Control system and vessel

Abstract

To reduce risk of an action failure due to setting error of a system and to reduce effort spent in detecting the error setting.SOLUTION: A plurality of propellers of a control system respectively has a propeller controller. A propeller position determination unit of the control system has the propeller controller and a gateway device. The gateway device has a plurality of connection ports to which communication bus is connected and includes a plurality of gateway controllers serially connected through the connection ports and the communication bus or a single gateway controller. The propeller controllers of the two propellers are communicably connected to a different connection port in the gateway controller provided corresponding to the pair of propellers. The gateway controller recognizes existence of the propeller having the propeller controller by communicating respectively with the two propeller controllers as well as outputting recognition information based on recognition result of the propeller from different connection ports.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control system and a vessel. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for realizing the hull behavior desired by the user by outputting a command signal to a propulsion device in response to an operation signal from an operating device based on a selected maneuvering pattern. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-34269 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, with the increase in the number of propulsion units mounted on boats and the devices used (e.g., control units, display units, etc.), the various settings that workers (e.g., boat builders) have to operate have become more complicated. This increases the possibility of control failure due to incorrect settings and the risk of malfunction. In addition, it requires a great deal of effort to discover incorrect settings.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a control system that can reduce the risk of malfunction due to incorrect system settings and can reduce the effort required to detect incorrect settings, and a ship equipped with such a control system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A control system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a plurality of propulsion units and a propulsion unit position determination unit that determines the relative positions of the plurality of propulsion units, each of the plurality of propulsion units having a propulsion unit control unit, the propulsion unit position determination unit having the propulsion unit control unit and a gateway device, the gateway device having a plurality of connection ports to which a communication bus is connected, and including a plurality of or a single gateway control unit connected in series via the connection ports and the communication bus, the propulsion unit control units of two of the plurality of propulsion units being communicatively connected to different connection ports of the gateway control unit that is provided corresponding to the pair of the two propulsion units, the gateway control unit communicating with each of the two propulsion unit control units connected to the connection ports to recognize the presence or absence of a propulsion unit that has the propulsion unit control unit, and outputting recognition information based on the recognition results of the propulsion units from the different connection ports.

[0007] A watercraft according to another aspect of the present invention includes the above-described control system and a hull on which the control system is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] This reduces the risk of malfunction due to incorrect system settings, and also reduces the effort required to discover incorrect settings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a general configuration of a control system applied to the vessel. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating another configuration of the control system. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a block diagram schematically illustrating still another configuration of the control system. [Figure 5] 3 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating one step of a method for determining the relative positions of each propulsion unit in the control system of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another step of the determination method. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating still another step of the determination method. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another step of the determination method. [Figure 9] 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating one step of a method for determining the relative positions of the propulsion units in the control system of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another step of the determination method. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating still another step of the determination method. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating still another step of the determination method. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another step of the determination method. [Figure 14] 5 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating one step of a method for determining the relative positions of the propulsion units in the control system of FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another step of the determination method. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating still another step of the determination method. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating still another step of the determination method. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another step of the determination method. [Figure 19] 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of each step or process from assembly of an arbitrary control system to the start of control. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an example of a display screen of a display unit included in the control system. [Figure 21A] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a vessel that can be steered with a joystick. [Figure 21B] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a ship in which joystick operation is not possible. [Figure 22]FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between devices in a four-unit control system. [Figure 23A] 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an example of the relative positions of the other propulsion units using one of the four propulsion units as a reference. FIG. [Figure 23B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another example of the relative position. [Figure 23C] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another example of the relative position. [Figure 24] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system including a lateral propulsion device. [Figure 25A] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an example of the relative positions of the other lateral propulsion units relative to one of the four lateral propulsion units as a reference unit. [Figure 25B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another example of the relative position. [Figure 26A] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an example of the relative positions of the other lateral thrusters of a catamaran with respect to one of the four lateral thrusters. [Figure 26B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating another example of the relative position. [Figure 27A] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating still another example of the relative position. [Figure 27B] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating still another example of the relative position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. In this specification and drawings, the port side or left side of a ship may be referred to as "Port," and the starboard side or right side may be referred to as "Starboard," or may be abbreviated as "Stbd."

[0011] [1. Ship] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a ship 100 according to this embodiment. The ship 100 includes a control system 1 and a hull 100a. The control system 1 is provided in the hull 100a.

[0012] The control system 1 includes a plurality of propulsion units 10. The propulsion units 10 are configured as propulsion devices that generate thrust by rotating a propeller driven by a prime mover such as an engine. The prime mover may be an electric motor, or a hybrid configuration that combines an engine and an electric motor. FIG. 1 shows an example of a configuration including two propulsion units 10: one located on the port side of the hull 100a and the other on the starboard side. The number of propulsion units 10 may be three or more. Having N propulsion units 10 (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) is also referred to as an "N-unit system." The control system 1 will be described in detail below.

[0013] [2. Control System] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control system 1 shown in FIG. 1. The control system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a dual-unit system because it has two propulsion units 10. Each propulsion unit 10 in the control system 1 has a marine control unit 11, an engine control unit 12, an engine 13, and a marine gear 14. For convenience, in the drawings, the marine control unit is indicated as "M-ECU," the engine control unit is indicated as "E-ECU," the engine is indicated as "E," and the marine gear is indicated as "M / G." An ECU (Electronic Control Unit) is an electronic control unit.

[0014] The marine control unit 11 is a propulsion unit control unit that controls the operation of each part of the propulsion unit 10, and is configured with the ECU described above. That is, each of the multiple propulsion units 10 has a propulsion unit control unit. The engine control unit 12 is also configured with an ECU, and controls the operation of the engine 13 under the control of the marine control unit 11. The output shaft of the engine 13 is connected to the propeller via the marine gear 14 and a shaft. The marine gear 14 is controlled by the marine control unit 11, and is provided to transmit power output from the output shaft of the engine 13 to the shaft to rotate the propeller, and to switch the rotation direction of the propeller (forward / reverse). The marine gear 14 also switches between transmitting and blocking power output from the engine 13 to the shaft.

[0015] The control system 1 includes a propulsion unit position determination unit 20. The propulsion unit position determination unit 20 is configured by connecting multiple ECUs via a communication bus 1a. The communication bus 1a is, for example, a CAN (Control Area Network) bus. In Fig. 2, the CAN bus is indicated by a thick solid line.

[0016] Specifically, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 is configured to include the marine control unit 11 of each propulsion unit 10 described above and a gateway device 21. The gateway device 21 includes a gateway control unit 22 made up of an ECU. In the configuration of FIG. 2, the gateway device 21 includes a single gateway control unit 22. Note that the gateway device 21 may be configured to include multiple gateway control units 22 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Note that in the drawings, the gateway control unit is indicated as "G / W_ECU."

[0017] The marine control unit 11 of each propulsion unit 10 is connected to different connection ports of the gateway control unit 22, namely, the first connection port P1 and the second connection port P2, via the communication bus 1a. This enables communication between each propulsion unit 10 (particularly the marine control unit 11) and the gateway device 21 (particularly the gateway control unit 22). Through this communication, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 recognizes the presence or absence of each propulsion unit 10 and determines the relative position of each propulsion unit 10. The method for determining the relative position will be described in detail below.

[0018] The control system 1 further includes an operation unit 30. The operation unit 30 accepts operations for driving the multiple propulsion units 10. The operation unit 30 is communicatively connected to the communication bus 1a. For example, when the operator operates the operation unit 30, a signal corresponding to the operation state of the operation unit 30 is input via the communication bus 1a to the marine control unit 11 of each propulsion unit 10. As a result, under the control of each marine control unit 11, each propulsion unit 10 is driven in accordance with the operation of the operation unit 30.

[0019] The operation unit 30 includes a joystick 31, a control head 32, a switch panel 33, and an autopilot device 34. For convenience, in Fig. 2, the joystick is indicated by "J / S," the control head by "C / H," the switch panel by "S / P," and the autopilot device by "A / P." The operation unit 30 may also include a device (dial) that allows various settings to be made by dial operation.

[0020] The joystick 31 is a device used by the operator to specify the direction in which the boat 100 will navigate. By tilting the lever of the joystick 31 in any of the following directions from the neutral position: forward / backward, left / right, or diagonal, the boat 100 can navigate in the direction in which the lever is tilted. The control head 32 is also a device used to specify the direction in which the boat 100 will navigate, and has a pair of left and right levers. By tilting the left and right levers of the control head 32 forward / backward, respectively, the boat 100 can navigate in a specific direction. The switch panel 33 is a device used to start and stop each propulsion unit 10. Therefore, a switch panel 33 is provided for each propulsion unit 10. The autopilot device 34 is a device used to turn the autopilot (automatic boat steering) function on and off. When the autopilot function is turned on in the autopilot device 34, the drive of the propulsion unit 10 is controlled by each marine control unit 11 so that the boat 10 navigates along a set course.

[0021] The control system 1 further includes a display unit 40, an input unit 50, and a storage unit 60. For convenience, the display unit is indicated by "D," the input unit by "T / P," and the storage unit by "ST" in Fig. 2. The display unit 40, the input unit 50, and the storage unit 60 are communicatively connected to the communication bus 1a.

[0022] The display unit 40 is a device that displays various types of information and is configured, for example, as a liquid crystal display device. The input unit 50 is a receiving unit that receives various instruction inputs from the operator or an operator. In this embodiment, the input unit 50 is configured, for example, as a touch panel that is disposed on top of the display unit 40. The input unit 50 may also be configured to include, for example, a lever, a switch, etc. The storage unit 60 is a memory that stores various types of information and includes, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc.

[0023] A display unit 40 and an input unit 50 are provided for each propulsion unit 10. This allows the status of each propulsion unit 10 to be displayed on the individual display unit 40. Furthermore, settings for each propulsion unit 10 can be individually configured using the corresponding input unit 50.

[0024] Another communication bus 1b (shown by a thick dashed line in FIG. 2) that has a different standard from the communication bus 1a is connected to the display unit 40. A multifunction display 70 is connected to the other communication bus 1b. In FIG. 2, the multifunction display is indicated by "MFD." For example, the multifunction display 70 can collectively display information displayed on each display unit 40 by communicating with each display unit 40 via the other communication bus 1b.

[0025] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic diagram of another configuration of the control system 1. The control system 1 in Fig. 3 has a triple-unit configuration in which the propulsion units 10 are located on the port, center, and starboard sides. The triple-unit control system 1 is configured by connecting one additional propulsion unit 10 to the communication bus 1a of the dual-unit configuration shown in Fig. 2, and by additionally connecting a gateway control unit 22, a switch panel 33, a display unit 40, and an input unit 50 corresponding to the additional propulsion unit 10. Therefore, the gateway device 21 has two gateway control units 22.

[0026] The two gateway control units 22 are connected in series via a communication bus 1a. Of the three propulsion units 10, the port-side propulsion unit 10 and the central propulsion unit 10 are connected via the communication bus 1a to different connection ports (first connection port P1, second connection port P2) of one gateway control unit 22. In addition, the central propulsion unit 10 and the starboard propulsion unit 10 are connected via the communication bus 1a to different connection ports (first connection port P1, second connection port P2) of the added gateway control unit 22.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic diagram of yet another configuration of the control system 1. The control system 1 of Fig. 4 has a four-unit configuration in which the propulsion units 10 are located on the port side (Port), center port side (Center Port), center starboard side (Center Stbd), and starboard side (Stbd). The four-unit control system 1 is configured by connecting one additional propulsion unit 10 to the communication bus 1a of the three-unit configuration shown in Fig. 3, and by additionally connecting a gateway control unit 22, a switch panel 33, a display unit 40, and an input unit 50 corresponding to the additional propulsion unit 10. Therefore, the gateway device 21 has three gateway control units 22.

[0028] The three gateway control units 22 are connected in series via a communication bus 1a. Of the four propulsion units 10, the port-side propulsion unit 10 and the center port-side propulsion unit 10 are connected via the communication bus 1a to different connection ports (first connection port P1, second connection port P2) of one gateway control unit 22. The center port-side propulsion unit 10 and the center starboard propulsion unit 10 are connected via the communication bus 1a to different connection ports (first connection port P1, second connection port P2) of another gateway control unit 22 that is connected to the above gateway control unit 22. The center starboard propulsion unit 10 and the starboard propulsion unit 10 are connected via the communication bus 1a to different connection ports (first connection port P1, second connection port P2) of an added gateway control unit 22.

[0029] Although not shown, the control system 1 may be configured to have five or more propulsion units 10. In a configuration having N propulsion units 10 (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2), the additional propulsion units 10 are connected to the communication bus 1a in addition to the configuration having (N-1) propulsion units 10, and a gateway control unit 22, a switch panel 33, a display unit 40, and an input unit 50 are also connected to the communication bus 1a. In a configuration having N propulsion units 10, the gateway device 21 is configured by connecting (N-1) gateway control units 22 in series via the communication bus 1a.

[0030] In this way, the gateway device 21 of the control system 1 includes multiple or a single gateway control unit 22. More specifically, in the case of a two-unit system, the gateway device 21 includes a single gateway control unit 22. In the case of a three-unit system or more, the gateway device 21 includes multiple gateway control units 22. The gateway control unit 22 has a first connection port P1 and a second connection port to which the communication bus 1a is connected. In other words, the gateway control unit 22 has multiple connection ports to which the communication bus 1a is connected. The multiple gateway control units 22 are connected in series via the connection ports and the communication bus 1a.

[0031] [3. Relative position determination method] Next, a method for determining the relative positions of the multiple propulsion units 10 by the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 will be described.

[0032] (3-1.2 units) 5 to 8 are explanatory diagrams schematically illustrating the steps of a method for determining the relative positions of each propulsion unit 10 in the dual-propulsion configuration shown in FIG. 2. For convenience of explanation below, the marine control unit 11 included in one of the two propulsion units 10 will be referred to as the first marine control unit 11a, and the marine control unit 11 included in the other propulsion unit 10 will be referred to as the second marine control unit 11b. In FIG. 5 and other figures, the first marine control unit is designated "M-ECU-1," and the second marine control unit is designated "M-ECU-2." The first marine control unit 11a is connected to the first connection port P1 of the gateway control unit 22 via the communication bus 1a. The second marine control unit 11b is connected to the second connection port P2 of the gateway control unit 22 via the communication bus 1a. That is, the marine control units 11 (first marine control unit 11a and second marine control unit 11b) of the two propulsion units 10 are communicatively connected to different connection ports (first connection port P1 and second connection port P2) of the gateway control unit 22 provided corresponding to the pair of the two propulsion units 10.

[0033] For convenience, the first connection port P1 side of the gateway control unit 22 is referred to as the "left," and the second connection port P2 side is referred to as the "right." That is, in the gateway control unit 22, the first connection port P1 is located at one end side (e.g., the left side) in one direction (e.g., the left-right direction), and the second connection port P2 is located at the other end side (e.g., the right side) in the one direction.

[0034] 5, if gateway control unit 22 receives a predetermined signal (e.g., a signal with a predetermined parameter group number (PGN)) from first marine control unit 11a via communication bus 1a at first connection port P1, gateway control unit 22 determines that first marine control unit 11a is connected to first connection port P1, i.e., on the left side, relative to gateway control unit 22. Similarly, if gateway control unit 22 receives a predetermined signal from second marine control unit 11b via communication bus 1a at second connection port P2, gateway control unit 22 determines that second marine control unit 11b is connected to second connection port P2, i.e., on the right side, relative to gateway control unit 22.

[0035] The predetermined signal output by the first marine control unit 11a is also periodically transmitted to the switch panel 33 corresponding to the first marine control unit 11a. This makes it possible to power off (start / stop) the first marine control unit 11a by operating the switch panel 33. Similarly, the predetermined signal output by the second marine control unit 11b is also periodically transmitted to the switch panel 33 corresponding to the second marine control unit 11b. This makes it possible to power off the second marine control unit 11b by operating the switch panel 33.

[0036] Next, as shown in Figure 6, gateway control unit 22 determines the number of marine control units 11 located to the left of gateway control unit 22 and the number of marine control units 11 located to the right of gateway control unit 22. In the case of a two-unit connection, only a signal from first marine control unit 11a is received at first connection port P1 for one gateway control unit 22. Therefore, gateway control unit 22 determines that the number of marine control units 11 located to the left of gateway control unit 22 is "1" based on the reception of the above signal.

[0037] Similarly, for one gateway control unit 22, the second connection port P2 receives only the signal from the second marine control unit 11b. Therefore, based on the reception of the signal, the gateway control unit 22 determines that the number of marine control units 11 located to the right of the gateway control unit 22 is "1." From this result, the gateway control unit 22 can determine that, of the multiple propulsion units 10, the propulsion unit 10 including the first marine control unit 11a is located relatively to the left, and the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b is located relatively to the right.

[0038] At this time, the above judgment result of the gateway control unit 22 (number of connections of the left marine control unit: 1, number of connections of the right marine control unit: 1) constitutes recognition information A1 that indicates the recognition result itself of the gateway control unit 22. Because the number of connections of the left and right marine control units 11 is "1", the gateway control unit 22 can also simultaneously determine that the total number of propulsion units 10 is two.

[0039] 7, the gateway control unit 22 outputs the recognition information A1 from the first connection port P1 and the second connection port P2. The recognition information A1 output from the first connection port P1 is input to the first marine control unit 11a. The recognition information A1 output from the second connection port P2 is input to the second marine control unit 11b.

[0040] Because the first marine control unit 11a is connected to the first connection port P1 of the gateway control unit 22 (on the left side of the gateway control unit 22), it can be determined that the "number of connections for marine control units on the left side: 1" included in the recognition information A1 is the number for the first marine control unit 11a itself. Therefore, the first marine control unit 11a subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for marine control units on the left side: 1" included in the recognition information A1. In other words, the first marine control unit 11a determines that the number of marine control units 11 connected to the left side of the gateway control unit 22 is zero, excluding the first marine control unit 11a. On the other hand, the first marine control unit 11a maintains the "number of connections for marine control units on the right side: 1" included in the recognition information A1 as is. In other words, the first marine control unit 11a determines that the number of connections for the marine control unit 11 on the right side of the gateway control unit 22 is "1." As a result, the first marine control unit 11a can determine that, of the multiple propulsion units 10, the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the first marine control unit 11a) is located relatively to the left, and the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b is located relatively to the right. Furthermore, because there are propulsion units 10 located relatively to the left and right, the first marine control unit 11a can simultaneously determine that the total number of propulsion units 10 is two.

[0041] Because the second marine control unit 11b is connected to the second connection port P2 of the gateway control unit 22 (on the right side of the gateway control unit 22), it can be determined that the "number of connections for marine control units on the right side: 1" included in the recognition information A1 is the number for the second marine control unit 11b itself. Therefore, the second marine control unit 11b subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for marine control units on the right side: 1" included in the recognition information A1. In other words, the second marine control unit 11b determines that the number of marine control units 11 connected to the right side of the gateway control unit 22 is zero, excluding the second marine control unit 11b. On the other hand, the second marine control unit 11b maintains the "number of connections for marine control units on the left side: 1" included in the recognition information A1 as is. In other words, the second marine control unit 11b determines that the number of connections for the marine control unit 11 on the left side of the gateway control unit 22 is "1." As a result, the second marine control unit 11b can determine that, of the multiple propulsion units 10, the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the second marine control unit 11b) is located relatively to the right, and the propulsion unit 10 including the first marine control unit 11a is located relatively to the left. Furthermore, because there are propulsion units 10 located relatively to the left and right, the second marine control unit 11b can also simultaneously determine that the total number of propulsion units 10 is two.

[0042] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 8, the gateway control unit 22 may output identification information A11 from the first connection port P1 (to the first marine control unit 11a) and may output identification information A12 from the second connection port P2 (to the second marine control unit 11b). The identification information A11 is the identification information A1 shown in Figure 7 obtained by first subtracting the number of first marine control units 11a from the number of marine control units 11 connected to the left side of the gateway control unit 22 (the first connection port P1 side). The identification information A12 is the identification information A1 shown in Figure 7 obtained by first subtracting the number of second marine control units 11b from the number of marine control units 11 connected to the right side of the gateway control unit 22 (the second connection port P2 side).

[0043] In this case, the first marine control unit 11a can determine, based on the input recognition information A11, that, of the multiple propulsion units 10, the propulsion unit 10 including the first marine control unit 11a is located relatively to the left, and the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b is located relatively to the right, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number. Similarly, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, based on the input recognition information A12, that, of the multiple propulsion units 10, the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b is located relatively to the right, and the propulsion unit 10 including the first marine control unit 11a is located relatively to the left, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number. In addition, because the first marine control unit 11a and the second marine control unit 11b can each recognize the propulsion units 10 located relatively to the left and right, they can simultaneously determine that the total number of propulsion units 10 is two.

[0044] (3-2.3 units) 9 to 13 are explanatory diagrams that schematically show the steps of a method for determining the relative positions of the propulsion units 10 in the triple-unit configuration shown in Fig. 3. In the following explanations and drawings, the same names and symbols are used for components that are common to the dual-unit configuration.

[0045] Furthermore, the marine control unit 11 included in the third of the three propulsion units 10 is referred to as the third marine control unit 11c. In FIG. 9 and other figures, the third marine control unit is indicated as "M-ECU-3." In the gateway device 21, of the two gateway control units 22 connected in series in one direction, the gateway control unit 22 located at one end of the one direction (e.g., the left side) is indicated as the first gateway control unit 22a, and the gateway control unit 22 located at the other end of the one direction (e.g., the right side) is indicated as the second gateway control unit 22b. In FIG. 9 and other figures, the first gateway control unit is indicated as "G / W_ECU-1," and the second gateway control unit is indicated as "G / W_ECU-2." Note that, in the gateway control unit 22, the first connection port P1 is located at one end of the one direction (e.g., the left side), and the second connection port P2 is located at the other end of the one direction (e.g., the right side), as in FIG. 5 and other figures.

[0046] The first marine control unit 11a is connected to the first connection port P1 of the first gateway control unit 22a via the communication bus 1a. The second marine control unit 11b is connected to the second connection port P2 of the first gateway control unit 22a and the first connection port P1 of the second gateway control unit 22b via the communication bus 1a. The third marine control unit 11c is connected to the second connection port P2 of the second gateway control unit 22b via the communication bus 1a.

[0047] That is, even in a triple-propulsion configuration, the marine control units 11 of the two propulsion units 10 are communicatively connected to different connection ports of a gateway control unit 22 provided corresponding to the pair of two propulsion units 10. Specifically, the first marine control unit 11a and the second marine control unit 11b of the two propulsion units 10 are communicatively connected to the first connection port P1 and the second connection port P2, respectively, of the first gateway control unit 22a provided corresponding to the pair of two propulsion units 10. Furthermore, the second marine control unit 11b and the third marine control unit 11c of the two propulsion units 10 are communicatively connected to the first connection port P1 and the second connection port P2, respectively, of the second gateway control unit 22b provided corresponding to the pair of two propulsion units 10.

[0048] 9, if the first gateway control unit 22a receives a predetermined signal from the first marine control unit 11a via the communication bus 1a at the first connection port P1, the first gateway control unit 22a determines that the first marine control unit 11a is connected to the first connection port P1 side, i.e., to the left side, of the first gateway control unit 22a. Similarly, if the first gateway control unit 22a receives a predetermined signal from the second marine control unit 11b via the communication bus 1a at the second connection port P2, the first gateway control unit 22a determines that the second marine control unit 11b is connected to the second connection port P2 side, i.e., to the right side, of the first gateway control unit 22a. Therefore, the first gateway control unit 22a obtains, as the recognition result B1, a determination result that the number of marine control units 11 located to the left of the first gateway control unit 22a is "1" and the number of marine control units 11 located to the right of the first gateway control unit 22a is "1."

[0049] Furthermore, if the second gateway control unit 22b receives a predetermined signal from the second marine control unit 11b via the communication bus 1a at the first connection port P1, it determines that the second marine control unit 11b is connected to the first connection port P1 side of the second gateway control unit 22b, that is, to the left. Similarly, if the second gateway control unit 22b receives a predetermined signal from the third marine control unit 11c via the communication bus 1a at the second connection port P2, it determines that the third marine control unit 11c is connected to the second connection port P2 side of the second gateway control unit 22b, that is, to the right. Therefore, the second gateway control unit 22b obtains, as the recognition result B2, a determination result that the number of marine control units 11 located to the left of the second gateway control unit 22b is "1" and the number of marine control units 11 located to the right of the second gateway control unit 22b is "1."

[0050] 10, the first gateway control unit 22a outputs its own recognition result B1 to another gateway control unit 22 (here, the second gateway control unit 22b) via the communication bus 1a. Similarly, the second gateway control unit 22b outputs its own recognition result B2 to another gateway control unit 22 (here, the first gateway control unit 22a) via the communication bus 1a.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 11, when the first gateway control unit 22a receives the recognition result B2 from the second gateway control unit 22b, it adds the recognition result B2 to its own recognition result B1 to obtain the final recognition information C1. However, the "number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result B2 overlaps with the "number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result B1 (each marine control unit points to the same second marine control unit 11b). Therefore, the "number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result B2 is not added to the "number of connections for the right marine control unit" in the recognition result B1. In other words, only the "number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result B2 is added to the "number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result B1. As a result, the recognition information C1 becomes the information "number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1 + 1 = 2, number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1."

[0052] Furthermore, when the second gateway control unit 22b acquires the recognition result B1 from the first gateway control unit 22a, it adds the recognition result B1 to its own recognition result B2 to obtain the final recognition information C2. However, the "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result B1 overlaps with the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result B2 (each marine control unit points to the same second marine control unit 11b). Therefore, the "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result B1 is not added to the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit" in the recognition result B2. In other words, only the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result B1 is added to the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result B2. As a result, the recognition information C2 becomes the information "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1, number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1 + 1 = 2."

[0053] 12, the first gateway control unit 22a outputs the identification information C1 from the first connection port P1 and the second connection port P2. The identification information C1 output from the first connection port P1 is input to the first marine control unit 11a. The identification information C1 output from the second connection port P2 is input to the second marine control unit 11b.

[0054] Because the first marine control unit 11a is connected to the first connection port P1 (on the left side of the first gateway control unit 22a) of the first gateway control unit 22a, it can be determined that the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information C1 is the number for the first marine control unit 11a itself. Therefore, the first marine control unit 11a subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information C1. The first marine control unit 11a also maintains the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 2" included in the recognition information C1 as is.

[0055] In other words, the first marine control unit 11a recognizes that "the number of connections of the left marine control unit: 1-1=0" and that "the number of connections of the right marine control unit: 2." As a result, because there are two propulsion units 10 located to the right of the propulsion unit 10 including itself (first marine control unit 11a), the first marine control unit 11a can determine that the propulsion unit 10 including itself is located on the leftmost side, and that the total number of propulsion units 10 is three.

[0056] Because the second marine control unit 11b is connected to the second connection port P2 (on the right side of the first gateway control unit 22a) of the first gateway control unit 22a, it can be determined that the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 2" included in the recognition information C1 includes the number of the second marine control unit 11b itself. Therefore, the second marine control unit 11b subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 2" included in the recognition information C1. The second marine control unit 11b also maintains the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information C1 as is.

[0057] In other words, the second marine control unit 11b recognizes that "the number of connected marine control units on the left side: 2 - 1 = 1" and that "the number of connected marine control units on the right side: 2 - 1 = 1." As a result, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, based on the recognition information C1, that there is one propulsion unit 10 located to the left of the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b, and one propulsion unit 10 located to the right. This allows the second marine control unit 11b to determine that the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the second marine control unit 11b) is located between the two propulsion units 10 (for example, in the center in the left-right direction), and that the total number of propulsion units 10 is three.

[0058] Furthermore, because second marine control unit 11b is connected to first connection port P1 (on the left side of second gateway control unit 22b) of second gateway control unit 22b, it can be determined that the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 2" included in recognition information C2 includes the number of second marine control unit 11b itself. Therefore, second marine control unit 11b subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 2" included in recognition information C2. Furthermore, second marine control unit 11b maintains the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" included in recognition information C2 as is.

[0059] In other words, the second marine control unit 11b recognizes that "the number of connected marine control units on the left side is 2-1=1" and that "the number of connected marine control units on the right side is 2-1=1." As a result, even based on the recognition information C2, the second marine control unit 11b can determine that there is one propulsion unit 10 located to the left of the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b, and one propulsion unit 10 located to the right. As a result, even based on the recognition information C2, the second marine control unit 11b can determine that the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the second marine control unit 11b) is located between the two propulsion units 10 (for example, in the center in the left-right direction), and can determine that the total number of propulsion units 10 is three.

[0060] Because the third marine control unit 11c is connected to the second connection port P2 (on the right side of the second gateway control unit 22b) of the second gateway control unit 22b, it can be determined that the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information C2 is the number for the third marine control unit 11c itself. Therefore, the third marine control unit 11c subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information C2. The third marine control unit 11c also maintains the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 2" included in the recognition information C2 as is.

[0061] In other words, the third marine control unit 11c recognizes that "the number of connections of the left marine control unit is 2" and that "the number of connections of the right marine control unit is 1-1=0." As a result, because there are two propulsion units 10 located to the left of the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the third marine control unit 11c), the third marine control unit 11c can determine that the propulsion unit 10 including itself is located at the rightmost position, and can also determine that the total number of propulsion units 10 is three.

[0062] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 13, the first gateway control unit 22a may output identification information C11 from the first connection port P1 (to the first marine control unit 11a) and may output identification information C12 from the second connection port P2 (to the second marine control unit 11b). The identification information C11 is the identification information C1 shown in Figure 12, obtained by first subtracting the number of first marine control units 11a from the number of marine control units 11 connected to the left side of the first gateway control unit 22a (the first connection port P1 side). The identification information C12 is the identification information C1 shown in Figure 12, obtained by first subtracting the number of second marine control units 11b from the number of marine control units 11 connected to the right side of the first gateway control unit 22a (the second connection port P2 side).

[0063] In this case, the first marine control unit 11a can determine, based on the input recognition information C11, that, of the multiple propulsion units 10, the propulsion unit 10 including the first marine control unit 11a is located relatively to the left, and the other two propulsion units 10 are located to the right, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number. Similarly, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, based on the input recognition information C12, that, of the multiple propulsion units 10, the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b is located between the two propulsion units 10 (for example, in the center), without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number. In other words, the second marine control unit 11b can determine that the propulsion units 10 are located to the left and right of the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the second marine control unit 11b).

[0064] Similarly, second gateway control unit 22b may output identification information C21 from first connection port P1 (to second marine control unit 11b) and may output identification information C22 from second connection port P2 (to third marine control unit 11c). Identification information C21 is information obtained by first subtracting the number of second marine control units 11b from the identification information C2 shown in FIG. 12 as the number of marine control units 11 connected to the left side of second gateway control unit 22b (the first connection port P1 side). Similarly, identification information C22 is information obtained by first subtracting the number of third marine control units 11c from the identification information C2 shown in FIG. 12 as the number of marine control units 11 connected to the right side of second gateway control unit 22b (the second connection port P2 side).

[0065] In this case, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, based on the input recognition information C21, that the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b is located between two other propulsion units 10 (e.g., in the center), without performing a calculation to subtract its own count. In other words, the second marine control unit 11b can determine that two other propulsion units 10 are located to the left and right of the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the second marine control unit 11b). Furthermore, the third marine control unit 11c can determine, based on the input recognition information C22, that the propulsion unit 10 including the third marine control unit 11c is located relatively to the right, and the other two propulsion units 10 are located to the left, without performing a calculation to subtract its own count.

[0066] Additionally, the first marine control unit 11a, the second marine control unit 11b, and the third marine control unit 11c can each recognize that the sum of the number of connected marine control units 11 on the left and the number of connected marine control units 11 on the right, excluding themselves, is two. From this, the first marine control unit 11a, the second marine control unit 11b, and the third marine control unit 11c can simultaneously determine that the total number of propulsion units 10, including themselves, is three.

[0067] (3-3.4 units) 14 to 18 are explanatory diagrams that schematically show the steps of a method for determining the relative positions of the propulsion units 10 in the triple-unit configuration shown in Fig. 4. The method for determining the relative positions in the quadruple-unit configuration is basically the same as in the triple-unit configuration. Below, the method for determining the relative positions in the quadruple-unit configuration will be explained, while omitting explanations that overlap with the triple-unit configuration.

[0068] For the sake of convenience in the following description, the marine control unit 11 included in the fourth of the four propulsion units 10 is referred to as the fourth marine control unit 11d. In FIG. 14 and other figures, the fourth marine control unit is designated as "M-ECU-4." In addition, of the three gateway control units 22 connected in series in one direction in the gateway device 21, the gateway control unit 22 located at one end of the one direction (e.g., the left side) is designated as the first gateway control unit 22a, the gateway control unit 22 located at the other end of the one direction (e.g., the right side) is designated as the third gateway control unit 22c, and the gateway control unit 22 located between the first gateway control unit 22a and the third gateway control unit 22c is designated as the second gateway control unit 22b. In FIG. 14 and other figures, the third gateway control unit is designated as "G / W_ECU-3."

[0069] The first marine control unit 11a is connected to the first connection port P1 of the first gateway control unit 22a via the communication bus 1a. The second marine control unit 11b is connected to the second connection port P2 of the first gateway control unit 22a and the first connection port P1 of the second gateway control unit 22b via the communication bus 1a. The third marine control unit 11c is connected to the second connection port P2 of the second gateway control unit 22b and the first connection port P1 of the third gateway control unit 22c via the communication bus 1a. The fourth marine control unit 11d is connected to the second connection port P2 of the third gateway control unit 22c via the communication bus 1a.

[0070] That is, even in a four-unit configuration, the marine control units 11 of two of the propulsion units 10 are communicatively connected to different connection ports of the gateway control unit 22 provided corresponding to the pair of two propulsion units 10. Specifically, in addition to the three-unit configuration, the third marine control unit 11c and the fourth marine control unit 11d of the two propulsion units 10 are communicatively connected to the first connection port P1 and the second connection port P2, respectively, of the third gateway control unit 22c provided corresponding to the pair of two propulsion units 10.

[0071] First, as shown in Fig. 14, the first gateway control unit 22a communicates with the first marine control unit 11a and the second marine control unit 11b to obtain a recognition result D1. The recognition result D1 has the same content as the recognition result B1 shown in Fig. 9. The second gateway control unit 22b communicates with the second marine control unit 11b and the third marine control unit 11c to obtain a recognition result D2. The recognition result D2 has the same content as the recognition result B2 shown in Fig. 9.

[0072] If the third gateway control unit 22c receives a predetermined signal from the third marine control unit 11c via the communication bus 1a at the first connection port P1, it determines that the third marine control unit 11c is connected to the first connection port P1 side of the third gateway control unit 22c, that is, to the left. Similarly, if the third gateway control unit 22c receives a predetermined signal from the fourth marine control unit 11d via the communication bus 1a at the second connection port P2, it determines that the fourth marine control unit 11d is connected to the second connection port P2 side of the third gateway control unit 22c, that is, to the right. In other words, the third gateway control unit 22c obtains, as the recognition result D3, a determination result that the number of marine control units 11 located to the left of the third gateway control unit 22c is "1" and the number of marine control units 11 located to the right of the third gateway control unit 22c is "1."

[0073] Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the first gateway control unit 22a outputs its own recognition result D1 to another gateway control unit 22 (here, the second gateway control unit 22b) via the communication bus 1a. The second gateway control unit 22b outputs its own recognition result D2, together with the recognition result D1 of the first gateway control unit 22a, to another gateway control unit 22 (here, the third gateway control unit 22c) via the communication bus 1a. The third gateway control unit 22c outputs its own recognition result D3 to another gateway control unit 22 (here, the second gateway control unit 22b) via the communication bus 1a. The second gateway control unit 22b outputs its own recognition result D2, together with the recognition result D3 of the third gateway control unit 22c, to another gateway control unit 22 (here, the first gateway control unit 22a) via the communication bus 1a.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 16, when the first gateway control unit 22a acquires the recognition results D2 and D3 from the second gateway control unit 22b, it adds the recognition results D2 and D3 to its own recognition result D1 to obtain the final recognition information E1. However, the “number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1” included in the recognition result D2 overlaps with the “number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1” included in the recognition result D1 (both marine control units point to the same second marine control unit 11b). Therefore, the “number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1” included in the recognition result D2 is not added to the “number of connections for the right marine control unit” included in the recognition result D1. Similarly, the “number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1” included in the recognition result D3 overlaps with the “number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1” included in the recognition result D2 (both marine control units point to the same third marine control unit 11c). Therefore, the “number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1” included in the recognition result D3 is not added to the “number of connections for the right marine control unit” included in the recognition result D1. Therefore, "Number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" in recognition result D2 and "Number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" in recognition result D3 are added to "Number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" in recognition result D1. As a result, recognition information E1 becomes "Number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1 + 2 = 3, Number of connections for left-side marine control units: 1."

[0075] The second gateway control unit 22b obtains the recognition result D1 from the first gateway control unit 22a and obtains the recognition result D3 from the third gateway control unit 22c. Therefore, the second gateway control unit 22b adds the recognition results D1 and D3 to its own recognition result D2 to obtain the final recognition information E2. However, the "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result D1 overlaps with the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result D2 (each marine control unit points to the same second marine control unit 11b). Therefore, the "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result D1 is not added to the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit" in the recognition result D2. In other words, only the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result D1 is added to the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result D2. Furthermore, the "number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1" included in recognition result D3 overlaps with the "number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1" included in recognition result D2 (each marine control unit points to the same third marine control unit 11c). For this reason, the "number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1" in recognition result D3 is not added to the "number of connections for the right marine control unit" in recognition result D2. In other words, only the "number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1" in recognition result D3 is added to the "number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1" in recognition result D2. As a result, recognition information E2 becomes the information "number of connections for the right marine control unit: 1 + 1 = 2, number of connections for the left marine control unit: 1 + 1 = 2."

[0076] When the third gateway control unit 22c acquires the recognition results D2 and D1 from the second gateway control unit 22b, it adds the recognition results D2 and D1 to its own recognition result D3 to obtain the final recognition information E3. However, the "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result D2 overlaps with the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result D3 (both marine control units point to the same third marine control unit 11c). Therefore, the "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result D2 is not added to the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit" in the recognition result D3. Similarly, the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result D2 overlaps with the "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1" included in the recognition result D1 (both marine control units point to the same second marine control unit 11b). Therefore, the "number of connections for the right-side marine control unit: 1" in the recognition result D1 is not added to the "number of connections for the left-side marine control unit" in the recognition result D3. Therefore, "Number of connections for left marine control units: 1" in recognition result D2 and "Number of connections for left marine control units: 1" in recognition result D1 are added to "Number of connections for left marine control units: 1" in recognition result D3. As a result, recognition information E3 becomes "Number of connections for right marine control units: 1, Number of connections for left marine control units: 1 + 2 = 3".

[0077] 17, the first gateway control unit 22a outputs the recognition information E1 from the first connection port P1 and the second connection port P2. The recognition information E1 output from the first connection port P1 is input to the first marine control unit 11a. The recognition information E1 output from the second connection port P2 is input to the second marine control unit 11b.

[0078] Because the first marine control unit 11a is connected to the first connection port P1 (on the left side of the first gateway control unit 22a) of the first gateway control unit 22a, it can be determined that the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information E1 is the number for the first marine control unit 11a itself. Therefore, the first marine control unit 11a subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information E1. The first marine control unit 11a also maintains the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 3" included in the recognition information E1 as is.

[0079] In other words, since there are three propulsion units 10 located to the right of the propulsion unit 10 including itself (first marine control unit 11a), the total number of propulsion units 10 is four, and it can be determined that the propulsion unit 10 including itself (first marine control unit 11a) is located on the leftmost side (port side) of the four propulsion units 10.

[0080] Because the second marine control unit 11b is connected to the second connection port P2 (on the right side of the first gateway control unit 22a) of the first gateway control unit 22a, it can be determined that the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 3" included in the recognition information E1 includes the number of the second marine control unit 11b itself. Therefore, the second marine control unit 11b subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 2" included in the recognition information E1. The second marine control unit 11b also maintains the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information E1 as is.

[0081] As a result, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, based on the recognition information E1, that there is one propulsion unit 10 located to the left of the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b, and two propulsion units located to the right. This allows the second marine control unit 11b to determine that there are four propulsion units 10 in total, and that the propulsion unit 10 including itself (second marine control unit 11b) is located second from the left (center port side) among the four propulsion units 10.

[0082] Furthermore, because second marine control unit 11b is connected to first connection port P1 (on the left side of second gateway control unit 22b) of second gateway control unit 22b, it can be determined that the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 2" included in recognition information E2 includes the number of second marine control unit 11b itself. Therefore, second marine control unit 11b subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 2" included in recognition information E2. Furthermore, second marine control unit 11b maintains the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 2" included in recognition information E2 as is.

[0083] As a result, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, even based on the recognition information E2, that there is one propulsion unit 10 located to the left of the propulsion unit 10 including the second marine control unit 11b, and two propulsion units located to the right. As a result, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, even based on the recognition information E2, that the total number of propulsion units 10 is four, and that the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the second marine control unit 11b) is located on the center port side.

[0084] Because the third marine control unit 11c is connected to the second connection port P2 (on the right side of the second gateway control unit 22b) of the second gateway control unit 22b, it can be determined that the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 2" included in the recognition information E2 includes the number of third marine control unit 11c itself. Therefore, the third marine control unit 11c subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 2" included in the recognition information E2. The third marine control unit 11c also maintains the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 2" included in the recognition information E2 as is.

[0085] As a result, the third marine control unit 11c can determine, based on the recognition information E2, that there are two propulsion units 10 located to the left of the propulsion unit 10 including the third marine control unit 11c, and one propulsion unit 10 located to the right. As a result, the third marine control unit 11c can determine, based on the recognition information E2, that the total number of propulsion units 10 is four, and that the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the third marine control unit 11c) is located second from the right (center starboard) among the four propulsion units 10.

[0086] Furthermore, because the third marine control unit 11c is connected to the first connection port P1 (on the left side of the third gateway control unit 22c) of the third gateway control unit 22c, it can be determined that the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 3" included in the recognition information E3 includes the number of third marine control units 11c itself. Therefore, the third marine control unit 11c subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 3" included in the recognition information E3. Furthermore, the third marine control unit 11c maintains the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information E3 as is.

[0087] As a result, the third marine control unit 11c can determine that there are two propulsion units 10 located to the left of the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the third marine control unit 11c) and one propulsion unit located to the right. As a result, even based on the recognition information E3, the third marine control unit 11c can determine that the total number of propulsion units 10 is four and that the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the third marine control unit 11c) is located on the center starboard side.

[0088] Because the fourth marine control unit 11d is connected to the second connection port P2 (on the right side of the third gateway control unit 22c) of the third gateway control unit 22c, it can be determined that the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information E3 is the number for the third marine control unit 11c itself. Therefore, the third marine control unit 11c subtracts its own number from the "number of connections for right-side marine control units: 1" included in the recognition information E3. The third marine control unit 11c also maintains the "number of connections for left-side marine control units: 3" included in the recognition information E3 as is.

[0089] In other words, since there are three propulsion units 10 located to the left of the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the third marine control unit 11c), the total number of propulsion units 10 is four, and it can be determined that the propulsion unit 10 including itself (the third marine control unit 11c) is located on the far right (starboard) side of the four propulsion units 10.

[0090] 18, the first gateway control unit 22a may output identification information E11 from the first connection port P1 (to the first marine control unit 11a) and may output identification information E12 from the second connection port P2 (to the second marine control unit 11b). The identification information E11 is the identification information E1 shown in FIG. 17 obtained by first subtracting the number of first marine control units 11a from the number of marine control units 11 connected to the left side of the first gateway control unit 22a (the first connection port P1 side). The identification information E12 is the identification information E1 shown in FIG. 17 obtained by first subtracting the number of second marine control units 11b from the number of marine control units 11 connected to the right side of the first gateway control unit 22a (the second connection port P2 side).

[0091] In this case, the first marine control unit 11a can determine, based on the input recognition information E11, that the total number of propulsion units 10, including its own propulsion unit 10, is four, and that of the four propulsion units 10, its own propulsion unit 10 is located on the port side, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number. Similarly, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, based on the input recognition information E12, that the total number of propulsion units 10, including its own propulsion unit 10, is four, and that of the four propulsion units 10, its own propulsion unit 10 is located on the center port side, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number.

[0092] Second gateway control unit 22b may output identification information E21 from first connection port P1 (to second marine control unit 11b), or may output identification information E22 from second connection port P2 (to third marine control unit 11c). Identification information E21 is information obtained by first subtracting the number of second marine control units 11b from identification information E2 shown in FIG. 17 as the number of marine control units 11 connected to the left side of second gateway control unit 22b (first connection port P1 side). Furthermore, identification information E22 is information obtained by first subtracting the number of third marine control units 11c from identification information E2 shown in FIG. 17 as the number of marine control units 11 connected to the right side of second gateway control unit 22b (second connection port P2 side).

[0093] In this case, the second marine control unit 11b can determine, based on the input recognition information E21, that the total number of propulsion units 10, including its own propulsion unit 10, is four, and that of the four propulsion units 10, its own propulsion unit 10 is located on the center port side, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number. Similarly, the third marine control unit 11c can determine, based on the input recognition information E22, that the total number of propulsion units 10, including its own propulsion unit 10, is four, and that of the four propulsion units 10, its own propulsion unit 10 is located on the center starboard side, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number.

[0094] The third gateway control unit 22c may output identification information E31 from the first connection port P1 (to the third marine control unit 11c) and may output identification information E32 from the second connection port P2 (to the fourth marine control unit 11d). Identification information E31 is information obtained by first subtracting the number of third marine control units 11c from identification information E3 shown in FIG. 17 as the number of marine control units 11 connected to the left side of the third gateway control unit 22c (the first connection port P1 side). Furthermore, identification information E32 is information obtained by first subtracting the number of fourth marine control units 11d from identification information E3 shown in FIG. 17 as the number of marine control units 11 connected to the right side of the third gateway control unit 22c (the second connection port P2 side).

[0095] In this case, the third marine control unit 11c can determine, based on the input recognition information E31, that the total number of propulsion units 10, including its own propulsion unit 10, is four, and that of the four propulsion units 10, its own propulsion unit 10 is located on the center starboard side, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number. Similarly, the fourth marine control unit 11d can determine, based on the input recognition information E32, that the total number of propulsion units 10, including its own propulsion unit 10, is four, and that of the four propulsion units 10, its own propulsion unit 10 is located on the starboard side, without performing a calculation process to subtract its own number.

[0096] Even when the number of propulsion units 10 is five or more, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 can determine the relative positions of the five or more propulsion units 10 using a method similar to that described above.

[0097] [4. Flow from system assembly to start of control based on settings] Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of each step or process from assembly of the control system 1 of this embodiment to the start of control. The detection of the configuration (total number and relative positions) of the plurality of propulsion units 10 described above is performed during this flow. Below, the above flow will be explained with reference to Figs. 2 to 4.

[0098] First, a worker (for example, a boat builder or a service technician) connects various devices, including multiple propulsion units 10 (S1). At this time, the worker connects each device in a predetermined order. Then, if the propulsion units 10 are configured as an N-unit system, the worker inputs various settings for the N-unit system into the input unit 50. For example, if the propulsion units 10 are configured as a three-unit system, the worker sets an operation program so that each of the three propulsion units 10 is driven in response to operation of the operation unit 30. The set contents are stored in the memory unit 60. Note that the operation program may be set by selecting a desired program corresponding to the number of propulsion units 10 from multiple programs (for example, for two-unit systems, three-unit systems, four-unit systems, etc.) previously stored in the memory unit 60.

[0099] Next, when the operator issues an instruction to start configuration detection via the input unit 50 (S2), the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 determines the total number and relative positions of the multiple propulsion units 10 using the method described above, and detects the configuration of the multiple propulsion units 10 (S3). The detection results are displayed on the display unit 40 under the control of the marine control unit 11 (S4).

[0100] FIG. 20 shows a schematic example of the display screen of the display unit 40. The input unit 50, which is a touch panel, is disposed on top of the display unit 40. Therefore, it is assumed here that various inputs can be made by touching predetermined locations on the display unit 40. The configuration detection results of the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 are displayed in a detection result display area 41 of the display unit 40. This figure shows that a three-unit configuration has been detected. The operator can issue an instruction to start configuration detection in S2 by touching a configuration detection start button 42 on the display unit 40.

[0101] The operator views the detection results displayed on the display unit 40, and if the detection is appropriate (if the detection is as configured), touches the approval button 43 to approve (S5). If the operator approves, the configuration (total number, relative positions) of the multiple propulsion units 10 is finally determined to be the configuration indicated by the detection results (S7), unless the detection results fall under items that are prohibited from being approved (S6). Details of S6 will be described later. Configuration information indicating the configuration of the multiple propulsion units 10 determined in S7, i.e., the configuration information indicated by the detection results approved in S5, is stored in the storage unit 60 (S8). Then, if there are no items that prohibit the start of control (S9), the marine control unit 11, for example, starts control of the multiple propulsion units 10 reflecting the configuration information stored in the storage unit 60 (S10).

[0102] If the correction instruction button 44 on the display unit 40 is touched without the operator's approval in S5 (S11), the process returns to S1, where the operator redoes the settings, etc. If a predetermined time has passed in S11 without the correction instruction button 44 being touched, the process ends without starting control using the settings in S1. Also, if the detection result in S6 corresponds to an item that is prohibited from being approved, the process does not start control using the settings in S1, and a message indicating that approval is prohibited is displayed on the display unit 40 (S12), and the process ends. Also, if an item that is prohibited from being approved exists in S9, the marine control unit 11 prohibits the start of control of the multiple propulsion units 10 that reflects the configuration information stored in the memory unit 60 (S13), and the process ends.

[0103] Here, examples of "cases where the detection result corresponds to a prohibited item" in S6 include cases where a configuration that exceeds the original equipment configuration is detected, or cases where settings that should be exclusive are detected as duplicated. An example of "cases where a configuration that exceeds the original equipment configuration is detected" is when the relative position of a seventh propulsion unit 10 is detected when the system can only support a maximum of six propulsion units. Also, an example of "cases where settings that should be exclusive are detected as duplicated" is when two configurations that should not exist are detected, such as when two port-side propulsion units are detected.

[0104] [5. Summary] In this embodiment, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 performs configuration detection in S3 of FIG. 19. The configuration detection is performed using the following method. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 18, the gateway control unit 22 of the gateway device 21 communicates with two marine control units 11 connected to different connection ports (first and second connection ports) to recognize the presence or absence of a propulsion unit 10 having each of the two marine control units 11, and outputs recognition information based on the recognition results of the propulsion unit 10 from the different connection ports. Note that the recognition information corresponds to recognition information A1 in the two-unit example, recognition information C1 and C2 in the three-unit example, and recognition information E1 to E3 in the four-unit example. Note that the recognition information based on the recognition results may be the recognition results of the two propulsion units 10 themselves (see recognition information A1, for example), or may be information that takes into account the recognition results output from other marine control units 11 in addition to the recognition results (see recognition information C1, C2, E1 to E3, for example).

[0105] According to the control system 1 of this embodiment, at least one of the gateway device 21 (gateway control unit 22) and the marine control unit 11 can determine the configuration (total number and relative positions) of the multiple propulsion units 10 using the above-described method. Therefore, for example, after an operator performs system assembly work (S1), including various settings and wiring connections, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 can automatically determine the configuration of the multiple propulsion units 10 (S2, S3). This allows for immediate detection of any incorrect settings or incorrect wiring connections. For example, if the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 detects a two-unit configuration despite the operator having configured the system for three units, it is likely that some kind of incorrect setting or incorrect connection has occurred. For example, if the central propulsion unit 10 is not detected in a three-unit configuration, the display unit 40 corresponding to at least that propulsion unit 10 will not display a detection result. Therefore, in this case, the operator can immediately review or correct the settings, or immediately check for and repair any incorrect connections around the central propulsion unit 10. Because incorrect settings can be immediately detected and addressed, the risk of operational malfunctions due to incorrect settings can be reduced. Furthermore, because the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 recognizes the presence or absence of each individual propulsion unit 10, it is easy to identify the location of a malfunction, such as the area around an unrecognized propulsion unit 10. This eliminates the need to expend a great deal of effort to discover incorrect wiring connections.

[0106] 3, 9, etc., the gateway device 21 may include multiple gateway control units 22. One gateway control unit 22 (e.g., the first gateway control unit 22a) included in the multiple gateway control units 22 may receive a recognition result (e.g., the recognition result B2) output from another gateway control unit 22 (e.g., the second gateway control unit 22b) via the communication bus 1a (see, for example, FIG. 10). In this case, the recognition result (e.g., the recognition result B2) includes a result of recognizing the presence or absence (connection) of each propulsion unit 10 having a marine control unit 11 (e.g., the second marine control unit 11b, the third marine control unit 11c) connected to the other gateway control unit 22 (e.g., the second gateway control unit 22b) (see, for example, FIG. 10).

[0107] Based on the recognition result B2 input from another gateway control unit 22 (e.g., the second gateway control unit 22b), one gateway control unit 22 (e.g., the first gateway control unit 22a) can determine the relative positions of multiple propulsion devices 10, including those having marine control units 11 (e.g., the second marine control unit 11b and the third marine control unit 11c) connected to the other gateway control unit 22. Furthermore, the one gateway control unit 22 can output, to the marine control units 11 (e.g., the first marine control unit 11a and the second marine control unit 11b) connected to the one gateway control unit 22, information that takes into account the recognition result B2 of the other gateway control unit 22 in addition to its own recognition result B1 as recognition information C1 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). As a result, the marine control unit 11 connected to the one gateway control unit 22 can determine the relative positions of the multiple propulsion devices 10 based on the recognition information C1.

[0108] 3, 9, etc., in a configuration in which multiple gateway control units 22 are connected in series via connection ports (first connection port P1, second connection port P2) and a communication bus 1a, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 may make the following determination. That is, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 may determine the total number of propulsion units 10 lined up in one direction (e.g., the left-right direction) and determine the relative positions of the multiple propulsion units 10 in that one direction by sharing the recognition results of the propulsion units 10 in each gateway control unit 22 (e.g., recognition results B1, B2) with each gateway control unit 22 via communication (see, for example, FIG. 10). In this case, the relative position of each propulsion unit 10 among all (multiple) propulsion units 10 (e.g., port side, center port side, center starboard side, or starboard side in a four-unit setup) can be determined.

[0109] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the control system 1 of this embodiment may include an input unit 50. The input unit 50 is a receiving unit that receives an instruction input for configuration detection, including determining the relative positions of the multiple propulsion units 10. As shown in the flow of FIG. 19, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 may start configuration detection when the input unit 50 receives the above instruction input (when a touch operation on the display unit 40 is received in the case of a touch panel) (S2, S3). In this case, an operator can input an instruction for configuration detection into the input unit 50 at any timing to cause the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 to start configuration detection. In other words, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 can start configuration detection when the operator inputs an instruction for configuration detection as a trigger.

[0110] It is desirable that the control system 1 of this embodiment further includes a display unit 40 that displays the detection results by the propulsion unit position determination unit 20, as shown in Figure 20. In this case, the operator can visually check the detection results displayed on the display unit 40 (the display at S4 in Figure 19), making it easier to check the detection results.

[0111] 20, the display unit 40 may selectably display a correction instruction button 44 for receiving an instruction to correct the settings corresponding to the above detection results. In this case, the operator can select (for example, touch) the correction instruction button 44 as necessary to correct the settings (for example, change the setting from three-unit to four-unit) (S11 in FIG. 19).

[0112] 20, the display unit 40 may selectably display an approval button 43 for accepting approval of the detection results by the propulsion unit position determination unit 20. In this case, if the operator finds the detection results displayed on the display unit 40 to be valid, the operator can select (e.g., touch) the approval button 43, thereby reflecting in the settings that the configuration (total number, relative positions) of the propulsion units 10 is a defect-free configuration.

[0113] When the multiple marine control units 11 receive approval of the detection results via the approval buttons 43, they may determine the configuration of the multiple propulsion units 10 as the configuration indicated by the detection results and start control of the multiple propulsion units 10 according to the determined configuration (S5 to S10 in FIG. 19). In this case, appropriate control according to the configuration of the multiple propulsion units 10 becomes possible. For example, in a four-unit configuration, the four propulsion units 10 can be appropriately controlled according to their respective positions.

[0114] 19, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 may further determine whether the detection result corresponds to an item that is prohibited from being approved, and if the detection result corresponds to an item that is prohibited from being approved, the display unit 40 may display a message that approval is prohibited (S12). If the detection result corresponds to an item that is prohibited from being approved, the display unit 40 may display a message to that effect, thereby prompting the operator to check the settings.

[0115] The control system 1 of this embodiment includes the storage unit 60 shown in Fig. 2 and other figures. The storage unit 60 functions as a configuration information storage unit that stores configuration information for the multiple propulsion units 10 indicated by the detection results approved by selecting the approval button 43 (S5 and S8 in Fig. 19). In this case, the marine control unit 11 can read the approved configuration information for the multiple propulsion units 10 from the storage unit 60 at an appropriate time, and execute appropriate control according to the configuration of the multiple propulsion units 10.

[0116] [6. Prohibitions for starting control] 19, the multiple marine control units 11 may prohibit the start of control of the multiple propulsion units 10 that reflects the configuration information stored in the memory unit 60, depending on the driving state of the propulsion units 10 (S13). For example, the multiple marine control units 11 may prohibit the start of control that reflects the configuration information while the propulsion units 10 are driving.

[0117] It is assumed that the ship 100 equipped with the control system 1 is sailing while the propulsion unit 10 is being driven. If the control of the propulsion unit 10 is suddenly changed while sailing, safe sailing may be impaired. While the propulsion unit 10 is being driven, the start of control of the propulsion unit 10 that reflects the detection results (configuration information) can be prohibited, thereby ensuring safe sailing.

[0118] In a configuration in which the control system 1 includes an operation unit 30 that accepts operations to drive the multiple propulsion units 10, as in this embodiment, the multiple marine control units 11 may perform the following control. That is, the multiple marine control units 11 may prohibit the start of control of the multiple propulsion units 10 that reflects the configuration information stored in the memory unit 60, depending on the operation state of the operation unit 30.

[0119] For example, in a configuration in which the operation unit 30 includes a control head 32 (see FIG. 2, etc.), the multiple marine control units 11 may prohibit the initiation of control reflecting the configuration information when the control head 32 is in a position other than the neutral position. Also, in a configuration in which the operation unit 30 includes a joystick 31, the multiple marine control units 11 may prohibit the initiation of control reflecting the configuration information when the joystick 31 is in a position other than the neutral position. Also, in a configuration in which the operation unit 30 includes an autopilot device 34, the multiple marine control units 11 may prohibit the initiation of control reflecting the configuration information while the autopilot device 34 is operating.

[0120] It is assumed that the vessel 100 equipped with the control system 1 is sailing when the operating unit 30 (joystick 31, control head 32, autopilot device 34) is being operated. If the control of the propulsion unit 10 is suddenly changed while sailing, this may impede safe sailing. While the operating unit 30 is being operated, the start of control of the propulsion unit 10 that reflects the detection results (configuration information) can be prohibited, thereby ensuring safe sailing.

[0121] FIG. 21A schematically illustrates a boat 100 that can be steered using a joystick. FIG. 21B illustrates the configuration of a boat 100 that cannot be steered using a joystick. A boat 100 that can be steered using a joystick is an inboard boat in which the operation unit 30 includes a joystick 31 and the propulsion unit 10 includes a lateral propulsion unit 10a. The lateral propulsion unit 10a is a propulsion unit that can propel the boat in a lateral direction, that is, in a direction that intersects the axis connecting the bow and stern when viewed from above, and is also called a thruster (bow thruster or stern thruster). An inboard boat is a boat that has a prime mover on board and multiple propulsion units 10 to which power from the prime mover is transmitted, generating only a propulsive force in a straight-ahead direction. Therefore, an inboard boat is provided with a separate rudder to change the direction of travel. In contrast, a boat 100 that cannot be steered using a joystick is an inboard boat that does not have a lateral propulsion unit, as shown in FIG. 21B.

[0122] The joystick 31 is normally used in a boat 100 capable of lateral propulsion, as shown in Fig. 21A. In other words, by tilting the lever of the joystick 31 to the right or left, the lateral propulsion unit 10a is driven, and the boat 100 moves laterally due to the lateral propulsion force. Therefore, in a boat 100 without a lateral propulsion unit 10a, as shown in Fig. 21B, lateral propulsion by tilting the lever of the joystick 31 to the left or right is not possible, and the joystick 31 is not used. In other words, if the joystick 31 is used as the operation unit 30 but the lateral propulsion unit 10a is not present, it can be considered that the equipment combination is incompatible.

[0123] When the equipment combination is inconsistent, even if the detection result by the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 is approved, it is desirable to prohibit the start of control that reflects the approved detection result (configuration information) in order to reduce the risk of malfunctions or the like caused by the inconsistency. In this regard, it is desirable for the multiple marine control units 11 to perform the following control. That is, in a configuration in which the operation unit 30 includes a joystick 31, it is desirable for the multiple marine control units 11 to determine whether to prohibit the start of control that reflects the configuration information stored in the storage unit 60 depending on whether or not a lateral propulsion unit 10a capable of lateral propulsion is present. More specifically, it is desirable for the multiple marine control units 11 to prohibit the start of control that reflects the configuration information if a lateral propulsion unit 10a is not present. Furthermore, in a configuration in which a lateral propulsion unit 10a is not present, it is also possible to prevent the setting to include a joystick.

[0124] [7. Determining the relative position of each propulsion unit based on one end of the communication bus] 22 schematically shows the connection relationship between multiple gateway control units 22 and multiple propulsion units 10 (each including a marine control unit 11) in a four-unit configuration. For convenience of the following explanation, the four propulsion units 10 are referred to as a first propulsion unit 101, a second propulsion unit 102, a third propulsion unit 103, and a fourth propulsion unit 104.

[0125] The propulsion unit position determination unit 20 may determine the relative positions of the multiple propulsion units 10 as follows. That is, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 may use, as a reference, a propulsion unit 10 among the multiple propulsion units 10 that has a marine control unit 11 that is connected to only one connection port of one gateway control unit 22 (either the first connection port P1 or the second connection port P2) via the communication bus 1a, and determine the relative positions of the other propulsion units 10. For example, in the example of FIG. 22 , the propulsion unit 10 that has a marine control unit 11 that is connected to only one connection port of one gateway control unit 22 via the communication bus 1a is the first propulsion unit 101 or the fourth propulsion unit 104. Therefore, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 (the gateway control unit 22 or the marine control unit of each propulsion unit 10) determines the relative positions of the other three propulsion units 10 using the first propulsion unit 101 (or the fourth propulsion unit 104) as a reference.

[0126] Here, the method for determining the relative positions is the same as the method explained with reference to Figures 5 to 18. For example, in the case of a four-unit installation, in the example shown in Figures 12 to 18, the relative positions of the four propulsion units 10 are determined in four ways: port side, center port side, center starboard side, and starboard side. In contrast, in the example of Figure 22, the first propulsion unit 101 on the port side is used as the reference, the second propulsion unit 102 on the center port side is used as the second propulsion unit 10 based on the first propulsion unit 101, the third propulsion unit 103 on the center starboard side is used as the third propulsion unit 10 based on the first propulsion unit 101, and the fourth propulsion unit 104 on the starboard side is used as the fourth propulsion unit 10 based on the first propulsion unit 101. For convenience, in Figure 22, the reference first propulsion unit 101 is indicated by "1", and the relative positions of the second propulsion unit 102, the third propulsion unit 103, and the fourth propulsion unit 104 are indicated by "2", "3", and "4", respectively.

[0127] In this way, the propulsion unit position determination unit 20 determines the relative positions of the other propulsion units 10 using one propulsion unit 10 connected to one end of the communication bus 1a as a reference, making it possible to freely set the propulsion unit 10 that serves as the reference for determination and determine the relative positions. In other words, it becomes possible to freely lay out the communication bus 1a that connects the propulsion units 10. For example, it is possible to lay out the communication bus 1a as follows:

[0128] 23A, 23B, and 23C schematically show the relative positions of the other propulsion devices 10 relative to one of the four propulsion devices 10. For convenience, the gateway control unit 22 connected between the two propulsion devices 10 is not shown in these figures.

[0129] FIG. 23A corresponds to the layout of the communication bus 1a in FIG. 22 and shows the relative positions ("2" to "4") of the other second to fourth propulsion units 102 to 104, with the first propulsion unit 101 located on the port side as the reference ("1"). FIG. 23B schematically shows the relative positions of the other first to third propulsion units 101 to 103, with the fourth propulsion unit 104 located on the starboard side as the reference. FIG. 23C schematically shows the relative positions of each propulsion unit 10 when the second propulsion unit 102 located on the center port side is used as the reference (the second propulsion unit 102 on the center port side is connected to one end of the communication bus 1a), and the other third propulsion unit 103, first propulsion unit 101, and fourth propulsion unit 104 are connected to this second propulsion unit 102 via the communication bus 1a in the order of center starboard, port, and starboard. In this way, by appropriately setting the propulsion unit 10 connected to one end of the communication bus 1a, i.e., the reference propulsion unit 10, the relative positions of other propulsion units 10 with respect to the set reference propulsion unit 10 can be determined.

[0130] Furthermore, by using this method, the relative positions can be determined in a similar manner even when the multiple propulsion units 10 are lateral propulsion units 10a. FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the control system 1. The control system 1 in FIG. 24 is the same as the configuration in FIG. 4, except that the multiple propulsion units 10 in the four-unit control system 1 shown in FIG. 4 are replaced with lateral propulsion units 10a and the marine control unit 11 is replaced with a thruster control unit 111. For convenience, in FIG. 24, the lateral propulsion units are indicated by "TH" and the thruster control unit is indicated by "TH-ECU." The four lateral propulsion units 10a are also referred to as lateral propulsion units 10a-1, 10a-2, 10a-3, and 10a-4.

[0131] 25A and 25B schematically show the relative positions of the four lateral propulsion units 10a lined up from the bow to the stern, with one of the lateral propulsion units 10a as a reference. For convenience, these figures omit the illustration of the gateway control unit 22 connected between the two lateral propulsion units 10a. The two lateral propulsion units 10a on the bow side are also called bow thrusters, and the two lateral propulsion units 10a on the stern side are also called stern thrusters.

[0132] FIG. 25A shows the relative positions ("2" to "4") of the other lateral propulsion units 10a-2 to 10a-4 when the lateral propulsion unit 10a-1 located closest to the bow is used as the reference ("1"). FIG. 25B shows the relative positions ("2" to "4") of the other lateral propulsion units 10a-1 to 10a-3 when the lateral propulsion unit 10a-4 located closest to the stern is used as the reference ("1"). In this way, by appropriately setting the lateral propulsion unit 10a connected to one end of the communication bus 1a, that is, the reference lateral propulsion unit 10a, it is possible to determine the relative positions of the other lateral propulsion units 10a with respect to the set reference lateral propulsion unit 10a.

[0133] The technique for determining the relative positions of multiple lateral propulsion units 10a can also be applied to a multi-hull vessel (e.g., a catamaran) having lateral propulsion units 10a. Figures 26A and 26B schematically show the relative positions of the lateral propulsion units 10a in a vessel 100 (catamaran) having lateral propulsion units 10a-5 and 10a-6 on the bow and stern sides of the port hull 201L and lateral propulsion units 10a-7 and 10a-8 on the bow and stern sides of the starboard hull 201R. In Figure 26A, the lateral propulsion units 10a-5, 10a-6, 10a-7, and 10a-8 are connected in this order via the communication bus 1a. In Figure 26B, the lateral propulsion units 10a-5, 10a-6, 10a-8, and 10a-7 are connected in this order via the communication bus 1a. In both Figures 26A and 26B, the lateral propulsion unit 10a-5 is used as the reference ("1"), and the relative positions of the other lateral propulsion units 10a-6 to 10a-8 are indicated by "2" to "4." By installing a communication bus 1a as shown in Figures 26A and 26B, it is also possible to determine the relative positions of each lateral propulsion unit 10a.

[0134] In a catamaran, the relative positions of the lateral propulsion units 10a may be determined separately for the port hull 201L and the starboard hull 201R. Figure 27A shows the relative position ("2") of the stern lateral propulsion unit 10a-6 in the port hull 201L of the catamaran when the bow lateral propulsion unit 10a-5 is used as the reference ("1"), and shows the relative position ("2") of the stern lateral propulsion unit 10a-8 in the starboard hull 201R when the bow lateral propulsion unit 10a-7 is used as the reference ("1"). 27B shows the relative position ("2") of the bow-side lateral propulsion unit 10a-5 in the starboard hull 201R of the catamaran when the stern-side lateral propulsion unit 10a-6 is used as the reference ("1"), and shows the relative position ("2") of the bow-side lateral propulsion unit 10a-7 in the starboard hull 201R when the stern-side lateral propulsion unit 10a-8 is used as the reference ("1") In this way, it is possible to determine the relative positions of multiple lateral propulsion units 10a separately for the left hull 201L and the starboard hull 201R.

[0135] [8. Notes] The control system and the ship described in this embodiment can be expressed as follows:

[0136] The control system in Appendix (1) is a plurality of propulsion units; and a propulsion unit position determination unit that determines relative positions of the plurality of propulsion units, Each of the plurality of propulsion units has a propulsion unit control unit, the propulsion unit position determination unit includes the propulsion unit control unit and a gateway device, the gateway device has a plurality of connection ports to which a communication bus is connected, and includes a plurality of gateway control units or a single gateway control unit connected in series via the connection ports and the communication bus; the propulsion unit control units of two propulsion units included in the plurality of propulsion units are communicatively connected to different connection ports of the gateway control unit provided corresponding to the pair of the two propulsion units, The gateway control unit communicates with each of the two propulsion unit control units connected to the connection ports to recognize whether or not there is a propulsion unit having the propulsion unit control unit, and outputs recognition information based on the recognition results of the propulsion unit from a different connection port.

[0137] The control system of supplementary note (2) is the control system according to supplementary note (1), the gateway device includes a plurality of the gateway control units, one of the plurality of gateway control units receives the recognition result output from another gateway control unit via the communication bus; The recognition result includes a result of recognizing whether or not there is a propulsion unit having a propulsion unit control unit connected to the other gateway control unit.

[0138] The control system of supplementary note (3) is the control system according to supplementary note (1) or (2), a plurality of the gateway control units are connected in series via the connection port and the communication bus; The propulsion unit position determination unit determines the total number of propulsion units lined up in one direction and determines the relative positions of the multiple propulsion units in one direction by sharing the recognition results of the propulsion units at each gateway control unit with each gateway control unit via communication.

[0139] The control system of supplementary note (4) is the control system according to supplementary note (1) or (2), The propulsion unit position determination unit determines the relative positions of the other propulsion units based on a propulsion unit among the plurality of propulsion units that has a propulsion unit control unit that is connected to only one of the connection ports of one of the gateway control units via the communication bus.

[0140] The control system of supplementary note (5) is the control system according to any one of supplementary notes (1) to (4), a receiving unit that receives an instruction input for configuration detection, including determining the relative positions of the plurality of propulsion units; The propulsion device position determination unit starts the configuration detection when the instruction input is received by the reception unit.

[0141] The control system of supplementary note (6) is the control system according to supplementary note (5), The propulsion device further includes a display unit that displays the detection result obtained by the propulsion device position determination unit.

[0142] The control system of supplementary note (7) is the control system according to supplementary note (6), The display unit displays a selectable correction instruction button for receiving an instruction to correct the setting corresponding to the detection result.

[0143] The control system of supplementary note (8) is the control system according to supplementary note (7), The display unit selectably displays an approval button for accepting approval of the detection result by the propulsion device position determination unit.

[0144] The control system of supplementary note (9) is the control system according to supplementary note (8), When the multiple propulsion unit control units receive approval of the detection results using the approval button, they determine the configuration of the multiple propulsion units to be the configuration indicated by the detection results, and begin controlling the multiple propulsion units in accordance with the determined configuration.

[0145] The control system of supplementary note (10) is the control system according to any one of supplementary notes (6) to (9), The propulsion device position determination unit further determines whether the detection result corresponds to an approval prohibition item, The display unit displays a message that approval is prohibited when the detection result corresponds to the item for which approval is prohibited.

[0146] The control system of supplementary note (11) is the control system according to supplementary note (8), The apparatus further includes a configuration information storage unit that stores configuration information of the plurality of propulsion devices indicated by the detection results approved by selecting the approval button.

[0147] The control system of supplementary note (12) is the control system according to supplementary note (11), The plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of control of the plurality of propulsion units that reflects the configuration information stored in the configuration information storage unit, depending on the driving state of the propulsion units.

[0148] The control system of supplementary note (13) is the control system according to supplementary note (12), The plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information while the propulsion units are operating.

[0149] The control system of supplementary note (14) is the control system according to any one of supplementary notes (11) to (13), an operation unit that receives an operation to drive the plurality of propulsion units; The plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of control of the plurality of propulsion units that reflects the configuration information stored in the configuration information storage unit, depending on the operation state of the operation unit.

[0150] The control system of supplementary note (15) is the control system according to supplementary note (14), The operating unit includes a control head, The plurality of propulsion unit control sections prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information when the control head is in a position other than a neutral position.

[0151] The control system of supplementary note (16) is the control system according to supplementary note (14) or (15), the operation unit includes a joystick, The plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information when the joystick is in a position other than a neutral position.

[0152] The control system of supplementary note (17) is the control system according to any one of supplementary notes (14) to (16), the operating unit includes an autopilot device; The plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information while the autopilot device is operating.

[0153] The control system of supplementary note (18) is the control system according to any one of supplementary notes (14) to (17), the operation unit includes a joystick, The plurality of propulsion unit control units determine whether or not to prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information, depending on whether or not there is a lateral propulsion unit that is capable of propulsion in the lateral direction.

[0154] The control system of supplementary note (19) is the control system according to supplementary note (18), When the lateral propulsion unit is not present, the plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information.

[0155] The vessels referred to in Appendix (20) are: A control system according to any one of appendices (1) to (19); and a hull in which the control system is provided.

[0156] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these, and the invention can be expanded or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0157] The control system of the present invention can be used, for example, in ships. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 1. Control System 1a Communication bus 10 Propulsion machine 10a Lateral propulsion machine 11 Marine control section (propulsion control section) 11a First Marine Control Unit (Propulsion Unit) 11b Second Marine Control Unit (Propulsion Machine Control Unit) 11c 3rd Marine Control Unit (Propulsion Unit) 11d 4th Marine Control Unit (Propulsion Unit) 20 Propulsion unit position judgment unit 21 Gateway device 22 Gateway control section 22a First gateway control section 22b Second gateway control section 22c Third Gateway Control Section 30 Control section 31 Joystick 32 Control Head 34 Autopilot Equipment 40 Display section 43 Approval button 44 Correction instruction button 50 Input section (reception section) 60 Storage unit (configuration information storage unit) 100 ships 100a hull 101 1st propulsion machine 102 Second propulsion machine 103 Third propulsion machine 104 4th propulsion machine A1, A11, A12 Recognition Information B1, B2 recognition results C1, C2, C11, C12, C21, C22 recognition information D1, D2, D3 recognition results E1, E2, E3 recognition information E11, E12, E21, E22, E31, E32 recognition information P1 First connection port P2 Second connection port

Claims

1. a plurality of propulsion units; and a propulsion unit position determination unit that determines relative positions of the plurality of propulsion units, Each of the plurality of propulsion units has a propulsion unit control unit, the propulsion unit position determination unit includes the propulsion unit control unit and a gateway device, the gateway device has a plurality of connection ports to which a communication bus is connected, and includes a plurality of gateway control units or a single gateway control unit connected in series via the connection ports and the communication bus; the propulsion unit control units of two propulsion units included in the plurality of propulsion units are communicatively connected to different connection ports of the gateway control unit provided corresponding to the pair of the two propulsion units, The gateway control unit recognizes the presence or absence of a propulsion unit having the propulsion unit control unit by communicating with each of the two propulsion unit control units connected to the connection ports, and outputs recognition information based on the recognition results of the propulsion units from different connection ports.

2. the gateway device includes a plurality of the gateway control units, one of the plurality of gateway control units receives the recognition result output from another gateway control unit via the communication bus; The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the recognition result includes a result of recognizing whether or not there is a propulsion unit having a propulsion unit control unit connected to the other gateway control unit.

3. a plurality of the gateway control units are connected in series via the connection port and the communication bus; 2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the propulsion unit position determination unit determines the total number of propulsion units lined up in one direction and determines the relative positions of the plurality of propulsion units in the one direction by sharing the recognition results of the propulsion units at each gateway control unit with each gateway control unit via communication.

4. 2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the propulsion unit position determination unit determines the relative positions of the other propulsion units based on a propulsion unit among the plurality of propulsion units that has a propulsion unit control unit that is connected via the communication bus to only one of the connection ports of one of the gateway control units.

5. a receiving unit that receives an instruction input for configuration detection, including determining the relative positions of the plurality of propulsion units; The control system according to claim 1 , wherein the propulsion device position determination unit starts the configuration detection when the instruction input is received by the receiving unit.

6. The control system according to claim 5 , further comprising a display unit that displays a detection result by the propulsion device position determination unit.

7. The control system according to claim 6 , wherein the display unit selectably displays a correction instruction button for receiving an instruction to correct the setting corresponding to the detection result.

8. The control system according to claim 7 , wherein the display unit selectably displays an approval button for accepting approval of the detection result by the propulsion machine position determination unit.

9. 9. The control system according to claim 8, wherein, when approval of the detection results is received via the approval button, the plurality of propulsion unit control units determine the configuration of the plurality of propulsion units to be the configuration indicated by the detection results, and start control of the plurality of propulsion units in accordance with the determined configuration.

10. The propulsion device position determination unit further determines whether the detection result corresponds to an approval prohibition item, The control system according to claim 6 , wherein the display unit displays a message indicating that approval is prohibited when the detection result corresponds to the item that is prohibited from being approved.

11. The control system according to claim 8 , further comprising a configuration information storage unit that stores configuration information of the plurality of propulsion machines indicated by the detection results approved by selecting the approval button.

12. 12. The control system according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of control of the plurality of propulsion units that reflects the configuration information stored in the configuration information storage unit, depending on the driving states of the propulsion units.

13. The control system according to claim 12 , wherein the plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information while the propulsion units are operating.

14. an operation unit that receives an operation to drive the plurality of propulsion units; 12. The control system according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of control of the plurality of propulsion units that reflects the configuration information stored in the configuration information storage unit, depending on the operation state of the operation unit.

15. The operating unit includes a control head, The control system according to claim 14 , wherein the plurality of propulsion unit control sections prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information when the control head is in a position other than a neutral position.

16. the operation unit includes a joystick, The control system according to claim 14 , wherein the plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information when the joystick is in a position other than a neutral position.

17. the operating unit includes an autopilot device; The control system according to claim 14 , wherein the plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information while the autopilot device is operating.

18. the operation unit includes a joystick, 15. The control system according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of propulsion unit control units determine whether to prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information depending on whether or not there is a lateral propulsion unit capable of propulsion in a lateral direction.

19. The control system according to claim 18 , wherein the plurality of propulsion unit control units prohibit the start of the control that reflects the configuration information when the lateral propulsion unit is not present.

20. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 19; a hull in which the control system is provided.

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