Outboard motor and marine vessel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464646-B2
Application number	US-201815862666-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 5, 2018
Priority date	Feb 9, 2017
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

In an outboard motor, one of an engine control unit and a power supply control unit is mounted on a first side surface of an engine, and the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted on an upper surface of the engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An outboard motor comprising:
an engine including a cylinder that reciprocates in a horizontal or substantially horizontal direction;
a cowling that covers the engine;
a control unit including an engine control unit and a power supply control unit; and
a communication cable that communicably connects the engine control unit to the power supply control unit; wherein
the engine control unit includes a first controller;
the power supply control unit is configured or programmed to communicate with the engine control unit and includes a second controller;
one of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted on a first side surface of the engine, and the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted on an upper surface of the engine;
the engine control unit and the power supply control unit are configured or programmed to communicate with an external control unit via the communication cable; and
the external control unit is arranged on a mounting bracket that fixes the outboard motor to a vessel body.

2. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted at a location on the upper surface of the engine that corresponds to the cylinder of the engine.

3. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted on the upper surface of the engine via a rubber vibration isolator and a bracket.

4. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein
the engine is a V-shaped engine; and
the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is disposed on the upper surface of the V-shaped engine so as to extend over a portion of the V-shaped engine that diverges in a V-shape in a planar view.

5. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , further comprising a power generator disposed above the engine and that generates electricity due to a drive force of the engine; wherein
an upper end of the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is located below an upper end of the power generator.

6. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , further comprising a power generator that generates electricity due to a drive force of the engine; and
a rectification unit including a rectification controller configured or programmed to control rectifying the electricity generated by the power generator; wherein
the rectification unit is mounted on a second side surface different from the first side surface on which the one of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted.

7. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the external control unit includes a steering controller configured or programmed to control steering of the outboard motor body with respect to a vessel body.

8. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the external control unit includes a remote control provided on a vessel body.

9. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the one of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is configured or programmed to acquire failure information of the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit via the communication cable.

10. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , further comprising a power generator that generates electricity due to a drive force of the engine; and
a rectification unit including a rectification controller configured or programmed to control rectifying the electricity generated by the power generator; wherein
the communication cable communicably connects the rectification unit, the engine control unit, and the power supply control unit to each other.

11. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the engine control unit and the power supply control unit are communicably connected to each other by the communication cable based on a CAN communication standard.

12. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , further comprising a driver disposed below the one of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit on the first side surface of the engine and that drives an electrical component of the engine.

13. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , further comprising a starter mounted on a third side surface of the engine that faces the first side surface and that starts the engine.

14. The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the first side surface of the engine on which the one of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted is a side surface of a crankcase of the engine.

15. A marine vessel comprising:
a vessel body;
an outboard motor mounted on the vessel body;
a mounting bracket that fixes the outboard motor to the vessel body; and
an external control unit; wherein
the outboard motor includes:
an engine including a cylinder that reciprocates in a horizontal or substantially horizontal direction;
a cowling that covers the engine;
a control unit including an engine control unit and a power supply control unit; and
a communication cable that communicably connects the engine control unit to the power supply control unit; wherein

the engine control unit includes a first controller;
the power supply control unit is configured or programmed to communicate with the engine control unit and includes a second controller;
one of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted on a first side surface of the engine, and the other of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted on an upper surface of the engine;
the engine control unit and the power supply control unit are configured or programmed to communicate with the external control unit via the communication cable; and
the external control unit is arranged on the mounting bracket.

16. The marine vessel according to claim 15 , wherein the external control unit includes a steering controller configured or programmed to control steering of an outboard motor body with respect to the vessel body.

17. The marine vessel according to claim 15 , wherein the external control unit includes a remote control provided on the vessel body.

18. The marine vessel according to claim 15 , wherein the first side surface of the engine on which the one of the engine control unit and the power supply control unit is mounted is a side surface of a crankcase of the engine.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Mizushima Yoshihiro
• Naito Takeshi
• Morino Makoto

Classifications

• F02D41/266

  the computer being backed-up or assisted by another circuit, e.g. analogue · CPC title

• F02B75/007

  having vertical crankshafts · CPC title

• F02B61/045

  for marine engines · CPC title

• F02D2400/14

  Power supply for engine control systems · CPC title

• B63H2020/003

  Arrangements of two, or more outboard propulsion units · CPC title