US 12,227,280 B2
Ship steering device
Kenichi Kirihara, Hitachinaka (JP); Norio Kikuchi, Hitachinaka (JP); Yusuke Amma, Hitachinaka (JP); Kyohei Fukushi, Hitachinaka (JP); and Akihiro Kogure, Hitachinaka (JP)
Assigned to HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD., Hitachinaka (JP)
Filed by Hitachi Astemo, Ltd., Hitachinaka (JP)
Filed on Feb. 7, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/665,715.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-048133 (JP), filed on Mar. 23, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0306264 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. B63H 25/42 (2006.01); B63H 25/24 (2006.01)
CPC B63H 25/42 (2013.01) [B63H 25/24 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A ship steering device comprising:
an outboard motor attachable to a ship;
a handle which is mechanically separated from a rudder mechanism of the outboard motor, and which is capable of electrically operating the rudder mechanism;
a steering angle detecting unit that detects a steering angle of the handle;
a reaction force motor that generates reaction force torque to be applied to the handle;
a storing unit that stores a steering characteristics map which associates a basic relation between the steering angle and an aiming steering torque required for the handle; and
a reaction force controller that controls, based on the steering characteristics map, a drive current value which drives the reaction force motor such that the reaction force torque in accordance with the steering angle is obtained,
wherein the steering characteristics map has characteristics in such a way such that an amount of change in the aiming steering torque relative to the steering angle is smaller in a second steering range where the steering angle is larger than the steering angle in a first steering range than a change amount of the aiming steering torque in the first steering region where the steering angle is set in advance from zero.