US 2017/0255205 A1 · SMALL BOAT POSTURE CONTROL APPARATUS

Abstract

In an apparatus for controlling posture of a small boat having a hull and an even number of outboard motors mounted side by side on a stern of the hull, each equipped with a propeller driven by an engine and a throttle actuator adjusting a throttle valve opening of the engine, an inclinometer is installed in one of the outboard motors that produces an output indicating inclination of the hull relative to a vertical axis around a roll axis. It is determined whether the hull inclines to port or starboard from the output of the inclinometer and when it does, operation of the throttle actuators of the outboard motors are controlled on a side determined to incline downward to increase engine speed, while controlling operation of the throttle actuator of the outboard motor on a side determined to incline upward to decrease the engine speed.

Claims14

Dependent claims

An apparatus for controlling posture of a small boat having a hull and an even number of outboard motors mounted side by side on a stern of the hull, each of the outboard motors being equipped with a propeller driven by a built-in engine and a throttle actuator capable of adjusting opening of a throttle valve installed in the engine, comprising:

an inclinometer installed in at least one of the outboard motors that produces an output indicating inclination of the hull relative to a vertical axis around a roll axis;
and
a throttle opening control unit that determines whether the hull inclines to port or starboard in a direction of the vertical axis around the roll axis from the output of the inclinometer and when it is determined that the hull inclines to port or starboard in the direction of the vertical axis, controls operation of the throttle actuator of the outboard motor located on a side determined to incline downward in the direction of the vertical axis to increase speed of the engine, while controlling operation of the throttle actuator of the outboard motor located on a side determined to incline upward in the direction of the vertical axis to decrease the speed of the engine.

A method for controlling posture of a small boat having a hull and an even number of outboard motors mounted side by side on a stern of the hull, each of the outboard motors being equipped with a propeller driven by a built-in engine and a throttle actuator capable of adjusting opening of a throttle valve installed in the engine, comprising the steps of:

detecting inclination of the hull relative to a vertical axis around a roll axis;
and
determining whether the hull inclines to port or starboard in a direction of the vertical axis around the roll axis from the detected inclination and when it is determined that the hull inclines to port or starboard in the direction of the vertical axis, controlling operation of the throttle actuator of the outboard motor located on a side determined to incline downward in the direction of the vertical axis to increase speed of the engine, while controlling operation of the throttle actuator of the outboard motor located on a side determined to incline upward in the direction of the vertical axis to decrease the speed of the engine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Small boat posture control apparatus

Life of this patent

Small boat posture control apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14