Marine Vessel Steering Control Unit Phase Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing marine vessel steering systems experience unwanted automatic movement during phase difference elimination control, which can be triggered by engine startup, controller reset, or power-on, causing discomfort and complicating operations, especially during maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A marine vessel steering apparatus with a control unit that sets the rudder angle as an initial target based on the steering wheel's rotation angle, allowing the actuator to adjust the rudder angle accordingly, preventing unwanted movement and enabling smooth steering operations by maintaining the relationship between the steering wheel and rudder angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If phase difference elimination control is performed when the engine starts or controller resets, then the rudder angle is corrected to match the steering wheel angle, but the rudder unit moves automatically which causes discomfort and complicates operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs phase difference elimination control in advance during engine startup or controller reset before the operator initiates steering operations. By pre-correcting the phase difference between the steering wheel angle and rudder angle, the system ensures that when the operator turns the steering wheel, the rudder responds immediately without unexpected automatic movement, thus eliminating the contradiction between achieving phase alignment and maintaining operator comfort
2Manufacturing precision
If phase difference elimination control is performed automatically, then the rudder angle is corrected, but the operator has to wait for completion before initiating steering operation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs phase difference elimination control as a preliminary action during engine startup or controller reset, completing the phase alignment before the operator needs to initiate steering operations. This advance correction eliminates the need for operators to wait for phase difference elimination to complete, as the process is already finished when they begin steering, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving accurate phase alignment and minimizing operational delays
3Manufacturing precision
If the rudder unit moves automatically during phase difference elimination, then phase difference is corrected, but maintenance work becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs phase difference elimination control as a preliminary action during engine startup or controller reset before maintenance operations begin. By completing the phase correction in advance, the rudder unit remains stationary during maintenance work, providing operators with stable access to maintenance areas and eliminating the contradiction between achieving phase difference correction and maintaining ease of repair
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A marine vessel steering apparatus includes a rudder unit (300), arranged to be mounted pivotally on a hull (100), an actuator arranged to turn the rudder unit (300), a rudder angle sensor arranged to detect the rudder angle of the rudder unit (300), a steering wheel (104,403,503) arranged to be operated by an operator to steer the rudder unit (300,300a,300b), a wheel angle detecting unit (104a) arranged to detect the amount of change in the rotation angle of the steering wheel (104), and a control unit arranged to perform steering control by controlling the actuator based on values detected by the rudder angle sensor and the wheel angle detecting unit. The control unit is arranged to set the rudder angle of the rudder unit (300) detected by the rudder angle sensor at the start of steering control corresponding to the steering wheel (104) as an initial target rudder angle and compute a target rudder angle based on the initial target rudder angle and the change in the rotation angle of the steering wheel (104), and to control the actuator to change the rudder angle of the rudder unit (300) in accordance with the target rudder angle.