Abstract:
In a method for calibrating a system for controlling thrust and steering of a drive arrangement in a watercraft, the system includes an operating device adapted for indicating a requested direction of travel of the watercraft, the operating device being connected to a control unit for providing corresponding thrust and steering commands to the drive arrangement. The method includes receiving an activation command in the control unit, for beginning the calibration, detecting any movements of the operating device, storing values corresponding to the movements in the control unit together with corresponding thrust and steering values, and repeating the detecting step and the storing step until a termination command is received in the control unit, thereby using the stored values in subsequent operation of the operating device for indicating the direction of travel of the watercraft. An arrangement for calibrating a system for controlling thrust and steering of a drive arrangement in a watercraft is also provided.

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates to a method for calibrating a system for controlling thrust and steering of a drive arrangement in a watercraft, said system comprising an operating device adapted for indicating a requested direction of travel of said watercraft, the operating device being connected to a control unit for providing corresponding thrust and steering commands to said drive arrangement. 
     The invention also relates to an arrangement for calibrating a system for controlling thrust and steering of a drive arrangement in a watercraft, wherein said system comprises an operating device adapted for indicating a requested direction of travel of said watercraft, the operating device being connected to a control unit for providing corresponding thrust and steering commands to said drive arrangement. 
     When controlling a watercraft, for example in the form of smaller ships and leisure boats, there is a general need for arrangements which allow a precise control of the thrust and steering of the watercraft. In particular, there is a need for a arrangements providing accurate control of the watercraft during docking. In this regard, the term “docking” refers to a manoeuvre in which a watercraft is propelled towards a harbour, marina or pier in order to be landed and secured. 
     In certain situations, the docking manoeuvre can be quite difficult for the driver of the watercraft, for example when the watercraft must be landed with one of its sides towards the harbour, for example in a space between two other boats. Such a situation can be simplified if the watercraft is arranged to be propelled in the sideways direction, i.e. in a direction which is generally transverse to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft. 
     Such a sideways movement of a watercraft can be carried out if the watercraft is provided with two drive arrangements which are separately controllable, i.e. independently of each other. The drive arrangements can for example be in the form of conventional combustion engines which are connected to propellers. By shifting one of the engines into reverse and operating the other engine in forwards drive, while at the same time carefully adjusting the steering angles of the two propellers, the watercraft can be brought to move in a direction which is essentially transverse to its longitudinal direction. 
     A similar type of docking manoeuvre can also be obtained in watercraft provided with bow thrusters or stern thrusters. A bow thruster comprises a propeller which is mounted in the bow, generally transverse to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft, in order to generate a side force on the bow. In this manner, the watercraft can be more easily controlled when docking or maneuvering at low speeds. A similar arrangement, a so-called stern thruster, can be provided in the stern of a watercraft. 
     The patent document U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,335 discloses a device for controlling the direction of movement of a watercraft by separately controlling two steerable propellers. For example, the watercraft can be given a thrust in a lateral direction. 
     However, a docking manoeuvre requires a careful control of the steering and thrust of the engines. It should also be noted that the movements of a watercraft during docking are, to a large extent, determined by the position of the centre of rotation of the watercraft. The centre of rotation is an imaginary point which can be calculated for each watercraft and which defines a vertical axis about which the watercraft may rotate. The fact that the centre of rotation may vary for a certain watercraft means that a control command for steering the watercraft in a certain direction may not always correspond exactly to the direction of the operating device on which the control command is carried out. This problem is further emphasized through the fact that the efficiency for a twin-engine drive arrangement is different in the forwards drive of a propeller as compared with reverse operation. 
     Consequently, a problem with previously known control systems for watercraft is that they do not allow a steering, for example during docking, in which the movements of a manually operable steering control device correspond precisely to the actual direction of movement of the watercraft. In some cases, a manipulation of a steering control device along a direction which is transverse to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft may in fact lead to a curve-shaped course of travel of the watercraft. 
     It is desirable to provide a method and arrangement for calibrating an operating device for a watercraft, by means of which the above-mentioned problems can be solved, and which in particular gives an accurate and precise command over the direction of movement of a watercraft. 
     A method according to an aspect of the present invention comprises the following steps: receiving an activation command in the control unit, for beginning said calibration, detecting any movements of said operating device, storing values corresponding to said movements in the control unit together with corresponding thrust and steering values, and repeating said detecting step and said storing step until a termination command is received in the control unit, thereby using said stored values in subsequent operation of the operating device for indicating said direction of travel of the watercraft. 
     In an arrangement according to an aspect of the present invention, said control unit is adapted for receiving an activation command from said operating device, indicating a beginning of said calibration, and that said control unit is also adapted for detecting movements of said actuator, for storing values corresponding to said movements in the control unit together with corresponding thrust and steering values, and for repeating said detecting step and said storing step until a termination command is received in the control unit, thereby using said stored values in subsequent operation of the operating device for indicating said direction of travel of the watercraft. 
     By means of an aspect of the present invention, certain advantages are accomplished. For example, a docking function with the watercraft will be easier to be carried out by its driver, and will be perceived as more accurate. Also, the control unit may control this accurate docking function without having to make complicated calculations as regards the position of the centre of rotation of the watercraft. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       In the following, the invention will be described with reference to the appended drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a simplified top view of a watercraft being arranged in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a steering control device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematical top view showing an example of movements of a lever forming part of the control device; 
         FIGS. 4   a - c  are schematical illustrations of a calibration procedure according to the invention, and 
         FIG. 5  is a schematical view of an alternative type of watercraft in which the invention can be used. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a simplified top view of a watercraft  1  in which the present invention can be used. Generally, the invention can be used in any type of watercraft, such as larger commercial ships, smaller watercraft such as leisure boats and other types of water vehicles or vessels. The invention is particularly useful for small leisure boats, but it is nevertheless not limited to such type of water vehicle only. 
     As indicated schematically in  FIG. 1 , the watercraft  1  is designed with a bow  2  and a stern  3 . In the stern  3 , two drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are mounted. More precisely, the watercraft  1  is provided with a first drive arrangement  4  arranged at the port side and a second drive arrangement  5  arranged at the starboard side. The drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are generally of conventional kind, for example in the form of combustion engines or any other type of drive units suitable for marine applications. In this embodiment, the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are in the form of combustion engines, wherein the first drive arrangement  4  is arranged for driving a first propeller  6  and the second drive arrangement  5  is arranged for driving a second propeller  7 . 
     The two drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are independently steerable, which means that they are connected to and controllable by means of a control unit  8 , which is suitably in the form of a computerized unit for receiving commands from control and steering units, which are indicated schematically by means of reference numeral  9 . Such control and steering units are preferably constituted by throttle levers for the engines  4 ,  5  and a steering wheel. Such units are previously known as such, and for this reason they are not described in detail here. Based on received information from the control and steering units  9 , the control unit  8  is arranged to control the first drive arrangement  4  and the second drive arrangement  5  in a suitable manner to propel the watercraft  1  with a requested direction and thrust. 
     When driving the watercraft  1  under normal operating conditions at sea, i.e. cruising at a given speed, the control unit  8  will receive control commands from the control and steering units  9 . However, the driver of the watercraft  1  also has the option of controlling the watercraft  1  by means of a separate operating device  10 , preferably in the form of a so-called joystick, which constitutes a second control and steering unit for controlling thrust and steering of the watercraft  1 , i.e. the steering angles and engine speeds of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5 . The operating device  10  is primarily intended to be used during docking of the watercraft  1 , i.e. during a manoeuvre in which the driver of the watercraft  1  intends to steer it towards a given position at a harbour  11  for the purpose of landing the watercraft  1 . In particular, the operating device  10  is useful during a docking manoeuvre in which the watercraft  1  is to be steered in a sideways direction, as will be described below in greater detail. 
     The invention is generally not limited to be used with an operating device  10  in the form of a joystick, but can be used with other operating devices which are used to receive some form of input signal to indicate a requested course of travel. 
     The operating device  10  according to the embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to  FIG. 2 . As mentioned above, the operating device  10  comprises a housing  12  which holds a manually operable lever  13 , or a similar activation device. The lever  13  is freely movable in two directions x, y as indicated by means of broken lines in  FIG. 2 . The x direction is defined as being perpendicular to the y direction. The operating device  10  is electrically connected to the control unit  8  (see  FIG. 1 ) for the purpose of controlling the course and thrust of the watercraft  1 . This means that a given position of the lever  13  in the x and y directions is set by the driver of the watercraft  1  in order to choose a particular requested direction of movement of the watercraft  1  and a certain thrust of the watercraft  1 . More precisely, the direction to which the lever  13  points corresponding to the desired direction of movement of the watercraft  1 , and the inclination of the lever  13  correspond to the thrust provided by the drive arrangements  4 ,  5 . 
     Furthermore, according to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the lever  13  is arranged with an outer, rotatable section, which is indicated by means of reference numeral  13   a  in  FIG. 2 . This section  13   a  is arranged to be rotatable independently of the position and inclination of the lever  13 . The rotational movement takes place in a longitudinal direction defined as the z direction, i.e. a movement about an imaginary axis which is defined as an extension of the longitudinal direction of the lever  13 . The z direction is indicated in  FIG. 2  by means of a curved arrow. 
     Preferably, the rotatable section  13   a  can be rotated in either direction and is preferably also spring-biased so as to return to a neutral position when it is not rotated. 
     The control unit  8  is generally arranged to convert detected values corresponding to the actual position of the lever  13  (i.e. in the x and y directions) and the rotational position of the rotatable section  13   a  (i.e. in the z direction) into suitable control commands for a steering angle a and engine speed n for each of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5 . 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the longitudinal direction of the operating device  10  corresponds to the y direction, and also to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft  1 , as indicated by means of an arrow in  FIG. 2 . The x direction of the lever  13  corresponds to a direction which is generally transverse to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft  1 . 
     According to the described embodiment, the operating device  10  is intended to be used primarily during a docking manoeuvre. For this purpose, the operating device  10  is provided with a first activating device  14 , for example in the form of a push button, which will activate a mode of operation in which the operating device  10  is used (instead of the control and steering units  9  mentioned above). Consequently, by pushing the activating device  14 , the control unit  8  is set in “docking mode”, i.e. an operating mode in which the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are controlled by means of the operating device  10  only. By pushing on the first activating device  14  once again, the “docking mode” is terminated and the control and steering units  9  are used for operating the watercraft  1 . 
     In accordance with the embodiment, the operating device  12  is also provided with a second activating device  15 , preferably also in the form of a push button or a similar device. As will be described in greater detail below, the second activating device  15  is used during a calibration procedure according to the invention, i.e. for entering a “calibration mode”. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  again, a docking manoeuvre with the watercraft  1  will now be described. In particular, it will be described that the watercraft  1  is to be docked by steering it sideways towards the harbour  11 , i.e. in a direction generally transverse to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft  1 . This direction is indicated by means of an arrow in  FIG. 1 . Before carrying out the docking manoeuvre, the corresponding activating device  14  (see  FIG. 2 ) must be pressed so that “docking mode” is entered. This normally corresponds to a phase when the watercraft approaches its intended position at the harbour. 
     During docking as shown in  FIG. 1 , the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  should be set in an operating condition in which the first drive arrangement  4  is operated in forwards drive with a certain engine speed rvt, whereas the second drive arrangement  5  is operated in reverse with a certain engine speed n 2 . Here, it should be noted that the watercraft  1  has a particular imaginary vertical axis which constitutes the centre of rotation  16  of the watercraft  1 . During docking, the steering angles of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are set so that each direction of force extends through the above-mentioned centre of rotation  16 . As indicated in  FIG. 1 , the first drive arrangement  4  is arranged with a certain angle ai with reference to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft  1 , whereas the second drive arrangement is also arranged with a certain angle a 2  with reference to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft  1 . This means that the direction of force from each drive arrangement extends through the centre of rotation  16 , however with opposite directions as indicated with the broken lines in  FIG. 1  extending through the centre of rotation  16 . 
     The docking movement is obtained by manipulating the lever  13  (see  FIG. 2 ) on the operating device  10  in generally the same direction as the requested direction of movement of the watercraft  1 , i.e. to the right as regarded in  FIG. 1  and as indicated by an arrow in  FIG. 1 . This corresponds to movement of the lever  13  along the x direction as shown in  FIG. 2 . By operating the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  in opposite directions and with their respective force acting along a direction extending through the centre of rotation  16 , the watercraft  1  will now move sideways towards the harbour  10 . This is the direction which corresponds to the resulting force acting from the drive arrangements  4 ,  5 . 
       FIG. 3  shows in a simplified view, regarded from above, the pattern of movement of the lever  13 . When inclined towards either side, the lever  13  will be positioned within either a left side zone  17  or a right side zone  18 , which are delimited by means of broken lines in  FIG. 3 . When being positioned within any of these side zones  17 ,  18 , the rotatable section  13   a  can be rotated independently of the position of the lever  13 . 
     As an example only,  FIG. 3  shows the position of the lever  13 , when tilted to the right and slightly downwards, i.e. within the right side zone  18 . It should be mentioned that the left and right zones  13 ,  14  can be defined in other suitable ways than shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     According to the preferred embodiment, the lever  13  is used in the following manner during docking. Firstly, the operating device  10  is preferably used so that when moving the lever  13  in the x and y directions towards any of the sides (left or right), the engine speeds n 1 , n 2  of each of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are affected only, i.e. the angles a 1 , a 2  of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are not affected. Secondly, when the rotatable section  13   a  is rotated, the angles a 1 , a 2  are affected whereas the engine speeds n 1 , n 2  are not. 
     Consequently, the control unit  8  is arranged to control the engine speeds n 1 , r\ 2  to suitable values depending on the direction of the lever  13  in the x and y directions, and also to control the angles a 1 , a 2  to suitable values depending on the degree of rotation of the rotatable section  13   a . This means that during docking, the control unit  8  is arranged to convert the position of the lever  13  and its rotatable section  13   a  to suitable steering angles a and engine speeds n of the two drive arrangements  4 ,  5  to obtain a direction of travel of the watercraft  1  which corresponds to the actual physical direction of the lever  13 . However, as mentioned initially, the actual direction of travel of the watercraft  1  does not always correspond to the same direction of movement of the lever  13 . There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the centre of rotation  16  of the watercraft  1  may change continuously, for example depending on the load imposed on the watercraft  1  and the weight distribution along the watercraft  1  as a result thereof. Also, as regards the drive arrangements, the efficiency is normally different during operation in the forwards direction as compared with reverse operation. These factors may contribute to a situation in which the watercraft  1  will in fact not travel in the same direction as the direction to which the lever  13  points. For this reason, a calibration of the control unit  8  together with the operating device  10  and the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  can be carried out. This will now be described in detail with reference to  FIGS. 4   a - 4   e.    
     With reference initially to  FIG. 4   a , which shows a schematical top view of the operating device  10 , a calibration procedure according to the invention is initiated by pressing on the second activating device  15  (see  FIG. 2 ) for a predetermined time period, for example a few seconds. As a result, the system will enter the “calibration mode”. Although not shown in the drawings, the operating device  10  can optionally be provided with some type of indicator, for example an light emitting diode, in order to indicate to the driver that the “calibration mode” has been entered. 
     At this initial stage, the lever  13  is shown in an unaffected condition, which means that it is positioned in the centre of its range of movement, in which x=y=0. Also, the rotatable section  13   a  is not affected at this stage. 
     The purpose of the calibration is to ensure that a movement of the lever  13  in a direction as shown in  FIG. 4   b , i.e. straight to the right as indicated by an arrow, also corresponds to movement of the watercraft  1  in the same direction, i.e. straight to the right as shown  FIG. 1 . Since the operating device  10  has now entered the “calibration mode” after pushing on the second activating device  15 , the watercraft  1  is controlled by means of the lever  13  with the aim of steering the watercraft  1  in the intended direction (i.e. straight to the right, in this particular case). For this reason, the driver now starts the actual calibration by manually setting the lever  13  as shown in  FIG. 4   b , i.e. straight to the right. The watercraft now starts to move in generally the same direction. 
     The driver of the watercraft  1  now has to adjust the steering and thrust commands in order to compensate due to variations in the centre of rotation  16 , due to differences in efficiency of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  in forwards drive as compared with reverse drive, etc. Normally, this means that the lever  13  must be adjusted with small corrections as regards its inclination and direction during a certain time period. Also, the rotation of the rotatable section  13  can be adjusted during this stage. 
     As an example, shown in  FIG. 4   c , it can be assumed that during the calibration, the driver of the watercraft notices that the watercraft starts to rotate slightly. This movement of the watercraft can be counteracted by rotating the rotatable section  13 . In particular, since the amount of rotation of the rotatable section  13  affects the steering angles, such a rotation will cause the angles a 1 , a 2  of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  to be changed. The control unit  8  is arranged so as to change these angles a 1 , a 2  to suitable values so that the rotations is eliminated. Preferably, the control unit  8  is arranged to change the angles a 1 , a 2  with the same amount, for example by increasing the first angle a 1  from 15° to 20°, and by increasing the second angle a 2  also from 15° to 20°. The invention is of course not limited to such an example only. In principle, the control unit  8  can be programmed in any suitable manner so that the drive arrangement angles respond to movement of the rotatable section  13  in the desired manner so that rotation of the watercraft is eliminated. 
     After having eliminated the rotation of the watercraft, it may for example be assumed that the driver notices that the watercraft moves slightly diagonally, i.e. not straight to the right as desired. In such case, the lever  13  should be manipulated with a suitable direction and inclination in order to eliminate this tendency of diagonal movement. This is shown in  FIG. 4   d , which indicates that the lever has been moved by the driver in a certain direction as indicated as an example by means of a broken line. This is carried out while maintaining the rotation of the rotatable section  13   a . As mentioned above, the control unit  8  is arranged so that the movements of the lever in the x and y directions causes corresponding changes of the engine speeds n 1 , n 2 . Preferably, the control unit  8  is arranged to control the difference in engine speed, i.e. ?n=n 1 −n 2 , instead of the actual speeds n 1 , n 2  of each drive arrangement. The reason for this is that, normally, the drive arrangements present different efficiency in forward gear as compared with reverse gear. 
     Consequently, when the driver wishes to eliminate the diagonal movement of the watercraft, the lever  13  is moved in a suitable direction and, as a result, the control unit  8  will change the difference ?n in engine speed of the drive arrangements. For example, during movement of a watercraft straight to the side it may be suitable with an engine speed difference ?n which is of the magnitude 100-200 rpm. When the course is to be changed during calibration, as a result of any occurring, undesired, diagonal movement, it may be suitable to increase this difference ?n=n 1 −n 2 , which forces the watercraft to move forwards, or alternatively to decrease the difference ?n=n 1 −n 2 , which forces the watercraft rearwards. 
     Eventually, the driver has compensated for the various above-mentioned factors and has achieved a movement of the watercraft  1  which is more or less exactly along the course as originally intended. At this stage, the second activating device  15  is once again depressed. This is shown in  FIG. 4   e . This informs the control unit  8  of the fact that the course of the watercraft  1  is correct and that “calibration mode” is now terminated. During the course of the “calibration mode”, data from the operating device  10  regarding its position is transmitted to the control unit  8  and is also stored in the control unit  8 . In particular, values indicating the inclination and the direction of the lever  13 , and also values indicating the rotational position of the rotatable section  13   a , are stored in a generally continuous manner, suitably at a number of times per second. For each time these values are stored, further values are stored which correspond to the steering angles ai, a 2  of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5 . Also, values related to the engine speeds n 1 , n 2  of the drive arrangements  4 ,  5  are stored. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the difference in engine speed, i.e. ?n=n 1 −n 2  is also calculated as mentioned above. 
     The calibration process is maintained until the driver has obtained a direction of travel for the watercraft  1  which corresponds to the direction of the lever  13 . This means that a number of “adjustments” of course and speed are stored during this process. This means that each position of the lever  13 , including the rotatable section  13   a  during the “calibration mode”, and values representing the steering angles a 1 , a 2  and the engine speed difference ?n, are stored in the control unit  8 . The “calibration mode” is terminated by pressing on the second push button  15 . After that, the control unit  8  will use the stored information at subsequent occasions when docking is to be carried out. In particular, the next subsequent time the driver of the watercraft  1  activates the operating device  10  (by pressing on the first activating device  14 ), any movement straight to the right of the lever  13  will cause the control unit  8  to use the previously stored values of the steering angles a 1 , a 2  and the engine speed difference ?n which reflect the above-mentioned “adjustments” of the course. In this manner, a movement of the lever  13  in the correct direction will correspond exactly to the movement of the watercraft  1 . 
     It should be noted that the main cause of the problem on which the invention is based, i.e. that the direction of the actuator may not correspond to the direction of travel of the watercraft, is due to changes in the centre of rotation of the watercraft. However, by means of the invention, there is no need to actually calculate and update the position of the centre of rotation, which is a complicated matter. Instead, the necessary information related to the centre of rotation is provided in an experimental manner during the “calibration mode”. This is an important advantage of the invention. 
     Preferably, the control unit  8  is arranged to calculate suitable engine speeds and drive arrangement angles in the case when a subsequent docking is to be carried out in another direction than that direction in which the calibration process was carried out. This means that calibration only has to be carried out in one single direction. Data from that calibration process can be converted to new control commands (engine speeds, drive angles) which corresponds to any subsequent steering direction to be indicated by means of the lever  13 . 
     In  FIG. 5 , an alternative embodiment of the invention is described. This embodiment relates to a watercraft  1 ′ of the type which comprises a so-called bow thruster  19 , i.e. a drive arrangement with a propeller  20  which is mounted in the bow  2  in a manner which is generally transverse to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft. Suitably, the bow thruster  19  and its propeller  20  is mounted in a tunnel  21  which extends transverse to the longitudinal direction of the watercraft  1 ′. The purpose of the bow thruster  19  is to generate a side force on the bow  2  during docking. In this manner, the watercraft can be more easily controlled when docking or maneuvering at low speeds. 
     According to a further embodiment, which is not shown in the drawings, a similar arrangement can be provided in the stern of a watercraft, a so-called stern thruster. 
     The present invention can be implemented in watercraft comprising a bow thruster or a stem thruster, or in watercraft comprising both a bow thruster and a stern thruster. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the watercraft  1 ′ is provided with a bow thruster  19  and also with a rear-mounted single drive arrangement  6 ′. Such an arrangement can also be used for docking at a harbour  11 . However, with this particular drive system, the docking can only be carried out while travelling along a slightly diagonal direction, as shown in  FIG. 5 . This is due to the fact that the drive arrangement  6 ′ cannot normally be positioned to propel the watercraft in a direction straight to the side. 
     The above-mentioned principles relating to docking and the maneuvers during the “calibration mode” apply also to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     In particular, it can be noted that the rotatable section  13   a  of the lever  13  is used to control and counteract any tendency of rotation of the watercraft  1 ′, which is suitably carried out by controlling the speed of the propeller  20  of the bow thruster  19 . Also, a movement of the lever  13  in the x and y direction is used to control and counteract any undesired diagonal movement of the watercraft  1 ′, which is suitably obtained by controlling the angle of the rear drive arrangement  6 ′. 
     The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, but can be varied within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the invention is suitable for all watercraft which are provided with at least two independently controllable drive arrangements. Also, the operating device  10  can be implemented in other ways than as a joystick. Furthermore, the activating devices  14 ,  15  can be implemented by means of other components than push buttons.