AU2021107112A4

AU2021107112A4 - Automated steering system and method for a marine vessel

Info

Publication number: AU2021107112A4
Application number: AU2021107112A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Michael John Imrie; Stephen Imrie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-01-04
Filing date: 2021-08-25
Publication date: 2021-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 2029-08-25

Abstract

An automated steering system for a marine vessel having a hull that extends along a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stern, the system comprising: a bow mountable 5 steering and propulsion device configured to generate both a forward and reverse thrust for propelling and steering the marine vessel; a stem mountable propulsion device configured to generate a horizontal thrust vector for adjusting a yaw of the marine vessel; means for detecting a position of the marine vessel; means for detecting a current orientation of the marine vessel; and a controller configured to receive data 10 comprising: a specified route for the marine vessel; and a specified orientation for the boat at one or more points along the route; data output by the position detecting means; and data output by the orientation detecting means; and wherein the controller is further configured to issue control signals to both the bow and stem mountable propulsion devices based on the received data for propelling the marine vessel along the route with 15 the specified orientation at the one or more points. (FIGURE 1) 10 22 14 30 12 1A 20 - 22 Fig. 1

Description

22

14 30 12

1A

20 - 22

Fig. 1

AUTOMATED STEERING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A MARINE VESSEL

Technical Field

This disclosure relates to steering systems for marine vessels and more particularly to systems for steering multiple drive units on a marine vessel for automated manoeuvring along a waterway.

Background

Current boat manoeuvrability is typically bow or stern driven. The associated drive means allow for basic vertical axis pitch control and/or horizontal axis steering control. Accordingly, it can be difficult to control the orientation or yaw of the vessel using such means, particularly when fighting against strong winds and water currents.

Controlling the position and orientation of a boat is particularly important to anglers to take advantage of maximum deck space for facing their desired casting direction. This is particularly true where multiple anglers are attempting to cast off the same boat, in which case orientation of the boat plays a large role in whether they will have clear access for casting in a desired direction.

While automated navigation techniques exist for controlling a boat to navigate a waterway, such techniques do not have the ability to autonomously control for orientation and manual intervention is required. Such manual intervention typically requires the operator to continuously adjust the steering and thrust of either the bow or stem mounted drive means for adjusting the boat's orientation, often utilising one or more anchors. Strong winds and/or currents can add to the difficulty in implementing such manual control.

Summary

In a first aspect, embodiments are disclosed of an automated steering system for a marine vessel having a hull that extends along a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stem, the system comprising: a bow mountable steering and propulsion device configured to generate both a forward and reverse thrust for propelling and steering the marine vessel; a stern mountable propulsion device configured to generate a transverse thrust vector for adjusting a yaw of the marine vessel; means for detecting a position of the marine vessel; means for detecting a current orientation of the marine vessel; and a controller configured to receive: data representative of a specified route for the marine vessel; and data representative of a specified orientation for the boat at one or more points along the route; data output by the position detecting means; and data output by the orientation detecting means; and wherein the controller is further configured to issue control signals to both the bow and stern mountable propulsion devices for propelling the marine vessel along the route with the specified orientation at the one or more points, based on the received data.

In an embodiment the controller is configured to control a magnitude of thrust in either a forward or reverse direction by the stem mountable propulsion device for achieving the specified orientation at the one or more points.

In an embodiment the controller is configured to control at least one of a: steering orientation; magnitude of thrust; and thrust direction for the stern mountable propulsion device, in order to propel the marine vessel along the route.

In an embodiment the controller is configured to continuously evaluate the respective position and orientation data and issue revised control signals to the propulsion devices based thereon.

In an embodiment the stern mountable propulsion device has a fixed transverse thrust vector orientation relative to the longitudinal axis.

In an embodiment the stern mountable propulsion device is detachably mounted to a transom of the marine vessel by way of a mounting bracket that allows the device to be pivoted into and out of the water.

In an embodiment the stern mountable propulsion device comprises a propellor that is powered by an electric outboard motor.

In an embodiment the system further comprises a user input device configured to receive a user input specifying the route and orientation(s).

In an embodiment the user input device comprises a mobile device that is communicable with the controller via a wireless communications protocol.

In an embodiment the means for detecting a position of the marine vessel comprises a GPS transceiver and wherein the data output by the GPS transceiver comprises GPS coordinates.

In an embodiment the orientation detection means comprises at least one of a GPS transceiver, gyroscope and magnetic bearing sensor.

In accordance with a second aspect there is provided a method for automatically controlling movement of a marine vessel having a bow mountable steering and propulsion device and a stem mountable propulsion device configured to generate a horizontal thrust vector for adjusting a yaw of the marine vessel, the method comprising: receiving data comprising: a specified route for the marine vessel; and a specified orientation for the boat at one or more points along the route; positional data specifying a current position and orientation of the marine vessel; simultaneously controlling the propulsion devices based on the received navigation control data for propelling the marine vessel along the specified route with the specified orientation at the one or more points.

In accordance with a further aspect there is provided a user input device for setting a route to be followed by a marine vessel, the user input device comprising: a touch screen user interface configured to display a map thereon; and a controller configured to detect user inputs via the touch screen user interface, and wherein the controller is further configured to output navigation control data representative of the route based on a path drawn over the map by the user using two fingers and wherein the controller is configured to set a yaw orientation of the marine vehicle along the route based on the relative orientation of the users two fingers along the path.

In yet another aspect there is provided a propulsion apparatus configured to control the orientation of a marine vessel having a hull that extends a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stern, the device comprising: an electric motor mounted to a motor bracket for mounting to the transom of the marine vessel; a motor shaft; and a propellor located at an end of the motor shaft and wherein when mounted to the transom the propellor has a has a fixed horizontal thrust vector orientation relative to the bow of the marine vessel.

In an embodiment the apparatus further comprises a control circuit that the controls a magnitude of thrust and direction of thrust for achieving a desired yaw angle for the marine vessel.

In accordance with a still further aspect there is provided an automated steering system for a marine vessel having a hull that extends along a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stern, the system comprising: a bow mountable steering and propulsion device configured to generate both a forward and reverse thrust for propelling and steering the marine vessel; a stern mountable propulsion device configured to generate a thrust vector transverse to the longitudinal axis; one or more sensors configured to output data representative of a current position and yaw orientation of the marine vessel; a controller configured to receive navigation data comprising a specified route for the marine vessel, as well as a specified yaw orientation for the boat at one or more points along the route; wherein the controller is further configured to issue control signals to both the bow and stem mountable propulsion devices for dynamically controlling a heading and yaw orientation of the vessel based on the course data and sensor data.

Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of the inventions disclosed.

Description of the Figures

The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various embodiments:

Figure 1 is a schematic showing a marine vessel implementing a steering system in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic illustrating a typical trolling motor for use with the system of Figure 1;

Figure 3a is a side view of a stern mountable propulsion device for use with the system of Figure 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3b is a side view of the stem mountable device of Figure 3a;

Figure 4 is a controller for implementing the steering system of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a schematic illustrating manoeuvring of the marine vessel of Figure 1 using the steering system; and

Figures 6a through 6k show example screens of a user interface for inputting route and orientation commands.

Detailed Description

With reference to the figures, there is shown a steering system for a marine vessel. The steering system is configured to navigate the vessel along a waterway according to a user specified route, with the orientation of the vessel controlled so that it faces a desired direction at one or more points along the route. Embodiments are particularly suited for use by anglers, whereby a fishing boat can be automatically manoeuvred to face a desired casting direction along a specified route, dynamically adjusting for wind and current. Accordingly, the following embodiments will be described in such a context. It will be understood, however, that embodiments are not so limited, and the steering system may be utilised on any form of marine vessel and for any application where it is desirable to adjust the orientation of the vessel along a specified route.

With reference to Figure 1 there is shown a schematic of a marine vessel in the form of a fishing boat 10 having a hull that extends along a longitudinal axis L from a bow 12 to a stern 14. The illustrated fishing boat 10 has a flat deck 11 adjacent the bow 12. The fishing boat 10 has a conventional stern mounted propulsion device 13 for propelling the boat when it is not being steered/propelling using the steering system as described herein (e.g., when driving to and from the specified route). It will be understood that the conventional stern mounted propulsion 13 may be omitted, depending on the desired implementation.

A steering system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention comprises a bow mountable steering and propulsion device in the form of a trolling motor 20 (hereafter "bow motor 20") configured to generate both a forward and reverse thrust for propelling and steering the boat 10 along the specified route. The bow motor 20 is steerable about a vertical steering axis A (i.e., extending generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis L) and is the primary propulsion device for the boat 10 when steering along the specified route. An example bow motor 20 is illustrated in Figure 2. The bow motor 20 comprises a motor head 21 coupled to a power motor 23 that is configured to drive a propellor 25 that, in use, extends below the water for generating thrust. The bow motor 20 is mountable to the bow 12 via a suitable bow mount bracket 27 and operates to pull the boat 10 through the water, providing significantly better control that a typical transom mounted motor.

The bow motor 20 is configured to implement autonomous servo-controlled steering and speed/thrust control based on a signal (either wireless or wired) sent from a controller 22 (as will be described in more detail in subsequent paragraphs). According to the illustrated embodiment, a control circuit 29 for communicating with the controller 22 and for controlling the servo based on the signal is included in the motor head 21. The control circuit also implements a GPS transceiver 28 for reasons that will become evident in subsequent paragraphs.

The bow motor 20 may also implement a manual steering and propulsion control system, such as a wireless foot pedal, key fob transmitter, helm wheel, or other suitable wired, wireless, or mechanical system. The bracket 27 may be configured to allow the propellor 25 to pivot or otherwise extend into and out of the water, as required. It will be understood that the bow motor 20 may be powered using any suitable means, including an electric or petrol motor. It will also be understood that the bow mountable steering and propulsion device could be other than a trolling motor, including an outdrive, waterjet drive and the like.

The steering system further comprises a stern mountable propulsion device 30, an example of which is illustrated in Figures 3a and 3b. The stern mountable propulsion device is particularly configured to generate a thrust vector in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis L of the boat 10 (shown in the Figures as extending along axis T). This transverse thrust facilitates a yaw motion allowing a yaw rotation of the boat 10 to be controlled about a centre of turn (either in a clockwise or anticlockwise rotation) and accordingly the device 30 will hereafter be referred to as the "transverse thrust motor". In combination, the bow motor 20 and transverse thrust motor 30 advantageously allow an orientation of the boat 10 to be dynamically controlled as it navigates along a waterway.

In this example embodiment, the transverse thrust motor 30 takes the form of an electric propulsion motor comprising an electric motor 32 that is configured to drive a propellor 34 for generating thrust. The transverse thrust motor 30 is mountable to the stem 14 (in this case adjacent the conventional stern motor 13), via a suitable transom mounting bracket 40. It will be understood that transverse thrust motor 30 may be mounted at any location along the stem 14. For example, where the convention motor 13 is omitted, the transverse thrust motor 30 may be mounted in longitudinal alignment with the bow motor 20. The bracket 40 may be configured to pivot or otherwise allow the propellor 34 to extend into and out of the water, as required. It will be understood that the transverse thrust motor 30 may be powered using any suitable means, including an electric or petrol motor.

To minimise drag, the transverse thrust motor 32 and propellor 34 may be incorporated into a streamlined elongate narrow body 35 with the propellor 34 transversely aligned with the longitudinal axis L of the boat 10. According to the illustrated embodiment, the transverse thrust motor 30 is mounted to the boat 10 in a fixed relationship. However, in an alternative embodiment, the transverse thrust motor 30 may also be steerable (i.e., about a vertically extending axis generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L of the boat).

The transverse thrust motor 30 is also configured to implement autonomous servo-controlled thrust control (either forward or reverse) based on a signal (either wired or wireless) sent from the controller 22. The transverse thrust motor 30 may also implement a manual thrust control capability, such as a wireless foot pedal, key fob transmitter or other suitable wired, wireless, or mechanical thrust control system.

According to the illustrated embodiment, a control circuit 39 for communicating with the controller 22 and for controlling the servo based on the signal is included in a motor head 31. The control circuit may also implement a GPS transceiver 28 (again for reasons that will become evident in subsequent paragraphs).

In a particular embodiment, one or both of the GPS transceivers 28 may implement a magnetic heading sensor 37 (e.g., a Garmin 9-axis heading sensor) that determines the direction of the bow 12 or stern 14 of the boat 10 at all times.

With additional reference to Figure 4 there is shown a schematic of a steering control system 50 in accordance with the invention. The control system 50 comprises the controller 22 and user input device 24. As shown, the controller 22 is an interface between the user input device 24 (for entering navigation and orientation control parameters) and the servos implemented by the bow and transverse thrust motors 20, 30.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the user input device 24 takes the form of a smart phone or tablet having a touch screen that recognises the presence of more than one point of contact with the surface at the same time. The device 24 is loaded with a software application that has access to a database of lake or waterway maps, e.g., through Google Maps API or the like. Alternatively, the application may implement its own local store of map data. The application is programmed to display an interface that allows a user to load a map (from the database) for displaying a waterway that they wish to navigate. The application is further programmed to allow a user to enter route data representative of a route that they would like their boat to follow along the waterway, as well as orientation data representative of an orientation of the boat at one or more points along the route. According to the illustrated embodiment, the user input device 24 allows a user to draw a navigational route using two fingers over a visual map of the waterway displayed on the touch screen.

In a particular for, the controller 22 may be communicable with a yaw rate sensor 33, such as a rate gyro, that is fixed to the boat 10 and is configured to sense yaw motions thereof. It will be understood, that in combination with the GPS transceiver(s) 28 (or heading sensor 37), the absolute yaw angle a of the boat 10 may be estimated using techniques well understood in the art.

According to the illustrated embodiment, a user inputs the route and orientation data by drawing the desired route over the depicted waterway. With additional reference to the example user interface screens shown in Figures 6a through 6k, the application is configured to display a virtual boat 60 on a user interface 62. To specify the route, the user positions two fingers over the boat (i.e., with one finger at the front of the boat and the other at the rear, such as illustrated in Figures 6b through 6g). The orientation of the boat is controlled by swivelling or rotating the fingers, which causes the virtual boat 60 to rotate about a vertically extending axis centred at the midpoint of the virtual boat 60. The route is specified by dragging the virtual boat 60 along the desired route, swivelling the fingers to change the orientation of the boat along the route as required. The application is programmed to recognise the GPS coordinates of the virtual boat along the route, along with the orientation of the virtual boat 60 along the way (i.e., based on registered relative finger positions). This information is then used by the application to generate the navigation control data.

In a particular form, the navigation data may comprise a series of GPS headings along with a requisite yaw angle for the boat at each heading. This is schematically illustrated with reference to Figure 5, where a represents the yaw angle and H represents current bearing. It will be understood that in some instances the orientation of the boat will be such that the bow is pointing in the direction of travel (i.e., with the yaw angle a being 0). However, in most cases this will not be the case and the motors 20, 30 will need to be simultaneously and dynamically controlled to maintain a desired non-zero yaw angle a. In a particular embodiment, the navigation data may also include a user specified speed at any point along the route. Further, the map data may include depth contours that allow a user to draw a path that has a depth lock in order to follow a particular depth or drop off point.

The controller 22 is configured to dynamically control the servos of the bow and transverse thrust motors 20, 30 based on the navigation control data, as well data representative of a current position and orientation of the boat 10 for propelling it along the route with the specified yaw angle at the one or more points.

In more detail, the navigation control data generated by the user input device 24 is communicable to the controller 22 via a suitable wireless or wired communications protocol. In a particular form, the navigation control data may be communicated via a Bluetooth communications protocol. In addition to receiving the navigation control data, the controller 22 is configured to determine a current position and orientation of the boat 10 based on data output by any one or more of the GPS transceivers 28, magnetic heading sensor(s) 39, and yaw rate sensor 33. It will be understood that only a subset of this accumulated data may be needed to determine position and orientation, depending on the desired configuration. For example, in one embodiment, the orientation may be derived from data output by the two GPS transceivers 28 (i.e., positioned at the bow 12 and stem 14 of the boat 10). In an alternative embodiment, the output from the magnetic heading sensor(s) 39 and yaw rate sensor 33 may be used to determine a current orientation of the boat 10.

This data is then evaluated to dynamically determine a direction and amount of thrust to apply to one or both of the motors 20, 30, as well as a degree of rotation for the bow motor 20 (and optionally transverse thrust motor 30 if it is configured for rotation) in order to achieve the specified position and orientation. In a particular form, the output comprises a steering signal that is sent to each motor control circuit 29, 39 that includes the requisite steering/thrust information for controlling the corresponding servos.

It will be understood that different boats will have different rates and centres of turn. The rate at which the controller 22 process the data from the various sensors 28, 39, 33 may vary depending on the boat and the required resolution for the navigation control.

In a particular embodiment, the controller 22 may be configured for receiving a manual control signal from a captain of the boat 10. In this case, the controller 22 may be coupled to a suitable user input, such as a joystick or touchpad that allows the user to specify the desired orientation and/or direction of travel.

In the foregoing description of certain embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes other technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as "upper" and "lower", "above" and "below" and the like are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.

In this specification, the word "comprising" is to be understood in its "open" sense, that is, in the sense of "including", and thus not limited to its "closed" sense, that is the sense of "consisting only of'. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words "comprise", "comprised" and "comprises" where they appear.

The preceding description is provided in relation to several embodiments which may share common characteristics and features. It is to be understood that one or more features of any one embodiment may be combinable with one or more features of the other embodiments. In addition, any single feature or combination of features in any of the embodiments may constitute additional embodiments.

In addition, the foregoing describes only some embodiments of the inventions, and alterations, modifications, additions and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.

Furthermore, the inventions have described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the inventions. Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional embodiment.

Claims

1. An automated steering system for a marine vessel having a hull that extends along a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stern, the system comprising:

a bow mountable steering and propulsion device configured to generate both a forward and reverse thrust for propelling and steering the marine vessel;

a stern mountable propulsion device configured to generate a transverse thrust vector for adjusting a yaw of the marine vessel;

means for detecting a position of the marine vessel;

means for detecting a current orientation of the marine vessel; and

a controller configured to receive:

data representative of a specified route for the marine vessel; and

data representative of a specified orientation for the boat at one or more points along the route;

data output by the position detecting means; and

data output by the orientation detecting means; and

wherein the controller is further configured to issue control signals to both the bow and stern mountable propulsion devices for propelling the marine vessel along the route with the specified orientation at the one or more points, based on the received data; and

wherein the data representative of the specified route and orientation is entered by a user via a touch screen display by drawing a navigational path corresponding to the specified route in a continuous motion using two fingers and wherein orientation of the vessel along the route is adjusted by a relative orientation of the user's two fingers on the touch screen display.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a magnitude of thrust in either a forward or reverse direction by the stem mountable propulsion device for achieving the specified orientation at the one or more points.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of a: steering orientation; magnitude of thrust; and thrust direction for the stern mountable propulsion device, in order to propel the marine vessel along the route.

4. A system in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the controller is configured to continuously evaluate the respective position and orientation data and issue revised control signals to the propulsion devices based thereon.

5. A system in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stern mountable propulsion device has a fixed transverse thrust vector orientation relative to the longitudinal axis.

6. A system in accordance with claim 5, wherein the stem mountable propulsion device is detachably mounted to a transom of the marine vessel by way of a mounting bracket that allows the device to be pivoted into and out of the water.

7. A system in accordance with claim 5 or 6, wherein the stern mountable propulsion device comprises a propellor that is powered by an electric outboard motor.

8. A system in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the touch screen display is implemented by a mobile device that is communicable with the controller via a wireless communications protocol.

9. A system in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the means for detecting a position of the marine vessel comprises a GPS transceiver and wherein the data output by the GPS transceiver comprises GPS coordinates.

10. A system in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the orientation detection means comprises at least one of a GPS transceiver, gyroscope and magnetic bearing sensor.

11. A method for automatically controlling movement of a marine vessel having a bow mountable steering and propulsion device and a stern mountable propulsion device configured to generate a horizontal thrust vector for adjusting a yaw of the marine vessel, the method comprising:

receiving data comprising:

a specified route for the marine vessel; and

a specified orientation for the boat at one or more points along the route;

positional data specifying a current position and orientation of the marine vessel;

simultaneously controlling the propulsion devices based on the received navigation control data for propelling the marine vessel along the specified route with the specified orientation at the one or more points; and

12. A user input device for setting a route to be followed by a marine vessel, the user input device comprising:

a touch screen user interface configured to display a map thereon; and

a controller configured to detect user inputs via the touch screen user interface, and wherein the controller is further configured to output navigation control data representative of the route based on a path drawn over the map by the user using two fingers and wherein the controller is configured to set a yaw orientation of the marine vehicle along the route based on the relative orientation of the users two fingers along the path.

13. A user input device in accordance with claim 12 for controlling a propulsion apparatus configured to control the orientation of a marine vessel having a hull that extends a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stern, the propulsion apparatus comprising:

an electric motor mounted to a motor bracket for mounting to the transom of the marine vessel;

a motor shaft; and

a propellor located at an end of the motor shaft and wherein when mounted to the transom the propellor has a has a fixed horizontal thrust vector orientation relative to the bow of the marine vessel.

14. A propulsion apparatus in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a control circuit that the controls a magnitude of thrust and direction of thrust for achieving a desired yaw angle for the marine vessel.

15. An automated steering system for a marine vessel having a hull that extends along a longitudinal axis from a bow to a stern, the system comprising:

a stern mountable propulsion device configured to generate a thrust vector transverse to the longitudinal axis;

one or more sensors configured to output data representative of a current position and yaw orientation of the marine vessel;

a controller configured to receive navigation data comprising a specified route for the marine vessel, as well as a specified yaw orientation for the boat at one or more points along the route;

wherein the controller is further configured to issue control signals to both the bow and stern mountable propulsion devices for dynamically controlling a heading and yaw orientation of the vessel based on the course data and sensor data; and wherein the controller is further configured to receive navigational data via a touch screen user interface, the navigation data based on a path drawn over the map by the user using two fingers and wherein the controller is configured to set a yaw orientation of the marine vehicle along the route based on the relative orientation of the users two fingers along the path.

T 10 22

14 11 30 12 13 A L

20 22

Fig. 1

20 21

28/29/37

27

25 23

Fig. 2

30 31 31

28/37/39 40 2021107112

35 35

32

34

Thrust Direction Fig. 3b

Fig. 3a

24 2021107112

22

33

28/37 28/37

29 39

Fig. 4

L T

Fig. 5 α 20

H

Fig. 6a Fig. 6d

Fig. 6b Fig. 6e

Fig. 6c Fig. 6f

Fig. 6j Fig. 6g

Fig. 6h Fig. 6k

Fig. 6i