Automatic watercraft maneuvering system and watercraft control method

Abstract

An automatic watercraft maneuvering system includes a propulsion device to propel a watercraft, a steering to change a course of the watercraft, a display to provide visual notification of a state of the watercraft, and a controller configured or programmed to execute an automatic watercraft maneuvering control to control the propulsion device and the steering in order to perform automatic watercraft maneuvering from a departure location to a destination location and control the display according to a state of the automatic watercraft maneuvering control. The controller is configured or programmed to control the display such that a plurality of states including a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed and a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable are distinguished and displayed.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-150721 filed on Sep. 2, 2024. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to automatic watercraft maneuvering systems and watercraft control methods.2. Description of the Related Art

[0003] JP 2021-91307 A discloses a watercraft maneuvering system including an automatic controller that automatically maneuvers a watercraft in an unmanned and autonomous manner. The automatic controller receives information necessary for traveling, such as a destination location, a route, and a watercraft speed, as watercraft maneuvering commands via wireless communication, and autonomously performs automatic watercraft maneuvering while detecting surrounding watercrafts and obstacles with a watercraft radar device. When an abnormal watercraft maneuvering state occurs due to hacking or malfunction of the automatic controller, an emergency command is issued from an original watercraft operator of the watercraft through wireless communication. When receiving the emergency command, the watercraft maneuvering system stops the supply of power to the automatic controller, causes the watercraft to be urgently stopped, and then performs hovering watercraft maneuvering to cause the hull to stay on the spot.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The inventor of example embodiments of the present invention described and claimed in the present application conducted an extensive study and research regarding an automatic watercraft maneuvering system, such as the one described above, and in doing so, discovered and first recognized new unique challenges and previously unrecognized possibilities for improvements as described in greater detail below.

[0005] Since an unmanned and automatically maneuvered watercraft can travel in the same water area as a manned watercraft, it is desirable that a maneuvering state of the watercraft can be recognized by other watercrafts, particularly manned watercrafts. In particular, it is preferable that other watercrafts can recognize whether or not the watercraft is in a normal maneuvering state.

[0006] Therefore, example embodiments of the present invention provide automatic watercraft maneuvering systems and watercraft control methods that each enable easy recognition of a watercraft maneuvering state of one watercraft by other watercrafts.

[0007] In order to overcome the previously unrecognized and unsolved challenges described above, an example embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic watercraft maneuvering system including a propulsion device to propel a watercraft, a steering to change a course of the watercraft, a display to provide visual notification of a state of the watercraft, and a controller configured or programmed to execute an automatic watercraft maneuvering control to control the propulsion device and the steering in order to perform automatic watercraft maneuvering from a departure location to a destination location. The controller is further configured or programmed to control the display according to a state of the automatic watercraft maneuvering control. The controller is configured or programmed to control the display such that a plurality of states including a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed and a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable are distinguished and displayed.

[0008] With this arrangement, it is possible to cause the watercraft to travel from the departure location to the destination location through the automatic watercraft maneuvering control. And a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed can be visually notified to other watercrafts, and a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable can also be visually notified to other watercrafts. Thus, the watercraft maneuvering state, particularly, the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed and the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable can be easily recognized by other watercrafts.

[0009] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable includes one or more of a failure of the propulsion device, a failure of the steering, or a failure of a sensor used in the automatic watercraft maneuvering control.

[0010] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the controller is configured or programmed to, when the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable, execute a watercraft stop control to stop the watercraft, and control the display to display that the watercraft is in a stopped state.

[0011] With this arrangement, when the watercraft is brought into the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable, the watercraft can be automatically stopped, and the display can visually notify other watercrafts that the watercraft is in a stopped state.

[0012] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the automatic watercraft maneuvering system further includes an anchoring device. The controller is configured or programmed to execute an at-anchor control to control the anchoring device to stop the watercraft in the watercraft stop control.

[0013] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the controller is configured or programmed to execute a fixed-point maintaining control to maintain a position of the watercraft by controlling the propulsion device and the steering in the watercraft stop control.

[0014] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the automatic watercraft maneuvering system further includes a communication terminal to communicate with a remote watercraft maneuvering base to remotely operate the propulsion device and the steering. The controller is configured or programmed to execute a remote control to notify the remote watercraft maneuvering base of state information of the automatic watercraft maneuvering system using the communication terminal, and controlling the propulsion device and the steering based on a remote operation signal received from the remote watercraft maneuvering base via the communication terminal. The controller is configured or programmed to control the display to display that the watercraft is being remotely maneuvered through communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base during execution of the remote control.

[0015] With this arrangement, during the watercraft maneuvering (remote watercraft maneuvering) based on the remote control from the remote watercraft maneuvering base, it is possible to provide visual notification of the situation using the display.

[0016] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable includes a state in which communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base using the communication terminal cannot be established.

[0017] With this arrangement, when communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base cannot be established and thus the state of the automatic watercraft maneuvering system cannot be monitored by the remote watercraft maneuvering base, it is regarded as a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable. Therefore, the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is executed under the monitoring of the remote watercraft maneuvering base.

[0018] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the display includes a light display and / or a day-shapes notice display.

[0019] With this arrangement, it is possible to provide a display prescribed by laws and regulations for the watercraft and automatically operate the display with the controller to perform necessary displays according to a state of the automatic watercraft maneuvering control.

[0020] An example embodiment of the present invention provides a watercraft including a hull and the above automatic watercraft maneuvering system on the hull.

[0021] An example embodiment of the present invention provides a watercraft control method of controlling, with a controller, a propulsion device to propel a watercraft, a steering to change a course of the watercraft, and a display to visually notify other watercrafts of a state of the watercraft, the method including executing an automatic watercraft maneuvering control with the controller to control the propulsion device and the steering in order to perform automatic watercraft maneuvering from a departure location to a destination location, and controlling the display with the controller to display a plurality of states including a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed and a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable.

[0022] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable includes one or more of a failure of the propulsion device, a failure of the steering, or a failure of a sensor used in the automatic watercraft maneuvering control.

[0023] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes executing a watercraft stop control with the controller to stop the watercraft when the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable. The controlling the display includes a watercraft stop display of displaying that the watercraft is in a stopped state when the watercraft stop control is executed.

[0024] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the watercraft stop control includes an at-anchor control of controlling the anchoring device with the controller to anchor the watercraft.

[0025] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the watercraft stop control includes performing a fixed-point maintaining control of maintaining, with the controller, a position of the watercraft by controlling the propulsion device and the steering.

[0026] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes controlling a communication terminal with the controller to communicate with a remote watercraft maneuvering base to remotely operate the propulsion device and the steering. The watercraft control method further includes a remote control step of executing a remote control with the controller to notify the remote watercraft maneuvering base of state information of the watercraft using the communication terminal, and controlling the propulsion device and the steering based on a remote operation signal received from the remote watercraft maneuvering base via the communication terminal. The controlling the display includes a remote watercraft maneuvering display to control the display with the controller to display that the watercraft is being remotely maneuvered through communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base during execution of the remote control.

[0027] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable includes a state in which communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base using the communication terminal cannot be established.

[0028] In an example embodiment of the present invention, the display includes a light display and / or a day-shapes notice display.

[0029] The controller does not need to be physically one device, and may include a plurality of physically separated devices each including a processor.

[0030] The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the example embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 is a diagram that describes an outline of a system to remotely monitor a watercraft equipped with an automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that describes a configuration of a watercraft by way of example.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a flowchart that describes an example of processes performed by a controller related to display of a state of the watercraft.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0034] FIG. 1 is a diagram that describes an outline of a system to remotely monitor a watercraft equipped with an automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] A watercraft 1 is provided with an onboard system 2. The onboard system 2 configures an automatic watercraft maneuvering system able to autonomously maneuver the unmanned watercraft 1 from a departure location to a destination location. However, manual watercraft maneuvering by a user is performed in some cases at a departure location and / or a destination location, and manual watercraft maneuvering is performed in some cases as required even at a location other than the departure location and / or the destination location. The automatic watercraft maneuvering system is typically used in a watercraft to carry cargo such as supplies.

[0036] The onboard system 2 includes a communication terminal 53. A remote monitoring base 100 (an example of a remote watercraft maneuvering base) to monitor the watercraft 1 includes a remote monitoring system 101 (an example of a remote watercraft maneuvering system). The remote monitoring system 101 communicates with the onboard system 2 via the communication terminal 53. More specifically, the communication terminal 53 and the remote monitoring system 101 are connected to a wireless data communication network 3 such as a mobile telephone network or a satellite telephone network in a communicable manner, and are connected to each other via the wireless data communication network 3 in a communicable manner.

[0037] The communication terminal 53 transmits state information (i.e., state information of the watercraft 1) of the onboard system 2 to the remote monitoring system 101. The remote monitoring system 101 collects state information received from the communication terminal 53. The remote monitoring system 101 includes a computer 102 to process information, a display 103 to provide information to a monitoring person, and an input device 104 operated by the monitoring person. The computer 102 displays the state information received from the communication terminal 53 of the watercraft 1 on the display 103. The monitoring person ascertains the state of the watercraft 1 based on the display of the display 103. The computer 102 may display an alarm on the display 103 when a specific abnormal state occurs in the watercraft 1. In order to generate an alarm, an alarm device different from the display 103, for example, an alarm sound generating device or the like may be further provided.

[0038] The input device 104 and the display 103 of the remote monitoring system 101 define include a remote watercraft maneuvering interface to (remotely) maneuver the watercraft 1 through a remote operation. For example, when the monitoring person inputs a remote watercraft maneuvering command, the computer 102 transmits to the communication terminal 53 of the watercraft 1 a switching command to switch to a remote control mode. As a result, when the onboard system 2 switches to the remote control mode, the monitoring person can remotely maneuver the watercraft 1 by operating the remote watercraft maneuvering interface and transmitting a remote operation signal to the onboard system 2.

[0039] For example, an image captured by a remote watercraft maneuvering camera 45 (see FIG. 2) mounted on the watercraft 1 is transmitted from the communication terminal 53 to the remote monitoring system 101, and the image is displayed on the display 103. The monitoring person (remote watercraft operator) operates the input device 104 while viewing the image. Accordingly, the computer 102 transmits a remote operation signal to the communication terminal 53 of the watercraft 1. Remote watercraft maneuvering of the watercraft 1 is thus achieved by the onboard system 2 executing a remote control in response to the remote operation signal.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that describes the configuration of a watercraft 1 by way of example. The watercraft 1 includes a hull 11 and an onboard system 2 (automatic watercraft maneuvering system) on the hull 11. The onboard system 2 includes various devices (watercraft devices) on the hull 11. The watercraft devices include a main controller 41 to comprehensively control the devices on the watercraft 1, a propulsion device to apply a propulsive force to the hull 11, and a steering to change the advancing direction of the hull 11. In this example embodiment, the communication terminal 53 is one of the watercraft devices. Further, in the present example embodiment, input devices (watercraft maneuvering devices) for manual watercraft maneuvering are also provided as watercraft devices. In this example, the input device includes a steering wheel 12 and a remote controller 15.

[0041] The propulsion device includes, in this example, an outboard motor 20. Specifically, one or more outboard motors 20 may be provided on the stern of the hull 11. In this example, a plurality of outboard motors 20 (more specifically, two outboard motors) are located side by side and attached to the stern. In this example, the outboard motors 20 are engine outboard motors each including an engine 21 (internal combustion engine) as a power source to drive a propeller 25. Of course, electric outboard motors each including an electric motor as a power source may be used. Specifically, the two outboard motors 20 include a port-side outboard motor 20P and a starboard-side outboard motor 20S that are attached to the stern side by side in the left-right direction.

[0042] In this example, the steering includes steerings 30 to respectively steer the outboard motors 20 leftward and rightward. The steerings 30 are provided in one-to-one correspondence with the outboard motors 20. In this example, two steerings 30 are provided. The two steerings 30 include a port-side steering 30P and a starboard-side steering 30S, which correspond to the port-side outboard motor 20P and the starboard-side outboard motor 20S, respectively.

[0043] The steering wheel 12 is turned by a user during manual watercraft maneuvering. The operation angle of the steering wheel 12 is detected by an operation angle sensor 13, and inputted to a helm ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 14. The remote controller 15 includes acceleration levers 16 to be operated by the user to adjust the directions (forward or reverse directions) and the magnitudes of propulsive forces to be generated by the respective outboard motors 20 during manual watercraft maneuvering. The operation positions of the acceleration levers 16 are respectively detected by acceleration position sensors 17, and inputted to a remote controller ECU 18.

[0044] The outboard motors 20 each include an engine 21, a propeller 25 driven by the engine 21, a shift mechanism 26, and an engine ECU 23. The shift mechanism 26 has a plurality of shift positions, i.e., a forward shift position, a reverse shift position and a neutral shift position. With the shift position set to the forward shift position, the propeller 25 is rotated in the forward rotation direction by the driving force of the engine 21. With the shift position set to the reverse shift position, the propeller 25 is rotated in a reverse rotation direction by the driving force of the engine 21. With the shift position set to the neutral shift position, power transmission between the engine 21 and the propeller 25 is cut off. The engine ECU 23 controls the operation of a shift actuator 27 that actuates the shift mechanism 26 to control the direction of the propulsive force. Further, the engine ECU 23 controls the operation of a throttle actuator 22 that drives the throttle valve of the engine 21 to control the magnitude of the propulsive force.

[0045] The steerings 30 each include a steering actuator 31, and a steering ECU 32 to control the steering actuator 31. The steering actuator 31 generates power to pivot the corresponding outboard motor 20 leftward and rightward about its steering shaft (not shown). Thus, the direction of the propulsive force applied to the hull 11 by the outboard motor 20 is changed leftward and rightward such that the advancing direction of the watercraft 1 is changed. The steering 30 may be unitary with the corresponding outboard motor 20, or may be separate from the outboard motor 20. In FIG. 2, the steering 30 and the outboard motor 20 are configured as a unitary unit by way of example (e.g., the steering 30 is incorporated in the outboard motor 20).

[0046] The watercraft devices further include an automatic watercraft maneuvering camera 44, the remote watercraft maneuvering camera 45, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver 46, an azimuth sensor 47, a radar 48, a millimeter wave radar 49, an electronic chart 50, a water depth sensor 51, a remote control ECU 52, an anchoring device 55, a display 60, and the like. The GPS receiver 46 is an example of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) positioning system, and is an example of a position sensor which detects the position of the watercraft 1.

[0047] The automatic watercraft maneuvering camera 44 includes at least one camera to perform imaging of the surroundings of the watercraft 1, and is mainly used to detect an obstacle in the surroundings of the watercraft 1 during automatic watercraft maneuvering control. The remote watercraft maneuvering camera 45 includes at least one camera to perform imaging of the surroundings of the watercraft 1, and is mainly used to provide an image for remote watercraft maneuvering from the remote monitoring base 100. The azimuth sensor 47 detects an azimuth of the watercraft 1 and outputs azimuth information. The radar 48 and the millimeter wave radar 49 are used to detect an obstacle in the surroundings of the watercraft 1. The radar 48 provides obstacle information over a wide area, and the millimeter wave radar 49 is used to detect an obstacle in a short distance. The electronic chart 50 provides chart data. The remote control ECU 52 is a controller for a remote control of generating a propulsive force command and a steering command based on a command (remote operation signal) from the remote monitoring base 100. The remote control ECU 52 typically includes a processor and a memory, and is configured to provide necessary functions by the processor executing a program stored in the memory.

[0048] The anchoring device 55 includes, for example, an anchor, a rope coupled to the anchor, a reel to wind / unwind the rope, and an electric motor to drive the reel. Since the electric motor is controlled by the main controller 41, it is possible to anchor the watercraft 1 in an unmanned state and release the anchoring.

[0049] The display 60 visually notifies other watercrafts of the state of the watercraft 1. The display 60 may include a lighting device 61, a day-shapes notice device 62, a rotating light 63, and the like. The lighting device 61 is mainly used for nighttime display, and the day-shapes notice device 62 is mainly used for daytime display. The rotating light 63 may be used for display in both daytime and nighttime.

[0050] The display 60 is configured to be actuated under the control of the main controller 41 to display a state (in particular, an operation state) of the watercraft 1. The display 60 is configured to be able to distinguish and display a plurality of states including a state in which the main controller 41 is executing the automatic watercraft maneuvering control and a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable.

[0051] More specifically, the lighting device 61 and the day-shapes notice device 62 are configured to be able to display a watercraft stop state. The display of the watercraft stop state may be an at-anchor display. The at-anchor display using the lighting device 61 is lighting of, for example, one white all-around lamp that emits light toward the entire circumference. The at-anchor display using the day-shapes notice device 62 is a notice of, for example, one spherical day-shape (for example, a black sphere).

[0052] The lighting device 61 and the day-shapes notice device 62 are configured to be able to further display a not-under-command state. For example, when the watercraft is remotely maneuvered by the remote monitoring system 101, the not-under-command state may be displayed. The display of the not-under-command state using the lighting device 61 is lighting of two red all-around lamps located on a vertical line. The display of the not-under-command state using the day-shapes notice device 62 is two notices of spherical day-shapes (for example, black spheres) located on a vertical line.

[0053] The rotating light 63 is a light that emits light while rotating in a direction in which light is emitted toward the surroundings of the watercraft 1. The rotating light 63 may be actuated, for example, during execution of an automatic watercraft maneuvering control and / or during execution of remote watercraft maneuvering to visually notify other watercrafts of the automatic watercraft maneuvering state and / or the remote watercraft maneuvering state. For example, the automatic watercraft maneuvering state and the remote watercraft maneuvering state may be distinguished and displayed by varying a rotation speed.

[0054] A data communication network, i.e., an onboard network 10, is provided in the watercraft 1. The onboard system 2 includes the onboard network 10 and various watercraft devices connected to the onboard network 10.

[0055] The onboard network 10 is connected to the helm ECU 14, the remote controller ECU 18, the engine ECU 23, and the steering ECU 32. Therefore, the propulsive force command from the remote controller ECU 18 is transmitted to the engine ECU 23 via the onboard network 10. The propulsive force command is a command signal indicating the directions (forward or reverse directions) of the propulsive forces of the respective outboard motors 20. In the present example embodiment, the propulsive force command includes a shift command indicating a shift position of the shift mechanism 26 and an output command indicating an output (for example, a rotational speed) of the engine 21. Further, a steering command from the helm ECU 14 is transmitted to the steering ECU 32 via the onboard network 10. The steering command is a command signal corresponding to the operation direction (turning direction) and the operation angle of the steering wheel 12 and indicating the steering directions and the steering angles of the outboard motors 20.

[0056] The main controller 41 is further connected to the onboard network 10. The main controller 41 typically includes a processor and a memory, and is configured to provide necessary functions by the processor executing a program stored in the memory. The main controller 41 is programmed to execute an automatic watercraft maneuvering control. When executing the automatic watercraft maneuvering control, the main controller 41 provides a propulsive force command to the engine ECU 23 via the onboard network 10 and provides a steering command to the steering ECU 32 via the onboard network 10. Thus, the outboard motor 20 (propulsion device) and the steering 30 (steering) are controlled by the main controller 41.

[0057] The main controller 41 is also able to acquire various types of information from the remote controller ECU 18, the helm ECU 14, the engine ECU 23, and the steering ECU 32. Therefore, the main controller 41 is able to acquire, for example, the information about the steering command received by the steering ECUs 32, and information about the detection results of various sensors 33 provided on each of the steerings 30. The sensors 33 include, for example, a steering angle sensor. The steering angle sensor of the steering 30 detects the actual steering angle of the corresponding outboard motor 20. The steering angle sensor may detect the operation amount of the steering actuator 31. Further, the main controller 41 can acquire various information from the engine ECUs 23. For example, the main controller 41 is able to acquire information about the propulsive force command received by the engine ECUs 23, and information about the detection results of various sensors 24 provided on each of the outboard motors 20. The sensors 24 include, for example, a throttle opening degree sensor, an engine speed sensor, an engine temperature sensor, a coolant pressure sensor, an oil pressure sensor, a shift position sensor, a fuel pressure sensor and a residual fuel amount sensor.

[0058] The onboard network 10 is further connected to the automatic watercraft maneuvering camera 44, the remote watercraft maneuvering camera 45, the GPS receiver 46, the azimuth sensor 47, the radar 48, the millimeter wave radar 49, the electronic chart 50, the water depth sensor 51, the remote control ECU 52, the anchoring device 55, the lighting device 61, the day-shapes notice device 62, the rotating light 63, and the like. The communication terminal 53 and a gauge 42 to display various information are further connected to the onboard network 10. The communication terminal 53 may transmit information about the state of the watercraft 1 and the like, more specifically, configuration information indicating the configuration of the watercraft 1 (particularly, the onboard system 2), failure information indicating a failure occurring in the onboard system 2, the detection values of the sensors 24 and 33, and the like to the remote monitoring system 101 (see FIG. 1). Further, the communication terminal 53 transmits to the remote monitoring system 101 information about a control state by the main controller 41 as the state information of the watercraft 1. In particular, the communication terminal 53 transmits to the remote monitoring system 101 watercraft stop control information indicating whether the main controller 41 is executing the watercraft stop control. Further, the communication terminal 53 can transmit an image captured by the remote watercraft maneuvering camera 45 to the remote monitoring system 101. Further, the communication terminal 53 receives various commands from the remote monitoring system 101 and transmits the commands to the main controller 41, the remote control ECU 52, and the like via the onboard network 10.

[0059] The gauge 42 functions as a display to display, for example, the residual fuel amount, the engine speeds and the shift positions of the respective outboard motors 20, a residual battery capacity, and the like to notify the user. The gauge 42 may include an input device 43 such as input buttons and a touch panel. The input device 43 may be configured to be operated by the user to input various commands. The input device 43 may be provided separately from the gauge 42.

[0060] The steering wheel 12 and the remote controller 15 are disposed in association with a helm seat, and main switches 19 to be operated to turn on and off power supply to the respective outboard motors 20 and to start and stop the engines 21 of the respective outboard motors 20 are also provided in association with the helm seat.

[0061] The user can input a destination location by performing, for example, an operation on the input device 43. Specifically, a map read from the electronic chart 50 is displayed on the gauge 42 by performing the operation on the input device 43, and a destination location may be designated and input on the map. Of course, a destination location may be inputted by using another method such as coordinate input. The main controller 41 includes an autopilot function, acquires a current location from the GPS receiver 46, sets the acquired current location as a departure location, and calculates a route to the input destination location. The calculated route is displayed on the map in the gauge 42. The user may correct the route by operating the input device 43 as required. The main controller 41 may store the history of the routes set in the past in the memory. In this case, the user may read the history and set the route from the departure location to the destination location.

[0062] When the route is set as described above, the user operates the main switch 19 to start the engine 21 of the outboard motor 20, and inputs an automatic watercraft maneuvering start command from the input device 43 and disembarks. Thus, the watercraft 1 enters an unmanned state. Upon receiving the automatic watercraft maneuvering start command, the main controller 41 starts the automatic watercraft maneuvering control after the waiting time required for the user to disembark. The automatic watercraft maneuvering control controls the outboard motor 20 (propulsion device) and the steering 30 (steering) in order to perform automatic watercraft maneuvering from the departure location to the destination location.

[0063] The main controller 41 issues a propulsive force command and a steering command such that the current position detected by the GPS receiver 46 moves to the destination location along the set route while avoiding obstacles based on outputs from the automatic watercraft maneuvering camera 44, the radar 48, the millimeter wave radar 49, and the like. The propulsive force command is provided to the engine ECU 23, and the steering command is provided to the steering ECU 32. The engine ECU 23 controls the shift actuator 27 and the throttle actuator 22 according to the propulsive force command. The steering ECU 32 controls the steering actuator 31 according to the steering command. Thus, a propulsive force having a magnitude and a direction corresponding to the propulsive force command and the steering command acts on the hull 11.

[0064] Upon arrival at the destination location, a user waiting at the destination location gets on the watercraft 1 by performing a predetermined mooring work, and operates the input device 43 to input an automatic watercraft maneuvering control end command. Thus, the main controller 41 ends the automatic watercraft maneuvering control. The user may move the watercraft 1 by manual watercraft maneuvering as required, or may stop the engine 21 by operating the main switch 19.

[0065] There may be a case where the watercraft 1 is forced to stay on water away from both the destination location and the departure location. For example, in a case where there is a possibility that the obstacle detection becomes unreliable due to a defect of the automatic watercraft maneuvering camera 44, it is preferable to interrupt or stop the automatic watercraft maneuvering control. In such a case, watercraft maneuvering based on remote operation from the remote monitoring system 101 (remote watercraft maneuvering) is performed in some cases.

[0066] The remote watercraft maneuvering may be started by a remote watercraft maneuvering start command from the remote monitoring system 101. In the remote monitoring system 101, when the monitoring person performs a predetermined input operation, a remote watercraft maneuvering start command is transmitted to the communication terminal 53 of the watercraft. The communication terminal 53 that has received the remote watercraft maneuvering start command provides the remote watercraft maneuvering start command to the main controller 41 and the remote control ECU 52. Thus, the main controller 41 stops the automatic watercraft maneuvering control and enters the remote control mode, and the remote control ECU 52 starts the control (remote control) for the watercraft maneuvering by the remote operation. In the remote control mode, the main controller 41 transmits an image captured by the remote watercraft maneuvering camera 45 to the remote monitoring system 101 via the communication terminal 53.

[0067] In the remote monitoring system 101, the monitoring person (remote operator) performs an input operation for remote watercraft maneuvering while displaying the image received via the communication terminal 53 on the display 103, and causes the computer 102 to issue a remote operation signal. This remote operation signal is transmitted to the communication terminal 53 and provided from the communication terminal 53 to the remote control ECU 52. The remote controller ECU 52 converts a remote operation signal received via the communication terminal 53 into a propulsive force command and a steering command in a format compatible with the onboard system 2. Then, the remote control ECU 52 provides a propulsive force command to the engine ECU 23 and provides a steering command to the steering ECU 32. The engine ECU 23 controls the shift actuator 27 and the throttle actuator 22 according to the propulsive force command. The steering ECU 32 controls the steering actuator 31 according to the steering command. Thus, a propulsive force having a magnitude and a direction corresponding to the remote operation signal acts on the hull 11.

[0068] FIG. 3 is a flowchart that describes an example of processes performed by the main controller 41 related to a determination as to whether or not automatic watercraft maneuvering is possible and the display of the state of the watercraft by the display 60.

[0069] The main controller 41 determines whether or not an automatic watercraft maneuvering control can be executed (continued). Specifically, the main controller 41 determines whether or not there is a failure of the propulsion device (outboard motor 20) (step S1), a failure of the steering (steering 30) (step S2), a failure of the devices for automatic watercraft maneuvering (step S3), and a failure of the devices for remote watercraft maneuvering (step S4). Further, the main controller 41 determines whether or not communication with the remote monitoring system 101 can be established (step S5).

[0070] The main controller 41 can acquire information regarding a failure of the outboard motor 20 from the engine ECU 23. Examples of the failure may include an engine defect, a shift defect, and the like. Further, the main controller 41 can acquire information regarding a failure of the steering 30 from the steering ECU 32. Examples of the failure may include a steering defect (sticking or the like). The devices for automatic watercraft maneuvering include the automatic watercraft maneuvering camera 44, the GPS receiver 46, the radar 48, the millimeter wave radar 49, and the like, and the main controller 41 determines the presence or absence of failures of the devices by communicating with these devices. The defect of the automatic watercraft maneuvering camera 44 includes a case where recognition from an image (image recognition) of an obstacle cannot be performed due to water droplet adhesion or the like. The devices for remote watercraft maneuvering are the remote watercraft maneuvering camera 45, the remote control ECU 52, and the like, and the main controller 41 determines the presence or absence of failures of the devices by communicating with these devices. Since there is a case where remote watercraft maneuvering is executable even when water droplets adhere to the remote watercraft maneuvering camera 45, it is not necessary to perform a determination regarding whether or not water droplets are adhered.

[0071] Based on these determination results, the main controller 41 determines whether or not the automatic watercraft maneuvering control can be executed (step S6). That is, when any failure has occurred (steps S1 to S4) or communication with the remote monitoring system 101 cannot be established (step S5), the main controller 41 determines that the automatic watercraft maneuvering control cannot be executed (step S6: NO), and executes the watercraft stop control (step S7: watercraft stop step). When there is no failure and communication with the remote monitoring system 101 can be established, the main controller 41 determines that the automatic watercraft maneuvering control can be executed (step S6: YES), and executes (continues) the automatic watercraft maneuvering control (step S8: automatic watercraft maneuvering step).

[0072] The watercraft stop control may be an at-anchor control of controlling the anchoring device 55 to anchor. Further, as long as the outboard motor 20 and the steering 30 are in a state they are operable, the watercraft stop control may be a fixed-point maintaining control of maintaining the position of the watercraft 1 by controlling the outboard motor 20 and the steering 30. For example, the at-anchor control of operating the anchoring device 55 may be performed while maintaining the position of the watercraft 1 by executing the fixed-point maintaining control, i.e., an anchor is not dropped. After the anchoring is completed, the fixed-point maintaining control may be ended.

[0073] The main controller 41 further determines whether or not remote watercraft maneuvering is executable (step S9). Specifically, it is determined that remote watercraft maneuvering is executable when the outboard motor 20 and the steering 30 are operable, there is no failure in the devices for remote watercraft maneuvering, and communication with the remote monitoring system 101 can be established. It is determined that remote watercraft maneuvering is not executable in a case where there is a defect in either of the outboard motor 20 or the steering 30, in a case where there is a failure in the devices for remote watercraft maneuvering, and in a case where communication with the remote monitoring system 101 is not established. When it is determined that the remote watercraft maneuvering is executable (step S9: YES) and the remote watercraft maneuvering from the remote monitoring system 101 is started (step S10), the main controller 41 enters the remote control mode, and the remote control ECU 52 executes the remote control (step S11: remote control step).

[0074] The main controller 41 creates watercraft maneuvering state information indicating a watercraft maneuvering state of the watercraft 1 (step S12). The watercraft maneuvering state information includes information indicating whether or not automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed and information indicating whether or not remote watercraft maneuvering is being executed. Further, the watercraft maneuvering state information includes information indicating whether or not the watercraft is in a stopped state. The main controller 41 transmits the watercraft maneuvering state information to the remote monitoring system 101 via the communication terminal 53 (step S13).

[0075] Further, the main controller 41 controls the display 60, i.e., the lighting device 61, the day-shapes notice device 62, and the rotating light 63 according to the watercraft maneuvering state information. That is, the lighting device 61, the day-shapes notice device 62, and the rotating light 63 are controlled such that states such as during traveling under the automatic watercraft maneuvering control, during traveling under the remote watercraft maneuvering (not-under-command state), during watercraft stop (at anchor), or the like are distinguished and displayed (steps S14, S15, and S16: a display step, a watercraft stop display step, and a remote watercraft maneuvering display step).

[0076] The remote monitoring system 101 receives the watercraft maneuvering state information transmitted from the watercraft 1 and notifies the monitoring person of the watercraft maneuvering state information. For example, the watercraft maneuvering state information may be displayed on the display 103 of the remote monitoring system 101, and the watercraft maneuvering state information may be visually notified. Further, when communication with the watercraft 1 is interrupted, the remote monitoring system 101 may notify the monitoring person of the interruption (for example, the interruption is displayed on the display 103), and notify the monitoring person of the position of the watercraft 1 immediately before the interruption of communication (for example, the position is displayed on the map of the display 103).

[0077] When the watercraft 1 stopped in the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is in a state in which the watercraft 1 can be remotely maneuvered, the monitoring person of the remote monitoring system 101 can perform a predetermined remote watercraft maneuvering start operation to provide a remote watercraft maneuvering start command to the communication terminal 53 of the watercraft. When the remote watercraft maneuvering start command is received by the communication terminal 53 and provided to the main controller 41 and the remote control ECU 52, the main controller 41 enters the remote control mode, and the remote control of the remote control ECU 52 is started. Thus, the main controller 41 updates the watercraft maneuvering state information so as to indicate that the remote watercraft maneuvering is being executed. Accordingly, during the remote watercraft maneuvering, the main controller 41 controls the display 60 such that the display indicates that the watercraft is traveling according to the remote watercraft maneuvering.

[0078] As described above, according to an example embodiment, by controlling the outboard motor 20 and the steering 30 with the main controller 41, the watercraft 1 can travel from the departure location to the destination location through the automatic watercraft maneuvering control. And the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed can be visually notified to other watercrafts, and the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable can be visually notified to other watercrafts. Thus, a maneuvering state of the unmanned and automatically maneuvered watercraft 1, particularly, a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed and a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable can be easily recognized by other watercrafts.

[0079] In particular, in an example embodiment, it is possible to visually notify other watercrafts by displaying, on the display 60, that the watercraft is in a stopped state or that the watercraft is in a remote maneuvering state.

[0080] Further, in the present example embodiment, when communication with the remote monitoring system 101 cannot be established and thus the state of the watercraft 1 (more specifically, the state of the onboard system 2) cannot be monitored at the remote monitoring base 100, it is determined that the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable. Therefore, the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is executed under the monitoring of the remote monitoring base.

[0081] While example embodiments of the present invention have thus been described, the present invention may be embodied in some other ways.

[0082] For example, in the above-described example embodiments, the lighting device 61, the day-shapes notice device 62, and the rotating light 63 have been described as examples of the display 60, but other forms of displays such as flash lamps may be used.

[0083] In the above example embodiments, the outboard motor is used as the propulsion device as an example, but a configuration of a propulsion device provided on the watercraft may be any of various types such as inboard motors, inboard / outboard motors and waterjet propulsion devices. Further, at least one propulsion device may be provided, and three or more propulsion devices may be provided.

[0084] While example embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

Claims

1. An automatic watercraft maneuvering system comprising:a propulsion device to propel a watercraft;a steering to change a course of the watercraft;a display to provide visual notification of a state of the watercraft; anda controller configured or programmed to execute an automatic watercraft maneuvering control to control the propulsion device and the steering in order to perform automatic watercraft maneuvering from a departure location to a destination location and to control the display according to a state of the automatic watercraft maneuvering control; whereinthe controller is configured or programmed to control the display such that a plurality of states including a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed and a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable are distinguished and displayed.

2. The automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to claim 1, wherein the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable includes one or more of a failure of the propulsion device, a failure of the steering, or a failure of a sensor used in the automatic watercraft maneuvering control.

3. The automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to, when the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable, execute a watercraft stop control to stop the watercraft, and control the display to display that the watercraft is in a stopped state.

4. The automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to claim 3, further comprising:an anchoring device; whereinthe controller is configured or programmed to execute an at-anchor control to control the anchoring device to stop the watercraft in the watercraft stop control.

5. The automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured or programmed to execute a fixed-point maintaining control to maintain a position of the watercraft by controlling the propulsion device and the steering in the watercraft stop control.

6. The automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to claim 1, further comprising:a communication terminal to communicate with a remote watercraft maneuvering base to remotely operate the propulsion device and the steering; whereinthe controller is configured or programmed to execute a remote control to notify the remote watercraft maneuvering base of state information of the automatic watercraft maneuvering system using the communication terminal, and to control the propulsion device and the steering based on a remote operation signal received from the remote watercraft maneuvering base via the communication terminal; andthe controller is configured or programmed to control the display to display that the watercraft is being remotely maneuvered through communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base during execution of the remote control.

7. The automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to claim 6, wherein the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable includes a state in which communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base using the communication terminal cannot be established.

8. The automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to claim 1, wherein the display includes a light display and / or a day-shapes notice display.

9. A watercraft comprising:a hull; andthe automatic watercraft maneuvering system according to claim 1 on the hull.

10. A watercraft control method of controlling, with a controller, a propulsion device to propel a watercraft, a steering to change a course of the watercraft, and a display to provide visual notification of a state of the watercraft, the watercraft control method comprising:executing an automatic maneuvering control with the controller to control the propulsion device and the steering from a departure location to a destination location; andcontrolling the display with the controller to display a plurality of states including a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is being executed and a state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable.

11. The watercraft control method according to claim 10, wherein the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable includes one or more of a failure of the propulsion device, a failure of the steering, or a failure of a sensor used in the automatic watercraft maneuvering control.

12. The watercraft control method according to claim 10, further comprising:executing a watercraft stop control with the controller to stop the watercraft when the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable; whereinthe controlling the display includes a watercraft stop display of displaying that the watercraft is in a stopped state when the watercraft stop control is executed.

13. The watercraft control method according to claim 12, wherein the watercraft stop control includes performing an at-anchor control with the controller to control an anchoring device to anchor the watercraft.

14. The watercraft control method according to claim 12, wherein the watercraft stop control includes performing a fixed-point maintaining control with the controller to maintain a position of the watercraft by controlling the propulsion device and the steering.

15. The watercraft control method according to claim 10, further comprising:controlling a communication terminal with the controller to communicate with a remote watercraft maneuvering base to remotely operate the propulsion device and the steering;executing a remote control with the controller to notify the remote watercraft maneuvering base of state information of the watercraft using the communication terminal, and controlling the propulsion device and the steering based on a remote operation signal received from the remote watercraft maneuvering base via the communication terminal; andthe controlling the display includes a remote watercraft maneuvering display to control the display with the controller to display that the watercraft is being remotely maneuvered through communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base during execution of the remote control.

16. The watercraft control method according to claim 15, wherein the state in which the automatic watercraft maneuvering control is not executable includes a state in which communication with the remote watercraft maneuvering base using the communication terminal cannot be established.

17. The watercraft control method according to claim 10, wherein the display includes a light display and / or a day-shapes notice display.

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