Tiller, Waterside Thruster, Watercraft, Control Method, and Storage Medium

This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2023/084537, filed on Mar. 28, 2023. The entire contents of the above-referenced application are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

The present application relates to the field of watercrafts, and more specifically, to tiller, waterside propeller, watercraft, and control method and storage media.

Watercrafts, such as various boats, require various controls of the waterside thruster, such as steering, trimming, acceleration and deceleration, as needed while in motion.

However, some techniques for controlling watercrafts are less effective in control or have poor controlling feel, and have poor control safety. For example, some techniques for controlling the steering of waterside thruster do not allow for adjusting the steering damping as needed.

The present application provides a tiller, a water propeller, a watercraft, and a control method and storage media that facilitate the realization of controlling a waterside thruster to perform a preset action based on the magnitude of a control input.

In a first aspect, the present application provides:

When the tiller of the present application is in use, the user applies a control input via the control portion, the control portion thereby generates displacement with respect to the base member, the pressure sensor acquires this displacement and generates a deformation pressure value. When the deformation pressure value meets a preset trigger pressure threshold, the pressure sensor is triggered to generate a trigger signal, the trigger signal being used to instruct the waterside thruster to perform a preset action.

This embodiment can control the triggering of the pressure sensor according to the size of the control input, which facilitates the realization of controlling the execution of a preset action of the waterside thruster according to the size of the control input, and can be used, for example, to simulate the control feel of low steering damping in low-speed sailing and high steering damping in high-speed sailing, which improves the control feel and the safety of driving.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a waterside thruster including a body and a tiller, the base member of the tiller being connected to the body.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a watercraft including a water carrier and a waterside thruster, the waterside thruster being connected to the water carrier.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a method of controlling a watercraft, including:

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a storage medium, the storage medium including a stored program, which performs the aforementioned method of controlling the watercraft.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described in the following in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application and not all of the embodiments.

It should be noted that when an element is the to be “fixed” to another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may also be a centered element. When an element is the to be “connected” to another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be both centered elements. When an element is considered to be “set on” another element, it may be set directly on the other element or there may be both centered elements. The terms “vertical,” “horizontal,” “left,” “right,” and similar expressions are used herein for illustrative purposes only. are used herein for illustrative purposes only.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art belonging to the field of this application. Terms used herein in the specification of this application are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term “or/and” as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

Some embodiments of the present application are described in detail. The following embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

Referring to, this embodiment provides a watercraftincluding a waterside carrierand a waterside thruster, the waterside thrusterbeing connected to the waterside carrierfor propelling the watercraft.

The watercraftin some embodiments may be a passenger boat, a yacht, or other vessels, the waterside carrierbeing a boat hull, and the waterside propellerbeing an outboard. In some embodiments, the watercraftmay also be a fishing boat, a sailboat, or other vessels, without limitation herein.

Continuing to refer to, the waterside thrusterincludes a bodyand a tiller. The tilleris connected to the body. During operation, a user may control the waterside thrusterto perform corresponding actions by controlling the tiller. For example, the user controls the waterside thrusterto perform actions such as steering, trimming, accelerating and decelerating through adjustment to the tiller, thereby controlling the operation of the watercraft.

In some embodiments, the bodyis provided with a motorand a propeller, and the motoris rotatably-connected to the propellerfor driving the propellerto rotate to generate propulsion. The bodyis also provided with a steering actuatorfor driving the bodyto steer along the steering direction.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the bodyis rotationally connected to the water carriervia a trimming shaftand is provided with a trimming actuatorto adjust the bodyto trim in a trimming direction. The tillermay be electrically connected to the steering actuator, the trimming actuator, or the motor, so that by controlling the tillerto send an electrical signal to the steering actuator, the trimming actuator, or the motor, the bodycan be operated. This allows the bodyto steer, trim, accelerate, or decelerate as needed.

In some embodiments, the waterside thrusteris connected to the end portion of the waterside carrier, and the tilleris connected to the front portion of the bodysuch that the tillerextends to the side of the waterside carrierfor easy maneuvering by a user riding in the waterside carrier.

illustrate a tillerof a waterside thrusterprovided according to some embodiments.

The tillerin some embodiments includes a base member, a control portionand a pressure sensor. The base memberis connected to the bodyof the waterside thruster, for example, on a front side of the body. The structure of the base member, when connected, can be seen in. In some embodiments, the base memberand the bodyare connected via pins. In other embodiments, the base membermay also be part of the body.

The control portionis movably connected to the base memberfor receiving control inputs and generating displacement relative to the base member. The movable connection of the control portionto the base membermay be a rotatable connection (as shown in), a slidable connection, etc., as long as it is capable of generating relative displacement.

The pressure sensoris provided between the base memberand the control portionfor obtaining a deformation pressure value caused by the displacement of the control portionrelative to the base member. When the deformation pressure value meets a preset trigger pressure threshold, the processor communicatively connected to the pressure sensorgenerates a trigger signal, which is used to instruct that the waterside thrusterperforms a preset action, such as acceleration and deceleration action, trimming action, steering action. The processor communicating with the pressure sensormay be any integrated circuit capable of processing control signals and software data, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Microprocessor Unit (MPU), an Electronic Control Unit (ECU), and other devices, and the processor may be provided on the bodyor on the tiller. When the pressure sensoris used to control the steering action, the pressure sensoris electrically connected to the steering actuatorof the waterside thruster, and the trigger signal is used to instruct the steering actuatorto perform the steering action. When the pressure sensoris used to control a trimming action, the pressure sensoris electrically connected to the trimming actuatorof the waterside thruster, and the trigger signal is used to instruct the trimming actuatorto perform a trimming action. When the pressure sensoris used to control the acceleration and deceleration action, the pressure sensoris electrically connected to the motorof the waterside thruster, and the trigger signal is used to instruct the motorto perform acceleration and deceleration.

In some embodiments, the control portionis rotatably connected to the base member. The direction of rotation of the control portionmay be substantially parallel to the direction of steering of the waterside thruster, substantially parallel to the direction of trimming of the waterside thruster, or substantially parallel to the direction of rotation of the propeller. The direction of rotation of the control portionwith respect to the base membermay be configured according to the execution action of the waterside thrusterto which the pressure sensorcan respond. For example, if the sensing signal from pressure sensorcorresponds to steering control of the waterside thruster, the rotation direction of control portionrelative to the base memberis substantially parallel to the steering direction of the waterside thruster. This kinematic correspondence allows the operator to intuitively map the rotational movement of control portionabout base memberto the steering maneuver of the waterside thruster, thereby enhancing operational intuitiveness and comfort. In another implementation, if the sensing signal of pressure sensoris associated with trim control of the waterside thruster, the pivotal displacement direction of control portionrelative to base memberaligns substantially parallel with the trimming shaft of the waterside thruster. This directional synchronization enables the user's manipulation of control portionabout base memberto directly govern the trim up motion of the waterside thruster, thereby optimizing ergonomic feedback during marine vessel attitude adjustment.

Referring toor, the control portionincludes a shaft connection portionand a swing portionthat oscillates about the shaft connection portion. The shaft connection portionis connected to the base membervia a pivot shaft such that the control portionis rotatable relative to the base member. The swing portionproduces displacement relative to the base memberwhen the control portionis rotated. In some embodiments, the direction of rotation of the swing portionrelative to the base memberis substantially parallel to the steering directionof the waterside thruster, and the pressure sensoris subject to the rotation of the swing portionto output a steering signal for controlling the steering of the waterside thruster. In some embodiments, the control portionfurther includes a control lever, and the control leveris connected to the swing portionfor driving the swing portionto be displaced relative to the base memberaround the shaft connection portion. In some embodiments, the pressure sensoris provided between the swing portionand the base member.

The base memberis substantially in the shape of a shell and defines an inner space, and the swing portionis provided in the inner space. The shaft connection portionis provided with a pivot hole, and the base memberis provided with a rotating shaftthat cooperates with the pivot hole. In some embodiments, the swing portionis swingable relative to the base memberabout an axis of the rotating shaftthrough the cooperation of the pivot holeand the rotating shaft. In some embodiments, the swing portionis provided with an arcuate groove, and the center of the circle where the arcuate grooveis located coincides with the center of the axis of the rotating shaft. The base memberis provided with sliding pinsslidingly cooperating with the arcuate groove, and the inner walls of the two ends of the arcuate grooveare used to limit the sliding travel of the sliding pins, so as to limit the swing angle of the swing portionwith respect to the base member, and to avoid that the swing angle of the swing portionis too large, which may lead to the deformation of the pressure sensorexceeding the limit. When the deformation of the pressure sensorexceeds the limit deformation state, it prevents the pressure sensorfrom being destroyed. As illustrated in, the arcuate grooveand the sliding pinare each provided in two sets, and the two sets of arcuate grooveand the sliding pinare symmetrically provided about the center axis of the control lever.

The base memberis provided with two abutment portions. Each of the two abutment portionsis disposed in the direction of rotation of the swing portion. Correspondingly, there are two pressure sensors, wherein one of the pressure sensorsis provided between one of the abutment portionsand one side of the swing portion, and the other pressure sensoris provided between the other abutment portionand the other side of the swing portion. In some embodiments, the abutment portionis provided with a flexible padon the side corresponding to the pressure sensors. The provision of the flexible padcan cushion the collision between the pressure sensorsand the abutment portionwhen the swing portionis swinging, thereby avoiding a rigid collision between the two from damaging the pressure sensors.

In some embodiments, the setting position of the pressure sensormay be preset as desired.

For example, as illustrated in, the swing portionincludes a swing end portionthat is located away from the rotating shaft, and the swing end portionhas a large rotational travel due to its location away from the rotating shaft. Two pressure sensorsare connected to two opposite sides of the swing end portion. Each of the pressure sensorsare adjacent to two respective flexible padsof the base member. A gapmay exist between the pressure sensorsand the flexible pador in contact with the flexible pad. In this embodiment, the pressure sensorsare connected to the sides of the swing end portionusing affixed, embedded, or other connecting manners. For example, the pressure sensoris secured to the side of the swing end portionusing a connection such as a screw and has an outwardly protruding arm-like shrapnel with strain gauges affixed to the arm-like shrapnel. When the swing portionswings, the arm-like elastic piece of the pressure sensoris deformed by approaching and pressing against the flexible pad, which in turn causes the strain gauges thereon to be deformed, thereby converting the deformation into an electrical signal. As also illustrated in, the swing portionis provided with a deformable wall, the deformable wallcorresponds to the abutment portionand the flexible pad, and the deformable wallis deformed by pressing against the flexible pador the abutment portionwhen the swing portionswings. The pressure sensoris provided on an inner surface of the deformable wallso as to sense the deformation of the deformable walland generate a deformation pressure value. For example, the deformable wallmay be a thin-walled structure with fixed positions at both ends, the middle position of which is capable of undergoing overall bending and deformation by a lateral force, and the pressure sensoris in the form of a patch-type strain gauge and is affixed to the inner surface of the deformable wall. In this way, when the deformable wallpresses against the flexible pador the abutment portion, the middle position of the deformable wallundergoes a bending deformation, which in turn drives the strain gauges of the pressure sensorto deform, and the strain gauges undergo a change in an electrical parameter (e.g., electrical resistance, etc.) under the effect of the bending deformation, so as to obtain the value of the deformation pressure. In this setting method, the pressure sensoris provided on the inner surface of the deformable wall, and in the case where the pressure sensorhas high requirements for waterproofing, the pressure sensoris built-in, which has a better waterproof effect while transmitting the deformation and pressure, thereby ensuring the safety during the operation of the pressure sensor.

As shown again in, the pressure sensoris connected to the abutment portionof the base member, and for the case where the flexible padis provided, the pressure sensormay be connected to the surface of the flexible padon the side facing the swing portion. The attachment of the pressure sensoron the abutment portionmay refer to the aforementioned attachment on the swing portion, even though the pressure sensoris fixed to the abutment portionand the arm-like shrapnel of the pressure sensorwith the connected strain gauges extends toward the swing portion. In some embodiments, as shown in, the base memberincludes a bottom wall, a top wall, an end wall, and two side walls, the two side wallsbeing vertically connected to each side of the bottom wall, and the end wallbeing vertically connected to the bottom walland connected between one end edge of the two side walls. The top wallmay be provided as a removable cover structure, enclosing the bottom wall, the end walland the two side wallswithin an inner space. The aforementioned rotating shaftand the slide pinmay be projected on the inner surface of the bottom wall, and the swing portionfits on top of the bottom wallthrough its rotating shaft holeand the arcuate grooveto realize a certain range of rotation. Of course, the pivot holeand the arcuate groovemay be provided through the swing portion, and the inner surface of the top wallmay be provided with a pivot shaftand a slide pincorresponding to the pivot holeand the arcuate groove, so as to realize the rotational coordination of the upper and lower sides of the swing portion, and to provide a more stable coordination. The two abutment portionsof the base memberare located on the two sidewalls, and the corresponding flexible padsare fixedly connected to the inner surfaces of the sidewalls.

The end wallis provided with a through-hole(see). One end of the control leverpasses through the through-hole, then enters the inner spaceof the base member(see) and connects to the swing portion. The other end of the control leverextends outside of the base memberfor easy maneuvering. In order to enable the control leverto rotate, the inner diameter of the through-holeand the outer diameter of the control leverare provided with a certain size difference, so that there is a movement spacingbetween the outer peripheral surface of the control leverand the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole. At this time, in some embodiments, the pressure sensormay be provided at the through-hole. For example, as shown in, the pressure sensoris provided in a position at which the outer peripheral face of the control levercorresponds to the aperture of the through-hole. The pressure sensormay be located at the through-hole. In some embodiments, the pressure sensormay also be disposed on the aperture surface of the through-hole. In this embodiment, the pressure sensoris connected to the peripheral surface of the control leveror the hole surface of the through-holein a manner similar to the manner of connection on the swing portion. As such, even when the pressure sensoris fixed to the peripheral surface of the control leveror the hole surface of the through-hole, the arm-like shrapnel of the pressure sensorwith the connected strain gauge may extend toward the hole surface of the through-holeor the outer peripheral surface of the control lever.

Taking the embodiments ofas examples, when the watercraftis used, a user on the watercraftapplies a steering force to the portion of the control leverextending out of the base member. This action drives the swing portioninside the base memberto rotate relative to the base memberabout the axis of the rotating axle. Consequently, the swing portioncompresses the pressure sensormounted thereon against both the flexible padand abutment portion. The pressure sensorthen acquires a deformation pressure value caused by the rotational displacement.

When the deformation pressure value meets a preset trigger pressure threshold (e.g., when the deformation pressure value exceeds the trigger pressure threshold), the pressure sensoris triggered to generate a trigger signal. This trigger signal is used to cause the waterside thrusterto perform a steering action. Specifically, upon receiving the triggering signal, the steering actuatorof the waterside thrusterdrives the propellerto steer, thereby steering the watercraft.

In some embodiments, in addition to setting up two pressure sensorsto realize the sensing of the rotational deformation on both sides as described previously, it can be realized by using only one pressure sensor, as shown in.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the number of pressure sensorsof the tilleris one, and the pressure sensorsare capable of sensing the displacement of the control portionoscillating with respect to the base memberto both sides of the direction of rotation and generating a deformation pressure value respectively. The pressure sensorhas two sensing ends, and the two sensing endsare located on both sides of the control portionfor sensing the oscillation of the control portionto the two sides respectively. When the control portionis rotated, the swinging end disposed in the inner spaceis rotated to a position in contact with one of the sensing endsto cause that sensing endto generate a pressure deformation such that a change in the piezo-variable resistance of the pressure sensoroccurs, thereby recognizing that the sensing endis subject to resistive action; and when the swinging end is rotated to a position in contact with the other sensing end, then the other sensing endis recognized as being subject to resistive action. In this embodiment, the inductive endmay be provided with an arm shrapnel with strain gauges connected as described previously, and the strain gauges are deformed into electrical signals by one of the arm shrapnel of the two inductive endsbeing held against the base member. In this embodiment, in order to ensure deformation of the arm-like shrapnel, it is necessary to retain a deformation space for the arm-like shrapnel.

Referring to, in some other embodiments, the pressure sensorhas a fixed endand a rotating end, where the fixed endis connected to the base member, for example, being attachable to the rotating shaftof the base member, and the rotating endis connected to the control portion, for example, being attachable to the swing portionof the control portion. The intermediate portionsof the fixed endand the rotating endare twistable to output two sensing signals from the control portion. The fixed endand the middle portionof the rotating endmay be twisted to output two inductive signals for the swinging of the control portionto both sides. When the control portionis rotated, the swing portionis twisted around the rotating shaftin the twisting directionso that the rotating endconnected to the swing portionpulls the intermediate portionto twist, and the forward and reverse rotation of the swing portionmay cause the intermediate portionto undergo a forward or reverse deformation, and the piezoelectric resistance of the pressure sensormay change accordingly so as to recognize that the intermediate portionis subject to a forward or reverse twisting action.

Referring to, in some embodiments, the number of the pressure sensorsis one and the pressure sensoris longitudinally shaped and extends in the direction of the axis of the control leverof the control portion. The base memberis provided with a catch blockand a slot, and the longitudinal end of the pressure sensoris coupled in the slot, and the other end is connected to the swing portionof the control portion, so that when the swing portionswings to both sides, the pressure sensormay be driven to bend and deform in a corresponding direction, and the piezoelectric resistance of the pressure sensormay change accordingly to generate a corresponding electrical signal. In this embodiment, the shape of the swing portionmay be set to be different from that of the swing portion shown in the preceding illustration, and only need to be able to rotate relative to the base member. In some embodiments, a fixing memberis connected to one side of the swing portionnear the pressure sensor, and the fixing memberis used to connect the pressure sensor. In some embodiments, a clamping grooveis provided at one end of the fixing membernear the pressure sensor, and the corresponding end of the pressure sensoris clamped in the clamping groove. In other embodiments, the pressure sensormay also be connected to the swing portionin other forms to receive the swinging from the swing portion, which will not be limited herein.

Whereas in the preceding embodiment, the control portionrotates relative to the base memberaround a solid axis structure (i.e., rotating shaft/rotation shaft). In some other embodiments, the control portionmay also be set to rotate around a virtual axisrelative to the base memberto achieve oscillation. It is noted that the virtual axisherein refers to an axis of rotation that is not present as the physical axis as in the case of a solid axis structure (i.e., rotating shaft/rotation shaft). In some embodiments,illustrates examples of the rotation of the control portionabout the virtual axisrelative to the base member.

As illustrated in, the base memberincludes a mounthaving a mounting holethrough which the control leverof the control portionpasses and is supported within the mounting holeof the mountby a flexible ringconfigured in an axial direction. The flexible ringallows the control leverto swing within the mounting hole, whereby the flexible ringprovides a virtual axisfor rotation of the control leverrelative to the base member. It will be appreciated that the flexible ringis a resilient member. Since the flexible ringis set over the portion of the control leverin the mounting hole, when the oscillating force applied to the control leveris greater than the deformation-resistant force of the flexible ring, the control levercompresses the portion of the flexible ringto deform, thereby permitting the control leverto oscillate within the mounting hole, and thereby allowing the control leverto rotate with respect to the base member.

In some embodiments, as shown in, the control leveris supported within the mounting holesby configuring two spaced-apart flexible rings.

In swinging the control portionfrom left side to right side, the control levermay compress the flexible ringsto achieve swinging relative to the mounting base. The virtual axisof the structure is located substantially between the two flexible rings. The structure is much simpler and it does not require a complex physical pivot structure. The state when swinging from left side to right side can be seen in. When the control leveris swinging in one direction, one of the portions of the flexible ringis compressed with deformation while the other portion is stretched. And when another portion of the flexible ringis compressed with deformation in a position opposite to the previous flexible ring, the other portion is stretched.

In some embodiments, as shown in, the flexible ringis a flexible sleeve disposed over the control lever. The flexible ringcovers the full area of the control leverdisposed within the mounting hole. When the control leveris subject to an applied swinging force greater than the anti-deformation force of the flexible ring, the end portion of the flexible ringproximate one of the mounting holesis subject to partially compressed deformation and partially stretched deformation, and the end portion proximate the other opening of the mounting holesis subject to partially compressed deformation and partially stretched deformation in the opposite position, thereby permitting the control leverto swing with respect to the mounting basefor the purpose of achieving a swing of the control leverto rotate relative to the base member.

In other embodiments, the virtual axis may be set up in other ways, as long as it is possible to realize that the control inputs applied to the control portionare able to act on the pressure sensor. It is not limited herein.

Referring further to, the shape of the swing portionin some embodiments may be set as desired. The swing portionis provided as an electronic control box, with a sensing devicehermetically sealed inside the electronic control box, and the sensing deviceis used for sensing another maneuvering input of the control portion. It is noted that the another control input described herein refers to a control input that is different from the aforementioned control input for being sensed by the pressure sensor, which is used to control the waterside thrusterto perform another action. For example, there are at least two control inputs applied to the tiller, wherein one of the control inputs is a rotation of the control leverto rotate the electronic control box, which in turn triggers the pressure sensorto control the waterside thrusterto perform a steering action through the triggering signal of the pressure sensor, and the other control input is another control member (e.g., an on/off button) applied to the control lever, and the control inputs applied to the control member are sensed by the electronic control box. Another control input is another control member (e.g., a switch button) applied to the control lever, and the control input applied to this control member is received by a sensing devicewithin the electronic control box, which in turn is used to control the water thrusterto perform another action (e.g., to control the water thrusterto trim/start/stop, etc.). By providing additional sensing devices, a variety of maneuvering controls can be achieved with a single tillerfor ease of use.

In some embodiments, the control leveris fixedly connected to the electronic control box, and the control portionfurther includes a throttle rotation sleeve, the throttle rotation sleevebeing socketed outside of the control lever. The twisting of the throttle rotation sleevewith respect to the control leverserves as another maneuvering input.

In some embodiments, the control leveris provided with a buttonat the end of the control lever, the sensing deviceis a trigger circuit board, and the buttonis electrically connected to the trigger circuit board. The action of pressing the buttonserves as another control input.