Vessel Steering Calibration for Joystick Direction Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vessel steering systems face challenges in accurately matching the tilt direction of a joystick with the moving direction of a vessel due to discrepancies in propulsive forces between outboard motors, requiring complex and sometimes incomplete calibration processes.
Innovation Solution
A vessel steering system that includes left and right propulsion devices, actuators, and a controller, which sets steering angles and propulsive forces to align with the joystick tilt direction and performs calibration to correct any displacement, allowing for subsequent refinements to previous calibration settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If calibration is performed to correct displacement between joystick tilt direction and vessel moving direction, then steering accuracy is improved, but calibration work becomes complicated when previous correction values are initialized
Solution Approach 1:
The controller stores correction values obtained from previous calibration in memory and reuses them in subsequent calibrations. This preliminary action of saving and reusing correction data eliminates the need to start calibration from scratch each time, significantly reducing calibration work complexity while maintaining steering accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where correction values from calibration are stored and fed back into the control system for continuous use. This feedback loop allows the system to remember and apply previously learned corrections, making subsequent calibrations simpler and more efficient
2Measurement precision
If one-time calibration is performed to correct displacement, then initial steering accuracy is improved, but it becomes difficult to appropriately correct larger displacements that exceed one-time calibration capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration system is designed to be dynamic and iterative rather than static and one-time. The controller can perform multiple calibration cycles, each building upon previous correction values stored in memory. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to larger displacements by accumulating corrections across multiple calibration sessions
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial corrections iteratively across multiple calibration cycles rather than attempting to correct all displacement in a single action. By storing intermediate correction values and building upon them, the system can gradually correct even large displacements that would exceed the capacity of a single calibration event
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for steering a vessel includes correction by calibration with respect to displacement between a tilt direction of a joystick and a moving direction of the vessel. When receiving a command to start the calibration, a controller performs a calibration for right and left propulsion devices such that a tilt direction of a joystick is matched with a moving direction of a vessel. When performing a subsequent calibration, the controller additionally performs the calibration for the right and left propulsion devices to which the calibration has been previously applied.