Vessel-azimuth control apparatus and azimuth controlling method

A vessel-azimuth control apparatus that has a steering angle control system for controlling a steering angle of a vessel, the vessel-azimuth control apparatus comprising at least one processor, the at least one processor comprises:

• a vibration suppression controller that suppresses and outputs a vibration noise existing outside a control range and added to sensor group information from a sensor group provided in the vessel, and
• an azimuth command generator that converts an azimuth signal generated through operation of a user interface into an azimuth command and then outputs the azimuth command;
• an azimuth controller that generates and outputs an angular velocity command, based on the azimuth command and a measured azimuth outputted from the vibration suppression controller;
• and
• an angular velocity controller that generates a first output signal based on a deviation between the angular velocity command and a measured angular velocity, shifts a phase of the first output signal by a predetermined amount based on a vessel speed, generates a second output signal based on the angular velocity command and a variable gain that varies as the vessel speed changes, and outputs a final steering angle command by adding the first output signal having the shifted phase and the second output signal to the angular velocity command, wherein the measured angular velocity is outputted from the vibration suppression controller,
• wherein the final steering angle command is provided to the steering angle control system to control the steering angle.

A vessel-azimuth controlling method, the vessel-azimuth controlling method comprising the steps of:

• converting an azimuth signal generated through operation of a user interface into an azimuth command;
• generating an angular velocity command for making a deviation between the azimuth command and a measured azimuth zero;
• generating a steering angle command by generating a first output signal based on a deviation between the angular velocity command and a measured angular velocity zero, shifting a phase of the first output signal by a predetermined amount based on a vessel speed, generating a second output signal based on the angular velocity command and a variable gain that varies as the vessel speed changes, and generating the steering angle command by adding the first output signal having the shifted phase and the second output signal to the angular velocity command;
• generating a final steering angle command by attenuating a vibration noise added to the steering angle command;
• and
• controlling an azimuth of the vessel, based on the final steering angle command.

A vessel-azimuth controlling method for making a vessel sail, the vessel-azimuth controlling method comprising the steps of:

• suppressing a vibration noise existing outside an angular velocity control range and added to sensor group information from a sensor group provided in the vessel so as to generate a measured azimuth and a measured angular velocity;
• converting an azimuth signal generated through operation of an user interface into an azimuth command;
• generating an angular velocity command by generating a first output signal based on a deviation between the angular velocity command and a measured angular velocity zero, shifting a phase of the first output signal by a predetermined amount based on a vessel speed, generating a second output signal based on the angular velocity command and a variable gain that varies as the vessel speed changes, and generating the steering angle command by adding the first output signal having the shifted phase and the second output signal to the angular velocity command;
• generating a final steering angle command for making a deviation between the angular velocity command and the measured angular velocity zero;
• and
• controlling an azimuth of the vessel, based on the final steering angle command.