WO2015035522A1 - A steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units - Google Patents
A steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2015035522A1 WO2015035522A1 PCT/CA2014/050879 CA2014050879W WO2015035522A1 WO 2015035522 A1 WO2015035522 A1 WO 2015035522A1 CA 2014050879 W CA2014050879 W CA 2014050879W WO 2015035522 A1 WO2015035522 A1 WO 2015035522A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- propulsion unit
- steering
- joystick
- steering system
- marine vessel
- Prior art date
Links
- 238000003032 molecular docking Methods 0.000 title description 5
- 230000033001 locomotion Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 29
- 230000007935 neutral effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 241000380131 Ammophila arenaria Species 0.000 claims description 5
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 7
- 230000026058 directional locomotion Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009966 trimming Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
- B63H21/00—Use of propulsion power plant or units on vessels
- B63H21/21—Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels
- B63H21/213—Levers or the like for controlling the engine or the transmission, e.g. single hand control levers
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
- B63H—MARINE PROPULSION OR STEERING
- B63H25/00—Steering; Slowing-down otherwise than by use of propulsive elements; Dynamic anchoring, i.e. positioning vessels by means of main or auxiliary propulsive elements
- B63H25/42—Steering or dynamic anchoring by propulsive elements; Steering or dynamic anchoring by propellers used therefor only; Steering or dynamic anchoring by rudders carrying propellers
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a steering assembly for docking a marine vessel and, in particular, to a steering assembly for docking a marine vessel with at least three propulsion units.
- an operator may use a joystick to manoeuver and dock the marine vessel.
- the joystick allows the operator to manoeuver the marine vessel in a lateral direction, i.e. in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the marine vessel.
- This lateral directional movement is achieved by independently steering the propulsion units of the marine vessel to effect vector thrusting. For example, in a marine vessel provided with two propulsion units, shifting one of the propulsion units into reverse and simultaneously shifting the other propulsion unit into forward while selectively adjusting the steering angles of the propulsion units can cause the marine vessel to move in a lateral direction.
- the joystick controls both steering functions and shift and control functions during docking.
- Such conventional steering systems are also typically provided with a helm for steering the marine vessel on open water and a control lever for controlling shift and throttle functions on open water.
- a conventional steering system is disclosed in PCT International Application Publication Number WO 2013/123208 Al. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
- a steering system for a marine vessel having a first propulsion unit, a second propulsion unit, and a third propulsion unit.
- a tie bar couples a tiller of the third propulsion unit to the hydraulic actuator of the first propulsion unit.
- the tie bar imparts steering motion from the hydraulic actuator of the first propulsion unit to the tiller of the third propulsion unit.
- a joystick is used to input user steering commands to the steering system. Movement of the joystick actuates the said hydraulic actuators to impart steering motion to the first propulsion unit and the second propulsion unit.
- the third propulsion unit may be put in neutral when the joystick is used to input user steering commands.
- the third propulsion unit may also be trimmed up when the joystick is used to input user steering commands.
- the third propulsion unit may be turned off when the joystick is used to input user steering commands.
- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a marine vessel provided with a plurality of propulsion units and an improved steering system
- Figure 2 is a simplified top plan view of a joystick of the steering system of Figure 1 showing a guided plate inside the joystick and axes of movement of the joystick;
- Figure 3 is a perspective, fragmentary view of the propulsion units and the steering system of Figure 1 showing a center engine coupled to a starboard engine by a tie bar;
- Figure 4 is a table showing operating states of the propulsion units of the steering system of Figure 1 ; and Figure 5 is another table showing operating states of the propulsion units of the steering system of Figure 1.
- FIG. 1 shows a marine vessel 10 which is provided with a plurality of propulsion units in the form of three outboard engines, namely, a port engine 12, a center engine 14, and a starboard engine 16.
- the marine vessel 10 is also provided with a control station 18 that supports a steering wheel 20 mounted on a helm 22, a control head 24, and a joystick 26.
- the control station 18 is conventional and allows the port engine 12 and the starboard engine 16 to be steered using either the steering wheel 20 and the helm 22 or the joystick 26 as disclosed in PCT International Application Publication Number WO 2013/123208 Al which is incorporated herein by reference.
- Movement of the joystick 26 as described above signals a pump control module 25, shown in Figure 1 , which controls the output of hydraulic pumps 27 and 29 which respectively pump hydraulic fluid to hydraulic actuators 28 and 30, shown in Figure 3, of the port engine 12 and the starboard engine 16 based on the movement of the joystick 26. Steering motion is thereby imparted by the hydraulic actuators 28 and 30 to corresponding ones of the port engine 12 and the starboard engine 16.
- the center engine 14 is not provided with a corresponding hydraulic actuator. Instead a tiller 32 of the center engine 14 is coupled to the hydraulic actuator 30 of the starboard engine 16 by a tie bar 34.
- the tie bar 34 accordingly imparts steering motion from the hydraulic actuator 30 of the starboard engine 16 to the tiller 32 of the center engine 14.
- the center engine 14 is put in neutral and may be trimmed up to reduce drag of the center engine 14 in the water as shown in Figure 4. Trimming up the center engine 14 reduces the impact of the center engine 14 on marine vessel command performance when the joystick 26 is used to steer the port engine 12 and the starboard engine 16 during, for example, docking or other vector thrusting applications.
- the center engine 14 may be turned off and tilted out of the water as shown in Figure 5.
- Advantages of coupling the center engine 14 to the starboard engine 16 and putting the center engine 14 in neutral when using the joystick 26 to steer the marine vessel 10 may include: reducing wear in the steering system which results from wagging of the center engine which occurs in conventional steering systems; reducing performance issues found in conventional steering systems which result from conventional steering systems having to wait for the center engine to move before being able to steer the marine vessel in accordance with user inputted commands; reducing the number of components and complexity of the steering system as it is not necessary to provide the center engine with a hydraulic actuator and related components; and allowing for a center engine in situations where it is undesirable to provide the center engine with a hydraulic actuator due to physical constraints.
- While the steering system disclosed herein will either put the center engine 14 in neutral or turn off the center engine 14 when the marine vessel 10 is steered using the joystick 26, there are situations when the marine vessel 10 is steered using the joystick 26 in which it may be desirable to leave the center engine 14 in the water to assist marine vessel command performance. For example, it may be desirable to keep the center engine 14 in the water and in reverse if the starboard engine 16 is in reverse and the joystick 26 is being used to steer the marine vessel 10. Due to the center engine 14 being in the water at the same angle as the starboard engine 16, there may be a need for some asymmetry in the engine angle and/or engine thrust in the steering system to steer in one direction versus another.
- center engine is coupled to the starboard engine but that in other examples the center engine may be coupled to the port engine.
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Control Devices (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (6)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP14844342.7A EP3044089B1 (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2014-09-15 | A steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
CA2923776A CA2923776C (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2014-09-15 | A steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
US15/021,466 US9834293B2 (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2014-09-15 | Steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
AU2014321117A AU2014321117B2 (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2014-09-15 | A steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
US15/832,708 US10315748B2 (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2017-12-05 | Steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
AU2018278970A AU2018278970A1 (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2018-12-13 | A steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201361877907P | 2013-09-13 | 2013-09-13 | |
US61/877,907 | 2013-09-13 |
Related Child Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US15/021,466 A-371-Of-International US9834293B2 (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2014-09-15 | Steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
US15/832,708 Continuation US10315748B2 (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2017-12-05 | Steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO2015035522A1 true WO2015035522A1 (en) | 2015-03-19 |
Family
ID=52664891
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/CA2014/050879 WO2015035522A1 (en) | 2013-09-13 | 2014-09-15 | A steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (2) | US9834293B2 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3044089B1 (en) |
AU (2) | AU2014321117B2 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2923776C (en) |
WO (1) | WO2015035522A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9834293B2 (en) * | 2013-09-13 | 2017-12-05 | Marine Canada Acquisition Inc. | Steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
US9522302B2 (en) * | 2015-02-19 | 2016-12-20 | Herring Paul M | Flipper device and methods for using same |
US10232925B1 (en) * | 2016-12-13 | 2019-03-19 | Brunswick Corporation | System and methods for steering a marine vessel |
US11628920B2 (en) | 2021-03-29 | 2023-04-18 | Brunswick Corporation | Systems and methods for steering a marine vessel |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040005824A1 (en) | 2002-07-03 | 2004-01-08 | Zeiger Donald J. | Tie bar and mount for boat drives |
US20070093147A1 (en) * | 2005-10-25 | 2007-04-26 | Makoto Mizutani | Control unit for multiple installation of propulsion units |
WO2007105995A1 (en) * | 2006-03-16 | 2007-09-20 | Cpac Systems Ab | A marine propulsion control system and a vessel containing such a marine propulsion control system |
US20100305789A1 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2010-12-02 | Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha | Marine vessel control system, marine vessel propulsion system, and marine vessel |
US7993175B2 (en) * | 2006-11-20 | 2011-08-09 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Outboard motor control system |
WO2013122516A1 (en) * | 2012-02-14 | 2013-08-22 | Cpac Systems Ab | Use of center engine for docking |
WO2013123208A1 (en) | 2012-02-14 | 2013-08-22 | Marine Canada Acquisition, Inc. | A steering system for a marine vessel |
Family Cites Families (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7222577B2 (en) * | 2001-09-28 | 2007-05-29 | Robert A. Morvillo | Method and apparatus for controlling a waterjet-driven marine vessel |
US7056169B1 (en) * | 2004-06-21 | 2006-06-06 | Brunswick Corporation | Connection device for a marine propulsion system |
US7467595B1 (en) * | 2007-01-17 | 2008-12-23 | Brunswick Corporation | Joystick method for maneuvering a marine vessel with two or more sterndrive units |
US8170733B2 (en) * | 2008-05-13 | 2012-05-01 | Caterpillar Inc. | Vehicle control system and method |
JP5149139B2 (en) * | 2008-12-18 | 2013-02-20 | ヤマハ発動機株式会社 | Marine steering apparatus and ship equipped with the same |
US8777681B1 (en) * | 2010-12-17 | 2014-07-15 | Brunswick Corporation | Systems and methods for maneuvering a marine vessel |
US8430702B2 (en) * | 2011-03-25 | 2013-04-30 | Noam Davidson | Steering assembly for a marine vessel with vertically offset propulsion |
JP2013163438A (en) * | 2012-02-10 | 2013-08-22 | Yamaha Motor Co Ltd | Outboard motor control system |
US9834293B2 (en) * | 2013-09-13 | 2017-12-05 | Marine Canada Acquisition Inc. | Steering assembly for docking a marine vessel having at least three propulsion units |
US9481435B1 (en) * | 2015-01-06 | 2016-11-01 | Brunswick Corporation | Assemblies for mounting outboard motors to a marine vessel transom |
-
2014
- 2014-09-15 US US15/021,466 patent/US9834293B2/en active Active
- 2014-09-15 WO PCT/CA2014/050879 patent/WO2015035522A1/en active Application Filing
- 2014-09-15 AU AU2014321117A patent/AU2014321117B2/en active Active
- 2014-09-15 CA CA2923776A patent/CA2923776C/en active Active
- 2014-09-15 EP EP14844342.7A patent/EP3044089B1/en active Active
-
2017
- 2017-12-05 US US15/832,708 patent/US10315748B2/en active Active
-
2018
- 2018-12-13 AU AU2018278970A patent/AU2018278970A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040005824A1 (en) | 2002-07-03 | 2004-01-08 | Zeiger Donald J. | Tie bar and mount for boat drives |
US20070093147A1 (en) * | 2005-10-25 | 2007-04-26 | Makoto Mizutani | Control unit for multiple installation of propulsion units |
WO2007105995A1 (en) * | 2006-03-16 | 2007-09-20 | Cpac Systems Ab | A marine propulsion control system and a vessel containing such a marine propulsion control system |
US7993175B2 (en) * | 2006-11-20 | 2011-08-09 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Outboard motor control system |
US20100305789A1 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2010-12-02 | Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha | Marine vessel control system, marine vessel propulsion system, and marine vessel |
WO2013122516A1 (en) * | 2012-02-14 | 2013-08-22 | Cpac Systems Ab | Use of center engine for docking |
WO2013123208A1 (en) | 2012-02-14 | 2013-08-22 | Marine Canada Acquisition, Inc. | A steering system for a marine vessel |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20160221659A1 (en) | 2016-08-04 |
US10315748B2 (en) | 2019-06-11 |
US9834293B2 (en) | 2017-12-05 |
EP3044089A1 (en) | 2016-07-20 |
AU2014321117A1 (en) | 2016-05-05 |
CA2923776C (en) | 2020-06-02 |
EP3044089A4 (en) | 2017-04-19 |
US20180093749A1 (en) | 2018-04-05 |
AU2014321117B2 (en) | 2018-09-13 |
CA2923776A1 (en) | 2015-03-19 |
AU2018278970A1 (en) | 2019-01-17 |
EP3044089B1 (en) | 2021-03-10 |
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