Method for verifying the toe angle of a ship's rudders
AssigneeZF Friedrichshafen AG
InventorAdriano Zanfei
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of checking a toe angle of at least one port rudder (1) and at least one starboard rudder (2) of a ship, which are electronically adjusted via a control device, such that different toe angles are set for the at least one port rudder (1) and the at least one starboard rudder (2) and from which an optimal toe angle is determined, in real time, for each of the at least one port rudder (1) and the at least one starboard rudder (2).
Claims11
A method of verifying a toe angle of at least one port rudder (1) and at least one starboard rudder (2) of a ship which are both electronically adjustable via a control device, the method comprising the steps of:
- measuring a toe angle, for each of the at least one port rudder (1) and the at least one starboard rudder (2), as a deviation from a 0° steering angle,
- determining a required energy consumption of a dedicated electric actuator of each of the at least one port rudder (1) and the at least one starboard rudder (2) over a predetermined time, during which time each respective toe angle of the rudders (1, 2) is discretely and incrementally adjusted over a range of angles deviating from the 0° steering angle to obtain a measurement of hydrodynamic forces occurring at each of the incremental toe angles such that a real time determination of a toe angle, having a lowest energy consumption, is enabled, and
- defining an optimal toe angle for each of the at least one port rudder (1) and the at least one starboard rudder (2) as the toe angle having the lowest energy consumption.
A method of verifying a toe angle of at least one port rudder (1) and at least one starboard rudder (2) of a ship which are both electronically adjustable via a control device, the method comprising the steps of:
- arranging each of the at least one port rudder (1) and each of the at least one starboard rudder (2) parallel to one another,
- measuring a toe angle, for each of the at least one port rudder (1) and the at least one starboard rudder (2), as a deviation from a 0° steering angle of each respective rudder for at least five incrementally adjusted discrete steps, and measuring the associated energy consumption for each of the at least five incrementally adjusted discrete steps to determination of the toe angle having the lowest energy consumption,
- determining a required energy consumption of a dedicated electric actuator of each of the at least one port rudder (1) and the at least one starboard rudder (2) over a predetermined time, during which time each respective toe angle of the rudders (1, 2) is discretely and incrementally adjusted over a range of angles, deviating from the 0° steering angle, to obtain a measurement of hydrodynamic forces occurring at each one of the incremental toe angles such that a real time determination of a toe angle, having a lowest energy consumption, is determined, and
- defining an optimal toe angle, for each of the at least one port rudder (1) and the at least one starboard rudder (2), as the toe angle having the lowest energy consumption.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.