Engine failure diagnosis system and watercraft having the same

• US 9,702,785 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujino, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): MUSTAFA, IMRAN K
• Application Number:
  US13/299,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,062 Days
• Field of Search: 701 341, 701 291
• 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.

Claims

1. An engine control module for controlling an engine in an outboard motor, the engine control module comprising:

a plurality of actuating circuits arranged to actuate a plurality of engine components while the engine is operating;

an actuation command section arranged to output an actuation command for any of the plurality of engine components to be actuated while the engine is stopped; and

a failure diagnosis section arranged to diagnose a failure in any of the plurality of engine components based on a detection result from any of a plurality of actuated condition detecting sections provided in the plurality of engine components;

wherein the failure diagnosis section is arranged to perform the failure diagnosis without the engine control module being connected to external equipment.

2. The engine control module according to claim 1, wherein the actuation command section and the failure diagnosis section are provided in a microcomputer inside the engine control module.

3. The engine control module according to claim 1, wherein the actuation command section selects one of the plurality of engine components to be actuated from the plurality of engine components based on a number of times the actuation command is outputted.

4. The engine control module according to claim 1, wherein the actuation command section is arranged to output a signal to cause a corresponding one of the plurality of actuated condition detecting sections to detect an actuated condition of the actuated engine component.

5. An outboard motor comprising:

the engine control module according to claim 1.

6. The outboard motor according to claim 5, wherein the engine control module is located inside the outboard motor.

7. The outboard motor according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of engine components include a plurality of different types of engine components, one of the plurality of different types of engine components includes a fuel injector, and a corresponding one of the plurality of actuated condition detecting sections includes a sound sensor arranged to detect an operating sound of the fuel injector while the engine is stopped.

8. The outboard motor according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of engine components include a plurality of different types of engine components, and the plurality of different types of engine components include a fuel booster pump, an ignition plug, and a fuel injector.

9. The outboard motor according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of actuated condition detecting sections include a first sound sensor arranged to detect an operating sound of the fuel booster pump, a light sensor arranged to detect an ignition light of the ignition plug, and a second sound sensor arranged to detect an operating sound of the fuel injector, all while the engine is stopped.

10. The outboard motor according to claim 5, further comprising a switch mechanism connected to the engine control module via a wire harness, wherein operation of the switch mechanism causes the actuation command section to output the actuation command.

11. A watercraft comprising:

the outboard motor according to claim 5.

12. The watercraft according to claim 11, further comprising an alarm permanently connected to the engine control module and arranged to generate an alarm when the failure diagnosis section diagnoses the failure.

13. The watercraft according to claim 12, wherein the alarm includes an LED and/or a buzzer.

14. The watercraft according to claim 11, further comprising a visual display permanently connected to the engine control module and arranged to display which of the plurality of engine components has failed when the failure diagnosis section diagnoses the failure.

15. The watercraft according to claim 11, further comprising a switch mechanism connected to the engine control module via a wire harness, wherein operation of the switch mechanism causes the actuation command section to output the actuation command.

16. The watercraft according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of engine components include a plurality of different types of engine components, and the plurality of different types of engine components include an intake valve, an alarm LED, and an alarm buzzer.

17. The watercraft according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of actuated condition detecting sections include a first electric current sensor arranged to detect an energized state of the intake valve, a second electric current sensor arranged to detect an energized state of the alarm LED, and a third electric current sensor arranged to detect an energized state of the alarm buzzer, all while the engine is stopped.

18. The watercraft according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of engine components include a plurality of different types of engine components, the actuation command section actuates the plurality of different types of engine components simultaneously based on the actuation command, and the failure diagnosis section simultaneously diagnoses each of the plurality of different types of engine components.

19. The watercraft according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of engine components include a plurality of different types of engine components, and the actuation command section actuates the plurality of different types of engine components in a predetermined sequence based on the actuation command.