ELECTRIC PROPULSION SYSTEM FOR VESSEL STABILIZATION WITH FORCE FEEDBACK TO JOYSTICK

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to a marine vessel stabilization. In particular aspects, the disclosure relates to a marine drive system and method therein for marine vessel stabilization. Although the disclosure may be described with respect to a particular marine vessel, the disclosure is not restricted to any particular marine vessel.

BACKGROUND

A marine vessel is subject to forces from the sea, such as waves that act on the hull of the vessel. These forces may cause both pitch motion and roll motion, which may be undesired. Propoising, for instance, is a sustained, repetitive motion that causes a boat's bow to bounce up and down out of the water, even in calm waters. While porpoising can be merely uncomfortable for passengers, it can also cause loss of control, which may result in injury or damage to the structure of the boat.

Active stabilizer systems based on fins, trim plates, and so-called interceptors, are known and may be used to mitigate these pitch and roll motions by the hull of a boat. The active stabilizer systems may be activated by a user, or automatically activated, when deemed needed, e.g. during rougher sea conditions, higher speeds or for improved control during mooring or in a harbour, etc. Other than this there is no real interaction between the active stabilizer systems and the user.

At various instances, there is an advantage having an increased user interaction with active stabilizer systems on-board a marine vessel, e.g. for educational purposes or simply understand how the marine vessel behaves during certain conditions.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of embodiments herein, a marine drive system for marine vessel stabilization is disclosed. The marine drive system comprises at least one electric drive unit arranged to generate a thrust power for propulsion of the marine vessel. The marine drive system also comprises at least one trim actuator arranged to control the thrust elevation angle of the at least one electric drive unit. Further, the marine drive system comprises a control unit arranged to adjust the thrust power of the at least one electric drive unit and the thrust elevation angle of the at least one trim actuator in order to obtain desired stabilizing pitch and roll movements of the marine vessel, wherein the control unit is connected to a steering control device of the marine vessel, the control unit being arranged to generate a force feedback by the steering control device based on the applied adjustments of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle.

The first aspect of the disclosure may seek to provide a marine drive system that increases the user interaction with active stabilizer systems on-board a marine vessel. A technical benefit may include that an improved user understanding of how an active stabilizer systems on-board a marine vessel operate.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the control unit is arranged to provide a force feedback signal to the steering control device based on the applied adjustments of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle. Here, a technical benefit may include that a wired or wireless connection may be used to by the control unit to generate the force feedback by the steering control device, e.g. an electrical or radio frequency signal may be transferred to from the control unit to the steering control device and used by the steering control device to control its force feedback to a user.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the steering control device comprises one or more actuators arranged to generate the force feedback of the steering control device based on the received force feedback signal from the control unit. Here, a technical benefit may include that the actuators in the steering control device may here be customized to control the force feedback to a user in way adapted to convey the operation of the active stabilizer systems on-board the marine vessel, e.g. by imitating or reflecting the movements of at least one trim actuator caused by the applied adjustments of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle of the at least one electric drive unit.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the steering control device is arranged to provide an adjustment signal of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle for the control unit overriding the applied adjustments of the control unit in response to an user applying a force larger than a pre-set value to the steering control device. Here, a technical benefit may include that a user is able to, in a easy and direct manner, determine and apply different adjustments of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle of the at least one electric drive unit than the control unit. This may, for example, be useful for training purposes or for a user anticipating certain conditions that the hull of the vessel is about to be subjected to that the control unit is unaware of.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the steering control device is arranged to provide an on or off signal for the force feedback to the control unit in response to user input to the steering control device. Here, a technical benefit may include that a user may turn the generated force feedback on or off depending on different situations or conditions.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the steering control device comprises one or more joysticks. Here, a technical benefit may include that the movements of at least one trim actuator caused by the applied adjustments of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle of the at least one electric drive unit may easily be imitated or reflected in the joystick movements, and thus provide an intuitive user interface.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the steering control device comprises a throttle control lever. Here, a technical benefit may include that the movements of at least one trim actuator caused by the applied adjustments of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle of the at least one electric drive unit may easily be imitated or reflected in the throttle control lever, e.g. by left/right vibrating buttons or grips. One advantage here is that it is common for a user of a marine vessel to grip with one hand on a steering wheel while keeping the other hand gripping the throttle control lever, which provides for a more intuitive user interface in that this hand position is kept while the generated force feedback is presented to the hand gripping the throttle control lever.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the steering control device comprises one or more control paddles or pads. Here, a technical benefit may include that paddles or pads may be a very effective way of generating force feedback to a user that is very intuitive, e.g. left/right trim corresponding paddles/pads, that does not distract the user while steering the marine vessel. These can also be positioned in such a way that the normal steering hold of the user is not changed from the conventional steering hold.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the one or more control paddles or pads are arranged on a throttle control lever, a joystick or a steering wheel of the steering control device. Here, a technical benefit may include that the one or more control paddles or pads are positioned in such a way that the normal steering hold of the user is not changed from the conventional steering hold.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the steering control device comprises a main control device and a secondary control device, wherein the secondary control device provides a separate trim actuator control and is arranged to receive a force feedback signal from the control unit based on the applied adjustments of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle. Here, a technical benefit may include that the secondary control device may be more easily and flexibly be implemented on the marine vessel by, for example, being connected to an pre-existing main control device of the marine vessel.

According to a second aspect of embodiments herein, a computer-implemented method in a marine drive system for stabilizing a marine vessel is disclosed. The method comprises determining adjustments of the thrust power of at least one electric drive unit of the marine drive system and the thrust elevation angle of at least one trim actuator in order to obtain desired stabilizing pitch and roll movements of the marine vessel. The method also comprises generating a force feedback by a steering control device based on the determined adjustments.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method comprises providing, to the steering control device, a force feedback signal based on the applied adjustments of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method comprises receiving, from the steering control device, an adjustment signal of the thrust power and the thrust elevation angle for the control unit overriding the applied adjustments of the control unit.

Optionally in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the method comprises receiving, from the steering control device, an on or off signal for the force feedback.

According to a third aspect of embodiments herein, a computer program product comprising program code for performing, when executed by processing circuitry of the control unit, the method as described above is disclosed.

According to a fourth aspect of embodiments herein, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform the method as described above is disclosed.

According to a fifth aspect of embodiments herein, a marine vessel comprising a marine drive system as described above is disclosed.

The above aspects, accompanying claims, and/or embodiments disclosed herein above and later below may be suitably combined with each other as would be apparent to anyone of ordinary skill in the art.

Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the following description, claims, and drawings, and in part will be readily apparent therefrom to those skilled in the art or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages of the embodiments will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art by the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A-1C shows an example marine vessel with a marine drive system.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a marine drive system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart depicting a method in a marine drive system for stabilizing a marine vessel.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an example computer system.

FIG. 5 shows one example of a joystick.

FIG. 6 shows one example of a throttle lever.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure.

FIGS. 1A-C illustrate an example marine vessel 100. The general teachings herein will be exemplified using these vessels. It is, however, appreciated that the teachings are more generally applicable, i.e., that the teachings herein can be applied to various types of marine vessels, including vessels with more than one hull.

The vessel 100 all comprise a center of gravity 160. A center of buoyancy can also be used as reference. The hull 110 of the vessels extend in a longitudinal direction and normally has some form of longitudinal midship line 115. The front of the vessel is referred to as the fore or bow of the vessel 100 while the rear of the vessel is referred to as the stern or aft. Some vessels comprise a transom 111, which is the aft transverse surface of the hull that forms the stern of a vessel. The hull 110 has a bottom surface 112, which may vary widely in shape between vessels.

Some of the propulsion systems 120 discussed herein are mounted to the transom 111 of the hull 110, while other propulsion systems extend out from the bottom 112 of the hull 110. The propulsion systems will be discussed in more detail below.

Directions and rotations are defined in a coordinate system comprising x, y, z axes as illustrated in the drawings, and rotations about these axes will be denoted ω_x, ω_y, w_z. The x-axis is generally aligned with the longitudinal midship line 115 of the vessel, while the y-axis extends laterally with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vessel. The z-axis extends vertically in a direction V normal to a calm sea surface 150, as illustrated in the drawings. Accelerations along the x, y, z axes will be denoted a_x, d_y, a_z and velocities along the x, y, z axes will be denoted v_x, v_y, v_z.

Generally, herein, a time derivative will be denoted by a dot, i.e.,

a x = d d ⁢ t ⁢ v x ( t ) = v . x

At least some of the propulsion systems discussed herein comprise drive units that are able to generate thrust T in a variable thrust angle, and with a variable thrust magnitude. In the example of FIG. 1A, the thrust elevation angle is denoted ω_y,T and the thrust azimuth angle is denoted ω_z,T. The drive unit in the example of FIG. 1A is rotatable about a first trim axle y₁ and about a second trim axle y₂. By controlling rotation about these axes y₁, y₂ the elevation angle of the thrust can be controlled by the control unit 130 in an efficient manner.

The thrust elevation angle ω_y,T of a drive unit if sometimes referred to as the trim angle of the drive unit or simply the trim of the drive unit. Generally, trim may also refer to the average pitch angle of the hull as it travels through the water.

Rotation about axis y₂ can be used with advantage to control trim angle of the drive unit, i.e., the elevation angle of the propeller thrust vector T. Rotation about axis y₁ can be used to lift the drive unit out of the water, to avoid biofouling. Rotation about axis y₁ can also be used to reduce draught of the drive unit.

The vessel 100 discussed herein comprises a control unit 130. This control unit can be a centralized control unit where processing takes place on processing circuitry located in the same place on the vessel, or a distributed control unit which comprises several spatially separated units of processing circuitry. An example computer system 400 will be discussed in more detail below in connection to FIG. 4. The vessel 100 discussed herein comprises a steering control device 131. The steering control device 131 is connected to the control unit 130 in order to provide steering control signals or inputs from a user of the marine vessel, e.g. via a steering wheel, a throttle lever, or joysticks, etc., to the control unit 130.

The control unit 130 is connected to a motion sensor system 140 which is only schematically illustrated in FIG. 1A. This motion sensor system may comprise one or more sensors, possibly of different type. The purpose of the motion sensor system 140 is to sense motion of the hull 110 relative to some reference coordinate system. The motion sensor system may comprise, e.g., one or more inertial measurement units (IMU), one or more speed logs, one or more global positioning system (GPS) receivers, one or more radar transceivers, and possibly also a foiling wand arrangement. The motion sensor system 140 may comprise an IMU arranged to measure rotation by the hull 110 about a longitudinal reference axis x and a lateral reference axis y. The IMU may, for example, be a 6-axis IMU which comprises a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope.

It has been realized that it is possible to design a drive unit trim system which allows the thrust elevation angles ω_y,T1, ω_y,T2 of two or more drive units 120a, 120b in the propulsion system 120 to be adjusted independently from each other and rapidly enough to generate a roll motion R by the hull 110 that counteracts the roll motion caused by the sea. Referring to FIGS. 1B-C, a roll motion R can be induced by controlling the thrust elevation angles ω_y,T1, ω_y,T2 of two or more drive units 120a, 120b in opposite directions, such that the boat stern is lifted L at one side of the hull by one drive unit and pushed down D at the other side of the hull, thus causing a rotation R about the x-axis. To be controlled in opposite directions means that the difference in thrust elevation angles increases. For instance, one thrust elevation angle may be controlled to be positive relative to a horizontal plane while the other thrust elevation angle is controlled to be negative relative to the horizontal plane. Generally, by controlling the thrust elevation angles ω_y,T1, ω_y,T2 of two or more drive units 120a, 120b in opposite directions, a roll motion effect is obtained, i.e., an increase or decrease in roll angle by the vessel 100.

A rotation R′ in the counter clockwise direction can also be obtained, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, by controlling the thrust elevation angles in opposite directions.

The drive units 120a, 120b may comprise electric machines. Electric machines have the property that the axle speed and the axle torque can be changed quickly, much more so than conventional combustion engine driven propulsion units. This allows the control unit 130 to adjust thrust with high bandwidth, i.e., change thrust fast from one magnitude to another magnitude, in order to control the motion of the vessel.

It is also possible to mitigate pitch motion by the hull 110 about the y-axis by adjusting the trim angle of the drive units 120a, 120b in the same direction, i.e., both upwards or both downwards in trim angle induce a pitch motion by the hull 110. Generally, by controlling the thrust elevation angles ω_y,T1, ω_y,T2 of two or more drive units 120a, 120b in the same direction, a pitch motion effect is obtained, i.e., an increase or decrease in pitch angle of the vessel 100.

The effects of a given thrust elevation angle setting on two or more drive units on a marine vessel can be investigated by practical experimentation, tabulated, and then used for vessel motion control by the control unit 130. The effects of a given thrust elevation angle setting on two or more drive units on a marine vessel can also be investigated by computer simulation, tabulated, and then used for vessel motion control by the control unit 130, e.g., to mitigate an undesired roll motion by inducing a counter-roll motion.

The same principles apply if there are more than two drive units mounted on the hull 110, e.g., three or more transom mounted drive units. Generally, each drive unit provides a thrust vector T having a given magnitude |T| and a given direction arg (T) in three dimensions. Each such thrust vector generates a propulsion or braking force having a certain direction. The effect of this thrust vector on the motion by the hull 110 can be determined based on the position of the drive unit and properties of the hull, such as its center of gravity. A dynamic model of the vessel can, for instance, be configured in the control unit 130 and used to predict an impact of a given thrust vector configuration. The control unit can thus control the trim and steering of each drive unit to obtain a desired motion by the hull, such as a given speed and a given steering curvature. Overlaid onto this desired speed and curvature are the pitch and roll compensation.

To summarize at least part of the discussions herein, there is presented a marine vessel 100 comprising a hull 110, a propulsion system 120, a control unit 130, a steering control device 131 and a motion sensor system 140. The hull 110 in the illustrated examples has a center of gravity 160, which can be used as a reference for the pitch motion ω_y and the roll motion ω_x of the hull 110. Other references can also be used, such as a pre-determined center location of the hull 110, or a center of buoyancy. The roll motion ω_x of the hull can also be defined relative to a longitudinal midship line 115 of the hull.

The propulsion system 120 comprises a first drive unit 120a and a second drive unit 120b separated by a longitudinal midship line 115 of the hull 110, where each drive unit 120a, 120b is arranged to generate thrust T in a controllable thrust elevation angle ω_y,T and in a controllable thrust azimuth angle ω_z,T.

The drive units comprised in the propulsion system 120 are independent from each other, meaning that both the thrust magnitude and the thrust direction can be controlled individually by the control unit. The control unit 130 having a certain target motion to be obtained by the hull 110 may use both thrust angle and thrust magnitude to obtain this desired motion. With reference to the example in FIG. 1C, suppose for instance that it is desired to reduce the pitch angle ω_y of the hull 110 and at the same time induce a rotation ω_y, R in the clockwise direction as seen along the x-axis. Suppose also that the port drive unit 120a is configured with a positive trim angle that lifts L the stern out of the water and that the starboard drive unit 120b is configured with a negative trim angle that pushes D the stern down into the water. The control unit 130, having regard to the current trim configuration, may simply adjust the thrust magnitude of one or both drive units to obtain both a roll motion and a pitch motion by the hull 110. The effect to be expected from such a change in setting on the drive units can be obtained from a dynamic model of the vessel. Several such dynamics vessel models are known in the art, and dynamic models of marine vessels will therefore not be discussed in more detail herein. Here, it should be noted that the trim angles or the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T of the first drive unit 120a and the second drive unit 120b may be provided by trim actuators (not shown). The trim actuator may control trim angles of the first drive unit 120a and the second drive unit 120b in response to control signals from the control unit 130.

The first drive unit 120a and the second drive unit 120b may be mounted on a transom 111 of the hull 110 as illustrated in FIGS. 1A-C, but may also be mounted on a bottom 112 of the hull 110.

More generally, the control unit 130 in the systems disclosed herein is arranged to estimate a pitch motion ω_y and a roll motion ω_x of the hull 110 based on input from the motion sensor system 140, and suppress both pitch motion and roll motion by the hull 110 by controlling the thrust elevation angles ω_y,T and the thrust azimuth angles ω_z,T of the first and second drive units 120a, 120b.

This propulsion system can be seen as a development of the propulsion system described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,068,855 B1, where a marine propulsion system arranged to mitigate porpoising was described. The principles and techniques described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,068,855 B1 are applicable also here, except that now the control unit considers both pitch and roll motion mitigation, by adjusting trim separately at two or more drive units in the propulsion system of the vessel.

The trim actuators of the vessel may comprise hydraulic actuators. However, hydraulic actuators may not be able to provide sufficient actuator bandwidth for all operations disclosed herein. Improved performance may be obtained if the trim actuators comprise electric machines, such as servo motors, that can be operated at high bandwidth in response to control signals from the control unit 130.

One or more of the drive units 120a, 120b may comprise a combination of hydraulic actuators and electric actuators. The electric actuator may then be arranged to provide fast trim adjustment over a limited trim angle range, while the hydraulically powered trim actuator may be slower, but arranged to provide trim over a larger trim angle range. The two actuators operating together can then provide fast adaptation of the trim angle over a large range of trim angles in response to control commands from the control unit 130 on the vessel.

As discussed above in connection to FIG. 1C, the control unit 130 can be arranged to suppress a roll motion by the hull 110 by controlling the thrust elevation angles ω_y,T of the drive units 120a, 120b in different directions to induce a counter roll motion R by the hull 110, and to suppress a pitch motion by the hull 110 by controlling the thrust elevation angles Wy, of the drive units 120a, 120b in the same direction to induce a counter pitch motion P by the hull 110. According to some aspects, the control unit may implement a vessel motion management system where the different motion actuators on the vessel is coordinated in order to obtain a desired motion by the hull.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a marine drive system 200 which uses a general motion sensor system 140 in combination with a control unit 130 to control a propulsion system 120 comprising port and starboard (SB) drive units 120a, 120b, i.e. a first drive unit 120a and a second drive unit 120b. The marine drive system 200 also comprise a steering control device 131.

The marine drive system 200 may be configured to use an IMU as discussed above, and also other sensor types, such as one or more speed logs, one or more GPS receivers. The vessel control system 400 may also use a model 410 of the vessel dynamics, to predict a future motion behaviour by the hull given current motion and forces acting on the hull. The model of vessel dynamics 410 can also be used to determine how a given set of forces acting on the hull 110 will influence the motion behaviour of the hull 110. Several different models of vessel dynamics are known in the prior art, in particular in the literature related to marine vessel dynamics. Such models of motion will therefore not be discussed in more detail herein.

The marine drive system 200 may be configured to comprise a steering control device 131. The steering control device 131 is connected to the control unit 130 in order to provide steering control signals or inputs from a user of the vessel to the control unit 130.

According to some aspects, the steering control device 131 may comprise a main control device 131a and a secondary control device 131b. It should be noted that the main control 131a and the secondary control device 131b may be co-located or integrated with each other to form a single steering control device 131. However, having a separate main control device 131a and a secondary control device 131b in the steering control device 131 may facilitate an simpler implementation. For example, the main control device 131a may be an pre-existing steering control device already mounted on a user control panel of the vessel, wherein the secondary control device 131b may be plugged in as an add-on steering control device or replace an older secondary control device.

As described above, the control unit 130 is arranged to adjust the thrust power T of the at least one electric drive unit 120, e.g. the port and starboard (SB) drive units 120a, 120b, and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T of the at least one trim actuator in order to obtain desired stabilizing pitch and roll movements of the marine vessel 100. The control unit 130 is also arranged to generate a force feedback by the steering control device 131 based on the applied adjustments of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T. This means that the control unit 130 may provide an adaptive control feedback to a user of the vessel to indicate how it stabilizes the vessel. A user may thus be able to see and feel how the steering control device 131 moves to indicate that force compensation currently being applied by the control unit 130. Hence, a more intuitive user interface is provided.

The control unit 130 may also be arranged to provide a force feedback signal to the steering control device 131 based on the applied adjustments of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle @y,T. This means that, upon adjusting the thrust power T of the at least one electric drive unit 120 (e.g, the port and starboard (SB) drive units 120a, 120b) and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T of the at least one trim actuator, the control unit 130 may generate force feedback signal based on these adjustment and send this force feedback signal to the steering control device 131, or the secondary control device 131b. In response to receiving the force feedback signal from the control unit 130, the steering control device 131 may comprise one or more actuators arranged to generate the force feedback of the steering control device 131, or the secondary control device 131b, based on the received force feedback signal from the control unit 130. If a separate main control device 131a and a secondary control device 131b in the steering control device 131 is used, the secondary control device 131b may thus provide a separate trim actuator control and is arranged to receive a force feedback signal from the control unit 130 based on the applied adjustments of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle @y,T. In case there is a wireless connection between the control unit 130 and the steering control device 131, the force feedback signal may be a radio frequency signal. In case there is a wired connection between the control unit 130 and the steering control device 131, the force feedback signal may be an electric signal.

The steering control device 131 may also be arranged to provide an adjustment signal of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T for the control unit 130 overriding the applied adjustments of the control unit 130 in response to an user applying a force larger than a pre-set value to the steering control device 131. This enables a user to over-ride the adjustments being made by the control unit 130 by manually controlling the steering control device 131 or the secondary control device 131b.

Further, the steering control device 131 may be arranged to provide an on- or off-signal for the force feedback to the control unit 130 in response to user input to the steering control device 131. This enables a user to manually turn the force feedback generation on or of from the steering control device 131 or the secondary control device 131b. For example, an dedicated on/off button or switch connected to the steering control device 131 or the secondary control device 131b may be used.

The steering control device 131, or the secondary control device 131b, may comprise different types of manual input control devices, such as, one or more joysticks, a throttle control lever, and/or one or more control paddles or pads (not shown), etc. For these different types of manual input control devices, different types of actuators may be arranged therein to generate the force feedback to the user in accordance with the force feedback signal received by the steering control device 131 from the control unit 130.

One example of a joystick 500 is shown in FIG. 5. The actuator(s) in the joystick 600 may, for example, be used exert joystick movements that imitate or reflects the movements of at least one trim actuator caused by the applied adjustments of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T of the at least one electric drive unit 120, e.g. the port and starboard (SB) drive units 120a, 120b. These exerted joystick movements may indicate well to a user the kind of adjustments that the control unit 130 is performing and thus provide a intuitive interface for the user. Using joystick movement may also work very-well during docking, assisted docking and/or autonomous docking to show the user of the vessel how the movement of the vessel is controlled. The joystick 500 may, for example, be a joystick having three (3) or four (4) degrees of freedom. For example, left/right (x-direction), forward/backward (y-direction), up/down (z-direction) and rotational movement (r-direction) around its center axis may be implemented in different combinations.

One example of a throttle lever 600 is shown in FIG. 6. The actuator(s) in the throttle lever 600 may, for example, be used exert movements in left/right vibrating buttons 601 or grips that imitate or reflects the movements of at least one trim actuator caused by the applied adjustments of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T of the at least one electric drive unit 120, e.g, the port and starboard (SB) drive units 120a, 120b. These exerted movements may indicate well to a user the kind of adjustments that the control unit 130 is performing and thus provide a intuitive interface for the user.

Another example of a type of manual input control devices of the steering control device 131, or the secondary control device 131b, may one or more control paddles or pads (not shown). The actuator(s) in the one or more control paddles or pads may, for example, be used exert movements in left/right paddles or pads that imitate or reflects the movements of at least one trim actuator caused by the applied adjustments of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle @y,T of the at least one electric drive unit 120, e.g. the port and starboard (SB) drive units 120a, 120b. These exerted movements may indicate well to a user the kind of adjustments that the control unit 130 is performing and thus provide a intuitive interface for the user. According to one aspect, these one or more control paddles or pads may be implemented on a separate secondary control device 131b, i.e. a separate trim control device that is not used for any other functionality except controlling the trim angles or the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T of the port and starboard (SB) drive units 120a, 120b. Optionally, the one or more control paddles may be arranged on another manual input control device, such as, the joystick 500 or the throttle control lever 600. According to another example, the one or more control paddles or pads may be arranged on a steering wheel (not shown) of the steering control device 131. Here, also left/right vibrating buttons or grips may be used on the steering wheel of the steering control device 131.

Examples of embodiments of a computer-implemented method in a marine drive system 200 for stabilizing a marine vessel 100, will now be described with reference to the flowchart depicted in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is an illustrated example of actions or operations which may be taken by a control unit 130 as described above on-board a vessel 100. It should also be noted that some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by the control unit 130 may be provided by the computer system 400 and the processing circuitry 402 executing instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as, e.g., the memory 404 shown in FIG. 4. The method may comprise the following actions.

Action S1. The control unit 130 determines adjustments of the thrust power T of at least one electric drive unit 120a, 120b of the marine drive system 200 and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T of at least one trim actuator in order to obtain desired stabilizing pitch and roll movements of the marine vessel 100.

Action S2. After determining the adjustments in Action S1, the control unit 130 generate a force feedback by a steering control device 131 based on the determined adjustments.

Action S3. Optionally, the control unit 130 may provide, to the steering control device 131, a force feedback signal based on the applied adjustments of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T.

Action S4. According to another option, the control unit 130 may receive, from the steering control device 131, an adjustment signal of the thrust power T and the thrust elevation angle ω_y,T for the control unit 130 overriding the applied adjustments of the control unit 130.

Action S5. According to a further option, the control unit 130 may receive, from the steering control device 131, an on- or off-signal for the force feedback.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a computer system 400 for implementing examples disclosed herein. The computer system 400 is adapted to execute instructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and/or any of the functions or processing described herein. The computer system 400 may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. While only a single device is illustrated, the computer system 400 may include any collection of devices that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Accordingly, any reference in the disclosure and/or claims to a computer system, computing system, computer device, computing device, control system, control unit, electronic control unit (ECU), processor device, processing circuitry, etc., includes reference to one or more such devices to individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. For example, control system may include a single control unit, or a plurality of control units connected or otherwise communicatively coupled to each other, such that any performed function may be distributed between the control units as desired. Further, such devices may communicate with each other or other devices by various system architectures, such as directly or via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, etc.

The computer system 400 may comprise at least one computing device or electronic device capable of including firmware, hardware, and/or executing software instructions to implement the functionality described herein. The computer system 400 may include processing circuitry 402 (e.g., processing circuitry including one or more processor devices or control units), a memory 404, and a system bus 406. The computer system 400 may include at least one computing device having the processing circuitry 402. The system bus 406 provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, the memory 404 and the processing circuitry 402. The processing circuitry 402 may include any number of hardware components for conducting data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in memory 404. The processing circuitry 402 may, for example, include a general-purpose processor, an application specific processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a circuit containing processing components, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processing circuitry 402 may further include computer executable code that controls operation of the programmable device.

The system bus 406 may be any of several types of bus structures that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and/or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 404 may be one or more devices for storing data and/or computer code for completing or facilitating methods described herein. The memory 404 may include database components, object code components, script components, or other types of information structure for supporting the various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with the systems and methods of this description. The memory 404 may be communicably connected to the processing circuitry 402 (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and may include computer code for executing one or more processes described herein. The memory 404 may include non-volatile memory 408 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.), and volatile memory 410 (e.g., random-access memory (RAM)), or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures, and which can be accessed by a computer or other machine with processing circuitry 402. A basic input/output system (BIOS) 412 may be stored in the non-volatile memory 408 and can include the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 400.

The computer system 400 may further include or be coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as the storage device 414, which may comprise, for example, an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD) (e.g., enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)), HDD (e.g., EIDE or SATA) for storage, flash memory, or the like. The storage device 414 and other drives associated with computer-readable media and computer-usable media may provide non-volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like.

Computer-code which is hard or soft coded may be provided in the form of one or more modules. The module(s) can be implemented as software and/or hard-coded in circuitry to implement the functionality described herein in whole or in part. The modules may be stored in the storage device 414 and/or in the volatile memory 410, which may include an operating system 416 and/or one or more program modules 418. All or a portion of the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program 420 stored on a transitory or non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium (e.g., single medium or multiple media), such as the storage device 414, which includes complex programming instructions (e.g., complex computer-readable program code) to cause the processing circuitry 402 to carry out actions described herein. Thus, the computer-readable program code of the computer program 420 can comprise software instructions for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 402. In some examples, the storage device 414 may be a computer program product (e.g., readable storage medium) storing the computer program 420 thereon, where at least a portion of a computer program 420 may be loadable (e.g., into a processor) for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuitry 402. The processing circuitry 402 may serve as a controller or control system for the computer system 400 that is to implement the functionality described herein.

The computer system 400 may include an input device interface 422 configured to receive input and selections to be communicated to the computer system 400 when executing instructions, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc. Such input devices may be connected to the processing circuitry 402 through the input device interface 422 coupled to the system bus 406 but can be connected through other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 serial port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an IR interface, and the like. The computer system 400 may include an output device interface 424 configured to forward output, such as to a display, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 400 may include a communications interface 426 suitable for communicating with a network as appropriate or desired.

The operational actions described in any of the exemplary aspects herein are described to provide examples and discussion. The actions may be performed by hardware components, may be embodied in machine-executable instructions to cause a processor to perform the actions, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a specific order of method actions may be shown or described, the order of the actions may differ. In addition, two or more actions may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including” when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, the skilled person will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure and appended claims. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed aspects for purposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the disclosure being set forth in the following claims.