JP2010096342A - Control device of outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device of an outboard motor equipped with a torque converter preventing a load from being directly transmitted to an internal combustion engine even when load variation occurs, and preventing damage on components in the internal combustion engine. <P>SOLUTION: In the control device of the outboard motor having the torque converter equipped with a lockup clutch, the lockup clutch of the torque converter is turned on (S28-S32, S38) when a speed ratio (e) of the torque converter calculated from input rotation speed NIN and output rotation speed NOUT of the torque converter is equal to or more than a prescribed value eref, a variation amount DNOUT of the output rotation speed NOUT is calculated (S46) when the lockup clutch is turned on, and the turned-on lockup clutch of the torque converter is turned off (S48, S50) when the variation amount DNOUT is equal to or more than a default DNOUTref. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an outboard motor control apparatus, and more particularly to an outboard motor control apparatus including a torque converter.

In recent years, in outboard motors, a technology has been proposed that improves acceleration performance by inserting a torque converter between the internal combustion engine and the drive shaft to amplify the output torque of the internal combustion engine and transmit it to the drive shaft. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the torque converter has a lock-up clutch.
JP 2007-315498 A

  By the way, in an outboard motor equipped with a torque converter as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when acceleration is completed, a lock-up clutch is turned on (engaged) to prevent transmission loss caused by slippage of the torque converter. Configured to do. However, when the lock-up clutch is turned on, that is, when the internal combustion engine and the drive shaft are directly connected, the load fluctuates rapidly due to an obstacle (such as dust floating on the water surface) coming into contact with the propeller. When (increase), the load is directly transmitted to the internal combustion engine, which may cause problems such as damage to parts in the internal combustion engine.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and prevent an outboard motor control apparatus including a torque converter from directly transmitting the load to the internal combustion engine even when a load fluctuation occurs. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control device that prevents damage to components in an internal combustion engine.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in claim 1, a torque converter having a drive shaft connecting an internal combustion engine and a propeller, and being interposed between the internal combustion engine and the drive shaft, and having a lock-up clutch. In an outboard motor control apparatus comprising: an input rotational speed detection means for detecting an input rotational speed of the torque converter; an output rotational speed detection means for detecting an output rotational speed of the torque converter; and the detected input A speed ratio calculating means for calculating a speed ratio of the torque converter from a rotational speed and an output rotational speed; a clutch on means for turning on a lockup clutch of the torque converter when the calculated speed ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; When the lockup clutch is turned on, an output rotation that calculates a change amount of the detected output rotation speed A change amount calculating means, when the amount of change in the calculated output speed is above the default value, and as configured and a clutch-off means for turning off the lock-up clutch of the on torque converter.

  In the outboard motor control apparatus according to claim 1, the speed ratio of the torque converter is calculated from the input rotational speed and the output rotational speed of the torque converter, and the lockup is performed when the calculated speed ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. While the clutch is turned on, when the lockup clutch is turned on, the amount of change in the output speed of the torque converter is calculated, and when the calculated amount of change in the output speed is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the lockup that is turned on The clutch is configured to be turned off, that is, when the amount of change in the output rotation speed increases to a predetermined value or more, it is determined that a sudden load fluctuation has occurred, the turned-on lockup clutch is turned off, and the internal combustion engine Because the drive shaft power transmission is cut off by the torque converter, the increased load due to contact with obstacles is directly applied to the internal combustion engine. Reached the to be prevented, thus defects such as component damage in the internal combustion engine can be prevented from occurring.

  In addition, the torque converter lock-up clutch is turned on when the speed ratio of the torque converter is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, so that it is possible to accurately detect (detect) when acceleration has ended, and lock-up is performed in that state. The speed can be improved by turning on the clutch.

  The best mode for carrying out the outboard motor control apparatus 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 control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention including a hull as a whole. 2 is a partially sectional enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG.

  1 to 3, reference numeral 10 denotes an outboard motor. The outboard motor 10 is mounted (fixed) at the rear of the hull (boat) 12 as shown in the figure.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outboard motor 10 is attached to the hull 12 via a swivel case 14, a tilting shaft 16 and a stern bracket 18. In addition, the outboard motor 10 includes a mount frame 20 and a shaft portion 22, and the shaft portion 22 is housed in the swivel case 14 so as to be rotatable about the vertical axis, so that the outboard motor 10 is in a position relative to the hull 12. It can rotate around the vertical axis. The mount frame 20 has an upper end and a lower end fixed to a frame (not shown) constituting the main body of the outboard motor 10.

  In the vicinity of the swivel case 14, a steering electric motor 24 that drives the shaft portion 22 and a power tilt trim unit 26 that adjusts the tilt angle and trim angle of the outboard motor 10 are disposed. The output shaft of the steering electric motor 24 is connected to the upper end of the mount frame 20 via the reduction gear mechanism 28. That is, the rotation output of the steering electric motor 24 is transmitted to the mount frame 20 via the reduction gear mechanism 28, and thus the outboard motor 10 is steered left and right (around the vertical axis) with the shaft portion 22 as a steering axis.

  The power tilt trim unit 26 integrally includes a hydraulic cylinder 26a for adjusting the tilt angle and a hydraulic cylinder 26b for adjusting the trim angle, and the swivel case 14 rotates the tilting shaft 16 by expanding and contracting the hydraulic cylinders 26a and 26b. Rotated as a shaft, the outboard motor 10 is tilted up / down or trimmed up / down.

  An internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as “engine”) 30 is mounted on the outboard motor 10. The engine 30 is a spark-ignition water-cooled gasoline engine having a displacement of 2200 cc. The engine 30 is located on the water surface and is covered with an engine cover 32.

  A throttle body 36 is connected to the intake pipe 34 of the engine 30. The throttle body 36 has a throttle valve 38 therein, and a throttle electric motor 40 for opening and closing the throttle valve 38 is integrally attached thereto.

  The output shaft of the throttle electric motor 40 is connected to the throttle valve 38 via a reduction gear mechanism (not shown) disposed adjacent to the throttle body 36, and the throttle electric motor 40 is operated to operate the throttle valve 38. Is opened and closed, and the amount of intake air of the engine 30 is adjusted to adjust the engine speed.

  The outboard motor 10 includes a drive shaft (vertical shaft) 42 that is arranged parallel to the vertical axis and is rotatably supported, a torque converter 44 that is interposed between the engine 30 and the drive shaft 42, and the drive shaft 42. A hydraulic pump 46 that is attached and pressure-feeds hydraulic oil to the lubrication part of the engine 30 and the torque converter 44 and the like, and a reservoir 50 that stores the hydraulic oil are provided.

  A crankshaft 52 of the engine 30 is connected to the upper end of the drive shaft 42 via a torque converter 44, while a propeller shaft 56 that is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis is connected to the lower end via a shift mechanism 54. The A propeller 60 is attached to one end of the propeller shaft 56. Thus, the drive shaft 42 connects the engine 30 and the propeller 60.

  FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the torque converter 44 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the torque converter 44 includes a pump impeller 44a connected to the crankshaft 52 via a drive plate 62, and is disposed opposite to the pump impeller 44a to supply and discharge hydraulic oil, and to drive shaft 42, a turbine runner 44b connected to 42, a stator 44c disposed between the pump impeller 44a and the turbine runner 44b, a lock-up clutch 44d, and the like.

  FIG. 5 is a hydraulic circuit diagram schematically showing the torque converter 44, the hydraulic pump 46, and the like.

  The torque converter 44 and the hydraulic pump 46 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. The hydraulic pump 46 is driven by the engine 30 to pump up the hydraulic oil in the reservoir 50 and pump it to the first oil passage 64a. The hydraulic oil pumped to the first oil passage 64a is supplied to the lubrication portion of the engine 30 and then returned to the reservoir 50 through the second oil passage 64b.

  The first oil passage 64 a is provided with a third oil passage 64 c that connects the first oil passage 64 a and the suction port of the hydraulic pump 46, and the pressure of the hydraulic oil supplied to the engine 30 is provided in the middle thereof. A relief valve 66 is inserted, which opens when the valve is greater than or equal to the specified value, and closes when the valve is less than the specified value.

  In the first oil passage 64a, a fourth oil passage 64d through which the hydraulic oil supplied to the torque converter 44 flows is connected between the discharge port of the hydraulic pump 46 and the branch point of the third oil passage 64c. The In addition, a fifth oil passage 64e through which the working oil returning from the torque converter 44 to the hydraulic pump 46 flows is connected to the downstream side of the relief valve 66 in the third oil passage 64c. The fourth and fifth oil passages 64d and 64e are provided with a lockup control valve 70 for controlling the operation of the lockup clutch 44d.

  The lock-up control valve 70 is an electromagnetic valve, and its output is connected to the piston chamber 44d1 of the lock-up clutch 44d of the torque converter 44 on the one hand and to the chamber 44d2 on the other side on the other hand. Therefore, when the lockup control valve 70 is energized / demagnetized, the oil path is switched, whereby the lockup clutch 44d is controlled to be on (engaged) / off (released).

  Specifically, in the lock-up clutch 44d, when the lock-up control valve 70 is excited and hydraulic fluid is supplied to the piston chamber 44d1, it is turned on (fastened) when discharged from the chamber 44d2 on the back side. Engaged). When the lockup control valve 70 is demagnetized (the state shown in FIG. 5; initial state), the hydraulic oil is supplied to the rear chamber 44d2 and discharged from the piston chamber 44d1, and the lockup clutch 44d is turned off. (Not fastened, released). The details of the torque converter 44 described above are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-260688, and thus further description thereof is omitted.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the shift mechanism 54 can be engaged with either the forward bevel gear 54a or the reverse bevel gear 54b, and the forward bevel gear 54a and the reverse bevel gear 54b connected to the drive shaft 42 and rotated. And the clutch 54c.

  A shift electric motor 72 for driving the shift mechanism 54 is disposed inside the engine cover 32, and its output shaft is freely connectable to the upper end of the shift rod 54d of the shift mechanism 54 via a reduction gear mechanism (not shown). It is said. By driving the shift electric motor 72, the shift rod 54d and the shift slider 54e are appropriately displaced, thereby operating the clutch 54c to switch the shift position among forward, reverse and neutral.

  When the shift position is forward or reverse, the rotation of the drive shaft 42 is transmitted to the propeller shaft 56 via the shift mechanism 54, so that the propeller 60 is rotated in either the forward or reverse direction of the hull 12. The outboard motor 10 includes a power source (not shown) such as a battery attached to the engine 30, and operating power is supplied to the electric motors 24, 40, 72 and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a throttle opening sensor 80 is disposed in the vicinity of the throttle valve 38 and generates an output indicating the opening TH (hereinafter referred to as “throttle opening”) of the throttle valve 38. When the shift position sensor 82 is disposed near the shift rod 54d and outputs a signal corresponding to the shift position (neutral, forward and reverse), and the neutral switch 84 is also disposed and the shift position is neutral. An off signal is output when the on signal is forward or reverse.

  A crank angle sensor (input rotation speed detection means) 86 is attached in the vicinity of the crankshaft 52 of the engine 30 and outputs a pulse signal at every predetermined crank angle. A drive shaft rotation speed sensor (output rotation speed detection means) 90 is attached in the vicinity of the drive shaft 42 and outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the drive shaft 42.

  The outputs of the sensors and switches described above are input to an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “ECU”) 94 mounted on the outboard motor 10. The ECU 94 includes a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, and the like, and is disposed (mounted) inside the engine cover 32 of the outboard motor 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a steering wheel 102 that can be rotated by a marine vessel operator is disposed near the cockpit 100 of the hull 12. A steering angle sensor 104 is attached to a shaft (not shown) of the steering wheel 102 and outputs a signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel 102 input by the operator.

  A remote control box 106 is disposed in the vicinity of the cockpit 100, and a shift / throttle lever 110 that is disposed so as to be freely operated by the operator is provided there. The shift / throttle lever 110 is swingable in the front-rear direction from the initial position, and receives a shift change instruction and an engine speed adjustment instruction from the vessel operator. A lever position sensor 112 is mounted inside the remote control box 106 and outputs a signal corresponding to the position of the shift / throttle lever 110 operated by the vessel operator. The outputs of the steering angle sensor 104 and the lever position sensor 112 are also input to the ECU 94.

  The ECU 94 controls the operation of each electric motor based on the input sensor output, and controls on / off of the lockup clutch 44d of the torque converter 44.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing on / off control of the lockup clutch 44d of the torque converter 44. The illustrated program is executed by the ECU 94 every predetermined cycle (for example, 100 msec).

  First, in S10, it is determined whether or not the shift position is neutral. This determination is made by detecting whether or not an ON signal is output from the neutral switch 84. When the result in S10 is negative, the program proceeds to S12, in which the throttle opening TH is detected (calculated) from the output of the throttle sensor 80, and the routine proceeds to S14 where the detected throttle opening TH per predetermined time (for example, 500 msec). A change amount (variation amount) DTH is calculated.

  Next, in S16, it is determined whether or not the engine 30 is in a deceleration state. The process of S16 determines whether or not the engine 30 (more precisely, the hull 12) is in a deceleration state by determining whether or not the change amount DTH of the throttle opening TH is less than 0 deg. That is, when the change amount DTH of the throttle opening TH is a negative value, it is determined that the engine 30 is decelerating, while when it is 0 or a positive value, it is determined that the engine speed is constant or accelerated.

  When the result in S16 is negative, the program proceeds to S18, in which it is determined whether or not the bit of the accelerated determination flag (described later, hereinafter referred to as “torque converter accelerated determination flag”) of the torque converter 44 is zero.

  Since the initial value of the torque converter accelerated determination flag bit is set to 0, the determination in S18 is normally affirmed in the first program loop, and the process proceeds to S20. The torque converter 44 amplification determination flag (hereinafter referred to as “torque converter amplification determination flag”) ) Bit is 0 or not.

  The torque converter amplification determination flag bit is a state in which the torque converter 44 amplifies the output torque of the engine 30 and transmits it to the drive shaft 42 as described later (that is, a region where the outboard motor 10 amplifies the torque by the torque converter 44). (When the hull 12 is accelerated in the torque amplification region), it is set to 1 while the output torque of the engine 30 is not amplified (that is, the outboard motor 10 is outside the torque amplification region). To 0).

  Since the initial value of the torque converter amplification determination flag bit is also set to 0, the determination in S20 is generally affirmed in the first program loop, and the process proceeds to S22 to determine whether or not the engine 30 is in an acceleration state. Specifically, the amount of change DTH of the throttle opening TH calculated above is compared with a predetermined value (threshold value) DTHref for throttle, and when the amount of change DTH is equal to or greater than the predetermined value DTHref for throttle, the engine 30 It is determined that the vehicle is accelerating. Therefore, the predetermined value DTHref for throttle is set to a value at which it can be determined that the engine 30 is accelerating, for example, 0.5 deg.

  If NO in S22, that is, if the engine 30 is not in a decelerating or accelerating state and the hull 12 is traveling at a constant speed, the subsequent processing is skipped. 44 is controlled in the lock-up off mode. In the lock-up off mode, the lock-up control valve 70 is demagnetized and the lock-up clutch 44d of the torque converter 44 is turned off. Thereby, the output torque of the engine 30 is amplified by the torque converter 44 and transmitted to the drive shaft 42, and the acceleration performance is improved.

  Next, in S26, the bit of the torque converter amplification determination flag is set to 1, and the current program loop is terminated. If the bit of the torque converter amplification determination flag is set to 1, the next program execution is negated in S20 and proceeds to S28.

  Thus, when the bit of the torque converter amplification determination flag is 1, that is, when the outboard motor 10 is in the state of amplifying the output torque of the engine 30 by the torque converter 44 and accelerating the hull 12, the result is negative in S20, and after S28. Execute the process.

  In S28, the input rotational speed NIN and the output rotational speed NOUT of the torque converter 44 are detected (calculated). Since the input side of the torque converter 44 is connected to the crankshaft 52 of the engine 30, the input rotational speed NIN is the same as the engine rotational speed, and thus is detected (calculated) by counting the output pulses of the crank angle sensor 86. To do. The output rotation speed NOUT is detected (calculated) from the output of the drive shaft rotation speed sensor 90.

Next, in S30, the speed ratio e of the torque converter 44 is calculated from the input rotational speed NIN and the output rotational speed NOUT. Here, the speed ratio e is a value obtained by dividing the output rotational speed NOUT of the torque converter 44 by the input rotational speed NIN as shown in the following equation.
Speed ratio e = (output rotation speed NOUT) / (input rotation speed NIN)

  In S32, it is determined whether or not the torque amplification region has ended in the torque converter 44 (specifically, whether or not the torque amplification region (acceleration region) has been saturated and acceleration has ended). Specifically, the calculated speed ratio e is compared with a predetermined value (threshold value) eref, and when the speed ratio e is equal to or greater than the predetermined value eref, it is determined that the torque amplification region has ended. Therefore, the predetermined value eref is set to a value that can determine whether or not the torque amplification region has ended in the torque converter 44, for example, 0.8.

  When the result in S32 is affirmative, the program proceeds to S34, and a change amount DNIN (in other words, a change amount (variation amount) of the engine speed) of the input speed NIN is calculated. The change amount DNIN is obtained by subtracting the current rotation speed NIN detected in the previous program loop from the current rotation speed NIN.

  Next, the process proceeds to S36, and after the acceleration is finished, it is determined whether or not the speed of the hull 12 is stable near the maximum speed. This is because the absolute value of the calculated change amount DNIN of the input rotational speed NIN is compared with a first predetermined value (threshold value) DNINref, and when the absolute value of the change amount DNIN is less than or equal to the first predetermined value DNINref, This is done by determining that the speed of the hull 12 is stable near the maximum speed. Therefore, the first predetermined value DNINref indicates that after the acceleration is finished, the speed of the hull 12 is near the maximum speed and the driving state is stable. In other words, the change amount DNIN is relatively small. A value that can be determined, for example, 500 rpm.

  When the result in S36 is affirmative, the program proceeds to S38, and the torque converter 44 is controlled in the lock-up on mode. In the lockup on mode, the lockup control valve 70 is excited and the lockup clutch 44d is turned on. As a result, the crankshaft 52 and the drive shaft 42 of the engine 30 are directly connected, so that no slip or the like occurs in the torque converter 44. As a result, the speed of the hull 12 reaches the maximum speed (in terms of engine performance). The speed will be improved.

  Thus, when the speed ratio e of the torque converter 44 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value eref and the change amount DNIN of the input rotational speed NIN is equal to or smaller than the first predetermined value DNINref, the lockup clutch 44d of the torque converter 44 is turned on. . After the process of S38, the process proceeds to S40, where the bit of the torque converter amplification determination flag is reset to 0, and the process proceeds to S42, where the bit of the torque converter accelerated determination flag is set to 1.

  In other words, the torque converter accelerated determination flag is set to 1 when acceleration using the torque amplification by the torque converter 44 is completed and the lockup clutch 44d is turned on, and otherwise, it will be described later. This flag is reset to 0.

  If the bit of the torque converter accelerated determination flag is set to 1 in S42, the program is negated in S18 and proceeds to the processing after S44 at the next program execution. When the determination in S32 and S36 is negative, it is determined that the torque amplification region by the torque converter 44 has not ended (saturated), or the speed of the hull 12 is not stable near the maximum speed. The program ends after skipping the processing of S42 and the like.

  In S44, the output rotational speed NOUT of the torque converter 44 is detected (calculated), and the process proceeds to S46, where the change amount DNOUT of the detected output rotational speed NOUT is calculated. Thus, when the lockup clutch 44d is turned on, the change amount DNOUT of the output rotation speed NOUT is calculated. Note that the change amount DNOUT is obtained by subtracting the current detection speed from the output rotation speed NOUT detected in the previous program loop.

  Next, in S48, it is determined whether or not the load has fluctuated rapidly due to an obstacle (for example, dust floating on the water surface) coming into contact with the propeller 60 or the like. More specifically, when the load rapidly fluctuates (increases) due to contact with an obstacle, the output rotation speed NOUT, which is the rotation speed of the drive shaft 42, greatly fluctuates accordingly.

  Therefore, in S48, the absolute value of the change amount DNOUT of the output rotation speed NOUT is compared with a second predetermined value (default value, threshold value) DNOUTref, and the absolute value of the change amount DNOUT is set to the second predetermined value. When it is greater than or equal to DNOUTref, it is determined that a sudden load change has occurred. Therefore, the second predetermined value DNOUTref is a value that can be used to determine that an obstacle has contacted the propeller 60 and a sudden load fluctuation has occurred, in other words, that the change amount DNOUT can be determined to be relatively large, for example, 1000 rpm. It is said.

  When the result in S48 is negative, the subsequent processing is skipped. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S50, and the torque converter 44 is controlled in the lock-up off mode (the lock-up clutch 44d is turned off). As a result, the transmission of power between the engine 30 and the drive shaft 42 is interrupted by the torque converter 44, thereby preventing the increased load due to contact with an obstacle or the like from being directly transmitted to the engine 30. it can.

  After the process of S50, the process proceeds to S52, where the bit of the torque converter amplification determination flag is reset to 0, and the process proceeds to S54, where the bit of the torque converter accelerated determination flag is also reset to 0, and the program ends.

  On the other hand, when the result in S10 is affirmative, that is, when the shift position is neutral, the process proceeds to S56, where the torque converter 44 is controlled in the lock-up on mode (the lock-up clutch 44d is turned on). Next, the routine proceeds to S58, where the bit of the torque converter amplification determination flag is reset to 0, and the routine proceeds to S60, where the bit of the torque converter acceleration determination flag is also reset to 0.

  If the result in S16 is affirmative, that is, if the engine 30 is in a decelerating state, the process proceeds to S62, where the torque converter 44 is controlled in the lock-up off mode, specifically, the lock-up clutch 44d is turned off. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S64 to reset the bit of the torque converter amplification determination flag to 0, and the process proceeds to S66 to reset the bit of the torque converter acceleration determination flag to 0 and the program is terminated.

  As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the drive shaft 42 that connects the internal combustion engine (engine) 30 and the propeller 60, and the lockup clutch 44d that is inserted between the internal combustion engine and the drive shaft. In the outboard motor control device having the torque converter 44 having the above, the input rotational speed detection means (crank angle sensor 86, ECU 94, S28) for detecting the input rotational speed NIN of the torque converter 44; Output rotation speed detecting means (drive shaft rotation speed sensor 90, ECU 94, S28, S44) for detecting the output rotation speed NOUT, and the speed ratio e of the torque converter 44 from the detected input rotation speed NIN and output rotation speed NOUT. A speed ratio calculating means (ECU94, S30) for calculating When the speed ratio e is equal to or greater than a predetermined value eref, the clutch-on means (ECU 94. S32, S38) for turning on the lock-up clutch 44d of the torque converter 44 and the detection when the lock-up clutch 44d is turned on are detected. The output rotation speed change amount calculating means (ECU 94, S46) for calculating the change amount DNOUT of the output rotation speed NOUT, and the calculated change amount DNOUT of the output rotation speed NOUT is not less than a predetermined value (second default value) DNOUTref. At this time, clutch-off means (ECU 94. S48, S50) for turning off the lock-up clutch 44d of the turned-on torque converter 44 is provided.

  As described above, when the change amount DNOUT of the output rotation speed NOUT increases to be equal to or greater than the predetermined value DNOUTref, it is determined that a sudden load fluctuation has occurred, the turned-on lockup clutch 44d is turned off, and the engine 30 and the drive shaft are turned off. Since the transmission of the power of 42 is configured to be interrupted by the torque converter 44, it is possible to prevent the increased load due to contact with an obstacle or the like from being directly transmitted to the engine 30. It is possible to prevent problems such as damage.

  Further, since the lockup clutch 44d of the torque converter 44 is turned on when the speed ratio e of the torque converter 44 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value eref, it is possible to accurately detect (detect) the point in time when the acceleration is finished. In this case, the speed can be improved by turning on the lock-up clutch 44d. Furthermore, the deterioration of fuel consumption can be prevented by turning on the lock-up clutch 44d to prevent the torque converter 44 from slipping.

  In the above description, the configuration is such that the presence or absence of load fluctuation is determined based on the change amount DNOUT of the output rotational speed NOUT of the torque converter 44. This determination is based on the fact that the lockup clutch 44d is turned on and the input rotational speed NIN. Since this is performed when the output speed NOUT shows the same value, instead of the change amount DNOUT of the output speed NOUT, it is based on the change amount DNIN of the input speed NIN (in other words, the change amount of the engine speed). You may make it judge.

  Moreover, although the predetermined value eref, the first and second predetermined values DNINref, DNOUTref, the displacement of the engine 30 and the like are shown as specific values, these are examples and are not limited.

It is the schematic which shows the control apparatus of the outboard motor based on the Example of this invention whole including a hull. FIG. 2 is a partially sectional enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of a torque converter shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 3 is a hydraulic circuit diagram schematically showing a torque converter, a hydraulic pump and the like shown in FIG. 2. 2 is a flowchart showing on / off control of a lockup clutch of the torque converter shown in FIG. 1 and the like.

Explanation of symbols

  10 outboard motor, 30 engine (internal combustion engine), 42 drive shaft, 44 torque converter, 44d lock-up clutch, 60 propeller, 86 crank angle sensor, 90 drive shaft rotational speed sensor, 94 ECU (electronic control unit)

Claims (1)

In an outboard motor control device comprising: a drive shaft that connects an internal combustion engine and a propeller; and a torque converter that is interposed between the internal combustion engine and the drive shaft and has a lock-up clutch.
a. Input rotational speed detection means for detecting the input rotational speed of the torque converter;
b. An output speed detecting means for detecting an output speed of the torque converter;
c. Speed ratio calculating means for calculating a speed ratio of the torque converter from the detected input rotation speed and output rotation speed;
d. Clutch-on means for turning on the lock-up clutch of the torque converter when the calculated speed ratio is equal to or greater than a predetermined value;
e. An output rotation speed change amount calculating means for calculating a change amount of the detected output rotation speed when the lockup clutch is turned on;
f. Clutch-off means for turning off the lock-up clutch of the turned-on torque converter when the calculated amount of change in the output rotational speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined value;
An outboard motor control device comprising:

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