Uniaxial twin-rudder ship with variable pitch propeller

Abstract

To provide an uniaxial twin-rudder ship with a variable pitch propeller capable of maneuvering a ship position with high accuracy while controlling a thrust force acting on front, rear, right, and left of a hull to the same magnitude.SOLUTION: A blade angle commanding part 671 has a functional circuit which calculates a target propeller thrust force required for generating a target thrust force in a target hull movement direction in correlation data, calculates a target blade angle required for outputting the target propeller thrust force, and commands the calculated target blade angle to a hull movement control part 662. A rudder angle commanding part 670 has a functional circuit which calculates a target steering angle required for directing a thrust force around a stern of the target thrust force toward the target hull movement direction in the correlation data, and commands the calculated target steering angle to the hull movement control part 662. A turning commanding part 672 has a functional circuit which calculates a target turning round moment required for turning a present bow azimuth to a target bow azimuth and commands the calculated target turning round moment to the hull movement control part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller, and to a technology that enables high-precision maneuvering of the ship, such as for maintaining a fixed position. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as a technology for applying a braking force to a ship, there is an emergency ship maneuvering method described in Patent Document 1. In this method, emergency steering means is activated in an emergency and rudder control means is controlled with priority over any normal steering mode, thereby giving two high-lift rudders a rudder angle that maximizes the propeller wake as reverse thrust, and this reverse thrust gives the ship a reverse force that resists the inertial force in the forward direction of the ship, thereby causing the ship to stop or move astern in an emergency. With the propeller operating in a single forward direction, reverse thrust can be obtained immediately, and the ship can be stopped or moved astern in a short time and over a short distance with few steps.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 proposes a ship steering device that realizes special movements such as moving straight alongside, moving diagonally forward and backward, and turning on the spot when maneuvering to maintain ship position and heading, and that requires high maneuvering accuracy in position, speed, etc. In this ship steering device, in a maneuvering assistance mode, the command unit commands a command direction of movement, a command turning moment, a command speed in the bow-stern direction, and a command speed in the width direction to a hull motion control unit to steer the ship, and the thrust distribution unit distributes the hull control force and turning hull control force to a target propeller thrust generated by a combination of the thrust of a propeller propeller rotating constantly forward and the rudder angles of two high-lift rudders, and a target thruster thrust generated by a bow thruster. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-52887 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2017-052297 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventionally, the Dynamic Positioning System (DPS) has been used to control the movement of ships and floating structures in deep waters with high precision to a set position, direction, and course. DPS systems use propellers and side thrusters to provide control against external forces from disturbances such as wind, waves, and currents.

[0006] In addition, for a ship to navigate safely within a harbor with many surrounding obstacles such as quays and other ships, it is required to maneuver carefully, taking into account external forces that affect the ship's hull, such as rip currents, onshore currents, tidal forces, wind forces, etc., and to always be aware of the distance between the ship and obstacles.

[0007] In addition, in a single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with two high-lift rudders, the distribution direction of the propeller wake is determined by the combination of the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders. However, depending on the distribution direction of the propeller wake, the thrust acting on the hull is not constant in the bow, stern, starboard and port directions, and there are differences in the lateral force in the ship's width direction and the turning moment to the left and right. This can result in a slight deviation between the ship's intended hull motion and the actual ship motion when maneuvering, such as hovering, to keep the ship in a constant position.

[0008] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller that can adjust the propeller thrust to an appropriate value when maneuvering the ship's position at low speeds, thereby controlling the thrust acting on the front, rear, left and right sides of the hull to be the same magnitude, thereby enabling highly accurate maneuvering of the ship's position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller of the present invention comprises a thrust system and a ship steering system that controls the thrust system, the thrust system comprises a single controllable pitch propeller propeller arranged at the stern, a blade angle control device that controls the blade angle of the propulsion propeller, a pair of left and right high-lift rudders arranged behind the propulsion propeller, a pair of steering gears that respectively drive each high-lift rudders, a bow thruster, and a thruster control device that controls the bow thruster, the ship steering system comprises a ship motion control unit and a ship position control unit, the ship motion control unit controls the blade angle of the propulsion propeller, and a blade angle control device that controls the blade angle of the propulsion propeller. The thrust adjustment section controls the blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller with a device to increase or decrease the propeller thrust while the propeller rotates at a constant speed in the forward direction, the thrust direction adjustment section controls the direction of the propeller wake and adjusts the direction of the thrust acting around the stern of the ship by operating each high-lift rudders independently at various angles with each steering gear and changing the combination of the rudder angles of the high-lift rudders on both sides, and the turning moment adjustment section controls the turning moment by adjusting the thruster thrust of the bow thruster with a thruster control device, and the ship's position control section controls the ship's position changing section and the ship's position holding section. The automatic ship positioning unit has a function circuit for rotating the propeller at a constant speed in the forward direction at low speeds with the blade angle at a neutral angle, for holding the two high-lift rudders at a hover rudder angle that does not generate a forward speed component, and for maintaining the ship's heading at the current heading, in ship positioning maneuvering commanded to the ship motion control unit, and the ship position changing unit rotates the propeller at a constant speed in the forward direction at low speeds, and controls the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders around the hover rudder angle with the hover rudder angle as a central rudder angle, and the ship positioning unit has a function circuit for rotating the propeller at a constant speed in the forward direction at low speeds, in ship positioning maneuvering commanded to the ship motion control unit, and controls the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders around the hover rudder angle with the hover rudder angle as a central rudder angle, and is configured to include a correlation data storage unit, a target setting unit, a blade angle command unit, and a rudder angle command unit. and a turning command unit, the correlation data storage unit holds correlation data that specifies the magnitude of thrust around the stern generated when the combination of rudder angles of the high-lift rudders is changed under a constant propeller thrust, and the correlation between the magnitude of the thrust and the direction of action and the rudder angle for each propeller thrust having a different blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller, the target setting unit has a functional circuit that inputs the target heading, target direction of hull motion, and target thrust for thrust around the stern, and the blade angle command unit calculates the target propeller thrust required to generate the target thrust in the target direction of hull motion from the correlation data, and calculates the target blade angle required to output the target propeller thrust,The system has a function circuit which commands the calculated target wing angle to the hull motion control section, the rudder angle command section has a function circuit which calculates a target rudder angle required to direct the thrust around the stern of the target thrust in the target hull motion direction in the target hull motion direction and commands the calculated target rudder angle to the hull motion control section, and the turning command section has a function circuit which calculates a target turning moment required to turn the current heading to the target heading and commands the calculated target turning moment to the hull motion control section.

[0010] In the single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller of the present invention, the target setting unit has a joystick lever, and indicates the target direction of hull movement by the tilt direction of the lever, and indicates the magnitude of target thrust by the tilt angle of the lever. Effect of the Invention

[0011] With the above configuration, the target thrust is input into the target setting section of the ship position change unit, the target propeller thrust required to generate the target thrust is calculated in the correlation data, and the target blade angle required to output the target propeller thrust is calculated.Therefore, if the target thrust is the same, no matter in which direction the target hull motion direction changes, that is, in any direction, fore / aft, left / right, of the hull, the same magnitude of thrust around the stern can be generated, and there will be no discrepancy between the hull motion intended by the ship operator and the actual hull motion.

[0012] The target setting unit indicates the target direction of hull movement by the tilt direction of the joystick lever, and indicates the magnitude of the target thrust by the tilt angle of the lever.As a result, regardless of the direction in which the joystick lever is tilted, if the tilt angle is the same, the same magnitude of target thrust will be specified.This means that the same magnitude of thrust around the stern can be generated regardless of the direction in which the joystick lever is tilted, allowing for intuitive operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a thrust system, a steering system, and an observation system of a single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a propulsion device, a high-lift rudder, and a bow thruster in the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the stern portion in the embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a steering stand of a single-propeller, twin-rudder ship according to the embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a ship steering stand according to the embodiment; [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a ship position steering unit according to the embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the operating range of a high-lift rudder in the embodiment; [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the combined rudder angle and turning direction of the high-lift rudder in the embodiment. [Figure 9] Schematic diagram showing the relationship between blade angle and thrust DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Configuration of the embodiment) The single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller in this embodiment is equipped with a thrust system 100, a steering system 200 that controls the thrust system 100, and an observation system 300 that observes the ship's hull motion state, as shown in Figures 1 to 8.

[0015] The thrust system 100 includes a single-shaft controllable pitch propeller 101 disposed at the stern of a hull 110 , and two high-lift rudders 102 , 103 disposed behind the propeller 101 .

[0016] Each high-lift rudders 102, 103 is configured to be able to steer 105° outboard (outboard side) and 35° inboard (inboard side). With the single-shaft propeller 101 rotating forward, the pair of two high-lift rudders 102, 103 can be operated independently at various angles, and the combination of rudder angles of the high-lift rudders 102, 103 on both sides can be changed to distribute the propeller wake in a desired direction, and the thrust in each direction can be freely changed.

[0017] Therefore, by freely changing the thrust in each direction, the propeller wake can be controlled to control the thrust around the stern in all directions, 360°, allowing the ship to move forward or backward, stop, turn forward, turn backward, etc., and the ship's movement can be freely controlled.

[0018] Furthermore, the thrust system 100 includes rotary vane steering gears 104, 105 that drive the high-lift rudders 102, 103, rudder control devices (servo amplifiers) 106, 107 that control the rotary vane steering gears 104, 105, a bow thruster 108 arranged on the bow side of the hull 110 and a thruster control device 109 that controls the bow thruster 108, and a blade angle control device 111 that controls the blade angle of the propulsion propeller 101.

[0019] In addition, pump units 151, 152, rudder angle transmitters 153, 154 and feedback units 155, 156 are connected to the rotary vane steering gears 104, 105, respectively, and the feedback units 155, 156 are connected to the rudder control devices 106, 107.

[0020] The observation system 300 is equipped with a ship speed measuring device 312 that measures the ship's bow-stern speed, ship's widthwise speed, and turning moment, a position measuring device 313 that measures the ship's position using GPS, and a heading measuring device 314 that measures the ship's bow heading.

[0021] The ship maneuvering system 200 is housed in a ship maneuvering stand 250, to which a gyrocompass 251, a ship radar device 310, a ship speed measuring device 312, a position measuring device 313, and a direction measuring device 314 are connected.

[0022] The ship radar device 310 transmits a collision warning signal from a warning signal output unit 311 to the ship maneuvering system 200 of the ship maneuvering stand 250 when a collision with another ship is predicted.

[0023] The maneuvering system 200 includes the following components integrated into the stand housing: a gyro direction display unit 252 that displays the gyro direction of a gyrocompass 251, an auto-steering unit 253 that steers the ship in a steering mode by autopilot using a GPS compass, a joystick steering unit 255 that steers the ship in a steering mode by a joystick lever 254, a manual steering unit 257 that steers the ship in a steering mode by a manual steering wheel 256, a non-follow-up steering unit 259 that steers the ship in a steering mode by non-follow-up steering levers 258a and 258b, and a mode switching unit 261 that switches between the steering units using a mode switching switch 260.

[0024] Further, the navigation system is provided with a display device 262 having a touch panel on the screen, an image control unit 263 for controlling the image displayed on the display device 262, an emergency stop unit 265 for maneuvering in a maneuvering mode for stopping the ship urgently in priority to all maneuvering modes by operating an emergency stop button 264, a rudder angle instruction unit 280 for giving an instruction rudder angle to the rotary vane steering gears 104, 105 via the rudder control devices 106, 107, an electronic chart display unit 282 for displaying an electronic chart for navigation on the display device 262, a course line setting unit 283 for setting the planned route of the ship on the electronic chart for navigation, and a course correction unit 284 for eliminating the positional deviation of the ship from the course line. Also, the navigation system is provided with a ship position steering unit 660 for controlling the motion of the ship to a set position and direction with high accuracy.

[0025] The image control unit 263 selectively displays or simultaneously displays a chart display image 266 showing an electronic navigational chart, a gyro orientation display image 267 showing the gyro orientation, an orientation display unit operation image 268 for touch-operating the gyro orientation display unit 252 on the monitor screen, and an auto-pilot operation image 269 for touch-operating the auto-pilot unit 253 on the monitor screen.

[0026] The joystick operation unit 255 is configured so that the joystick lever 254 can be operated in either the X or Y direction, and the tilt direction of the joystick lever 254 controls the commanded direction of movement of the hull, and the tilt angle in the tilt direction controls the commanded speed in the bow-stern direction and the commanded speed in the hull turning direction.

[0027] The joystick steering unit 255 controls the rudder angles of the high-lift rudders 102, 103 on both sides to rudder angles set according to the tilt direction of the joystick lever 254, and by combining the rudder angles of the high-lift rudders 102, 103 on both sides, the thrust of the propeller wake is diverted toward the desired direction, and the rudder angles of the high-lift rudders 102, 103 on both sides are controlled by both rotary vane steering gears 104, 105 within a range of 105° to the outboard side and 35° to the inboard side.

[0028] The basic combinations of rudder angles of the high-lift rudders 102, 103, the states of the joystick lever 254, their names, propeller wake streamlines, and movement directions will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0029] In Figure 8, the rudder is shown in horizontal section, and the rudder angle of each rudder is shown to the side or below. Rudder angles are shown as positive (+) when the stern is turned to the right, and negative (-) when turned to the left, and names for combinations of these rudder angles are given. The propeller wake is shown with a thin arrow, and the resulting propulsion direction of the ship is shown with a thick hollow arrow.

[0030] By the way, "forward left turn" is port rudder -35° and starboard rudder -35°, "forward left turn" is port rudder -70° and starboard rudder -35°, "astern left" is port rudder -105° and starboard rudder +45° to +75°, "astern left turn" is port rudder -105° and starboard rudder +75° to +105°, "forward" is port rudder 0° and starboard rudder 0°, and "hover" (the ship stops in place) is port rudder -105° and starboard rudder +75° to +105°. Rudder -75°, starboard rudder +75°, ``astern'' is port rudder -105°, starboard rudder +105°, ``forward turn right'' is port rudder +35°, starboard rudder +35°, ``forward turn right'' is port rudder +35°, starboard rudder +70°, ``astern move to starboard'' is port rudder -45° to -75°, starboard rudder +105°, and ``astern turn right'' is port rudder -75° to -105°, starboard rudder +105°.

[0031] In addition, if thruster thrust of the bow thruster 108 is applied in the starboard direction during "forward port turn," thereby increasing the port turning speed, this becomes an "on-the-spot port turn," and if thruster thrust of the bow thruster 108 is applied in the port direction during "forward right turn," thereby increasing the right turning speed, this becomes an "on-the-spot starboard turn."

[0032] Similarly, if the thruster thrust of the bow thruster 108 is applied in the port direction during "astern shift to the left," thereby increasing the right turning speed, resulting in a "right turn on the spot," and if the thruster thrust of the bow thruster 108 is applied in the starboard direction during "astern shift to the right," thereby increasing the left turning speed, resulting in a "left turn on the spot."

[0033] Furthermore, steering to move the hull in the forward direction while maintaining the bow heading is performed as follows: For example, when "astern and pull to the left", thrust from the bow thruster 108 is applied in the starboard direction to move the hull to the left, and when "astern and pull to the right", thrust from the bow thruster 108 is applied in the port direction to move the hull to the right.

[0034] In addition, the center of turning can be moved by increasing or decreasing the thrust of the thrusters of the bow cluster 108.

[0035] In this way, a single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with two high-lift rudders 102, 103, a bow thruster 108, and a controllable pitch propeller 101 can freely vary the direction and magnitude of thrust in all directions of the ship by varying the combined rudder angle of the high-lift rudders 102, 103, and can achieve on-the-spot turning by combining this with the thruster thrust of the bow thruster 108.

[0036] The auto-steering unit 253 guides and controls the ship to a predetermined course based on the ship's current position information, guidance route information, and stationary holding position information obtained from a GPS compass and an electronic chart system.

[0037] When the emergency stop button 264 is pressed in an emergency, the emergency stopping unit 265 cancels the rudder angle related to the current maneuvering, regardless of the maneuvering state indicated by the joystick lever 254 or regardless of the maneuvering mode in which the ship is being maneuvered, and turns the port rudder 103 in the starboard direction (clockwise direction as seen from above) and the starboard rudder 102 in the starboard direction (counterclockwise direction as seen from above) until they are hard over (fully turned), thereby applying braking force to the ship to stop it.

[0038] The manual steering unit 257 steers the ship by controlling the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders 102 and 103 through the rotation of a manual steering wheel 256.

[0039] The non-follow-up steering unit 259 steers to starboard or port depending on the time that the non-follow-up steering levers 258a, 258b are operated to the left or right.

[0040] The ship position steering unit 660 of the ship steering system 200 includes a ship position control unit 661 and a ship motion control unit 662.

[0041] The vessel position control unit 661 is equipped with an automatic positioning unit 666 having a vessel position changing unit 667 and a vessel positioning unit 668 .

[0042] The ship position holding unit 668 has a functional circuit that, in commanding the ship position control unit 662 to steer the ship, rotates the propeller 101 at a constant speed in the forward direction at low speeds with the blade angle at a neutral angle, holds the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 at a hover rudder angle that does not produce a forward speed component, and maintains the ship's heading at the current heading.

[0043] The ship position change unit 668 commands the ship motion control unit 662 to steer the ship position by rotating the propulsion propeller 101 at a constant speed in the forward direction at low speeds, and controls the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 around the hover rudder angle, with the hover rudder angle as the central rudder angle.

[0044] For this purpose, a target setting unit 669, a rudder angle command unit 670, a wing angle command unit 671, a steering command unit 672, and a correlation data storage unit 700 are provided.

[0045] The correlation data storage unit 700 holds correlation data that specifies the correlation between the magnitude of thrust around the stern, its acting direction, and the rudder angle generated when the combination of rudder angles of the high-lift rudders 102, 103 is changed under a constant propeller thrust, for each propeller thrust with a different blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller. The propeller thrust is proportional to the blade angle, so the smaller the blade angle, the smaller the propeller thrust, and the larger the blade angle, the larger the propeller thrust. The blade angle is determined from the propeller thrust, the propeller thrust is determined from the blade angle, the rudder angle is determined from the acting direction of the thrust around the stern, and the rudder angle determines the acting direction of the thrust around the stern.

[0046] Fig. 9 shows the distribution of the acting direction and magnitude of the thrusts A1, A2, A3 around the stern in the bow-stern direction X and the ship's width direction Y, which are generated when the combination of the rudder angles of the high-lift rudders 102, 103 is changed under a constant propeller thrust, and shows multiple distributions when the blade angles of the controllable pitch propeller are different. Here, the thrust A1 around the stern when the blade angle is small, the thrust A3 around the stern when the blade angle is large, and the thrust A2 around the stern when the blade angle is intermediate are shown as examples.

[0047] The thrust forces A1, A2, and A3 around the stern are greater in the bow-stern direction X than in the width direction Y, and the magnitudes differ between the front, rear, left and right of the hull 110.

[0048] The correlation data is the distribution of the direction and magnitude of thrusts A1, A2, and A3 around the stern as shown in Figure 9, stored for each blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller.

[0049] The target setting unit 669 has a functional circuit for inputting a target heading, a target direction of hull motion, and a target thrust around the stern.

[0050] The blade angle command unit 671 has a functional circuit that calculates the target propeller thrust required to generate a target thrust in the target hull motion direction based on the correlation data in the correlation data memory unit 700, calculates the target blade angle required to output the target propeller thrust, and commands the calculated target blade angle to the hull motion control unit 662.

[0051] The rudder angle command unit 670 has a functional circuit that calculates the target rudder angle required to direct the target thrust around the stern in the target hull motion direction based on the correlation data, and commands the calculated target rudder angle to the hull motion control unit 662.

[0052] The turning command unit 672 has a functional circuit that calculates a target turning moment required to turn the current heading to a target heading, and commands the calculated target turning moment to the vessel motion control unit 662.

[0053] In the ship position changing section 668, when the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 are changed around the hover rudder angle, with the hover rudder angle set as the central rudder angle, and the direction of thrust acting around the stern is changed, a lateral force in the width direction of the ship is generated in the hull 110, as well as a turning moment.

[0054] For this reason, the turning command unit 672 calculates the target turning moment taking into consideration the turning moment that accompanies the generation of a lateral force in the ship's width direction.

[0055] In addition, when the current heading and the target heading are the same, the turning command unit 672 commands the hull motion control unit 662 to generate a turning moment in the opposite direction as a target turning moment so as to cancel out the turning moment caused by the generation of lateral force in the ship's width direction, thereby maintaining the current heading.

[0056] The vessel motion control unit 662 includes a turning moment adjustment unit 663 , a thrust direction adjustment unit 664 , and a thrust adjustment unit 665 .

[0057] The bow moment adjustment unit 663 has a function circuit that controls the bow moment by adjusting the thrust of the bow thruster 108 using the thruster control device 109. The thrust direction adjustment unit 664 has a functional circuit that controls each of the rotary vane steering gears 104, 105, operates each of the high-lift rudders 102, 103 independently at various angles, and changes the combination of the rudder angles of the high-lift rudders 102, 103 on both sides to control the direction of the propeller wake and adjust the direction of the thrust acting around the stern on the hull 110.

[0058] The thrust adjustment unit 665 has a functional circuit that controls the blade angle of the variable pitch propeller using the blade angle control device 111 to increase or decrease the propeller thrust while the propulsion propeller 101 rotates at a constant speed in the forward direction.

[0059] Then, the thrust direction adjustment unit 664 controls the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 to the target rudder angle input from the ship position control unit 661, the target turning moment input from the ship position control unit 661 is generated by the turning moment adjustment unit 663, and the thrust adjustment unit 665 controls the blade angle of the propulsion propeller 101 to the target blade angle input from the ship position control unit 661. Note that the turning moment is controlled as needed.

[0060] The operation of the above configuration will now be described.

[0061] Joystick control mode A joystick steering mode is selected by operating the mode switch 260. The joystick steering unit 255 uses a joystick lever 254 to command the direction of hull movement, bow / stern command thrust, and width command thrust.

[0062] In this maneuvering, while the propeller 101 continues to rotate forward, the high-lift rudders 102, 103 are independently operated at various angles to control the propeller wake and control the thrust around the stern in all directions of 360°. This control allows the ship to move forward or backward, stop, turn forward, turn backward, etc., thereby improving maneuverability in maneuvering.

[0063] In other words, by changing the combination of the rudder angles of the two rudders, it is possible to change the thrust in a desired direction by directing the propeller wake in the desired direction. The combination of rudder angles given here is one example, and the combination of rudder angles can be changed arbitrarily to obtain the desired propulsion direction and thrust.

[0064] In this way, there is no need to reverse the thrust of the propeller (reverse the propeller) when maneuvering the ship, and all maneuvering control can be performed with the main engine always rotating in forward direction.By adjusting the rudder angle of both rudders, the ship speed can be controlled steplessly and precisely from the maximum forward speed corresponding to the propeller speed at that time, to the maximum astern speed, without having to adjust the main engine speed.

[0065] Maneuvering mode with emergency stop section With a single action of pressing the emergency stop button 264, the emergency stop unit 265 is activated, and the ship can be stopped urgently, taking priority over all steering modes. That is, regardless of the steering mode of the joystick lever 254 or other steering modes, the emergency stop unit 265 switches to crash astern mode (the port rudder steers 105° to the left, and the starboard rudder steers 105° to the starboard), and both rudders generate very large braking and astern forces, so that the ship can be stopped in a much shorter time and distance than by steering the ship by reversing the propeller.

[0066] Furthermore, even in crash astern mode, there is no need to stop the main engine and restart it in reverse, so the ship will not enter a so-called uncontrollable state during maneuvering, making it possible to respond quickly to emergencies during navigation.

[0067] Furthermore, if the ship needs to turn due to its characteristics or external disturbances while maneuvering using the emergency stopping unit 265, or if it is necessary to change the ship's forward direction, including its heading, by simply operating the joystick lever 254, the ship can be steered freely using the joystick lever 254 to take an avoiding maneuver, just like with a normal joystick operation.

[0068] Autopilot mode In normal ship navigation, the mode selector switch 260 is operated to select the autopilot mode.

[0069] An auto-piloting operation image 269 is displayed on the monitor screen of the display device 262, and the ship's position, the direction to proceed, the position to be reached, or the bow-stern line direction are input to the auto-pilot unit 253 by touching the monitor screen, and the ship is automatically guided and steered along the set course.

[0070] Furthermore, the electronic chart display unit 282 displays the electronic navigation chart as a chart display image 266 on the monitor screen of the display device 262, and the course line setting unit 283 sets the planned route of the ship on the electronic navigation chart.

[0071] The autopilot 253 appropriately controls the rudder angle based on the current position information of the ship, the guidance route information, and the anchorage holding position information. The autopilot holds the course indicated by the gyrocompass as the heading or bow-stern line heading set in the autopilot operation image 269.

[0072] However, since it does not keep the ship's position on the course line, while the bow heading remains parallel to the course line on the electronic navigation chart, the ship's position may deviate from the course line due to wind pressure, ocean currents, etc.

[0073] The course correction unit 284 calculates the minimum distance from the ship to the course line as the positional deviation of the ship's position relative to the course line when the ship's bow heading on the electronic navigation chart is parallel to the course line on the electronic navigation chart due to steering by autopilot.

[0074] When the minimum separation distance exceeds the set allowable range, autopilot maneuvering is temporarily stopped, and the course correction rudder angle set to orient the bow to a course that intersects the course line is output to the rudder angle indication unit 280.

[0075] The rudder angle instruction unit 280 gives a course correction rudder angle to the rotary vane steering gears 104, 105 via the rudder control devices 106, 107, and the course correction unit 284 returns to autopilot operation when the ship position reaches the course line.

[0076] Manual Pilot Mode A mode change switch 260 is operated to select a steering mode using the manual steering wheel 256. In this steering mode, the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 are instructed to a manual steering unit 257 by rotating the manual steering wheel 256, and the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 are controlled to steer the ship.

[0077] Non-follow-up maneuvering mode A steering mode using the non-follow-up steering levers 258a, 258b is selected by operating the mode change switch 260. In this steering mode, the non-follow-up steering unit 259 steers the rotary vane steering gears 104, 105 corresponding to the non-follow-up steering levers 258a, 258b to the starboard or port side depending on the time that the non-follow-up steering levers 258a, 258b are operated to the left or right.

[0078] Ship positioning mode In the joystick control mode, with the joystick lever 254 in a neutral position where it is not tilted, the ship position control section switch 673 is pressed to start up the ship position control section 660.

[0079] When the ship positioning control unit 660 is activated, the ship positioning unit 667 commands the ship motion control unit 662 to perform ship positioning by rotating the propulsion propeller 101 at a constant speed in the forward direction at low speeds with the blade angle at a neutral angle, holding the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 at a hover rudder angle that does not produce a forward speed component, and maintaining the ship's heading at the current heading.

[0080] When changing the ship position held by the ship position holding unit 668, the ship position changing unit 668 commands the ship motion control unit 662 to steer the ship position by rotating the propulsion propeller 101 at a constant speed in the forward direction at low speeds, and controls the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 around the hover rudder angle, with the hover rudder angle as the central rudder angle.

[0081] That is, by activating the ship position steering unit 660, the joystick lever 254 functions as an input unit for the target setting unit 669, and inputs the target heading, the target direction of hull motion, and the target thrust for thrust around the stern. The function of the joystick lever 254 as an input unit for the target setting unit 669 is to indicate the target direction of hull motion by the tilt direction of the lever, to indicate the magnitude of the target thrust by the tilt angle of the lever, and to indicate the target heading by twisting the lever. In this embodiment, the case where the joystick lever 254 is used as the input unit for the target setting unit 669 has been exemplified, but it is also possible to provide a separate input unit for the target setting unit 669, and a dial type or the like can be used.

[0082] The blade angle command unit 671 calculates the target propeller thrust required to generate the target thrust in the target hull motion direction based on the correlation data in the correlation data memory unit 700, calculates the target blade angle required to output the target propeller thrust, and commands the calculated target blade angle to the hull motion control unit 662.

[0083] The rudder angle command unit 670 calculates the target rudder angle required to direct the target thrust around the stern in the target hull motion direction based on the correlation data, and commands the calculated target rudder angle to the hull motion control unit 662 .

[0084] The turning command unit 672 calculates the target turning moment required to turn the current heading to the target heading, or, if the current heading and the target heading are the same, the target turning moment required to maintain the current heading, and commands the calculated target turning moment to the hull motion control unit 662.

[0085] The hull motion control unit 662 controls the two high-lift rudders 102, 103 to the target rudder angle input from the ship position control unit 661 using the thrust direction adjustment unit 664, generates the target turning moment input from the ship position control unit 661 using the turning moment adjustment unit 663, and controls the blade angle of the propulsion propeller 101 to the target blade angle input from the ship position control unit 661 using the thrust adjustment unit 665.

[0086] In this way, the target thrust is input into the target setting unit 669 of the ship position changing unit 668, the target propeller thrust required to generate the target thrust is calculated in the correlation data, and the target blade angle required to output the target propeller thrust is calculated. Therefore, if the target thrust is the same, no matter which direction the target hull motion changes to, that is, in any direction, fore / aft, left / right, the same magnitude of thrust around the stern can be generated, and no discrepancy occurs between the hull motion intended by the ship operator and the actual hull motion.

[0087] The target setting unit 669 indicates the target direction of hull movement by the tilt direction of the joystick lever 254, and indicates the magnitude of the target thrust by the tilt angle of the lever. Therefore, regardless of the direction in which the joystick lever 254 is tilted, if the tilt angle is the same, the same magnitude of target thrust will be specified. Therefore, regardless of the direction in which the joystick lever 254 is tilted, the same magnitude of thrust around the stern can be generated, allowing for intuitive operation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 100 Thrust System 101 Propulsion Propeller 102, 103 High-lift rudders 104, 105 Rotary vane steering gear 106, 107 Rudder control device 108 Bow Thruster 109 Thruster Control Device 110 Hull 111 Wing angle control device 151, 152 Pump unit 153, 154 Rudder angle transmitter 155, 156 Feedback unit 200 Steering System 250 Steering stand 251 Gyrocompass 252 Gyro direction display unit 253 Auto steering unit 254 Joystick Lever 255 Joystick Control Unit 256 Manual steering wheel 256 257 Manual steering unit 257 258a, 258b Non-follow-up steering lever 259 Non-follow-up steering section 260 Mode Switch 261 Mode switching section 262 Display Device 263 Image Control Unit 264 Emergency stop button 265 Emergency Stopping Department 266 Nautical Chart Display Images 267 Gyro Orientation Display Image 268 Direction display section operation image 269 ​​Auto-pilot operation image 280 Rudder angle indicator 282 Electronic Chart Display Unit 283 Course Line Setting Section 284 Course correction unit 300 Observation System 310 Marine radar equipment 311 Alarm signal output unit 312 Ship speed measuring device 313 Position Measuring Device 314 Direction measuring device 660 Ship Positioning Department 661 Ship position control unit 662 Ship Motion Control Unit 663 Turning moment adjustment unit 664 Thrust direction adjustment section 665 Thrust adjustment section 666 Automatic ship position holding unit 667 Position holding section, 668 Ship Position Change Department 669 Goal Setting Department 670 Rudder angle control unit 671 Wing angle command unit 672 Turning command section 700 Correlation data storage unit

Claims

1. The vessel is equipped with a thrust system and a steering system that controls the thrust system. The thrust system includes a single controllable pitch propeller drive propeller disposed at the stern, a blade angle control device that controls the blade angle of the drive propeller, a pair of left and right high-lift rudders disposed behind the drive propeller, a pair of steering gears that respectively drive each high-lift rudders, a bow thruster, and a thruster control device that controls the bow thruster; The maneuvering system is equipped with a vessel motion control unit and a vessel position control unit. The hull motion control section has a thrust adjustment section which controls the blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller with a blade angle control device to increase or decrease the propeller thrust while the propulsion propeller rotates at a constant speed in the forward direction, a thrust direction adjustment section which operates each of the high-lift rudders independently at various angles with each steering gear and changes the combination of the rudder angles of the high-lift rudders on both sides to control the direction of the propeller wake and adjust the direction of the thrust acting around the stern acting on the hull, and a turning moment adjustment section which adjusts the thrust of the bow thruster with a thruster control device to control the turning moment, The vessel position control unit includes an automatic vessel positioning unit having a vessel position changing unit and a vessel positioning unit, The vessel positioning unit has a function circuit for rotating the propellers at a constant forward speed at low speeds with the blade angle at a neutral angle, for maintaining the two high-lift rudders at a hover rudder angle that does not produce a forward speed component, and for maintaining the vessel heading at the current vessel heading, in maneuvering the vessel position by issuing a command to the vessel motion control unit; The ship position changing unit rotates the propellers at a constant speed in the forward direction at low speeds and controls the rudder angles of the two high-lift rudders around the hover rudder angle, with the hover rudder angle set as the central rudder angle, in ship position maneuvering commanded to the ship motion control unit, and has a correlation data storage unit, a target setting unit, a blade angle command unit, a rudder angle command unit, and a steering command unit, The correlation data storage unit holds correlation data that defines the magnitude of thrust around the stern, its acting direction, and the correlation between the rudder angle and the magnitude of the rudder angle when the combination of the rudder angle of the high-lift rudder is changed under a constant propeller thrust, for each propeller thrust having a different blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller; The target setting unit has a functional circuit for inputting a target heading, a target hull motion direction, and a target thrust around the stern, the blade angle command unit has a functional circuit that calculates a target propeller thrust required to generate a target thrust in the target hull motion direction from the correlation data, calculates a target blade angle required to output the target propeller thrust, and commands the calculated target blade angle to the hull motion control unit; the rudder angle command unit has a functional circuit for calculating a target rudder angle required for directing the target thrust around the stern in the target hull motion direction based on the correlation data, and for commanding the calculated target rudder angle to the hull motion control unit; A single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller, characterized in that the turning command unit has a functional circuit that calculates the target turning moment required to turn the current heading to the target heading and commands the calculated target turning moment to the hull motion control unit.

2. A single-shaft, twin-rudder ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller as described in claim 1, characterized in that the target setting unit has a joystick lever, the target hull movement direction is indicated by the tilt direction of the lever, and the target thrust magnitude is indicated by the tilt angle of the lever.

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