ENGINE FAILURE DIAGNOSIS SYSTEM AND WATERCRAFT HAVING THE SAME

• US 20080172152A1
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Marine Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Fujino, Kenichi
• Application Number:
  US12/015,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20080172152A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/31
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/05 by combined monitoring of two or more different engine parameters

Abstract

An engine failure diagnosis system simply performs failure diagnosis of engine components, which are driven while an engine is operating, even at the time when the engine is stopped, and identifies a component that has failed and a location where a failure has occurred. The engine failure diagnosis system includes an ECM arranged to control an engine provided in an outboard motor of a watercraft. The ECM includes an actuation command section arranged to actuate engine components, which are driven while the engine is running, in a given manner, and a failure diagnosis section arranged to diagnose the presence of a failure in the engine components. The engine components of the engine are provided with actuated condition detecting sections arranged to detect a predetermined actuated condition. When the actuation command section outputs an actuation command while the engine is stopped, the engine components are actuated in a given manner. The actuated condition detecting sections detect an actuated condition of the engine components. The failure diagnosis section performs failure diagnosis of the engine components based on the detection results.

Claims

1. An engine failure diagnosis system comprising:

a control module arranged to control an operation of an engine and to drive engine components while the engine is operating;

an actuation command section provided in the control module and to output an actuation command for any of the engine components to be actuated even while the engine is stopped;

an actuated condition detecting section arranged to detect an actuated condition of the engine component actuated based on the actuation command outputted by the actuation command section; and

a failure diagnosis section provided in the control module and arranged to diagnose the presence of a failure in the engine component based on a detection result from the actuated condition detecting section.

2. The engine failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein based on said actuation command, the actuation command section actuates the plural engine components simultaneously.

3. The engine failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein based on said actuation command, the actuation command section actuates the plural engine components in sequence in a certain order.

4. The engine failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein the actuation command section selects one of the engine components to be actuated among the plural engine components based on the number of times the actuation command is outputted.

5. The engine failure diagnosis system according to claim 1, wherein a switch mechanism is provided to a wire harness connected to the control module, and an electrical connection condition of the wire harness is changed by turning the switch mechanism ON or OFF, in order to allow the actuation command section to output the actuation command.

6. A watercraft comprising the engine failure diagnosis system according to claim 1.