Outboard Motor Shift Control for Mechanical Remote Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing marine vessels with shift-by-wire outboard motors require a hull-side conversion unit to convert mechanical input into electrical signals for controlling the shift state, complicating the system.
Innovation Solution
An outboard motor design that includes a shift actuator, wire connector, shift detector, and controller to directly detect the movement of a mechanical remote control wire, allowing shift state switching without the need for a hull-side conversion unit, using a shift detector to identify neutral and drive positions and a controller to control the shift actuator based on these detections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hull-side conversion unit is provided to output electrical signals to the ECU in response to mechanical remote control wire movement, then the shift-by-wire outboard motor can be operated with a mechanical remote control, but the system complexity and device quantity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the conversion unit from the hull and relocates it directly to the outboard motor assembly. This allows the mechanical remote control wire to be directly connected to the outboard motor, eliminating the need for a separate hull-side conversion unit and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the conversion unit with the outboard motor controller assembly. The controller directly detects wire movement and converts it to electrical signals for the ECU, combining previously separate functions into a single integrated unit, thereby reducing the number of components and simplifying the system
2Ease of operation
If a hull-side conversion unit is provided to convert mechanical input to electrical signals, then the mechanical remote control can control the outboard motor shift state, but the number of components and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conversion unit is merged with the outboard motor controller, combining multiple functions into a single assembly. This reduces the number of separate components that need to be manufactured and installed, making the system easier to assemble and install while preserving full remote control operation capability
3Adaptability or versatility
If additional conversion units are installed in the hull, then mechanical remote control functionality is achieved, but maintenance complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conversion unit is extracted from the hull and relocated to the outboard motor. This allows maintenance to be performed at the outboard motor location rather than requiring hull disassembly and access, significantly improving maintenance ease and reducing maintenance time
Solution Approach 2:
By merging the conversion unit with the outboard motor controller, the patent creates a single maintainable assembly. This eliminates the need to maintain separate hull-mounted conversion units, reducing overall maintenance complexity and time requirements
Data Source
AI summary
An outboard motor includes a shift actuator, a wire connector to allow a wire of a mechanical remote control to be connected thereto and operable to be moved by the wire, a shift detector to detect that the wire connector has moved to a neutral position corresponding to a shift state of a neutral state or a drive position corresponding to the shift state of a drive state, and a controller configured or programmed to perform a control to drive the shift actuator to switch the shift state to the neutral state or the drive state based on a detection result of the shift detector.