Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Masahide Shinokawa

Hajime Yoshimura

Koji Kuriyagawa

Nobuchika Katagiri

Yoshiyuki Matsuda

Hiroshi Yamamoto

Sadanori Nishimura

Takanori Suzuki

Nobuo Yamazaki

Takeo Ogano

Katsuhisa Ichikawa

Yuji Kishizawa

Takeshi Miyazawa

Noriyasu Furuichi

Hideyuki Akaba

Yukio Katoh

Masakatsu Kouno

In a method for controlling an outboard motor adapted to be mounted on a hull of a boat and equipped with an internal combustion engine to power a propeller and a trim angle regulating mechanism adapted to regulate a trim angle relative to the hull, comprising the steps of: calculating a throttle opening change amount of the engine; determining whether the boat is in an accelerating state based on the calculated throttle opening change amount; and controlling operation of the trim angle regulating mechanism to increase the trim angle based on an operating parameter that indicates a state of the engine and the propeller when it is determined that the boat is in the accelerating state.

Outboard motor control apparatus

An outboard motor mounted on a stern of a boat is provided with a transmission and an oil pump. The transmission has a first-speed and second-speed gears, a first-speed gear clutch made of a mechanical dog clutch and a second-speed gear clutch made of a hydraulic clutch each adapted to engage the first and second-speed gears on a power transmission shaft, and a first-speed gear shift actuator adapted to couple the first-speed gear clutch with the first-speed gear. In the transmission, a first speed is established when the first-speed gear is engaged on the power transmission shaft and a second speed is established when the second-speed gear is engaged on the power transmission shaft while the first speed has been established such that power of the engine is transmitted to the propeller through the established speed.

Outboard motor and control apparatus thereof

In an apparatus for controlling operation of an outboard motor having an engine to power a propeller, a transmission being selectively changeable in gear position to establish speeds including a first speed and second speed and transmitting power of the engine to the propeller with a gear ratio determined by established speed, and a trim angle regulation mechanism regulating a trim angle through trim-up/down operation, the transmission is controlled to change the gear position from the second speed to the first speed when the second speed is selected and a throttle opening change amount is at or above a predetermined value; and the trim angle regulation mechanism is operated to start the trim-up operation based on engine speed. With this, the transmission can be appropriately controlled to suppress the decrease in boat speed caused by change of gear position, thereby mitigating an unnatural feel given to the operator.

An outboard motor includes a transmission mechanism mounted between an output shaft of an engine and a propeller drive shaft. The transmission mechanism includes a clutch. An oil pump for generating a hydraulic pressure so as to switch the clutch is disposed underneath a lowermost one of transmission gears closely thereto. An oil pan is disposed underneath the oil pump and is placed inside an exhaust channel of a gear case.

Outboard motor

Left and right driven wheels are connected to a pair of continuously variable transmissions and independently driven. The driven wheels are increased or decreased in speed at the same rotational numbers by operation of a change lever so as to move a vehicle forward or backward. When a steering angle of a steering wheel exceeds a predetermined value, an inner wheel speed during turning of the vehicle is decreased and an outer wheel speed during turning of the vehicle is increased so as to turn the vehicle. If the steering wheel becomes greater than the predetermined value during forward running of the vehicle at a low speed, the inner driving wheels stop and the vehicle does a stationary turn. However, during forward running at a high speed or backward running of the vehicle, even if the steering wheel becomes greater than the predetermined value, the vehicle does not do a stationary turn. With this arrangement, it is possible to always obtain the optimal steering characteristic in accordance with variations of the vehicle speed or the steering wheel.

Steering control device for vehicle having continuously variable

A clutch for equipment which is powered by an internal combustion engine, comprising a drive member which is connected to an output shaft of the engine, a driven member connected to an input shaft of a power transmission device, a number of clutch plates which are interposed between the drive member and the driven member for frictional engagement between the two members by a pressure member which is axially moveable and is biased by a spring, a lifter member for disengagement of the two members against the biasing force acting on the pressure member, and a brake device for stopping the motion of the driven member when the power transmission between the two members is disconnected. The brake device comprises a friction plate which is provided coaxially to the input shaft of the transmission device so as to be moveable along the axial direction but fixed along the circumferential direction and a brake plate which can press the friction plate against an axial end surface of the driven member in cooperation with the axial motion of the pressure member. Since the braking action of the brake device is produced by the axial motion of the lifter member, the structure for the brake device is extremely simplified.

Clutch with reduced dragging

A control device in a motor vehicle having a clutch and a transmission for controlling operation of the clutch and the transmission, includes a control lever angularly movable in first and second directions perpendicular to each other, a first connector mechanism interconnecting the control lever and the transmission for enabling the transmission to shift gears therein in response to angular movement of the control lever in the first direction, a follower having a portion extending in the first direction, the follower being angularly movable in the second direction, the portion being normally held in contact with the control lever when the control lever is angularly moved in the first and second directions, a second connector mechanism interconnecting the follower and the clutch for enabling the clutch to be engaged and disengaged in response to angular movement of the follower in the second direction, and a member for allowing the control lever to be angularly moved in the first direction only when the control lever is angularly moved to cause the second connector mechanism to disengage the clutch.

Growing community of inventors

Wako, Japan

Masahide Shinokawa