Outboard motor control apparatus

• US 8,764,500 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2011
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kuriyagawa, Koji, Yoshimura, Hajime, Yamamoto, Hiroshi, Katagiri, Nobuchika, Shinokawa, Masahide
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Lars A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Polay, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/029,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20110217888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 114/284, 114/285, 440/1, 440/86, 440/75, 701/21
• US Class Current: 440/86
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 20/10 Means enabling trim or tilt, or lifting of the propulsion element when an obstruction is hit; Control of trim or tilt
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 20/14 Transmission between propulsion power unit and propulsion element
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/21 Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B63H 21/213 Levers or the like for controlling the engine or the transmission, e.g. single hand control levers
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0875 specially adapted to water vehicles

Abstract

In an apparatus for controlling operation of an outboard motor having an engine to power a propeller, a transmission being selectively changeable in gear position to establish speeds including a first speed and second speed and transmitting power of the engine to the propeller with a gear ratio determined by established speed, and a trim angle regulation mechanism regulating a trim angle through trim-up/down operation, the transmission is controlled to change the gear position from the second speed to the first speed when the second speed is selected and a throttle opening change amount is at or above a predetermined value; and the trim angle regulation mechanism is operated to start the trim-up operation based on engine speed. With this, the transmission can be appropriately controlled to suppress the decrease in boat speed caused by change of gear position, thereby mitigating an unnatural feel given to the operator.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling operation of an outboard motor adapted to be mounted on a stern of a boat and having an internal combustion engine to power a propeller through a drive shaft and a propeller shaft, a transmission installed at a location between the drive shaft and the propeller shaft, the transmission being selectively changeable in gear position to establish gears including at least a first gear and a second gear and transmitting power of the engine to the propeller with a gear ratio determined by established gear, and a trim angle regulation mechanism for regulating a trim angle relative to the boat through selective trim-up and trim-down operations, said apparatus comprising:

a throttle opening change amount detector that detects a change amount of a throttle opening of the engine;

an engine speed detector that detects a speed of the engine;

a transmission controller that controls operation of the transmission to change the gear position from the second gear to the first gear when the second gear is selected and the detected change amount of the throttle opening is equal to or greater than a first predetermined value; and

a trim angle controller that controls operation of the trim angle regulation mechanism,

wherein the trim angle controller operates the trim angle regulation mechanism to start a trim-up operation, when the detected engine speed is equal to or greater than a first predetermined speed after the gear position is changed from the second gear to the first gear by the transmission controller.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the trim angle controller controls the operation of the trim angle regulation mechanism such that the trim angle converges to a predetermined angle when the trim-up operation is started.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the trim angle controller controls the operation of the trim angle regulation mechanism to start the trim-down operation such that the trim angle converges to an initial angle when the detected change amount of the throttle opening is less than a second predetermined value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further including:

a pitching detector that detects a pitching of the boat, said pitching detector comprising an acceleration sensor,

and wherein the trim angle controller determines the predetermined angle based on the trim angle at time when the pitching occurs.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

a pitching detector that detects a pitching of the boat, said pitching detector comprising an acceleration sensor,

and wherein the trim angle controller stops the trim-up operation when the pitching is detected by the pitching detector.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, further including:

an engine speed change amount calculator that calculates a change amount of the detected engine speed,

and wherein the trim angle controller restarts the trim-up operation when a predetermined time period elapses after the trim-up operation is stopped, and stops the restarted trim-up operation when the calculated change amount of the engine speed is less than a prescribed value.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the trim angle controller restarts the trim-up operation when the predetermined time period elapses, while the pitching is not detected, after the trim-up operation is stopped.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the trim angle controller stores the trim angle at time when the restarted trim-up operation is stopped, and controls the operation of the trim angle regulation mechanism such that the trim angle converges to the stored trim angle when the trim-up operation is next conducted.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

an engine speed change amount calculator that calculates a change amount of the detected engine speed,

and wherein the trim angle controller stops the trim-up operation based on the calculated change amount of the engine speed.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the trim angle controller stops the trim-up operation when the calculated change amount of the engine speed is less than a prescribed value.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

an engine speed change amount calculator that calculates a change amount of the detected engine speed,

and wherein the trim angle controller changes a change amount of the trim angle per unit time in accordance with the detected engine speed or the calculated change amount of the engine speed after the trim-up operation is started.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the trim angle controller decreases the change amount of the trim angle as the calculated change amount of the engine speed is decreased.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the trim angle controller decreases the change amount of the trim angle as the detected engine speed is increased.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

an engine speed change amount calculator that calculates a change amount of the detected engine speed,

and wherein the transmission controller controls the operation of the transmission to change the gear position from the first gear to the second gear when the detected engine speed is equal to or greater than a second predetermined speed after the gear position is changed to the first gear, and the trim angle controller operates the trim angle regulation mechanism to start the trim-up operation after the gear position is changed to the second gear by the transmission controller and to stop the trim-up operation when the calculated change amount of the engine speed is within a predetermined range after the trim-up operation is started.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the trim angle controller stores the trim angle at a time when the trim-up operation is stopped, and controls the operation of the trim angle regulation mechanism such that the trim angle converges to the stored trim angle when the trim-up operation is next conducted.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the transmission establishes gears including at least a third gear, the transmission controller controls the operation of the transmission to change the gear position from the second gear to the third gear when the detected engine speed is equal to or greater than a third predetermined speed after the trim-up operation is stopped by the trim angle controller, and the trim angle controller operates the trim angle regulation mechanism to start the trim-down operation after the gear position is changed to the third gear by the transmission controller and to stop the trim-down operation when the calculated change amount of the engine speed is within a second predetermined range after the trim-down operation is started.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the trim angle controller stores the trim angle at a time when the trim-down operation is stopped, and controls the operation of the trim angle regulation mechanism such that the trim angle converges to the stored trim angle when the trim-down operation is next conducted.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

a trouble occurrence determiner that determines whether a trouble occurs in control of the trim angle regulation mechanism,

and wherein the trim angle controller stops the control of the trim angle regulation mechanism when it is determined that the trouble occurs.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the trim angle regulation mechanism includes an electric motor for regulating the trim angle, and the trouble occurrence determiner determines that the trouble occurs in the control of the trim angle regulation mechanism by the trim angle controller when the trim angle remains the same trim angle continuously for a prescribed time period.