Electromechanical control device particularly for boats
Control device with a control mechanism for setting operation conditions of an engine and/or of other operating units. The control mechanism is movable along a predetermined path for a predetermined travel between two end-limit stop positions. A setting device sets an engine supply and/or operation parameters of other operating units. The setting device has at least a mobile setting mechanism, for example, a carburetor throttle is connected to the control mechanism by mechanical transmission. A movement thereof causes a movement of the setting mechanism. The system further provides a movement and/or position sensor on the control mechanism. The sensor produces electrical signals univocally correlated to the position/movement of said control mechanism. A motor actuator operating the setting mechanism is connected to a control gearcase. The gearcase produces control signals of the actuator univocally correlated and corresponding to signals transmitted by the position/movement sensor. The actuator and the mechanical transmission are contemporaneously connected to the setting mechanism.
Latest Patents:
The present invention relates to an electromechanical control device, particularly for boats, suitable also for other means such as earthwork means and generally any other equipment requiring remote control of drive and operation means.
At present this kind of devices are used in boats, in order to set, for example, the operation condition of engines by control mechanisms, tipically levers, movable along a predetermined path and for a predetermined travel between two end limit stop positions, mechanically connected to mobile setting mechanisms of the engine operation conditions, such as a throttle, for example by means of a lever or flexible cables or tie rod system. Although highly reliable, these known devices have the drawback that may be difficult and hard to operate, especially if there is a great distance between control and user and in presence of multiple series-connected controls. Particularly in the case of flexible cables there can occur deformation of the cables that negatively affect control trasmission and will increase the required control efforts by operator. In order to overcome such drawbacks and in order to have a more flexible system, electric or flow dynamic systems have been introduced. An example of electronic device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,765 to be considered an integral part of the present disclosure. The electric/electronic transmission system comprises a gearcase that operates communications between different boat mechanisms the communication links thereof being connected with the gearcase by means of bus links with a predetermined coding and signal transmitting protocol such as CAN. The gearcase interprets and recognises signals of different control mechanisms such as levers, buttons, or the like that are associated to electromechanical transducers and it produces control signals of an actuator connected to the setting mechanism. This easily allows to add to the system several units integrating with the current ones increasing the automation degree of operations. For example, with a suitable software and suitable interfaces it is possible to connect sensors of the engine operating conditions, course sensors, and others whose signals can be considered and suitably processed by the gearcase in order to produce compatible controls on the basis even of signals of these further units obviously advising or leaving a choice among options to the person steering the boat. Particularly it is possible to process together control signals of two engines in synchronism in order to keep automatically the same operation condition.
Systems of this type are more accurate in carrying out the control and require limited efforts by the user, but, because of their complexity have the greater mulfunction risk and thus the heavy drawback that the control could not be fed making the boat unmanageable in case of failures or in the absence of current. In order to overcome the drawback of reliability and in order to guarantee a precise control with limited efforts, the Italian patent IT01263481 to the owner of the present invention, is to be considered an integral part of the present description, it discloses a mixed electromechanical type system comprising a motor actuator for operating the setting mechanism the mechanical transmission being connected with the setting mechanism as well. This solution accomplishes both to guarantee a characteristic reliable operation of mechanical transmission systems and a precise control with limited efforts typical of electronic systems.
The aim of the present invention is a similar system of the electromechanical type allowing also to improve to some extent the current mechanical control systems such to work likewise the electronic systems without providing high costs for structural change of the system, such as replacing control mechanisms or providing complex wiring.
The invention attains the above aims with a control device, particularly for boats, which device comprises at least a control mechanism for setting the operation conditions of at least an engine and/or of other operating units, which control mechanism is movable along a predetermined path and for a predetermined travel between two end limit stop positions, at least means for setting the engine supply and/or operation parameters of said other operating units which setting means have at least a mobile setting mechanism, such as a throttle of a carburator, and which setting mechanism is connected by means of a mechanical transmission, such as a cable, a lever or tie rod system or the like, to the said at least one control mechanism so that a movement thereof causes a movement of the setting mechanism characterized in that in conjunction the system further has a movement and/or position sensor of the at least one control mechanism, which sensor produces electrical signals univocally correlated to the position and/or movement of said control mechanism, at least a motor actuator for working the setting mechanism, which motor actuator is connected to a control gearcase and which gearcase produces control signals of the motor actuator univocally correlated and corresponding to signals transmitted by the position and/or movement sensor, the motor actuator and the mechanical transmission being simultaneously connected to the setting mechanism. The sensor producing electrical signals univocally correlated to the position and/or movement of said control mechanism can be of any known type such as for example a potentiometer, a variable condenser or a Hall effect device.
According to a further aspect the system can be mounted on boats having control mechanism of the mixed type that is with movement and/or position sensors of control mechanisms of the axial type that is directly associated to the control mechanism of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,765 and/or of the serial type that is made of movement and/or position sensors inside a transmission insert namely a mobile connecting member to be inserted in series to the mechanical transmission. The control gearcase processes only signals of movement and/or position sensors of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism or only signals of movement and/or position sensors of the mobile connecting member or in parallel both signals of movement and/or position sensors of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism and of movement and/or position sensors of the mobile connecting member. That allows the greatest flexibility of the installation and for selecting the control mechanisms, tipically levers, as well as of the control and command methods that can be used.
According to a further aspect the control gearcase has hardware or software comparators of movement and/or position sensor signals of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism and of movement and/or position sensor signals of the mobile connecting member and means indicating error or alarm in case of non-correspondence between said signals of the movement and/or position sensors of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism and of the movement and/or position sensors of the mobile connecting member.
The reliability of the electromechanical connection is guaranteed by an automatic joint for engaging and disengaging the mechanical transmission and/or the motor actuator to the setting mechanism, which joint engages and disengages in an alternative way the mechanical transmission and/or the motor actuator one with respect to the other to the setting mechanisms.
According to a further aspect the system can have two control mechanisms, tipically levers, for controlling two engines or for controlling the supply and for controlling the reversing gear of a single engine. Hence, in sea engines, the forward, reverse and idle gear conditions are guaranteed by mechanical devices called reversing gears. These can be directly controlled by a particular control lever or by the same control lever of the engine supply constituting a so called single-lever system. In this case the control station is composed of a single lever with a neutral central position and forward and reverse gear engagement with a first movement in one direction or in the opposite one of said lever and forward and reverse acceleration with a further movement of the lever. Thus by using two or more levers of this type two or more engines can be correspondingly controlled.
According to a further aspect the invention provides at least two control stations connected in such a way to control setting mechanisms of at least one engine, each of which stations is composed of at least a control mechanism mechanically connected to at least a motor electromechanical actuator.
It is possbile to provide for each control mechanism of each station a separate electromechanical actuator.
When more than one engine is provided, for example two engines, in each station it is possibile to provide a control mechanism for setting means of each engine, to each setting mechanism being associated a corresponding actuator.
In a system with at least two or more control stations the control mechanisms of each station or only those of a station sub-group or only of one of the control stations may be provided in conjunction with a movement and/or position sensor of the at least one control mechanism, which sensor produces electrical signals univocally correlated to the position and/or movement of said control mechanism that can be of the type that is directly connected to the control mechanism and/or alternatively or in conjunction with said direct sensor it can be composed of an interposing unit between two portions of the mechanical transmission in the same way as disclosed above.
In a particular embodiment, the control mechanisms of the two or more different stations are connected in series one with respect to the other by a mechanical transmission, such as a cable or the like, to the setting mechanisms of the corresponding engine, whereas movement and/or position sensors of control mechanisms can be connected in series or in parallel to the control gearcase of the electromechanical actuator of actuating mechanisms and/or directly to the electromechanical actuators.
In this way it is possible to make complex systems composed of several control stations with any combination of sensor type.
Particularly it is possible to provide a more simple system where position sensors are esclusively arranged at the only station nearest the load or a more complex system provided with a sensor, on axis or in series, for each control mechanism of each station.
Some examples of preferred arrangements comprising several stations are object of the following description however are not intended to be limitative of the general claimed principle.
The invention relates also to a method for making an electromechanical control system, particularly for boats provided with mechanical control systems, constiting of the following steps:
-
- divide the current mechanical transmission system in two portions, one coming from the control mechanism and the other directed to the setting mechanism;
- insert a unit composed of a transmission insert connected to the ends of said two portions of mechanical transmission means and provided with a position transducer made according one or more of the preceiding claims;
- divide the mechanical transmission system between the transmission insert and the setting mechanism in two portions;
- insert an electromechanical actuator made according one or more of the preceding claims between said portions
- the position transducer and the actuator being connected to at least a control gearcase by an electric connecting bus.
It is to be noted that the characteristics individually disclosed can be provided in any arrangement one with respect to the other even apart from the individual specific embodiments.
The invention has further improvements that are object of the subclaims.
Characteristics of the invention will appear more clearly from the following description of some non limitative embodiments shown in the annexed figures in which:
Referring to
Still referring to
Referring to
The bodies of levers 305, 405 surround a spiral spring 505 provided with opposed ends faced outwards 605, 705. By 805 there is shown the driving shaft of a geared motor, not indicated in the drawings and of known construction, which is tightly widened by said spring 505 so that there is a strong friction and a good adhesion between the shaft and the unstressed spring thus making an automatic joint for engaging and disengaging the mechanical transmission and/or the motor actuator. Hence, when the engine is driven, the shaft 805 rotates the spring 505 tightly coiled thereon, whose tip 605, in the case of clockwise rotation, 705 in the opposite case, pushes on the body of the driven lever 405, causing its rotation. If the engine can't work because of a failure of the electrical/electronic system, as a consequence of a mechanical control the control lever 105 pushes with its body 305 against the tip of the spring 605, or 505, in opposite direction of its winding. That causes a widening of the spring 505 that is no longer winded on the shaft 805 and can freely rotate. This free rotation of the spring 505 causes a push against the body of the driven lever 405, causing a rotation. With the action stopped on the control cable 4, the control lever 105 stops rotating so that the spring 505 no longer stressed restores its original adhesion condition on the shaft 805 thus disengaging the mechanical transmission and engaging the motor actuator.
In this example the gearcase arranged inside sensor 3′ is responsible only of feeding, according to the predetermined protocol, for example of the CAN type, the position data of the lever 101′ to the gearcase arranged in sensor 3 working for controlling both actuators on the basis of such position signal of the lever 101′ and of the one relative to lever 101 detected by the potentiometer 203 inside sensor 3.
According to a further aspect, the system with a single control station 1 of
According to a further aspect, as shown in
Still referring to
The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and disclosed above, but it can be changed without departing from the above principle and claimed hereinafter.
Claims
1. Control device particularly for boats, which device comprises:
- at least a control mechanism for setting the operation conditions of at least an engine and/or of other operating units, which control mechanism is movable along a predetermined path and for a predetermined travel between two end limit stop positions
- at least means for setting the engine supply and/or the operation parameters of said other operating units which setting means have at least a mobile setting mechanism, such as for example a throttle of a carburetor, and which setting mechanism is connected to said at least single control mechanism by means of a mechanical transmission, such as a cable, lever or tie rod system or the like, so that a movement thereof causes a movement of the setting mechanism. characterized in that in conjunction the system further provides:
- a movement and/or position sensor of the at least one control mechanism, which sensor produces electrical signals univocally correlated to the position and/or movement of said control mechanism,
- at least a motor actuator for operating the setting mechanism, which motor actuator is connected to a control gearcase and which gearcase produces control signals of the motor actuator univocally correlated and corresponding to signals transmitted by the position and/or movement sensor, the motor actuator and the mechanical transmission being contemporaneously connected to the setting mechanism.
2. System according to claim 1, wherein it comprises mechanical transmission means divided in two portions one of which is connected to the control mechanism and one is connected to the setting mechanism and means for mechanically connecting said two portions one with respect to the other composed of a interposable unit in series between said two portions and with a connection member of the two portions of the mechanical transmission means that is movable together with said two portions and in that it further comprises position and/or movement sensors of the mobile connecting member generating a univocal signal corresponding to the position and/or movement of said mobile connecting member.
3. System according to claim 2, wherein movement and/or position sensors of the control mechanism are composed of movement and/or position sensors of the mobile connecting member.
4. System according to claim 2, wherein it has position and/or movement sensors of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism and in conjunction, that is in parallel or in series, movement and/or position sensors of the mobile connecting member.
5. System according to claim 4, wherein the control gearcase processes only signals of movement and/or position sensors of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism or only signals of movement and/or position sensors of the mobile connecting member or in parallel both signals of movement and/or position sensors of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism and movement and/or position sensors of the mobile connecting member.
6. System according to claim 5, wherein the control gearcase has hardware or software comparators of movement and/or position sensor signals of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism and of movement and/or position sensor signals of the mobile connecting member and means indicating error or warning in case of no correspondence between said signals of movement and/or position sensors of the control mechanism directly associated to the control mechanism and of movement and/or position sensors of the mobile connecting member.
7. Control system according to one or claim 1, wherein it has an automatic joint for engaging and disengaging the mechanical transmission and/or the motor actuator to the setting mechanism, which joint alternatively engages and disengages the mechanical transmission and/or the motor actuator to setting mechanisms.
8. System according to claim 7, wherein the automatic joint is provided between a mobile actuating member and the mechanical transmission and/or between said mobile actuating member and a drive engine thereof (805).
9. System according to claim 7, wherein it comprises an electromechanical actuator comprising a driving shaft dynamically connected to the setting mechanism by means of mechanical means, an automatic mutual engaging and disengaging joint being provided between said driving shaft and said mechanical means, while said mechanical means for the dynamic connection to the setting mechanism are further connected by means of an automatic engaging and disengaging joint to mechanical transmission means to control mechanism.
10. System according to claim 1, wherein on the driving shaft a first radial control lever is mounted connected by mechanical means to setting means and which lever can be dinamically connected respectively by means of a disengaging and engaging automatic joint to the driving shaft or to a second radial lever having a different angular position that is connected to transmission means to the control mechanism, said disengaging and engaging automatic joint being such that engages alternatively in turn with the first radial lever the driving shaft or the second radial lever, in this last condition the two levers being rotating together about the driving shaft.
11. System according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least a unit composed of a transmission insert that can be mounted in series at any suitable point of the mechanical transmission dividing said mechanical transmission in two portions, one coming from the control mechanism and the other directed to the setting mechanism, and which insert is composed of a rack member connected to the ends of said two portions of mechanical transmission means and with which a pinion cooperates mounted on the shaft of a position transducer.
12. System according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least a unit composed of a transmission insert that can be mounted in series at any suitable point of the mechanical transmission dividing said mechanical transmission in two portions, one coming from the control mechanism and the other directed to the setting mechanism, and which insert is composed of a slide connected to the ends of said two portions of mechanical transmission means and of a slider integral with said slide to which a position transducer is secured.
13. System according to claim 11, wherein the position transducer is a potentiometer or a variable condenser or an Hall effect device.
14. System according to claim 1, wherein it is provided in combination with a pair of engines and which system is composed of two control mechanisms, two movement and/or position sensors of said control mechanisms, at least a control gearcase for processing signals of movement and/or position sensors of control mechanisms and two motor electromechanical actuators one for each control mechanism each control mechanism being associated to one of the two engines.
15. System according to claim 14, wherein movement and/or position sensors of control mechanisms are of the serial type that is composed of movement and/or position sensors of mobile connecting members of an interposing unit.
16. System according to claim 14, wherein movement and/or position sensors of control mechanisms are of the axial type that is directly associated to the control mechanism.
17. System according to claim 14, wherein movement and/or position sensors of control mechanisms are both of the axial type that is directly associated to the control mechanism, and of the serial type that is composed of movement and/or position sensors of mobile connecting members of an interposing unit.
18. System according to claim 14, composed of several control gearcases for processing movement and/or position sensor signals of control mechanisms such gearcases being associated to the respective sensor.
19. System according to claim 14, further comprising an electric connecting bus between sensors, gearcase or gearcases and actuators.
20. System according to claim 19, wherein the electric connecting bus is of the CAN type.
21. System according to claim 1, composed of at least two control stations connected in such a way to control setting mechanisms of at least an engine, each of which station is composed of at least a control mechanism mechanically connected to at least an electromechanical motor actuator.
22. System according to claim 21, wherein each control mechanism of each station is associated to a separate electromechanical actuator.
23. System according to claim 21, wherein it is provided in conjunction with more than one engine, especially two engines, and in each station it has a control mechanism for setting means of each engine, to each setting mechanism being associated a corresponding actuator.
24. System according to claim 21, wherein it has at least two or more control stations and control mechanisms of each control station or only those of a subgroup of stations or of a single station are provided in conjunction with a movement and/or position sensor of the at least one control mechanism, which sensor produces electrical signals univocally correlated to the position and/or movement of said control mechanism and which sensors are of the type directly connected to the control mechanism and/or alternately or in conjunction with said direct sensor of the type composed of an interposing unit between two portions of the mechanical transmission.
25. System according to claim 21, wherein control mechanisms of the two or more stations are connected in series one with the other by a mechanical transmission, such as a cable or the like, to setting mechanisms of the corresponding engine, whereas movement and/or position sensors of control mechanisms can be connected in series or in parallel to the control gearcase of the electromechanical actuator of actuating mechanisms and/or directly to the electromechanical actuators.
26. System according to claim 21, characterized by a number of movement and/or position sensors lower than the number of control mechanisms.
27. System according to claim 26, wherein movement and/or position sensors are placed at the control station that is nearest the load and whose number is equal to the number of homologous control mechanisms.
28. System according to claim 1, wherein the control mechanisms are levers.
29. System according to claim 1, wherein the control station or each of the control stations or a part thereof is composed of a pair of levers one of which for setting the engine supply and the other for controlling the reversing gear the control for the reversing gear being made as the setting control of the engine supply.
30. System according to claim 1, wherein the control station or each of the control stations or a part thereof is composed of a single lever with a central neutral position and forward and reverse gear engagement with a first movement in one direction or in the opposite one of said lever and forward and reverse acceleration with a further movement of the lever.
31. System according to claim 1, wherein position signals of control mechanisms relating to the setting of supply of at least two engines are processed together and in particular the control signals of the first engine are used to produce control signals of the second engine.
32. System according to claim 31, wherein the at least two engines are controlled in synchronism in order to maintain the same operation condition.
33. System according to claim 1, wherein it comprises at least two control stations with at least a control lever of setting mechanisms of at least an engine and wherein the control levers of an engine of the at least two stations are connected by a mechanical transmission in cascade one with respect to the other and in series to the actuator of the setting mechanism, whereas the control lever of the last station of the control station set has a movement or position direct sensor of said lever and/or an interposing unit provided with a mobile connecting mechanism and with a movement and/or position sensor of said connecting means that is connected to a control gearcase of an electromechanical actuator and/or directly to an electromechanical actuator.
34. System according to claim 33, wherein it is provided a movement or position direct sensor and/or an interposing unit with a mobile connecting means and an associated movement and/or position sensor thereof which movement and/or position sensor is associated to the control lever of at least one of the further control stations and/or of the further control station, whereas the interposing unit is provided downstream of said further control station and upstream of the first one or of a further different control station.
35. System according to claim 33, wherein it has at least two, three or more control stations each with at least a control lever and wherein one of said control stations has only mechanical means for transmitting to the actuator or actuators of the setting mechanism or mechanisms.
36. System according to claim 33, wherein at least some or all the control stations have at least two control levers one of which for controlling the setting mechanisms of the engine supply and the other for controlling the reversing gear.
37. System according to claim 33, wherein at least some or all the control stations have at least two control levers that are setting mechanism control levers of the supply of one of two the engines respectively.
38. System according to claim 33, wherein at least some control stations have for each engine a pair of control levers of the supply setting mechanisms of the corresponding engine and of the reversing gear of the corresponding engine respectively.
39. System according to claim 1, wherein at least some control stations have only a control lever for each engine, of the supply setting mechanisms of the corresponding engine and of the reversing gear of the corresponding engine respectively.
40. Interposing unit in a mechanical transmission between two portions thereof wherein it comprises a connecting member of said two mechanical transmission portions, which member is mobile therewith, and a movement and/or position sensor of said mobile connecting member driven by said connecting member.
41. Interposing unit in a mechanical transmission between two portions thereof according to claim 40, wherein it is composed of a rack member connected to the ends of said two portions of mechanical transmission means and with which a pinion cooperates mounted on the shaft of a position transducer.
42. Interposing unit in a mechanical transmission between two portions thereof according to claim 40, wherein it is composed of a slide connected to the ends of said two portions of mechanical transmission means and of a slider integral with said slide to which a position transducer is secured.
43. Interposing unit according to claim 41, wherein the position transducer is a potentiometer or a variable capacitor or a Hall effect device.
44. Interposing unit according to claim 40, wherein it further comprises a control electronic gearcase of a remote mechanism, particularly an actuator.
45. Interposing unit according to claim 44, wherein it further comprises connectors to which movement and/or position sensors external to the unit can be connected, and the control gearcase is able to read and process signals coming from such movement and/or position sensors external to the unit and/or from the movement and/or position sensor arranged inside the unit.
46. Interposing unit according to claim 40, wherein the control gearcase has hardware or software comparators of signals coming from the movement and/or position sensor arranged inside the unit and from movement and/or position sensors external to the unit and means indicating error or warning in case of non correspondence between said signals of movement and/or position sensors internal and external to the unit.
47. Interposing unit in a mechanical transmission between two portions thereof according to claim 40 provided in an electromechanical control system.
48. Method for making an electromechanical control system, particularly for boats provided with mechanical control systems, constituting of the following steps:
- divide the current mechanical transmission system in two portions, one coming from the control mechanism and the other directed to the setting mechanism;
- insert a unit composed of a transmission insert connected to the ends of said two portions of mechanical transmission means and provided with a position transducer;
- divide the mechanical transmission system between the transmission insert and the setting mechanism in two portions;
- insert an electromechanical actuator made according to claim 1, between said portions
- the position transducer and the actuator being connected to at least a control gearcase by means of an electric connecting bus.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 13, 2004
Publication Date: Jul 7, 2005
Applicant:
Inventor: Giorgio Gai (Genoa)
Application Number: 11/008,965