Small Boat Control Apparatus for Wave Disturbance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small boats are affected by wind and wave disturbances, requiring operators to manually adjust engine speed and navigation direction, leading to operator burden and insufficient stability.
Innovation Solution
A control apparatus for small boats that includes an acceleration sensor to detect gravity-axis acceleration, a correction amount calculator to adjust engine speed, and an actuator controller to regulate the throttle valve of the engine, thereby mitigating operator burden and improving stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the operator manually regulates engine speed and navigation direction to counteract wind and wave disturbances, then the boat's stability can be maintained, but the operator burden increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The control apparatus enables the boat to self-regulate its stability by automatically detecting acceleration disturbances and adjusting engine speed without operator intervention. The system serves itself by using the acceleration sensor to detect boat motion and the correction amount calculator to determine necessary engine speed adjustments, eliminating the need for manual regulation while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback control loop where the acceleration sensor continuously monitors boat acceleration, the correction amount calculator processes this information to determine the required engine speed correction, and the actuator applies the correction. This closed-loop feedback mechanism automatically maintains boat stability by responding to disturbances in real-time without operator involvement.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If hydraulic flaps are controlled to move up and down based on detected acceleration, then wind disturbance influence is eliminated, but wave disturbance compensation is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the engine speed control function from the traditional flap control system. Instead of relying solely on hydraulic flaps for disturbance compensation, the system separately addresses wave disturbances by adjusting engine speed based on acceleration detection, thereby complementing the flap system's wind disturbance compensation capability with wave disturbance compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the control parameter from purely flap position adjustment to include engine speed regulation. By detecting acceleration and calculating correction amounts for engine speed, the system expands the compensation capability to handle both wind and wave disturbances, improving overall reliability of disturbance rejection.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the operator frequently adjusts engine speed and navigation direction to maintain stability, then boat behavior can be controlled, but time is lost and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control apparatus enables the boat to self-regulate its stability by automatically detecting acceleration disturbances and adjusting engine speed without operator intervention. The system serves itself by using the acceleration sensor to detect boat motion and the correction amount calculator to determine necessary engine speed adjustments, eliminating the need for manual regulation while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous automatic stability control through the feedback loop, eliminating interruptions caused by manual operator adjustments. The acceleration sensor continuously monitors disturbances, and the control system continuously adjusts engine speed, maintaining uninterrupted stability control and improving operational efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus automatically adjusts engine speed based on detected acceleration, reducing operator workload and enhancing boat stability by compensating for wind and wave disturbances.
Implementation Method 1
an acceleration sensor installed on the boat to generate an output indicative of acceleration acting on the boat in a direction of gravity axis
Data Source
AI summary
In an apparatus for controlling a small boat having a hull and two outboard motors mounted on a stern of the hull and an actuator adapted to open/close a throttle valve of each engine of the motors for regulating speed of the engine, acceleration acting on the boat in a direction of gravity axis when the boat ascends or descends the ocean wave and angular acceleration about the gravity is detected and a correction amount of the engine speed is calculated based on the detected acceleration so as to change behavior of the boat, thereby mitigating a burden on the operator and improving stability of the boat.