Patent Description:
In recent years, with the aim of reducing the burden on a marine vessel operator, a marine vessel is configured to be able to set an autopilot mode, in which the marine vessel automatically holds its course or the marine vessel automatically maintains its traveling direction without the marine vessel operator having to operate a steering wheel or a remote controller. In addition, when a passenger fishes, the marine vessel is configured to also be able to set a fixed point holding mode, which automatically controls the movement of the marine vessel during the marine vessel is stopped so that the marine vessel keeps staying at one point (for example, see <CIT>). The prior art document <CIT> discloses a watercraft having a steering wheel attached to the vessel body so as to be rotatable about a steering shaft. The steering wheel is provided with a forward moving switch operated to start a forward moving mode to move the vessel body forward, a backward moving switch operated to start a backward moving mode to move the vessel body backward, a transversely leftward moving switch operated to start a transversely leftward moving mode to move the vessel body transversely leftward, and a transversely rightward moving switch operated to start a transversely rightward moving mode to move the vessel body transversely rightward. An on-the-spot bow turning switch is attached to the steering wheel. The on-the-spot bow turning switch is a switch to start an on-the-spot bow turning mode to turn the vessel body on the spot.

Conventionally, although automatic maneuvering switches that cause the marine vessel to shift to the autopilot mode and the fixed point holding mode, respectively, are provided on a panel or a joystick located at a maneuvering seat, since there is not much space for the panel or the joystick located at the maneuvering seat, providing the automatic maneuvering switches on the panel or the joystick located at the maneuvering seat will make it difficult to provide other switches, etc. on the panel or the joystick located at the maneuvering seat. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of flexibility in the layout of switches.

In addition, when shifting the marine vessel to the autopilot mode or the fixed point holding mode, since the marine vessel operator needs to operate the steering wheel with one hand and operate the automatic maneuvering switch provided on the panel or the joystick, which is located away from the steering wheel with the other hand, it is not easy for the marine vessel operator to operate the automatic maneuvering switch accurately. Therefore, there is also room for improvement in terms of operability of the switches.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a marine vessel equipped with steering mechanisms that can improve the flexibility in the layout of switches and also improve the operability of the switches.

According to the present invention said object is solved by a marine vessel having the features of independent claim <NUM>. Preferred embodiments are laid down in the dependent claims.

According to a preferred embodiment, a marine vessel includes a steering mechanism for the marine vessel. The steering mechanism for the marine vessel includes a steering wheel. The steering wheel includes shift switches that cause the marine vessel to shift to a course holding mode for holding a course of the marine vessel, and a traveling direction maintaining mode for maintaining a traveling direction of the marine vessel, respectively.

According to another preferred embodiment, a marine vessel includes a steering mechanism for the marine vessel. The steering mechanism for the marine vessel includes a steering wheel. The steering wheel includes shift switches that cause the marine vessel to shift to a position maintaining mode for keeping the marine vessel staying at a predetermined position, a bow direction maintaining mode for maintaining a bow direction of the marine vessel in a predetermined direction, and a fixed point holding mode for keeping the marine vessel staying at the predetermined position and maintaining the bow direction of the marine vessel in the predetermined direction, respectively.

According to the invention, a marine vessel includes a steering mechanism for the marine vessel. The steering mechanism for the marine vessel includes a steering wheel. The steering wheel includes a shift switch that causes the marine vessel to shift to at least one of a course holding mode for holding a course of the marine vessel, a traveling direction maintaining mode for maintaining a traveling direction of the marine vessel, a position maintaining mode for keeping the marine vessel staying at a predetermined position, a bow direction maintaining mode for maintaining a bow direction of the marine vessel in a predetermined direction, and a fixed point holding mode for keeping the marine vessel staying at the predetermined position and maintaining the bow direction of the marine vessel in the predetermined direction.

According to the preferred embodiments, the steering wheel includes the shift switches that cause the marine vessel to shift to the course holding mode, the traveling direction maintaining mode, the position maintaining mode, the bow direction maintaining mode, and the fixed point holding mode, respectively. As a result, since there is no need to necessarily provide the shift switches on the panel or the joystick, which is located at the maneuvering seat, it becomes easier to provide other switches on the panel or the joystick, which is located at the maneuvering seat, and the flexibility in the layout of the switches can be improved. In addition, since it is possible for the marine vessel operator to operate the shift switches without taking his/her hands off the steering wheel, the operability of the shift switches can also be improved. As a result, it is possible to not only improve the flexibility in the layout of the switches but also improve the operability of the switches.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

<FIG> is a perspective view of a marine vessel equipped with a steering mechanism for a marine vessel according to a preferred embodiment. A marine vessel <NUM> includes a hull <NUM>, and a plurality of, for example, two outboard motors <NUM> that function as marine vessel propulsion devices and are mounted on the hull <NUM>. It should be noted that the number of the outboard motors <NUM> provided in the marine vessel <NUM> is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more. The two outboard motors <NUM> are mounted side by side on the stern of the hull <NUM>. Each outboard motor <NUM> includes an engine (not shown) which is an internal combustion engine functioning as a power source, and obtains a thrust from a propeller (not shown) which is rotated by a driving force of the corresponding engine. It should be noted that each outboard motor <NUM> may include an electric motor functioning as the power source, or may include both an engine and an electric motor functioning as the power source.

In addition, in the marine vessel <NUM>, a maneuvering seat <NUM> is provided on the bow side, which is the front part of the hull <NUM>. <FIG> is a perspective view of a principal part of the maneuvering seat <NUM>. A steering mechanism <NUM> for a marine vessel (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "a marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM>"), a remote control switch <NUM>, a joystick <NUM>, a main operation unit <NUM>, an MFD (Multi Function Display) <NUM>, and an autopilot panel <NUM> are located on the maneuvering seat <NUM>.

The marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM> is a device for a marine vessel operator to determine the course of the marine vessel <NUM>. The marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM> includes a steering wheel <NUM> which can be rotatably operated. The marine vessel operator is able to turn the marine vessel <NUM> left or right by rotatably operating the steering wheel <NUM> left or right. The remote control switch <NUM> includes levers <NUM> corresponding to the outboard motors <NUM>, respectively. By operating each lever <NUM>, the marine vessel operator is able to switch a direction of the thrust generated by the corresponding outboard motor <NUM> between a forward moving direction and a backward moving direction, and adjust the output of the corresponding outboard motor <NUM> so as to adjust a vessel speed of the marine vessel <NUM>.

The joystick <NUM> can be operated to be tilted forward, backward, leftward and rightward, and can also be operated to rotate about an axis. By operating the joystick <NUM>, the marine vessel operator is able to navigate the marine vessel <NUM> with a course corresponding to a tilting direction of the joystick <NUM> and a thrust corresponding to a tilting amount of the joystick <NUM>. In a normal mode, the outboard motor <NUM> works mainly according to an operation of the marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM> and an operation of the remote control switch <NUM>. On the other hand, in a joystick mode, the outboard motor <NUM> works mainly according to the operation of the joystick <NUM>. It is possible to switch between the normal mode and the joystick mode by a change-over switch (not shown). In addition, the joystick <NUM> includes a plurality of shift switches (not shown) that cause the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to a plurality of fixed point holding modes, respectively. That is, one of the plurality of the shift switches located on the joystick <NUM> causes the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to one of the plurality of the fixed point holding modes.

The main operation unit <NUM> includes a main switch <NUM> and an emergency switch <NUM>. The main switch <NUM> (one main switch <NUM>) is provided in common for the outboard motors <NUM> (respective outboard motors <NUM>). The main switch <NUM> is an operation piece for collectively starting and collectively stopping the engines of the outboard motors <NUM> (the respective outboard motors <NUM>).

The MFD <NUM> is, for example, a color LCD display. The MFD <NUM> functions as a display that displays various kinds of information, and also functions as a touch panel that accepts inputs from the marine vessel operator. For example, the MFD <NUM> displays a rotation speed of the engine of each outboard motor <NUM> and the vessel speed of the marine vessel <NUM>, and accepts settings of the course of the marine vessel <NUM> in Track Point, which is one of autopilot modes described later.

A plurality of shift switches that cause the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to a plurality of autopilot modes, respectively, are located on the autopilot panel <NUM>. That is, one of the plurality of the shift switches located on the autopilot panel <NUM> causes the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to one of the plurality of the autopilot modes. The marine vessel operator is able to shift the marine vessel <NUM> to a desired autopilot mode by operating a desired shift switch.

<FIG> is a block diagram for schematically explaining a configuration of a marine vessel maneuvering system of the marine vessel <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, in addition to the outboard motors <NUM>, the marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM>, the remote control switch <NUM>, the joystick <NUM>, the main operation unit <NUM>, the MFD <NUM>, and the autopilot panel <NUM> that are described above, the marine vessel maneuvering system of the marine vessel <NUM> includes a GPS (Global Positioning System) <NUM>, an HS (Heading Sensor) <NUM>, a remote control ECU (Engine Control Unit) <NUM> functioning as a controller, SCUs (Steering Control Units) <NUM>, and a steering shaft sensor <NUM>.

The GPS <NUM> obtains the current position of the marine vessel <NUM> and transmits the current position of the marine vessel <NUM> to the remote control ECU <NUM> as position information. The HS <NUM> incorporates direction sensors (azimuth sensors) such as a yaw sensor, a roll sensor, and a pitch sensor, an acceleration sensor that measures an acceleration of the marine vessel <NUM> in a front-rear direction (a longitudinal direction), an acceleration sensor that measures an acceleration of the marine vessel <NUM> in a left/right direction, and an acceleration sensor that measures an acceleration of the marine vessel <NUM> in a vertical direction. The HS <NUM> transmits a direction of the marine vessel <NUM> and the respective accelerations (movement) of the marine vessel <NUM> to the remote control ECU <NUM>.

The remote control ECU <NUM> is a main controller of the marine vessel maneuvering system, and controls operations of respective components of the marine vessel maneuvering system according to digital signals that will be described later, and various kinds of programs. In addition, the remote control ECU <NUM> controls the engine of each outboard motor <NUM> according to the operation of each lever <NUM> of the remote control switch <NUM>. The SCU <NUM> is provided corresponding to each outboard motor <NUM>, and controls a steering unit (a steering mechanism) that horizontally turns the corresponding outboard motor <NUM> with respect to the hull <NUM> of the marine vessel <NUM> so as to change an acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM>. The steering shaft sensor <NUM> detects a rotation angle (an operation angle) of the steering wheel <NUM> of the marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM>.

In the marine vessel maneuvering system, the respective components are connected to each other by a CAN (Control Area Network) <NUM> that is a network in which a plurality of nodes are individually connected to a bus. In the CAN <NUM>, operation inputs to the respective components are transmitted as the digital signals to the remote control ECU <NUM> via the bus.

In addition, in the marine vessel maneuvering system, the remote control switch <NUM> is connected to the remote control ECU <NUM> not only by the CAN <NUM> but also by individual wiring (see a broken line in <FIG>), and the main operation unit <NUM> is connected to the remote control ECU <NUM> not by the CAN <NUM> but by individual wiring (see a broken line in <FIG>). The operation input to each lever <NUM> of the remote control switch <NUM> is transmitted also as an analog signal to the remote control ECU <NUM>, and the operation input to the main switch <NUM> of the main operation unit <NUM> and the operation input to the emergency switch <NUM> of the main operation unit <NUM> are also transmitted as analog signals to the remote control ECU <NUM>.

It should be noted that in the marine vessel maneuvering system, the respective components may be connected to each other not by the CAN but by a LAN (Local Area Network) such as Ethernet (registered trademark) that performs connecting via a network device, or the respective components may be directly connected to each other. Also in this case, the operation inputs to the respective components are transmitted as the digital signals to the remote control ECU <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view for explaining a configuration of the marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM>. <FIG> shows a case that the marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM> is viewed from the side of the marine vessel operator. It should be noted that a vertical direction and a left/right direction of <FIG> correspond to the vertical direction and the left/right direction of the marine vessel <NUM>, the depth side of <FIG> is the bow side of the marine vessel <NUM>, and the front side of <FIG> is the stern side of the marine vessel <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM> includes the steering wheel <NUM>, and a column portion <NUM> that pivotally and rotatably supports the steering wheel <NUM>. The steering wheel <NUM> includes a central portion <NUM> that is supported rotatably around a rotation fulcrum (a steering shaft) <NUM> with respect to the column portion <NUM>, a wheel portion <NUM> that has an annular shape, and for example, three spoke portions (spoke portions <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) that connect the central portion <NUM> and the wheel portion <NUM>.

When the steering wheel <NUM> is at a position that makes the marine vessel <NUM> move straight, the spoke portion <NUM> is positioned below a virtual plane <NUM> passing through the rotation fulcrum <NUM> and parallel to the left/right direction, and extends downward from the rotation fulcrum <NUM>.

Further, when the steering wheel <NUM> is at the position that makes the marine vessel <NUM> move straight, the spoke portion <NUM> is positioned above the virtual plane <NUM>, and extends from the rotation fulcrum <NUM> so as to be positioned within an angle range from <NUM>° to <NUM>° clockwise with respect to the virtual plane <NUM> in a circumferential direction about the rotation fulcrum <NUM> (within an angle range indicated by θ1 in <FIG>), preferably, so as to be positioned within an angle range from <NUM>° to <NUM>° clockwise with respect to the virtual plane <NUM> in the circumferential direction about the rotation fulcrum <NUM> (within an angle range indicated by θ2 in <FIG>).

Furthermore, when the steering wheel <NUM> is at the position that makes the marine vessel <NUM> move straight, the spoke portion <NUM> is positioned above the virtual plane <NUM>, and extends from the rotation fulcrum <NUM> so as to be positioned within an angle range from <NUM>° to <NUM>° counterclockwise with respect to the virtual plane <NUM> in the circumferential direction about the rotation fulcrum <NUM> (within an angle range indicated by θ3 in <FIG>), preferably, so as to be positioned within an angle range from <NUM>° to <NUM>° counterclockwise with respect to the virtual plane <NUM> in the circumferential direction about the rotation fulcrum <NUM> (within an angle range indicated by θ4 in <FIG>).

In the preferred embodiment, there are a plurality of autopilot modes and a plurality of fixed point holding modes, to which the marine vessel <NUM> can shift. For example, the marine vessel <NUM> is able to shift to Course Hold (a course holding mode) which is one of the plurality of the autopilot modes, or Heading Hold (a traveling direction maintaining mode) which is one of the plurality of the autopilot modes. Furthermore, the marine vessel <NUM> is able to shift to Fish Point (a position maintaining mode) which is one of the plurality of the fixed point holding modes, Drift Point (a bow direction maintaining mode) which is one of the plurality of the fixed point holding modes, or Stay Point which is one of the plurality of the fixed point holding modes. It should be noted that Fish Point, Drift Point and Stay Point are all registered trademarks.

As shown in <FIG>, in the Course Hold which is the autopilot mode, when the marine vessel <NUM> navigates, the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> are controlled so that the marine vessel <NUM> follows a set course <NUM> even when subjected to external disturbances <NUM> such as wind and water currents. It should be noted that in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, an arrow included in the marine vessel <NUM> indicates the acting direction of the thrust. Furthermore, as shown in <FIG>, in the Heading Hold which is the autopilot mode, when the marine vessel <NUM> navigates, the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> are controlled so that the marine vessel <NUM> maintains a set heading (a set bow direction) even when subjected to the external disturbances <NUM> such as the wind and the water currents.

As shown in <FIG>, in the Drift Point which is the fixed point holding mode, when the marine vessel <NUM> is stopped, the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> are controlled so that the marine vessel <NUM> maintains the set heading (the set bow direction) even when subjected to the external disturbances <NUM> such as the wind and the water currents. It should be noted that in the Drift Point, the movement of the marine vessel <NUM> is not actively restricted and the movement of the marine vessel <NUM> due to the external disturbances <NUM> is allowed. Furthermore, as shown in <FIG>, in the Fish Point which is the fixed point holding mode, in the case that the marine vessel <NUM> is stopped, when the marine vessel <NUM> is subjected to the external disturbances <NUM> such as the wind and the water currents, the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> are controlled so that the bow or the stern of the marine vessel <NUM> is opposed to the flow of the wind and the water currents and the marine vessel <NUM> stays at one point (one spot). Moreover, as shown in <FIG>, in the Stay Point which is the fixed point holding mode, when the marine vessel <NUM> is stopped, the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> are controlled so that the marine vessel <NUM> maintains the set heading (the set bow direction) and the marine vessel <NUM> stays at one point (one spot) even when subjected to the external disturbances <NUM> such as the wind and the water currents.

In the preferred embodiment, shift switches that cause the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the autopilot modes described above and the fixed point holding modes described above, respectively, are located on the steering wheel <NUM>.

Returning to <FIG>, the spoke portion <NUM> of the steering wheel <NUM> is provided with a heading hold switch <NUM> (the shift switch) that causes the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the Heading Hold. In addition, the spoke portion <NUM> of the steering wheel <NUM> is provided with a course hold switch <NUM> (the shift switch) that causes the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the Course Hold. In particular, it is preferable that the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM> are located within a range that fingers of the marine vessel operator who is gripping the wheel portion <NUM>, for example, thumbs, can reach. It should be noted that the heading hold switch <NUM> may be located on the spoke portion <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM> may be located on the spoke portion <NUM>.

In the marine vessel <NUM> that is navigating, sometimes the marine vessel operator grips the wheel portion <NUM> while standing, at that time, since the marine vessel operator holds the wheel portion <NUM> from above, the marine vessel operator grips the upper half of the wheel portion <NUM>, particularly grips the vicinity where the wheel portion <NUM> intersects the spoke portions <NUM> and <NUM>. Therefore, in the case that the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM> are located within the range that the thumbs of the marine vessel operator who is gripping the wheel portion <NUM> can reach, since the marine vessel operator is able to operate the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM> with his or her thumbs without regripping the wheel portion <NUM>, the operability of the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM> is improved.

When the heading hold switch <NUM> or the course hold switch <NUM> is operated, specifically, when the heading hold switch <NUM> or the course hold switch <NUM> is pressed down, in the CAN <NUM>, the operation input to the heading hold switch <NUM> or the course hold switch <NUM> operated (pressed down) is transmitted as the digital signal to the remote control ECU <NUM>. In order to realize the Course Hold or the Heading hold, the remote control ECU <NUM> transmits control signals to each SCU <NUM> and an ECU (Engine Control Unit) (not shown) of each outboard motor <NUM> to control the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM>. After the marine vessel <NUM> shifts to the autopilot mode, when the marine vessel operator operates the heading hold switch <NUM> or the course hold switch <NUM> again, or rotates the wheel portion <NUM> by a predetermined amount or more, the autopilot mode is released.

Furthermore, in the case of shifting the marine vessel <NUM> to the Heading hold or the Course Hold, although the marine vessel <NUM> is often navigating at a high speed, for example, at about <NUM> knots, in the preferred embodiment, it is possible for the marine vessel operator to operate the heading hold switch <NUM> or the course hold switch <NUM> without taking his/her hands off the wheel portion <NUM>. Therefore, when the marine vessel operator shifts the marine vessel <NUM> to the autopilot mode, the marine vessel operator is able to keep holding the wheel portion <NUM> of the marine vessel <NUM> navigating at the high speed, and as a result, it is possible to easily maintain the course of the marine vessel <NUM>.

In addition, in the preferred embodiment, it is possible to perform a fine adjustment of the course of the marine vessel <NUM> in the autopilot mode. As shown in <FIG>, with respect to the set course <NUM>, it is possible to slightly change the course of the marine vessel <NUM> toward the starboard direction or the port direction. In order to change the course of the marine vessel <NUM>, when the wheel portion <NUM> is rotated, as described above, since there is a possibility that the autopilot mode will be released, in the preferred embodiment, the fine adjustment of the course of the marine vessel <NUM> is performed with switches. These switches are located on the steering wheel <NUM>. Specifically, in the spoke portion <NUM>, within the range that the fingers of the marine vessel operator who is gripping the wheel portion <NUM>, a heading changing switch <NUM> (a course adjusting switch) that finely adjusts the course of the marine vessel <NUM> toward the port direction is located so as to be adjacent to the heading hold switch <NUM>. Further, in the spoke portion <NUM>, within the range that the fingers of the marine vessel operator who is gripping the wheel portion <NUM>, a heading changing switch <NUM> (a course adjusting switch) that finely adjusts the course of the marine vessel <NUM> toward the starboard direction is located so as to be adjacent to the course hold switch <NUM>. It should be noted that in the spoke portion <NUM>, the heading changing switch <NUM> may be located on a range other than the range that the fingers of the marine vessel operator who is gripping the wheel portion <NUM>. Also, it should be noted that in the spoke portion <NUM>, the heading changing switch <NUM> may be located on a range other than the range that the fingers of the marine vessel operator who is gripping the wheel portion <NUM>.

When the heading changing switch <NUM> or the heading changing switch <NUM> is operated, specifically, when the heading changing switch <NUM> or the heading changing switch <NUM> is pressed down, in the CAN <NUM>, the operation input to the heading changing switch <NUM> or the heading changing switch <NUM> operated (pressed down) is transmitted as the digital signal to the remote control ECU <NUM>. In order to slightly change the course of the marine vessel <NUM>, the remote control ECU <NUM> transmits control signals to each SCU <NUM> and the ECU (not shown) of each outboard motor <NUM> to control the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM>. It should be noted that the remote control ECU <NUM> changes a change amount of the course of the marine vessel <NUM> according to the number of times of operations of the heading changing switch <NUM> or the heading changing switch <NUM>. Specifically, as the number of times of the operations of the heading changing switch <NUM> increases, the change amount of the course of the marine vessel <NUM> toward the port direction is increased. In addition, as the number of times of the operations of the heading changing switch <NUM> increases, the change amount of the course of the marine vessel <NUM> toward the starboard direction is increased.

Since the heading changing switch <NUM> and the heading changing switch <NUM> are located adjacent to the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM>, respectively, the marine vessel operator is able to operate the heading changing switch <NUM> and the heading changing switch <NUM> without regripping the wheel portion <NUM>, and as a result, the operability of the heading changing switch <NUM> and the heading changing switch <NUM> is improved. In particular, in the marine vessel <NUM> that has shifted to the autopilot mode and is navigating at the high speed, since the marine vessel operator is able to change the course of the marine vessel <NUM> without taking his/her hands off the wheel portion <NUM>, it is possible to further enhance the operability of the heading changing switch <NUM> and the heading changing switch <NUM>.

In addition, since the heading changing switch <NUM> which finely adjusts the course of the marine vessel <NUM> toward the port direction is located on the spoke portion <NUM> which is located on the port side when the steering wheel <NUM> is at the position that makes the marine vessel <NUM> move straight, and the heading changing switch <NUM> which finely adjusts the course of the marine vessel <NUM> toward the starboard direction is located on the spoke portion <NUM> which is located on the starboard side when the steering wheel <NUM> is at the position that makes the marine vessel <NUM> move straight, when the marine vessel operator wants to slightly change the course of the marine vessel <NUM> toward a desired direction, the marine vessel operator just needs to operate the heading changing switch for the desired direction. Therefore, the marine vessel operator is able to intuitively navigate the marine vessel <NUM> by using the heading changing switch, and as a result, the burden on the marine vessel operator can be reduced.

In addition, in the preferred embodiment, as the autopilot modes, the marine vessel <NUM> can shift not only to the Course Hold and the Heading Hold, but also, for example, to the Track Point and Pattern Steer. As shown in <FIG>, in the Track Point, a course <NUM> is set to pass through waypoints <NUM> and <NUM>, which are set in advance by the marine vessel operator, for example, in the MFD <NUM>, and the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> are controlled so that the marine vessel <NUM> navigates along the course <NUM>. Furthermore, as shown in <FIG>, in the Pattern Steer, the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> are controlled so that the marine vessel <NUM> navigates according to a navigating pattern, which is set in advance by the marine vessel operator, for example, in the MFD <NUM>. In <FIG>, although a spiral pattern that continues spiral movement is set as the navigating pattern, a zigzag pattern that continues zigzag movement can also be set as the navigating pattern.

Although there are no dedicated switches, which cause the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the Track Point and the Pattern Steer, respectively, on the steering wheel <NUM>, as described above, since the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM> transmit the digital signals according to the operation inputs to the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM>, it is possible to assign shifting to the Track Point and shifting to the Pattern Steer to these digital signals. Accordingly, by operating the heading hold switch <NUM> or the course hold switch <NUM>, it is possible to shift the marine vessel <NUM> to the Track Point or the Pattern Steer. For example, in the MFD <NUM>, the marine vessel operator is able to change assigning of functions to the digital signals transmitted by the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM>.

Also, the functions of the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM> may be switched according to the operation of a switch <NUM> located on the spoke portion <NUM> of the steering wheel <NUM>. Specifically, each time the switch <NUM> is operated, the function of the heading hold switch <NUM> may be switched between shifting to the Heading Hold and shifting to the Track Point. In addition, each time the switch <NUM> is operated, the function of the course hold switch <NUM> may be switched between shifting to the Course Hold and shifting to the Pattern Steer.

It should be noted that since the course of the marine vessel <NUM> is changed in the Track Point and the Pattern Steer, it is preferable to avoid shifting to the Track Point due to carelessness of the marine vessel operator and shifting to the Pattern Steer due to carelessness of the marine vessel operator. In response to this, it is preferable to set so that the marine vessel <NUM> does not shift to the Track Point or the Pattern Steer unless the heading hold switch <NUM> or the course hold switch <NUM> is operated (is pressed down) for a predetermined period of time or longer.

In addition, a fish point switch <NUM> (the shift switch) that causes the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the Fish Point, a stay point switch <NUM> (the shift switch) that causes the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the Stay Point, and a drift point switch <NUM> (the shift switch) that causes the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the Drift Point are located on the spoke portion <NUM> of the steering wheel <NUM>.

When the fish point switch <NUM>, the stay point switch <NUM> or the drift point switch <NUM> is operated, specifically, when the fish point switch <NUM>, the stay point switch <NUM> or the drift point switch <NUM> is pressed down, in the CAN <NUM>, the operation input to the fish point switch <NUM>, the stay point switch <NUM> or the drift point switch <NUM> operated (pressed down) is transmitted as the digital signal to the remote control ECU <NUM>. In order to realize the Fish Point, the Stay Point or the Drift Point, the remote control ECU <NUM> transmits control signals to each SCU <NUM> and the ECU of each outboard motor <NUM> to control the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> and the acting direction of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM>.

Operations of the fish point switch <NUM>, the stay point switch <NUM> and the drift point switch <NUM> are disabled unless becoming a state that each lever <NUM> of the remote control switch <NUM> is positioned at N (neutral) and the engine of each outboard motor <NUM> is disconnected from the propeller by a clutch or the like.

After the marine vessel <NUM> shifts to the fixed point holding mode, when the marine vessel operator operates the fish point switch <NUM>, the stay point switch <NUM> or the drift point switch <NUM> again, or moves the position of each lever <NUM> of the remote control switch <NUM> from N (neutral) to another position, the fixed point holding mode is released.

As described above, in the marine vessel <NUM> that is navigating, since the marine vessel operator grips the vicinity where the wheel portion <NUM> intersects the spoke portions <NUM> and <NUM>, the fingers of the marine vessel operator cannot reach the spoke portion <NUM> extending downward from the rotation fulcrum <NUM>. Therefore, during the marine vessel <NUM> is navigating, the marine vessel operator will not erroneously operate the fish point switch <NUM>, the stay point switch <NUM>, and the drift point switch <NUM>, which are assumed to be operated when the marine vessel <NUM> is navigating at a low speed or during the marine vessel <NUM> is stopped. In addition, since the fish point switch <NUM>, the stay point switch <NUM>, and the drift point switch <NUM> are located at places where it is difficult to operate during the marine vessel <NUM> is navigating, the marine vessel operator is able to intuitively understand that these switches are assumed to be operated when the marine vessel <NUM> is navigating at the low speed or during the marine vessel <NUM> is stopped.

In addition, in the preferred embodiment, it is possible to set a level of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> generated to adjust the position of the marine vessel <NUM> in the fixed point holding mode, for example, it is possible to set the level of the thrust generated by each outboard motor <NUM> in order to keep the marine vessel <NUM> staying at one point in the Fish Point. In the preferred embodiment, the level of the thrust is set with two switches. These two switches are also located on the steering wheel <NUM>. Specifically, a thrust level setting switch <NUM>, which decreases the level of the thrust, is located on the spoke portion <NUM>, and a thrust level setting switch <NUM>, which increases the level of the thrust, is located on the spoke portion <NUM>.

When the thrust level setting switch <NUM> or the thrust level setting switch <NUM> is operated, specifically, when the thrust level setting switch <NUM> or the thrust level setting switch <NUM> is pressed down, in the CAN <NUM>, the operation input to the thrust level setting switch <NUM> or the thrust level setting switch <NUM> operated (pressed down) is transmitted as the digital signal to the remote control ECU <NUM>. The remote control ECU <NUM> changes the level of the thrust of each outboard motor <NUM> generated in the fixed point holding mode. It should be noted that the remote control ECU <NUM> changes the level of the thrust according to the number of times of operations of the thrust level setting switch <NUM> or the thrust level setting switch <NUM>. Specifically, as the number of times of the operations of the thrust level setting switch <NUM> increases, the level of the thrust generated in the fixed point holding mode is increased. In addition, as the number of times of the operations of the thrust level setting switch <NUM> increases, the level of the thrust generated in the fixed point holding mode is decreased.

According to the preferred embodiment, the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> that cause the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the autopilot modes and the fixed point holding modes, respectively, are located on the steering wheel <NUM>. This eliminates the need for the marine vessel operator to operate the automatic maneuvering switch provided on the panel or the joystick, which is located away from the steering wheel <NUM>, in order to shift the marine vessel <NUM> to the autopilot mode or the fixed point holding mode. In particular, since the heading hold switch <NUM> and the course hold switch <NUM> are located within the range that the fingers of the marine vessel operator who is gripping the wheel portion <NUM>, the marine vessel operator is able to shift the marine vessel <NUM> to the autopilot mode without taking his/her hands off the wheel portion <NUM> of the steering wheel <NUM>. As a result, it is possible to improve the operability of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

Furthermore, during the marine vessel <NUM> is navigating, although the steering wheel <NUM> often comes into the field of view of the marine vessel operator, in the preferred embodiment, since the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are located on the steering wheel <NUM>, it is also possible to improve the visibility of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

Moreover, in the preferred embodiment, since the shift switches that cause the marine vessel <NUM> to shift to the autopilot modes and the fixed point holding modes, respectively, do not necessarily have to be located on the panel or the joystick, which is located at the maneuvering seat <NUM>, it is possible to provide other switches on the panel or the joystick, which is located at the maneuvering seat <NUM>, and as a result, it is possible to improve the flexibility in the layout of the other switches. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, the marine vessel maneuvering system of <FIG> can be constructed on the marine vessel <NUM> only by providing the marine vessel steering mechanism <NUM> including the steering wheel <NUM> on the marine vessel <NUM> without providing the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> on the panel or the joystick, which is located at the maneuvering seat <NUM>, and it is possible to easily realize the autopilot modes and the fixed point holding modes.

In consideration of the preferred embodiment, arrangement places of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are not limited to the spoke portions <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, are an example, and at least one of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be located on the column portion <NUM>, the central portion <NUM>, or the wheel portion <NUM>. Similarly, arrangement places of the heading changing switches <NUM> and <NUM>, and the thrust level setting switches <NUM> and <NUM> may be the column portion <NUM>, the central portion <NUM>, or the wheel portion <NUM>.

Further, each of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be provided with an indicator indicating that the marine vessel <NUM> has shifted to the corresponding mode according to the operation input. For example, each of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is provided with a small lighting unit (for example, an LED lamp), and when the each of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is operated and the marine vessel <NUM> shifts to the corresponding mode, the lighting unit lights up. Alternatively, each of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is provided with a backlight unit, and when the each of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> is operated and the marine vessel <NUM> shifts to the corresponding mode, light emitted from the backlight unit transmits through a printed portion (for example, a character string "STAY POINT") of the each of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the printed portion emits light. This allows the marine vessel operator to easily understand whether or not the marine vessel <NUM> has shifted to a desired mode.

It should be noted that regardless of whether or not the shift switch is operated, the printed portion of each of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be illuminated by the backlight unit. In this case, it is possible to improve the visibility of the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the marine vessel <NUM> navigating at dusk or at night.

Furthermore, as shown in <FIG>, instead of the wheel portion <NUM> that has the annular shape, the steering wheel <NUM> Steering wheel <NUM>, on which the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are located, may be provided with handlebars <NUM> and <NUM>, which are located on the right and the left, respectively. In this case, the heading hold switch <NUM>, the heading changing switch <NUM>, and the thrust level setting switch <NUM> are located on a spoke portion <NUM> that connects the handlebar <NUM> located on the port side and the central portion <NUM>, and the course hold switch <NUM>, the heading changing switch <NUM>, and the thrust level setting switch <NUM> are located on a spoke portion <NUM> that connects the handlebar <NUM> located on the starboard side and the central portion <NUM>.

In addition, since the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the heading changing switches <NUM> and <NUM>, and the thrust level setting switches <NUM> and <NUM> transmit the digital signals according to the operation inputs to the shift switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the heading changing switches <NUM> and <NUM>, and the thrust level setting switches <NUM> and <NUM>, it is possible to assign respective switches to functions other than the functions described above by associating the digital signals with other functions. For example, it is possible to assign a lateral movement mode toward the port direction to the heading changing switch <NUM> and assign a lateral movement mode toward the starboard direction to the heading changing switch <NUM>. In addition, it is possible to assign a dock hold mode toward the port direction to the heading hold switch <NUM> and assign a dock hold mode toward the starboard direction to the course hold switch <NUM>. It should be noted that the marine vessel operator is able to assign other functions to respective switches by using, for example, the MFD <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) comprising:
a steering mechanism (<NUM>) configured for steering the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>),
the steering mechanism (<NUM>) comprises a steering wheel (<NUM>), wherein
the steering wheel (<NUM>) comprises at least one shift switch (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) that is configured to cause the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) to shift to at least one of a course holding mode for holding a course of the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>), a traveling direction maintaining mode for maintaining a traveling direction of the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>), a position maintaining mode for keeping the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) staying at a predetermined position, a bow direction maintaining mode for maintaining a bow direction of the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) in a predetermined direction, and a fixed point holding mode for keeping the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) staying at the predetermined position and maintaining the bow direction of the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) in the predetermined direction, characterised in that
the steering wheel (<NUM>) further comprises course adjusting switches (<NUM>, <NUM>) configured for control of finely adjusting the course of the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) navigating in the course holding mode or the traveling direction maintaining mode shifted by each of the shift switches (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), and
the course adjusting switches are two course adjusting switches (<NUM>, <NUM>) provided corresponding to a port and a starboard of the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>), respectively,
the course adjusting switch (<NUM>) for changing the course toward the starboard is located on a starboard side of the steering wheel (<NUM>) when the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) is in a straight moving state,
the course adjusting switch (<NUM>) for changing the course toward the port is located on a port side of the steering wheel (<NUM>) when the marine vessel (<NUM>, <NUM>) is in the straight moving state, and
when the marine vessel operator rotates a wheel portion (<NUM>) having an annular shape of the steering wheel (<NUM>) by a predetermined amount or more in the course holding mode or the traveling direction maintaining mode, the course holding mode or the traveling direction maintaining mode is released.