Engine control device

• US 7,207,856 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• 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): Olson; Lars A.
• Application Number:
  US11/083,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20060160440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 114/144.R, 440/1, 440/2, 440/84, 440/85, 440/86, 440/87, 123/339.11, 123/339.19
• US Class Current: 440/87
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/21 Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels
• 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: F02D 11/107 Safety-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/227 Limping Home, i.e. taking specific engine control measures at abnormal conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0404 Throttle position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/602 Pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0205 using an auxiliary engine speed control engine speed control per se F02D31/00
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/22 Safety or indicating devices for abnormal conditions in air/fuel ratio feedback systems F02D41/1495, in electric control linkage F02D11/107, in purge control systems F02M25/0809
• 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 control device comprising a throttle opening detection device configured to detect an opening of a throttle valve, an operation load detection device configured to detect an operation load of steering handlebars, a rotational speed detection device configured to detect a speed of an engine, an engine speed control device configured to increase the speed of an engine when a value detected by the throttle opening detection device is smaller than a predetermined value and a value detected by the operation load detection device is greater than a predetermined value, and an ignition timing control device configured to compute a difference between a detection value from the rotational speed detection device and a preset target engine speed and to adjust ignition timing of an engine based on the computed value, wherein the engine speed is increased by the control of the engine speed control device.

2. The engine control device according to claim 1, wherein the engine speed control device is configured to increase the engine speed to provide steering assist when the value detected by the throttle opening detection device is smaller than the predetermined value and the value detected by the operation load detection device is greater than the predetermined value.

3. The engine control device according to claim 1, wherein the ignition timing control device is configured to determine a correction value for adjusting ignition timing with a proportional-plus-integral method.

4. The engine control device according to claim 2, wherein the ignition timing control device is configured to determine a correction value for adjusting ignition timing with a proportional-plus-integral method.

5. The engine control device according to claim 1, wherein the ignition timing control device is configured to adjust the ignition timing only when a correction value for the ignition timing correction is between the upper limit and the lower limit.

6. The engine control device according to claim 2, wherein the ignition timing control device is configured to adjust the ignition timing only when a correction value for the ignition timing correction is between the upper limit and the lower limit.

7. The engine control device according to claim 3, wherein the ignition timing control device is configured to adjust the ignition timing only when a correction value for the ignition timing correction is between the upper limit and the lower limit.

8. The engine control device according to claim 1, where ignition timing control device is configured to retard ignition timing when the detection value from the rotational speed detection device is greater than the target engine speed and to advance ignition timing when the detection value from the rotational speed detection device is less than the target engine speed.

9. The engine control device according to claim 2, wherein ignition timing control device is configured to retard ignition timing when the detection value from the rotational speed detection device is greater than the target engine speed and to advance ignition timing when the detection value from the rotational speed detection device is less than the target engine speed.

10. The engine control device according to claim 3, wherein ignition timing control device is configured to regard ignition timing when the detection value from the rotational speed detection device is greater than the target engine speed and to advance ignition timing when the detection value from the rotational speed detection device is less than the target engine speed.

11. The engine control device according to claim 5, wherein ignition timing control device is configured to regard ignition timing when the detection value from the rotational speed detection device is greater than the target engine speed and to advance ignition timing when the detection value from the rotational speed detection device is less than the target engine speed.

12. The engine control device according to claim 1 in combination with a water jet propulsion boat.

13. The engine control device according to claim 2 in combination with a water jet propulsion boat.

14. The engine control device according to claim 3 in combination with a water jet propulsion boat.

15. The engine control device according to claim 5 in combination with a water jet propulsion boat.

16. The engine control device according to claim 8 in combination with a water jet propulsion boat.