JPS598591A - Automatic steering apparatus for sailing ship - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform automatic steering reliably by calculating propulsive direction of a sailing ship from the relation between the actual sailing direction and the direction of wind then comparing with the setting course and controlling the sail or steering in accordance to the difference. CONSTITUTION:An arythmetic unit 4 will store the signal corresponding to the setting direction provided from the course indicator 1 while receive signals from a wind direction sensor 2 and a bearing sensor 3 to select the optimal formula while employing the relation between actual sailing direction and the wind direction as a parameter thus to operate the sailing direction. It is compared with the stored sailing direction to arrange the control signal corresponding to the difference onto the control signal for the sailing and steering thus to control the sailing by means of a driver 7 while the steering by means of a driver 8. The operation is executed for every fixed time or 2-3min, for example, by the clock signal from a clock signal generator 6. Consequently highly reliable automatic steering is achieved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention relates to an automatic pilot system for a sailing ship.

This conventional ridge device is generally constructed as follows. That is, the sailing vessel sails with the rudder set in a predetermined direction in consideration of the sailing direction and wind direction, and thereafter the sailing direction is checked at predetermined intervals to match the actual sailing direction and the preset sailing course. When the deviation exceeds a predetermined value, a warning is issued and the operator corrects the sailing direction, then sets the rudder again and continues sailing in the same way.

In this type of sailing system, it is not easy to continue unmanned sailing because the deviation between the preset sailing course and the actual sailing direction is not automatically controlled.

This invention has been made to solve these problems. An embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described below.

In the figure, (1) is a course indicating device which is configured to be able to arbitrarily set the course of a sailing vessel and generates a signal according to the set direction. (2) is a wind direction sensor, which is composed of a well-known wind vane that detects the wind direction, and a signal generator that generates a signal according to the wind direction.

(3) is an azimuth sensor for determining the sailing direction of a sailing vessel, which is composed of a well-known gyroscope and a signal generator that generates a signal according to the detected azimuth. (4
) is an arithmetic device that performs arithmetic operations by receiving the signals from the above-mentioned course indicating device (1), wind direction sensor (2), and direction sensor (3), respectively, and is generally configured as follows. First, it has a memory for storing a signal corresponding to a set heading from a course indicating device (1). Next, it has a calculation element that receives signals from the wind direction sensor (2) and the azimuth sensor (3), detects the relative relationship between the sailing direction of the sailing boat and the wind direction, and calculates the subsequent sailing direction in that wind direction. The direction in which a sailing ship is propelled is determined by the relative relationship between the actual sailing direction and the wind direction.There is no single calculation formula for calculating this, and different calculation formulas are used depending on the relative relationship. Is required. Therefore, we prepare multiple calculation formulas using the relative relationship between the sailing direction and the wind direction as parameters, detect the relative relationship between the sailing direction and the wind direction, and select the most suitable calculation formula. , is configured to calculate the sailing direction of the sailing ship using this formula.

In addition, a device is provided which compares the sailing direction derived as a result of such calculation with the set direction from the course indicating device (1) stored in memory and generates a signal according to the UM-x. have Note that (5) is a power supply for the arithmetic device, and (6) is a clock signal generator, which is provided to perform the above-mentioned arithmetic operation at regular intervals or continuously.

When the process is performed at regular intervals, the appropriate time interval is 2 to 3 minutes. The computing device (4) further includes a device for arranging a signal corresponding to the deviation between the sailing direction and the set direction from the course indicating device into a sail control signal and a rudder control signal. (7
) is a sail drive device that receives the sail control signal and operates the sail in the direction where the deviation becomes zero, and (8) is the same as the previous control signal. This is a rudder drive device that receives the KJ signal and operates the ship in the direction where the above deviation becomes zero.

This invention calculates in which direction the sailing ship is going to be propelled based on the relative relationship between the actual sailing direction of the sailing ship configured as described above and the wind direction, and calculates the direction in which the sailing ship is going to be propelled. Since it compares the sailing course with the set sailing course and controls the sails or rudder according to the deviation, a reliable automatic pilot system can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, (1) is the course indicator, (2) is the wind direction sensor, (
3) is the direction sensor, (4) is the arithmetic unit, (5) is the electronic i1K, (6) is the clock signal generator, (7) is the sail drive unit, and (8) is the rudder drive unit. .

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A course indicating device that determines the sailing course of a sailing vessel and generates a course signal corresponding to the course, a direction sensor that detects the sailing direction of the sailing vessel and generates a signal according to the direction, and a wind direction. a wind direction sensor that generates a signal in accordance with the wind direction sensor, and receives signals from the azimuth sensor and the wind direction sensor to detect the relative relationship between the sailing direction of the sailing vessel and the wind direction, and calculates the subsequent sailing direction in that wind direction. and a calculation device that generates an azimuth signal according to the azimuth, and generates a drive signal for the rudder and sails of the sailing boat according to the deviation between the azimuth signal and the course signal. Ship's autopilot. 2. The autopilot system for a sailing boat according to claim 1, wherein the 10,000-degree sensor is a gyroscope. 3. The calculation device has a plurality of ML calculation formulas using the relative relationship between the sailing direction of the sailing ship and the wind direction as a parameter, and a predetermined calculation formula is selected according to the degree of the relative relationship. An autopilot device for a sailing boat according to item 1 or 2.