Control system for marine vessel, marine vessel, and control method for marine vessel

1. A control system for a marine vessel that has a propulsion device including an engine, the control system comprising:

an opening angle adjustment device configured to adjust a throttle opening angle of the engine; and

a controller including

a computing device, and

a non-transitory storage medium containing program instructions, execution of which by the computing device causes the controller to

judge whether or not a hull of the marine vessel has entered a planing state,

set a predetermined mode in which the planing state is maintained, and

after determining that the predetermined mode is set and that the hull has entered the planing state, control the opening angle adjustment device to keep the hull in the planing state even when the hull has decelerated to have a speed lower than a vessel speed at a time when it is determined that the hull has entered the planing state.

2. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the execution of the program instructions by the computing device further causes the controller to

judge whether or not the hull is in a critical state, which is a state between the planing state and a non-planing state, and

upon determining that the predetermined mode is set and that the hull has shifted from the planing state to the critical state, control the opening angle adjustment device to increase the throttle opening angle.

3. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 2 , wherein the execution of the program instructions by the computing device further causes the controller to

upon determining that the predetermined mode is set and that the hull has shifted from the critical state to the planing state, control the opening angle adjustment device to decrease the throttle opening angle.

4. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 2 , wherein

the critical state corresponds to a speed range of the hull, and

the execution of the program instructions by the computing device further causes the controller to, upon determining that the predetermined mode is set and that the speed of the hull has exceeded a set speed higher than a maximum speed of the speed range, control the opening angle adjustment device to decrease the throttle opening angle.

5. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 4 , wherein

the non-transitory storage medium stores thereon the vessel speed when it is determined that the hull has entered the planing state, and

the controller sets the set speed based on the vessel speed stored in the non-transitory storage medium.

6. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 4 , wherein the set speed is a fixed value.

7. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 4 , wherein

the controller detects a turning state of the hull, and upon determining that the hull is turning, sets the set speed to a value larger than a value of the set speed set when the hull is not turning.

8. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 2 , wherein the controller judges whether or not the hull is in the critical state based on the speed of the hull and a pitch angle of the hull.

9. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 2 , wherein the controller judges whether or not the hull is in the critical state based on the speed of the hull and a number of revolutions per unit time of the engine.

10. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein upon determining that the predetermined mode is set while the hull is in the planing state, the controller controls the opening angle adjustment device to gradually decelerate the hull.

11. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein

the marine vessel has a throttle operator for manually adjusting the throttle opening angle, the throttle operator being movable in an opening direction and a closing direction;

while the opening angle adjustment device is being controlled to keep the hull in the planing state, upon determining that an operational position of the throttle operator lies further in the opening direction than an operational position corresponding to the throttle opening angle under control, responsive to the throttle operator being further operated in the opening direction, the controller cancels the predetermined mode and controls the opening angle adjustment device so that the throttle opening angle gradually shifts to a throttle opening angle corresponding to an operational position of the throttle operator after said further operation.

12. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 1 , wherein

the marine vessel has a throttle operator for manually adjusting the throttle opening angle, the throttle operator being movable in an opening direction and a closing direction;

while the opening angle adjustment device is being controlled so as to keep the hull in the planing state, upon determining that an operational position of the throttle operator lies further in the opening direction than an operational position corresponding to the throttle opening angle under control, responsive to the throttle operator being operated in the closing direction, the controller cancels the predetermined mode after the operational position of the throttle operator moves past the operational position corresponding to the throttle opening angle under control, and controls the opening angle adjustment device so that the throttle opening angle gradually shifts to a throttle opening angle corresponding to an operational position of the throttle operator after said further operation.

13. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a posture control tab attached to a stern of the marine vessel and configured to control a posture of the hull; and

a trim tab actuator configured to drive the posture control tab, wherein

in response to the predetermined mode being set, the controller controls the trim tab actuator to lower the posture control tab.

14. The control system for the marine vessel according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a posture control tab attached to a stern of the marine vessel and configured to control a posture of the hull; and

a trim tab actuator configured to drive the posture control tab, wherein

upon determining that the predetermined mode is set and the hull has entered the planing state, the controller controls the trim tab actuator to lower the posture control tab.

15. A marine vessel, comprising:

a hull;

a propulsion device including an engine; and

a control system including

an opening angle adjustment device configured to adjust a throttle opening angle of the engine, and

a controller including

a computing device, and

a non-transitory storage medium containing program instructions, execution of which by the computing device causes the controller to

judge whether or not the hull has entered a planing state,

set a predetermined mode in which the planing state is maintained, and

after determining that the predetermined mode is set and that the hull has entered the planing state, control the opening angle adjustment device to keep the hull in the planing state even when the hull has decelerated to have a speed lower than a vessel speed at a time when it is determined that the hull has entered the planing state.

16. A control method for a marine vessel that has

a hull,

a propulsion device including an engine and configured to give propulsive force to the hull, and

an opening angle adjustment device configured to adjust a throttle opening angle of the engine in the propulsion device,

the control method comprising:

judging whether or not the hull has entered a planing state; and

after determining that a predetermined mode in which the planing state is maintained is set and that the hull has entered the planing state, controlling the opening angle adjustment device to keep the hull in the planing state even when the hull has decelerated to have a speed lower than a vessel speed at a time when it is determined that the hull has entered the planing state.