JP5101210B2 - Ship propulsion device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a marine vessel propulsion apparatus that is particularly suitable for use in a marine vessel that navigates a sea area with drifting objects such as ice.

In a ship, various kinds of forces act on the propeller as the ship advances. It is known that a problem occurs in the propulsion device of the ship due to the force acting on the propeller.
For example, it is known that the propeller shaft is deformed by a force acting on the propeller, and a problem such as seizure occurs with the stern tube bearing.

Various prevention techniques have been proposed in order to prevent the occurrence of such problems in the propulsion device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-137334 A

  However, with the above-described technology, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a failure of the propulsion device based on the operational state of the ship, but it is difficult to prevent the failure of the propulsion device caused by the external environment.

Specifically, in a ship navigating in a sea area with ice, the propeller may be damaged due to contact between ice and a propeller, particularly a propeller. The above-described technique has a problem that it is difficult to prevent the occurrence of problems due to such damage to the propeller and the like.
Furthermore, there is a problem that it takes a lot of time to repair or replace a damaged propeller or the like.

  On the other hand, a spare propulsion device is provided in a ship in case the propulsion device is broken and difficult to use. However, if the propulsion unit is not damaged, that is, in the normal operation state for the ship, there is a problem that an excessive propulsion unit is provided in the ship, and the cost required for navigation increases. .

Furthermore, in order to avoid propeller damage due to contact between ice and a propeller or the like, measures to increase the strength of the propeller may be taken. For example, the thickness of the members constituting the propeller is increased to increase the propeller strength, or the propeller is manufactured using a material having higher strength to increase the propeller strength.
However, even if such measures are taken, propeller damage due to contact between ice and propellers is insufficient, and propeller damage has not been suppressed to such an extent that it will not hinder ship navigation. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a marine vessel propulsion apparatus that can prevent propeller damage due to contact with drifting objects such as ice.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The marine vessel propulsion device of the present invention includes a main machine that generates a rotational driving force, a propeller that is driven to rotate by the main machine, a detection unit that detects contact between the propeller and a drifting object, and a detection result of the detection unit. And a control unit that controls at least the number of rotations of the main engine, and the control unit is configured to perform the detection when the number of occurrences of a detected value exceeding a predetermined threshold by the detection unit exceeds a predetermined number. If the detected value that exceeds the threshold value does not occur after the rotational speed of the main machine is reduced and the rotational speed of the main machine is reduced, the rotation of the main machine is such that the detected value does not exceed the threshold value. characterized Rukoto increase the number.

According to the present invention, when the detection unit detects contact between the propeller and the drifting object, for example, ice, the control unit controls the rotation speed of the main engine, that is, the rotation speed of the propeller. The magnitude of the working load is controlled, and the propeller is prevented from being damaged.
For example, when the contact between the propeller and the drifting object is detected, the rotational speed of the main engine is lowered by the control unit, and the rotational speed of the propeller is lowered. Then, the load which acts on a propeller by contact with a drifting object becomes small, and it can prevent damage to a propeller.

A marine vessel propulsion device according to the present invention includes a main machine that generates a rotational driving force, a propeller that is rotationally driven by the main machine and has propeller blades that can change a pitch angle, and a detection that detects contact between the propeller and a drifting object. And a control unit that controls at least the pitch angle of the propeller based on a detection result of the detection unit, and the control unit generates the number of occurrences of a detected value that exceeds a predetermined threshold by the detection unit. If the detected value exceeding the threshold value does not occur after the pitch angle of the propeller is decreased and the pitch angle of the propeller is decreased after the predetermined number of times is exceeded, the detected value The pitch angle is increased to the extent that does not exceed the threshold .

According to the present invention, when the detection unit detects contact between the propeller and the drifting object, for example, ice, the control unit controls the pitch angle of the propeller blade, that is, the blade angle. Controls the magnitude of the force acting on the propeller.
For example, when the contact between the propeller and the drifting object is detected, the pitch angle of the propeller blade is reduced by the control unit. That is, the contact angle between the propeller blade and the drifting object changes, and the force acting on the propeller is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the propeller from being damaged due to the contact with the drifting object.
Further, the propeller blade comes into contact with the drifting object at an angle that is not easily damaged, and it is possible to prevent the propeller from being damaged by the contact of the drifting object.

  In the above invention, it is desirable that a propeller shaft for transmitting rotational driving force from the main engine to the propeller is provided, and the detection unit detects a torque acting on the propeller shaft by contact between the propeller and the drifting object. .

  According to the present invention, the detection unit detects the torque acting on the propeller shaft, so that the torque generated by the load acting on the propeller (hereinafter referred to as ice torque) when the propeller and ice (floating material) come into contact with each other. ) Can be detected. The detection unit detects the ice torque via the propeller shaft by the detection unit arranged inside the ship as compared with the method of directly detecting the load acting on the propeller itself arranged outside the ship. The ice torque can be easily detected.

  In the above invention, it is desirable that the detection unit detects a torque acting on the propeller by contact between the propeller and the drifting object.

  According to the present invention, the detection unit detects the torque acting on the propeller, thereby directly detecting the ice torque that is the force acting on the propeller when the propeller and ice (floating material) come into contact with each other. Since the detection unit directly detects the load acting on the propeller, the detection accuracy of the load acting on the propeller is higher than the method of detecting the ice torque via the propeller shaft arranged inside the ship. Furthermore, in the method of detecting the ice torque via the propeller shaft, only the load acting in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis of the propeller can be detected, whereas the load acting on the propeller is directly detected and thus the propeller works. A load that acts in a direction other than the circumferential direction, that is, a load that is not reflected in the torque can also be detected, and the propeller can be more reliably prevented from being damaged.

  In the above invention, it is desirable that a recording unit for recording a detection result of the detection unit is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to know a history such as the number of contact between the propeller and the drifting object by recording the detection result of the detection unit. By analyzing such a history, fatigue accumulated in the propeller can be estimated, and replacement or repair can be performed before the propeller breaks.

According to the marine vessel propulsion apparatus of the present invention, when the detection unit detects contact between the propeller and the drifting object, for example, ice, the control unit controls the rotation speed of the main engine, that is, the rotation speed of the propeller. The magnitude of the load acting on the propeller is controlled by this contact, and the propeller can be prevented from being damaged.
According to the marine vessel propulsion apparatus of the present invention, when the detection unit detects contact between the propeller and the drifting object, for example, ice, the control unit controls the pitch angle of the propeller blade, that is, the blade angle. The magnitude of the force acting on the propeller is controlled by contact with the drifting object, and the propeller can be prevented from being damaged.

[First Embodiment]
A boat propulsion device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the outline of a marine vessel propulsion apparatus according to the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the marine vessel propulsion device 1 of the present invention is described by applying it to a propulsion device such as an ice-resistant marine vessel or an ice-breaking marine vessel that navigates a sea area where ice is drifting. The drifting object is not limited to ice as described above, and the drifting object includes anything that may come into contact with other propellers, and is not particularly limited.
The ship S is provided with a propulsion device (ship propulsion device) 1 that generates propulsive force, and a rudder 2 and a steering gear 3 that control the navigation direction.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the propulsion device 1 of the present embodiment is driven to rotate by a main machine 4 that generates a rotational driving force, a propeller shaft 5 that transmits the generated rotational driving force to a propeller 6, and the like. A propeller 6 that generates a propulsive force, a torque detector (detector) 7 that detects torque in the propeller shaft 5, and a rotation instruction unit (controller) 8 that controls the main engine 4 based on the detection result of the torque detector 7. And are provided.

The main engine 4 is disposed inside the ship S and generates a rotational driving force that rotationally drives the propeller 6. A propeller shaft 5 that transmits a rotational driving force to the propeller 6 is attached to the main machine 4. Further, a control signal output from the rotation instruction unit 8 that controls the rotation speed of the main machine 4 is input to the main machine 4.
In addition, as the main machine 4, well-known things, such as a diesel engine, can be used, and it does not specifically limit.

  The propeller shaft 5 is disposed between the main engine 4 and the propeller 6 and transmits the rotational driving force generated by the main engine 4 to the propeller 6 disposed outside the ship S. The propeller shaft 5 is provided with a torque detector 7 that detects ice torque acting on the propeller 6 via the propeller shaft 5.

  The propeller 6 is rotationally driven by the rotational driving force transmitted from the main engine 4 via the propeller shaft 5 and generates a propulsive force for propelling the ship S. The propeller 6 may be a known propeller such as a propeller in which the pitch angle of the propeller blades is fixed or a propeller capable of changing the pitch angle, and is not particularly limited.

The torque detector 7 detects ice torque acting on the propeller 6 via the propeller shaft 5. The torque detection unit 7 is attached to the propeller shaft 5 inside the ship S, and a detection signal of the torque detection unit 7, that is, a signal related to the value of the torque detected by the torque detection unit 7 is input to the rotation instruction unit 8. ing.
In addition, as the torque detection part 7, the apparatus etc. which detect a well-known torque can be used, It does not specifically limit.

The rotation instruction unit 8 controls the rotation speed of the main machine 4 based on the detection signal of the torque detection unit 7. The rotation instruction unit 8 receives a detection signal from the torque detection unit 7 and a signal related to the rotation speed from the main machine 4, and the rotation instruction unit 8 sends a control signal for controlling the rotation speed to the main machine 4. Output.
The method for controlling the rotation speed of the main machine 4 by the rotation instruction unit 8 will be described in detail below.

Next, protection of the propeller 6 in the propulsion device 1 having the above configuration will be described.
FIG. 2 is a graph for explaining a change in torque detected by the torque detector of FIG. FIG. 3 is a graph for explaining a change in the number of rotations of the propeller in FIG.
The vertical axis in FIG. 2 indicates the value obtained by dividing the propeller torque T by the ice torque threshold value TH, and the vertical axis in FIG. 3 indicates the propeller rotational speed N and the propeller rotational speed N in the non-ice sea area. _{A value} obtained by dividing by ₀ and making it dimensionless is shown.

When the ship S is sailing, the rotation instructing unit 8 controls the number of revolutions of the main unit 4 based on the detection signal of the torque detection unit 7 and the signal related to the number of revolutions of the main unit 4 as shown in FIG. Yes.
For example, as shown on the left side of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 (between about 0 minute and about 4 minutes), when the ship S is normally navigating, the rotation instruction unit 8 has a propeller torque value of about 0. .5, and the main engine 4 is controlled so that the rotation speed of the propeller 6 is about 1.

  Here, when the ship S navigates the sea area with ice, the ice that is the drifting object and the propeller 6 come into contact with each other, and a force (load) that prevents the propeller 6 from rotating acts on the propeller 6. Then, the torque that causes the main machine 4 to rotate the propeller 6, that is, the propeller torque increases due to the above-described blocking force. This increased torque is called ice torque IT, and the value of the ice torque IT changes depending on the size of the ice in contact with the propeller 6, the rotational speed of the propeller 6, the position of the propeller 6 in contact with the ice, etc. To do.

  The rotation instructing unit 8 monitors the value and the number of times of ice torque IT input, and when the number of occurrences of ice torque IT exceeding a predetermined threshold value TH exceeds a predetermined number, the rotation number of the main machine 4 is set. A control signal to be lowered is output to the main unit 4.

The predetermined threshold value TH is determined based on, for example, the value of ice torque M defined by the classification society. Here, the ice torque M defined by the classification society is a torque obtained by the following equation.
M = mD ²
Here, M is an ice torque (t · m (N · m)) prescribed by the classification society, and D is a propeller diameter (m). m is a coefficient, which is 2.15 for ice class IAS, 1.60 for ice class IA, 1.33 for ice class IB, and 1.22 for ice class IC.
The value of the coefficient m described above is a value when the unit for displaying ice torque is (t · m), and when the unit for displaying ice torque is (N · m), A value multiplied by about 10,000 (9806.7) is used.

In the present embodiment, description will be made by applying the case where the value of the ice torque M is set as the predetermined threshold value TH.
On the other hand, the predetermined number of times described above is a number determined within a range in which the propeller 6 is not damaged even if the ice torque IT exceeding the predetermined threshold value TH works on the propeller 6. For example, the number of times within a range in which the propeller 6 is not fatigued by the ice torque IT can be exemplified.
Note that the predetermined threshold value TH and the predetermined number of times are not limited to the above-described method, and may be determined by other methods, and are not particularly limited.

The main engine 4 to which the control signal of the rotation instructing unit 8 is inputted reduces the rotational speed from about 1 to about 0.8 based on the control signal, and the rotation of the propeller 6 is performed as shown after about 5 minutes in FIG. Reduce the number.
Then, as shown after about 5 minutes in FIG. 2, the value of the propeller torque decreases to a value of about 0.3. At the same time, since the rotation speed of the propeller 6 at the time of contact between the ice and the propeller 6 decreases, the value of the generated ice torque IT also decreases, and the generation of the ice torque IT exceeding about 1 is suppressed.

According to the above configuration, when the contact between the propeller 6 and the ice is detected by the torque detection unit 7, the rotation instruction unit 8 controls the rotation speed of the main machine 4, that is, the rotation speed of the propeller 6, and thus the above-described configuration. The magnitude of the load acting on the propeller 6 is controlled by the contact, and the propeller 6 is prevented from being damaged.
For example, when contact between the propeller 6 and ice is detected, the rotation instruction unit 8 decreases the rotation speed of the main machine 4 and decreases the rotation speed of the propeller 6. Then, the load which acts on the propeller 6 by contact with ice becomes small, and damage to the propeller 6 can be prevented.

  The torque detector 7 can detect the ice torque generated by the load acting on the propeller 6 when the propeller 6 and the ice come into contact with each other by detecting the torque acting on the propeller shaft 5. Compared with the method of directly detecting the load acting on the propeller 6 itself arranged outside the ship S, the torque detection unit 7 is connected via the propeller shaft 5 by the torque detection unit 7 arranged inside the ship S. Since the ice torque is detected, the torque detector 7 can be easily arranged, and the ice torque can be easily detected.

FIG. 4 is a graph for explaining another change in the torque detected by the torque detector of FIG. FIG. 5 is a graph for explaining another change in the propeller rotational speed of FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotation instruction unit 8 reduces the rotation speed of the main machine 4 when the ice torque IT exceeding the predetermined threshold value TH is detected a predetermined number of times. The number may be maintained, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the ice torque IT exceeding the predetermined threshold TH is not generated after the rotational speed of the main machine 4 is reduced, the main machine 4 A control signal may be output that increases or returns the original rotational speed, and is not particularly limited.
In this case, the range of increase in the rotational speed of the main machine 4 is preferably such that the value of the ice torque IT does not exceed the predetermined threshold value TH.
By doing in this way, the fall of the navigation speed of the ship S can be suppressed to the minimum, and damage to the propeller 6 can be prevented.

As described above, the rotation speed of the main engine 4 may be controlled based on the value of the ice torque IT, and the route of the ship S is determined based on the ice torque IT and weather information around the ship S. Or you may change and it does not specifically limit.
By doing in this way, the contact with the propeller 6 and ice can be avoided, and damage to the propeller 6 can be prevented more reliably.

[Modification of First Embodiment]
Next, a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The basic configuration of the marine vessel propulsion apparatus according to this modification is the same as that of the first embodiment, but is different from the first embodiment in that a recording unit is provided. Therefore, in this modification, only the periphery of the recording unit will be described with reference to FIG. 6, and description of other components and the like will be omitted.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the outline of the marine vessel propulsion apparatus according to this modification.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component same as 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the propulsion device 101 according to the present modification includes a main machine 4 that generates a rotational driving force, a propeller shaft 5 that transmits the generated rotational driving force to the propeller 6, and is driven to rotate. Propeller 6 that generates a propulsive force, torque detector 7 that detects torque in propeller shaft 5, rotation instruction unit 8 that controls main machine 4 based on the detection result of torque detector 7, and detection of torque detector 7 And a recording unit 109 for recording the results.

The recording unit 109 records the detection result of the torque detection unit 7, for example, time-series data of the propeller torque.
A detection signal is input from the torque detection unit 7 to the recording unit 109. That is, the torque detection unit 7 outputs a detection signal to the rotation instruction unit 8 and the recording unit 109.

  As described above, the recording unit 109 may record the time series data of the propeller torque, or may extract and record information such as the value of the ice torque IT and the number of occurrences of the ice torque IT. Well, not particularly limited.

  Next, protection of the propeller 6 in the propulsion device 101 configured as described above will be described. In addition, since the control method of the rotation speed of the main machine 4 by the rotation instruction | indication part 8 is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted.

As described above, the recording unit 109 receives the detection signal from the torque detection unit 7 and records time series data of the propeller torque.
Thereafter, the time series data of the propeller torque recorded in the recording unit 109 is analyzed to determine how many times the stress exceeding the fatigue strength of the propeller blade of the propeller 6 has acted on the propeller blade. Based on the obtained result, the replacement time of the propeller 6 is determined.

  The analysis of the data recorded in the recording unit 109 described above may be always performed by the recording unit 109 or may be performed at a predetermined interval, and is not particularly limited.

  According to the above configuration, by recording the detection result of the torque detection unit 7 in the recording unit 109, it is possible to know a history such as the number of contact between the propeller 6 and ice. By analyzing such a history, the fatigue accumulated in the propeller 6 can be estimated, and replacement or repair can be performed before the propeller 6 is damaged.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The basic configuration of the marine vessel propulsion device of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the configuration for reducing ice torque is different from that of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the present embodiment, only the configuration relating to ice torque reduction will be described using FIG. 7, and description of other components and the like will be omitted.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the outline of the marine vessel propulsion apparatus according to the present embodiment.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the component same as 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the propulsion device 201 of the present embodiment includes a main machine 4 that generates a rotational driving force, a propeller shaft 5 that transmits the generated rotational driving force to a propeller 206, and is driven to rotate. Propeller 206 that generates propulsive force, blade angle changing unit (control unit) 209 that changes the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 in the propeller 206, torque detecting unit 7 that detects torque in the propeller shaft 5, and torque detecting unit 7 And an instruction unit (control unit) 208 for controlling the main machine 4 and the propeller 206 based on the detection result of the above.

  The propeller 206 is a variable pitch propeller in which the pitch angle of the propeller blade 216, in other words, the blade angle is changed based on the control signal of the instruction unit 208. The propeller 206 is rotationally driven by the rotational driving force transmitted from the main engine 4 via the propeller shaft 5 and generates the propulsive force for propelling the ship S. The propeller 6 in the first embodiment is used. It works in the same way.

The blade angle changing unit 209 changes the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 of the propeller 206 based on the control signal of the instruction unit 208. The blade angle changing unit 209 is provided on the propeller shaft 5 in the ship S. The blade angle changing unit 209 receives a control signal for controlling the change of the blade angle from the instruction unit 208, while the blade angle changing unit 209 receives the value of the blade angle of the current propeller blade 216 from the instruction unit 208. Is output.
In addition, as a structure of the blade angle | corner change part 209, a well-known structure can be used and it does not specifically limit.

The instruction unit 208 performs the rotational speed control of the main engine 4 and the blade angle control of the propeller blade 216 based on the detection signal of the torque detection unit 7.
The instruction unit 208 receives a detection signal from the torque detection unit 7, receives a signal related to the rotational speed from the main engine 4, and further receives a signal related to the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 from the blade angle changing unit 209. Yes. On the other hand, the rotation instruction unit 8 outputs a control signal for controlling the rotational speed to the main engine 4 and outputs a control signal for controlling the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 to the blade angle changing unit 209.
A method for controlling the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 by the instruction unit 208 will be described in detail below.

  The instruction unit 208 may simultaneously perform both the rotational speed control of the main engine 4 and the blade angle control of the propeller blade 216 as described above, or at least temporarily perform only the blade angle control of the propeller blade 216. Alternatively, only the rotational speed control of the main machine 4 may be performed as in the first embodiment, and there is no particular limitation.

  Next, protection of the propeller 206 in the propulsion device 201 configured as described above will be described. Note that the method for controlling the rotational speed of the main unit 4 by the instruction unit 208 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

When the instruction unit 208 outputs a control signal for reducing the rotational speed to the main engine 4, it simultaneously outputs a control signal for reducing the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 to the blade angle changing unit 209. Based on the input control signal, the blade angle changing unit 209 decreases the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 of the propeller 206.
As the blade angle decreases, the position of the propeller blade 216 in contact with ice changes, and the value of the ice torque IT acting on the propeller 206 decreases due to contact with ice.

  As in the case of the first embodiment, when the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 is reduced, the instruction unit 208 may maintain a small blade angle thereafter, or ice that exceeds a predetermined threshold value TH. When the torque IT is not generated, a control signal for returning the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 to a larger value or returning to the original blade angle may be output, and is not particularly limited.

According to the above configuration, when the contact between the propeller 206 and ice is detected by the torque detection unit 7, the pitch angle of the propeller blade 216, that is, the blade angle is controlled by the blade angle changing unit 209 and the instruction unit 208. The force acting on the propeller 206, that is, the magnitude of the ice torque IT is controlled by the contact between the propeller 206 and ice.
When contact between the propeller 206 and the ice is detected, the pitch angle of the propeller blade 216 is reduced by the blade angle changing unit 209 and the instruction unit 208. That is, the contact angle between the propeller blade 216 and ice changes, and the ice torque IT acting on the propeller 206 is reduced. Therefore, damage to the propeller 206 due to contact with ice can be prevented.
Furthermore, the propeller blade 216 comes into contact with ice at an angle that is not easily damaged, and the propeller 206 can be prevented from being damaged.

[Modification of Second Embodiment]
Next, a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The basic configuration of the marine vessel propulsion apparatus of the present modification is the same as that of the second embodiment, but differs from the second embodiment in that a recording unit is provided. Therefore, in this modification, only the periphery of the recording unit will be described with reference to FIG. 8, and description of other components and the like will be omitted.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining an outline of a marine vessel propulsion apparatus according to this modification.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the modification of 1st Embodiment, and the component same as 2nd Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the propulsion device 301 of the present modification includes a main machine 4 that generates a rotational driving force, a propeller shaft 5 that transmits the generated rotational driving force to the propeller 206, and is driven to rotate. The detection results of the propeller 206 that generates a propulsive force, the blade angle changing unit 209 that changes the blade angle of the propeller blade 216 in the propeller 206, the torque detection unit 7 that detects torque in the propeller shaft 5, and the torque detection unit 7 An instruction unit 208 that controls the main machine 4 and the propeller 206 based on this, and a recording unit 109 that records the detection result of the torque detection unit 7 are provided.

  Protection of the propeller 206 in the propulsion device 301 configured as described above is the same as that in the second embodiment with respect to the control method in the instruction unit 208, and the same as in the modification of the first embodiment with respect to the recording unit 109. Therefore, the description is omitted.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
The basic configuration of the marine vessel propulsion device of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, but the configuration for detecting ice torque is different from that of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the present embodiment, only the configuration for detecting the ice torque will be described using FIG. 9, and the description of the other components and the like will be omitted.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the marine vessel propulsion apparatus according to the present embodiment.
In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the component same as 1st Embodiment, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the propulsion device 401 of the present embodiment includes a main machine 4 that generates a rotational driving force, a propeller shaft 5 that transmits the generated rotational driving force to the propeller 6, and is driven to rotate. A propeller 6 that generates propulsive force, a torque detection unit (detection unit) 407 that detects propeller torque in the propeller 6, and a rotation instruction unit 8 that controls the main engine 4 based on the detection results of the torque detection unit (detection unit) 407. And are provided.

  The torque detection unit (detection unit) 407 includes a sensor unit 408 configured from a strain gauge provided on the propeller 6 and a measurement unit 409 configured from a strain gauge disposed inside the ship S. Is provided.

The sensor unit 408 detects the distortion of the propeller 6 and particularly detects the distortion of the propeller 6 caused by contact with ice. The sensor unit 408 is connected to the measurement unit 409 via wiring provided in the propeller 6 and the propeller shaft 5.
The sensor unit 408 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect the distortion of the propeller 6 and can use a known one in addition to the above-described strain gauge.

  The measurement unit 409 converts a signal related to the distortion of the propeller 6 detected by the sensor unit 408 into a signal input to the rotation instruction unit 8. That is, the detection signal of the sensor unit 408 is input to the measurement unit 409, while the measurement unit 409 outputs a signal related to the converted propeller torque to the rotation instruction unit 8.

  Next, protection of the propeller 6 in the propulsion device 401 configured as described above will be described. Note that the rotation speed control of the main machine 4 by the rotation instruction unit 8 is the same as that in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

Here, detection of the ice torque IT by the torque detection unit (detection unit) 407 will be described.
When the ship S navigates a sea area with ice, the ice that is a drifting object and the propeller 6 come into contact with each other, and the shape of the propeller 6 is distorted. The sensor unit 408 of the torque detection unit (detection unit) 407 detects this distortion, and a signal related to the distortion is input to the measurement unit 409.
The measurement unit 409 converts the signal input from the sensor unit 408 into a signal related to the propeller torque and outputs the signal to the rotation instruction unit 8. The rotation instructing unit 8 controls the rotation speed of the main machine 4 based on the input signal relating to the propeller torque.

According to the above configuration, the torque detection unit (detection unit) 407 detects the torque acting on the propeller 6 to directly detect the ice torque IT that is the torque acting on the propeller 6 when the propeller 6 comes into contact with ice. can do. The torque detection unit (detection unit) 407 detects the ice torque IT via the propeller shaft 5 arranged inside the ship S in order to directly detect the load acting on the propeller 6 by detecting the distortion of the propeller 6. Compared with the method, the detection accuracy of the ice torque IT acting on the propeller 6 is increased.
Further, in the method of detecting the ice torque IT via the propeller shaft 5, only the load acting in the circumferential direction around the rotation axis of the propeller 6, that is, only the torque can be detected, whereas the load acting on the propeller 6 is directly detected. Therefore, it is possible to detect a load acting on the propeller 6 and acting in a direction other than the circumferential direction, that is, a load that is not reflected in the torque, and the propeller can be more reliably prevented from being damaged.

It is a schematic diagram explaining the outline of the propulsion apparatus of the ship of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph explaining the change of the torque detected by the torque detection part of FIG. It is a graph explaining the change of the propeller rotation speed of FIG. It is a graph explaining another change of the torque detected by the torque detection part of FIG. It is a graph explaining another change of the propeller rotation speed of FIG. It is a schematic diagram explaining the outline of the propulsion apparatus of the ship which concerns on the modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the outline of the propulsion apparatus of the ship which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the outline of the propulsion apparatus of the ship which concerns on the modification of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the structure of the propulsion apparatus of the ship which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1, 101, 201, 301, 401 Propulsion device (ship propulsion device)
4 Main machine 5 Propeller shaft 6,206 Propeller 7,407 Torque detector (detector)
8 Rotation instruction part (control part)
109 Recording unit 208 Instruction unit (control unit)
209 Blade angle changing unit (control unit)
216 propeller wings

Claims (5)

A main machine that generates rotational driving force;
A propeller driven to rotate by the main machine;
A detector for detecting contact between the propeller and the drifting object;
Based on the detection result of the detection unit, at least a control unit for controlling the rotational speed of the main machine,
Is provided,
When the number of occurrences of detection values exceeding a predetermined threshold by the detection unit exceeds a predetermined number of times, the control unit reduces the rotation speed of the main machine, and after reducing the rotation speed of the main machine, If the detected value exceeding the threshold has not occurred, propulsion devices for ships the detected value and said Rukoto increases the rotational speed of the main machine to the extent that does not exceed the threshold value. A main machine that generates rotational driving force;
A propeller having a propeller blade that is rotationally driven by the main machine and capable of changing a pitch angle;
A detector for detecting contact between the propeller and the drifting object;
A control unit that controls at least the pitch angle of the propeller based on a detection result of the detection unit;
Is provided,
The control unit reduces the pitch angle of the propeller when the number of occurrences of detection values exceeding a predetermined threshold exceeds a predetermined number by the detection unit, and reduces the pitch angle of the propeller, When the detected value exceeding the threshold does not occur , the vessel propulsion device increases the pitch angle so that the detected value does not exceed the threshold . A propeller shaft for transmitting rotational driving force from the main machine to the propeller is provided;
3. The marine vessel propulsion device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a torque acting on the propeller shaft by contact between the propeller and the drifting object.   3. The marine vessel propulsion device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a torque acting on the propeller by contact between the propeller and the drifting object.   The marine vessel propulsion device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a recording unit that records a detection result of the detection unit.

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