Ship speed setting system and ship speed setting method

Abstract

To provide a vessel speed setting system capable of vessel speed control approximating to a target vessel speed attributing to operation of a telegraph control handle.SOLUTION: The vessel speed setting system includes: a target setting unit 14 with a target speed set corresponding to rotational speed of a main engine of a vessel and an inclination operation position of a telegraph operation handle 12 carrying out control of blades of a propeller; a vessel speed detection unit 16 for detecting the actual vessel speed of the vessel; and a vessel speed control unit 18 for outputting a control signal for instructing rotational speed or raising or lowering of blade angle based on difference between a target vessel speed and the actual vessel speed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for determining the sailing speed of a ship, and more particularly to a system and method that enable the ship speed to be set to a predetermined value through a simple operation. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the target main engine rotation speed or the blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller, or both, are set by the position of the telegraph control handle, and when it is desired to add a so-called auto-cruise control function that controls the ship speed to a constant level, a device for setting the target ship speed is prepared separately from the telegraph control handle. For example, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured such that an auto-cruise operation button is located at the base of the steering operation unit, separately from the lever operation unit and paddle operation unit that control the ship speed.

[0003] Thus, when attempting to provide a ship with an auto-cruise function, it is generally necessary to provide an element for performing the auto-cruise function in addition to an element for controlling the ship speed. Also, ship speed control by the auto-cruise function is controlled by a system separate from lever operation such as a telegraph steering handle. For this reason, there may be a large discrepancy between the main engine rotation speed and the blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller set by the lever operation position, etc., and the main engine rotation speed and the blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller set by the auto-cruise function. When the auto-cruise function is switched ON / OFF, there is a risk of fluctuations occurring due to a gap between the actual rotation speed and the actual blade angle and the set main engine rotation speed (set rotation speed) and the blade angle of the controllable pitch propeller (set blade angle). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-69776 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENTS An object of the present invention is to provide a boat speed setting system and method that enables boat speed control that approximates a desired boat speed through operation of a telegraph steering handle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The ship speed setting system for achieving the above-mentioned objective is characterized by having a target setting unit that determines a target ship speed corresponding to the tilting position of a telegraph control handle that controls the rotational speed of the ship's main engine and the propeller blade angle, a ship speed detection unit that detects the actual ship speed of the ship, and a ship speed control unit that outputs a control signal that instructs an increase or decrease in the rotational speed or the blade angle based on the difference between the target ship speed and the actual ship speed.

[0007] In addition, a vessel speed setting system having the above-mentioned characteristics may preferably include a switching control unit that switches between enabling and disabling correction control for the control signal output from the vessel speed control unit, and switching means for outputting a switching control signal to the switching control unit. With such characteristics, it is possible to eliminate the hassle of performing speed setting control every time a target vessel speed is set.

[0008] Furthermore, in the ship speed setting system having the above characteristics, the target ship speed can be set to an individual target ship speed according to the loading state of the ship for each tilting operation position of the telegraph steering handle, and the switching means can be provided with a selection unit for setting the loading state of the ship. With such characteristics, ship speed control suited to the loading state of the ship becomes possible. Also, since the difference between the rotation speed of the main engine and the target ship speed becomes small, the fluctuation when switching between enabling and disabling correction control can be reduced.

[0009] In addition, a ship speed setting method for achieving the above-mentioned object is a ship speed setting method using a ship speed setting system that includes a target setting unit that sets a target ship speed corresponding to the tilting position of a telegraph steering handle that controls the rotational speed of the ship's main engine and the propeller blade angle, a ship speed detection unit that detects the actual ship speed of the ship, a ship speed control unit that outputs a control signal that instructs an increase or decrease in the rotational speed or the blade angle based on the difference between the target ship speed and the actual ship speed, a switching control unit that switches between enabling and disabling correction control for the control signal output from the ship speed control unit, and a switching means for outputting a switching control signal to the switching control unit, and is characterized in that it comprises a step of enabling the correction control by operating the switching means, and a step of operating the telegraph steering handle to any tilting position.

[0010] In the ship speed setting method having the above characteristics, the target ship speed is set as an individual target ship speed according to the loading state of the ship for each tilting operation position of the telegraph steering handle, and the switching means is provided with a selection unit for setting the loading state of the ship, and the switching means is operated to select the loading state in addition to switching the correction control. With such characteristics, ship speed control suited to the loading state of the ship is possible. Also, since the difference between the rotational speed of the main engine and the target ship speed is reduced, the fluctuation when switching between enabling and disabling the correction control can be reduced. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the boat speed setting system and method having the above-mentioned characteristics, it is possible to perform boat speed control that approximates a target boat speed due to operation of the telegraph steering handle. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a boat speed setting system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a display device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the boat speed setting system and method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment shown below is one example of a preferred form for carrying out the present invention, and even if a part of the configuration is changed, it can be considered as part of the invention as long as the effect of the invention is achieved.

[0014] [composition] First, the configuration of a ship speed setting system 10 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The ship speed setting system 10 according to this embodiment is basically composed of a telegraph steering handle 12, a target setting unit 14, a ship speed detection unit 16, a ship speed control unit 18, a switching control unit 20, and a display device 22, and controls the rotation speed of the main engine and the pitch angle (blade angle) of the propeller.

[0015] The telegraph control handle 12 according to the present embodiment is an element for controlling the rotation speed of the engine (also called the main engine) and the blade angle of the propeller by operating (tilting) the lever. In the case of the telegraph control handle according to the present embodiment, switching control by tilting operation in six stages, such as "D.Slow", "Slow", "Half", "Full", "NF1", and "NF2", is possible. In the target setting unit, the details of which will be described later, target values ​​(target rotation speeds) of the rotation speed that increase stepwise from "D.Slow" to "NF2", and blade angles (target blade angles) corresponding to each target rotation speed are determined and recorded. In the telegraph control handle having such a configuration, the rotation speed and blade angle of the main engine are controlled according to the tilt operation position of the lever. The target rotation speed and target blade angle determined according to the tilt operation position of the lever are determined so that the ship speed is the slowest when set to "D.Slow" and the ship speed is the fastest when set to "NF2" (when other external conditions are equal).

[0016] As described above, the target setting unit 14 mainly determines and records the rotation speed (target rotation speed) of the main engine corresponding to the lever operation position of the telegraph control handle 12 and the blade angle (target blade angle) of the propeller corresponding to the target rotation speed. In this embodiment, the ship speed (target ship speed) corresponding to the tilt operation position of the telegraph control handle 12 is also determined and recorded.

[0017] Therefore, when the telegraph control handle 12 is operated, the target setting unit 14 outputs the target rotational speed, target wing angle, and target ship speed, which are determined according to the tilt operation position, as command values.

[0018] The vessel speed detection unit 16 is an element for detecting the actual vessel speed (actual vessel speed). When the actual vessel speed is detected by the vessel speed detection unit 16, the difference between the target vessel speed output from the target setting unit 14 and the actual vessel speed is calculated (subtracted). The calculated difference is then input to the vessel speed control unit 18.

[0019] The ship speed control unit 18 is an element for determining command values ​​(control values) for controlling the rotation speed and blade angle of the main engine so that the difference between the target ship speed and the actual ship speed becomes zero. Therefore, if the difference is positive, it outputs a control value for increasing the ship speed (increasing the rotation speed and / or increasing the blade angle), and if the difference is negative, it outputs a control value for decreasing the ship speed (decreasing the rotation speed and / or decreasing the blade angle).

[0020] The switching control unit 20 is an element for switching whether or not to enable the control of the vessel speed based on the target vessel speed. The switching control unit 20 may be provided with a physical switch for ON / OFF control, but in this embodiment, the switching control unit 20 is electronically controlled so that it is connected to the display device 22, the details of which will be described later, and is turned ON (enabled) by selecting a display unit (selection unit) that specifies the loading state, such as "Ballast," "Half Load," or "Full Load," displayed on the display device 22, and is turned OFF (disabled) by selecting a display unit that indicates the rotation speed of the main engine, such as "Engin Speed." When the switching control unit 20 is enabled, the control values ​​(rotation speed and blade angle) output from the vessel speed control unit 18 are added to the command value of the target rotation speed and the command value of the target blade angle output from the target setting unit 14, respectively. Then, the target rotation speed and the target blade angle are input to the main engine control unit (not shown) and the blade angle control unit (not shown) as new command values ​​to which the control values ​​are respectively added.

[0021] The display device 22 is an element for displaying the operating state of the ship. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the tilt operation positions of the telegraph steering handle 12, "D. Slow", "Slow", "Half", "Full", "NF1", and "NF2", are displayed in the "ORDER" column, and the target rotation speed corresponding to each tilt operation position is displayed in the adjacent "REV (rpm)" column. Furthermore, next to the column showing the target rotation speed, there are columns showing three types of loading conditions, such as "Ballast (KNOT)": "ballast only, empty load", "Half Load (KNOT)": "load is about half of the maximum load", and "Full Load (KNOT)": "load is the maximum load or close to it", and each column shows the target ship speed corresponding to the tilt operation position of the telegraph steering handle 12.

[0022] The display device 22 according to the embodiment is of a touch panel type, and a display unit for controlling ON / OFF of the switching control unit 20 is provided in a part of the display device 22. As described above, the display unit has four items, namely, "Engin Speed", "Ballast", "Half Load", and "Full Load", and when the three items other than "Engin Speed" are selected, the switching control unit 20 is turned ON. Here, "Ballast" corresponds to the target ship speed shown in the column of "Ballast (KNOT)", "Half Load" corresponds to the target ship speed shown in the column of "Half Load (KNOT)", and "Full Load" corresponds to the target ship speed shown in the column of "Full Load (KNOT)", and the ship speed in the loaded state corresponding to the selected display unit is set as the target ship speed. As an example, when "Ballast" is selected and the tilt operation position of the telegraph control handle 12 is set to "NF1", 12 (KNOT) becomes the target ship speed.

[0023] In this embodiment, the display device 22 is provided with a speed setting unit 22a for setting a target ship speed for each tilting position of the telegraph control handle 12. The speed setting unit 22a allows the target ship speed to be set for each loading condition such as "Ballast", "Half Load", and "Full Load". The target ship speed is set by operating the UP operation unit indicated by △ and the DOWN operation unit indicated by ▽ located next to the set target ship speed display unit 22a1, and then selecting "Save". The target ship speed set by the speed setting unit 22a is sent to the target setting unit 14 and recorded as the new target ship speed.

[0024] [Effect] In the vessel speed setting system 10 configured as described above, by selecting one of the display sections showing the loading status ("Ballast," "Half Load," or "Full Load") on the display device 22, the switching control section 20 is turned ON and vessel speed control based on the target vessel speed is started.

[0025] When the switching control unit 20 is turned ON, a predetermined ship speed is set as the target ship speed according to the load condition selected on the display device 22 and the tilt operation position of the telegraph control handle 12, and is output from the target setting unit 14. At this time, the target setting unit also outputs the target rotation speed of the main engine and the target blade angle of the propeller, which are determined according to the tilt operation position of the telegraph control handle 12, as command values.

[0026] When the target ship speed is output from the target setting unit 14, it is compared with the actual ship speed detected by the ship speed detection unit 16, and the difference is calculated. The calculated difference is input to the ship speed control unit 18, which outputs control values ​​for the main engine rotation speed and the propeller blade angle. The rotation speed control value and blade angle control value output from the ship speed control unit 18 are added to the target rotation speed and target blade angle, respectively, and input as new command values ​​to the main engine control unit and the blade angle control unit.

[0027] [effect] The vessel speed setting system 10 configured as described above enables vessel speed control that approximates a desired vessel speed due to the operation (tilting of the lever) of the telegraph control handle 12. This eliminates the need for sequential setting operations to control vessel speed or auto-cruise. In addition, because the vessel speed is set based on the target rotation speed and target blade angle determined in response to the tilting operation position of the telegraph control handle 12, and the difference is corrected based on the actual vessel speed, even if the switching control unit 20 is switched ON / OFF, there is no large fluctuation in the main engine rotation speed or propeller blade angle. [Industrial Applicability]

[0028] In the above embodiment, the output from the boat speed control unit 18 is described as a control value. However, the output from the boat speed control unit may simply be a signal instructing an increase or decrease in the rotation speed or blade angle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 10....Ship speed setting system, 12....Telegraph steering handle, 14....Target setting section, 16....Ship speed detection section, 18....Ship speed control section, 20....Switching control section, 22....Display device, 22a....Speed ​​setting section, 22a1....Set target ship speed display section.

Claims

1. A ship speed setting system having a first operation system, the first operation system being provided with a target setting unit between a telegraph operation handle for controlling the rotation speed of a ship's main engine and a blade angle of a propeller, and the main engine and the propeller, the target setting unit outputting a target rotation speed of the main engine and a target blade angle of the propeller as command values ​​corresponding to a tilt operation position of the telegraph operation handle, a second operating system is provided between the target setting unit, the main engine, and the propeller, the second operating system including a ship speed detection unit that detects an actual ship speed of the ship, a ship speed control unit that outputs a control signal instructing an increase or decrease in the rotational speed or the blade angle, and a switching control unit that switches between enabling and disabling correction control for the control signal output from the ship speed control unit, The target setting unit also determines a target boat speed corresponding to the tilting operation position, and when the switching control unit switches the correction control to be effective, A ship speed setting system characterized in that the ship speed control unit outputs control signals to the main engine and the propeller, instructing an increase or decrease in the rotational speed and the blade angle based on the difference between the target ship speed and the actual ship speed.

2. The ship speed setting system as described in Claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with a switching means for outputting a switching control signal to the switching control unit.

3. The target ship speed is set to an individual target ship speed according to a loading state of the ship for each tilt operation position of the telegraph steering handle, 3. A vessel speed setting system according to claim 2, wherein the switching means is provided with a selection section for setting a loading state of the vessel.

4. A ship speed setting system having a first operating system with a target setting unit between a telegraph control handle which controls the rotational speed of a ship's main engine and the blade angle of a propeller, and the main engine or the propeller, the target rotational speed of the main engine corresponding to the tilting operation position of the telegraph control handle and the target blade angle of the propeller as command values, and between the target setting unit and the main engine and the propeller, a ship speed detection unit which detects the actual ship speed of the ship and a control signal which outputs an instruction to raise or lower the rotational speed or the blade angle are provided. A ship speed setting method using a ship speed setting system which is also provided with a ship speed control unit and a second operation system having a switching control unit which switches between enabling and disabling correction control for a control signal output from the ship speed control unit, wherein the target setting unit also determines a target ship speed corresponding to the tilting operation position, and when the switching control unit switches to enable correction control, a control signal is output from the ship speed control unit to the main engine and the propeller, instructing an increase or decrease in the rotation speed and the blade angle based on a difference between the target ship speed and the actual ship speed, switching the correction control by the switching control unit to active; and operating the telegraph steering handle to an arbitrary tilt operation position.

5. The target vessel speed is set to an individual target vessel speed according to the vessel's loading condition for each tilting operation position of the telegraph steering handle, and the vessel speed setting system is provided with a switching means for outputting a switching control signal to the switching control unit, and the switching means is provided with a selection unit for setting the vessel's loading condition, 5. The method for setting a vessel speed according to claim 4, wherein the operation of the switching means includes the selection of the loading state in addition to the switching operation of the correction control.

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