Outboard motor control system

• US 20070178779A1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hiroshima, Naoki, Takada, Hideaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,354,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 440/61.S
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 20/00 Outboard propulsion units, e.g. outboard motors or Z-drives; Arrangements thereof on vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 20/12 Means enabling steering
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2025/045 making use of satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. the Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/22 the propulsion power units being controlled from exterior of engine room, e.g. from navigation bridge; Arrangements of order telegraphs
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 25/04 automatic, e.g. reacting to compass
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 5/125 movably mounted with respect to hull, e.g. adjustable in direction , e.g. podded azimuthing thrustersoutboard units or Z-drives B63H20/00; movably mounted for steering purposes only, rudders carrying propellers B63H25/42
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0206 specially adapted to water vehicles

Abstract

In an outboard motor control system, an electronic control unit executes ordinary navigation in which the operation of at least one among a steering motor, throttle motor and shift motor is controlled in accordance with an operator command inputted from the steering wheel or shift/throttle lever (steering command, shift position change command or engine speed regulation command of the outboard motor) and executes autopilot navigation in which the boat is automatically navigated by controlling the operation of the individual electric motors based on boat position information inputted from a GPS plotter and the desired position of the boat. This simplifies the configuration for conducting both manual navigation and automatic navigation and avoids making the system larger or more complicated to install, while including boat speed regulation and stopping capability among the autopilot features.

Claims

1. A system for controlling operation of an outboard motor mounted on a stern of a boat and having an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a steering actuator for steering the outboard motor to right and left directions relative to the boat;

a throttle actuator for moving a throttle valve of the engine to regulate an engine speed;

a shift actuator for driving a shift mechanism to change a shift position of the outboard motor;

an operation unit for allowing an operator to input an operator command from at least among steering command to steer the outboard motor, engine speed regulation command to regulate the engine speed and shift position change command to change the shift position of the outboard motor;

a device for detecting an actual position of the boat on a traveling course and for allowing the operator to input a desired course position; and

a controller for executing an autopilot navigation by controlling operation of at least one of the steering actuator, the throttle actuator and the shift actuator based on the detected actual position of the boat and the inputted desired course position, such that the boat is automatically navigated.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller suspends the autopilot navigation, if the operator command is inputted by the operator when the autopilot navigation is in progress.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the controller restores the autopilot navigation if a predetermined period of time has passed since the input of the operator command.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the operation unit comprises at least one of a steering wheel to input the steering command and a shift/throttle lever to input the engine speed regulation command and the shift position change command.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises a GPS plotter having a receiver for receiving radio wave transmitted from a satellite, a display indicating a wake of the boat and switches to input the desired course position.