US 12,139,243 B2
Apparatus, method and computer program for controlling propulsion of marine vessel
Bin Liu, Västerås (SE); Veli-Pekka Peljo, Helsinki (FI); Peter Fransson, Västerås (SE); Arne Trangärd, Västerås (SE); Wei Ji, Stockholm (SE); Winston Garcia-Gabin, Solna (SE); Kateryna Mishchenko, Västerås (SE); Jari Kivelä, Helsinki (FI); Kai Karila, Helsinki (FI); and Matti Kivioja, Helsinki (FI)
Assigned to ABB Schweiz AG, Baden (CH)
Appl. No. 18/001,360
Filed by ABB Schweiz AG, Baden (CH)
PCT Filed Jun. 11, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/066194
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 9, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/249645, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0234686 A1, Jul. 27, 2023
Int. Cl. B63H 1/10 (2006.01)
CPC B63H 1/10 (2013.01) 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
2. An apparatus for controlling propulsion of a marine vessel, comprising:
a vessel interface couplable with a vessel control system;
a control interface to control a foil wheel propulsion system, which foil wheel propulsion system includes a rotatable wheel powered by a wheel motor and controlled by a wheel controller, a plurality of rotatable foils attached perpendicularly to the wheel, each foil powered by a foil motor and controlled by a foil drive, a wheel sensor to measure an actual angular wheel position of the wheel, and a plurality of foil sensors to measure an actual angular foil position of each foil;
one or more memories including computer program code; and
one or more processors to execute the computer program code to cause the apparatus to perform at least the following:
receiving a wheel operation status from the wheel controller;
receiving a plurality of foil operation statuses from a plurality of foil drives:
receiving a command from the vessel control system;
generating wheel control data for the wheel controller to control a foil pitch function of the foil wheel propulsion system based on the command in view of the wheel operation status; and
generating foil control data for the plurality of the foil drives to further control the foil pitch function of the foil wheel propulsion system based on the command in view of the wheel operation status and the plurality of foil operation statuses, wherein a reference torque of the foil control data for each foil drive is generated using a foil feedforward model,
wherein the apparatus is caused to perform:
receiving the actual angular wheel position as a part of the wheel operation status;
receiving the actual angular foil position for each foil as a part of the foil operation status;
receiving an actual foil speed as a part of the foil operation status, or generating the actual foil speed based on a plurality of actual angular foil positions;
receiving an actual foil torque for each foil as a part of the foil operation status;
receiving one or more parameters from the foil pitch function;
generating a reference foil speed, a reference angular foil position, and a reference foil acceleration for each foil based on the actual angular wheel position and the one or more parameters;
generating the reference torque for each foil based on the reference foil speed, the reference angular foil position, and the reference foil acceleration for each foil; and
adjusting the reference torque for each foil based on the actual foil torque of each foil.