US 2007/0178779 A1Published application

Outboard motor control system

AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.

InventorsHideaki Takada, Naoki Hiroshima

Life of this patent

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Abstract

In an outboard motor control system, an electronic control unit executes ordinary navigation in which the operation of at least one among a steering motor, throttle motor and shift motor is controlled in accordance with an operator command inputted from the steering wheel or shift/throttle lever (steering command, shift position change command or engine speed regulation command of the outboard motor) and executes autopilot navigation in which the boat is automatically navigated by controlling the operation of the individual electric motors based on boat position information inputted from a GPS plotter and the desired position of the boat. This simplifies the configuration for conducting both manual navigation and automatic navigation and avoids making the system larger or more complicated to install, while including boat speed regulation and stopping capability among the autopilot features.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A system for controlling operation of an outboard motor mounted on a stern of a boat and having an internal combustion engine, comprising:

a steering actuator for steering the outboard motor to right and left directions relative to the boat;
a throttle actuator for moving a throttle valve of the engine to regulate an engine speed;
a shift actuator for driving a shift mechanism to change a shift position of the outboard motor;
an operation unit for allowing an operator to input an operator command from at least among steering command to steer the outboard motor, engine speed regulation command to regulate the engine speed and shift position change command to change the shift position of the outboard motor;
a device for detecting an actual position of the boat on a traveling course and for allowing the operator to input a desired course position;
and
a controller for executing an autopilot navigation by controlling operation of at least one of the steering actuator, the throttle actuator and the shift actuator based on the detected actual position of the boat and the inputted desired course position, such that the boat is automatically navigated.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/402,117Filed 11 Apr 2006
Priority: JP JP2005-11486312 Apr 2005
Published: 2 Aug 2007
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B63H 20/00
Outboard propulsion units
B63H 5/125
Of propellers: movably mounted with respect to hull, e.g. adjustable in direction , e.g. podded azimuthing thrusters
B63H 20/12
Means enabling movement of the position of the propulsion element, e.g. for trim, tilt or steering; Control of trim or tilt: means enabling steering
B63H 21/22
Use of propulsion power plant or units on vessels: the propulsion power units being controlled from exterior of engine room, e.g. from navigation…