US 9,278,740 B1Granted

System and method for controlling attitude of a marine vessel having trim tabs

AssigneeBrunswick Corporation

InventorsSteven J. Andrasko, Aaron J. Ward

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Abstract

A system for controlling an attitude of a marine vessel having first and second trim tabs includes a controller having vessel roll and pitch control sections. The pitch control section compares an actual vessel pitch angle to a predetermined desired vessel pitch angle and outputs a deployment setpoint that is calculated to achieve the desired pitch angle. The roll control section compares an actual vessel roll angle to a predetermined desired vessel roll angle, and outputs a desired differential between the first and second deployments that is calculated to maintain the vessel at the desired vessel roll angle. When the controller determines that the magnitude of a requested vessel turn is greater than a first predetermined threshold, the controller decreases the desired differential between the first and second deployments, and accounts for the decreased desired differential deployment in its calculation of the first and second deployments.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for controlling an attitude of a marine vessel having first and second trim tabs, the system comprising:

a controller having a vessel roll control section and a vessel pitch control section;
first and second trim tab actuators in signal communication with the controller that actuate the first and second trim tabs to first and second deployments, respectively;
a roll sensor that provides an actual vessel roll angle to the roll control section;
and
a pitch sensor that provides an actual vessel pitch angle to the pitch control section;
wherein the pitch control section compares the actual vessel pitch angle to a predetermined desired vessel pitch angle and outputs a deployment setpoint that is calculated to achieve the desired vessel pitch angle;
wherein the roll control section compares the actual vessel roll angle to a predetermined desired vessel roll angle, and outputs a desired differential between the first and second deployments that is calculated to maintain the vessel at the desired vessel roll angle;
wherein the controller accounts for both the deployment setpoint output from the pitch control section and the desired differential output from the roll control section in its calculation of the first and second deployments to which the first and second trim tabs are to be actuated;
and
wherein, when the controller determines that a magnitude of a requested vessel turn is greater than a first predetermined threshold, the controller decreases the desired differential between the first and second deployments, and accounts for the decreased desired differential deployment in its calculation of the first and second deployments.

7 more elements

A method for controlling an attitude of a marine vessel having first and second trim tabs, the method comprising:

obtaining an actual vessel roll angle and providing the actual vessel roll angle to a controller;
obtaining an actual vessel pitch angle and providing the actual vessel pitch angle to the controller;
comparing the actual vessel pitch angle to a predetermined desired vessel pitch angle and outputting a deployment setpoint that is calculated to achieve the desired vessel pitch angle;
comparing the actual vessel roll angle to a predetermined desired vessel roll angle, and outputting a desired differential between first and second deployments of the first and second trim tabs, which desired differential is calculated to maintain the vessel at the desired vessel roll angle;
calculating the first and second deployments by accounting for both the deployment setpoint calculated to achieve the desired vessel pitch angle and the desired differential calculated to maintain the vessel at the desired vessel roll angle;
and
decreasing the desired differential between the first and second deployments when a magnitude of a requested turn is greater than a first predetermined threshold, and subsequently recalculating the first and second deployments.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.