JP3300132B2 - Autopilot device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an autopilot apparatus for automatically steering a target course by giving course information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a general autopilot device in a ship. In FIG. 1, the heading detector 1 is composed of a gyro compass and the like.
Detects heading. The course setting unit 2 is composed of a manual course setting input unit or a navigation assistance device that outputs set course information, and 3 obtains a difference between the course set by the course setting unit and the heading as an argument. The turning speed detector 4 detects a turning speed from a change in heading with time. The weather adjustment unit 5 is composed of a manual input unit and gives a value according to the weather. The command steering angle calculation unit 6 calculates a command steering angle based on the declination, turning speed, and weather adjustment value. The actual steering angle detector 9 detects an actual steering angle of the steering gear 8.

A turning command generator 7 gives a turning command to a steering machine 8 based on the command steering angle and the actual steering angle. Steering machine 8
Drives the rudder in the rudder direction or the steering direction based on, for example, a steering command in the rudder direction or a steering command in the steering direction. FIG.
The part indicated by 10 in FIG.
The portion indicated by 1 forms steering control means.

In such an autopilot device, a steering command is given in a direction in which the actual steering angle approaches the command steering angle, and in principle, when the actual steering angle becomes equal to the command steering angle, the steering is started. The command may be stopped, but in reality, the steering machine has a mechanical delay element due to its inertia and a delay element in the electric circuit that controls the steering element. Stop a little too far. Therefore, the turning command must be stopped before the actual steering angle reaches the command steering angle. Therefore, a steering dead zone is conventionally provided in the rudder direction and the steering direction centering on the command steering angle, and the turning command is stopped when the actual steering angle enters the steering dead zone from outside the steering dead zone.

[0005]

However, since the delay element varies greatly depending on the ship, the autopilot device itself is configured so that the rudder dead zone width can be manually adjusted, and the autopilot device is provided. In addition, it was necessary to adjust the rudder dead zone width while checking the rudder movement. Therefore, adjustment when the autopilot device is installed is complicated, and it is not easy to set an appropriate steering dead zone width.

FIG. 13 shows the relationship between the rudder delay element and the dead zone width of the rudder. In FIG. 13, D _ON is a steering dead zone for turning command generation, and D _OFF is a steering dead zone for turning command stop. For example, the actual steering angle (hereinafter referred to as “actual steering angle”) is D
If it is outside of _ON , a steering command in the direction of the command steering angle a is generated. In the example shown in FIG. 13, since the actual steering angle is on the side of the rudder side from the command steering angle, a steering command in the steering direction is generated, and the rudder starts turning in the steering direction. After that, the actual steering angle b becomes D _OFF
When entering, the steering command is stopped, but the steering stops at the steering angle at which the actual steering angle b becomes equal to the command steering angle a due to the delay element. However, this is the ideal case and if FIG.
After the turning command is stopped as shown in FIG.
If the ship stops before reaching, or stops within the rudder dead zone D _OFF or D _ON on the opposite side beyond the command rudder angle a, the ship will meander. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, if the rudder exceeds the steering dead zone D _ON for turning instruction generation on the opposite side after the turning instruction is stopped, at the time when the rudder exceeds the steering dead zone D _ON. Immediately again, a steering command in the reverse direction is issued, so that hunting occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an autopilot device which does not substantially require the adjustment of the steering dead zone width when the above-mentioned autopilot device is equipped, and which can always be operated with an appropriate steering dead zone width. .

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an autopilot apparatus for determining a difference between a heading and a set course as a declination angle and for obtaining a commanded steering angle from at least the declination angle. A generation means and a steering command stop steering dead zone having a fixed width in a rudder direction or a steering direction centering on the command steering angle, and detecting an actual steering angle,
When the actual steering angle is outside the steering command stop steering dead zone, a steering command is given in the command steering angle direction, and the steering angle is changed from outside the steering command stop steering dead zone to within the steering command stop steering dead zone. The steering command is stopped when the vehicle enters the automatic steering device, and the steering command is stopped in an autopilot device including steering control means for controlling a steering machine so that the actual steering angle becomes the command steering angle. When the stop steering angle of the rear rudder does not reach the command steering angle, the steering command stop rudder dead zone width is narrowed by a predetermined amount, and when the stop steering angle of the rudder exceeds the command steering angle, the steering command A rudder dead zone width adjusting means for widening the stop dead zone width by a predetermined amount is provided.

The autopilot device according to claim 2 is
The predetermined amount in claim 1 is set to a value smaller than a difference between a stop steering angle and a command steering angle of the rudder.

The autopilot device according to claim 3 is
The predetermined amount in claim 1 is set to a difference between a stop steering angle of the rudder and a command steering angle.

[0011]

In the autopilot device according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the stop steering angle of the rudder after the steering command is stopped does not reach the command steering angle, the steering dead zone for turning command stop becomes narrower, Conversely, when the stop steering angle exceeds the command steering angle, the steering dead zone for turning command stop increases. This operation will be described with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, if the actual steering angle b is on the side of the rudder with respect to the command steering angle a, a steering command is generated in the steering direction, and the actual steering angle is reduced. The turning command is stopped when the turning command stop rudder dead zone _DOFF is entered. Thereafter, when the rudder stops in the range indicated by, that is, when the steering angle does not reach the command steering angle, the steering deadline width D _OFF for turning command stop is adjusted to be narrow, and conversely, when the rudder stops in the range indicated by, That is, when the steering angle exceeds the command steering angle a, automatic adjustment is performed so that D _OFF becomes wider. Also,
As shown in FIG. 3, if the actual steering angle b is on the steering side with respect to the command steering angle a, a steering command is generated in the rudder direction, and when the actual steering angle enters the steering command stop steering dead zone D _OFF , the vehicle turns. The rudder command is stopped. Thereafter, when the rudder stops in the range indicated by, that is, when the rudder angle does not reach the command steering angle, the steering dead zone width D for turning command stop is provided.
_OFF is adjusted to be narrow, and conversely, when the rudder stops within the range indicated by, that is, when the rudder exceeds the command rudder angle a, D
Automatically adjusted so that _OFF becomes wider.

In the autopilot apparatus according to the second aspect, every time the steering command is given and the rudder stops, the steering dead zone width for turning command stop is automatically adjusted little by little. Therefore, the automatic adjustment of the steering command stop steering dead zone width is optimally performed without being affected by the variation of the stop steering angle of the rudder in a short period of time.

In the autopilot apparatus according to the third aspect, the steering command stop steering dead zone width is adjusted by the amount of the difference between the rudder stop steering angle and the command steering angle. The steering command stop is automatically adjusted to the steering dead zone width.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, an operation example of an autopilot device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. In FIG. 4, “declination θ” represents a difference between the heading with respect to the set course, and “command rudder angle a” represents a value obtained based on the declination θ, weather adjustment and turning speed as a waveform. The “sampling timing” is a timing at which a steering command is given as necessary based on the obtained command steering angle and actual steering angle. The "steering steering command" is a steering command in the steering direction, and the "facing steering command" is a steering command in the steering direction. Also, of the "steering angle", a broken line indicates a change in the command steering angle, and a solid line indicates a change in the actual steering angle.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the steering command and the change in the actual steering angle shown in FIG. FIGS. 6A and 6B
FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of a portion A and a portion B in FIG. 5. In this example, the rudder stop steering angle does not reach the command steering angle at the initial stage, and the steering command stop steering dead zone D _OFF
By gradually narrowing the width of the steering command, the overshoot amount from when the turning command is stopped to when the rudder stops is approached to the _turning dead zone width D _OFF for turning command stop, and the stop steering angle of the rudder is reduced. The steering dead zone width D _OFF so as to stop at the position of the command steering angle.
Is adjusted sequentially.

FIG. 7 shows, as a comparative example, an example in which the steering dead zone width D _OFF for turning instruction stop is fixed to FIG.
As is apparent from a comparison between FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, if the adjustment of the steering dead zone width is not appropriate, an error always occurs between the stop steering angle of the steering and the command steering angle.

Next, FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an autopilot device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
, The CPU 29 executes a program written in the ROM 30 in advance to perform various processes described later. RAM31
Is used to temporarily store the heading, actual steering angle, command steering angle, flag, and other data when executing the program. The heading detecting device 21 is a device for detecting the heading using a gyro compass or the like, and the CPU 29 reads the data of the heading via the interface 22.
The navigation assistance device 23 is composed of, for example, Loran C or a GPS positioning device, and obtains set course data when performing navigation assistance steering. The CPU 29 reads the set course data via the interface 24. The steering drive device 25 is a control circuit for a solenoid valve or a forward / reverse motor pump, and controls the steering gear. The CPU 29 gives a steering command in the steering direction or a steering command in the steering direction to the steering drive device 25 via the I / O port 26. The tracking transmitter 27 detects the steering angle of the steering gear, and the AD converter 28 obtains actual steering angle data based on the signal of the tracking transmitter 27. The CPU 29 reads the current actual steering angle from the AD converter 28. The display unit 33 displays a command steering angle, an actual steering angle, a set course, and the like. CP
U29 controls these various displays via the interface 32. The input unit 35 includes a key switch, a knob, and the like, and performs manual course setting and weather adjustment. The remote controller 36 is used as an input section for mode switching and manual steering remotely. The CPU 29 reads these input contents via the interface 34.

Next, the processing procedure of the autopilot device shown in FIG. 8 is shown as a flow chart in FIGS.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a procedure for generating a command steering angle. First, the heading θh is determined by the heading detecting device 2
1 and the turning speed v is calculated from the change of the heading with the lapse of time (n1 → n2).
For example, the heading is read every 200 ms and 5
The turning speed v is calculated from the heading data of each time. Subsequently, the set course set by the navigation assistance device 23 or the set course θc set by the input of the input unit 35 or the remote controller 36 is read (n3). Then, the difference between the set course θc and the heading θh is calculated as the declination θ (n
4). Thereafter, a value obtained by multiplying the difference between the weather adjustment value w set by the input of the input unit 35 and the argument θ by a proportional constant k1;
The sum of the value obtained by multiplying the turning speed v by the differential constant k2 is calculated as the command steering angle a (n5). The command steering angle a is sequentially updated by repeating the above processing.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of steering control. First, initial values are set for the steering dead zone width D _ON for turning command generation and the steering dead zone width D _OFF for turning command stop (n11). Subsequently, the flags F _ON and Fs are reset (n12 → n13). Here, the flag F _ON is a flag indicating that the vehicle is turning, and F _ON
= 0 (reset state) is a state where the steering command is stopped, F
_ON = 1 (set state) indicates that the vehicle is turning. In the initial state, no turning command has been issued, so this is set to the reset state. The flag Fs is a flag indicating whether or not the steering command is once stopped and a difference between the command steering angle and the stop steering angle is obtained. Fs = 0 (reset state) indicates the command steering angle, the stop steering angle and No difference is obtained, Fs = 1 (set state) indicates a state where the difference between the command steering angle and the stop steering angle is found. Since the difference between the command steering angle and the stop steering angle is not determined in the initial state, this is set to the reset state. Thereafter, the command steering angle a obtained by the processing shown in FIG. 9 is read, and the actual steering angle b is read from the AD converter 28, and the difference is obtained as a steering angle difference d (n14 → n15).
→ n16). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the steering angle difference d is 0 (n17). If the steering angle difference d is 0, the actual steering angle is equal to the command steering angle, and the process returns to step n14 without performing the subsequent processing. If the steering angle difference d is not 0, the steering angle difference d
Is compared with the absolute value of the steering dead zone width D _ON for turning command generation (n18). If the absolute value of the steering angle difference d is equal to or greater than D _ON , the state of the flag F _ON is determined. If F _ON = 0, that is, if the steering command has not been issued, the flag Fs is subsequently determined.
In the state where Fs = 0, that is, in the initial stage, and the difference between the stop steering angle and the command steering angle after the previous turning command stop has not been obtained, the process of step n21 is performed. Instead, a steering command in the rudder direction or a steering command in the steering direction is given based on the steering angle difference d obtained this time (n22, n23, n24). In this example, if d is positive, steering in the steering direction is performed, and if d is negative, steering in the steering direction is performed. After that, the flag F _ON indicating that the steering command is given
Is set (n25). If it is determined in step n18 that the absolute value of the steering angle difference d is smaller than D _ON , a comparison is made between the absolute value of the steering angle difference d and the steering command stop steering dead zone width D _OFF (n18 → n26). ). The absolute value of the steering angle difference d is D _OFF
At the following times, if the flag F _ON = 1, that is, if the turning command is being generated, the turning command is stopped and the flag F _ON is reset (n27 → n28 → n29). Thereafter, the current command steering angle a is saved to a1, and the steering angle difference d at that time is saved to d1 (n30 → n31). This d1 is used to determine the current steering direction later. Thereafter, the flag Fs is set, and a series of processes associated with the turning stop is ended (n3).
2). Thereafter, when the command steering angle a changes and the absolute value of the steering angle difference d between the command steering angle a and the actual steering angle b becomes D _ON or more, the D _OFF adjustment of step n21 is performed (n 18 → n 19 → n
20 → n21).

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the procedure of D _OFF adjustment in step n21 shown in FIG. First,
The difference e between the latest actual steering angle b and the previous command steering angle a1 is determined (n41). Here, the actual steering angle b is the actual steering angle when a considerable time has elapsed since the previous turning command was stopped, and thus can be regarded as the stop steering angle after the previous turning command was stopped. . Therefore, e is the error of the stop steering angle with respect to the command steering angle. After that, different processing is performed according to the sign of the steering angle difference d1 saved by the processing shown in step n31 of FIG. When d1 is positive, that is, when the steering was performed from the steering side to the rudder side last time, the error e is positive (this indicates that the rudder is moved to the range shown after the turning command is stopped in the example shown in FIG. 3). In this case, D _OFF is narrowed by 0.1 ° (n42 → n43 → n44). Conversely, if the error e is negative (this corresponds to the fact that the steering stops in the range shown in the example shown in FIG. 3), D _OFF is increased by 0.1 ° (n45). If the error e is 0, D _OFF is not adjusted. When the previous steering direction was from the rudder side to the steering side direction, when the error e was positive (this indicates that the rudder was moved to the range indicated by the turning command being stopped in the example shown in FIG. 2). This corresponds to stopping.) D _OFF is increased by 0.1 ° (n46 → n47), and conversely, the error e is negative (this means that FIG.
Corresponds to the stop of the rudder in the range shown in the example shown in FIG. ), D _OFF is narrowed by 0.1 ° (n48).
If the error e is 0, D _OFF is not adjusted.

In the above-described embodiment, D _OFF is adjusted by sequentially adding or subtracting a fixed value of 0.1 ° smaller than the normal difference between the stop steering angle after the turning command is stopped and the command steering angle. However, D _OFF may be adjusted by the difference between the stop steering angle and the command steering angle. The adjustment procedure in that case is shown in FIG. 12 as a flowchart. First, a difference e between the latest actual steering angle b and the previous command steering angle a1 is determined (n51). Here, the actual steering angle b is the stop steering angle after the previous turning command stop, and e is the error of the stop steering angle with respect to the command steering angle. Thereafter, when the steering angle difference d1 due to the previous steering is positive, that is, when the steering is performed from the previous steering side to the rudder side, D _OFF is narrowed by the error e (n52).
→ n53). Conversely, if the previous turning direction was from the rudder side to the steering side, D _OFF is increased by e (n5).
4). This will be described with reference to FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6A, by reducing D _OFF by the difference e between the stop steering angle b and the command steering angle a1, (B) As shown in (2), the overshoot amount is made equal to D _OFF , and the error e at the time of the next steering can be set to zero.

In the above embodiment, the steering dead zone having the same width is provided on the rudder side and the steering side with the command steering angle as a center. However, the steering dead zone width is separately adjusted on the rudder side and the steering side. Is also good.

Also, in the embodiment, in order to detect the steering stop angle of the rudder after a sufficient time has elapsed since the turning command was stopped, the actual steering angle at the time when the turning command should be generated is determined by the previous steering angle. Although the steering angle is obtained as the stop steering angle after the turning command is stopped, the movement of the rudder may be read in a short period, and the steering angle when the steering stops may be directly detected as the stop steering angle.

[0025]

According to the present invention, it is not necessary to adjust the steering dead zone width when the autopilot device is equipped, and it is possible to set the optimum steering dead zone width. In particular, according to the autopilot device according to the second aspect, each time the steering command is given and the rudder stops, the steering dead zone width for turning command stop is automatically adjusted little by little. Is not affected by the variation of the stop rudder angle. Further, according to the autopilot device according to the third aspect, since the rudder dead band width is adjusted by the amount of the difference between the stop steering angle of the rudder and the command rudder angle, the automatic adjustment of the rudder dead band width can be performed by one automatic adjustment. Complete. With this automatic adjustment function, the straightness of the ship is improved, and the fuel efficiency, required time, steering frequency, and the like can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a general autopilot device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between a steering dead zone width and an overshoot amount.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between a steering dead zone width and an overshoot amount.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a deviation, a command steering angle, a turning command, a change in an actual steering angle, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a change between a command steering angle and an actual steering angle according to the embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a partially enlarged view of a portion A and a portion B in FIG.

7 is a diagram showing an example of a change between a command steering angle and an actual steering angle by a conventional autopilot device shown in comparison with FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an autopilot device according to the embodiment.

9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the autopilot device shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the autopilot device shown in FIG.

11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of step n21 shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure of step n21 shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a relationship between a steering dead zone width and an overshoot amount.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a relationship between a steering dead zone width and an overshoot amount.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a relationship between a steering dead zone width and an overshoot amount.

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (56) References JP-A-62-4698 (JP, A) JP-A-5-112296 (JP, A) JP-A-4-135999 (JP, A) JP-A-1- 141198 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B63H 25/04 G05B 13/02 G05D 3/00 G05D 3/12 305 G05F 15/20 G09B 9/06

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A command steering angle generating means for obtaining a difference between a heading direction and a set course as a declination, and obtaining a command steering angle from at least the declination; and a constant in a rudder direction and a steering direction with the command steering angle as a center. A steering command stop steering dead zone of width is set, and the actual steering angle is detected, and a steering command is given in the command steering angle direction when the actual steering angle is outside the steering command stop steering dead zone, When the steering angle enters the steering command stop rudder dead zone from outside the steering command stop rudder dead zone, the steering command is stopped, and the steering gear is controlled so that the actual steering angle becomes the command steering angle. An auto-pilot device having a steering control means for controlling, when the stop steering angle of the rudder after stopping the steering command does not reach the command steering angle, the steering command stop steering dead zone width is set to a predetermined amount. Only when the stop rudder angle of the rudder exceeds the commanded rudder angle Autopilot apparatus characterized in that a steering dead zone width adjusting means to widen the turning command for stopping the steering dead-band width by a predetermined amount. 2. The autopilot device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount is set to a value smaller than a difference between a stop steering angle and a command steering angle of the rudder. 3. The autopilot device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined amount is set to a difference between a stop steering angle and a command steering angle of the rudder.