Engine control device

• US 7,163,000 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation), Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Marine Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Yoshimasa, Ishida, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie; Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US11/082,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20060157026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 123/395, 123/396, 123/397, 123/398, 123/399, 123/400
• US Class Current: 123/399
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/107 Safety-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2009/0277 Fail-safe mechanisms, e.g. with limp-home feature, to close throttle if actuator fails, or if control cable sticks or breaks
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/227 Limping Home, i.e. taking specific engine control measures at abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 9/1065 Mechanical control linkage between an actuator and the flap, e.g. including levers, gears, springs, clutches, limit stops of the like
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 11/02 Preventing damage to engines or engine-driven gearing
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/1502 using one central computing unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

An engine control device can include a throttle valve for adjusting an amount of air supplied to an engine, operation amount detecting sensors for detecting an operation amount of a throttle lever, a motor for driving the throttle valve between open and closed positions according to detection values of the operation amount detecting sensor 21a or the like, and throttle opening detecting sensors for detecting an opening of the throttle valve is provided with a limp-home mechanism for keeping the throttle valve in a mechanically neutral position when an abnormality occurs. When the throttle valve is in the mechanically neutral position, an ignition timing control can be switched in a stepwise manner over a predetermined time period from a regular ignition timing control to a limp-home ignition timing control.

Claims

1. An engine comprising a throttle valve configured to adjust an amount of air supplied to the engine, an operating member, an operation amount detecting device configured to detect an operation amount of the operating member, a motor configured to drive the throttle valve between open and closed positions according to a detection value detected by the operation amount detecting device, a throttle opening detecting device configured to detect an opening of the throttle valve, a limp-home mechanism configured to keep the opening of the throttle valve in a mechanically neutral position when an abnormality occurs in which a normal throttle opening control for the throttle valve is not available, an ignition timing control device configured to switch an ignition timing control for the engine from a regular ignition timing control to a limp-home ignition timing control conducted according to an amount of intake air with the opening of the throttle valve in the mechanically neutral position when the opening of the throttle valve is in the mechanically neutral position due to occurrence of the abnormality, and an ignition timing control changing device configured to change the ignition timing control stepwise through a plurality of steps over a predetermined time period, when the ignition timing control conducted by the ignition timing control device is switched from the regular ignition timing control to the limp-home ignition timing control.

2. The engine according to claim 1 additionally comprising a fuel injection control device configured to switch an injection control for fuel supplied to the engine from a regular fuel injection control to a limp-home fuel injection control conducted according to the amount of intake air with the opening of the throttle valve in the mechanically neutral position when the opening of the throttle valve is in the mechanically neutral position due to occurrence of the abnormality, and fuel injection control changing means for changing the fuel injection control stepwise over a predetermined time period, when the fuel injection control conducted by the fuel injection control device is switched from the regular fuel injection control to the limp-home fuel injection control.

3. The engine according to claim 2, wherein the fuel injection control device and the ignition timing control device are configured to inhibit acceleration adjustment for the engine while the ignition timing control conducted by the ignition timing control device is in the limp-home ignition timing control after the occurrence of the abnormality.

4. The engine according to claim 1, wherein the ignition timing control changing device is configured to switch from the regular ignition timing control to the limp-home ignition timing control by retarding the ignition timing, if the opening of the throttle valve at the occurrence of the abnormality is smaller than the opening of the throttle valve with the throttle valve in the mechanically neutral position.

5. The engine according to claim 1 additionally comprising a power control device configured to supply power for a time period after the engine has stopped.

6. An engine comprising a throttle valve configured to adjust an amount of air supplied to the engine, an operating member, at least a pair of operation amount detecting devices configured to detect an operation amount of the operating member, a motor configured to move the throttle valve between open and closed positions according to a detection value detected by the operation amount detecting device, at least a pair of throttle opening detecting devices configured to detect an opening of the throttle valve, a limp-home mechanism configured to maintain the opening of the throttle valve in a mechanically neutral position when an abnormality occurs in which a normal throttle opening control for the throttle valve is not available, an ignition timing control device configured to switch an ignition timing control for the engine from a regular ignition timing control to a limp-home ignition timing control conducted according to an amount of intake air with the opening of the throttle valve in the mechanically neutral position when the opening of the throttle valve is in the mechanically neutral position due to occurrence of the abnormality, and limp-home ignition timing changing means for changing a rotational speed of the engine, when the ignition timing control conducted by the ignition timing control device is switched to the limp-home ignition timing control due to occurrence of the abnormality resulting from a malfunction of any one of the pair of operation amount detecting devices or the pair of throttle opening detecting devices, by changing the ignition timing according to a detection value detected by at least one of the pair of operation amount detecting devices not malfunctioning.

7. The engine according to claim 6 additionally comprising a fuel injection control device configured to switch an injection control mode of fuel supplied to the engine from a regular fuel injection control mode to a limp-home fuel injection control mode conducted according to the amount of intake air with the opening of the throttle valve in the mechanically neutral position, when the opening of the throttle valve is in the mechanically neutral position due to occurrence of the abnormality, and limp-home fuel injection control changing means for changing the rotational speed of the engine, when the limp-home ignition timing control is conducted due to occurrence of the abnormality resulting from a malfunction of any one of the pair of operation amount detecting devices or the pair of throttle opening detecting devices, by changing the fuel injection control according to a detection value detected by at least one of the pair of operation amount detecting devices not malfunctioning.

8. The engine according to claim 6 additionally comprising a power controller configured to shut off the motor, wherein the opening of the throttle valve is brought to the mechanically neutral position, when the throttle valve motor is uncontrollable between the open and closed positions of the throttle valve due to the occurrence of the abnormality.

9. The engine according to claim 6 additionally comprising an abnormality detection device configured to detect an abnormality based on whether a difference between the detection value of the operation amount detecting device and the detection value of the throttle opening detecting device exceeds a preset value.

10. The engine according to claim 6 additionally comprising an abnormality detection device, wherein the pair of throttle opening detecting device comprises two opening sensors, and wherein the abnormality detection device is configured to determine an abnormality to have occurred when a difference between the detection values of the two opening sensors exceeds a preset value.

11. The engine according to claim 6, in combination with a water jet propulsion boat.

12. The engine according to claim 6, wherein the ignition timing control changing device is configured to change the ignition timing control stepwise through a plurality of steps over a predetermined time period, when the ignition timing control conducted by the ignition timing control device is switched from the regular ignition timing control to the limp-home ignition timing control.