JP2012254691A - Control device of outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device of an outboard motor to increase the electric power generation of a generator without changing the vessel speed and without causing upsizing of a device.SOLUTION: In the outboard motor that includes a prime mover and a generator connected to the prime mover, the control device includes: a speed-up means (planetary gear mechanism, hydraulic clutch) that is interposed between the prime mover and the generator and can freely speed up output of the prime mover; a first battery (main battery) that is connected to the generator; and a second battery (sub-battery) that can be connected to the generator. The electric power generation of the generator is increased by detecting the remaining capacity of the second battery, and when the detected remaining capacity of the second battery is below the predetermined value, supplying the electric power generated in the generator by connecting the generator with the second battery, to the second battery and controlling the operation of the speed-up means to speed up the output of the prime mover (S104 and S110).

Description

  The present invention relates to an outboard motor control apparatus, and more particularly to an outboard motor control apparatus including a generator driven by a prime mover.

  Conventionally, a generator connected to a prime mover (for example, an internal combustion engine), a first battery (main battery) connected to the generator, and a second battery (sub-battery) are provided. There has been proposed an outboard motor that supplies electric power to various actuators such as an electric motor for throttle while supplying electric power from a second battery to an electric load (for example, lighting fixture) on the hull side (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  When the above-described electric load increases and the remaining capacity of the second battery decreases, it is necessary to charge the battery with a generator. When the charging is performed, if the rotational speed of the prime mover is relatively low, such as during idle rotation or trolling for navigating the hull at low speed, the amount of power generated by the generator may be insufficient.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the power generation amount of the generator by increasing the rotational speed of the prime mover. In addition, as described in Patent Document 2 below, a technique has been proposed in which a new power generation source such as a solar battery panel is added to increase the amount of power generation.

JP 2009-67353 A (paragraphs 0035, 0036, FIG. 4, etc.) JP 2010-167902 A (paragraph 0041, FIGS. 1, 8, etc.)

  However, in the case where the power generation amount is increased by increasing the rotational speed as described above, there has been a disadvantage that the boat speed is increased although navigation at a low speed is desired. Moreover, when it was comprised so that a power generation source might be added like the technique of patent document 2, there existed a malfunction of causing the enlargement of an apparatus.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide an outboard motor control device that increases the power generation amount of the generator without changing the boat speed and without increasing the size of the device. It is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in claim 1, in an outboard motor comprising a prime mover and a generator connected to the prime mover, the motor is interposed between the prime mover and the generator. Speed increasing means capable of increasing the output of the prime mover, a first battery connected to the generator, a second battery connectable to the generator, and a second for detecting a remaining capacity of the second battery. When the remaining battery capacity detecting means and the detected remaining capacity of the second battery are below a predetermined value, the generator is connected to the second battery and the electric power generated by the generator is supplied to the second battery. A power generation amount increasing means for controlling the operation of the speed increasing means so as to increase the output of the prime mover and thereby increasing the power generation amount of the power generator is provided.

  In the outboard motor control device according to claim 2, a plurality of the outboard motors are mounted on the hull, and includes a first battery output voltage detection means for detecting an output voltage of the first battery, The power generation amount increasing means includes a generator connected to the first battery having the highest output voltage among the plurality of outboard motors when the detected remaining capacity of the second battery is equal to or less than the predetermined value. The second battery is configured to be connected.

  In the outboard motor control apparatus according to claim 3, the speed increasing means is constituted by a planetary gear mechanism and a clutch.

  In the outboard motor control apparatus according to claim 4, the planetary gear mechanism includes first, second, and third elements respectively configured of any one of a carrier, a sun gear, and a ring gear. One element is connected to the prime mover, the second element is connected to the prime mover block via the clutch, and the third element is connected to the generator.

  In the outboard motor control apparatus according to claim 1, a generator connected to the prime mover, speed increasing means capable of increasing the output of the prime mover, a first battery connected to the generator, And a second battery connectable to the machine, and the remaining capacity of the second battery is detected. When the detected remaining capacity of the second battery is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the generator is connected to the second battery to generate power. The power generated by the machine is supplied to the second battery, and the operation of the speed increasing means is controlled so as to increase the output of the prime mover, and thus the power generation amount of the power generator is increased. Since the power generation amount of the generator is increased by increasing only the output of the prime mover transmitted to the generator while maintaining the rotational speed by the speed increasing means, the second battery is connected to the generator. Even when there is a risk of power shortage Without changing the boat speed (without raising), it is possible to increase the power generation amount, it is possible to a second battery efficiently charged. Moreover, since installation of a new power generation source or the like is unnecessary, the apparatus is not increased in size.

  In the outboard motor control apparatus according to claim 2, a plurality of outboard motors are mounted on the hull, the output voltage of the first battery is detected, and the power generation amount increasing means is When the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the generator connected to the first battery having the highest output voltage among the plurality of outboard motors is connected to the second battery, in other words, Since the generator mounted on the outboard motor is connected to the first battery having the highest output voltage and the generator having a relatively large amount of power generation is connected to the second battery, In addition to the effect, the electric power generated by the generator can be supplied and charged to the second battery more efficiently.

  In the outboard motor control device according to the third aspect, the speed increasing means is constituted by the planetary gear mechanism and the clutch. The output can be increased.

  In the outboard motor control apparatus according to claim 4, the planetary gear mechanism includes first, second, and third elements each constituted by any one of a carrier, a sun gear, and a ring gear. Since the third element is connected to the prime mover, the second element is connected to the prime mover block via the clutch, and the third element is connected to the generator, the second element (for example, a sun gear) is added to the effect described in claim 3. Since the prime mover block can be fixed by the clutch, the output of the prime mover can be reliably increased with a simpler configuration.

It is a block diagram which shows the control apparatus of the outboard motor which concerns on the Example of this invention. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1. It is the schematic of the internal combustion engine shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the characteristic of the electric power generation with respect to the drive rotation speed of the generator shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the connection relation of the generator of the 1st, 2nd outboard motor shown in FIG. 1, a main battery, a sub battery, etc. FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing an enlarged vicinity of a planetary gear mechanism shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a skeleton diagram showing an internal combustion engine, a planetary gear mechanism, and a generator shown in FIG. 2. It is a flowchart which shows the switch control operation of the switch by the hull side ECU shown in FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of controlling the power generation amount of a generator by a first outboard motor ECU shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 10 is a flow chart similar to FIG. 9 showing an operation of controlling the power generation amount of the generator by the second outboard motor ECU shown in FIG. 1. It is a graph which shows the characteristic of the remaining capacity with respect to the output voltage of a subbattery used by the flowchart of FIG. It is a time chart explaining a part of process in the flowchart of FIGS. 8-10.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out an outboard motor control apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outboard motor control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 indicates a ship in which an outboard motor 10 is mounted on a hull (hull) 12. A plurality of outboard motors 10 are mounted on the rear (stern) 12a of the hull 12, specifically two. That is, multiple outboard motors are hung on the hull 12 (two hung). Hereinafter, the outboard motor on the port side (left side toward the front in the traveling direction) is referred to as “first outboard motor”, and is indicated by reference numeral 10A, while the outboard motor on the starboard side (the right side) is referred to as “second outboard motor”. It is referred to as “machine” and is denoted by reference numeral 10B.

  In the vicinity of the cockpit of the hull 12, a steering wheel 14 that can be freely rotated by an operator (not shown) is disposed. A steering angle sensor 16 is attached to the shaft 14a of the steering wheel 14 and outputs a signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel 14 input by the vessel operator.

  A remote control box 20 is further arranged near the cockpit, and a plurality of (two) shift levers (shift / throttle levers) 22 that can be operated by the operator are provided there. Hereinafter, the shift lever for the first outboard motor disposed on the left side in the forward direction of the traveling direction is referred to as “first shift lever 22A”, and the shift lever for the second outboard motor disposed on the right side. Is referred to as "second shift lever 22B".

  Both the first and second shift levers 22A and 22B are swingable in the front-rear direction from the initial position, and a shift change instruction (forward) from the operator to the first and second outboard motors 10A and 10B. / Reverse (reverse) / neutral (neutral) switching instructions) and engine speed adjustment instructions. First and second lever position sensors 24A and 24B are installed in the vicinity of the first and second shift levers 22A and 22B, and output signals corresponding to the positions of the shift levers 22A and 22B.

  The outputs of the steering angle sensor 16 and the lever position sensors 24A and 24B are input to an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “ECU”) 26 disposed at an appropriate position of the hull 12. The ECU 26 is composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM and the like. Hereinafter, this ECU is referred to as a “hull side ECU 26”.

  FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the first outboard motor 10A shown in FIG. Since the first outboard motor 10A and the second outboard motor 10B have substantially the same configuration, in the drawings and the following description, subscripts (A, B) are added unless the outboard motor is particularly distinguished. Is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the outboard motor 10 is attached to the hull 12 via a swivel case 30, a tilting shaft 32 and a stern bracket 34.

  A steering electric motor (actuator) 40 that drives a swivel shaft 36 that is housed in the swivel case 30 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis is disposed in the upper part of the swivel case 30. The rotation output of the electric motor 40 for steering is transmitted to the swivel shaft 36 via the reduction gear mechanism 42 and the mount frame 44, so that the outboard motor 10 is moved left and right (around the vertical axis) with the swivel shaft 36 as a turning axis. Steered.

  An internal combustion engine (prime mover; hereinafter referred to as “engine”) 46 is mounted on the upper portion of the outboard motor 10. The engine 46 is a spark-ignition water-cooled gasoline engine and has a displacement of 2200 cc. The engine 46 is located on the water surface and is covered with an engine cover 48.

  A throttle body 52 is connected to the intake pipe 50 of the engine 46. The throttle body 52 includes a throttle valve 54 therein, and a throttle electric motor (actuator) 56 that opens and closes the throttle valve 54 is integrally attached thereto.

  The output shaft of the electric motor 56 for throttle is connected to the throttle valve 54 through a reduction gear mechanism (not shown), and the throttle valve 54 is opened and closed by operating the electric motor 56 for throttle. Adjusted.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the engine 46 shown in FIG.

  If the description of the engine 46 is continued with reference to FIG. 3, the intake pipe 50 has a bypass passage (secondary air passage) 60 that communicates the upstream side and the downstream side of the throttle valve 54 to bypass the throttle valve 54. Connected. A secondary air amount adjusting valve 62 for adjusting the intake air amount when the engine 46 is in an idle state or the like is provided in the middle of the bypass passage 60. An electric motor (actuator) 64 for adjusting the secondary air amount is connected to the secondary air amount adjusting valve 62 via a reduction gear mechanism (not shown), and the secondary air amount adjusting valve 62 is operated by operating the electric motor 64. The air amount of the bypass passage 60 is adjusted by opening and closing.

  In the intake pipe 50, an injector 66 is disposed near the intake port on the downstream side of the throttle valve 54, and gasoline fuel is injected into the intake air adjusted by the throttle valve 54 and the secondary air amount adjustment valve 62. The injected fuel is mixed with intake air to form an air-fuel mixture, and the air-fuel mixture flows into the combustion chamber 70 when the intake valve 68 is opened.

  The air-fuel mixture flowing into the combustion chamber 70 is ignited by a spark plug (not shown) and burned, and the piston 72 is driven downward in FIG. 3 to rotate the crankshaft 74. The exhaust gas generated by the combustion flows through the exhaust pipe 78 and is discharged to the outside of the engine 46 when the exhaust valve 76 is opened.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the outboard motor 10 includes a drive shaft (output shaft) 80 that is disposed in parallel with the vertical axis and is rotatably supported. A crankshaft 74 (not visible in FIG. 2) of the engine 46 is connected to the upper end of the drive shaft 80, and a propeller shaft 84 supported rotatably around a horizontal axis via a shift mechanism 82 is connected to the lower end. Is done. A propeller 86 is attached to one end of the propeller shaft 84. Thus, the shift mechanism 82 is interposed between the drive shaft 80 that is the output shaft of the engine 46 and the propeller 86.

  The shift mechanism 82 includes a forward bevel gear 82a and a reverse bevel gear 82b that are connected to the drive shaft 80 and rotated, and a clutch 82c that allows the propeller shaft 84 to be engaged with either the forward bevel gear 82a or the reverse bevel gear 82b.

  Inside the engine cover 48, a shift electric motor (actuator) 90 that operates the shift mechanism 82 to perform a shift change is disposed. The output shaft of the electric motor 90 is connected to the upper end of the shift rod 82d of the shift mechanism 82 via the reduction gear mechanism 92. Accordingly, by driving the shift electric motor 90, the shift rod 82d and the shift slider 82e are appropriately displaced, and thereby the clutch 82c is operated so that the shift position can be switched between forward, reverse and neutral. The

  When the shift mechanism 82 is in the forward position or the reverse position, the rotation of the drive shaft 80 is transmitted to the propeller shaft 84 via the shift mechanism 82, so that the propeller 86 is rotated and thrust in a direction in which the hull 12 moves forward or backward ( Propulsion). On the other hand, when the shift mechanism 82 is in the neutral position, the propeller shaft 84 is not engaged with either the forward bevel gear 82a or the reverse bevel gear 82b, and therefore, transmission of rotational output from the drive shaft 80 to the propeller shaft 84 is interrupted. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the outboard motor 10 is connected to the engine 46, and is connected to the generator 94 that is driven by the engine 46 to generate power, and is connected to the generator 94 to store the generated power. A battery (first battery) 96 and a planetary gear mechanism 98 that is inserted between the engine 46 and the generator 94 and that can increase the output of the engine 46 freely are provided.

  Although not shown, the generator 94 includes an AC generator (ACG) having a rotor around which a field coil is wound and a stator around which a stator coil is wound. When a current flows through the field coil, the generator 94 magnetizes the rotor to form an N pole and an S pole, and causes the stator coil to generate an electric current by rotating the rotor with the output of the engine 46 ( Generate electricity).

  Further, in the generator 94, the amount of power generation can be adjusted by controlling the current flowing in the field coil (hereinafter referred to as “field coil current”). Specifically, when the field coil current increases, the magnetic field of the rotor is increased thereby, so that the current generated in the stator coil increases and the power generation amount can be increased.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the power generation amount of the generator 94 is proportional to the drive rotational speed, that is, the power generation amount increases as the drive rotational speed increases. Specifically, the power generation amount of the generator 94 gradually increases as the drive rotational speed increases, and reaches a substantially maximum value when the rotational speed reaches, for example, 2000 rpm.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a sub-battery (second battery) 100 that can be connected to the generator 94 is disposed in the hull 12.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a connection relationship between the generators 94A and 94B of the first and second outboard motors 10A and 10B, the main batteries 96A and 96B, the sub battery 100, and the like.

  As shown, the generator 94A is connected to the main battery 96A via the diode 102A, and the main battery 96A is connected to the electric load 104A (specifically, the electric motors 40, 56 of the first outboard motor 10A). 64, 90 and an outboard motor ECU described later).

  The energization path connecting the generator 94A and the main battery 96A is branched at a branch point 106A in the preceding stage of the diode 102A. The generator 94A is connected from the branch point 106A to the sub battery 100 via the diode 110A and the switch 112A. Various electric loads 114 (for example, lighting fixtures, GPS (Global Positioning System), fish finder, etc.) installed in the hull 12 can be connected to the sub-battery 100 via connectors (not shown), and the hull side The ECU 26 is also connected.

  The switch 112A is composed of an FET (field effect transistor), and the gate terminal of the FET is connected to the hull side ECU 26, the drain terminal is connected to the diode 110A, and the source terminal is connected to the sub-battery 100. Accordingly, the switch 112A is turned on when a voltage is applied to the gate terminal by the hull side ECU 26, and is turned off when the voltage is not applied.

  As can be seen from the figure, the connection relationship between the main battery 96B and the sub-battery 100 for the generator 94B is the same as that of the generator 94A. That is, the generator 94B is connected to the main battery 96B via the diode 102B, and is connected to the sub battery 100 from the branch point 106B via the diode 110B and the switch 112B.

  Thus, the generators 94A and 94B are always connected to the main batteries 96A and 96B, respectively, while being connected to the sub-battery 100 only when the corresponding switches 112A and 112B are turned on.

  With the configuration described above, the alternating current generated by the generator 94A is rectified by the diode 102A and then supplied to the main battery 96A to charge the battery 96A. When the switch 112A is turned on, the diode 110A The battery 100 is charged by being supplied to the sub battery 100 while being rectified.

  Similarly, the alternating current generated in the generator 94B is rectified by the diode 102B and then supplied to the main battery 96B. When the switch 112B is turned on, it is rectified by the diode 110B and then supplied to the sub battery 100. To charge each battery.

  6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the vicinity of the planetary gear mechanism 98 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7 is a skeleton diagram showing the engine 46, the planetary gear mechanism 98, and the generator 94.

  The planetary gear mechanism 98 includes first, second, and third elements each composed of a carrier C, a sun gear S, and a ring gear R that are connected to a plurality (specifically, four) of planetary gears P. When the carrier C is the first element, the sun gear S is the second element, and the ring gear R is the third element, the carrier C is connected to the crankshaft 74 of the engine 46, and the sun gear S is connected to the hydraulic clutch (clutch, speed increasing means) 116. The ring gear R is connected to the generator 94 via the pulley 104 to the engine block (motor block) 46a.

  The hydraulic clutch 116 is composed of, for example, a wet multi-plate clutch, and is connected to an electromagnetic valve (linear solenoid valve) of a hydraulic supply mechanism (not shown), and its operation is controlled by its on (excitation) / off (non-excitation). Specifically, the hydraulic clutch 116 fixes the sun gear S to the engine block 46a when the electromagnetic valve is turned on and is supplied with hydraulic pressure, while no hydraulic pressure is supplied when the electromagnetic valve 116 is turned off, and the sun gear S is released from being fixed. Is done.

  The planetary gear mechanism 98 has a speed ratio obtained by dividing the output rotational speed (drive rotational speed of the generator 94) by the input rotational speed (engine rotational speed) when the sun gear S is fixed from 1.0. It is set to a large value, specifically 1.5. More specifically, for example, by setting the number of teeth Zs of the sun gear S to 32 and the number of teeth Zr of the ring gear R to 64, the speed ratio is set to 1.5.

  With the configuration described above, when the sun gear S is fixed, the output of the engine 46 is input to the carrier C, and is transmitted from the ring gear R to the generator 94 via the planetary gear P.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1, a voltage sensor (first battery output voltage detecting means) 120 and a current sensor 122 are connected to the main battery 96, and signals indicating the battery output voltage V1 (V2) and the current I1 (I2). Is output. Similarly, a voltage sensor (second battery remaining capacity detecting means) 124 and a current sensor (second battery remaining capacity detecting means) 126 that output signals indicating the battery output voltage V3 and the current I3 are also connected to the sub battery 100. .

  A throttle opening sensor 130 is disposed in the vicinity of the throttle valve 54 to generate an output indicating the throttle opening, and an opening sensor 132 is also disposed in the vicinity of the secondary air amount adjustment valve 62 to adjust the secondary air amount. A signal indicating the opening degree of the valve 62 is output.

  A crank angle sensor 134 is attached in the vicinity of the crankshaft 74 of the engine 46 and outputs a pulse signal at every predetermined crank angle. Further, a steering angle sensor 136 is disposed in the vicinity of the swivel shaft 36 and generates an output indicating the rotation angle of the swivel shaft 36, that is, the steering angle of the outboard motor 10.

  The outputs of the voltage sensor 124 and the current sensor 126 described above are input to the hull side ECU 26, and the outputs of the other sensors are input to the outboard motor ECU 140 mounted on the same outboard motor. Hereinafter, the ECU of the first outboard motor 10A is referred to as “first outboard motor ECU 140A”, and that of the second outboard motor 10B is referred to as “second outboard motor ECU 140B”. The first and second outboard motor ECUs 140A and 140B are composed of a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, similar to the hull side ECU 26.

  The first and second outboard motor ECUs 140A and 140B and the hull side ECU 26 are, for example, communication systems (specifically CAN (Controller Area Network)) standardized by NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association). Are connected to communicate freely. The first and second outboard motor ECUs 140A and 140B obtain information such as the steering angle of the steering wheel 14 and an electromagnetic valve 1 (2) on flag, which will be described later, from the hull side ECU 26, while the hull side ECU 26 receives the first and second ships. Information on the output voltage / current of the main batteries 96A, 96B is acquired from the external unit ECUs 140A, 140B.

  The first outboard motor ECU 140A controls the operation of the electric motor 40A for turning based on the input (accurately acquired) output of the steering angle sensor 16, and steers the first outboard motor 10A. . Further, the first outboard motor ECU 140A controls the operation of the throttle electric motor 56A and the secondary air amount adjusting electric motor 64A based on the output of the input first lever position sensor 24A, etc. The secondary air amount adjusting valve 62 is opened and closed to adjust the intake air amount, and the shift mechanism 82 is driven by controlling the operation of the shift electric motor 90A to perform a shift change.

  Further, the first outboard motor ECU 140A performs duty ratio control (PWM control) on the field coil current of the generator 94A based on the voltage of the battery 96A output from the voltage sensor 120A to adjust the amount of power generation.

  Specifically, for example, when the battery voltage of the main battery 96A decreases, the duty ratio is increased (that is, the field coil current is increased) to increase the amount of power generation (specifically, when the duty ratio is 100%, the field coil is always used) Current). On the other hand, when the battery voltage rises, the duty ratio is reduced (that is, the field coil current is reduced) to reduce the amount of power generation. Thus, since the duty ratio is changed according to the amount of the electric load 104A connected to the battery 96A, in other words, the duty ratio can be said to correspond to a required value required for the power generation amount of the generator 94A.

  Since the operation of the second outboard motor ECU 140B is the same as that of the first outboard motor ECU 140A, description thereof is omitted. As described above, the operation of the first outboard motor 10A is individually controlled by the first outboard motor ECU 140A, and the operation of the second outboard motor 10B is individually controlled by the second outboard motor ECU 140B.

  Thus, the outboard motor control apparatus according to this embodiment is a DBW (Drive By Wire) system in which the operation system (the steering wheel 14 and the shift lever 22) and the outboard motor 10 are mechanically disconnected. It is a control device.

  8 shows the switching control operation of the switches 112A and 112B by the hull side ECU 26, FIG. 9 shows the operation of controlling the power generation amount of the generator 94A by the first outboard motor ECU 140A, and FIG. 10 shows the power generation by the second outboard motor ECU 140B. It is a flowchart which shows the operation | movement which controls the electric power generation amount of the machine 94B. The illustrated program is executed in parallel at predetermined intervals (for example, 100 msec) by the hull side ECU 26 and the first and second outboard motor ECUs 140A and 140B.

  In the following, as shown in FIG. 8, first, in S (step) 10, information on the main battery 96A of the first outboard motor 10A (specifically, the value of the output voltage V1, etc.) is obtained from the first outboard motor ECU 140A. Get (read).

  Next, the process proceeds to S12, and similarly, information such as the output voltage V2 of the main battery 96B of the second outboard motor 10B is acquired from the second outboard motor ECU 140B, and the process proceeds to S14 from the outputs of the voltage sensor 124 and the current sensor 126. The output voltage V3 and current I3 of the sub battery 100 are detected.

  Proceeding to S16, the remaining capacity SOC (State of Charge) of the sub-battery 100 is detected (calculated) based on the battery output voltage and current detected at S14. Specifically, before starting the engine, the calculation is performed from the output voltage V3 of the sub battery 100 using the graph shown in FIG. Specifically, when the output voltage V3 of the sub-battery 100 is 14.5V, for example, the remaining capacity SOC is 100%. As the output voltage V3 decreases, the remaining capacity SOC gradually decreases, and the output voltage V3 becomes, for example, 12.2. When the voltage is 0 V, it is estimated that the remaining capacity SOC is 20%. The characteristic of the remaining capacity SOC with respect to the battery output voltage in FIG. 11 is obtained in advance through experiments.

  After the engine is started, the remaining capacity SOC is calculated by subtracting the detected integral value of the current value I3 of the sub-battery 100 from the value before the start.

  Next, in S18, it is determined whether or not the remaining capacity SOC of the sub battery 100 is equal to or less than a predetermined value. The predetermined value is set to such a value that it can be determined that the sub-battery 100 needs to be charged when the remaining capacity SOC is equal to or less than that value, for example, 70%.

  When the result in S18 is affirmative, in other words, when it is necessary to charge the sub battery 100, the process proceeds to S20, and the output voltages V1, V2 of the main batteries 96A, 96B of the first and second outboard motors 10A, 10B. They are compared to determine whether or not the output voltage V1 of the main battery 96A of the first outboard motor 10A is greater than that (V2) of the second outboard motor 10B.

  When the result in S20 is affirmative, the program proceeds to S22, in which the switch 112A is turned on, and the program proceeds to S24, in which the switch 112B is turned off. That is, the generator 94A is connected to the sub battery 100 via the switch 112A, while the connection between the generator 94B and the sub battery 100 is cut off (not connected). Thereby, the electric power generated in the generator 94A is supplied to the sub battery 100 and charged.

  Next, in S26, the bit of the electromagnetic valve 1 on flag is set to 1. This flag is set to 1 when the generator 94A of the first outboard motor 10A and the sub-battery 100 are connected and the electromagnetic valve of the first outboard motor 10A is to be turned on, as will be described later. Reset to zero.

  On the other hand, when the result in S20 is negative, the program proceeds to S28, where the switch 112A is turned off, and the program proceeds to S30, where the switch 112B is turned on. In other words, the generator 94B is connected to the sub battery 100 via the switch 112B, while the connection between the generator 94A and the sub battery 100 is cut off. Thereby, the electric power generated in the generator 94B is supplied to the sub battery 100 and charged.

  Next, in S32, the bit of the electromagnetic valve 2 on flag is set to 1. Similarly to the electromagnetic valve 1 on flag, the electromagnetic valve 2 on flag is set to 1 when the generator 94B of the second outboard motor 10B and the sub battery 100 are connected and the electromagnetic valve of the second outboard motor 10B should be turned on as will be described later. While set, it is reset to 0 otherwise.

  As described above, when the remaining capacity SOC of the sub-battery 100 is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the generator 94 connected to the main battery 96 having the highest output voltage among the two outboard motors 10A and 10B is used as the sub-battery 100. Connecting.

  When the result in S18 is negative, the program proceeds to S34 and S36, both switches 112A and 112B are turned off, and the program proceeds to S38 and S40, both of the solenoid valve 1 on flag and solenoid valve 2 on flag bits are reset to 0 and the program is terminated. To do.

  Next, FIG. 9 will be described. First, in S100, the output number of the crank angle sensor 134 is counted to detect (calculate) the engine speed NE, and the process proceeds to S102, in which it is determined whether or not the detected engine speed NE exceeds a predetermined speed NEa. . When the engine speed NE exceeds the predetermined speed NEa, if the output of the engine 46 is increased and transmitted to the generator 94 by a process described later, the generator 94 is excessively rotated. For example, the value is set to 2000 rpm.

  Next, in S104, it is determined whether or not the bit of the electromagnetic valve 1 on flag is 1. When the result in S104 is negative, the program proceeds to S106, and a required value for the power generation amount of the generator 94 is detected. Since the required value is represented by the duty ratio for controlling the field coil current as described above, the duty ratio of the generator 94 is detected here.

  Next, in S108, it is determined whether the required value for the power generation amount of the generator 94 is relatively high, in other words, whether the load is high. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the detected request value (duty ratio) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and when it is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, it is determined (estimated) as a high load. Therefore, the default value is set to a value that can be determined as a high load, for example, 80%.

  When the result in S108 is affirmative, the program proceeds to S110, in which the electromagnetic valve of the first outboard motor 10A is turned on to supply hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic clutch 116. As a result, the sun gear S of the planetary gear mechanism 98 is fixed, whereby the output of the engine 46 is increased and transmitted to the generator 94 while the rotation speed of the engine 46 is maintained. The amount increases.

  On the other hand, when the result in S104 is affirmative, the processes of S106 and S108 are skipped and the process proceeds to S110, and the power generation amount of the generator 94 is similarly increased. Thus, when the bit of the electromagnetic valve 1 on flag is 1, that is, when the generator 94A is connected to the sub-battery 100 and the electric power generated by the generator 94A is supplied to the sub-battery 100, the first outboard motor The operations of the planetary gear mechanism 98 and the hydraulic clutch 116 are controlled so that the output of the 10A engine 46 is increased, thereby increasing the power generation amount of the generator 94A.

  On the other hand, when the result in S102 is affirmative, the routine proceeds to S112, where the operation of the speed increasing means is stopped, specifically, the speed increasing by the planetary gear mechanism 98 is stopped (stopped), more specifically, the electromagnetic valve is turned off. Thus, the supply of hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic clutch 116 is stopped. As a result, the fixing of the sun gear S by the hydraulic clutch 116 is released, and the output of the engine 46 is transmitted to the generator 94A as it is (1: 1) without being increased in speed.

  When the result in S108 is negative, it is determined (estimated) that the required value for the amount of power generated by the generator 94 is low, in other words, the load is low, so that it is not necessary to increase the speed, and the process similarly proceeds to S112. Then, the speed increase by the planetary gear mechanism 98 is stopped (stopped).

  Next, FIG. 10 will be described. In the flowchart of FIG. 10, steps that perform the same processing as in the flowchart of FIG. 9 are assigned the same step numbers.

  As shown in the drawing, after the process of S100, when the result in S102 is NO, the process proceeds to S104a. In S104a, it is determined whether the bit of the electromagnetic valve 2 on flag is 1. When the result in S104a is negative, the process proceeds to the processes of S106 and S108 described above. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S110, where the electromagnetic valve of the second outboard motor 10B is turned on to supply hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic clutch 116. Thereby, the electric power generation amount of the generator 94B of the 2nd outboard motor 10B increases.

  Thus, when the bit of the electromagnetic valve 2 on flag is 1, that is, when the generator 94B is connected to the sub-battery 100 and the electric power generated by the generator 94B is supplied to the sub-battery 100, the second outboard motor The operations of the planetary gear mechanism 98 and the hydraulic clutch 116 are controlled so that the output of the 10B engine 46 is increased, thereby increasing the power generation amount of the generator 94B.

  The other processes are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG.

  FIG. 12 is a time chart for explaining a part of the processing in the flow charts of FIGS. In FIG. 12, in order from the top, the required value (duty ratio) for the power generation amount of the generator 94A of the first outboard motor 10A, the on / off state of the electromagnetic valve, the on / off state of the switch 112A, the generator The drive speed of 94A, the engine speed of the engine 46A, the power generation amount of the generator 94A, and the remaining capacity SOC of the sub-battery 100 are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 12, first, from time t0 to t1, the load is a low load with a duty ratio of less than 80%, and the engine speed NE and the drive speed of the generator 94A are both 700 rpm, for example. When the remaining capacity SOC of the sub-battery 100 becomes a predetermined value or less at time t1, for example, when the output voltage V1 of the main battery 96A of the first outboard motor 10A is greater than that (V2) of the second outboard motor 10B, The switch 112A is turned on, and the generator 94A is connected to the sub battery 100 (S18 to S22).

  Then, the electromagnetic valve of the first outboard motor 10A is turned on to supply hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic clutch 116 (S26, S104, S110). As a result, the engine rotational speed NE remains unchanged, and only the drive rotational speed of the generator 94A increases, specifically 1.5 times, and the amount of power generation also increases.

  When the sub battery 100 is charged and the remaining capacity SOC exceeds a predetermined value at time t2, the switch 112A is turned off to disconnect the generator 94A from the sub battery 100 (S18), and the first outboard motor 10A The electromagnetic valve is turned off to stop the supply of hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic clutch 116, and the speed increase is terminated (S112).

  Next, when it is determined at time t3 that the duty ratio becomes 80% and the load on the generator 94A is high (S108), the electromagnetic valve is turned on to supply hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic clutch 116 (S110). As a result, as at time t1, only the drive speed of the generator 94A increases while the engine speed NE is maintained, and the amount of power generation also increases.

  Next, for example, when the shift lever 22 is operated by the boat operator (time t4), the engine speed NE increases, and accordingly, the drive speed of the generator 94A increases and the power generation amount also increases.

  When the engine rotational speed NE exceeds the predetermined rotational speed NEa (2000 rpm) at time t5 (S102), the electromagnetic valve is turned off, the supply of hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic clutch 116 is stopped, and the speed increase ends (S112). As a result, the rotational speed of the generator 94A is reduced, but the engine rotational speed NE and the rotational speed of the generator 94A exceed 2000 rpm. Therefore, as can be understood from FIG. Not decrease).

  As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, the outboard motor 10 (first and second outboard motors) including the prime mover (internal combustion engine; engine) 46 and the generator 94 connected to the prime mover. 10A, 10B), a speed increasing means (planetary gear mechanism 98, hydraulic clutch 116) interposed between the prime mover and the generator to freely increase the output of the prime mover, and connected to the generator. A first battery (main battery) 96; a second battery (sub-battery) 100 connectable to the generator; and second battery remaining capacity detecting means (hull-side ECU 26, detecting the remaining capacity SOC of the second battery Voltage sensor 124, current sensor 126. S16), and when the detected remaining capacity SOC of the second battery is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the generator is connected to the second battery and the electric power generated by the generator is generated. Is supplied to the second battery, and the operation of the speed increasing means is controlled so that the output of the prime mover increases, thereby increasing the power generation amount of the generator (the hull side ECU 26, the second 1, the second outboard motor ECU 140A, 140B, S18 to S32, S104, S104a, S110).

  As described above, the power generation amount of the generator 94 is increased by increasing only the output of the engine 46 transmitted to the generator 94 by the speed increasing means while maintaining the rotational speed NE of the engine 46. Therefore, even when the sub-battery 100 is connected to the generator 94 and there is a possibility that the power generation amount may be insufficient, the power generation amount can be increased without changing (raising) the boat speed, and the sub-battery can be increased. It becomes possible to charge 100 efficiently. Moreover, since installation of a new power generation source or the like is unnecessary, the apparatus is not increased in size.

  A plurality of (two) outboard motors 10A and 10B are mounted on the hull 12, and a first battery output voltage detection for detecting output voltages V1 and V2 of the first batteries (main batteries) 96A and 96B. And a plurality of outboard motors 10A and 10B when the remaining capacity SOC of the detected second battery (sub-battery) 100 is less than or equal to the predetermined value. The generator connected to the first battery 96 having the highest output voltage is configured to be connected to the second battery 100, in other words, the generator 94A mounted on the plurality of outboard motors 10A and 10B. 94B, the generator connected to the first battery 96 having the highest output voltage and having a relatively large amount of power generation is connected to the second battery 100. May more efficiently generated power is supplied to the second battery 100 can be charged.

  Further, since the speed increasing means is composed of the planetary gear mechanism 98 and the clutch (hydraulic clutch) 116, it is possible to increase the output of the engine 46 with a simple structure.

  The planetary gear mechanism 98 includes first, second, and third elements each including a carrier C, a sun gear S, and a ring gear R, and the first element serves as the prime mover (engine) 46. Since the second element is connected to the motor block (engine block) 46a via the clutch 116 and the third element is connected to the generator 94, the second element (for example, the sun gear S) and the engine are connected. Since the block 46a can be fixed by the clutch 116, the output of the engine 46 can be reliably increased with a simpler configuration.

  In the above description, the outboard motor has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to an inboard / outboard motor including a prime mover (engine) and a generator. Further, although the engine is used as the prime mover, the engine is not limited thereto, and may be a motor (electric motor) or a hybrid of the engine and the motor.

  Further, the first element, the second element, and the third element of the planetary gear mechanism 98 are the carrier C, the sun gear S, and the ring gear R, the first element (carrier C) is the engine 46, and the second element (sun gear S) is the hydraulic pressure. The third element (ring gear R) is connected to the generator 94 via the clutch 102 to the engine block 46a. However, the third element (ring gear R) is not necessarily limited to this. Any configuration may be used as long as the output is increased and can be transmitted to the generator 94. From this point of view, it is described in the claims that “the planetary gear mechanism has first, second, and third elements each composed of any one of a carrier, a sun gear, and a ring gear”.

  Further, although two outboard motors are fixed to the hull, the present invention is also applicable to the case where there are one or more outboard motors. Moreover, although the predetermined value, the predetermined value, the displacement of the engine 46, and the like are shown as specific values, they are merely examples and are not limited.

  10A First outboard motor (outboard motor), 10B Second outboard motor (outboard motor), 26 Hull side ECU (electronic control unit), 46 Engine (internal combustion engine, prime mover), 94 Generator, 96 Main battery (First battery), 98 planetary gear mechanism (speed increasing means), 100 sub-battery (second battery), 116 hydraulic clutch (clutch. Speed increasing means), 124 voltage sensor (second battery remaining capacity detecting means), 126 Current sensor (second battery remaining capacity detecting means), 140A first outboard motor ECU (electronic control unit), 140B second outboard motor ECU (electronic control unit), C carrier (first element), S sun gear (first 2 elements), R ring gear (3rd element)

Claims (4)

  In an outboard motor comprising a prime mover and a generator connected to the prime mover, speed increasing means interposed between the prime mover and the power generator to freely increase the output of the prime mover, and the power generator A second battery connectable to the generator, a second battery remaining capacity detecting means for detecting a remaining capacity of the second battery, and the detected remaining capacity of the second battery Is connected to the second battery to supply electric power generated by the generator to the second battery, and the speed increase is performed so that the output of the prime mover increases. A control device for an outboard motor, comprising: a power generation amount increasing means for controlling the operation of the means and thus increasing the power generation amount of the generator.   A plurality of the outboard motors are mounted on the hull, and includes first battery output voltage detection means for detecting the output voltage of the first battery, and the power generation amount increasing means is configured to detect the remaining amount of the detected second battery. The generator connected to the first battery having the highest output voltage among the plurality of outboard motors when the capacity is equal to or less than the predetermined value is connected to the second battery. Outboard motor control device.   The outboard motor control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the speed increasing means comprises a planetary gear mechanism and a clutch.   The planetary gear mechanism includes first, second, and third elements each constituted by any one of a carrier, a sun gear, and a ring gear. The first element is connected to the prime mover, and the second element is connected to the clutch. 4. The outboard motor control device according to claim 3, wherein the motor block is configured such that the third element is coupled to the generator.

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