Joystick Systems and Methods for Marine Propulsion Systems

The present disclosure generally relates to methods and systems for propelling marine vessels, and more particularly to systems and methods for controlling steering and propulsion for propulsion systems comprising at least one steerable marine drive.

Many different types of marine drives are well known to those skilled in the art. For example, steerable marine drives may be mounted to or in the rear of the vessel, such as outboard motors that are attached to the transom of a marine vessel and stern drive systems that extend in a rearward direction from the stern of a marine vessel. Marine drives generally comprise a powerhead, such as an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, driving rotation of a drive shaft that is directly or indirectly connected to a propeller on a propeller shaft and that imparts rotation thereto. Some marine propulsion systems include groups of two or more and separately steerable marine drives at the rear of the marine vessel to enable surge, sway, and yaw directional control. The steerable marine drives are each steerable about their steering axis to a range of steering angles, which is effectuated by a remotely controlled steering actuator, often referred to as a steer-by-wire system. User input control of such multi-drive propulsion systems is often provided by a joystick, which is configured to move forward, backward, and sideways to any position on a horizontal plane to command a thrust direction, as well as to twist to command a yaw rotation of the vessel.

The following U.S. patent is incorporated herein by reference, in its entirety:

U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,595 discloses a method for controlling the movement of a marine vessel that rotates one of a pair of marine drives and controls the thrust magnitudes of two marine drives. A joystick is provided to allow the operator of the marine vessel to select port-starboard, forward-reverse, and rotational direction commands that are interpreted by a controller which then changes the angular position of at least one of a pair of marine drives relative to its steering axis.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one aspect, a marine propulsion system for a marine vessel includes at least one rear marine drive configured to be positioned near a stern of the marine vessel, a joystick comprising a joystick handle configured to be movable by a user to provide steering demand input, and a control system. The control system is configured to receive a selection input selecting one of two steering response modes for the joystick, wherein each steering response mode yields a different steering direction in response to certain rotation inputs at the joystick handle. The control system determines a steering direction to steer the at least one rear marine drive based on the rotation input and the selected steering response mode and controls a steering actuator to steer the rear marine drive in the steering direction.

In one embodiment, the rotation input is a rotation of a handle of the joystick in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotational direction about a shaft axis of the handle.

In another embodiment, each of the two steering response modes yields a different steering direction in response to the rotation of the joystick handle when it is provided with a reverse thrust command, such as with a backward deflection of the joystick handle.

In another embodiment, each of the two steering response modes yields a different response to a rotation-only input via the joystick.

In another embodiment, the two steering response modes include a first mode wherein the rear marine drive is steered counterclockwise in response to a clockwise rotation input via the joystick and steered clockwise in response to a counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle, and a second mode wherein the rear marine drive is steered to rotate the vessel clockwise in response to a clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steered to rotate the vessel counterclockwise in response to a counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle.

In another embodiment, in the second mode, the marine drive is steered counterclockwise in response to a forward deflection with clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steered clockwise in response to the forward deflection with counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle, and the marine drive is steered clockwise in response to a backward deflection with clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steered counterclockwise in response to the backward deflection with counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle.

In another embodiment, the selection input is a user input via a user input device on the vessel.

In another embodiment, the user input device is a display on the vessel.

In another embodiment, the user input device is a button on the joystick.

In another embodiment, the selection input is provided as part of installing the propulsion system on the marine vessel.

In another embodiment, the control system is further configured to control the marine drive to not generate any thrust output in response to a rotation-only input, wherein the rotation-only input is a rotation of a handle of the joystick in a clockwise or a counterclockwise rotational direction about a shaft axis of the handle while the joystick handle remains in a centered position.

In another embodiment, the control system is further configured to control a gear system of the marine drive to be in a centered position in response to the rotation-only input.

In another embodiment, in the second mode, the steering direction determination in response to a rotation-only input is based further on at least one of a translation direction of the marine vessel, a direction of a last-generated propulsion output, a current or past gear position of the marine drive, and a current or past rotation direction of a propulsor.

In another aspect, a method of controlling a propulsion system on a marine vessel, wherein the propulsion system includes at least one a rear marine drive positioned near a stern of the marine vessel includes receiving a selection input selecting one of two steering response modes for the joystick, wherein each of the two steering response modes yields a different steering direction in response to certain rotation inputs at the joystick, receiving a rotation input via a joystick, determining a steering direction to steer the at least one rear marine drive based on the rotation input and the selected steering response mode, and controlling a steering actuator to steer the rear marine drive in the steering direction.

In one embodiment, the rotation input is a rotation of a handle of the joystick in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotational direction about a shaft axis of the handle.

In another embodiment, each of the two steering response modes yields a different steering direction in response to the rotation of the joystick handle when it is provided with a reverse thrust command.

In another embodiment, each of the two steering response modes yields a different response to a rotation-only input via the joystick.

In another embodiment, in the second mode, the steering direction determination in response to a rotation-only input is based further on at least one of a translation direction of the marine vessel, a direction of a last-generated propulsion output, a current or past gear position of the marine drive, and a current or past rotation direction of a propulsor.

In another embodiment, the two steering response modes include a first mode and a second mode, wherein in response to the selection input selecting the first mode the rear marine drive is steered counterclockwise in response to a clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steered clockwise in response to a counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle, and in response to the selection input selecting the second mode the rear marine drive is steered to rotate the vessel clockwise in response to a clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steered to rotate the vessel counterclockwise in response to a counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle.

In another embodiment, in response to the selection input selecting the second mode, the marine drive is steered counterclockwise in response to a forward deflection with clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steered clockwise in response to the forward deflection with counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle, and the marine drive is steered clockwise in response to a backward deflection with clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steered counterclockwise in response to the backward deflection with counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises controlling the marine drive to not generate any thrust output in response to a rotation-only input, wherein the rotation-only input is a rotation of the handle of the joystick in a clockwise or a counterclockwise rotational direction about a shaft axis of the handle while the joystick handle remains in a centered position.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises controlling a gear system of the marine drive to be in a centered position in response to the rotation-only input.

In another embodiment, the selection input is a user input via a user input device on the vessel.

In another embodiment, the selection input is provided as part of installing the propulsion system on the marine vessel.

Various other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.

The inventors have recognized that different users have different preferences in terms of which direction drives should be steered in response to joystick inputs, particularly in response to joystick inputs commanding yaw movement with reverse thrust movement. Some users differ in their preferred frame of reference when effectuating thrust commands. Wherein some users intend the joystick rotation input to mimic the steering direction response corresponding the response to input at a steering wheel, others prefer the joystick steering response to move the marine vessel in the same direction as the rotation of the joystick. Accordingly, the inventors have recognized a need for a joystick control system and method that enables a user to choose how a rear marine drive is steered in response to a joystick command. Specifically, the inventors have recognized a need for a joystick system and method that enables selection from a plurality of joystick steering response modes to be applied when operating the joystick.

In view of the foregoing challenges, the inventors developed the disclosed joystick propulsion control system and method for a propulsion system that enables a selection input selecting one of at least two steering response modes for the joystick, wherein each steering response mode dictates a different steering direction in response to certain rotation inputs of the joystick. The steering modes include at least a first steering response mode where the steering direction response to joystick inputs mimics that of a manually connected steering wheel response, and a second steering mode where the marine drives are steered in the direction needed to rotate the marine vessel in the same direction as the rotation input at joystick handle. In an exemplary first mode, the steering wheel mode, the control system is configured to steer the rear marine drive counterclockwise in response to a clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steer the rear marine drive clockwise in response to a counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle. In an exemplary second mode, the control system is configured to steer the rear marine drive in a direction needed to rotate the marine vessel the same direction as the joystick handle is rotated—i.e., the at least one rear marine drive is steered to rotate the marine vessel clockwise in response to a clockwise rotation of the joystick handle and steered to rotate the marine vessel counterclockwise in response to a counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handle. Thus, in the second mode, the at least one rear marine drive may be steered in different rotational directions in response to a given rotational direction of the joystick handle, depending on whether the joystick rotation is accompanied by forward or backward tilt of the handle commanding forward surge movement or backward surge movement, respectively.

Accordingly, the disclosed marine propulsion control system and method are configured to determine a steering direction in response to a rotation input at the joystick and the selected steering response mode, and then the steering actuator is controlled to steer the marine drive in the steering direction. In one embodiment, where the yaw command at the joystick is a yaw-only command (i.e., not provided in conjunction with a forward or backward translation command) the steering direction determination may also be based on, for example, a translation direction of the marine vessel. The system may be configured to determine the translation direction of the vessel using course over ground and heading information (e.g., from a GPS, IMU, heading sensor, and/or other navigation sensor). In another embodiment, the translation direction may be intuited or estimated based on the direction of the last-generated propulsion output, a current or past gear position of the marine drive, or a current or past rotation direction of the propulsor.

is a schematic representation of a marine vesselequipped with a marine propulsion systemincluding one rear marine drivepositioned at the stern, such as attached to the transom. The single rear marine drivemay be mounted along a centerline CL of vessel, which is to be understood as generally laterally centered with respect to the beam of the vesselsuch that when the steerable rear marine driveis in a centered steering position it propels the marine vessel approximately or exactly straight ahead (under ideal conditions with no current, wind, or other lateral forces). Though applicable to a propulsion system comprising only a single rear marine drive, the disclosed methods and system may be implemented with propulsion systems comprising multiple rear marine drive configurations, as well as propulsion systems comprising marine drives at other locations on the vessel, such as lateral thrusters positioned at the bow or at other locations on the vessel.

The marine drivemay be, for example, an outboard drive, a stern drive, an inboard drive, a jet drive, or any other type of steerable drive. The rear marine driveincludes a powerhead driving a propulsor into rotation to generate a thrust to propel the marine vessel. The powerhead may be an electric motor, and internal combustion engine (ICE), or a hybrid including one or more electric motors and an ICE. The rear marine driveis steerable, having a steering actuatorconfigured to rotate the driveabout its vertical steering axis. The rear marine drivemay be steerable about the steering axisto a range of steering angles, such as wherein the range of steering anglesis no greater than between +30 and −30 degrees of a centered steering position, or between +45 degrees and −45 degrees of a centered steering position, or between some other range. The steering axisis positioned at a distance X from the center of turn (COT), which could also be the center of pressure (COP), or in other embodiments calculations may be based on the effective center of gravity. The marine vesselis maneuvered by causing the rear marine drive to rotate about its steering axis. The rear marine driveis rotated in response to an operator's manipulation of the steering wheelor joystick, which is communicatively connected through the control systemto the steering actuatorto rotate the marine drive. Rotating the rear marine driveand effectuating thrust thereby cause rotation of the marine vesselabout the effective COT.

The powerhead of the rear marine drive is operably connected to the propulsorand configured to rotate the propulsor. As will be known to the ordinary skilled person in the relevant art, the propulsormay include one or more propellers, impellers, or other propulsor devices and the term “propulsor” may be used to refer to all such devices. In certain embodiments, such as that represented in, the powerhead may be connected and configured to rotate the propulsorthrough a gear system, such as a transmission or a clutch. In such an embodiment, the gear systemtranslates rotation of the powerhead output shaftto the propulsor shaftto adjust conversion of the rotation, direction of the rotation (e.g., often referred to as “forward” where the propulsoris turned to propel the vessel forward and “reverse” where the propulsoris turned to propel the vessel backward). The gear systemmay also be configured to disconnect the propulsor shaftfrom the drive shaft, as is sometimes referred to in the art as a “neutral” or “centered” position where rotation of the drive shaftis not translated to the propulsor shaft. In other embodiments, the powerhead may directly connect to the propulsor shaftsuch that rotation of the drive shaftis directly transmitted to the propulsor shaftat a constant and fixed ratio, such as where the powerhead is an electric motor. A propeller speed sensormay be configured to measure a rotational speed of the propulsor. For example, the propeller speed sensormay be, for example, a Hall Effect sensor or other rotation sensor, such as using capacitive or inductive measuring techniques. In certain embodiments, one or more of the parameters, such as the speed, torque, or power to the electric motor, may be calculated based on other measured parameters or characteristics. These parameters may be monitored by the control system to indicate a direction and/or speed of rotation of the propulsor.

The control systemmay be configured to utilize yaw rate, such as from an inertial measurement unit (IMU)or other rotational sensor capable of measuring yaw of the marine vessel, as the basis for controlling steering and thrust magnitude and direction from the rear marine drive. The IMU typically contains accelerometers, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer. Additionally, the GPS, a motion sensor (IMU), and/or a separate heading sensor (such as an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope), may be configured to measure and indicate the translation direction of the marine vessel. The sensed yaw rate can be used as feedback control for adjusting the steering and/or thrust commands. Namely, the control systemmay determine an expected yaw rate, or yaw velocity, associated with a rotational thrust command from the joystickand may compare the measured yaw rate from the IMUto the expected value(s) and adjust the thrust and/or steering commands to reduce the difference between the measured and expected values, such as between the measured yaw rate and the expected yaw rate.

Referring now to, the control system may be configured to control steering and/or thrust of the rear marine drivebased on steering demand input to generate a demanded forwardmotion, the backwardmotion, and/or rotational motionof the marine vessel. The marine propulsion system may include a joystickand a display, such as configured to be installed at the helm of the marine vessel, to control the steering and/or thrust of the rear marine drive on the marine vessel.

Referencing, the joystickdevice comprises a base, a shaft, and a moveable joystick handlesuitable for movement by an operator to provide steering demand input. Typically, the handlecan be moved forward and back (represented by arrow), as well as twisted (represented by arrow) about its shaft axisrelative to the baseto provide corresponding movement commands for the propulsion system. The joystickis configured such that the joystick handleis movable in a forwarddirection to demand a forwardmotion of the marine vessel, in a backwarddirection to demand backwardmotion of the marine vessel, and twistable to demand rotational motion of the marine. When the joystick handleis twisted to demand a rotational motion, the rotational movement effectuated in response may depend on the selected joystick steering response mode, as is described herein.

illustrate exemplary vessel movements that may be commanded via the joystick.shows the vesselmoving in the forwarddirection and backwarddirection, also known as surge movement.illustrates a combination of yaw movement, represented by arrow, and surge and sway translation in the forward and starboard directions, represented by arrow. The systemis configured to provide translational movement in the forward and backward translational directions and to combine forward/reverse and yaw by adjusting the steering angle of the at least one rear marine drive, and may also be configured to control one or more lateral drives (e.g. thrusters) to effectuate the lateral motion.

The user steering inputs provided at the joystickare received by the control system, which may include multiple control devices communicatively connected via a communication link, such as a CAN bus (e.g., a CAN Kingdom Network), to control the marine propulsion systemas described herein. In the embodiment of, the control systemincludes a central controllercommunicatively connected to the drive control module (DCM)of the rear marine driveand may include other control devices. Thereby, the controllercan communicate instructions to the DCMof the rear driveto effectuate a commanded magnitude of thrust and a commanded direction of thrust (forward or reverse), as is necessary to effectuate rotational steering inputs commanded at the joystick. The controlleralso communicates a steering position command to the steering actuatorto steer the marine drive. Drive position sensoris configured to sense the steering angle, or steering position, of the drive, such as to provide feedback for controlling steering of the rear marine drive. In some implementations, the central controllermay be a helm control module and the controllermay be a propulsion control module. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand in view of the present disclosure that other control arrangements could be implemented and are within the scope of the present disclosure, and that the control functions described herein may be combined into a single controller or divided into any number of a plurality of distributed controllers that are communicatively connected. The control systemmay include one or multiple hardware controllers, which in various embodiments and arrangements may be communicatively connected by a communication bus, such as a CAN bus, or configured for wireless communication.

In one embodiment, the control system is configured to receive a selection input selecting one of two steering response modes for the joystick, wherein each steering response mode yields different steering directions in response to certain rotation inputs of the joystick. In one embodiment, the selection input is a user input via a user input device on the vessel, such as the display, or selecting a button on the joystick. Thus, the user selects one of the two joystick steering response modes via the user input device. For example, the joystickmay include multiple selection buttons, including a dedicated button for engagement of each of the various joystick steering response modes. Alternatively, the displaymay provide a user interface configured to present a user with selectable inputs associated with each of the joystick steering response modes. For example, the displaymay be a multi-function display (MFD) as the helm of the vessel. One example of such a display is the Vessel View® by Mercury Marine Company of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Thus, the user may be able to select the “steering-type” response joystick mode via a button on the joystick or a selection on the display, where the steering response to joystick inputs mimics the steering response of a mechanically connected steering wheel steering system or a “joystick-type” response joystick mode button or display selection where the steering response to joystick inputs follows the rotational direction of the joystick. In another embodiment, the selection input is provided as part of installing the propulsion system on the marine vessel, such as a selection made by the installer at the time that the propulsion system (including the joystick system) is installed on the marine vessel. In one embodiment, the selection input made at the time of installation may be changeable, such as via accessing the joystick settings on the display. Additionally or alternatively, the control systemmay be configured to receive a mode selection input from one or more mobile devices not positioned at the helm of the vessel, such as a user's mobile device communicating with the control systemvia an application, such as via VesselView Mobile® by Mercury Marine.

Referring now to, operation in the first joystick steering response mode is illustrated. In the first mode, the steering response to rotational movement of the joystickhandle mimics the steering direction response associated with the corresponding rotation input at a steering wheel. In the first mode, rotation of the joystick handlein a specific direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) is associated with a fixed direction of rotation of the marine drive. Namely, a clockwise rotation of the joystick handleis associated with a counterclockwise rotation steering command of the marine driveand a counterclockwise rotation of the joystick handleis associated with a clockwise rotation steering command of the marine drive.

Referring to, in response to a forward deflectionand a clockwise rotational directionof the handleof the joystick, the control system determines a counterclockwise steering directionof the marine driveand rotates the rear marine drive about its steering axisaccordingly. Here, the forward deflection is associated with a forward thrust command, and the forward propulsion combined with the steering will rotate the marine vesselin a clockwisedirection and forward.

Referring to, in response to a forward deflectionand a counterclockwise rotational directionof the joystick handle, the control system steers the marine drivein a clockwise steering directionabout its steering axis. The forward deflection is associated with a forward thrust command and the forward propulsion will rotate the marine vesselin a counterclockwise directionand forward.

As depicted in, in response to a backward deflectionand a clockwise rotational directionof the joystick handle, a counterclockwise steering directionof the marine driveis effectuated. The backward deflection of the handleis associated with a reverse thrust command, and the reverse propulsion combined with the steering of the marine drive will rotate the marine vesselin a counterclockwise direction(thus opposite the rotational direction of the joystick handle).

As depicted in, in response to a backward deflectionand a counterclockwise rotational directionof the joystick handle, a clockwise steering directionof the marine driveis effectuated along with a reverse thrust command, and the reverse propulsion combined with the steering will rotate the marine vesselin a clockwisedirection (thus opposite the rotational direction of the joystick handle).

Referring now to, operation in the second joystick steering response mode is illustrated. In the second mode, the steering response to the joystick rotation with forward deflection is the same as the steering response to the corresponding joystick inputs in the first mode. Thus, the steering direction responses illustrated inare the same as those illustrated in.

However, if the steering demand input includes a command for backward motion of the marine vessel, then the steering direction responses will be opposite those effectuated when operating in the first mode. Thus, the steering responses illustrated inare opposite those illustrated in. As illustrated in, the clockwise rotation inputat the joystick handlethat is provided with a backward deflectionof the joystick handleis associated with a clockwise rotation directionof the marine driveabout its steering axis. As illustrated in, a counterclockwise rotation inputat the joystick handleaccompanied by a backward deflectionof the joystick handleis associated with a counterclockwise rotation directionof the driveabout its steering axis. Thus, when a reverse thrust is commanded, the marine driveis steered clockwisein response to clockwise rotation inputat the joystick handleand steered counterclockwise directionin response to counterclockwise rotation inputat the joystick handle. Thus, rotation of the joystick handlein the second mode reflects the direction of rotation of the marine vessel effectuated in response—i.e., the clockwise rotational directionof the handle correlates with a clockwise rotational motionof the marine vesseland the counterclockwise rotational directionof the handle correlates with a counterclockwise rotational motionof the marine vessel.

As shown in, the rotation direction of the steering response in the second steering response mode is dependent on wither the yaw command input is provided in conjunction with a forward thrust command or a reverse thrust command—i.e., whether the joystick handle rotation is accompanied by a forward deflection or a backward deflection of the handle. However, a rotation-only command is also possible, where the joystick handle is twisted about its axiswhile the joystick handle remains in a neutral, centered position. In the second mode, the steering response to the rotation-only input may take on various embodiments. In one embodiment, the marine drive may not rotated at all in response to the rotation-only input—i.e., the control system will on generate any steering response at the rear marine drivein response to the rotation-only input. In another embodiment, the rotation-only input may be associated with the forward thrust steering response () by default. In still another embodiment, the rotation-only input may be associated with the reverse thrust steering response () by default.