JP6084912B2 - Ship control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ship control apparatus, and more particularly to a ship control apparatus in which a variable pitch propeller that is driven by an internal combustion engine and can change a pitch is attached to a hull.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a ship control device that can change (adjust) the pitch of a propeller in accordance with a ship travel mode such as a cruise mode or a trolling mode (maneuvering mode) has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 is configured to improve the traveling performance and fuel consumption performance of the ship by changing the pitch of the propeller according to the traveling mode of the ship.

Special table 2007-509792

  However, the technique described in Patent Document 1 only changes the pitch according to the travel mode, and changes the pitch finely according to the ship's running state (for example, the ship's acceleration state or deceleration state) that changes every moment. is not. For this reason, there is still room for improvement in the running performance of the ship.

  Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and improve the traveling performance of the ship by selecting an optimum pitch in the variable pitch propeller according to the traveling state of the ship, particularly the deceleration state of the ship. The object is to provide a ship control device.

In order to solve the above-described problem, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ship control apparatus in which a variable pitch propeller that is driven by an internal combustion engine and is capable of changing a pitch is attached to a hull. A throttle opening degree detecting means for detecting a throttle opening degree; a deceleration degree judging means for judging a degree of deceleration of the navigation speed of the ship based on the detected throttle opening degree; and based on the determined degree of deceleration. Pitch changing means for changing the pitch of the variable pitch propeller, and the deceleration degree determining means has a second predetermined value when a change amount in the closing direction per unit time of the detected throttle opening is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value. When the value is less than the value, the deceleration degree is determined to be slow deceleration, and the pitch changing means determines that the variable pitch value is determined when the deceleration degree is determined to be slow deceleration. The pitch of the propeller was sailing acceleration of the vessels is configured as to change so as to or greater than a predetermined acceleration.

In the marine vessel control apparatus according to claim 2 , the engine speed detecting means for detecting the engine speed of the internal combustion engine is provided, and the pitch changing means determines that the degree of deceleration is slow deceleration. , the engine speed of the was detected when less than a predetermined rotational speed, the pitch of the variable pitch propeller sailing acceleration of the ship and as configured to change so that Do the predetermined acceleration or more.

In the marine vessel control apparatus according to claim 3 , the deceleration degree determination means is configured such that when the amount of change in the closing direction per unit time of the detected throttle opening is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value, The degree of deceleration is determined to be sudden deceleration.

In the ship control device according to claim 4 , the pitch changing means determines the pitch of the variable pitch propeller to be a slow speed close to a stop state when the deceleration degree is determined to be sudden deceleration. It changed so that it might become.

In the marine vessel control apparatus according to claim 5 , the pitch changing means determines the variable pitch when the degree of deceleration is determined to be rapid deceleration and the detected throttle opening is equal to or less than a predetermined opening. The pitch of the propeller is changed so that the ship has the slow navigation speed.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a ship control device that is driven by an internal combustion engine and has a variable pitch propeller capable of changing the pitch attached to the hull, the throttle opening of the internal combustion engine is detected and detected. Since the degree of deceleration of the navigation speed of the ship is determined based on the throttle opening, and the pitch of the variable pitch propeller is changed based on the determined degree of deceleration, in the variable pitch propeller according to the deceleration state of the ship An optimum pitch can be selected, and thus the traveling performance of the ship can be improved.

In addition , when the detected amount of change in the closing direction of the throttle opening in the closing direction per unit time is greater than or equal to the first predetermined value and less than the second predetermined value, the deceleration degree is determined to be slow deceleration. In addition, it is possible to select the pitch according to the decelerating state of the ship, particularly the slow decelerating state, by determining whether or not the ship is in the slow decelerating (gradual decelerating) state, thereby improving the traveling performance of the ship Can do.

Further, when the degree of deceleration is determined to slow deceleration, since the pitch of the variable pitch propeller sailing acceleration of the vessel was as configured to change so that Do to or greater than a predetermined acceleration, in addition to the effects mentioned above, when the slow deceleration state By setting the pitch in consideration of reacceleration, it is possible to immediately shift from the slow deceleration state to the acceleration state, thereby improving the traveling performance of the ship.

In the marine vessel control apparatus according to claim 2, when the engine speed of the internal combustion engine is detected, the degree of deceleration is determined as slow deceleration, and when the detected engine speed is equal to or less than a predetermined speed, the variable pitch since the pitch of the propeller sailing acceleration of the vessel was as configured to change so that Do to or greater than a predetermined acceleration, in addition to the effects mentioned above, the engine rotational speed moves immediately accelerating state be equal to or less than a predetermined number of times in the slow deceleration state Therefore, the traveling performance of the ship can be improved.

The marine vessel control apparatus according to claim 3 is configured to determine that the degree of deceleration is sudden deceleration when the amount of change in the closing direction per unit time of the detected throttle opening is equal to or greater than a second predetermined value. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, it is possible to select the pitch according to the deceleration state of the ship, particularly the sudden deceleration state, by determining whether or not the ship is in a sudden deceleration (rapid deceleration) state, and thus the traveling performance of the ship. Can be improved.

The ship control apparatus according to claim 4 is configured to change the pitch of the variable pitch propeller so that the speed of the variable pitch propeller is close to the stop speed when the deceleration degree is determined to be sudden deceleration. In addition to the effects described above, by setting the pitch so that the navigation speed becomes the trolling speed in the sudden deceleration state, the ship can be promptly shifted to the very low speed navigation speed close to the stop state, so that the ship travels. Performance can be improved.

In the marine vessel control apparatus according to claim 5, when the degree of deceleration is determined to be rapid deceleration, and when the detected throttle opening is equal to or less than a predetermined opening, the marine vessel has a slow speed of the variable pitch propeller. In addition to the effects described above, it is possible to more appropriately determine whether or not the ship is in a sudden deceleration state. Therefore, the traveling performance of the ship can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the schematic which shows the ship control apparatus concerning the Example of this invention generally including a hull. FIG. 2 is a partially sectional enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows the shift position determination operation | movement of the electronic control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a sub-routine flowchart showing a forward control operation of the flowchart of FIG. 4, more specifically, a propeller pitch control operation. FIG. 5 is a sub-routine flowchart showing a pitch control operation during ship deceleration in the flowchart of FIG. 5. 6 is a time chart for explaining the processing of the flow chart.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing a ship control device according to the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 is a schematic view showing a ship control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention as a whole including a hull, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. It is an enlarged side view of an outboard motor.

  1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a ship. In the ship 1, an outboard motor 10 is mounted on a hull (hull) 12.

  The outboard motor 10 is attached to the stern (stern) 12 a of the hull 12 via the stern bracket 14 and the tilting shaft 16. As shown in FIG. 2, an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as “engine”) 18 is mounted on the outboard motor 10. The engine 18 is a spark ignition type water-cooled gasoline engine and has a displacement of 2200 cc. In the outboard motor 10, the engine 18 is located on the water surface and is covered by the engine cover 20.

  A throttle body 24 is connected to the intake pipe 22 of the engine 18. The throttle body 24 includes a throttle valve 26 inside, and a throttle electric motor 28 that opens and closes the throttle valve 26 is integrally attached thereto. The output shaft of the throttle electric motor 28 is connected to the throttle valve 26 via a reduction gear mechanism (not shown).

  A propeller 30 is attached to the lower portion of the outboard motor 10, and a propeller shaft 32 that is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis and transmits power from the engine 18 to the propeller 30 is disposed. Between the engine 18 and the propeller shaft 32, a transmission 34 having a plurality of shift stages such as first speed and second speed is inserted.

  The transmission 34 includes a transmission mechanism 36 that can switch a plurality of shift speeds, and a shift mechanism 38 that can switch the shift position to a forward position, a reverse position, and a neutral position. The speed change mechanism 36 includes an input shaft 40 connected to a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 18, a counter shaft 42 connected to the input shaft 40 via gears, and a plurality of gears to the counter shaft 42. The output shaft 44 is connected to a parallel shaft type stepped transmission mechanism arranged in parallel.

  The propeller 30 includes a plurality of blades 30a (only one is shown in FIG. 2) and a boss 30b that constitutes the main body of the propeller 30 and to which the blades 30a are attached. The propeller 30 is a variable pitch propeller, and is configured such that the pitch angle of each blade 30a (the angle of the blade 30a with respect to the traveling direction) can be changed. Therefore, by changing the pitch angle, the pitch of the propeller 30 (the distance (inches) that the ship 1 (the hull 12) travels while the propeller 30 makes one revolution) can be changed.

  In the propeller 30, the pitch (pitch angle) is changed by the transition shaft 50 connected to each blade 30 a of the propeller 30 and the hydraulic mechanism 52 that controls the operation of the transition shaft 50.

  The transition shaft 50 is composed of a piston rod inserted through the hollow propeller shaft 32 so as to be movable in the axial direction, and a piston 50 a is formed on one end side (right side in the drawing) of the transition shaft 50.

  A plurality of protrusions 50b (only one is shown in FIG. 2) projecting in the radial direction are provided on the outer peripheral surface in the vicinity of the distal end portion (the other end side) of the knot shaft 50. The protrusion 50b is configured to be able to fit into a groove formed in the lower portion of the blade shaft of each blade 30a.

  When the protrusion 50b moves in the axial direction along with the movement (expansion / contraction) of the knot shaft 50, the blade 30a moves (rotates) in a direction to change the pitch angle in conjunction with the movement of the protrusion 50b in the axial direction. . That is, the axial movement of the protrusion 50b is converted into the movement of the pitch angle of the blade 30a through the groove below the blade shaft.

  The hydraulic mechanism 52 includes a gear pump 52a, a pipe 52b connecting the gear pump 52a and the oil chamber 32a in the propeller shaft 32, a solenoid valve (electromagnetic valve) 52c for controlling the amount of hydraulic oil from the gear pump 52a, and the like.

  The gear pump 52 a is driven by a pump driving gear 52 d that is fixed to the outer periphery of the output shaft 44 and rotates together with the output shaft 44. Since the pump driving gear 52d is connected to the drive gear 52a1 in the gear pump 52a, when the pump driving gear 52d rotates, the drive gear 52a1 is also rotated accordingly. Further, when the drive gear 52a1 rotates, the driven gear 52a2 that meshes with the drive gear 52a1 is also rotated.

  The gear pump 52a sucks the working oil in the gear pump oil chamber 52a3 and discharges the sucked working oil from the opposite side when the drive gear 52a1 and the driven gear 52a2 mesh with each other while rotating. The hydraulic oil discharged from the gear pump 52a is supplied to the oil chamber 32a through the pipe 52b, and the piston 50a is moved leftward in the drawing by the supplied hydraulic oil.

  The solenoid valve 52c is provided in the pipe 52b and adjusts the discharge amount of the hydraulic oil from the gear pump 52a. Therefore, the pitch of the propeller 30 can be changed to a predetermined pitch by exciting (or demagnetizing) the solenoid of the solenoid valve 52c. The oil chamber 32a is provided with a piston position sensor 54 that generates an output indicating the position of the piston 50a. Therefore, the pitch of the propeller 30 can be calculated based on the output value of the piston position sensor 54.

  In the vicinity of the swivel case 56, a power tilt trim unit 58 capable of adjusting a tilt angle or a trim angle with respect to the hull 12 of the outboard motor 10 is disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a throttle opening sensor (throttle opening detecting means) 60 is attached in the vicinity of the throttle valve 26, and outputs a signal indicating the opening (throttle opening) TH of the throttle valve 26. A crank angle sensor (engine speed detection means) 62 is attached near the crankshaft of the engine 18 and outputs a pulse signal for each predetermined crank angle.

  The output of each sensor described above is input to an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “ECU”) 70 mounted on the outboard motor 10. The ECU 70 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and is disposed inside the engine cover 20 of the outboard motor 10.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, a steering wheel 74 and a shift / throttle lever 76 that can be operated by a ship operator (not shown) are disposed near the cockpit 72 of the hull 12. The shift / throttle lever 76 can be swung back and forth with respect to the hull 12 from the initial position, and inputs an engine speed instruction including a forward / backward instruction from the ship operator and an acceleration / deceleration instruction to the engine 18. .

  A shift position sensor 78 is mounted in the vicinity of the shift / throttle lever 76, and a signal (signal corresponding to the rotation angle of the rotation shaft of the shift / throttle lever 76) SHPS according to the operation of the shift / throttle lever 76 by the vessel operator. Output. The outputs of these sensors are also input to the ECU 70.

  The ECU 70 and each sensor are communicatively connected by a communication method (for example, NMEA2000, specifically CAN (Controller Area Network)) standardized by, for example, NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association).

  The ECU 70 controls the operation of the electric motor 28 for throttle, the pitch angle of the transmission 34, the propeller 30 and the like based on the input sensor output. The control device for the ship 1 according to this embodiment is an operation system. It consists of a DBW (Drive By Wire) system device in which the mechanical connection between the steering wheel 74 and the shift / throttle lever 76 and the outboard motor 10 is cut off.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the shift position determination operation of the ECU 70. The illustrated program is executed by the ECU 70 at predetermined intervals.

  In the following, first, in S (step) 10, the shift position is detected based on the output value (output voltage) SHPS of the shift position sensor 78. Specifically, based on the output value SHPS of the shift position sensor 78, it is determined whether the shift position is forward (forward), neutral (neutral), or reverse (reverse). In this embodiment, for example, when the output value SHPS of the shift position sensor 78 is 2V or less, it is determined to be reverse, when it exceeds 2V, but when it is 3V or less, neutral, when it exceeds 3V, it is determined to be forward.

  When the output value SHPS of the shift position sensor 78 exceeds 3V in the process of S10, it can be determined that the shift position is forward. Therefore, the process proceeds to S12, and forward control, that is, forward control is executed. On the other hand, when the output value SHPS of the shift position sensor 78 exceeds 2V but is 3V or less, since the shift position can be determined to be neutral, the process proceeds to S14 to execute neutral control, that is, neutral control. Further, when the output value SHPS of the shift position sensor 78 is 2 V or less, the shift position can be determined to be reverse, so that the process proceeds to S16 and reverse control, that is, reverse control is executed. Since neutral control and reverse control are not directly related to the present invention, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a sub-routine flowchart showing a forward control operation, more specifically, a propeller pitch control operation.

  First, in S100, it is determined whether or not the bit of the gear IN pitch change flag is set to 1. The gear IN pitch change flag is a flag that is set to 1 when the pitch becomes the acceleration standby pitch after the shift position is set to forward and geared in. The acceleration standby pitch means a pitch at which the ship 1 is brought into a very low speed navigation speed state (acceleration standby state), in other words, a pitch at which the navigation speed of the ship 1 becomes a low speed of, for example, 5 knots or less like a trolling speed. Accordingly, at the acceleration standby pitch, the ship 1 advances only slightly with respect to the rotation of the propeller 30 (in this embodiment, the acceleration standby pitch is 5 inches).

  Since the bit of the gear IN pitch change flag is reset to 0 in the first program loop, the result of S100 is negative and the process proceeds to S102, the pitch is changed to the acceleration standby pitch, and the process proceeds to S104, where the gear IN pitch change flag is set. Set the bit to 1.

  When the bit of the gear IN pitch change flag is set to 1, the next program loop is affirmed in S100 and proceeds to S106, and a predetermined time (unit time) of the throttle opening TH is determined based on the output value of the throttle opening sensor 60. For example, a change amount ΔTH per 500 msec) is calculated, and it is determined whether or not the calculated change amount ΔTH exceeds ΔTH0 (| ΔTH0 | corresponds to the first predetermined value).

  Since S106 is a process for determining (determining) whether or not the ship 1 is decelerating, that is, whether or not the throttle opening TH has changed by a predetermined amount in the closing direction, ΔTH0 is a negative value (for example, − 0.5 deg). In the first program loop, since the ship 1 is usually not in a decelerating state, the result in S106 is negative, that is, it is determined that the change amount ΔTH exceeds ΔTH0, the process proceeds to S108, and the bit of the accelerating flag is reset to 0. to decide. The accelerating flag is a flag for determining whether or not the ship 1 is in an accelerating state, and is reset to 0 when the ship 1 is not accelerating, and is set to 1 when accelerating.

  In the first program loop, since the bit of the acceleration flag is reset to 0, the result in S108 is affirmative and the process proceeds to S110, and the acceleration state of the ship 1 is determined based on the change amount ΔTH of the throttle opening TH.

  Specifically, the state in which the ship 1 is not accelerating at all, that is, the amount of change ΔTH of the throttle opening TH is 0 deg, or the state in which the ship 1 is slowly accelerating (gradual acceleration), that is, the amount of change ΔTH is 0 deg. It is judged (determined) whether it is in a state of exceeding ΔTH1 (for example, 5 deg) or the vessel 1 is in a rapid acceleration state, that is, the amount of change ΔTH is in a state of ΔTH1 or more.

  When it is determined in S110 that the ship 1 is not accelerating at all, the subsequent processing is terminated. On the other hand, when the ship 1 is determined to be in the slow acceleration state, the process proceeds to S112 and the bit of the slow acceleration pitch switching flag is set. Whether or not is 0 is determined. The slow acceleration pitch switching flag is a flag that is set to 1 when the ship 1 is in the slow acceleration state and the pitch is the optimum fuel economy pitch. The optimum fuel efficiency pitch means a pitch at which the maximum fuel efficiency at a certain speed is obtained, that is, a pitch that emphasizes fuel efficiency, and is determined to be, for example, 19 inches by experiments.

  When the result in S112 is affirmative, that is, when it is determined that the bit of the slow acceleration pitch switch flag is reset to 0, the process proceeds to S114, the pitch is changed to the optimum fuel efficiency pitch, and then the process proceeds to S116. The bit is set to 1 and the process is terminated. When the bit of the slow acceleration pitch switching flag is set to 1, in the next program loop, the result is negative in S112 and proceeds to S118, and the throttle opening TH is fully opened based on the output value of the throttle opening sensor 60 (fully opened or in the vicinity thereof). It is determined whether the same applies to the following.

  When the result in S118 is negative, the process ends. When the result is positive, the process proceeds to S120, and the pitch is changed to the movement efficiency optimum pitch. The movement efficiency optimum pitch means a pitch with the best movement efficiency of the ship 1, in other words, a pitch at which the maximum speed can be easily obtained. Specifically, it means a pitch at which the speed of the ship 1 is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed (more specifically, the maximum speed or the vicinity thereof) when the ship 1 is sailed at the engine speed at which the output of the engine 18 is maximum. .

  For example, in the case of an engine that exhibits the maximum output at 6000 rpm, the ship 1 is navigated at 6000 rpm, and the navigation speed of the ship 1 is measured while changing the pitch to 10 inches, 11 inches, 12 inches, and so on. Then, the pitch at which the navigation speed is maximized is specified, and this is set as the movement efficiency optimum pitch. In this embodiment, the optimum pitch for moving efficiency is, for example, 17 inches.

  In the flow chart of FIG. 5, when the change amount ΔTH is equal to or greater than ΔTH1 in S110, that is, when the ship 1 is determined to be in the rapid acceleration state, the process proceeds to S122, and the bit of the acceleration flag is set to 1. If the bit of the acceleration flag is set to 1, in the next program loop, the result of S108 is negative and the program proceeds to S124, in which it is determined whether or not the bit of the acceleration initial pitch switching flag is reset to 0. The acceleration initial pitch switching flag is a flag that is set to 1 when the pitch is the optimum acceleration pitch.

  Since the acceleration initial pitch switching flag is set to 0 in the first program loop, the result is affirmative in S124 and proceeds to S126. After changing the pitch to the optimum acceleration pitch, the processing proceeds to S128 and the bit of the acceleration initial pitch switching flag is set to 1. Set and finish the process.

  The optimum acceleration pitch is a pitch at which the navigation acceleration of the ship 1 is increased, specifically, a pitch at which the acceleration performance of the ship 1 is most exhibited, and more specifically, the maximum torque of the engine 18 is generated. It means a pitch at which the acceleration of the ship 1 is greater than or equal to a predetermined acceleration (specifically, the maximum acceleration or its vicinity) when the ship 1 is navigated at the engine speed. Therefore, for example, in the case of the engine 18 that exhibits the maximum torque at 4500 rpm, the ship 1 is navigated at 4500 rpm, the pitch at which the acceleration is most obtained at that time is specified, and the specified pitch is determined as the optimum acceleration pitch (for example, 14 inches). And

  When the bit of the acceleration initial pitch switch flag is set to 1, in the next program loop, the result in S124 is negative and the program proceeds to S130, where it is determined whether or not the throttle opening TH is fully opened.

  When the result in S130 is negative, the program proceeds to S132 and the pitch is changed to the optimum acceleration pitch. When the result is affirmative, the program proceeds to S134 and it is determined whether or not the pitch is less than the optimum moving efficiency pitch.

  When the result in S134 is affirmative, the program proceeds to S136, and the pitch is increased at a predetermined rate (the pitch angle is changed so that the pitch is increased at a predetermined rate). Specifically, for example, the pitch is increased based on an increase amount determined so that the pitch increases by 1 inch per second.

  When the pitch is gradually increased in S136 and the pitch reaches the movement efficiency optimum pitch, the next program loop is negative in S134 and proceeds to S138, and the pitch is changed (maintained) to the movement efficiency optimum pitch.

  Further, when the result in S106 is affirmative, that is, when it is determined that the change amount ΔTH of the throttle opening TH is equal to or less than ΔTH0, the ship 1 is in a decelerating state, so the process proceeds to S140 and the pitch control during ship deceleration is executed.

  FIG. 6 is a sub-routine flowchart showing the pitch control operation during ship deceleration.

  First, in S200, it is determined whether or not the change amount ΔTH of the throttle opening TH is equal to or less than ΔTH10 (| ΔTH10 | corresponds to a second predetermined value). S200 is a process for determining the degree of deceleration of the ship 1, and ΔTH10 is set to, for example, −5 deg. Accordingly, when the result in S200 is affirmative, that is, when the amount of change ΔTH in the throttle opening TH is determined to be equal to or less than ΔTH10, the degree of deceleration of the ship 1 is determined (determined) as rapid deceleration, while in S200, the throttle opening is negative. When it is determined that the amount of change ΔTH in TH exceeds ΔTH10 (more accurately, when ΔTH10 (−5 deg) is exceeded and ΔTH0 (−0.5 deg) or less (S106)), the degree of deceleration of the ship 1 is moderate. Judgment (determination) of deceleration (slow deceleration).

  If it is negative in S200, that is, if it is determined that the ship 1 is in a slow deceleration state, the process proceeds to S202, and it is determined whether or not the engine speed NE detected based on the output value of the crank angle sensor 62 is equal to or less than a predetermined speed NE1. . The predetermined rotational speed NE1 is the engine rotational speed at which the hull resistance (resistance from the water surface received during navigation) is maximized, for example, 3000 rpm. The predetermined rotational speed NE1 is determined by experiment and is different for each ship.

  When the result in S202 is negative, the process ends. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S204, in which it is determined whether the pitch exceeds the acceleration optimum pitch.

  If the result in S204 is affirmative, that is, if the pitch exceeds the acceleration optimum pitch, the routine proceeds to S206, where the pitch is decreased at a predetermined rate (the pitch angle is changed so that the pitch is decreased at a predetermined rate). Specifically, for example, the amount of reduction in each program loop is determined so that the pitch is reduced by 1 inch per second.

  When the pitch is gradually decreased in S206 and the pitch reaches the optimum acceleration pitch, the next program loop is negative in S204 and proceeds to S208 to determine whether the throttle opening TH is equal to or less than a predetermined opening TH1 (for example, 10 deg). To do.

  When the result in S208 is negative, the process ends. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S210, and the bits of the acceleration flag, the acceleration initial pitch switching flag, and the slow acceleration pitch switching flag are reset to 0, and then the process proceeds to S212. Change the pitch to the acceleration standby pitch.

  Further, when the result in S200 is affirmative, that is, when it is determined that the change amount ΔTH of the throttle opening TH is ΔTH10 or less, the routine proceeds to S214, and it is determined whether or not the throttle opening TH is TH1 or less. When the result in S214 is negative, the process proceeds to S202. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S216, and the bits of the acceleration flag, the acceleration initial pitch switching flag, and the slow acceleration pitch switching flag are reset to zero. Next, in S218, the pitch is changed to the acceleration standby pitch.

  As described above, when the ship 1 is in the slow deceleration state (No in S200) and the engine speed NE is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined speed NE1 (Yes in S202), the pitch is decreased to the optimum acceleration pitch at a predetermined rate ( By gradually decreasing), it is possible to prepare for reacceleration during slow deceleration. That is, by setting the pitch in consideration of re-acceleration during slow deceleration, it is possible to immediately re-accelerate even during slow deceleration and even when the engine speed NE is equal to or less than the predetermined speed NE1.

  On the other hand, when the ship 1 is in a sudden deceleration state (Yes in S200) and the throttle opening TH is determined to be equal to or less than the predetermined opening TH1 (S214), the pitch is immediately changed to the acceleration standby pitch, so The ship 1 can be promptly brought to the trolling speed (slow speed navigation state). That is, an operation that causes the ship 1 to decelerate suddenly means that the operator's intention to stop the ship 1 immediately or reduce it to a speed close to that (the trolling speed) is estimated. The speed of the ship 1 is reduced by changing the pitch. As described above, according to the present invention, since the optimum pitch can be selected according to the deceleration state of the ship 1, the traveling performance of the ship 1 can be improved.

  FIG. 7 is a time chart for explaining a part of the above-described processing. (A) illustrates processing when the ship 1 is in a slow deceleration state, and (b) illustrates processing when the boat 1 is in a rapid deceleration state. It is a time chart.

  First, the processing when it is assumed that the ship 1 has entered a slow deceleration state as shown in FIG. 7A will be described. The ship 1 has an engine rotational speed NE6350 rpm, a throttle opening TH fully open, and a pitch of 17 inches (optimum movement efficiency pitch). ), The throttle opening TH changes in the closing direction at the time t1 (the engine speed NE starts to decrease at this time), and the change amount ΔTH of the throttle opening TH exceeds -5 deg (ΔTH10). If it is calculated as −0.5 deg (ΔTH0) or less, the degree of deceleration of the ship 1 is determined to be a slow deceleration state (S106, S200).

  Thereafter, when the engine speed NE becomes 3000 rpm (NE1) or less at time t2, the pitch is decreased at a predetermined rate. Specifically, the pitch is controlled to decrease by 1 inch per second from 17 inches to 14 inches (acceleration optimum pitch) (S202 to S206).

  Thereafter, when the throttle opening TH becomes equal to or less than 10 deg (TH1) at time t3, the pitch is immediately changed to 5 inches (acceleration standby pitch), and the ship 1 is navigated at the trolling speed (slow-speed navigation state) (S208, S212). .

  Next, a process when it is assumed that the ship 1 is in a sudden deceleration state as shown in FIG. As in the case of FIG. 7A, the ship 1 is navigating at the highest speed with the engine speed NE6350 rpm, the throttle opening TH fully open, and the pitch 17 inches. At time t10, the throttle opening TH changes in the closing direction, and the throttle opens. When the change amount ΔTH of the degree TH is calculated to be −5 deg (ΔTH10) or less, the deceleration degree of the ship 1 is determined to be a sudden deceleration state (S200).

  After the degree of deceleration of the ship 1 is determined to be rapid deceleration, the pitch is immediately changed to 5 inches (acceleration standby pitch) when the throttle opening TH becomes 10 deg (TH1) or less (S214, S218).

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the control of the ship 1 in which the variable pitch propeller (propeller) 30 that is driven by the internal combustion engine (engine) 18 and can change the pitch is attached to the hull 12. In the apparatus, a throttle opening degree detecting means (throttle opening degree sensor) 60 for detecting a throttle opening degree TH of the internal combustion engine, and a deceleration for determining a degree of deceleration of the navigation speed of the ship based on the detected throttle opening degree. Since it is configured to include degree determination means (ECU 70. S106, S200) and pitch change means (ECU 70. S204, S206, S218) for changing the pitch of the variable pitch propeller based on the determined degree of deceleration. The optimum pitch can be selected by the variable pitch propeller 30 according to the deceleration state of the ship 1. , Therefore it is possible to improve the running performance of the boat 1.

  Further, the deceleration degree determination means has a change amount ΔTH in the closing direction per unit time of the detected throttle opening that is not less than a first predetermined value (| ΔTH0 |) and less than a second predetermined value (| ΔTH10 |). In this case, since the degree of deceleration is determined to be slow deceleration (ECU 70, S106, S200), it is determined whether or not the ship 1 is in a slow deceleration state, so that the ship 1 is in a slow deceleration state, particularly a slow deceleration state. Accordingly, the pitch can be selected, and thus the traveling performance of the ship 1 can be improved.

Further, the pitch changing means, when said degree of deceleration is determined to slow deceleration, changing the pitch of the variable pitch propellers so that Do navigation acceleration is equal to or higher than a predetermined acceleration of the ship, i.e., changes in acceleration optimum pitch (ECU 70. S204, S206). Therefore, when the speed is in the slow deceleration state, the pitch considering the re-acceleration can be used to immediately shift from the slow deceleration state to the acceleration state. Can be improved.

In addition, the engine speed detecting means (crank angle sensor) 62 for detecting the engine speed NE of the internal combustion engine is provided, and the pitch changing means determines that the deceleration degree is determined as slow deceleration and the detected speed is detected. when the engine speed is in a predetermined rotational speed NE1 below, the variable pitch of the pitch propeller sailing acceleration of the ship and as configured to change so that Do the predetermined acceleration or more (ECU70.S106, S200, S202, S204 , Therefore, even if the engine speed NE becomes equal to or less than the predetermined number NE1 in the slow deceleration state, the vehicle can immediately move to the acceleration state, and thus the traveling performance of the ship 1 can be improved.

  Further, the deceleration degree determination means determines that the deceleration degree is sudden deceleration when the detected amount of change in the closing direction per unit time of the throttle opening is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value (| ΔTH10 |). Since it is configured as described above (ECU 70. S200), it is possible to select the pitch according to the deceleration state of the boat 1 and sometimes the sudden deceleration state by determining whether or not the boat 1 is in the rapid deceleration state. Can be improved.

Further, the pitch changing means changes the pitch of the variable pitch propeller so that the vessel has a very low speed navigation speed close to a stopped state, that is, changes to an acceleration standby pitch when the deceleration degree is determined to be sudden deceleration. (ECU 70. S200, S218), so that when the vehicle is suddenly decelerating, the pitch is set so that the navigation speed becomes the trolling speed, so that the vessel 1 can be promptly shifted to the very low speed navigation speed close to the stop state. Therefore, the traveling performance of the ship 1 can be improved.

Further, the pitch changing means determines that the degree of deceleration is rapid deceleration, and when the detected throttle opening is equal to or less than a predetermined opening TH1, the ship changes the pitch of the variable pitch propeller to the slow navigation speed. (ECU 70. S200, S214, S218), it is possible to more appropriately determine whether or not the ship 1 is in a sudden deceleration state, and when the ship 1 is in a sudden deceleration state, the ship 1 is close to a stopped state. It is possible to promptly shift to a very low speed, and thus the traveling performance of the ship 1 can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the description has been given based on the example in which the outboard motor 10 is mounted as the ship 1. However, the ship 1 is not necessarily limited to this, and is configured by, for example, an inboard motor. Also good.

  In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that the optimum fuel efficiency pitch is obtained through experiments. Specifically, first, the optimum movement efficiency pitch is specified, and then the most efficient fuel consumption is achieved by gradually changing the pitch from the optimum movement efficiency pitch. Choose a good pitch. In the embodiment, the optimum fuel efficiency pitch is 2 inches larger than the optimum movement efficiency pitch, but this is an experiment that the best fuel efficiency is obtained when the optimum fuel efficiency pitch is increased by 2 inches from the optimum movement efficiency pitch. This is because of this. However, how much the optimum fuel efficiency pitch is increased with respect to the optimum movement efficiency pitch also depends on the specifications of the propeller 30. Therefore, what is increased by 2 inches from the optimum movement efficiency pitch does not necessarily become the optimum fuel efficiency pitch. .

  In the above-described embodiments, TH1, ΔTH0, ΔTH10, NE1, acceleration standby pitch, fuel efficiency optimal pitch, movement efficiency optimal pitch, acceleration optimal pitch, and the like are shown as specific numerical values. Is not to be done.

  1 ship, 12 hull, 18 engine (internal combustion engine), 30 propeller (variable pitch propeller), 60 throttle opening sensor (throttle opening detecting means), 62 crank angle sensor (engine speed detecting means), 70 ECU (electronic Control unit: Deceleration degree judgment means, pitch change means)

Claims (5)

In a ship control device that is driven by an internal combustion engine and has a variable pitch propeller capable of changing the pitch attached to the hull, a throttle opening detecting means for detecting a throttle opening of the internal combustion engine, and the detected A deceleration degree determining means for determining a degree of deceleration of the navigation speed of the ship based on a throttle opening; and a pitch changing means for changing a pitch of the variable pitch propeller based on the determined degree of deceleration. The degree determination means determines that the degree of deceleration is slow deceleration when the amount of change in the closing direction per unit time of the detected throttle opening is greater than or equal to a first predetermined value and less than a second predetermined value, and the pitch When the deceleration degree is determined to be slow deceleration, the changing means changes the pitch of the variable pitch propeller so that the navigation acceleration of the ship is equal to or greater than a predetermined acceleration. Controller of vessels and changes so as to.   The engine speed detecting means for detecting the engine speed of the internal combustion engine is provided, and the pitch changing means determines that the degree of deceleration is a slow deceleration, and the detected engine speed is equal to or less than a predetermined speed. The ship control device according to claim 1, wherein the pitch of the variable pitch propeller is changed so that a navigation acceleration of the ship is equal to or greater than the predetermined acceleration.   The deceleration degree determining means determines that the deceleration degree is a sudden deceleration when the amount of change in the closing direction per unit time of the detected throttle opening is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value. Item 3. A ship control device according to item 1 or 2.   The pitch changing means changes the pitch of the variable pitch propeller so that the vessel has a very low speed navigation speed close to a stop state when the degree of deceleration is determined to be sudden deceleration. Ship's control device.   The pitch changing means determines that the degree of deceleration is abrupt deceleration, and when the detected throttle opening is equal to or less than a predetermined opening, the pitch of the variable pitch propeller is set to be the slow speed of the ship. 5. The marine vessel control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

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