Marine propulsion system and method for controlling engine and/or transmission operation

A boat having an engine coupled to a transmission operable in a respective one of multiple predefined gears, the boat comprising:

• a control for setting a desired engine speed signal;
• a signal link coupled to the control to electromagnetically transmit the desired engine speed signal set therein;
• and
• an electronic controller coupled to the engine to receive a signal indicative of actual engine speed, the controller further coupled to receive by way of the signal link the desired engine speed signal to generate, based on the received actual engine speed signal and the desired engine speed signal, an engine control signal for controlling engine speed, the controller including a first module coupled to the transmission for supplying thereto, based on the received signal indicative of actual engine speed and the desired engine speed signal, a shift control signal for shifting the transmission from one respective gear to another one of the multiple predefined gears, the controller further including memory configured to store a plurality of predetermined transmission shift values that are retrieved by the first module so that, upon comparison with the received actual and desired speed signals, without a seperate load indicative signal, the first module generates the shift control signal.

A controller for controlling a marine engine and a transmission operatively coupled to one another to provide mechanical power to a propeller that upon rotation propels a boat in a desired direction, the transmission operable in respective one of multiple predefined gears, the controller comprising:

• a control for setting a desired engine speed signal;
• a signal link coupled to the control to electromagnetically transmit the desired engine speed signal set therein;
• an engine speed control module coupled to the engine to receive a signal indicative of actual engine speed, the module further coupled to receive by way of the signal link the desired engine speed signal to generate, based upon comparison of the received actual engine speed signal and the desired engine speed signal, an engine control signal for controlling engine speed;
• a transmission shift module coupled to the transmission for supplying thereto, based on the received signal indicative of actual engine speed and the desired engine speed signal, independent of a separate load indicative signal, a shift control signal for shifting the transmission from one respective gear to another one of the predefined gears;
• and
• a look-up table configured to store a plurality of predetermined transmission shift values that are retrieved by the transmission shift module so that, upon comparison with the received actual and desired speed signals, the first module generates the shift control signal.

A kit for controlling an engine coupled to a transmission operable in a respective one of multiple predefined gears, the kit comprising:

• a control for setting a desired engine speed signal;
• a signal link coupled to the control to electromagnetically transmit the desired engine speed set therein;
• and
• an electronic controller coupled to the engine to receive a signal indicative of actual engine speed, the controller further coupled to receive by way of the signal link the desired engine speed signal to generate, based on the received actual engine speed signal and the desired engine speed signal, an engine control signal for controlling engine speed, the controller including a first module coupled to the transmission for supplying thereto, based on the received signal indicative of actual engine speed and the desired engine speed signal, and without receiving a seperate load indicative signal, a shift control signal for shifting the transmission from one respective gear to another one of the multiple predefined gears.

A method for controlling a marine engine coupled to a transmission operable in a respective one of multiple predefined gears, the method comprising:

• setting a desired engine speed signal;
• electromagnetically transmitting the desired engine speed signal from the control to a controller by way of a signal link;
• supplying to the controller a signal indicative of actual engine speed and the desired engine speed signal to generate, based on the respective signal values of the actual engine speed and the desired engine speed, an engine control signal for controlling engine speed;
• and
• supplying to the transmission a shift control signal for automatically shifting the transmission from one gear to another one of the predefined gears, the shift control signal being generated by a transmission shift module in the controller based on the received signal indicative of actual engine speed and the desired engine speed signal and not based on a seperate load indicative signal.