Propulsion unit network

• US 6,872,106 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Issued: 03/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Marine Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Marine Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kanno, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Lars A.
• Application Number:
  US10/282,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20030082962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 440/1, 440/2, 607/19, 607/00, 123/339.11, 123/406.53, 701/27, 324/166, 324/207.25, 327/4, 327/73
• US Class Current: 440/2
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 34/05 Vessels specially adapted for hunting or fishing
• 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 2020/003 Arrangements of two, or more outboard propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 2025/028 using remote control means, e.g. wireless control; Equipment or accessories therefor

Abstract

A network system using a LAN to provide relative position data for a engine in a plurality of outboard motors attached to a watercraft and using that data to display engine condition information for each engine in the array of engines installed on the watercraft.

Claims

1. An outboard motor comprising, an engine, a position module configured to store position data indicative of a mounting position of the outboard motor, at least one sensor configured to detect a condition of the engine and to generate an engine condition signal indicative of the condition, and an output module configured to output data indicative of the condition and the position packeted together.

2. The outboard motor of claim 1, wherein the output device comprises a network transmission module configured to packet the condition and position data and to transmit the packet through a network disposed in a watercraft.

3. The outboard motor of claim 1, wherein the outboard motor is mountable in a plurality of different positions on a watercraft.

4. The outboard motor of claim 1 additionally comprising a position sensor configured to detect a position at which the outboard motor is mounted to a watercraft.

5. The outboard motor of claim 4, wherein the position sensor is configured to detect an electrical resistance and generate a signal indicative of the electrical resistance.

6. An outboard motor comprising, an engine, a position module configured to store position data indicative of a mounting position of the outboard motor, at least one sensor configured to detect a condition of the engine and to generate an engine condition signal indicative of the condition, an output module configured to output data indicative of the condition and the position, a position sensor configured to detect a position at which the outboard motor is mounted to a watercraft, wherein the position sensor is configured to detect an electrical resistance and generate a signal indicative of the electrical resistance, and a map correlating electrical resistance to position.

7. A propulsion unit condition display comprising a position module configured to store position data indicative of a position at which a propulsion unit is mounted to a watercraft, a communication module configured to receive a signal containing position data and propulsion unit condition data packeted together, and a display device configured to display propulsion unit condition data that is received by the communication module and which corresponds to position data stored in the position module.

8. A propulsion unit condition display comprising a position module configured to store position data indicative of a position at which a propulsion unit is mounted to a watercraft, a communication module configured to receive a signal containing position data and propulsion unit condition data, and a display device configured to display propulsion unit condition data that is received by the communication module and which corresponds to position data stored in the position module, wherein the position module is configured to store data indicative of any of a plurality of different positions at which the propulsion unit could be mounted to the watercraft.

9. A propulsion unit condition display comprising a position module configured to store position data indicative of a position at which a propulsion unit is mounted to a watercraft, a communication module configured to receive a signal containing position data and propulsion unit condition data, and a display device configured to display propulsion unit condition data that is received by the communication module and which corresponds to position data stored in the position module a position selection module configured to allow any of a plurality of different position data to be stored in the position module.

10. A propulsion unit condition display comprising a position module configured to store position data indicative of a position at which a propulsion unit is mounted to a watercraft, a communication module configured to receive a signal containing position data and propulsion unit condition data, a display device configured to display propulsion unit condition data that is received by the communication module and which corresponds to position data stored in the position module, a position selection module configured to allow any of a plurality of different position data to be stored in the position module, and-wherein the selection module comprises at least one physical switch.

11. A network on a watercraft comprising at least a first propulsion unit condition display configured to display a condition of a first propulsion unit connected to the watercraft, at least one sensor configured to detect a condition of the first propulsion unit and to generate a signal including condition data indicative of the condition, and a communication device configured to transmit across the network the condition data packeted with position data indicative of a first position at which the propulsion unit is mounted to the watercraft.

12. The network of claim 11, additionally comprising at least a second propulsion unit condition display device, a second sensor configured to detect a second condition of a second propulsion unit mounted to the watercraft and to generate second data indicative of the second condition, and a second communication device configured to transmit across the network the second data packeted with second position data indicative of a second position at which the second propulsion unit is mounted to the watercraft.

13. A network on a watercraft comprising at least a first propulsion unit condition display configured to display a condition of a first propulsion unit connected to the watercraft, at least one sensor configured to detect a condition of the first propulsion unit and to generate a signal including condition data indicative of the condition, and a communication device configured to transmit across the network the condition data packeted with position data indicative of a first position at which the propulsion unit is mounted to the watercraft, wherein the communication device is configured to transmit the packet in the form of radio waves.

14. A method of correlating a display device to one of a plurality of propulsion units connected to a network, the method comprising transmitting a query command requesting an identification response from all display devices and propulsion units connected to the network wherein the identification response includes position data, receiving identification responses from the display devices and motors connected to the network, and determining if there are any identification responses with unique position data.

15. The method according to claim 14 additionally comprising storing the unique position data in a position module.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein transmitting the query command comprises transmitting a query from a first display device connected to the network.

17. The method according to claim 16 additionally comprising storing the unique position data in a position module in the first display device.

18. The method according to claim 14 additionally comprising receiving condition data coupled with position data from one of the motors and comparing the position data from the motor with the position data stored in the position module.

19. A watercraft comprising an outboard motor, a network, at least one other device connected to the network and communicating with the outboard motor through the network, and means for packing together condition data of the device and position data of the device indicative of a position at which the outboard motor is mounted to the watercraft.

20. An outboard motor comprising, an engine, a position module configured to store position data indicative of a mounting position of the outboard motor, at least one sensor configured to detect a condition of the engine and to generate an engine condition signal indicative of the condition, an output module configured to output data indicative of the condition and the position, and a receiving module configured to accept data from a network only if the data includes position data corresponding to the position data stored in the position module.

21. An outboard motor comprising, an engine, a position module configured to store position data indicative of a mounting position of the outboard motor, at least one sensor configured to detect a condition of the engine and to generate an engine condition signal indicative of the condition, and an output module configured to output data indicative of the condition and the position, wherein the outboard motor is mountable in a plurality of different positions on a watercraft, and wherein the outboard motor is configured to communicate with at least one additional outboard motor through a network.

22. A propulsion unit condition display comprising a position module configured to store position data indicative of a position at which a propulsion unit is mounted to a watercraft, a communication module configured to receive a signal containing position data and propulsion unit condition data, and a display device configured to display propulsion unit condition data that is received by the communication module and which corresponds to position data stored in the position module, wherein the display is configured to be connected to at least one additional display and at least a plurality of propulsion units over a network.