Automatic docking device and automatic docking system

Abstract

An automatic docking device for automatically docking a boat. The boat includes a boat propulsor configured to generate a propulsion force of the boat, a propulsion direction variable mechanism configured to change a left-right direction of the propulsion force, and a joystick boat maneuvering device including an operation lever, a manual operation processor, and a propulsion controller. The manual operation processor is configured to detect a displacement of the operation lever in a case where the operation lever is operated, and output a lever operation signal corresponding to the detected displacement of the operation lever to the propulsion controller, and the propulsion controller is configured to control the boat propulsor and the propulsion force variable mechanism, based on the lever operation signal, to move the boat.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An automatic docking device for automatically docking a boat,
 the boat including:
 a boat propulsor configured to generate a propulsion force of the boat; 
 a propulsion direction variable mechanism configured to change a left-right direction of the propulsion force; and 
   a joystick boat maneuvering device including an operation lever, a manual operation processor, and a propulsion controller,   the manual operation processor being configured to:
 detect a displacement of the operation lever in a case where the operation lever is operated; and 
 output a lever operation signal corresponding to the detected displacement of the operation lever to the propulsion controller, and 
   the propulsion controller is configured to control the boat propulsor and the propulsion force variable mechanism, based on the lever operation signal, to move the boat,   the automatic docking device comprising:   a current position detection unit configured to detect a current position of the boat;   a docking position determination unit configured to determine a docking position; and   an automatic docking processor configured to, in a case where the operation lever is not operated and an instruction to automatically dock the boat is input, output a lever operation signal to the propulsion controller of the joystick boat maneuvering device, the lever operation signal corresponding to a displacement of the operation lever, the displacement being required to move the boat from the current position of the boat detected by the current position detection unit to the docking position determined by the docking position determination unit.   
     
     
         2 . The automatic docking device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in a case where the displacement of the operation lever by an operation on the operation lever and the displacement of the operation lever required to move the boat from the current position of the boat detected by the current position detection unit to the docking position determined by the docking position determination unit are the same, the automatic docking processor outputs a lever operation signal to the propulsion controller, the lever operation signal being same as the lever operation signal output from the manual operation processor to the propulsion controller.   
     
     
         3 . The automatic docking device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the boat includes an object detection device configured to detect an obstacle around the boat, and   the automatic docking processor is configured to:
 determine a route along which the boat is moved from the current position of the boat detected by the current position detection unit to the docking position determined by the docking position determination unit without the boat coming into contact with the obstacle detected by the object detection device; and 
 output a lever operation signal to the propulsion controller of the joystick boat maneuvering device, the lever operation signal corresponding to a displacement of the operation lever required to move the boat along the route. 
   
     
     
         4 . The automatic docking device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the automatic docking processor is configured to, in a case where the operation lever is operated while the lever operation signal is being output from the automatic docking processor to the propulsion controller, stop outputting the lever operation signal from the automatic docking processor to the propulsion controller.   
     
     
         5 . An automatic docking system for automatically docking a boat, the automatic docking system comprising:
 a boat propulsor configured to generate a propulsion force of the boat;   a propulsion direction variable mechanism configured to change a left-right direction of the propulsion force;   a joystick boat maneuvering device; and   an automatic docking device,   wherein the joystick boat maneuvering device includes an operation lever, a manual operation processor, and a propulsion controller,   the manual operation processor is configured to:
 detect a displacement of the operation lever in a case where the operation lever is operated, and 
 output a lever operation signal to the propulsion controller, the lever operation signal corresponding to the detected displacement of the operation lever, 
   the propulsion controller is configured to control the boat propulsor and the propulsion force variable mechanism, based on the lever operation signal, to move the boat, and   the automatic docking device includes:
 a current position detection unit configured to detect a current position of the boat; 
 a docking position determination unit configured to determine a docking position; and 
 an automatic docking processor configured to, in a case where the operation lever is not operated and an instruction to automatically dock the boat is input, output a lever operation signal to the propulsion controller of the joystick boat maneuvering device, the lever operation signal corresponding to a displacement of the operation lever, the displacement being required to move the boat from the current position of the boat detected by the current position detection unit to the docking position determined by the docking position determination unit.