JP2006044599A - Outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an outboard motor enhancing cooling efficiency of an electronic control unit arranged in an engine cover. <P>SOLUTION: The outboard motor is provided with a timing belt for transmitting rotation of a crank shaft of the engine to a cam shaft; a belt cover (120) for covering the timing belt; and a first suction port (126a) and a second suction port (126b) of a suction silencer arranged on an upper surface of the belt cover (120). First ECU (16) and second ECU (18) for controlling action of the outboard motor are mounted to a neighborhood to the suction ports (126a, 126b) on the upper surface of the belt cover (120). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an outboard motor, and more particularly to an outboard motor that improves the cooling efficiency of an electronic control unit.

  The electronic control unit that controls the operation of the outboard motor is generally attached to the inside of the engine cover at the top of the outboard motor because it is close to the control target such as the engine.

However, the inside of the engine cover becomes hot due to heat generated by the engine. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the cooling efficiency of the electronic control unit. Therefore, for example, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, an electrical component such as an electronic control unit is attached to an upper portion of an engine cam pulley so that the wind generated by the rotation of the cam pulley is used as cooling air for the electrical component. It is configured as follows.
Japanese Patent No. 3053036 (paragraphs 0015, 0018, etc.)

  However, the wind generated by the rotation of the cam pulley cannot be said to have a sufficient cooling effect because the flow rate and the flow velocity are not sufficient.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor that solves the above-described problems and further improves the cooling efficiency of the electronic control unit disposed inside the engine cover.

  In order to solve the above-described object, according to claim 1, in an outboard motor that drives a propeller with an engine having a crankshaft arranged in parallel with a vertical direction, the rotation of the crankshaft is controlled by the engine. A timing belt that transmits to the camshaft; a belt cover that covers the timing belt; an intake port of the engine disposed on an upper surface of the belt cover; and an electronic control unit that controls the operation of the outboard motor. In addition, the electronic control unit is configured to be attached in the vicinity of the intake port on the upper surface of the belt cover.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the outboard motor in which the propeller is driven by a V-type engine having a crankshaft arranged in parallel to the vertical direction, the rotation of the crankshaft is controlled by each bank of the V-type engine. A timing belt that is transmitted to the camshaft, a belt cover that covers the timing belt, a first intake port of the V-type engine that is disposed on a portion of the upper surface of the belt cover that is located above each bank, and 2 and a plurality of electronic control units for controlling the operation of the outboard motor, and the plurality of electronic control units are arranged in the vicinity of the first intake port on the upper surface of the belt cover. And in the vicinity of the second air inlet.

  In the outboard motor according to claim 1, a timing belt for transmitting rotation of the crankshaft of the engine to the camshaft, a belt cover covering the timing belt, and an intake air of the engine disposed on the upper surface of the belt cover Since the electronic control unit that includes the mouth and controls the operation of the outboard motor is configured to be attached in the vicinity of the air inlet on the upper surface of the belt cover, the intake air of the engine having a large flow rate and flow velocity is supplied to the electronic control unit. It can be used as cooling air, and thus the cooling efficiency of the electronic control unit can be improved. Moreover, since the attachment part of an electronic control unit is shared with the existing belt cover, it can be set as a compact structure.

  In the outboard motor according to claim 2, a timing belt for transmitting the rotation of the crankshaft of the V-type engine to the camshaft of each bank, a belt cover covering the timing belt, and an upper surface of the belt cover And a plurality of electronic control units for controlling the operation of the outboard motor, wherein the belt is provided with a first air inlet and a second air inlet that are disposed in a portion located above each bank. Since the upper surface of the cover is configured to be distributed and mounted in the vicinity of the first intake port and in the vicinity of the second intake port, the intake air of the engine having a large flow rate and flow velocity is used as cooling air for the electronic control unit. Therefore, the cooling efficiency of the electronic control unit can be improved. In particular, even when a plurality of electronic control units are provided, each electronic control unit can be installed by dispersing them near the first and second intake ports disposed above each bank. The unit can be cooled efficiently. Moreover, since the attachment part of an electronic control unit is shared with the existing belt cover, it can be set as a compact structure.

  The best mode for carrying out an outboard motor according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an outboard motor according to a first embodiment of the present invention together with a hull.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes an outboard motor. The outboard motor 10 is mounted on the stern of a hull (ship) 12 as shown in the figure.

  The outboard motor 10 includes an engine cover 14 at an upper portion thereof. Inside the engine cover 14 (that is, the engine room), an engine (described later) and a plurality, specifically, two electronic control units 16 and 18 are accommodated. The electronic control units 16 and 18 are composed of a microcomputer and control the operation of the outboard motor 10. Hereinafter, the electronic control unit indicated by reference numeral 16 is referred to as “first ECU”, and the electronic control unit indicated by reference numeral 18 is referred to as “second ECU”.

  Further, the outboard motor 10 includes a propeller 20 at a lower portion thereof. The propeller 20 is driven by the output of the engine and rotates to move the hull 12 forward or backward.

  A steering wheel 22 is disposed near the cockpit of the hull 12. A steering angle sensor 24 is disposed in the vicinity of the steering wheel 22 and outputs a signal corresponding to the steering angle (operation amount) of the steering wheel 22 input by the operator. A throttle lever 26 is disposed on the right side of the cockpit. A throttle lever position sensor 28 is disposed in the vicinity of the throttle lever 26 and outputs a signal corresponding to the position of the throttle lever 28 operated by the operator.

  A shift lever 30 is disposed at a position adjacent to the throttle lever 26, and a shift lever position sensor 32 is disposed in the vicinity of the shift lever 30, and a signal corresponding to the position of the shift lever 30 operated by the driver is provided. Output.

  The outputs of the throttle lever position sensor 28 and the shift lever position sensor 32 described above are sent to the first ECU 16 via the signal line 28L and the signal line 32L, respectively. The first ECU 16 controls the driving of an electric motor for throttle (described later) connected to the throttle valve in accordance with the output of the throttle lever position sensor 28 sent through the signal line 28L, and opens and closes the throttle valve. Adjust the amount of intake air supplied. At the same time, the ignition timing of the engine and the fuel injection amount are adjusted.

  Further, the first ECU 16 executes a shift change by controlling the driving of a shift electric motor (described later) connected to the shift rod in accordance with the output of the shift lever position sensor 32 sent through the signal line 32L. Specifically, transmission and interruption of engine output to the propeller 20 and switching of the rotation direction of the propeller 20 are performed.

  On the other hand, the output of the steering angle sensor 24 described above is sent to the second ECU 18 via the signal line 24L. The second ECU 18 controls the driving of an electric motor for steering (described later) connected to a swivel shaft (steering shaft) in accordance with the output of the turning angle sensor 24 sent through the signal line 24L. Steer left and right.

  FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the outboard motor 10 in detail. 3 is a plan view of the engine shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a side view thereof (specifically, a side view of the engine viewed from the rear side of the outboard motor 10).

  The feature of the present invention resides in the arrangement positions of the first ECU 16 and the second ECU 18 described above. For convenience of understanding, the first ECU 16 and the second ECU 18 are first referred to with reference to FIGS. The overall configuration of the outboard motor 10 excluding the above will be described in detail. Therefore, the illustration of the first ECU 16 and the second ECU 18 is omitted in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outboard motor 10 includes a stern bracket 42 attached to the transom 40 of the hull 12, a swivel case 44 connected to the stern bracket 42, and a swivel shaft 46 accommodated in the swivel case 44. Is provided.

  The swivel shaft 46 is rotatably accommodated in the swivel case 44 and its upper and lower ends are fixed to the frame of the outboard motor 10. Further, the swivel case 44 is rotatably connected to the stern bracket 42 via the tilting shaft 50. As a result, the outboard motor 10 can be steered left and right with respect to the hull 12 with the swivel shaft 46 as a rotation axis, and can be tilted up / down and trimmed up / down with the tilting shaft 50 as a rotation axis. The

  Further, on the upper part of the swivel case 44, the above-described steering electric motor (indicated by reference numeral 52) and a gear box 54 for reducing the output of the steering electric motor 52 are fixed. The gear box 54 has an input side connected to the output shaft of the steering electric motor 52 and an output side connected to the upper end of the swivel shaft 46. Accordingly, by controlling the driving of the steering electric motor 52 by the second ECU 18, the swivel shaft 46 can be rotated to steer the outboard motor 10 to the left and right.

  Further, as shown in the figure, the above-described engine (indicated by reference numeral 60) is mounted on the upper portion of the outboard motor 10. The engine 60 is covered with the engine cover 14 while the crankshaft 62 is disposed in parallel with the vertical direction.

  A vertical shaft 64 disposed in parallel with the vertical direction is connected to the crankshaft 62. A pinion gear 64 a is attached to the lower end of the vertical shaft 64.

  Below the outboard motor 10, a propeller shaft 66 that is a rotation axis of the propeller 20 is disposed. The propeller shaft 66 is disposed in parallel with the horizontal direction, and a forward bevel gear 70 and a reverse bevel gear 72 that rotate in opposite directions while meshing with the pinion gear 64a are disposed on the outer periphery thereof.

  A clutch 74 attached to the propeller shaft 66 is disposed between the forward bevel gear 70 and the reverse bevel gear 72. The clutch 74 can be engaged with either the forward bevel gear 70 or the reverse bevel gear 72 by rotating the shift rod 76 and displacing the shift slider 78.

  The shift rod 76 is connected to the aforementioned shift electric motor (indicated by reference numeral 80). The shift rod 76 is rotatable by the output of the shift electric motor 80. That is, by driving the shift electric motor 80, the shift rod 76 is rotated, and the clutch 74 is displaced to a position where it engages with either the forward bevel gear 70 or the reverse bevel gear 72, or a position where neither of them engages. .

  When the clutch 74 is engaged with either the forward bevel gear 70 or the reverse bevel gear 72, the output of the engine 60 is converted into rotation around the horizontal axis and transmitted to the propeller shaft 66, and the propeller 20 advances the hull 12 forward. Alternatively, it is rotated in one of the reverse directions. On the other hand, if the clutch 74 is not engaged with either the forward bevel gear 70 or the reverse bevel gear 72, the output of the engine 60 is not transmitted to the propeller 20. In other words, the shift change of the outboard motor 10 is executed by controlling the driving of the shift electric motor 80 by the first ECU 16, specifically, one of the forward, reverse and neutral shift positions is selected. Is done.

  Next, the engine 60 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the engine 60 is a spark ignition type V-type engine. Specifically, the engine 60 is a 3000-cc V-type 6-cylinder engine having three cylinders in each bank. As described above, the engine 60 is arranged so that the crankshaft 62 is parallel to the vertical direction, and thus has a V shape in plan view. More specifically, the engine 60 is arranged so as to exhibit a V shape in which the rear side of the outboard motor 10 is expanded. Hereinafter, the bank on the right side toward the front of the outboard motor 10 is referred to as a “first bank” and is denoted by reference numeral 60R. The other bank is referred to as a “second bank” and indicated by reference numeral 60L.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first bank 60R includes a cylinder block 60Ra, a cylinder head 60Rb fixed to the cylinder block 60Ra, and a head cover 60Rc fixed to the cylinder head 60Rb.

  A piston 60Re is slidably accommodated in a cylinder 60Rd formed inside the cylinder block 60Ra. The piston 60Re is connected to the crankshaft 62 through the connecting rod 60Rf.

  In addition, a camshaft 60Rg disposed in parallel with the crankshaft 62 is rotatably supported by the cylinder head 60Rb.

  The above description regarding the first bank 60R is applicable to the second bank 60L.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a crank timing pulley 90 is attached to the upper end of the crankshaft 62. A cam pulley 92 is attached to the upper end of the cam shaft 60Rg of the first bank 60R. Further, a cam pulley 94 is attached to the cam shaft 60Lg (shown in FIG. 3) of the second bank 60L.

  One timing belt 96 is wound around the crank timing pulley 90 and the cam pulleys 92 and 94. Between the pulleys 90, 92, and 94, idle pulleys 100 and 102 for forming a track of the timing belt 96 and a tensioner pulley 104 that applies a desired tension to the timing belt 96 are provided.

  When the crankshaft 62 is rotated, the camshafts 60Rg and 60Lg are rotated via the timing belt 96, and the combustion chambers of the respective cylinders (indicated by reference numeral 60Rh in the first bank 60R) are arranged at desired positions. The intake valve and the exhaust valve (those in the first bank 60R are denoted by reference numerals 60Ri and 60Rj in FIG. 2) are driven.

  A driving pulley 106 is further attached above the crank timing pulley 90 at the upper end of the crankshaft 62. A generator 110 is disposed in front of the engine 60, and a driven pulley 114 is attached to a rotor 112 (shown in FIG. 3) of the generator 110. A single drive belt 116 is wound around the drive pulley 106 and the driven pulley 114. That is, when the crankshaft 62 rotates, the rotor 112 is rotated via the drive belt 116, and the generator 110 generates power.

  A belt cover 120 that covers the timing belt 96 and the drive belt 116 is attached to the upper surface of the engine 60. As shown in FIG. 3, the belt cover 120 has a Y shape in which the rear side of the outboard motor 10 is expanded in a plan view.

  Next, the intake system of the engine 60 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, an air intake 122 is provided on the upper surface and upper rear surface of the engine cover 14. A ventilation duct 124 that forms a passage parallel to the vertical direction is provided near the inner wall of the rear surface of the engine cover 14. The ventilation duct 124 has an upper end communicating with the air intake 122 and a lower end opened to the internal space of the engine cover 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a box-shaped intake silencer 126 is provided on the upper surface of the belt cover 120 near the center (specifically, near the upper side of the crankshaft 62). The intake silencer 126 includes two intake ports that are opened obliquely rearward. Specifically, the intake silencer 126 includes a first intake port 126a disposed at a position above the first bank 60R on the upper surface of the belt cover 120, and a second bank 60L on the upper surface of the belt cover 120. And a second intake port 126b disposed at a position located above the second intake port 126b.

  The intake silencer 126 includes an exhaust port 126c disposed between the first intake port 126a and the second intake port 126b. The inlet side of the throttle body 130 is connected to the discharge port 126c.

  The throttle body 130 includes a throttle valve 130a therein. The throttle valve 130a is rotatably supported by the throttle body 130 via the throttle shaft 130b. Further, the throttle electric motor (indicated by reference numeral 132 in FIG. 3) is connected to the throttle shaft 130b. That is, by controlling the drive of the throttle electric motor 132 by the first ECU 16 to open and close the throttle valve 130a, the intake air amount supplied to the engine 60, in other words, the engine speed can be adjusted.

  The inlet side of the intake manifold 134 is connected to the outlet side of the throttle body 130. The outlet side of the intake manifold 134 is connected to intake pipes 60Rk and 60Lk (shown in FIG. 4) communicating with the cylinders of the banks 60R and 60L.

  Here, the flow of intake air will be described. The intake air that flows in from the air intake port 122 provided in the engine cover 14 passes through the ventilation duct 124 and is opened to the internal space of the engine cover 14. The intake air released into the internal space of the engine cover 14 flows into the intake silencer 126 from the first intake port 126a and the second intake port 126b. At this time, the intake air passes through a portion of the upper surface of the belt cover 120 that is located above the first bank 60R and a portion of the upper surface of the belt cover 120 that is located above the second bank 60L. 126a and the second inlet 126b.

  The intake air flowing into the intake silencer 126 is silenced there and then flows into the throttle body 130 through the exhaust port 126c. The intake air flowing into the throttle body 130 flows into the intake manifold 134 while being metered by the throttle valve 130a, and further reaches the intake valve of each cylinder via the intake pipes 60Rk and 60Lk.

  An injector (not shown) is disposed near the intake valve. The injector is controlled by the first ECU 16 to inject an amount of gasoline fuel corresponding to the intake air amount.

  The intake air is mixed with the injected gasoline fuel to form an air-fuel mixture and flows into the combustion chamber of each cylinder. The air-fuel mixture flowing into the combustion chamber is ignited and burned by a spark plug 136 (a part of which is shown in FIG. 4), and drives the piston. The ignition timing is controlled by the first ECU 16. The exhaust gas after combustion is released into the outboard motor 10 through the exhaust pipe 138. The exhaust gas released to the inside of the outboard motor 10 passes through a hollow portion formed in the boss of the propeller 20 and is discharged into the water.

  Based on the above, the arrangement positions of the first ECU 16 and the second ECU 18 will be described.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of the engine 60, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the present invention, the first ECU 16 and the second ECU 18 are arranged in the vicinity of the two intake ports of the engine 60. More specifically, the belt On the upper surface of the cover 120, the intake silencer 126 is attached in the vicinity of the first intake port 126a and in the vicinity of the second intake port 126b.

  More specifically, the first ECU 16 is attached by bolts 140 to a portion of the upper surface of the belt cover 120 located above the first bank 60R. On the other hand, the second ECU 18 is attached to a portion of the upper surface of the belt cover 120 located above the second bank 60L with a bolt 142. Thus, the belt cover 120 serves as an attachment portion for the first ECU 16 and the second ECU 18.

  As described above, the intake air of the engine 60 passes through a portion of the upper surface of the belt cover 120 that is located above the first bank 60R and a portion of the upper surface of the belt cover 120 that is located above the second bank 60L. To the first intake port 126a and the second intake port 126b. That is, the first ECU 16 and the second ECU 18 are arranged in the flow of intake air supplied to the engine 60 (indicated by thick arrows in FIGS. 5 and 6).

  The first ECU 16 includes a harness 16a, and is connected to the shift electric motor 80, the throttle electric motor 132, the spark plug 136, an injector, a battery (not shown), and the like through the harness 16a. The second ECU 18 includes a harness 18a, and is connected to the steering electric motor 52, the battery, and the like through the harness 18a.

  Thus, in the outboard motor 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the timing belt 96 that transmits the rotation of the crankshaft 62 of the engine 60 to the camshafts 60Rg and 60Lg, and the belt that covers the timing belt 96 A cover 120 and an intake port of the engine 60 (specifically, the first and second intake ports 126 and 126b of the intake silencer 126) disposed on the upper surface of the belt cover 120 are provided, and the operation of the outboard motor 10 is also provided. Since the first and second ECUs 16 and 18 for controlling the engine are mounted on the upper surface of the belt cover 120 in the vicinity of the intake ports 126a and 126b, the intake air of the engine 60 having a large flow rate and flow velocity is cooled by the ECUs 16 and 18. It can be used as wind, and thus the cooling efficiency of the ECUs 16 and 18 can be improved.

  In particular, since the two ECUs 16 and 18 are mounted in the vicinity of the two intake ports 126a and 126b disposed above the banks 60R and 60L of the engine 60 on the upper surface of the belt cover 120. The ECUs 16 and 18 can be efficiently cooled. Moreover, since the attachment part of each ECU16 and 18 is shared with the existing belt cover 120, it can be set as a compact structure.

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the outboard motor (10) that drives the propeller (20) with the engine (60) having the crankshaft (62) arranged in parallel with the vertical direction. A timing belt (96) for transmitting the rotation of the crankshaft (62) to the camshaft (60Rg, 60Lg) of the engine (60), a belt cover (120) covering the timing belt (96), and An intake port (specifically, the first intake port 126a and the second intake port 126b of the intake silencer 126) of the engine (60) disposed on the upper surface of the belt cover (120), and the outboard motor (10) An electronic control unit (first ECU 16 and second ECU 18) for controlling the operation of the electronic control unit (16, 18), The intake port on the upper surface of the serial belt cover (120) (126a, 126b) and configured for attachment in the vicinity of.

  More specifically, in the outboard motor (10) in which the propeller (20) is driven by the V-type engine (60) including the crankshaft (62) arranged in parallel with the vertical direction, the crankshaft (62) A timing belt (96) that transmits the rotation of the V-type engine (60) to the camshaft (60Rg, 60Lg) of each bank (60R, 60L), and a belt cover (120) that covers the timing belt (96). The first intake port (126a) and the second intake port of the V-type engine (60) disposed on the upper surface of the belt cover (120) above the banks (60R, 60L). A mouth (126b) and a plurality (specifically, two) of electronic control units (16, 18) for controlling the operation of the outboard motor (10). A plurality of electronic control units (16, 18) are attached in a distributed manner on the upper surface of the belt cover (120) in the vicinity of the first air inlet (126a) and in the vicinity of the second air inlet (126b). It was configured as follows.

  In the above description, the engine 60 is a V-type engine, but another type of engine (in-line or horizontally opposed) may be used.

  In addition, although two electronic control units (first ECU 16 and second ECU) are provided, the number may be one, or may be three or more. Furthermore, the control target of the electronic control unit is not limited to the above.

It is the schematic which shows the outboard motor which concerns on 1st Example of this invention with a hull. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing in detail the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the engine shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a side view of the engine shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the engine shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5.

Explanation of symbols

10 Outboard motor 16 First ECU (electronic control unit)
18 Second ECU (Electronic Control Unit)
20 propeller 60 engine (V type engine)
60R, 60L Engine banks 60Rg, 60Lg Camshaft 62 Crankshaft 96 Timing belt 120 Belt cover 126 Intake silencer 126a First inlet 126b Second inlet

Claims (2)

  In an outboard motor that drives a propeller with an engine having a crankshaft arranged in parallel with the vertical direction, a timing belt that transmits rotation of the crankshaft to the camshaft of the engine, and a belt cover that covers the timing belt; An intake port of the engine disposed on the upper surface of the belt cover, and an electronic control unit for controlling the operation of the outboard motor, and the electronic control unit is connected to the intake port on the upper surface of the belt cover. An outboard motor that is mounted in the vicinity of In an outboard motor that drives a propeller with a V-type engine having a crankshaft arranged in parallel with a vertical direction, a timing belt that transmits rotation of the crankshaft to a camshaft of each bank of the V-type engine, A belt cover that covers the timing belt; a first intake port and a second intake port of the V-type engine that are disposed on a portion of the upper surface of the belt cover located above each bank; and the outboard A plurality of electronic control units for controlling the operation of the machine, and the plurality of electronic control units are arranged in the vicinity of the first intake port and the second intake port on the upper surface of the belt cover. Outboard motor characterized by being dispersed and installed.

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