Boat and control method for same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11243538-B2
Application number	US-201616465646-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 2, 2016
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A positional sensor detects a current position and a current bearing of a boat body and outputs position information indicating the current position and the current bearing. A controller receives the position information. The controller determines a first target position of the boat body and a target bearing in the first target position. The controller calculates a bearing difference between the current bearing and the target bearing. The controller determines an offset amount of the first target position in response to the bearing difference or an outside disturbance. The controller determines a position spaced away by the offset amount from the first target position on a side toward the current position as a second target position. The controller generates an instruction signal to control a propulsion device so as to cause the boat body to arrive at the second target position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A boat comprising:
a boat body;
a propulsion device disposed in the boat body and that generates a propulsion force to move the boat body;
a positional sensor that detects a current position and a current bearing of the boat body and outputs position information indicating the current position and the current bearing; and
a controller configured or programmed to:
receive the position information;
determine a first target position of the boat body and a target bearing in the first target position;
calculate a bearing difference between the current bearing and the target bearing;
determine an offset amount of the first target position in response to the bearing difference or an outside disturbance;
determine a position spaced away by the offset amount from the first target position on a side toward the current position, as a second target position; and
control the propulsion device to cause the boat body to arrive at the second target position based on the offset amount of the first target position.

2. The boat according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to increase the offset amount in response to an increase in the bearing difference or the outside disturbance.

3. The boat according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to determine the offset amount based on a distance between a center of gravity and a bow of the boat body.

4. The boat according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a display that displays an environment map indicating a shape of a shore arrival location; and
an input that accepts an input of a shore arrival location on the environment map; wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to determine, as the first target position, the shore arrival location based on the input in the input.

5. The boat according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to determine a position spaced away from the shore arrival location by the offset amount in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to an edge of the shore arrival location, as the second target position.

6. The boat according to claim 5 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to determine the target bearing based on a direction along the edge of the shore arrival location.

7. The boat according to claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to determine the offset amount so as to be larger than a width of another boat docked in a vicinity of the shore arrival location.

8. The boat according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a receiver that receives trailer position information transmitted from a trailer and indicates a current position of the trailer, or a sensor that detects the current position of the trailer and obtains the trailer position information; wherein
the controller is configured or programmed to determine the current position of the trailer as the first target position.

9. The boat according to claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to determine a direction in line with an orientation of the trailer as the target bearing.

10. The boat according to claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to determine a position spaced away from the current position of the trailer by the offset amount in the direction in line with the orientation of the trailer, as the second target position.

11. The boat according to claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to:
determine a first offset amount in the direction in line with the orientation of the trailer in response to the bearing difference or the outside disturbance;
determine a second offset amount in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the orientation of the trailer in response to the bearing difference or the outside disturbance; and
determine a position spaced away from the current position of the trailer by the first offset amount in the direction in line with the orientation of the trailer, and spaced away by the second offset amount in the direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the orientation of the trailer, as the second target position.

12. The boat according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured or programmed to generate an instruction signal to control the propulsion device to cause the boat body to arrive at the first target position when a distance between the current position and the second target position is equal to or less than a predetermined distance threshold.

13. A control method for a boat comprising:
receiving position information indicating a current position and a current bearing of a boat body;
determining a first target position of the boat body and a target bearing in the first target position;
calculating a bearing difference between the current bearing and the target bearing;
determining an offset amount of the first target position in response to the bearing difference or an outside disturbance;
determining a position spaced away by the offset amount from the first target position on a side toward the current position, as a second target position; and
controlling a propulsion device mounted in the boat body to cause the boat body to arrive at the second target position based on the offset amount of the first target position.

14. The control method for a boat according to claim 13 , further comprising:
increasing the offset amount in response to an increase in the bearing difference or the outside disturbance.

15. The control method for a boat according to claim 13 , wherein the offset amount is determined based on a distance between a center of gravity and a bow of the boat body.

16. The control method for a boat according to claim 13 , further comprising:
displaying an environment map indicating a shape of a shore arrival location; and
accepting an input of a shore arrival location on the environment map; wherein
the shore arrival location input to the input is determined as the first target position.

17. The control method for a boat according to claim 16 , wherein
a position spaced away from the shore arrival location by the offset amount in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to an edge of the shore arrival location is determined as the second target position; and
the target bearing is determined based on a direction along the edge of the shore arrival location.

18. The control method for a boat according to claim 16 , wherein the offset amount is determined so as to be larger than a width of another boat docked in a vicinity of the shore arrival location.

19. The control method for a boat according to claim 13 , further comprising:
obtaining trailer position information indicating a current position of a trailer; wherein
the current position of the trailer is determined as the first target position.

20. The control method for a boat according to claim 19 , wherein
a direction in line with an orientation of the trailer is determined as the target bearing; and
a position spaced away from the current position of the trailer by the offset amount in the direction in line with the orientation of the trailer is determined as the second target position.

21. The control method for a boat according to claim 19 , wherein
a direction in line with an orientation of the trailer is determined as the target bearing; and
a first offset amount in the direction in line with the orientation of the trailer is determined in response to t

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Akuzawa Shu
• Aoki Hirotaka
• Ashida Yusuke

Classifications

• G05D1/0206 Primary

  specially adapted to water vehicles · CPC title

• B63B49/00

  Arrangements of nautical instruments or navigational aids (nautical measuring instruments G01C; radio navigation, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) · CPC title

• B63H25/04

  automatic, e.g. reacting to compass · CPC title