CN117401134A - Method for controlling a propeller drive assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for controlling a propeller drive assembly. The propeller drive assembly includes a propeller drive unit and a housing for attachment to the hull inside the hull, the housing defining an interior space and an opening through which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit is movable into and out of the interior space. The propeller drive assembly includes a suspension mechanism adapted to move the propeller drive unit between a stowed position and a deployed position. The method comprises the following steps: a first step comprising triggering the rotation of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches and stops at a respective predetermined rotational position; and a second step comprising triggering movement of the suspension mechanism from the deployed position to the stowed position. Each propeller shaft is provided with a respective propeller, and the respective predetermined position of each propeller shaft is such that each respective propeller is at least partially confined within the interior space of the housing when the propeller drive unit is in the stowed position.

Description

Method for controlling a propeller drive assembly

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to propeller drive systems for marine vessels such as ships and boats.

Background

Marine vessels (such as ships and boats) may be provided with motorized propulsion devices, such as outboard motors or various types of inboard motors. The propulsion device may comprise a propeller drive unit, sometimes referred to as a lower unit or nacelle, carrying one or more propeller shafts to carry the respective propellers.

A common challenge when navigating at sea is to avoid underwater obstacles striking the propeller. This is especially true for shallow water sailing and towing marine vessels in such areas.

Another challenge is to transport the marine vessel on land with trailers, where the height constraints of the bridge limit the available height of the marine vessel, forcing the pilot to choose a longer route when the marine vessel is too high to transport under a particular bridge.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present disclosure is to reduce the risk of damage to the propeller when the marine vessel is towed. Another object of the present disclosure is to reduce the size of a propulsion system for a marine vessel, i.e. to provide a propulsion system that occupies less space inside the marine vessel.

According to a first aspect, these and other objects are achieved by a method according to claim 1, wherein specific embodiments are defined in the dependent claims 2 to 6.

The method is a method of controlling a propeller drive assembly attachable to a hull of a marine vessel. The propeller drive assembly comprises a propeller drive unit, sometimes referred to as a lower unit or nacelle, carrying at least one propeller shaft to carry a respective propeller that rotates about a first axis of rotation. The method comprises a first step comprising triggering the rotation of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches and stops at the respective predetermined rotational position.

The propeller drive assembly also includes a housing for attachment to the hull of the marine vessel inside the hull such that the housing surrounds the first opening of the hull and is sealed to the hull. The housing defines an interior space and is provided with a second opening through which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit is movable into and out of the interior space. The propeller drive assembly includes a suspension mechanism attached to the housing and configured to suspend the propeller drive unit, wherein the suspension mechanism is movable along a first longitudinal axis of the housing between a stowed position in which the propeller drive unit is located inside the interior space of the housing and a deployed position in which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit protrudes outside the housing through the second opening. With the hardware in place, the method may further include a second step that includes triggering movement of the suspension mechanism from the deployed position to the stowed position.

Each propeller shaft is provided with a respective propeller, and the respective predetermined position of each propeller shaft is such that each respective propeller is at least partially, such as fully, confined within the interior space of the housing when the propeller drive unit is in the stowed position.

By combining this rotation of the propeller with the retractable propeller drive unit, the extent of the propeller below/outside the hull of the marine vessel is reduced, thereby reducing the risk of the propeller being damaged by underwater objects, such as rock.

Furthermore, by moving the propeller drive unit to the stowed position, the propeller is moved in a direction further into the hull of the marine vessel, thus further reducing the extent of the propeller below/outside the hull of the marine vessel, thereby further reducing the risk of the propeller being damaged by underwater objects, such as rock. By retracting the propeller drive unit into the housing in combination with rotating the propeller to a respective predetermined position, the extent of the propeller below the hull is reduced and/or the flow resistance of the portion of the propeller protruding below the hull is reduced. This enables the use of a smaller housing for the propeller drive assembly and thus enables the propeller drive assembly to be installed in a marine vessel where the available space is limited.

The rotation of the propeller to the respective predetermined rotational position enables control of where the propeller blades of the propeller are positioned when the propeller is not operating to propel the marine vessel, such as when the marine vessel is being anchored or towed.

For example, this position may minimize the extent of the propeller below the vessel, thereby minimizing the height of the vessel. Minimizing the vessel height may be advantageous when the vessel is moving through a narrow passage where the space available around the vessel is limited, such as during road transport of the vessel on a trailer when the vessel is towed past an underground obstacle, where the available height below the bridge limits the type of bridge under which the vessel may be safely transported.

In case the bottom profile of the channel through which the ship has to be transported only allows the propeller to pass at a specific position, the predetermined position may be selected such that the ship is able to pass the channel by triggering a rotation of the propeller shaft to the corresponding predetermined position according to the bottom curvature.

The propeller drive assembly may also include at least one electrically driven member, for example including one or more electric motors. The electric drive member is configured to control a rotational position of each propeller shaft about the first rotational axis. The first step comprises triggering the electrically driven member to perform a rotation of the respective propeller shaft to the respective predetermined rotational position.

The use of electric drive members to control the respective rotational positions of the propeller shafts enables accurate control of the rotational position of each propeller shaft.

The propeller drive unit may comprise two propeller shafts, each carrying a propeller. The propellers are rotatable relative to each other about a first axis of rotation such that the joint projection drive area provided by the propellers in a plane perpendicular to the first axis of rotation varies between a maximum joint projection drive area and a minimum joint projection drive area together defining a joint projection drive area range in response to the relative rotation. The method may comprise determining the predetermined positions such that the joint projection drive area is within a lower 10% of the joint projection drive area range or within a lower 5% of the joint projection drive area range, or is the minimum joint projection drive area, when the propeller axes are in their respective predetermined positions.

The propellers are substantially aligned if the joint projection drive area when the propeller axes are in their respective predetermined positions is within the lower 10% of the joint projection drive area range or within the lower 5% of the joint projection drive area range, or is the smallest joint projection drive area. This alignment reduces the risk of the propeller striking a foreign object while towing the marine vessel. Furthermore, this alignment can reduce the projection of the propeller from outside the hull into the surrounding water when the propeller drive unit is in its stowed position.

The propeller may have the same number of blades.

The use of two propellers with the same number of blades is advantageous because the two pairs of propeller blades can be rotated such that they are aligned along the first axis of rotation and thus minimize the joint projection drive area, making it easier to clear underwater obstacles. Furthermore, it enables a more compact housing design for the retractable propeller drive unit.

The second step may be performed after and/or simultaneously with said first step.

By rotating the propeller to a predetermined position before or during movement of the propeller drive unit towards the stowed position, the propeller drive unit may be positioned closer to the second opening of the housing while maintaining the propeller inside the interior space of the housing. This enables the use of a smaller housing for the propeller drive assembly and thus enables the propeller drive assembly to be installed in a marine vessel where the available space is limited.

Alternatively, said propeller drive unit comprises two propeller shafts, each carrying one propeller, wherein the propellers are rotatable relative to each other about the first axis of rotation such that the joint projection drive areas provided by the propellers in a plane perpendicular to the first axis of rotation together define a joint projection drive area range between a maximum joint projection drive area and a minimum joint projection drive area in response to the relative rotation, and wherein the predetermined positions are such that the joint projection drive area when the propeller shafts are in their respective predetermined positions is within an upper 20% of the joint projection drive area range or within an upper 10% of the joint projection drive area range, or is the maximum joint projection drive area (Amax).

By moving the propeller shaft such that the joint projection drive area a is within the upper 20% of the joint projection drive area range, the propeller 4 can be kept stationary to provide a large braking force for decelerating the marine vessel. For a retractable propeller drive unit, such braking of the marine vessel requires that the propeller drive unit be in its deployed position for maximum braking effect.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the above object is also achieved by a control unit for controlling a propeller drive assembly attachable to a hull of a marine vessel, the control unit being configured to perform the method according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 6.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the above object is also achieved by a propeller drive system comprising a propeller drive assembly and a control unit. The propeller drive unit carries at least one propeller shaft to carry a respective propeller that rotates about a first axis of rotation. The control unit is configured to trigger the rotation of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches and stops at the respective predetermined rotational position.

The propeller drive assembly also includes a housing for attachment to the hull of the marine vessel inside the hull such that the housing surrounds the first opening of the hull and is sealed to the hull. The housing defines an interior space and is provided with a second opening through which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit is movable into and out of the interior space. The propeller drive assembly includes a suspension mechanism attached to the housing and configured to suspend the propeller drive unit, wherein the suspension mechanism is movable along a first longitudinal axis of the housing between a stowed position in which the propeller drive unit is located inside the interior space of the housing and a deployed position in which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit protrudes outside the housing through the second opening. The control unit is further configured to trigger movement of the suspension mechanism from the deployed position to the stowed position.

Each propeller shaft may be provided with a respective propeller, wherein the respective predetermined position of each propeller shaft is such that each respective propeller is at least partially, such as fully, confined within the interior space of the housing when the propeller drive unit is in the stowed position.

The propeller drive system may further comprise at least one electrically driven member configured to control the rotational position of each propeller shaft about said first rotational axis, wherein the control unit is configured to trigger the electrically driven member to perform a rotation of the propeller shaft to a respective predetermined rotational position.

The propeller driving system can

The propeller drive unit may comprise two propeller shafts, each carrying a propeller. The propellers are rotatable relative to each other about a first axis of rotation such that the joint projection drive area provided by the propellers in a plane perpendicular to the first axis of rotation varies between a maximum joint projection drive area and a minimum joint projection drive area together defining a joint projection drive area range in response to the relative rotation. The predetermined positions are such that the joint projection drive area when the propeller shafts are in their respective predetermined positions is within a lower 10% of the joint projection drive area range or within a lower 5% of the joint projection drive area range, or is the minimum joint projection drive area.

The control unit may be configured to trigger movement of the suspension mechanism from the deployed position to the stowed position after and/or simultaneously with said triggering of the rotation of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches and stops at the respective predetermined rotational position.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the above object is also achieved by a marine vessel comprising the above propeller drive system according to any one of claims 9 to 14.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the above object is also achieved by a computer program product comprising program code means for performing the above method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when said program is run on a control unit.

The above aspects, the appended claims and/or the examples disclosed herein above and hereinafter may be suitably combined with each other as will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the following description, claims, and drawings, and will be apparent to those skilled in the art in part from the description, or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein. Control units and computer program products related to the technical effects and corresponding advantages discussed above are also disclosed herein.

Drawings

Fig. 1-21 illustrate schematic cross-sectional views of various embodiments of a propeller drive system according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 22 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a method according to the present disclosure.

Fig. 23a to 23b and 24a to 24b schematically show the propeller positions in fig. 23a and 24a, and the corresponding projection drive surfaces in the reference plane P are filled in black in fig. 23b and 24 b.

Fig. 25 is a schematic diagram of a computing system 2500 for implementing examples disclosed herein.

Fig. 1-5, 12-16 and 17-21 illustrate embodiments of propeller drive systems configured such that their respective propeller drive units are retractable into the hull of a marine vessel.

Fig. 6 to 11 show embodiments of a propeller drive system fixed to the hull and provided with a corresponding propeller drive unit non-retractably attached to the hull of a marine vessel.

Fig. 1 to 8 show an embodiment of a propeller drive system provided with a single propeller.

Fig. 9 to 21 show an embodiment of a propeller drive system provided with two propeller shafts, each carrying a respective propeller.

Figures 1 to 5 show how the propeller rotates, for example when towed or anchored in shallow water, to avoid bottoming out in such areas.

Fig. 6 to 11 show how the propeller rotates to rescue when passing through an area with a known bottom curvature, wherein the rotation of the propeller to a selected respective predetermined position causes the propeller to adapt to a known recess in the bottom curvature, thus enabling the propeller to avoid bottoming.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure, which are cited as examples, will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As described above, it is an object of the present disclosure to reduce the risk of damage to the propeller when the marine vessel is towed. Another object of the present disclosure is to be able to design a compact propulsion system for a marine vessel, i.e. a propulsion system that occupies less space inside the marine vessel.

To achieve these and other objects, a propeller drive system 6 and a method M0 of controlling such a propeller drive system 6 are presented herein. The method M0 may be used for any suitable propeller drive system 6 comprising a propeller drive assembly 1 provided with a drive member capable of controlling the rotational position of one or more propeller shafts carried by a propeller drive unit 3 of said propeller drive assembly. Typically, such drive means may comprise one or more electric motors operatively connected to the respective propeller shafts, said electric motors being of a type operable to stop at one or more predetermined discrete rotational positions (e.g. at one specific rotational position or at any one of a plurality of rotational positions). Alternatively, the drive member may comprise any other suitable type of motor which may be combined with one or more stop members movable by the actuator between a position in which these stop members are moved such that the respective propeller 4/propeller shaft is free to rotate and a position in which the stop members prevent further rotation of the propeller 4 or propeller shaft (e.g. by blocking the propeller hub or propeller blades such that the propeller shaft stops moving at the predetermined rotational positions P0a, P0 b).

Exemplary embodiments of method M0 will be described in connection with exemplary embodiments of the propeller drive system 6 shown in fig. 12-16. As used in some of the figures, reference numeral 16 refers to the sea surface and reference numeral 15 refers to the sea floor or underwater obstacle.

The method M0 is used for controlling a propeller drive assembly 1 attachable to a hull 2 of a marine vessel. The propeller drive assembly 1 comprises a propeller drive unit 3 carrying at least one propeller shaft (not shown) for carrying a respective propeller 4 rotating about a first axis of rotation 5. As shown in fig. 22, the method M0 comprises a first step M1 comprising triggering the rotation of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches the respective predetermined rotational position P0a, P0b and stops at the respective predetermined rotational position P0a, P0 b.

The rotation of the propeller shafts to respective predetermined rotational positions enables control of where the propeller blades of the propeller 4 are positioned when the propeller 4 is not operating to propel the marine vessel, such as when the marine vessel is being anchored or towed.

The propeller drive assembly may comprise locking means for locking the position of the propeller shaft such that the propeller 4 cannot be rotated by the water pressure acting on the propeller 4 when the marine vessel is towing. The locking member may for example comprise a friction brake which is movable by the actuator between a braking position in which the friction brake acts on the propeller shaft to prevent rotation thereof and a non-braking position in which the friction brake does not prevent rotation of the propeller shaft.

For example, this position may minimize the extent of the propeller 4 below the marine vessel, thereby minimizing the height of the marine vessel. Minimizing the marine vessel height may be advantageous when the marine vessel is moving through a narrow passage where the space available around the marine vessel is limited, such as during road transport of the marine vessel on a trailer when the marine vessel is towed past an underground obstacle, where the available height below the bridge limits the type of bridge under which the marine vessel may be safely transported.

In case the bottom profile of the channel through which the marine vessel has to be transported only allows the propeller 4 to pass at a specific position, the predetermined position may be selected such that the marine vessel can pass through the channel by rotating the propeller shaft to the corresponding predetermined position according to the bottom curvature.

The propeller drive assembly 1 further comprises at least one electric drive member 7 configured to control the rotational position of each propeller shaft about said first rotational axis 5. The first step M1 comprises triggering the electrically driven member 7 to perform a rotation of the respective propeller shaft to the respective predetermined rotational position P0a, P0 b.

The use of the electric drive member 7 to control the respective rotational positions of the propeller shafts enables accurate control of the rotational position of each propeller shaft.

This method is particularly advantageous when used with a retractable propeller drive unit 3, such as the propeller drive unit depicted in fig. 12-16. Thus, the propeller drive assembly 1 comprises a housing 8 for attachment to the hull 2 of the marine vessel inside the hull 2 such that the housing 8 surrounds the first opening 9 of the hull 2 and is sealed to the hull 2. The housing 8 defines an interior space 10 and wherein the housing 8 is provided with a second opening 11 through which at least a part of the propeller drive unit 3 can be moved into and out of the interior space 10. The propeller drive assembly 1 comprises a suspension mechanism 12 attached to the housing 8 and configured to suspend the propeller drive unit 3, wherein the suspension mechanism 12 is movable along a first longitudinal axis 13 of the housing 8 between a stowed position P1 in which the propeller drive unit 3 is located inside the interior space 10 of the housing 8 and a deployed position P2 in which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit 3 protrudes outside the housing 8 through the second opening 11. Thus, the method M0 further comprises a second step M2 comprising triggering the movement of the suspension mechanism 12 from the deployed position P2 to the stowed position P1.

By moving the propeller drive unit 3 to the stowed position, the propeller 4 is moved in a direction further into the hull 2 of the marine vessel, thus further reducing the extent of the propeller 4 below/outside the hull 2 of the marine vessel. In other embodiments, the propeller drive unit 3 may be non-retractable and thus the housing 8 and suspension mechanism 12 are not provided.

As shown in fig. 12 to 16, each of the two propeller shafts is provided with a corresponding propeller 4. The respective predetermined position P0a, P0b of each propeller shaft is such that each respective propeller 4 is fully confined within the interior space 10 of the housing 8 when the propeller drive unit 3 is in the stowed position P1. In other embodiments of the method, the respective predetermined position P0a, P0b of each propeller shaft may alternatively be such that each respective propeller 4 is only partially confined within the interior space 10 of the housing 8 when the propeller drive unit 3 is in the stowed position P1.

The propeller drive unit 3 comprises two propeller shafts, each carrying one propeller 4. Each propeller 4 has two blades, but in other embodiments each propeller 4 may alternatively have any other suitable number of blades. Furthermore, as an alternative to the same number of blades (not limited to two blades) on each propeller 4, the propellers 4 may alternatively have a different number of blades; for example, one propeller 4 may have two blades and the other propeller 4 may have three blades.

The propellers 4 are rotatable relative to each other about a first axis of rotation 5 such that the combined projection drive area a provided by the propellers 4 in a plane perpendicular to the first axis of rotation 5 varies between a maximum combined projection drive area Amax and a minimum combined projection drive area Amin that together define a combined projection drive area range in response to the relative rotation.

The relation between the rotational position of the propeller 4 and the joint projection drive area a is shown in fig. 23a to 23b and fig. 24a to 24b, however the propeller 4 has a different blade size. The black areas in fig. 23b and 24b depict the respective joint projection drive areas a for each relative rotational position of the propeller 4.

In this embodiment, the predetermined positions P0a, P0b are such that the joint projection drive area when the propeller shafts are in their respective predetermined positions P0a, P0b is within the lower 10% of the joint projection drive area range or within the lower 5% of the joint projection drive area range, or is the minimum joint projection drive area Amin.

The propeller 4 is substantially aligned if the joint projection drive area when the propeller axes are in their respective predetermined positions is within the lower 10% of the joint projection drive area range or within the lower 5% of the joint projection drive area range, or is the smallest joint projection drive area. This alignment reduces the impact of the propeller 4 on foreign objects while towing the marine vessel. Furthermore, this alignment can reduce the protrusion of the propeller 4 from outside the hull 2 into the surrounding water when the propeller drive unit 3 is in its stowed position.

In this embodiment, the second step M2 is performed after said first step, such that the propeller 4 blades are oriented in the predetermined positions P0a, P0b before the propeller drive unit 3 is retracted. In this way, the housing 8 can be adapted to a predetermined position of the propeller 4, as controlled by the predetermined position of the propeller shaft, such that the housing 8 conforms to the shape of the propeller 4 when the propeller drive unit 3 is in its stowed position P1. Thus, when the propeller drive unit 3 is in its stowed position P1, there is no need to provide additional space in the housing 8 for rotation of the propeller shafts to bring them to their predetermined positions.

The first step of triggering the rotation of the propeller shafts is typically performed by providing a control signal to the driving member such that the driving member rotates the respective propeller shaft to the respective predetermined position P0a, P0 b.

In the embodiment of fig. 1 to 22, a control unit 14 is provided for controlling the propeller drive assembly 1, said control unit 14 being configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

The control unit 14 may be provided separately from the propeller drive assembly 1 and in wireless or wired communication with the propeller drive assembly 1.

Typically, the propeller drive assembly 1 is provided as part of a propeller drive system 6 comprising the propeller drive assembly 1 and a control unit 14. This is the configuration used in the embodiments of fig. 1-22.

The propeller drive unit 3 carries at least one propeller shaft for carrying a respective propeller 4 that rotates about a first axis of rotation 5. The control unit 14 is configured to trigger the rotation M1 of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches the respective predetermined rotational position P0a, P0b and stops at the respective predetermined rotational position P0a, P0 b. In this embodiment, two propeller shafts and two propellers 4 are provided.

The propeller 4 may be provided separately from the propeller drive system 6 and allows the installer to order the propeller 4 individually based on the installer's choice made according to the needs of the marine vessel in which the propeller drive system 6 is to be installed.

The propeller 4 may alternatively already be attached to the corresponding propeller shaft at the manufacture of the propeller drive system 6.

The propeller drive assembly 1 may be provided with means for ensuring that the propeller 4 is aligned on each respective propeller shaft in a predetermined relative rotational position with respect to the propeller shaft. For example, each propeller shaft may be provided with a spline configured to mate with a corresponding spline of each corresponding propeller 4 such that the propeller 4 is only fitted on the corresponding propeller shaft in a specific orientation. Alternatively, the control unit 14 may be provided with a calibration mode, wherein the control unit 14 moves each respective propeller shaft to and stops the propeller shafts at a predetermined calibration position, waiting for the installer to adapt the propeller 4 such that the propeller 4 is aligned with a reference, such as a matching reference mark on the propeller drive unit 3 and the propeller 4, or simply by aligning the propeller 4 on command such that e.g. one blade is directed straight up along the first longitudinal axis 13 with the reference. The control unit 14 may also be configured to obtain data provided by the installer regarding the size and type of propeller 4 mounted.

Any other suitable method or means for ensuring that the relative rotational position of each propeller 4 with respect to the rotational position of each respective propeller shaft is known may alternatively be used. For example, sensors may be provided to determine the rotational position of the propeller 4 relative to the propeller drive unit 3, such as camera-based systems configured to determine the type of propeller 4 and its orientation, optical or electromagnetic sensors to sense the proximity of a particular portion of each respective propeller 4 to sensors provided at known locations of the propeller drive assembly 1.

The propeller drive system 6 comprises at least one electrically driven member 7 configured to control the rotational position of each propeller shaft about said first rotational axis 5. In this embodiment, the electric drive member 7 comprises two electric motors coupled to the two propeller shafts via gears such that each motor drives a respective one of the propeller shafts. In other embodiments, other types of drive members may be provided instead of the electrically driven member 7.

The control unit 14 is configured to trigger the electrically driven member 7 to perform a rotation of the propeller shaft to the respective predetermined rotational positions P0a, P0 b.

In this embodiment, the propeller drive assembly 1 further comprises a housing 8 for attachment to the hull 2 of the marine vessel 2 inside the hull 2 such that the housing 8 surrounds the first opening 9 of the hull 2 and is sealed to the hull 2. The housing 8 defines an interior space 10 and wherein the housing 8 is provided with a second opening 11 through which at least a part of the propeller drive unit 3 can be moved into and out of the interior space 10. The propeller drive assembly 1 comprises a suspension mechanism 12 attached to the housing 8 and configured to suspend the propeller drive unit 3, wherein the suspension mechanism 12 is movable along a first longitudinal axis 13 of the housing 8 between a stowed position P1 in which the propeller drive unit 3 is located inside the interior space 10 of the housing 8 and a deployed position P2 in which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit 3 protrudes outside the housing 8 through the second opening 11. A similar arrangement is provided in the embodiments shown in figures 1 to 5 and 17 to 21.

For such embodiments in which the propeller drive unit 3 is retractable into the housing 8, the control unit 14 is further configured to trigger movement of the suspension mechanism 12 from the deployed position P2 to the stowed position P1, typically in response to a command obtained by the control unit 14 from an operator of the marine vessel or from an automatic navigation system.

As shown in fig. 12 to 16, the respective predetermined position P0a, P0b of each propeller shaft is such that each respective propeller 4 is fully confined within the interior space 10 of the housing 8 when the propeller drive unit 3 is in the stowed position P1. In other embodiments, the respective predetermined position P0a, P0b of each propeller shaft may alternatively be such that each respective propeller 4 is only partially confined within the interior space 10 of the housing 8 when the propeller drive unit 3 is in the stowed position P1.

The propeller drive unit 3 comprises two propeller shafts, each carrying one propeller 4, wherein the propellers 4 are rotatable relative to each other about a first axis of rotation 5 such that a joint projection drive area a provided by the propellers 4 in a plane P perpendicular to the first axis of rotation 5 together defines a joint projection drive area range between a maximum joint projection drive area Amax and a minimum joint projection drive area Amin in response to the relative rotation, and wherein the predetermined positions P0a, P0b are such that the joint projection drive area a is within a lower 10% of the joint projection drive area range or within a lower 5% of the joint projection drive area or is the minimum joint projection drive area Amin when the propeller shafts are in their respective predetermined positions P0a, P0 b.

The control unit 14 is configured to trigger a movement M1 of the suspension mechanism 12 from the deployed position P2 to the stowed position P1 after and/or simultaneously with said triggering of the rotation M1 of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches the respective predetermined rotational position P0a, P0b and stops at the respective predetermined rotational position P0a, P0 b.

Alternatively, the propeller drive unit 3 comprises two propeller shafts, each carrying one propeller 4, wherein the propellers 4 are rotatable relative to each other about a first axis of rotation 5 such that the joint projection drive area provided by the propellers 4 in a plane P perpendicular to the first axis of rotation 5 varies in response to the relative rotation together between a maximum joint projection drive area Amax and a minimum joint projection drive area Amin defining a joint projection drive area range. The predetermined positions P0a, P0b may be such that the joint projection drive area when the propeller shafts are in their respective predetermined positions P0a, P0b is within the upper 20% of the joint projection drive area range or within the upper 10% of the joint projection drive area range, or is the maximum joint projection drive area (Amax).

By moving the propeller shaft such that the joint projection drive area a is within the upper 20% of the joint projection drive area range, the propeller 4 can be kept stationary to provide a large braking force for decelerating the marine vessel. For the retractable propeller drive unit 3, such braking of the marine vessel requires that the propeller drive unit 3 be in its deployed position for maximum braking effect.

As shown in fig. 1 to 22, a marine vessel may be provided, comprising a propeller drive system 6 according to any of the embodiments described above.

Furthermore, a computer program may be provided, comprising program code means for performing the method according to any of claims 1 to 7 when said program is run on the control unit 14.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings; rather, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

Fig. 25 is a schematic diagram of a computing system 2500 for implementing the methods disclosed herein. Computer system 2500 is adapted to execute instructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and/or any of the functions or processes described herein. Computer system 2500 may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the internet. Although only a single device is illustrated, computer system 2500 may include any set of devices that execute a set (or sets) of instructions, alone or in combination, to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Accordingly, any reference in the present disclosure and/or claims to a computer system, computing system, computer device, computing device, control system, control unit, electronic Control Unit (ECU), processor device, or the like, includes reference to one or more such devices to execute the instruction set(s) alone or in combination to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. For example, the control system may include a single control unit or a plurality of control units connected or otherwise communicatively coupled to each other such that any performed functions may be distributed among the control units as desired. Further, such devices may communicate with each other or other devices through various system architectures, such as directly or via a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus, etc.

Thus, the control unit 14 mentioned in the claims may be implemented as a computer system 2500 provided locally in the marine vessel, or as a distributed computer system performing the same tasks as the control unit 14 discussed herein.

Computer system 2500 may include at least one computing device or electronic device capable of including firmware, hardware, and/or executing software instructions to implement the functionality described herein. Computer system 2500 may include a processor device 2502 (which may also be referred to as a control unit), a memory 2504, and a system bus 2506. Computer system 2500 may include at least one computing device having a processor device 2502. The system bus 2506 provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, memory 2504 and processor arrangement 2502. The processor device 2502 may include any number of hardware components for performing data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in the memory 2504. The processor device 2502 (e.g., a control unit) may include, for example, a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a circuit containing processing components, a set of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processor means may also include computer executable code that controls the operation of the programmable means.

The system bus 2506 can be any of several types of bus structure that may further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and/or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 2504 may be one or more devices for storing data and/or computer code to accomplish or facilitate the methods described herein. Memory 2504 may include database components, object code components, script components, or any type of information structure for supporting the various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device may be utilized with the systems and methods of the present description. The memory 2504 may be communicatively connected to the processor device 2502 (e.g., via circuitry or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and may include computer code for performing one or more processes described herein. The memory 2504 may include non-volatile memory 2508 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.) and volatile memory 2510 (e.g., random Access Memory (RAM)), or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer or other machine with the processor arrangement 2502. A basic input/output system 2512 (BIOS) may be stored in the non-volatile memory 2508 and may include the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 2500.

Computer system 2500 may also include or be coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as storage 2514, which may include, for example, an internal or external Hard Disk Drive (HDD) (e.g., enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics (EIDE) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)), an HDD for storage (e.g., EIDE or SATA), flash memory, and the like. Storage 2514 and other drives associated with computer-readable media and computer-usable media may provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like.

Many of the modules may be implemented as software and/or hard-coded in circuitry to implement, in whole or in part, the functionality described herein. These modules can be stored in storage 2514 and/or volatile memory 2510, which can include an operating system 2516 and/or one or more program modules 2518. All or a portion of the examples disclosed herein can be implemented as a computer program product 2520 stored on a transitory or non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a single medium or multiple media) such as storage 2514, comprising complex programming instructions (e.g., complex computer-readable program code) that cause processor device 2502 to perform the steps described herein. Thus, the computer readable program code may comprise software instructions for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processor device 2502. The processor device 2502 may serve as a controller or control system for the computer system 2500 for implementing the functionality described herein.

Computer system 2500 may also include an input device interface 2522 (e.g., an input device interface and/or an output device interface). Input device interface 2522 may be configured to receive input and selections to be transferred to computer system 2500, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc., when the instructions are executed. Such input devices can be connected to the processor device 2502 through an input device interface 2522 that is coupled to the system bus 2506, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 serial port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, an IR interface, etc. Computer system 2500 may include an output device interface 2524 configured to forward output to, for example, a display, a video display unit (e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)). Computer system 2500 may also include a communication interface 2526 suitable for communicating with a network as appropriate or required.

The operational steps described in any of the exemplary aspects herein are described to provide examples and discussion. The steps may be performed by hardware components, may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, to cause a processor to perform the steps, or may be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a particular order of method steps may be shown or described, the order of the steps may be different. In addition, two or more steps may be performed simultaneously or partially simultaneously.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes" and/or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the figures. It should be understood that these relative terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected to" or "directly coupled/coupled to" another element, there are no intervening elements present.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described above and illustrated in the drawings; rather, those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. In the drawings and specification, aspects have been disclosed for purposes of illustration only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the inventive concept being set forth in the following claims.

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Claims (13)

1. A method (M0) of controlling a propeller drive assembly (1) attachable to a hull (2) of a marine vessel, the propeller drive assembly (1) comprising a propeller drive unit (3) carrying at least one propeller shaft for carrying a respective propeller (4) rotating about a first axis of rotation (5),

Wherein the propeller drive assembly (1) comprises a housing (8) for attachment to the hull (2) of the marine vessel inside the hull (2) such that the housing (8) surrounds a first opening (9) of the hull (2) and is sealed to the hull (2), wherein the housing (8) defines an interior space (10), and wherein the housing (8) is provided with a second opening (11) through which at least a part of the propeller drive unit (3) can be moved into and out of the interior space (10), and

wherein the propeller drive assembly (1) comprises a suspension mechanism (12) attached to the housing (8) and configured to suspend the propeller drive unit (3), wherein the suspension mechanism (12) is movable along a first longitudinal axis (13) of the housing (8) between a stowed position (P1) in which the propeller drive unit (3) is located inside the interior space of the housing and a deployed position (P2) in which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit (3) protrudes outside the housing (8) through the second opening (11),

wherein the method (M0) comprises:

a first step (M1) comprising triggering the rotation of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches a respective predetermined rotational position (P0 a, P0 b) and stops at said respective predetermined rotational position (P0 a, P0 b); and

-a second step (M2) comprising triggering a movement of the suspension mechanism (12) from the deployed position (P2) to the stowed position (P1), wherein each propeller shaft is provided with a respective propeller (4), and wherein the respective predetermined position (P0 a, P0 b) of each propeller shaft is such that each respective propeller (4) is at least partially, such as fully, confined within the interior space (10) of the housing (8) when the propeller drive unit (3) is in the stowed position (P1).

2. The method (M0) according to claim 1, wherein the propeller drive assembly further comprises at least one electrically driven member (7) configured to control the rotational position of each propeller shaft about the first rotational axis (5), and wherein the first step (M1) comprises triggering the electrically driven member (7) to perform a rotation of the respective propeller shaft to the respective predetermined rotational position (P0 a, P0 b).

3. The method (M0) according to any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the propeller drive unit (3) comprises two propeller shafts, each propeller shaft carrying one propeller (4), wherein the propellers (4) are rotatable relative to each other about the first axis of rotation (5) such that a joint projection drive area (a) provided by the propellers (4) in a plane (P) perpendicular to the first axis of rotation (5) together defines a maximum joint projection drive area (Amax) and a minimum joint projection drive area (Amin) of a joint projection drive area range in response to the relative rotation, and wherein the predetermined positions (P0 a, P0 b) are such that the joint projection drive area (a) is within a lower 10% of the joint projection drive area range or within a lower 5% of the joint projection drive area or is the minimum joint projection drive area (Amin) when the propeller shafts are in their respective predetermined positions (P0 a, P0 b).

4. A method (M0) according to claim 3, wherein the propellers have the same number of blades.

5. The method (M0) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second step (M2) is performed after and/or simultaneously with the first step.

6. The method (M0) according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the propeller drive unit (3) comprises two propeller shafts, each propeller shaft carrying one propeller (4), wherein the propellers (4) are rotatable relative to each other about the first axis of rotation (5) such that a joint projection drive area (a) provided by the propellers (4) in a plane (P) perpendicular to the first axis of rotation (5) together defines a maximum joint projection drive area (Amax) and a minimum joint projection drive area (Amin) of a joint projection drive area range in response to the relative rotation, and wherein the predetermined positions (P0 a, P0 b) are such that the joint projection drive area (a) is within an upper 20% of the joint projection drive area range or within an upper 10% of the joint projection drive area range or is the maximum joint projection drive area (Amax) when the propeller shafts are in their respective predetermined positions (P0 a, P0 b).

7. A control unit (14) for controlling a propeller drive assembly (1) attachable to a hull (2) of a marine vessel, the control unit (14) being configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A propeller drive system (6) comprising a propeller drive assembly (1) and a control unit (14), the propeller drive assembly (1) comprising a propeller drive unit (3) carrying at least one propeller shaft for carrying a respective propeller (4) rotating about a first axis of rotation (5), the propeller drive assembly (1) further comprising a housing (8) for attachment to the hull (2) of the marine vessel inside the hull (2) such that the housing (8) surrounds a first opening (9) of the hull (2) and is sealed to the hull (2), wherein the housing (8) defines an interior space (10), and wherein the housing (8) is provided with a second opening (11) through which at least a part of the propeller drive unit (1) can be moved into and out of the interior space (10), and

wherein the propeller drive assembly (1) comprises a suspension mechanism (12) attached to the housing (8) and configured to suspend the propeller drive unit (3), wherein the suspension mechanism (12) is movable along a first longitudinal axis (13) of the housing (8) between a stowed position (P1) in which the propeller drive unit (3) is located inside the interior space of the housing (8) and a deployed position (P2) in which at least a portion of the propeller drive unit (3) protrudes outside the housing (8) through the second opening (11),

Wherein each propeller shaft is provided with a respective propeller (4) and,

wherein the control unit (14) is configured to trigger the rotation (M1) of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches the respective predetermined rotational position (P0 a, P0 b) and stops at the respective predetermined rotational position (P0 a, P0 b),

wherein the control unit (14) is further configured to trigger movement of the suspension mechanism (12) from the deployed position (P2) to the stowed position (P1), and

wherein the respective predetermined position (P0 a, P0 b) of each propeller shaft is such that each respective propeller (4) is at least partially, such as completely, confined within the interior space (10) of the housing (8) when the propeller drive unit (3) is in the stowed position (P1).

9. The propeller drive system (6) of claim 8, further comprising at least one electrically driven member (7) configured to control a rotational position of each propeller shaft about the first rotational axis (5), wherein the control unit (14) is configured to trigger the electrically driven member (7) to perform a rotation of the propeller shafts to the respective predetermined rotational positions (P0 a, P0 b).

10. A propeller drive system (6) according to any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the propeller drive unit (3) comprises two propeller shafts, each propeller shaft carrying one propeller (4), wherein the propeller (4) is rotatable relative to each other about the first axis of rotation (5) such that a joint projection drive area (a) provided by the propeller (4) in a plane (P) perpendicular to the first axis of rotation (5) together defines a maximum joint projection drive area (Amax) and a minimum joint projection drive area (Amin) of a joint projection drive area range in response to the relative rotation, and wherein the predetermined positions (P0 a, P0 b) are such that the joint projection drive area (a) is within a lower 10% of the joint projection drive area range or within a lower 5% of the joint projection drive area or is the joint projection drive area (Amin) when the propeller shafts are in their respective predetermined positions (P0 a, P0 b).

11. The propeller drive system (6) of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the control unit (14) is configured to trigger movement (M1) of the suspension mechanism (12) from the deployed position (P2) to the stowed position (P1) after and/or simultaneously with the triggering of the rotation (M1) of each propeller shaft such that the respective propeller shaft reaches the respective predetermined rotational position (P0 a, P0 b) and stops at the respective predetermined rotational position (P0 a, P0 b).

12. Marine vessel comprising a propeller drive system (6) according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

13. Computer program comprising program code means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when said program is run on a control unit (14).