Outboard motor control apparatus

An apparatus for controlling operation of an outboard motor having an internal combustion engine and a generator driven by the engine, comprising:

• an actuator that opens and closes a throttle valve of the engine;
• a neutral position detector that detects whether a shift mechanism interposed between an output shaft of the engine and a propeller is in a neutral position;
• actuator controlling means for detecting a demand value for an amount of power generation of the generator, and for determining a desired speed of the engine based on the detected demand value when the shift mechanism is detected to be in the neutral position, and controlling operation of the actuator such that a speed of the engine converges to a desired engine speed determined based on the detected demand value.

A method for controlling operation of an outboard motor having an internal combustion engine, a generator driven by the engine, an actuator that opens and closes a throttle valve of the engine, and a neutral position detector that detects whether a shift mechanism interposed between an output shaft of the engine and a propeller is in a neutral position, the method comprising the steps of:

• detecting a demand value for an amount of power generation of the generator;
• and
• determining a desired speed of the engine based on the detected demand value when the shift mechanism is detected to be in the neutral position, and controlling operation of the actuator such that a speed of the engine converges to a desired engine speed determined based on the detected demand value.