed near the pilot seat 220. The operation device 230 includes a steering wheel 232, a shift / throttle lever 240, and a joystick unit 250.

[0029] The steering wheel 232 is used to steer the boat 10. The shift / throttle lever 240 is a device for performing a shifting operation and a propulsion force change operation of the boat 10. The joystick unit 250 is a device for performing a steering operation, a shifting operation and a propulsion force change operation of the boat 10. The detailed configuration of the joystick unit 250 will be described in detail later.

[0030] The display device 260 is, e.g., a liquid crystal display and displays various images (e.g., operation images) related to the boat 10. The display control device 262 controls the display of the display device 260. The input device 270 is, e.g., a button for changing the steering mode and the like. The input device 270 includes a light-emitting diode (LED).

[0031] The boat control unit (BCU) 300 controls the overall operation of the boat 10 based on, e.g., signals transmitted from each component of the boat control system 10S. The BCU 300 includes, e.g., a CPU, a multi-core CPU, and programmable devices (field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), and the like).

[0032] The Global Positioning System (GPS) 310 is a device that uses signals received from satellites to determine the current position of the boat 10. The battery 320 is an energy storage device. The battery 320 supplies power to the electric motor 134 (described below) and the input device 270.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a configuration of an electric propulsion device 100. FIG. 4 is a top view illustrating a configuration of the electric propulsion device 100. The electric propulsion device 100 is a device that generates thrust to propel the boat 10. The electric propulsion device 100 is an electric propulsion device driven by an electric motor. The electric propulsion device 100 of this embodiment is an outboard motor. In the following, the electric propulsion device 100 in the reference attitude will be described unless otherwise specified. The reference attitude is the attitude of the electric propulsion device 100 when the boat 10 is running (the attitude shown in FIGS. 1 and 3), and is the attitude in which the propeller rotation shaft L of the propeller 132 (described below) extends in the front-rear direction. The front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the upper-lower direction are defined based on the electric propulsion device 100 in the reference attitude.

[0034] The electric propulsion device 100 is attached to the transom 216 disposed at the rear (stern) of the boat body 200 (see FIG. 1). The electric propulsion device 100 has a propulsion device main body 101 and a suspension device 102.

[0035] The propulsion device main body 101 has a cowl 110, a middle housing 150, a lower housing 120, a steering device 152 (see FIG. 2), a duct 122, a drive unit 130, an MCU 139 (see FIG. 2), and an SCU 154 (see FIG. 2). The MCU 139 is an example of the first controller. The SCU 154 is an example of the second controller.

[0036] The cowl 110 is disposed at an upper portion of the electric propulsion device 100. The cowl 110 is a cover that accommodates various wirings and other components. The cowl 110 has an upper cover 110U, a left cover 110L, and a right cover 110R. The left cover 110L is disposed on the port side of the propulsion device main body 101. The right cover 110R is disposed on the starboard side of the propulsion device main body 101. The left cover 110L and the right cover 110R are positioned to face each other in the horizontal (left-right) direction. The upper cover 110U is disposed above the left cover 110L and the right cover 110R. The upper cover 110U covers the top of the left cover 110L and the top of the right cover 110R, respectively.

[0037] The middle housing 150 is disposed below the cowl 110 in the electric propulsion device 100. The middle housing 150 is a cover that accommodates the steering device 152, the SCU 154, and various wirings.

[0038] The lower housing 120 is disposed below the middle housing 150 in the electric propulsion device 100. The lower housing 120 is a cover that accommodates, e.g., the MCU 139, various wirings. The lower housing 120 is rotatably attached to the middle housing 150 around an axis along the upper-lower direction.

[0039] The steering device 152 is a device that controls the steering angle of the boat 10. The steering device 152 is accommodated in the middle housing 150. The steering device 152 includes, e.g., an electric motor (not shown) and a steering shaft extending in the upper-lower direction (not shown). When the steering angle is changed by the steering device 152, e.g., the electric motor rotates the steering shaft. As the steering shaft rotates, the lower housing 120 connected to the steering shaft and the drive unit 130 connected to the lower housing 120 rotate around an axis along the upper-lower direction. This changes the steering angle of the boat 10.

[0040] The duct 122 is disposed below the lower housing 120 in the electric propulsion device 100. The duct 122 is a tubular body extending in the front-rear direction. The duct 122 is positioned lower than the water surface W in the reference attitude (see FIG. 3). The drive unit 130 is disposed radially inner side of the duct 122. In the radially inner side of the duct 122, a stator fin 133 and a bearing 135 are provided (see FIG. 3). The bearing 135 supports the propeller 132, described below, rotatably about the propeller rotation shaft L. The stator fin 133 has a plurality of fins (e.g., three fins). The plurality of fins are arranged radially around the bearing 135. The plurality of fins are equally spaced around the propeller rotation shaft L. The plurality of fins are fixed to the duct 122. The plurality of fins protrude rearwardly from the duct 122 behind the propeller 132 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

[0041] FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of the drive unit 130. The drive unit 130 generates thrust to propel the boat 10. The drive unit 130 includes a propeller 132 and an electric motor 134.

[0042] The propeller 132 is a rotating body having a plurality of wings. The propeller 132 generates thrust by rotating. The propeller 132 is disposed radially inner side of the duct 122. The propeller 132 can rotate about the propeller rotation shaft L which is parallel to the horizontal direction. The propeller rotation shaft L is parallel to the central axis of the duct 122. The duct 122 covers the entire circumference of the propeller 132.

[0043] The electric motor 134 rotates the propeller 132. The electric motor 134 includes a rotor 136 and a stator 138.

[0044] The rotor 136 is a tubular body extending in the front-rear direction. The rotor 136 is rotatably supported with respect to the duct 122. The rotor 136 rotates about the propeller rotation shaft L with respect to the stator 138. The propeller 132 is disposed radially inner side of the rotor 136. The propeller 132 is fixed to the rotor 136. The propeller 132 rotates together with the rotor 136. The rotor 136 includes a plurality of permanent magnets 140. In FIG. 5, only one of the plurality of permanent magnets 140 is signed, and the signs of the other permanent magnets 140 are omitted. The plurality of permanent magnets 140 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the rotor 136.

[0045] The stator 138 is a tubular body extending in the front-rear direction. The stator 138 is disposed on the radially outer side of the rotor 136. The stator 138 is disposed on the same axis as the rotor 136. The stator 138 is fixed to the duct 122. The stator 138 includes a plurality of coils 142. In FIG. 5, only one of the plurality of coils 142 is signed, and the signs of the other coils 142 are omitted. The plurality of coils 142 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the stator 138.

[0046] When the plurality of coils 142 are energized, an electromagnetic force is generated to rotate the rotor 136. With this configuration, the propeller 132 generates forward propulsion force when the rotor 136 of the electric motor 134 rotates in the forward rotation direction and rearward propulsion force when the rotor 136 of the electric motor 134 rotates in the reverse rotation direction.

[0047] The motor control unit (MCU) 139 controls the drive of the electric motor 134. The MCU 139 includes, e.g., a CPU, a multi-core CPU, and a programmable device (field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), and the like). The MCU 139 is accommodated in the lower housing 120.

[0048] The steering control unit (SCU) 154 controls the operation of the steering device 152. The SCU 154 includes, e.g., a CPU, a multi-core CPU, and a programmable device (field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), and the like). The SCU 154 is accommodated in the middle housing 150.

[0049] The suspension device 102 is a device for suspending the propulsion device main body 101 on the boat body 200. The suspension device 102 has a tilt shaft 104, a pair of left and right clamp brackets 106, and a connection bracket 109.

[0050] The pair of left and right clamp brackets 106 are positioned behind the boat body 200, spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. Each clamp bracket 106 is secured to the transom 216 of the boat body 200 by bolts, for example. Each clamp bracket 106 has a tubular support 107 with a through-hole extending in the left-right direction.

[0051] The tilt shaft 104 is a rod-shaped body. The tilt shaft 104 is rotatably supported in the through-hole of the support 107 of the clamp bracket 106. The centerline of the tilt shaft 104, the tilt axis At, is the axis in the horizontal direction (left-right direction) in the tilting action of the electric propulsion device 100.

[0052] The connection bracket 109 is positioned between a pair of the clamp brackets 106 in the left-right direction. The connection bracket 109 is rotatable around the tilt axis At and is supported by the support 107 of the clamp bracket 106 via the tilt shaft 104. The connection bracket 109 is driven to rotate about the tilt axis At with respect to the clamp bracket 106 by a tilt device (not shown) including an actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder, for example.

[0053] When the connection bracket 109 rotates around the tilt axis At with respect to the clamp bracket 106, the propulsion device main body 101 fixed to the connection bracket 109 also rotates around the tilt axis At. This achieves the tilting action of rotating the propulsion device main body 101 in the upper-lower direction with respect to the boat body 200. The tilting action of the electric propulsion device 100 changes the angle of the propulsion device main body 101 around the tilt axis At in the range from the tilt-down state (the state in which the electric propulsion device 100 is in the reference attitude: shown in FIG. 3), in which the propeller 132 is located underwater, to the tilt-up state, in which the propeller 132 is located above the water surface W. The tilting action of the electric propulsion device 100 also achieves a trimming action to adjust the angle around the tilt axis At of the propulsion device main body 101 to adjust the attitude of the boat 10 during traveling.

[0054] FIG. 6 is an explanatory view illustrating a detailed configuration of a joystick unit 250. The joystick unit 250 includes a joystick 252, a transmitter 254, a base 256, and a joystick sensor (not shown).

[0055] The joystick 252 is a rod-shaped body that accepts user operation. The base 256 supports the joystick 252 in a tiltable and twistable manner. FIG. 6 shows the joystick 252 in a default position. The default position is the position of the joystick 252 when it is not being operated by the user. The joystick 252 can be tilted forward, backward, leftward, rightward, and diagonally from the default position. For example, the joystick 252 can tilt from a state along axis AXn to a state along axis AXm (see FIG. 6). The axis AXn is the axis of the joystick 252 when it is in the default position. The axis AXm is the axis of the joystick 252 when it is tilted to the maximum amount in a given direction. The joystick 252 can be twisted clockwise and counterclockwise. The joystick 252 can also be tilted while twisting.

[0056] The joystick sensor detects the tilt operation direction, the tilt operation amount, the twist operation direction, and the twist operation amount of the joystick 252 and outputs an operation signal. In other words, the joystick sensor outputs an operation signal in response to the operation performed on the joystick 252. The transmitter 254 is a device that transmits operation signals to the outside of the joystick unit 250. The transmitter 254 is communicatively connected to other devices provided in the boat control system 10S. In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the transmitter 254 of the joystick unit 250 transmits the operation signal directly to the MCU 139 and the SCU 154 in the electric propulsion device 100. The MCU 139 controls the drive of the electric motor 134 in response to the operation signal received from the transmitter 254. The SCU 154 controls the steering device 152 according to the operation signal received from the transmitter 254.

[0057] Details of the operation of the boat control system 10S of this embodiment will now be described. The boat control system 10S is a system that controls the boat 10. In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the MCU 139 performs a specific process other than the drive control of the electric motor 134 based on information transmitted from a specific device communicatively connected to the MCU 139. Specifically, the MCU 139 performs the following specific processes (1) to (3): (1) process of determining whether or not the joystick 252 is in the neutral position; (2) process of transmitting information received from the SCU 154 to an external controller disposed outside the electric propulsion device 100 together with the information of the MCU 139; and (3) control process of supplying electric power to the LED included in the input device 270.

[0058] The specific process (1) will be explained below. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the neutral determination process. The neutral determination process means the process of determining whether the joystick 252 is in the neutral position or not. The neutral determination process of the joystick 252 performed by the MCU 139 of this embodiment is explained with reference to FIG. 7.

[0059] First, the MCU 139 accepts a power-on operation of a start switch (S110). The user turns on the start switch (not shown) provided on the input device 270 to activate the boat 10. The MCU 139 communicates with the start switch to detect that the start switch is powered on.

[0060] Next, the MCU 139 determines whether the joystick 252 is in the neutral position (S120). The joystick sensor detects the tilt operation amount and the twist operation amount of the joystick 252 at the time when the start switch is powered on. The transmitter 254 transmits the information on the tilt operation amount and the twist operation amount of the joystick 252 detected by the joystick sensor to the MCU 139. The MCU 139 performs a determination process to determine whether the joystick 252 is in a specific position based on the information of the tilt operation amount and the twist operation amount of the joystick 252. Specifically, the MCU 139 performs the determination process to determine whether the joystick 252 is in the neutral position based on the information of the tilt operation amount and the twist operation amount of the joystick 252.

[0061] The MCU 139 determines that the joystick 252 is in the neutral position when the tilt operation amount and the twist operation amount are smaller than a threshold value. The MCU 139 determines that the joystick 252 is out of the neutral position when the tilt operation amount and the twist operation amount are greater than the threshold value. Any value may be defined as the threshold value. For example, for the tilt operation amount, the threshold value may be one-twentieth of the maximum tilt operation amount. In other words, assuming that the tilt of the axis AXm relative to the axis AXn is 100% (see FIG. 6), the joystick 252 may be determined to be in the neutral position when the tilt of the joystick 252 is less than 5%.

[0062] When the user of the boat 10 starts the boat 10, the MCU 139 completes the starting of the boat 10 if the joystick 252 is in the neutral position (S130). Specifically, the MCU 139 generates a signal representing that "the joystick 252 is in the neutral position" in the neutral determination process. The MCU 139 transmits the signal representing that "the joystick 252 is in the neutral position" to the BCU 300. The BCU 300 completes the starting of the boat 10 based on the signal received from the MCU 139.

[0063] When the user of the boat 10 starts the boat 10, the MCU 139 aborts the starting of the boat 10 if the joystick 252 is out of the neutral position (S140). Specifically, the MCU 139 generates a signal representing that "the joystick 252 is out of the neutral position" in the neutral determination process. The MCU 139 transmits the signal representing that "the joystick 252 is out of the neutral position" to the BCU 300. Based on the signal received from the MCU 139, the BCU 300 causes the boat 10 to abort the starting. In this way, the MCU 139 aborts the starting of the boat 10 if the joystick 252 is out of the neutral position when the start switch is powered on, thereby preventing the boat 10 from starting against the intention of the user. When the starting of the boat 10 is aborted, the user can start the boat 10 by returning the joystick 252 to the neutral position and then turning on the start switch again.

[0064] Next, the specific process (2) above will be explained. At the time when the specific process is started, the SCU 154 has information related to the control of the steering device 152, such as the steering angle of the boat 10, and the MCU 139 has information of the MCU 139, such as the rotation speed of the electric motor 134. First, the SCU 154 transmits the information related to the control of the steering device 152 to the MCU 139. The MCU 139 overwrites part of the information of the MCU 139 based on the information received from the SCU 154, thereby generating new information including the information related to the control of the steering device 152 and the information of the MCU 139. Specifically, the MCU 139 overwrites the information of the MCU 139 having a group identification information which is common to the information transmitted from the SCU 154 with the information transmitted from the SCU 154. The group identification information is, e.g., a parameter group number (PGN). In addition, the source address of the information transmitted from the SCU 154 is replaced with the source address of the MCU 139. The MCU 139 transmits the new information to the external controller. In other words, the MCU 139 performs a process in which transmitting the information received from the SCU 154 to an external controller disposed outside the electric propulsion device 100 together with the information of the MCU 139. In this embodiment, the external controller is the display control device 262. The display control device 262 receives from the MCU 139 the information of the MCU 139 and the information related to the control of the steering device 152. The display control device 262 displays the information of the MCU 139 and the information related to the control of the steering device 152 on the display device 260. In other words, in the specific process (2) above, the MCU 139 acts as a relay that transmits the information of other devices provided in the electric propulsion device 100 to the outside of the electric propulsion device 100.

[0065] Next, the specific process (3) will be explained. The display control device 262 transmits the brightness information of the LED included in the input device 270 to the MCU 139. The MCU 139 performs a control process of supplying electric power to the input device 270 based on the LED brightness information transmitted from the display control device 262. In other words, the MCU 139 generates a signal to control the lighting of the input device 270 based on the information transmitted from the display control device 262 and transmits the signal to the battery 320. The battery 320 controls the lighting of the input device 270 based on the signal received from the MCU 139.

[0066] As explained above, the boat control system 10S of this embodiment controls the boat 10. The boat control system 10S includes the electric propulsion device 100 and the specific device. The electric propulsion device 100 includes the electric motor 134 and the MCU 139 that controls the drive of the electric motor 134. The specific device is communicatively connected to the MCU 139. The MCU 139 performs a specific process other than the drive control of the electric motor 134 based on the information transmitted from the specific device. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts of the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134 but also performs the specific process.

[0067] In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the MCU 139 transmits the information generated in the specific process to a device external to the electric propulsion device 100. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts of the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134 but also performs the specific process.

[0068] The boat control system 10S of this embodiment further includes the joystick unit 250 having the joystick 252, which outputs an operation signal in response to an operation performed on the joystick 252, and the joystick unit 250 transmits the operation signal directly to the electric propulsion device 100. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, since the joystick unit 250 transmits operation signals directly to the electric propulsion device 100, there is no need for another controller to connect the joystick unit 250 and the electric propulsion device 100, thus reducing the number of parts in the boat control system 10S.

[0069] In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the specific device is the transmitter 254 that transmits the operation signal to the MCU 139, the information sent from the specific device is information on the operation amount of the joystick 252, and the specific process is the process of determining whether the joystick 252 is in a specific position. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts in the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the process of determining whether the joystick 252 is in the specific position.

[0070] In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the specific process is the process of determining whether or not the joystick 252 is in the neutral position. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts in the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the process of determining whether the joystick 252 is in the neutral position.

[0071] In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the MCU 139 determines that the joystick 252 is in the neutral position when the operation amount is smaller than a threshold value and determines that the joystick 252 is out of the neutral position when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the threshold value. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts in the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the process of determining whether the joystick 252 is in the neutral position.

[0072] In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, when the user of the boat 10 starts the boat 10, the MCU 139 completes the starting of the boat 10 if the joystick 252 is in the neutral position and aborts the starting of the boat 10 if the joystick 252 is out of the neutral position. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the boat 10 is inhibited from starting against the intention of the user, thus ensuring safety related to the starting of the boat 10.

[0073] The boat control system 10S of this embodiment further includes a steering device 152 that controls the steering angle of the boat 10, the specific device is the SCU 154 that controls the operation of the steering device 152, the information transmitted from the specific device is information related to the control of the steering device 152, and the specific process is a process of transmitting the information received from the SCU 154 to an external controller disposed outside the electric propulsion device 100 together with the information of the MCU 139. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts of the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the process of transmitting the information received from the SCU 154 to the external controller.

[0074] In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, in the specific process, the MCU 139 overwrites the information of the MCU 139 having a group identification information which is common to the information transmitted from the SCU 154 with the information transmitted from the SCU 154 and transmits the overwritten information to the external controller with the source address of the MCU 139. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts in the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the process of transmitting the information received from the SCU 154 to the external controller.

[0075] The boat control system 10S of this embodiment further includes a display device 260, and the external controller displays the information transmitted from the MCU 139 on the display device 260. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts of the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the process of transmitting the information received from the SCU 154 to the external controller.

[0076] The boat control system 10S of this embodiment further includes electric equipment, and the specific process is the control process of supplying electric power to the electric equipment. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts of the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the control process of supplying electric power to the electric equipment.

[0077] In the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the electrical device is the LED. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts of the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the control process of supplying electric power to the LED.

[0078] The boat control system 10S of this embodiment further includes the display device 260, the specific device is the display control device 262 that controls the display of the display device 260, and the information transmitted from the specific device is the LED brightness information. According to the boat control system 10S of this embodiment, the number of parts of the boat control system 10S can be reduced because the MCU 139 not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134, but also performs the control process of supplying electric power to the LED.

[0079] The boat 10 of this embodiment includes the boat body 200 and the boat control system 10S. According to the boat 10 of this embodiment, the number of parts of the boat control system 10S in the boat 10 can be reduced because the MCU 139 provided in the boat control system 10S not only performs the drive control of the electric motor 134 but also performs the specific process.SECOND EMBODIMENT

[0080] FIG. 8 is a side view schematically illustrating a configuration of a boat 10a of a second embodiment. In the following, among the components of the boat 10a of the second embodiment, the same components as those of the boat 10 of the first embodiment will be omitted from the description as appropriate by applying the same symbols.

[0081] The boat 10a of this embodiment includes a boat body 200a and an electric propulsion device 100. The boat control system 10Sa of this embodiment includes a plurality of operation devices 230. Specifically, the boat body 200a has a first main station MS1, a second main station MS2, and a sub-station SS. The first main station MS1, the second main station MS2, and the sub-station SS are respectively provided with the operation devices 230. At first main station MS1, among the operation devices 230, the steering wheel 232, the shift / throttle lever 240, and the joystick unit 250 are provided. At the second main station MS2, among the operation devices 230, the steering wheel 232, the shift / throttle lever 240 and the joystick unit 250 are provided. At the sub-station SS, among the operation devices 230, the joystick unit 250 is provided. The user can control the boat 10a by operating one of the operation devices 230 provided at the first main station MS1, the second main station MS2, and the sub-station SS, respectively.

[0082] In the boat control system 10Sa of this embodiment, the MCU 139 also performs the process of determining whether the joystick 252 is in the neutral position. In this case, the MCU 139 aborts the starting of the boat 10a when at least one of the plurality of joysticks 252 is out of the neutral position. In this way, the MCU 139 inhibits the boat 10a from starting against the intention of the user by aborting the starting of the boat 10a if any one of the plurality of joysticks 252 is out of the neutral position when the start switch is powered on.

[0083] As explained above, in the boat control system 10Sa of this embodiment, the boat control system 10Sa has a plurality of joysticks 252, and the MCU 139 aborts the starting of the boat 10a when at least one of the plurality of joysticks 252 is out of the neutral position. According to the boat control system 10Sa of this embodiment, the boat 10a is prevented from starting against the intention of the user, and thus ensuring safety related to the starting of the boat 10a.MODIFICATIONS

[0084] The configuration of the boat 10, the boat control system 10S, and the electric propulsion device 100 in the above embodiment is an example, wherein, in the above embodiment, the boat propulsion device is exemplified by the electric propulsion device 100 that is an outboard motor. Alternatively, the boat propulsion device may be, e.g., an inboard motor, an inboard / outboard motor, or a jet propeller.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the electric propulsion device 100 has only an electric motor as a drive source. Alternatively, the boat propulsion device may be a hybrid type having an engine in addition to the electric motor.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the above (1) through (3) are listed as specific processes performed by the MCU 139 as an example.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the electrical device is exemplified by the LED included in the input device 270. Alternatively, the electrical device may be an electrical device other than the LED. For example, the electrical equipment may be wipers, air conditioning equipment, or other equipment provided in or on the boat.

Claims

1. A boat control system (10S) that is configured for controlling a boat (10), comprising: a boat propulsion device (100) having an electric motor (134) and a first controller (139) that is configured for controlling a drive of the electric motor (134); and a specific device (154, 254, 262) communicatively connected to the first controller (139) and configured for transmitting of information, wherein the first controller (139) is configured to perform a specific process other than the controlling the drive of the electric motor (134) based on the information transmitted from the specific device (154, 254, 262).

2. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 1, wherein the first controller (139) is configured for transmitting information generated in the specific process to a device external to the boat propulsion device (100).

3. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a joystick unit (250) having a joystick (252) and configured for outputting an operation signal in response to an operation performed on the joystick (252).

4. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 3, wherein the joystick unit (250) is configured for transmitting the operation signal directly to the boat propulsion device (100).

5. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the specific device is a transmitter (254) that is configured for transmitting the operation signals to the first controller (139), the information transmitted from the specific device (254) is information on the operation amount of the joystick (252), and the specific process is a process of determining whether or not the joystick (252) is in a specific position.

6. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 5, wherein the specific process is a process of determining whether or not the joystick (252) is in a neutral position, preferably the first controller (139) is configured for determining that the joystick (252) is in the neutral position when the operation amount of the joystick (252) is smaller than a threshold value and configured for determining that the joystick (252) is out of the neutral position when the operation amount of the joystick (252) is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

7. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 6, wherein when a user of the boat (10) starts the boat (10), the first controller (139) is configured for completing a starting of the boat (10) when it is determined that the joystick (252) is in the neutral position and configured for aborting the starting of the boat (10) when it is determined that the joystick (252) is out of the neutral position.

8. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the boat control system (10S) includes a plurality of the joysticks (252), and the first controller (139) is configured for aborting the starting of the boat (10) when it is determined that at least one of the plurality of joysticks (252) is out of the neutral position.

9. The boat control system (10S) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a steering device (152) that is configured for controlling a steering angle of the boat (10), wherein the specific device is a second controller (154) that is configured for controlling an operation of the steering device (152), the information transmitted from the second controller (154) as the specific device is information related to the control of the steering device (152), and the specific process is a process of transmitting the information received from the second controller (154) to an external controller disposed outside the boat propulsion device (100) together with the information of the first controller (139).

10. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 9, wherein in the specific process, the first controller (139) is configured for overwriting the information of the first controller (139) having a group identification information which is common to the information transmitted from the second controller (154) with the information transmitted from the second controller (154) and configured for transmitting the overwritten information to the external controller with a source address of the first controller (139).

11. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 9 or 10, further comprising: a display device (260), wherein the external controller is configured for displaying the information transmitted from the first controller (139) on the display device (260).

12. The boat control system (10S) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: an electrical equipment, wherein the specific process is a control process of supplying electric power to the electrical equipment.

13. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 12, wherein the electrical equipment is an LED.

14. The boat control system (10S) according to claim 13, further comprising: a display device (260), wherein the specific device is a third controller (262) that is configured for controlling a display of the display device (260), and the information transmitted from the specific device (262) is brightness information of the LED.

15. A boat (10), comprising: a boat body (200); and the boat control system (10S) according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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