Fuel efficiency calculation device and ship

Abstract

To improve fuel consumption when the attitude of a ship is made to reach a target angle.SOLUTION: There are provided: two propulsion generation devices 113L and 113R provided on both sides of a hull; a helm 115 for controlling turning of the hull; a turning command acquisition part 103 for acquiring a turning command value including a turning direction and a turning amount; a speed acquisition part 107 for acquiring a speed command value of the hull; and a turning control part 111 for controlling the two propulsion generation devices 113L and 113R so that the helm 115 is at a neutral position, and propulsion of the propulsion generation devices 113L and 113R inside in the turning direction becomes smaller than propulsion of the propulsion generation devices 113L and 113R outside in the turning direction when the speed command value acquired by the speed acquisition part 107 is equal to or higher than a speed threshold, and turning a ship according to the turning command value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to ships. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a so-called two-engine, two-shaft vessel equipped with two main engines and two propellers fixed to each main engine. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that in a two-engine, two-shaft vessel, the maneuverability is improved by combining the difference in thrust between the main engines and steering operation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-068580 A

[0004] However, the system of Patent Document 1 always performs counter rudder when turning, which reduces fuel consumption until the attitude of the ship reaches the target angle. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a turning control device and a ship that can improve fuel efficiency when the attitude of the ship reaches a target angle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve this problem, a turning control device in one aspect includes: A turning control device for controlling turning of a ship, the device comprising: two thrust generating devices disposed at different positions in a width direction of the ship for generating thrust for the ship; a steering gear for turning the ship; and a turning command unit for issuing a turning command including a turning direction and a turning amount of the ship, A rotation command acquisition unit that acquires a rotation command from a rotation command unit; A speed acquisition unit that acquires a ship speed; The vehicle is equipped with a turning control unit that, when a turning command is received from the turning command unit and the speed acquired from the speed acquisition unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined speed threshold, controls the steering to a neutral position and controls the two thrust generating devices so that the thrust generated by the thrust generating device on the inside of the turning direction is smaller than the thrust generated by the thrust generating device on the outside of the turning direction. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a ship according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a series of processes by a turning control unit during autopilot control according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a marine vessel according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a ship according to a third embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a disturbance data collecting system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 shows a schematic top view of a ship according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 7] 13 is an example of an electronic nautical chart in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a ship according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a ship according to a sixth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a ship according to a seventh embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a ship according to an eighth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a ship according to a ninth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a front view of a vessel according to a ninth embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a front view of a vessel according to a ninth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a front view of a vessel according to a ninth embodiment. [Figure 16]FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a ship according to a tenth embodiment. [Figure 17] 23 shows an example of a designated route in the tenth embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a ship attitude calculation system according to an eleventh embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a ship according to a twelfth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a control process by a turning control device according to a twelfth embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 23 is a schematic configuration diagram of a microbubble generator according to a twelfth embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 23 is a block diagram of a ship according to a thirteenth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] [First embodiment] 1 is a block diagram of a ship. The ship V1 includes a turning control device 100, a manual steering unit 101 that outputs a turning command according to a manual input, and an automatic steering unit 105 that outputs a turning command including a turning direction and a turning amount according to a specified route to a turning command acquisition unit 103. The manual steering unit 101 outputs a turning command according to an operation amount of a steering unit (not shown) to the turning command acquisition unit 103. The automatic steering unit 105 executes autopilot control that controls the direction of the bow according to the specified route, and outputs a turning command to the turning command acquisition unit 103.

[0009] The turning control device 100 includes a speed acquisition unit 107 that acquires a speed command input to the manual steering unit 101, and a position acquisition unit 109 that acquires the current position using a GPS, a nautical chart, or the like. Information about the current position includes information about whether the current position is within a specified area such as a bay, or outside the specified area. The speed acquisition unit 107 outputs a speed command to the turning control unit 111. The speed command is a command value for the propulsion speed and includes a speed requested by the operator. The speed may be either a ground speed or a water speed. The speed command may indicate an output value of a thrust generating device, which will be described later.

[0010] The vessel V1 is equipped with two thrust generating devices 113L, 113R provided at different positions in the width direction of the hull, and a steering gear 115. The turning control unit 111 controls the thrust generating devices 113L, 113R and the steering gear 115 based on a speed command, a current position, and a turning command to turn the hull. Note that the control for moving the vessel V1 in the direction of travel is a known technique, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0011] The thrust generating units 113L, 113R include an engine 117 and a propeller 119. The propeller 119 may be a variable pitch propeller whose blade angle is controllable. When the propeller 119 is a variable pitch propeller, the thrust of the thrust generating units 113L, 113R is the total value of the thrust controlled by both the engine 117 and the blade angle of the propeller 119.

[0012] The turning control unit 111 either differentiates the thrusts of the thrust generating units 113L and 113R in response to a turning command, or controls the steering 115, or does both to turn the hull based on the turning command. When the ship speed is equal to or higher than the speed threshold and the turning performance of the hull is high and the hull can be turned only by the thrust generating units 113L and 113R, the turning control unit 111 controls the steering 115 to a neutral position and turns the hull only by the thrust generating units 113L and 113R. The turning control unit 111 differentiates the thrusts of the thrust generating units 113L and 113R, and controls the thrust generating units 113L and 113R so that the thrust on the inside of the turning direction instructed by the turning command is smaller than the thrust on the outside of the turning direction. To differentiate the thrusts of the thrust generating units 113L and 113R, it is possible to increase or decrease only the control value of one unit without changing the control value of the other unit, or to increase or decrease both control values. Since the difference in the propulsive forces corresponds to the amount of turning, the turning control unit 111 determines the difference in the propulsive forces according to the amount of turning according to the turning command.

[0013] The turning control unit 111 may change the amount of turning depending on whether the turning command is output from the manual steering unit 101 or the automatic steering unit 105. When the turning command acquisition unit 103 acquires a turning command from the manual steering unit 101, it is possible to perform emergency avoidance. Therefore, when the turning command acquisition unit 103 acquires a turning command from the manual steering unit 101, the turning control unit 111 makes the difference in the thrust of the thrust generating units 113L, 113R larger than when the turning command indicating the same steering angle is acquired from the automatic steering unit 105. In this case, the thrust of the thrust generating units 113L, 113R on the inside of the turning direction may be maximized, and the thrust of the thrust generating units 113L, 113R on the inside of the turning direction may be minimized (idling state or dead slow). This improves the follow-up ability to manual steering. The difference in thrust between the thrust generating devices 113L and 113R may be increased only when the amount of change in the turning command from the manual steering unit 101 is equal to or greater than a certain amount. In response to a turning command output from the manual steering unit 101, the turning control unit 111 may control the steering gear 115 in addition to the thrust generating devices 113L and 113R to turn the hull.

[0014] When a turning command is input while the ship is in a specified area such as a bay, a waterway, or a coastal area by referring to the current position, the turning control unit 111 may increase the difference in the thrust of the thrust generating units 113L and 113R compared to when the same turning command is input outside the specified area. This improves the maneuverability within the specified area. The turning control unit 111 may also control the steering gear 115 to turn the ship within the specified area.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing a series of processes by the turning control unit during autopilot control. When a turning command is input from the automatic steering unit 105 and a series of processes starts, in step S1, the turning control unit 111 determines the turning direction and the turning amount based on the turning command. In step S2, the turning control unit 111 controls the rotation speed of the engine 117 and the blade angle of the propeller 119 so that the thrust of the thrust generating units 113L, 113R on the inside of the turning direction is smaller than the thrust of the thrust generating units 113L, 113R on the outside of the turning direction. In step S3, the turning control unit 111 judges whether the desired turning angle has been obtained. This judgment may be based on the passage of time calculated from the difference in thrust and the hull resistance, or may be the result of monitoring the bow angle based on the position information. In step S3, the turning degree (the amount of change in the turning angle per unit time) may be referred to instead of the turning angle. In step S4, the turning control unit 111 sets the difference between the thrusts of the thrust generating devices 113L and 113R to zero, and ends the series of processes.

[0016] The above-mentioned control reduces the amount of operation of the steering 115, and suppresses the decrease in fuel efficiency caused by counter rudder. Also, turning performance at slow ship speeds can be ensured by turning the hull using the thrust generating devices 113L, 113R only when the speed command is equal to or greater than the speed threshold.

[0017] In addition, when a turning command is output from the manual steering unit 101, the response to manual steering can be improved by increasing the difference in thrust between the thrust generating devices 113L and 113R or by using the steering gear 115 in combination.

[0018] In addition, by controlling the difference in thrust between the thrust generating devices 113L and 113R based on the current position, safety in ports and waterways can be improved.

[0019] Second Embodiment Conventionally, the boat speed during autopilot has been controlled based on the engine output, meaning that the operator has to adjust the engine output to adjust the boat speed based on his or her own experience.

[0020] There is also a desire to be able to control vessel speed theoretically rather than empirically.

[0021] In order to solve such problems, a propulsion control device in one aspect includes: A propulsion control device that controls a propulsion generating device of a ship, a speed acquisition unit for acquiring a target speed of the vessel and a current speed of the vessel; The thrust command unit outputs a command to the thrust generating device to generate a thrust that causes the current speed to approach the target speed.

[0022] With this configuration, the boat speed can be controlled in accordance with the target speed.

[0023] In this case, The thrust command unit may calculate a target rotation speed of the main engine of the thrust generating device based on the difference between the target speed and the current speed, or may calculate a target blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller of the thrust generating device based on the difference between the target speed and the current speed.

[0024] With this configuration, the boat speed can be controlled in accordance with the target speed.

[0025] In this case, a route acquisition unit that acquires a route from a current position to a destination; a time acquisition unit that acquires a current time and a target time at which the ship should arrive at the destination; The target speed is a target ship speed relative to the ground calculated based on the route, the current time, and the required time calculated from the target time. The thrust command unit may output a command to the thrust generating device to generate a thrust that causes the current speed of the vessel to approach the target vessel speed relative to the ground.

[0026] This configuration allows you to arrive at your destination by the target time.

[0027] In this case, The speed acquisition unit acquires a plurality of different target ship speeds, The vessel may further include a notification unit that notifies the fuel consumption and arrival time when traveling along a predetermined route from the current position to the destination position based on each of a plurality of target vessel speeds.

[0028] With this configuration, fuel consumption and arrival time for each target boat speed can be notified.

[0029] In this case, A display unit is further provided for selectively displaying any one of a plurality of target boat speeds, The thrust command unit may command the magnitude of the thrust force based on the difference between the selected target speed and the actual speed so that the actual speed approaches the target speed.

[0030] In this case, A position acquisition unit that acquires a current position of the ship; a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a control lever for controlling the rotation speed of the main engine; an actual rotation speed acquisition unit for acquiring an actual rotation speed of the main engine; a rotation speed command unit that outputs a command for a target rotation speed of the main engine based on an actual rotation speed and a position of a control lever; The vehicle may also be provided with a control unit that causes the thrust generating device to generate thrust based on a command from the thrust command unit if the current position is within a specified area, and that causes the thrust generating device to generate thrust based on a command from the rotation speed command unit if the current position is outside the specified area.

[0031] With this configuration, the manner in which the propulsive force is controlled can be changed depending on the current position.

[0032] In this case, A position acquisition unit that acquires a current position of the ship; An other ship position acquisition unit that acquires the position of another ship; a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a control lever for controlling the rotation speed of the main engine; an actual rotation speed acquisition unit for acquiring an actual rotation speed of the main engine; a rotation speed command unit that outputs a command for a target rotation speed of the main engine based on an actual rotation speed and a position of a control lever; The ship may also be provided with a control unit that causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on a command from the propulsion command unit if the distance between the current position and the position of the other ship is less than the distance threshold, and that causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on a command from the rotation speed command unit if the distance between the current position and the position of the other ship is equal to or greater than the distance threshold.

[0033] With this configuration, the manner in which propulsive force is controlled can be changed depending on the distance to the other ship.

[0034] In this case, A ship information acquisition unit that acquires the current position and direction of the ship; An other ship information acquisition unit that acquires the position, speed, and other ship information of other ships; a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a control lever for controlling the rotation speed of the main engine; an actual rotation speed acquisition unit for acquiring an actual rotation speed of the main engine; a rotation speed command unit that outputs a command for a target rotation speed of the main engine based on an actual rotation speed and a position of a control lever; The ship information acquisition unit and the speed acquisition unit may also include a control unit that calculates the level of danger based on the information acquired by the other ship information acquisition unit, and if the calculated level of danger is equal to or greater than a danger threshold, causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on a command from the propulsion command unit, and if the level of danger is less than the danger threshold, causes the propulsion generating device to generate propulsion based on a command from the rotation speed command unit.

[0035] With this configuration, the propulsion control mode can be changed based on the current position, speed, and direction of the ship itself, and the degree of danger calculated based on the positions, speed, and directions of other ships.

[0036] In this case, a lever position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a control lever for controlling the rotation speed of the main engine; A rotation speed acquisition unit that acquires an actual rotation speed of the main engine; a rotation speed command unit that outputs a command for a target rotation speed of the main engine based on an actual rotation speed and a position of a control lever; The device may also include a control unit that causes the thrust generating device to generate thrust based on a command from the thrust command unit if the current speed is less than the speed threshold, and causes the thrust generating device to generate thrust based on a command from the rotation speed command unit if the current speed is equal to or greater than the speed threshold.

[0037] With this configuration, the manner in which the thrust force is controlled can be changed depending on the current speed.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a ship. As shown in FIG. 3, the ship 200 includes a control device 201, a steering unit 203, an operation unit 205, a thrust generating device 207, and a steering gear 209. The steering unit 203 is used by an operator to manually steer the steering gear 209. The operation unit 205 includes a telegraph 211, a display unit 213, and a selection unit 215. An engine speed command or a speed command is input to the telegraph 211 by an operation of the operator. The display unit 213 is a monitor that displays information to the operator. The selection unit 215 is an input interface such as a keyboard that allows the operator to input a command to the control device 201 or select information displayed on the display unit 213. The thrust generating device 207 includes an engine 217 that is drive-controlled by a governor, and a variable pitch propeller 219 fixed to the output shaft of the engine 217.

[0039] The control device 201 includes a speed acquisition unit 221, a position acquisition unit 223, another ship's position acquisition unit 225, an actual rotation speed acquisition unit 227, a route acquisition unit 229, a time acquisition unit 231, and a lever position acquisition unit 233 as components for acquiring various information. The speed acquisition unit 221 acquires the current speed of the ship. In addition, during autopilot, the speed acquisition unit 221 acquires a target speed from the traveled distance and the estimated time of arrival. The travel speed of the ship may be acquired from instruments of the ship such as a speed sensor, or may be acquired from an external source. The position acquisition unit 223 acquires information about the current position by referring to the current position and a nautical chart using a measuring means such as a GPS. The information about the current position includes information about whether the current position is in an area where the travel speed is regulated, such as a bay, a waterway, or a coastal sea, or an area where the travel speed is not regulated, such as the open sea. The other ship's position acquisition unit 225 acquires information about the current positions of other ships by wirelessly communicating with other ships. The actual rotation speed acquisition unit 227 acquires the actual rotation speed of the engine 217. The route acquisition unit 229 acquires the route from the current position to the destination. The time acquisition unit 231 acquires the current time and the target time. The lever position acquisition unit 233 acquires the position of the telegraph 211.

[0040] The control device 201 includes an acceleration calculation unit 235 and a fuel efficiency calculation unit 237 as components for performing various calculations. The acceleration calculation unit 235 calculates the acceleration from the amount of change in acceleration, i.e., the current boat speed and the past boat speed. The fuel efficiency calculation unit 237 calculates the fuel efficiency during acceleration from the acceleration and the current fuel consumption amount.

[0041] The thrust command unit 239 outputs a command to the thrust generating unit 207 to generate a thrust that brings the current speed closer to the target speed. The thrust command unit 239 calculates a target rotation speed of the main engine of the thrust generating unit 207 based on the difference between the target speed and the current speed. The thrust command unit 239 calculates a target blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller 219 of the thrust generating unit 207 based on the difference between the target speed and the current speed. The rotation speed command unit 241 outputs a command for the target rotation speed of the engine 217 based on the actual rotation speed and the position of the telegraph 211.

[0042] The control unit 243 controls the steering gear 209 and the thrust generating device 207 based on the calculation results obtained by the speed acquisition unit 221, the position acquisition unit 223, the other ship position acquisition unit 225, the actual rotation speed acquisition unit 227, the route acquisition unit 229, the time acquisition unit 231, and the lever position acquisition unit 233. The control unit 243 controls the ship's thrust (the output of the engine 217 or the blade angle of the propeller 19) so that the current speed approaches the target speed. This makes it possible to maintain the target speed. In addition, when the ship deviates from the designated route due to the influence of disturbances, the disturbances may be calculated based on the deviation from the designated route, and the current speed may be controlled taking the calculated disturbances into account. In this specification, disturbances include sea conditions such as tides and winds during navigation, and meteorological factors. In addition, when the hull resistance is taken into account, disturbances include, in addition to sea conditions and meteorological factors, hull fouling (adhesion of barnacles to the propeller) and changes in propulsive resistance due to the number of crew members. Also, the current speed may be controlled so that the average speed up to now becomes the target speed. This allows the ship to arrive at the destination by the scheduled time. Alternatively, the ship may be controlled at the calculated average speed by calculating an average speed that allows the ship to arrive at the destination at the scheduled time. This improves fuel efficiency. Operation becomes easier if the average speed can be calculated by plotting the scheduled time and the destination value on a nautical chart.

[0043] When the location information acquired by the location acquisition unit 223 indicates a predetermined area such as inside a bay, the control unit 243 monitors the current speed acquired by the speed acquisition unit 221 and controls the propulsive force to keep the current speed constant (speed feedback control). When the location information acquired by the location acquisition unit 223 indicates the open ocean, the control unit 243 monitors the engine speed and controls the propulsive force to keep the engine speed constant (speed feedback control). The control unit 243 also switches between speed feedback control and speed feedback control depending on the current speed. In this case, the control unit 243 performs speed feedback control when the current speed is less than a predetermined speed threshold, and performs speed feedback control when the current speed is equal to or greater than the speed threshold.

[0044] When speed feedback control is executed, the control unit 243 controls the engine governor. If speed feedback control is executed within a specified area, it becomes easier to maintain the positional relationship with other ships. In this case, the control unit 243 calculates the distance between the other ship's position and the ship's current position, and if the distance is less than a predetermined distance threshold, the control unit 243 executes speed feedback control. If the distance is equal to or greater than the distance threshold, the control unit 243 executes rotation speed feedback control.

[0045] The control unit 243 may also calculate the risk level by taking into account the positions, speed, and orientation of other ships and the position, speed, and orientation of the ship itself. If the risk level is equal to or greater than a predetermined risk threshold, the control unit 243 performs speed feedback control. If the risk level is less than the risk threshold, the control unit 243 performs rotation speed feedback control. By acquiring ground speed information of other ships and making adjustments such as matching the ground speed with that of the other ships, the ship will be less susceptible to the effects of the ship's performance, the operating conditions of each ship, disturbances, etc., compared to maintaining a distance from other ships based only on the relative positional relationship with the other ships.

[0046] The control device 201 displays on the display unit the fuel consumption and arrival time when traveling a predetermined route from the current position to the destination based on different driving conditions. When a driving condition is selected using the selection unit 215, the control device 201 controls the steering 209 and the thrust generating device 207 based on the selected driving condition. The different driving conditions include driving based on rotation speed feedback control, driving based on speed feedback control, driving that maintains the course while considering disturbances, driving that prioritizes speed, driving that prioritizes fuel consumption, etc.

[0047] A message may be displayed on the display unit to prompt the operator to select one of a fuel efficiency mode that prioritizes fuel efficiency, a safety mode that prioritizes maneuverability of the vessel, or a time mode in which the vessel navigates to the destination at the shortest arrival time. In the fuel efficiency mode, the control unit 243 controls the steering 209 to counteract fluctuations in engine load caused by disturbances.

[0048] As another example of the fuel efficiency mode, the control unit 243 may calculate actual values ​​of speed and fuel efficiency based on the distance from the departure point to the current position and the amount of fuel consumed up to the present, and use these actual values ​​to calculate the fuel efficiency and arrival time to the target value. The control unit 243 can calculate the fuel efficiency, ground speed, and arrival time from the current position to the target value by taking into account the actual values. In such a mode, the influence of disturbances that are difficult to predict can be included in the actual values, so that a more accurate fuel efficiency can be calculated without predicting the disturbances. By taking into account the influence of disturbances such as weather conditions and tides from the current position to the target value, a more accurate predicted value can be calculated.

[0049] In the safety mode, in order to improve the maneuverability of the vessel, for example, the engine output is increased during low-speed turning to improve turning performance. Also, in the safety mode, the optimum propulsive force for changing course according to the nautical chart may be calculated, and the steering gear 209 and the propulsive force generating device 207 may be controlled simultaneously based on the calculated propulsive force.

[0050] The display may display fuel efficiency. During acceleration, the fuel efficiency during acceleration is displayed, and when the engine is operating at a constant RPM, the fuel efficiency during constant speed operation is displayed. The fuel efficiency displayed is changed according to the operating condition. The fuel efficiency during acceleration may be the amount of fuel used relative to the output per hour (g / kWh), or a value calculated by the formula: acceleration ÷ (instantaneous fuel amount - steady-state fuel amount).

[0051] Third Embodiment When a ship is sailing, energy is used in various situations, such as energy to propel the ship, energy to turn the ship, etc. Technology for comprehensively managing the energy required when a ship is sailing has not yet been established.

[0052] In order to solve such problems, a vessel control device according to one aspect includes: A plurality of thrust generating devices; A control device for controlling a ship including a plurality of heading control devices, a time acquisition unit that acquires a target time for arriving at a destination; a calculation unit that calculates the energy consumption when arriving at the destination by a target time according to a specified route to the target position under autopilot control, the calculation unit calculating a plurality of patterns of the total energy consumption by a combination of at least one thrust generating device among the plurality of thrust generating devices and at least one traveling direction control device among the plurality of traveling direction control devices; The system includes a propulsion control unit that propels the ship using a propulsion generating device and a direction control device included in the pattern calculated by the calculation unit, based on the pattern that consumes the least energy among the multiple patterns calculated by the calculation unit.

[0053] In one aspect, the vessel control device includes: A thrust generating device; A control device for controlling a ship including a plurality of heading control devices, a time acquisition unit that acquires a target time for the ship to arrive at a destination; a calculation unit that calculates an energy consumption when arriving at a target position by a target time according to a specified route to the target position under autopilot control, the calculation unit calculating a total of energy consumption by at least one of the plurality of travel direction control devices in multiple patterns; The system includes a heading control unit that controls the heading direction of the ship using a heading control device included in the pattern calculated by the calculation unit, based on the pattern that consumes the least energy among the multiple patterns calculated by the calculation unit.

[0054] In one aspect, the vessel control device includes: A plurality of thrust generating devices; A vessel control device including a heading control device, a time acquisition unit that acquires a target time for the ship to arrive at a destination; a calculation unit that calculates an energy consumption when arriving at a target position by a target time along a specified route to the target position under autopilot control, the calculation unit calculating a total of energy consumption by at least one of the plurality of thrust generating devices in multiple patterns; The system includes a propulsion control unit that propels the vessel using a thrust generating device included in the pattern calculated by the calculation unit based on the pattern that consumes the least amount of energy from among the multiple patterns calculated by the calculation unit.

[0055] 4 is a block diagram of a ship. The ship 300 includes a thrust generating device 301, a direction control device 303, and a control device 305. The thrust generating device 301 includes a number of mechanisms for providing thrust to the ship, such as an engine, a motor, a sail, and a controllable pitch propeller. The direction control device 303 includes a number of mechanisms for changing the direction of the ship's bow, such as a rudder and a side thruster.

[0056] The control device 305 includes a calculation unit 307, a control unit 309, and a time acquisition unit 311. The time acquisition unit 311 acquires a target time for the ship to arrive at the destination. The target time is a time input by the operator. The calculation unit 307 calculates the energy consumption when sailing along a designated route to the destination during autopilot control. More specifically, the calculation unit 307 has information on the energy consumption of each of the multiple mechanisms of the thrust generating device 301 and the energy consumption of each of the multiple mechanisms of the traveling direction control device 303. The information on the energy consumption may be a theoretical value or may be information obtained statistically based on past information. The calculation unit 307 calculates multiple patterns of the total energy consumption by a combination of at least one mechanism of the multiple mechanisms of the thrust generating device 301 and at least one mechanism of the multiple mechanisms of the traveling direction control device 303 when sailing along the designated route. The calculation unit 307 calculates the total energy consumption when navigating the designated route using only the engine and the steering gear, and the total energy consumption when navigating the designated route using a combination of the engine, the motor, the steering gear, and the side thruster. The calculation unit 307 also calculates the sailing speed for all combinations and distinguishes between combinations that cannot reach the destination by the target time and combinations that can reach the destination. In the above-mentioned multiple patterns, the engine or motor and the propeller (controllable pitch propeller or fixed pitch propeller) are always treated as a set. In other words, the above-mentioned multiple patterns always include any of the combinations of the engine and the controllable pitch propeller, the engine and the fixed pitch propeller, the motor and the controllable pitch propeller, or the motor and the fixed pitch propeller. When the combination includes the controllable pitch propeller, the fluctuation in the consumed energy due to the control of the blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller is taken into account. The calculation unit 307 calculates the consumed energy for all combinations that can reach the destination by the target time. The calculation unit 307 may also take into account information regarding disturbances such as wind and currents.

[0057] The control unit 309 selects a pattern that can reach the destination by the target time and consumes the least amount of energy from among the multiple patterns calculated by the calculation unit 307, and controls the ship using only the mechanisms included in the selected pattern. In addition, when it is expected that the weather conditions or tides will change along the route, the mechanism to be used may be switched so that the ship proceeds partway along the designated route using the engine and thereafter using the sails.

[0058] [Fourth embodiment] It is known in the art to refer to data on disturbances such as tides and wind in order to plan a route. Currently, the tides and wind data that are widely used are based on simulations.

[0059] A need exists for a system that collects actual measurements of disturbances.

[0060] In order to solve such a problem, a disturbance data collection system in one aspect includes: an information collecting unit that collects information on the ground speed, water speed, position information, and direction of travel of a plurality of ships that are navigating; The information collecting unit includes a calculation unit that calculates the speed and direction of disturbances in the ocean area corresponding to the position information based on the information collected by the information collecting unit.

[0061] In this case, The navigation system may further include a transmission unit that transmits the calculation results of the calculation unit to an electronic chart display system shared via a network.

[0062] 5 is a schematic diagram of the disturbance data collection system. The disturbance data collection system 400 is connected to a plurality of ships S via a network. The disturbance data collection system 400 includes an information collection unit 401 that collects information on the ship speed relative to the ground, the ship speed relative to the water, the ship's position information, and the ship's traveling direction from the plurality of ships, a calculation unit 403 that calculates the speed influence and direction of disturbances including the tides and wind in the sea area corresponding to the position information based on the information collected by the information collection unit 401, and a transmission unit 405.

[0063] 6 shows a schematic top view of the ships. The calculation unit 403 calculates disturbances in the sea area around each ship from the ship's ground speed, water speed, position information, and traveling direction. The disturbances (shown by dashed lines) are calculated as the sum of the ground speed and a vector (shown by solid lines) indicated by the ground speed and its direction, and the water speed and its direction (shown by dashed lines).

[0064] Returning to FIG. 5, the transmitting unit 405 calculates the disturbances in the sea area around each ship, associates the calculation results with the position information, and transmits them to the electronic chart display system 407. The electronic chart display system 407 displays the received information on an electronic chart as shown in FIG. 7. This allows the sharing of disturbance data for smaller sea areas based on actual measurements. Furthermore, by obtaining disturbance data based on actual measurements, the accuracy of predicting disturbance changes can be improved. Note that the influence of disturbances on each ship is not necessarily the same, so a unique coefficient indicating the degree of influence of the disturbance may be determined for each ship, and the magnitude of the disturbance may be calculated back from the coefficient.

[0065] Fifth embodiment Conventionally, it is known that steering control is performed taking into account the influence of disturbances such as tides and wind. The steering angle and turning length are not necessarily proportional because they are influenced by the ship's sailing speed in addition to disturbances such as tides and wind. The inventors have come up with a new idea that the load of the ship is closely related to the propulsive resistance of the hull, which also affects the turning length.

[0066] In order to solve such problems, a turning control device in one aspect includes: A turning control device for controlling turning of a ship, comprising: a steering gear for turning the ship; and a turning command unit for outputting a command including a turning direction and a turning amount of the ship, A rotation command acquisition unit that acquires a command from a rotation command unit; An estimation unit that estimates a propulsive resistance of a ship; a correction unit that corrects a target rudder angle value indicating a steering angle for turning the ship in accordance with a command so as to increase it when the propulsive resistance increases compared to a reference value, and corrects the target rudder angle value so as to decrease it when the propulsive resistance decreases compared to the reference value; and a steering control unit that controls the steering in accordance with the corrected target steering angle value.

[0067] In this case, the estimation unit may estimate the propulsive resistance at each of a first timing and a second timing subsequent to the first timing, and the steering control unit may use the propulsive resistance estimated at the first timing as a reference value and compare it with the propulsive resistance estimated at the second timing.

[0068] In this case, a position acquisition unit that acquires ship position information; A detection unit that detects the entry and departure of a ship based on the position information, The estimation unit may estimate the propulsion resistance based on a detection result from the detection unit so that the first timing is before the ship enters port and the second timing is after the ship leaves port.

[0069] In this case, the estimating unit may estimate the propulsive resistance based on the propulsive force and water speed of the vessel.

[0070] In this case, the estimation unit may estimate the propulsive resistance based on the rudder angle, the propulsive force, and the amount of change in heading, or based on the rudder angle, the propulsive force, and the turning radius.

[0071] Fig. 8 is a block diagram of a ship. As shown in Fig. 8, a ship 500 includes a telegraph 501, a steering unit 503 as a turning command unit, an engine 505, a rudder 507, a control device 509, and a governor 511. A target rotation speed of the engine 505 is input to the telegraph 501 under the control of an operator. A command including a turning direction and a turning amount of the ship is input to the steering unit 503. The steering unit 503 inputs a rudder angle command to the control device 509. The rudder angle command may be a value manually input by the operator, or may be a value determined based on autopilot control.

[0072] The control device 509 includes an estimation unit 513 that estimates the propulsive resistance, a correction unit 515 that corrects the target rudder angle value, a rudder angle control unit 517, a position acquisition unit 519 that acquires the position information of the ship, and a detection unit 521 that detects the ship's entry and departure from port based on the position information. The estimation unit 513 estimates the propulsive resistance based on the propulsive force and water speed of the ship. The estimation unit 513 may estimate the propulsive resistance based on the rudder angle, the propulsive force, and the amount of change in heading, or the rudder angle, the propulsive force, and the turning radius. The correction unit 515 corrects the target rudder angle value based on an increase or decrease in the propulsive resistance. Specifically, when the propulsive resistance increases compared to a reference value, the correction unit 515 corrects the target rudder angle value indicating the angle of the rudder 507 for turning the ship 500 according to a command so as to increase it. Also, when the propulsive resistance decreases compared to a reference value, the correction unit 515 corrects the target rudder angle value so as to decrease it. The reference value is a predetermined value, and is determined based on the past propulsion resistance and the target steering angle value.

[0073] The estimation unit 513 may estimate the propulsive resistance at each of a first timing and a second timing that is later than the first timing. In this case, the control device 509 uses the propulsive resistance estimated at the first timing as a reference value and compares it with the propulsive resistance estimated at the second timing. The first timing is before the ship enters the port, and the second timing is after the ship leaves the port. This makes it possible to appropriately correct the target rudder angle value even if the amount of cargo changes after entering the port, causing the propulsive resistance of the ship to change.

[0074] The rudder angle control unit 517 takes into account the change in responsiveness due to the increase in resistance and controls the steering 507 based on the corrected rudder angle command.

[0075] In addition, the maneuvering performance due to the rudder angle, especially the turning radius, is affected by the mass of the entire ship including the cargo (influence of inertia force). Therefore, the change in mass of the entire ship due to the loading of cargo may be calculated from the increase in the fuel input amount and may be taken into account when correcting the rudder angle command.

[0076] Sixth Embodiment As described in the fifth embodiment, so far, no useful solution has been proposed to the problem of the deterioration of the maneuvering performance of a ship due to the loading of cargo or fuel. The deterioration of maneuvering performance has a large impact especially when navigating an evacuation route in an emergency.

[0077] In order to solve such problems, a turning control device in one aspect includes: A turning control device for controlling turning of a ship, comprising: a steering gear for turning the ship; and a rudder angle command unit for outputting a rudder angle command including a turning direction and a turning amount of the ship, A location acquisition unit for acquiring a current location; A steering angle command acquisition unit that acquires a steering angle command; a correction unit that corrects the steering angle command acquired by the steering angle command acquisition unit according to a current position; and a transmitter that transmits the corrected rudder angle command to the steering wheel.

[0078] In this case, The correction unit corrects the rudder angle command to increase it when the current position indicates that the rudder angle is in a harbor.

[0079] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a ship. The turning control device 600 includes a position acquisition unit 601, a rudder angle command acquisition unit 603, and a correction unit 605. The ship V6 includes a steering gear 607 controlled by the turning control device 600. The position acquisition unit 601 acquires position information using GPS information and electronic chart information. The position information includes information on whether the current position is in a specified area such as a bay where the navigation speed is restricted. The rudder angle command acquisition unit 603 acquires a rudder angle command indicating the steering angle. The rudder angle command may be a value manually input by an operator, or may be a value determined based on autopilot control.

[0080] The correction unit 605 corrects the rudder angle command based on the position information and outputs it to the steering gear 607. For example, the maneuverability of the ship decreases immediately after fuel and cargo are loaded at the port. In addition, depending on the quality of the fuel replenished at the port, the engine output relative to the amount of fuel used may decrease. Therefore, the correction unit 605 corrects and increases the input rudder angle command on the assumption that the maneuverability of the ship is decreased in sea areas such as within a port where a sharp turn is likely to be made. The increase amount of the rudder angle command may be a predetermined amount, or may be an amount determined according to an estimated increased weight. The correction unit 605 does not need to maintain the correction amount once determined, and may gradually decrease the correction amount as time passes. This allows the ship to perform an appropriate evacuation maneuver even when it is assumed that the maneuverability is decreased.

[0081] When the correction unit 605 determines based on the position information that the ship has entered the open sea, etc., the correction unit 605 ends the correction of the rudder angle command.

[0082] Seventh embodiment We propose technology to improve the turning performance of ships.

[0083] In order to solve this problem, a turning control device in one aspect includes: The main engine and A steering wheel for turning the vessel; A steering angle command unit that outputs a steering angle command including a turning direction and a turning amount; An output command unit that outputs an output command for a main engine. an output acquisition unit that acquires an output command; A steering angle command acquisition unit that acquires a steering angle command; a correction unit that performs a correction to decrease a rudder angle command when the output of the main engine is equal to or greater than an output threshold, and to increase the rudder angle command when the output of the main engine is less than the output threshold; and a transmitter that transmits the corrected rudder angle command to the steering wheel.

[0084] 10 is a block diagram of a vessel. The turning control device 700 includes a thrust acquisition unit 701, a rudder angle command acquisition unit 703, a correction unit 705, and a transmission unit 707. The vessel V7 includes a steering wheel 709 and a thrust generating unit 711 in addition to the turning control device 700. The turning control device 700 transmits the calculated rudder angle correction value to the steering wheel 709 of the vessel V7 to control the rudder angle.

[0085] The thrust acquisition unit 701 acquires thrust information of the thrust generation device 711. The thrust generation device 711 includes an engine 713 and a variable pitch propeller 715 that generate thrust. The thrust information of the engine 713 is the engine speed, and the thrust information of the variable pitch propeller 715 is the blade angle. The rudder angle command acquisition unit 703 acquires a rudder angle command indicating a steering angle. The rudder angle command may be a value manually input by an operator, or may be a value determined based on autopilot control. The correction unit 705 corrects the rudder angle command according to the thrust of the thrust generation device 711. The correction unit 705 decreases the rudder angle command when the thrust of the thrust generation device 711 is large, and increases the rudder angle command when the thrust of the thrust generation device 711 is small. The correction unit 705 judges whether the thrust is large or small based on whether the thrust of the thrust generation device 711 is equal to or larger than a thrust threshold value or smaller than a thrust threshold value. The amount by which the rudder angle command is corrected may be a fixed amount, or may be an amount determined according to the amount of thrust of the thrust generating device 711. The rudder angle command corrected by the correction unit 705 is transmitted to the steering wheel 709 by the transmission unit 707.

[0086] When the turning performance is high (the thrust of the thrust generating device 711 is large), the rudder angle command can be reduced, and when the turning performance is low (the thrust of the thrust generating device 711 is small), the rudder angle command can be increased. This allows stable turning performance to be obtained.

[0087] Eighth embodiment We propose technology to improve the turning performance of ships.

[0088] In order to solve this problem, a turning control device in one aspect includes: A steering angle command acquisition unit that acquires a steering angle command; an output command input unit to which an output command is input; The control unit includes a correction unit that performs a correction to increase the output when the steering angle command is large, and to decrease the output when the steering angle command is small.

[0089] 11 is a block diagram of a ship. The turning control device 800 includes a thrust command input unit 801, a rudder angle command acquisition unit 803, and a correction unit 805. The turning control device 800 is provided in the ship V8. The ship V8 includes a steering gear 807 and a thrust generating unit 809. The turning control device 800 supplies the thrust calculated by the correction unit 805 to the thrust generating unit 809 to control the thrust.

[0090] A thrust command for a thrust generating device 809 is input to the thrust command input unit 801 from an input device such as a telegraph. The thrust generating device 809 includes an engine 811 and a variable pitch propeller 813 that generate thrust. The thrust command for the engine 811 is the engine speed, and the thrust command for the variable pitch propeller 813 is the blade angle. The rudder angle command acquisition unit 803 acquires a rudder angle command indicating a steering angle. The rudder angle command may be a value manually input by an operator, or may be a value determined based on autopilot control. The correction unit 805 corrects the thrust command in accordance with the rudder angle command. When the rudder angle command is large, the correction unit 805 increases the thrust, and when the rudder angle command is small, the correction unit 805 decreases the thrust. The correction unit 805 judges whether the rudder angle command is large or small based on whether the rudder angle command is equal to or larger than a rudder angle threshold or smaller than a rudder angle threshold. The amount by which the thrust is corrected may be a fixed amount, or may be an amount determined according to the amount of thrust of the thrust generating device 809.

[0091] When the steering angle command is large, the thrust of the thrust generating device 809 is increased to improve turning performance, and when the steering angle command is small, the thrust of the thrust generating device 809 is decreased to improve fuel efficiency. This allows stable turning performance to be obtained.

[0092] Also, the turning control device 800 may be provided with a speed acquisition unit that acquires the current speed of the vessel, and the rudder angle command may be corrected according to the speed. In this case, the correction unit decreases the rudder angle command when the speed is equal to or greater than the speed threshold, and increases the rudder angle command when the speed is less than the speed threshold.

[0093] A propulsion control device may be configured to control the propulsion force using a similar control. In this case, the propulsion control device includes a propulsion command acquisition unit that acquires a propulsion command from a propulsion command unit of the ship that outputs a propulsion command. The correction unit increases the propulsion force when the rudder angle command is large, and decreases the propulsion force when the rudder angle command is small.

[0094] Ninth embodiment We propose technology to improve the turning performance of ships.

[0095] In order to solve this problem, a ballast control device in one aspect includes: A ballast control device for controlling ballast of a ship having a rudder angle command unit that outputs a rudder angle command including a turning direction and a turning amount, a port ballast adjustment unit that adjusts the amount of ballast water on the port side; a starboard ballast adjustment unit that adjusts the amount of ballast water on the starboard side; A steering angle command acquisition unit that acquires a steering angle command; The ship is provided with a ballast determination section which determines the amount of ballast water based on a rudder angle command so that the amount of water in the port ballast adjustment section or the starboard ballast adjustment section on the inside of the turn is made larger than the amount of water in the starboard ballast adjustment section on the outside of the turn.

[0096] Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a ship. The ballast control device 900 is applied to a ship V9 equipped with a port ballast tank 901L and a starboard ballast tank 901R that are arranged on the left and right and independent of each other. The ship control system includes a port ballast adjustment unit 903L that adjusts the amount of water in the port ballast tank 901L, and a starboard ballast adjustment unit 903R that adjusts the amount of water in the starboard ballast tank 901R. The ballast control device 900 includes a rudder angle command acquisition unit 905 that acquires a rudder angle command, and a ballast determination unit 907 that determines the amount of ballast water on the left and right. The rudder angle command may be a value manually input by an operator, or may be a value determined based on autopilot control.

[0097] The ballast determination unit 907 determines the amount of ballast water based on the rudder angle command so that the amount of water on the inside of the turn is greater than the amount of water on the outside of the turn. When determining the amount of ballast water, the ballast determination unit 907 adjusts only one of the ballast water amounts based on the current ballast water amount, increasing or decreasing the ballast water amount of one side, or decreasing the ballast water amount of one side and increasing the ballast water amount of the other side. The ballast determination unit 907 outputs the result to the port ballast adjustment unit 903L and the starboard ballast adjustment unit 903R.

[0098] 13 to 15 are front views of the ship. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the amount of ballast water in the port ballast tank 901L and the starboard ballast tank 901R is the same. FIG. 14 shows a state in which the amount of ballast water in the starboard ballast tank 901R is increased and the amount of ballast water in the port ballast tank 901L is decreased. In this state, the hull tilts toward the starboard side, improving the turning performance toward the starboard side. FIG. 15 shows a state in which the amount of ballast water in the port ballast tank 901L is increased and the amount of ballast water in the starboard ballast tank 901R is decreased. In this state, the hull tilts toward the port side, improving the turning performance toward the port side of the ship.

[0099] When sailing along a designated route under autopilot control, the ballast determination unit 907 may start adjusting the amount of ballast before arriving at a turning point on the designated route.

[0100] The adjustment amount of the port ballast tank 901L and the starboard ballast tank 901R can be calculated from the planned ship speed and turning radius. When the ship speed over the ground is fast and the turning radius is small, the difference in the water volume between the port ballast tank 901L and the starboard ballast tank 901R is increased.

[0101] Tenth embodiment Provides technology that reduces deviation from a designated route during autopilot control.

[0102] In order to solve such problems, a travel direction control device in one aspect includes: A heading control device for a ship equipped with a steering gear, a designated route management unit that manages a designated route formed by connecting a plurality of waypoints; a direction determination unit that determines the direction of the ship when passing through the n-th way point, taking into consideration the positional relationship between the n-th way point that is closest in the direction of travel on the designated route and the (n+1)-th way point; The steering angle control unit controls the steering based on the direction determined by the direction determination unit.

[0103] Fig. 16 is a block diagram of a ship. The direction control device 1000 includes a designated route management unit 1001, an attitude determination unit 1003, and a rudder angle control unit 1005. The designated route management unit 1001 stores a designated route to be followed during autopilot control, and the attitude determination unit 1003 can read it out as necessary. The direction control device 1000 controls a steering gear 1007 of the ship V10.

[0104] The attitude determination unit 1003 determines the attitude of the hull based on the designated route. In this embodiment, the attitude of the hull refers to the direction of the bow. FIG. 17 shows an example of a designated route. The attitude determination unit 1003 determines a rudder angle such that the bow faces the n+1th passing point when passing the nth passing point based on the positional relationship between the nth passing point, which is the closest in the direction of travel, and the n+1th passing point (ship S1 shown by the dashed line). The bow may not be completely facing the n+1th passing point at the nth passing point, and there may be a certain degree of error. That is, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 17, it is sufficient to start rudder angle control so that the bow faces the n+1th passing point before arriving at the nth passing point (ship S2).

[0105] Eleventh Embodiment To provide a system that improves a ship's fuel efficiency by calculating the optimal ship's attitude before departure from port.

[0106] In order to solve such a problem, in one aspect, a ship attitude calculation system includes: an information acquisition unit that acquires at least one of oceanographic information and meteorological information at a predetermined point on a route along which the ship is sailing; a prediction unit that predicts a change in hull attitude due to a disturbance occurring at a predetermined point based on the acquired information; an attitude estimation unit that estimates an attitude of the ship to cancel out the predicted change in the hull attitude; a placement determination unit that determines a placement of cargo in a cargo hold of the ship so that the ship's attitude is estimated at a predetermined point; and a notification unit that notifies the operator of the determined arrangement.

[0107] In this case, the information acquisition unit acquires at least one of oceanographic information and meteorological information at a plurality of points along the route, The prediction unit predicts changes in the ship's attitude due to disturbances at each of a plurality of points, The estimation unit estimates an attitude that cancels out the change in the ship's attitude at each point, A calculation unit is further provided to calculate a fuel consumption when the ship is sailed along a course in an attitude without disturbance, the attitude being calculated based on the estimation result of the estimation unit, The placement determination unit preferably determines the placement of the cargo so as to achieve the most fuel-efficient attitude based on the calculation result of the calculation unit.

[0108] 18 is a block diagram of a ship attitude calculation system. The ship attitude calculation system 1100 includes an information acquisition unit 1101, a prediction unit 1103, an attitude estimation unit 1105, a placement determination unit 1107, and a notification unit 1109. Before loading cargo onto the ship, the ship attitude calculation system 1100 calculates the optimal attitude of the ship and outputs the optimal placement of the cargo.

[0109] The information acquisition unit 1101 acquires sea state information and weather information at a predetermined point on the planned route from outside the system. The prediction unit 1103 predicts a change in the hull attitude due to a disturbance occurring at a predetermined point based on the information acquired based on the sea state information and weather information. The attitude estimation unit 1105 estimates the attitude of the ship that cancels the predicted change in the hull attitude. For example, when it is predicted that a disturbance from the starboard side to the port side is strong due to the influence of a crosswind or a tidal current, the attitude estimation unit 1105 calculates an attitude that moves the center of gravity of the ship to the starboard side. Also, when it is predicted that there is almost no influence of the disturbance, it calculates an attitude that maintains the center of gravity of the ship. The arrangement determination unit 1107 determines the arrangement of the cargo in the cargo compartment of the ship based on the estimation result of the attitude estimation unit 1105. Depending on the total amount and shape of the cargo, there may be no arrangement that can obtain the attitude estimated by the attitude estimation unit 1105. In such a case, the arrangement determination unit 1107 determines an arrangement that brings the attitude of the ship in an unloaded state closer to the attitude estimated by the attitude estimation unit 1105.

[0110] The result of the determination by the placement determination unit 1107 is output to the notification unit 1109 and can be used as an instruction for loading cargo.

[0111] [Twelfth embodiment] In the past, it was common to use a rudder to change the direction of a ship's bow. When changing the direction of the bow by a small angle, the rudder control was repeatedly performed until the desired direction was achieved, resulting in a decrease in fuel efficiency.

[0112] The twelfth embodiment provides a rudder control device that can perform minute angle control while suppressing deterioration of fuel efficiency.

[0113] In order to solve this problem, in one aspect, a turning control device includes: A turning control device for controlling turning of a ship, comprising: two propulsion resistance reducing units provided independently on both sides of the ship for reducing the propulsion resistance of the ship; and a turning command unit for commanding a turning direction and a turning amount of the ship, A rotation command acquisition unit that acquires a command from a rotation command unit; The device is equipped with a resistance control unit that, when receiving a command from the turning command unit, controls the two propulsion resistance reduction units so that the amount of reduction in propulsion resistance on the inside of the turning direction is smaller than the amount of reduction in propulsion resistance on the outside of the turning direction.

[0114] In this case, The resistance control unit may include a steering command output unit that outputs a command to control the steering of the vessel.

[0115] With this configuration, the resistance control device and the steering can be used in combination to realize the rudder angle according to the rudder angle command while suppressing deterioration of fuel efficiency.

[0116] In this case, When the steering angle command is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, a control value may be supplied only to the steering angle control unit.

[0117] With this configuration, when the rudder angle command is large, the rudder angle is controlled only by the steering, making it possible to prevent the rudder from becoming unable to turn completely.

[0118] In this case, A resistance information acquisition unit for acquiring hull resistance information, The turning control device may provide control values ​​to the first resistance control device and the second resistance control device based on the hull resistance information.

[0119] In this case, The two resistance control devices may be foam generators that generate foam on the bottom of the vessel.

[0120] In this case, The foam generating device may include multiple outlets for discharging foam on each of the starboard and port sides, and the amount of foam discharged may be less than the amount discharged from the outlets on the outside of the turn.

[0121] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a ship. The ship 1200 includes a turning control device 1201 and a steering gear 1203. The turning control device 1201 includes a first resistance control device 1205 provided on the port side, a second resistance control device 1207 provided on the starboard side, and a steering gear control unit 1209 that controls the steering gear 1203. The first resistance control device 1205 and the second resistance control device 1207 constitute a resistance control unit. The first resistance control device 1205 and the second resistance control device 1207 are configured by microbubble generators that are disposed on the sides of the hull and reduce the hull resistance. The turning control device 1201 includes a turning command acquisition unit 1211 that acquires a rudder angle command, and a control value supply unit 1213 that supplies control values ​​to the first resistance control device 1205, the second resistance control device 1207, and the steering gear control unit 1209 based on the rudder angle command.

[0122] The first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 turns the hull by reducing the resistance on one side of the hull, so the limit of the rudder angle that can be realized (called the first rudder angle threshold) is smaller than the limit of the rudder angle that can be realized by the steering wheel 1203. When the rudder angle command is less than the rudder angle threshold, the control value supply unit 1213 supplies a control value only to the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 to turn the hull while suppressing fuel consumption. When the rudder angle command is equal to or greater than the rudder angle threshold, the control value supply unit 1213 causes the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 to perform turning by an angle equivalent to the rudder angle threshold. The control value supply unit 1213 causes the steering wheel 1203 to perform turning by an angle that is insufficient in the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207. Furthermore, when the rudder angle command is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount (called a second rudder angle threshold), the control value supply unit 1213 moves the steering wheel 1203 according to the original rudder angle command.

[0123] The turning control device 1201 includes a hull resistance information acquisition unit 1215 that acquires hull resistance information. The hull resistance information may be a predetermined value, or may be a value calculated based on a hull resistance coefficient K1 based on meteorological conditions such as wind and current, the draft level, and the total weight of the hull, and a coefficient K2 based on the performance of the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207. This point will be described later.

[0124] 20 is a flow diagram showing the control process by the turning control device. When the turning command acquisition unit 1211 acquires a turning command, a series of processes is started. In step S11, the control value supply unit 1213 judges whether the turning command is less than the first turning threshold. If the turning command is less than the first turning threshold (Y in step S11), in step S12, the control value supply unit 1213 supplies a control value based on the turning command to the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207, and turns the hull only by the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207. If the turning command is equal to or greater than the first rudder angle threshold (N in step S11), in step S13, the control value supply unit 1213 judges whether the turning command is less than the second turning threshold. If the turning command is less than the second rudder angle threshold (Y in step S13), in step S14 the control value supply unit 1213 supplies a control value to either the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207, and the steering control unit 1209. If the rudder angle command is equal to or greater than the second rudder angle threshold (N in step S13), the control value supply unit 1213 supplies a control value to the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 in step S15.

[0125] A method for calculating the control value supplied by the control value supply unit 1213 to the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207 will be described. The control value supply unit 1213 acquires hull resistance information and a rudder angle command, and calculates Δμ so as to satisfy the formula: rudder angle command = K1 x K2 x Δμ. The value Δμ is the value obtained by subtracting the starboard hull resistance from the port hull resistance. When turning the hull to the port side, the resistance on the port side is made greater than the resistance on the starboard side so as to satisfy the inequality: Δμ≧0. In this case, only the first resistance control device 1205 may be controlled, or both the first resistance control device 1205 and the second resistance control device 1207 may be controlled. When controlling both, the control value is calculated so as to satisfy the formula: port resistance value = starboard resistance value + Δμ.

[0126] When a macrobubble generator is used as the first resistance control device 1205 or the second resistance control device 1207, the amount of bubbles discharged may be adjusted within the microbubble generator.

[0127] FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a microbubble generator. The microbubble generators 1221 are arranged on the left and right sides of the hull across the hull centerline L. The microbubble generators 1221 are provided with multiple bubble holes 1223. Bubbles are released from each of the bubble holes 1223. The left and right microbubble generators 1221 are supplied with air from compressors that are independently controlled. The control value supply unit 1213 makes the bubble discharge amount from the bubble hole 1223 on the inside of the turn less than the bubble discharge amount from the bubble hole 1223 on the outside of the turn. This makes the resistance on the inside of the turn higher than the resistance on the outside of the turn, improving turning performance.

[0128] Thirteenth embodiment To provide a technology capable of calculating fuel consumption during acceleration of a ship.

[0129] In order to solve this problem, in one aspect, a fuel efficiency calculation device includes: A fuel consumption calculation device for calculating fuel consumption of a ship having a main engine that transmits rotational power to a propeller, an acceleration calculation unit that calculates an acceleration when accelerating from a first vessel speed to a second vessel speed; a determination unit that determines whether the calculated acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; The engine is provided with a calculation unit that calculates fuel efficiency during acceleration based on the time required from the first timing to the second timing and the amount of fuel input to the main engine between the first timing and the second timing.

[0130] 22 is a block diagram of a ship equipped with a fuel efficiency calculation device. The ship 1300 includes a thrust generating device 1301 and a fuel efficiency calculation device 1303. The thrust generating device 1301 includes an engine 1305 and a propeller 1307. The fuel efficiency calculation device 1303 includes an acceleration calculation unit 1309, a determination unit 1311, and a calculation unit 1313.

[0131] The acceleration calculation unit 1309 calculates the acceleration from the amount of change in speed per unit time when accelerating from the first boat speed to the second boat speed. The determination unit 1311 determines whether the calculated acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The calculation unit 1313 calculates the fuel efficiency during acceleration based on the time required from the first timing to the second timing and the amount of fuel input to the engine 1305 from the first timing to the second timing.

[0132] By calculating the fuel efficiency during acceleration in this manner, the accuracy of calculation of the fuel efficiency until the vehicle arrives at the destination can be improved.

Claims

1. A fuel consumption calculation device for calculating fuel consumption of a ship having a main engine that transmits rotational power to a propeller, an acceleration calculation unit that calculates an acceleration when accelerating from a first boat speed to a second boat speed; a determination unit that determines whether the calculated acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; a calculation unit that calculates fuel efficiency during acceleration based on a required time from a first timing to a second timing and an amount of fuel input to the main engine between the first timing and the second timing.

2. A main engine that transmits rotational power to the propeller; A fuel consumption calculation device is provided, The fuel efficiency calculation device is an acceleration calculation unit that calculates an acceleration when accelerating from a first boat speed to a second boat speed; a determination unit that determines whether the calculated acceleration is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; a calculation unit that calculates fuel efficiency during acceleration based on a required time from a first timing to a second timing and an amount of fuel input to the main engine between the first timing and the second timing.

Images