초록 ▼

A marine vessel propulsion system includes multiple propulsion devices, multiple operation levers, and multiple lever position sensors arranged to detect the positions of the multiple operation levers, and a control unit. The control unit is programmed to control, based on detection results from the

A marine vessel propulsion system includes multiple propulsion devices, multiple operation levers, and multiple lever position sensors arranged to detect the positions of the multiple operation levers, and a control unit. The control unit is programmed to control, based on detection results from the multiple lever position sensors, the shift states of the respective propulsion devices and to change the steering angle of at least one of the propulsion devices. The control unit may be arranged to change the steering angles of the propulsion devices to facilitate the behavior of the hull corresponding to the shift states of the respective propulsion devices.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A marine vessel propulsion system comprising: a plurality of outboard motors arranged to be mounted on a hull so as to enable a steering angle of each of the plurality of outboard motors to change with respect to the hull, each of the steering angles of the plurality of outboard motors having a m

1. A marine vessel propulsion system comprising: a plurality of outboard motors arranged to be mounted on a hull so as to enable a steering angle of each of the plurality of outboard motors to change with respect to the hull, each of the steering angles of the plurality of outboard motors having a maximum angular range of about 60 degrees;a plurality of operation levers provided correspondingly to the plurality of outboard motors, the plurality of operation levers arranged to be operated by a marine vessel maneuvering operator to control the plurality of outboard motors to change respective shift states selected from among a forward drive state, a neutral state, and a reverse drive state;a plurality of lever position sensors provided correspondingly to the plurality of operation levers and arranged to detect positions of the plurality of operation levers and to output a plurality of detection results; anda control unit programmed to control the shift states of the respective outboard motors and to change the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors based only on the plurality of detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors in order to turn, pivot, or laterally move the hull due to a direction of a propulsive force of the at least one of the outboard motors. 2. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is programmed to control the shift states of the plurality of respective outboard motors based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors such that the positions of the plurality of operation levers correspond to the shift states of the respective outboard motors. 3. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of outboard motors include a first outboard motor group including at least one of the outboard motors and a second outboard motor group including at least one of the outboard motors not included in the first outboard motor group;the plurality of operation levers include a first operation lever corresponding to the first outboard motor group and a second operation lever corresponding to the second outboard motor group;the control unit is programmed to change, when a position of the first operation lever is different from a position of the second operation lever, the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors to facilitate the behavior of the hull corresponding to shift states of the respective first and second outboard motor groups. 4. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 3, wherein the first and second operation levers are arranged to be movable among a forward drive position corresponding to the forward drive state, a neutral position corresponding to the neutral state, and a reverse drive position corresponding to the reverse drive state;the control unit is programmed to change, when the position of the first operation lever is different from the position of the second operation lever, the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors to facilitate the behavior of the hull corresponding to the shift states of the respective first and second outboard motor groups. 5. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is programmed to control, when the first operation lever is in the neutral position and the second operation lever is in a position other than the neutral position, the shift state of the first outboard motor group to be the neutral state and the shift state of the second outboard motor group to be the forward or reverse drive state and to change the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors so as to face a direction to facilitate a turning motion of the hull corresponding to a combination of the shift states of the respective first and second outboard motor groups. 6. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is programmed to change, when the first operation lever is in one of the forward and reverse drive positions and the second operation lever is in the other of the forward and reverse drive positions, the steering angles of the respective first and second outboard motor groups to bring a rear end portion of the first outboard motor group and a rear end portion of the second outboard motor group close to each other so that the hull pivots. 7. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is programmed to change an amount of change in the steering angle of each outboard motor according to an amount of displacement of each operation lever with respect to the neutral position. 8. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is programmed to maintain a certain amount of change in the steering angle of each outboard motor regardless of an amount of displacement of each operation lever with respect to the neutral position. 9. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 1, further comprising: a steering mechanism arranged to be operated by the marine vessel maneuvering operator to change the steering angles of the plurality of respective outboard motors;a steering angle sensor arranged to detect a rotation angle of the steering mechanism; anda switching unit arranged to switch between normal marine vessel maneuvering control and assisted marine vessel maneuvering control; whereinin the normal marine vessel maneuvering control, the control unit is programmed to control the shift states and propulsive forces of the respective outboard motors based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors and to change the steering angles of the respective outboard motors based on a detection result from the steering angle sensor; andin the assisted marine vessel maneuvering control, the control unit is programmed to control, based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors, the shift states and propulsive forces of the respective outboard motors and to change the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors to facilitate the behavior of the hull corresponding to the shift states of the respective outboard motors. 10. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 9, wherein in the assisted marine vessel maneuvering control, the control unit is programmed to control each of the outboard motors to have a propulsive force smaller than that corresponding to the position of each operation lever in the normal marine vessel maneuvering control. 11. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of outboard motors includes an engine with a driving force thereof being adjustable through control of throttle opening degree, a propeller arranged to be rotated by a driving force from the engine, and a switching mechanism portion arranged to switch shift states;the plurality of operation levers are arranged to be operated by the marine vessel maneuvering operator to control the plurality of outboard motors of their respective shift states and throttle opening degrees; andthe control unit is programmed to control, based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors, the shift states and throttle opening degrees of the respective outboard motors and to change the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors to facilitate the behavior of the hull corresponding to the shift states of the respective outboard motors. 12. A marine vessel propulsion system comprising: a plurality of outboard motors arranged to be mounted on a hull so as to enable a steering angle of each of the plurality of outboard motors to change with respect to the hull, each of the steering angles of the plurality of outboard motors having a maximum angular range of about 60 degrees, the outboard motors including a first outboard motor group including at least one of the outboard motors and a second outboard motor group including at least one of the outboard motors not included in the first outboard motor group;a plurality of operation levers provided correspondingly to the plurality of outboard motors, the plurality of operation levers arranged to be movable among a forward drive position corresponding to a forward drive state, a neutral position corresponding to a neutral state, and a reverse drive position corresponding to a reverse drive state to control the plurality of outboard motors to change respective shift states selected from among the forward drive state, neutral state, and reverse drive state, the plurality of operation levers including a first operation lever corresponding to the first outboard motor group and a second operation lever corresponding to the second outboard motor group;a plurality of lever position sensors provided correspondingly to the plurality of operation levers and arranged to detect positions of the plurality of operation levers and to output a plurality of detection results; anda control unit programmed to control the shift states of the respective outboard motors based on the plurality of detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors and, when the first operation lever is in one of the forward and reverse drive positions and the second operation lever is in the other of the forward and reverse drive positions, the control unit is programmed to change the steering angles of the respective first and second outboard motor groups to move a rear end portion of the first outboard motor group and a rear end portion of the second outboard motor group away from each other so that a resultant vector of propulsive force vectors generated by the first and second outboard motor groups moves the hull laterally. 13. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 12, further comprising: a steering mechanism arranged to be operated by a marine vessel maneuvering operator to change the steering angles of the plurality of respective outboard motors;a steering angle sensor arranged to detect a rotation angle of the steering mechanism; anda switching unit arranged to switch between normal marine vessel maneuvering control and assisted marine vessel maneuvering control; whereinin the normal marine vessel maneuvering control, the control unit is programmed to control the shift states and propulsive forces of the respective outboard motors based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors and to change the steering angles of the respective outboard motors based on a detection result from the steering angle sensor; andin the assisted marine vessel maneuvering control, the control unit is programmed to control the shift states and propulsive forces of the respective outboard motors based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors and, when the first operation lever is in one of the forward and reverse drive positions and the second operation lever is in the other of the forward and reverse drive positions, to change the steering angles of the respective first and second outboard motor groups to move the rear end portion of the first outboard motor group and the rear end portion of the second outboard motor group away from each other so that the hull moves laterally. 14. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 13, wherein in the assisted marine vessel maneuvering control, the control unit is programmed to control each of the outboard motors to have a propulsive force smaller than that corresponding to the position of each operation lever in the normal marine vessel maneuvering control. 15. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of outboard motors includes an engine with a driving force thereof being adjustable through control of throttle opening degree, a propeller arranged to be rotated by a driving force from the engine, and a switching mechanism portion arranged to switch shift states;the plurality of operation levers are arranged to be operated by a marine vessel maneuvering operator to control the plurality of outboard motors of their respective shift states and throttle opening degrees; andthe control unit is programmed to control the shift states and throttle opening degrees of the respective outboard motors based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors and, when the first operation lever is in one of the forward and reverse drive positions and the second operation lever is in the other of the forward and reverse drive positions, to change the steering angles of the respective first and second outboard motor groups to move an outboard motor rear end portion of the first outboard motor group and an outboard motor rear end portion of the second outboard motor group away from each other so that the hull moves laterally. 16. A marine vessel comprising: a hull;a plurality of outboard motors mounted on the hull so as to enable a steering angle of each of the plurality of outboard motors to change with respect to the hull, each of the steering angles of the plurality of outboard motors having a maximum angular range of about 60 degrees, the outboard motors including a first outboard motor group including at least one of the outboard motors and a second outboard motor group including at least one of the outboard motors not included in the first outboard motor group;a plurality of operation levers provided correspondingly to the plurality of outboard motors, the plurality of operation levers arranged to be movable among a forward drive position corresponding to a forward drive state, a neutral position corresponding to a neutral state, and a reverse drive position corresponding to a reverse drive state to control the plurality of outboard motors to change respective shift states selected from among the forward drive state, neutral state, and reverse drive state, the plurality of operation levers including a first operation lever corresponding to the first outboard motor group and a second operation lever corresponding to the second outboard motor group;a plurality of lever position sensors provided correspondingly to the plurality of operation levers and arranged to detect positions of the plurality of operation levers and to output a plurality of detection results; anda control unit programmed to control the shift states of the respective outboard motors based on the plurality of detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors and, when the first operation lever is in one of the forward and reverse drive positions and the second operation lever is in the other of the forward and reverse drive positions, the control unit is programmed to change the steering angles of the respective first and second outboard motor groups to move a rear end portion of the first outboard motor group and a rear end portion of the second outboard motor group away from each other so that a resultant vector of propulsive force vectors generated by the first and second outboard motor groups moves the hull laterally. 17. A marine vessel propulsion system comprising: a plurality of outboard motors arranged to be mounted on a hull so as to enable a steering angle of each of the plurality of outboard motors to change with respect to the hull, each of the steering angles of the plurality of outboard motors having a maximum angular range of about 60 degrees;a plurality of operation levers provided correspondingly to the plurality of outboard motors, the plurality of operation levers arranged to be operated by a marine vessel maneuvering operator to control the plurality of outboard motors to change respective shift states selected from among a forward drive state, a neutral state, and a reverse drive state;a plurality of lever position sensors provided correspondingly to the plurality of operation levers and arranged to detect positions of the plurality of operation levers; anda control unit programmed to control, based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors, the shift states of the respective outboard motors and to change the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors; whereinthe control unit is programmed to determine the shift states of the respective outboard motors and the steering angle of the at least one of the outboard motors based only on the positions of the plurality of operation levers detected by the plurality of lever position sensors and a predetermined relationship of the shift states and the steering angle with respect to the positions of the plurality of operation levers in order to turn, pivot, or laterally move the hull due to a direction of a propulsive force of the at least one of the outboard motors. 18. A marine vessel comprising: a hull;a plurality of outboard motors mounted on the hull so as to enable a steering angle of each of the plurality of outboard motors to change with respect to the hull, each of the steering angles of the plurality of outboard motors having a maximum angular range of about 60 degrees;a plurality of operation levers provided correspondingly to the plurality of outboard motors, the plurality of operation levers arranged to be operated by a marine vessel maneuvering operator to control the plurality of outboard motors to change respective shift states selected from among a forward drive state, a neutral state, and a reverse drive state;a plurality of lever position sensors provided correspondingly to the plurality of operation levers and arranged to detect positions of the plurality of operation levers; anda control unit programmed to control, based on detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors, the shift states of the respective outboard motors and to change the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors; andthe control unit is programmed to determine the shift states of the respective outboard motors and the steering angle of the at least one of the outboard motors based only on the positions of the plurality of operation levers detected by the plurality of lever position sensors and a predetermined relationship of the shift states and the steering angle with respect to the positions of the plurality of operation levers in order to turn, pivot, or laterally move the hull due to a direction of a propulsive force of the at least one of the outboard motors. 19. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is programmed to determine a relative positional relationship among the plurality of operation levers based on the outputs of the plurality of the lever position sensors, and to control the shift states of the respective outboard motors and the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors based on the relative positional relationship. 20. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is programmed to change the steering angle of at least two of the outboard motors based only on the plurality of detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors in order to laterally move the hull due to a direction of propulsive forces of the at least two of the outboard motors. 21. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 17, wherein the control unit is programmed to change the steering angle of at least two of the outboard motors based only on the plurality of detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors in order to laterally move the hull due to a direction of propulsive forces of the at least two of the outboard motors. 22. A marine vessel comprising: a hull;a plurality of outboard motors mounted on the hull so as to enable a steering angle of each of the plurality of outboard motors to change with respect to the hull, each of the steering angles of the plurality of outboard motors having a maximum angular range of about 60 degrees;a plurality of operation levers provided correspondingly to the plurality of outboard motors, the plurality of operation levers arranged to be operated by a marine vessel maneuvering operator to control the plurality of outboard motors to change respective shift states selected from among a forward drive state, a neutral state, and a reverse drive state;a plurality of lever position sensors provided correspondingly to the plurality of operation levers and arranged to detect positions of the plurality of operation levers and to output a plurality of detection results; anda control unit programmed to control the shift states of the respective outboard motors and to change the steering angle of at least one of the outboard motors based only on the plurality of detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors in order to turn, pivot, or laterally move the hull due to a direction of a propulsive force of the at least one of the outboard motors. 23. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is programmed to maintain a certain amount of change in the steering angle of each outboard motor regardless of an amount of displacement of each operation lever with respect to the neutral position. 24. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 12, wherein the control unit is programmed to change an amount of change in the steering angle of each outboard motor according to an amount of displacement of each operation lever with respect to the neutral position. 25. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 22, wherein the control unit is programmed to change the steering angle of at least two of the outboard motors based only on the plurality of detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors in order to laterally move the hull due to a direction of propulsive forces of the at least two of the outboard motors. 26. The marine vessel propulsion system according to claim 18, wherein the control unit is programmed to change the steering angle of at least two of the outboard motors based only on the plurality of detection results from the plurality of lever position sensors in order to laterally move the hull due to a direction of propulsive forces of the at least two of the outboard motors.