JP2013024112A - Device for detecting consumption of lubricating oil for engine on outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for detecting consumption of lubricating oil for an engine on an outboard motor, the device which accurately detects the consumption of the lubricating oil for the engine without using an oil level sensor.SOLUTION: The device for detecting the consumption of the lubricating oil (oil) for the engine mounted on an outboard motor is provided. On the basis of an engine speed NE of the engine, the device calculates basic consumption (a) of the lubricating oil per unit time (S16) and detects a load state of the engine (S20), and on the basis of the detected load state of the engine, the device corrects the calculated basic consumption (a) (S20, S24). The device also integrates the corrected basic consumption (a) to detect the consumption of the lubricating oil (S24).

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting the amount of lubricating oil consumed by an engine mounted on an outboard motor.

  Conventionally, a device for detecting consumption of engine lubricating oil (engine oil) has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the technique described in Patent Document 1, an oil level sensor that detects the position of the oil level is provided in an oil pan in which the lubricating oil is stored, and the consumption amount of the lubricating oil is detected based on the sensor output. Composed.

  By the way, when the above-mentioned engine is mounted on an outboard motor, the outboard motor may be used after being trimmed up depending on the navigation state, or the hull may be tilted by lifting the bow (bowing up). The oil level of the pan is inclined, and as a result, the oil level sensor cannot detect the consumption amount of the lubricating oil accurately.

  Therefore, as described in Patent Document 2 below, there is a technique in which the consumption amount of lubricating oil is detected from the fluctuation of friction torque generated when the lubrication around the piston of the engine deteriorates without using an oil level sensor. Proposed.

JP 2008-63997 A JP 2009-31068 A

  However, the amount of consumption of the lubricating oil varies depending on the load state of the engine. Specifically, for example, when the engine is in a high load state, the amount of consumption increases as the temperature of the lubricating oil rises and evaporates. However, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, such an engine Since the load state is not taken into consideration, there is a possibility that the consumption amount of the lubricating oil cannot be accurately detected.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and provide an engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor that accurately detects the consumption of engine lubricating oil without using an oil level sensor. There is to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to claim 1, in the device for detecting the consumption amount of the lubricating oil of the engine mounted on the outboard motor, the unit of the lubricating oil is based on the rotational speed of the engine. Basic consumption calculation means for calculating basic consumption per hour, load state detection means for detecting the load state of the engine, and correction of the calculated basic consumption based on the detected load state of the engine And a lubricating oil consumption detecting means for detecting the consumption of the lubricating oil by integrating the corrected basic consumption.

  In the engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor according to claim 2, the basic consumption calculation means detects the map in which the basic consumption is set for each engine speed. The basic consumption is calculated by searching based on the engine speed.

  In the engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor according to claim 3, the correction means calculates a correction coefficient based on the detected load state of the engine, and uses the calculated correction coefficient. The basic consumption is corrected.

  An outboard motor engine lubricant consumption detecting device according to claim 4 further comprises trim angle detecting means for detecting a trim angle with respect to a hull of the outboard motor, wherein the load state detecting means is detected. The load condition of the engine is detected based on the trim angle, and the correction means is configured to correct the basic consumption based on the load condition of the engine detected based on the trim angle.

  In the engine lubricating oil consumption detecting device for an outboard motor according to claim 5, the load state detecting means detects the load state of the engine based on a radix of the outboard motor mounted on a hull. At the same time, the correction means is configured to correct the basic consumption based on the load state of the engine detected based on the radix of the outboard motor.

  In the engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor according to claim 1, the basic consumption per unit time of the lubricating oil is calculated based on the engine speed, and the load state of the engine is detected. The basic consumption is corrected based on the detected engine load state, and the corrected basic consumption is integrated to detect the consumption amount of the lubricating oil, that is, considering the engine load state. Since the consumption amount of the lubricating oil is detected, the consumption amount of the lubricating oil of the engine can be accurately detected without using the oil level sensor.

  That is, for example, when the engine is in a high load state, the consumption increases as the temperature of the lubricating oil rises and evaporates, but by configuring as described above, the basic consumption of the lubricating oil is increased and corrected. Therefore, the consumption amount of engine lubricating oil can be accurately detected.

  In the engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor according to claim 2, a map in which the basic consumption is set for each engine speed is searched based on the engine speed to obtain the basic consumption. Since it is configured to calculate, in addition to the effects described above, the basic consumption per unit time of the lubricating oil can be calculated easily and accurately.

  In the engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor according to claim 3, a correction coefficient is calculated based on the detected engine load condition, and the basic consumption is corrected by the calculated correction coefficient. In addition to the effects described above, the basic consumption can be corrected appropriately and easily by using a correction coefficient.

  In the engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor according to claim 4, the trim angle of the outboard motor with respect to the hull is detected, and the engine load state is detected based on the detected trim angle, Since the basic consumption is corrected based on the engine load state detected based on the trim angle, in addition to the above effects, the engine load state can be accurately detected, and the basic consumption can be determined from the load state. Since the amount is corrected, the consumption amount of the lubricating oil can be detected more accurately.

  That is, for example, if the trim angle is accelerated when the trim angle is relatively small, the inclination angle in the front-rear direction with respect to the water surface of the hull becomes large (in other words, the bow is lifted). However, it is possible to detect the consumption more accurately by integrating the basic consumption while increasing the correction.

  Further, for example, when the engine as described above is in a high load state, trim-up is performed, that is, when the trim angle becomes relatively large, the inclination angle of the hull decreases and approaches to the horizontal (in other words, the hull is in a sliding state) Therefore, the engine load is reduced and the consumption is also reduced. In such a case, the basic consumption amount of the lubricating oil can be integrated while being reduced, so that the consumption amount of the lubricating oil can be similarly detected more accurately.

  In the engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor according to claim 5, the engine load state is detected based on the radix of the outboard motor mounted on the hull, and based on the radix of the outboard motor. In addition to the above-described effects, the engine load state can be detected more accurately and the basic consumption amount can be calculated from the load state. Since the correction is made, the consumption amount of the lubricating oil can be detected more accurately.

  That is, when the number of outboard motors increases (in other words, when multiple units are multiplied), the load per outboard motor decreases accordingly, and the consumption of lubricating oil also decreases. Therefore, by configuring as described above, it becomes possible to integrate while reducing and correcting the basic consumption amount of the lubricating oil in accordance with the base number of the outboard motor, so that the consumption amount can be detected more accurately.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an outboard motor engine lubricant consumption detecting device including a hull as a whole according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 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. It is the schematic of the engine shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a relationship between a state of a hull shown in FIG. 1 and trim up / down of an outboard motor. It is a flowchart which shows the oil consumption detection operation | movement of the engine by the electronic control unit shown in FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a map used in the processing of the flow chart. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a map used in the processing of the flow chart. 6 is a time chart for explaining the processing of the flow chart. FIG. 3 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1, showing an outboard motor engine lubricant consumption detection device including a hull as a whole according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flow chart similar to FIG. 6, showing an engine oil consumption detection operation by the electronic control unit shown in FIG. 10. It is explanatory drawing which shows the map used by the process of FIG. 11 flow chart.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment for carrying out an engine lubricating oil consumption detection device for an outboard motor according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an overall engine lubricating oil consumption detecting device for an outboard motor according to a first embodiment of the present invention, including the hull, and FIG. 2 is a partially sectional enlarged side view of the outboard motor shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the outboard motor.

  1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a ship in which an outboard motor 10 is mounted on a hull (hull) 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the outboard motor 10 is attached to the rear (stern) 12 a of the hull 12 through the swivel case 14, the tilting shaft 16 and the stern bracket 18.

  In the vicinity of the swivel case 14, a steering electric motor (actuator) 22 that drives a swivel shaft 20 that is housed in the swivel case 14 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and a tilt of the outboard motor 10 with respect to the hull 12. A power tilt trim unit (actuator, hereinafter referred to as “trim unit”) 24 is provided in which the angle or trim angle can be adjusted by tilt up / down or trim up / down.

  The rotation output of the electric motor 22 for steering is transmitted to the swivel shaft 20 via the reduction gear mechanism 26 and the mount frame 30, so that the outboard motor 10 moves left and right (around the vertical axis) with the swivel shaft 20 as a turning axis. Steered.

  The trim unit 24 is integrally provided with a hydraulic cylinder 24a for adjusting the tilt angle and a hydraulic cylinder 24b for adjusting the trim angle. By extending and contracting the hydraulic cylinders 24a and 24b, the swivel case 14 uses the tilting shaft 16 as a rotation axis. Rotated, the outboard motor 10 is tilted up / down or trimmed up / down. The hydraulic cylinders 24a and 24b are connected to a hydraulic circuit (not shown) disposed in the outboard motor 10 and are expanded and contracted by the supply of hydraulic oil. Further, since both the tilt angle and the trim angle are values indicating the rotation angle of the outboard motor main body with the tilting shaft 16 as the rotation axis, they are simply referred to as “trim angle” in the following description.

  An engine (internal combustion engine) 32 is mounted on the upper portion of the outboard motor 10. The engine 32 is a spark ignition type water-cooled gasoline engine and has a displacement of 2200 cc. The engine 32 is located on the water surface and is covered with an engine cover 34.

  A throttle body 40 is connected to the intake pipe 36 of the engine 32. The throttle body 40 includes a throttle valve 42 therein, and a throttle electric motor (actuator) 44 that opens and closes the throttle valve 42 is integrally attached thereto.

  The output shaft of the electric motor 44 for throttle is connected to the throttle valve 42 via a reduction gear mechanism (not shown), and the throttle valve 42 is opened and closed by operating the electric motor 44 for throttle. Adjusted.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the engine 32 shown in FIG.

  When the description of the engine 32 is continued with reference to FIG. 4, the intake pipe 36 has a bypass passage (secondary air passage) 46 that communicates the upstream side and the downstream side of the throttle valve 42 to bypass the throttle valve 42. Connected. A secondary air amount adjusting valve 50 for adjusting the intake air amount when the engine 32 is in an idle state or the like is provided in the middle of the bypass passage 46. An electric motor (actuator) 52 for adjusting the secondary air amount is connected to the secondary air amount adjusting valve 50 via a reduction gear mechanism (not shown), and the secondary air amount adjusting valve 50 is operated by operating the electric motor 52. The air amount in the bypass passage 46 is adjusted by opening and closing.

  In the intake pipe 36, an injector 54 is disposed near the intake port on the downstream side of the throttle valve 42, and gasoline fuel is injected into the intake air adjusted by the throttle valve 42 and the secondary air amount adjustment valve 50. The injected fuel mixes with intake air to form an air-fuel mixture, and the air-fuel mixture flows into the combustion chamber 60 when the intake valve 56 is opened.

  The air-fuel mixture flowing into the combustion chamber 60 is ignited by a spark plug (not shown) and burns, and the piston 62 is driven downward in FIG. 4 to rotate the crankshaft 64. The crankshaft 64 is housed in a crankcase 66, and an oil pan (oil tank) 66a for storing engine oil for lubrication (lubricating oil; hereinafter referred to as “oil”) is formed in the lower part of the case. The oil is scraped up by a gear pump (not shown) and lubricates sliding portions such as the piston 62, then drops along the connecting rod 68 and the cylinder wall surface, and is stored in the oil pan 66a.

  The exhaust gas generated by the combustion flows through the exhaust pipe 72 and is discharged outside the engine 32 when the exhaust valve 70 is opened.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 2, the outboard motor 10 includes a drive shaft 74 that is disposed in parallel with the vertical axis and is rotatably supported. A crankshaft 64 (not shown in FIG. 2) of the engine 32 is connected to the upper end of the drive shaft 74, and a propeller shaft 80 supported rotatably around a horizontal axis via a shift mechanism 76 is connected to the lower end. Is done.

  A propeller 82 is attached to one end of the propeller shaft 80. Further, when the ship 1 is stopped, the propeller shaft 80 is substantially parallel to the traveling direction of the ship 1 when the trim unit 24 is in the initial state (the trim angle θ is the initial angle (0 °)). It is arranged to become.

  The shift mechanism 76 includes a forward bevel gear 76a and a reverse bevel gear 76b that are connected to the drive shaft 74 and rotated, and a clutch 76c that allows the propeller shaft 80 to engage with either the forward bevel gear 76a or the reverse bevel gear 76b.

  A shift electric motor (actuator) 84 that operates the shift mechanism 76 to perform a shift change is disposed inside the engine cover 34. The output shaft of the electric motor 84 is connected to the upper end of the shift rod 76 d of the shift mechanism 76 via the reduction gear mechanism 86. Accordingly, by driving the shift electric motor 84, the shift rod 76d and the shift slider 76e are appropriately displaced, and thereby the clutch 76c is operated so that the shift position can be switched between forward, reverse and neutral. The

  When the shift mechanism 76 is in the forward position or the reverse position, the rotation of the drive shaft 74 is transmitted to the propeller shaft 80 via the shift mechanism 76, so that the propeller 82 is rotated and thrust in a direction in which the hull 12 moves forward or backward ( Propulsion). The outboard motor 10 includes a power source (not shown) such as a battery attached to the engine 32, and then operating power is supplied to the electric motors 22, 44, 52, 84, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a throttle opening sensor 90 is disposed in the vicinity of the throttle valve 42 to generate an output indicating the throttle opening, and an opening sensor 92 is also disposed in the vicinity of the secondary air amount adjustment valve 50. A signal indicating the opening degree of the secondary air amount adjustment valve 50 is output.

  A crank angle sensor 94 is attached in the vicinity of the crankshaft 64 of the engine 32 and outputs a pulse signal at every predetermined crank angle. Further, a trim angle sensor (trim angle detecting means) 96 is disposed in the vicinity of the tilting shaft 16 to generate an output corresponding to the trim angle θ of the outboard motor 10.

  The output of each sensor described above is input to an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “ECU”) 100 mounted on the outboard motor 10. The ECU 100 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a nonvolatile memory (EEPROM (registered trademark)), and the like, and is disposed inside the engine cover 34 of the outboard motor 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a steering wheel 104 that can be freely rotated by a marine vessel operator (not shown) is disposed near the cockpit 102 of the hull 12. A steering angle sensor 106 is attached to a shaft (not shown) of the steering wheel 104 and outputs a signal corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel 104 input by the vessel operator.

  An ignition switch 108 is provided in the vicinity of the steering wheel 104. The ignition switch 108 is operated by inserting the ignition key into the keyhole by the operator and turning it to a position desired by the operator. Although not shown, the ignition switch 108 has an ignition key that can be freely inserted and removed, an off position for stopping the engine 32 that is operating, an ignition coil of the engine 32, and an operation power source from the battery from the ECU 100, etc. It has an on position for supplying it, and a start position for starting the engine 32 by supplying operating power from a battery to a starter motor (not shown).

  A remote control box 110 is disposed near the cockpit 102, and a shift lever (shift / throttle lever) 112 that can be operated by the operator is provided there. The shift lever 112 is swingable in the front-rear direction from the initial position, and adjusts the engine speed including a shift change instruction (forward / reverse / neutral switching instruction) from the vessel operator and an acceleration / deceleration instruction to the engine 32. Enter instructions. A lever position sensor 114 is attached inside the remote control box 110 and outputs a signal corresponding to the position of the shift lever 112.

  Further, the shift lever 112 is provided with a power tilt trim switch (hereinafter referred to as “trim switch”) 116 that can be manually operated by the operator. The trim switch 116 is composed of a push switch including an up switch and a down switch, for example. In FIG. 1, the trim switch 116 is schematically shown.

  The trim switch 116 outputs a signal indicating an instruction to trim the outboard motor 10 and adjust the trim angle when the up switch is pressed by the operator, while the trim switch 116 trims down when the down switch is pressed. To output a signal indicating an instruction to adjust the trim angle.

  Further, a control panel 120 is installed in the vicinity of the cockpit 102 and at a position that can be visually observed and operated by the operator. The control panel 120 includes, for example, a display (monitor screen) 120a that displays an oil warning when oil is likely to run short, as will be described later, and an initial switch 120b for initializing an integrated value of oil consumption that will be described later. And a warning display release switch 120c for releasing the display of the oil warning on the display 120a.

  In addition to the oil warning, the display 120a can also display operation information of the engine 32, for example, the engine speed and the boat speed. The initial switch 120b is operated when oil is replenished to the maximum capacity limit of the oil pan 66a (when the tank is full) by the operator (or operator), and an on signal is displayed when the operation is performed. Is output.

  Further, in the processing in the ECU 100 to be described later, an oil warning is displayed on the display 120a when oil is likely to be insufficient based on the integrated value of the oil consumption. The warning display release switch 120c cancels such display ( In other words, when the operator wants to display no warning), the operator is operated by the operator, and an ON signal is output when the operation is performed. The outputs of these sensors and switches are also input to the ECU 100.

  The control panel 120, the ECU 100, and each sensor and switch are, for example, a communication system (for example, NMEA2000, specifically CAN (Controller Area Network)) standardized by NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association). It is connected so that it can communicate freely.

  The ECU 100 controls the operation of the steered electric motor 22 based on the input output of the steering angle sensor 106 to steer the outboard motor 10. Further, the ECU 100 controls the operation of the throttle electric motor 44 and the secondary air amount adjusting electric motor 52 based on the input output of the lever position sensor 114 and the like, and the throttle valve 42 and the secondary air amount adjusting valve 50. The engine speed is controlled by adjusting the amount of intake air by opening and closing the valve, and the shift mechanism 76 is driven by controlling the operation of the shift electric motor 84 to perform a shift change.

  Further, the ECU 100 drives the trim unit 24 based on the output of the trim switch 116 to trim up / down the outboard motor 10. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. For example, when the ship 1 is stopped, as shown in FIG. 5A, the outboard motor 10 is trimmed down (that is, trim angle θ = 0 °). The hull 12 and the outboard motor 10 are both in a horizontal state.

  When an acceleration instruction is input via the shift lever 112, the engine speed increases, and the ship speed increases accordingly. As shown in FIG. The inclination angle in the (traveling) direction increases. Specifically, a so-called hump state occurs in which the bow 12b is lifted and the stern 12a is sunk. As can be seen from the figure, the direction of the axis 80a of the propeller shaft 80 at this time (in other words, the direction of the thrust of the outboard motor 10) is not parallel to the traveling direction of the ship 1, so the ship speed is It becomes difficult to ascend and the resistance received from the water surface S of the hull 12 increases, so the load on the engine 32 increases.

  Therefore, the boat operator presses the up switch of the trim switch 116 to trim up. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5C, the direction of the axis 80a of the propeller shaft 80 (the direction of thrust of the outboard motor 10) is substantially parallel to the traveling direction of the ship 1, and the inclination angle of the hull 12 is gradually increased. (In other words, the hull 12 is in a planing state (planing state)). By adjusting the direction of the axis 80a by trimming up in this way, the thrust increases, so the speed of the ship 1 increases, and when the hull 12 approaches horizontal, the resistance received from the water surface S of the hull 12 decreases. Therefore, the load on the engine 32 is also reduced.

  Thereafter, for example, when the ship 1 is stopped, the operator operates the trim 116 by pressing the down switch of the trim 116 so as to return to the state shown in FIG. As described above, the marine vessel operator performs trim up / down by appropriately operating the trim switch 116 in accordance with the navigation state.

  Note that the trim-up associated with the acceleration described above may be performed according to the operating state of the engine 32 or the like without depending on the operation of the trim switch 116. That is, the ECU 100 determines whether or not acceleration is instructed to the engine 32 based on, for example, the engine speed and the throttle opening, and when it is determined that acceleration is instructed, the operation of the trim unit 24 is controlled. You may make it trim up.

  As described above, the outboard motor control apparatus according to this embodiment is a DBW (Drive By Wire) system in which the operation system (the steering wheel 104 and the shift lever 112) and the outboard motor 10 are disconnected mechanically. It is a control device.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an oil consumption detection operation of the engine 32 by the ECU 100. The illustrated program is executed by the ECU 100 every predetermined cycle (for example, 1 sec).

  In the following, first, in S (step) 10, it is determined whether or not to initialize (reset) an integrated value (described later) of the oil consumption based on the output of the initial switch 120b. Specifically, oil is replenished to the oil pan 66a up to the maximum capacity limit, and it is determined whether the initial switch 120b is operated by the vessel operator and outputs an on signal, and it is determined that an on signal is output. It is determined that the integrated value of the oil consumption is to be initialized.

  When the result in S10 is affirmative, the program proceeds to S12, where the integrated value of oil consumption is reset to 0, initialized, and the program ends. On the other hand, when the result in S10 is negative, the program proceeds to S14 where the output pulses of the crank angle sensor 94 are counted to detect (calculate) the engine speed NE.

  Next, in S16, based on the detected engine speed NE, a map shown in FIG. 7 is searched to calculate (determine) the basic consumption amount a per unit time (for example, 1 sec) of oil. In the map, the basic consumption amount a is set for each engine speed NE, and as shown in FIG. 7, the basic consumption amount a is set to increase as the engine speed NE increases.

More specifically, when the engine speed NE is relatively low at 2000 rpm or less, the basic consumption amount a is constant at a relatively low value (for example, 0.004 cm ³ / s). The basic consumption amount a is set so as to gradually increase as the rotational speed NE increases. Further, the basic consumption amount a is set so as to increase rapidly with the increase in the rotational speed NE when the engine rotational speed NE is at a relatively high rotational speed of 5000 rpm or higher. Note that the characteristics shown in FIG. 7 are obtained in advance by experiments and are stored in the memory of the ECU 100.

  Next, the process proceeds to S18, where the trim angle θ is detected (calculated) based on the output of the trim angle sensor 96, and the process proceeds to S20, where the load state of the engine 32 is detected (estimated) based on the trim angle θ. The first correction coefficient (correction coefficient) b for correcting the basic consumption amount a is calculated (determined) based on the load state of the engine 32 detected based on the above.

  Specifically, the first correction coefficient b is calculated by searching the map shown in FIG. 8 based on the trim angle θ. As shown in FIG. 8, the first correction coefficient b is set to decrease as the trim angle θ increases.

  More specifically, for example, when acceleration is performed during trim full down when the trim angle is 0 °, the inclination angle in the front-rear direction with respect to the water surface S of the hull 12 increases as described above (see FIG. 5B). It is estimated that the load on the engine 32 increases. When the engine 32 is subjected to a high load, the oil consumption increases due to the oil temperature rising and evaporating, or the piston ring scooping up the oil adhering to the cylinder wall surface toward the combustion chamber 60.

  In the processing to be described later, the first correction coefficient b is multiplied by the basic consumption a to perform correction. Therefore, in S20, it is detected (estimated) that the trim angle θ is relatively small and the engine 32 is heavily loaded. ) Is greater than 1.0, specifically 1.2 when the trim angle θ is 0 ° or more and less than 3 °. As a result, the basic consumption amount a is corrected to increase in the subsequent processing.

  When it is detected that the trim angle θ is 6 ° or more and less than 9 ° and the engine 32 is in a medium load state, the first correction coefficient b is set to 1.0, that is, the basic consumption amount a is Avoid correction.

  When the trimming up is performed by the operator and the trim angle θ is 9 ° or more, as described above, the hull 12 approaches the horizontal (see FIG. 5C), so the load on the engine 32 decreases. It is estimated that consumption will also decrease. Therefore, when the trim angle θ is 9 ° or more and the low load state of the engine 32 is detected, the first correction coefficient b is set to a value less than 1.0, specifically 0.9. As a result, the basic consumption amount a is corrected to decrease in the subsequent processing.

  If the explanation of the flow chart of FIG. 6 is continued, the process proceeds to S22, where the previous oil consumption integrated value is set by setting the integrated value of oil consumption calculated at the previous program execution as the previous oil consumption integrated value. (Update.

  The integrated value of the oil consumption is stored (saved) in the EEPROM of the ECU 100 when the operation of the outboard motor 10 is stopped. Therefore, when S22 is executed for the first time after the engine 32 is started, the integrated value of the oil consumption amount at the end of the previous operation stored in the EEPROM is read and set to the previous oil consumption amount integrated value.

  Next, in S24, a value obtained by multiplying the basic consumption a by the first correction coefficient b (in other words, the basic consumption a corrected by the first correction coefficient b) is added to the previous oil consumption integrated value, Therefore, the obtained value is set (updated) as an integrated value of the current oil consumption. In this way, the basic consumption a is corrected by the first correction coefficient b, and the corrected basic consumption a is integrated to detect the oil consumption.

  Next, in S26, it is determined whether or not the operator wants to cancel the warning display on the display 120a. This determination is made based on the output of the warning display release switch 120c. When the switch 120c outputs an ON signal, it is determined that the operator wants to release the warning display.

When the result in S26 is negative, the process proceeds to S28, and the oil warning determination is performed. When the result is affirmative, the subsequent processing is skipped, that is, the oil warning determination in S28 is not performed. Specifically, in S28, first, the remaining oil amount is calculated by subtracting the oil consumption amount (that is, the integrated value of the current oil consumption amount) from the maximum capacity of the oil pan 66a. It is determined whether or not the oil shortage has decreased below a value (predetermined value) that should warn the operator. This predetermined value is a value slightly larger than the lower limit (LOW level) of the oil pan 66a, for example, an amount corresponding to 1.1 times the lower limit, and is set to 4400 cm ³ , for example.

  In S28, in addition to the above-described oil consumption, the operation time after the ship operator replenishes the oil pan 66a is measured, and the measured operation time is a predetermined time (for example, 100 hours). May be determined that the oil shortage should be warned.

  When the result in S28 is negative, the process proceeds to S30, and the oil warning is not displayed on the display 120a of the control panel 120. When the result is affirmative, the process proceeds to S32, and the oil warning is displayed on the display 120a. Thereby, before the remaining amount of oil decreases to the LOW level, it is possible to notify the ship operator that the oil is running out.

  FIG. 9 is a time chart for explaining a part of the above processing.

  As shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that oil is replenished to the oil pan 66a by the boat operator from time t0 to time t1. Then, when the ignition switch 108 is turned on by the operator at time t1, the ECU 100 is activated.

  When the initial switch 120b is operated by the vessel operator and outputs an ON signal at time t2, the integrated value of the oil consumption is set to 0 and is initialized (S10, S12). Thereafter, when the ignition switch 108 is rotated to the start position at time t3, the engine 32 is started.

  From time t3 to t4, the basic consumption amount a is calculated from the engine speed NE, the load state of the engine 32 is detected based on the trim angle θ, and the first correction coefficient b is calculated based on the detected load state. While calculating, the integrated value of oil consumption is calculated | required by integrating | accumulating the basic consumption a corrected by the 1st correction coefficient b (S14-S24).

  When the ignition switch 108 is turned to the off position at time t4, the engine 32 stops. At this time, the integrated value of the oil consumption is stored in the EEPROM of the ECU 100. Thereafter, when the switch 108 is operated at time t5 and the engine 32 is restarted, the stored integrated value of oil consumption is set to the previous integrated value of oil consumption (S22), and the integration of oil consumption is resumed. That is, the accumulated data until the engine is stopped is stored, and the accumulation is started from that value at the next engine start.

  Next, when the remaining amount of oil calculated from the integrated value of oil consumption decreases to a predetermined value or less at time t6 (S28), an oil warning is displayed on the display 120a (S32). The oil warning can be canceled (in other words, not displayed) by operating the warning display cancellation switch 120c (in other words, not displayed) (S26).

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the basic consumption amount a of lubricating oil per unit time is calculated based on the rotational speed NE of the engine 32 (S16), and the load state of the engine 32 is detected. (S20), the basic consumption amount a is corrected based on the detected load state of the engine 32, and the corrected basic consumption amount a is integrated to obtain the lubricating oil consumption amount (the integrated value of the current oil consumption amount). ) Is detected (S24), that is, the consumption amount of the lubricating oil is detected in consideration of the load state of the engine 32. Therefore, the consumption of the lubricating oil of the engine is not performed without using the oil level sensor. The amount can be detected accurately.

  That is, for example, when the engine 32 is in a high load state, the amount of consumption increases as the temperature of the lubricating oil rises and evaporates, but the basic consumption amount a of the lubricating oil is corrected to increase by configuring as described above. Therefore, the consumption amount of the lubricating oil of the engine 32 can be accurately detected.

  Further, since the basic consumption a is calculated by searching the map in which the basic consumption a is set for each engine speed NE based on the engine speed NE (S16), the unit of lubricating oil The basic consumption a per hour can be calculated easily and accurately.

  Further, the first correction coefficient b is calculated based on the detected load state of the engine 32 (S20), and the basic consumption amount a is corrected with the calculated first correction coefficient b (S24). By using the first correction coefficient b, the basic consumption amount a can be corrected appropriately and easily.

  Further, the trim angle θ with respect to the hull 12 of the outboard motor 10 is detected (S18), the load state of the engine 32 is detected based on the detected trim angle θ (S20), and detected based on the trim angle θ. Since the basic consumption amount a is corrected based on the load state of the engine 32 (S24), the load state of the engine 32 can be accurately detected and the basic consumption amount a is corrected from the load state. Lubricating oil consumption can be detected more accurately.

  That is, for example, if the trim angle θ is accelerated when the trim down is relatively small, the inclination angle in the front-rear direction with respect to the water surface S of the hull 12 is increased (in other words, the bow 12b is lifted), so the engine 32 is in a high load state. Although the consumption amount of the lubricating oil increases, the consumption amount can be detected more accurately by adding up the basic consumption amount a while correcting the increase.

  Further, for example, when the engine 32 is in a high load state as described above, trimming is performed, that is, when the trim angle θ is relatively large, the inclination angle of the hull 12 decreases and approaches horizontal (in other words, the hull. 12 is in a sliding state (planing state), the load on the engine 32 is reduced and the consumption is also reduced. In such a case, since the basic consumption amount a of the lubricating oil can be integrated while being reduced, the consumption amount of the lubricating oil can similarly be detected more accurately.

  Next, an engine lubricant consumption detecting device for an outboard motor according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  Description will be made focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of outboard motors 10 are mounted on the hull 12, specifically two. The That is, multiple outboard motors 10 are hung on the hull 12 (two hung). Hereinafter, the outboard motor on the starboard side (right side toward the front in the traveling direction) is referred to as “first outboard motor”, and the outboard motor on the starboard side (same left side) is referred to as “second outboard motor”. It is referred to as “machine” and is denoted by reference numeral 10B.

  The first and second outboard motors 10A and 10B have substantially the same configuration as the outboard motor 10 of the first embodiment, and each includes an ECU 100. Hereinafter, the ECU of the first outboard motor 10A is referred to as “first ECU 100A”, and the ECU of the second outboard motor 100B is referred to as “second ECU 100B”.

  The first and second ECUs 100A and 100B are communicatively connected by the communication method standardized by the NMEA described above. As a result, the first and second ECUs 100A and 100B can share information on the hull side such as the output of the steering angle sensor 106 and information on the driving state of each other, and also the number (number of outboard motors currently attached to the hull 12). ) Can also be obtained.

  FIG. 11 is a flow chart similar to FIG. 6 showing the operation of detecting the oil consumption of the engine 32 by the first ECU 100A. In addition, the code | symbol of the step which performs the same process shall be the same as FIG. Further, since the operation of the first ECU 100A of FIG. 11 is also performed by the second ECU 100B, the description of FIG. 11 is also applicable to the second ECU 100B.

  As shown in FIG. 11, from S10 to S20, the same process as in the first embodiment is performed, and then the process proceeds to S21 where the load state of the engine 32 is detected (estimated) based on the cardinal number of the outboard motor 10, and the outboard Based on the load state of the engine 32 detected based on the radix of the machine 10, a second correction coefficient (correction coefficient) c for correcting the basic consumption a is calculated (determined).

  Specifically, based on the cardinal number of the outboard motor 10 (in other words, the number of engines mounted on the ship 1), the map is searched in FIG. 12 to calculate the second correction coefficient c. As shown in FIG. 12, the second correction coefficient c is set so as to gradually decrease from 1.0 as the radix of the outboard motor 10 increases.

  This is because when the number of outboard motors 10 is increased, the load per outboard motor is reduced by that amount, and therefore the amount of oil consumed is also considered to be reduced. That is, the second correction coefficient c is corrected by multiplying the basic consumption amount a in the process described later, similarly to the first correction coefficient a. From this, in S21, when the base of the outboard motor 10 is one and it is detected that the load of the engine 32 detected based on the base is normal, the second correction coefficient c is 1. 0, that is, the basic consumption a is not corrected.

  On the other hand, when the number of outboard motors increases to two as shown in the second embodiment and the load of the engine 32 is detected to be lower than that of one outboard motor (the low load state is When detected), the second correction coefficient c is set to a value less than 1.0, specifically 0.95. As a result, the basic consumption amount a is corrected to decrease in the subsequent processing. For the same reason, the correction coefficient c when there are three outboard motors is set to 0.90 and 0.85 when there are four outboard motors, so as to decrease gradually.

  Next, the process proceeds to S22, and after performing the above-described processing, the process proceeds to S24a. In S24a, a value obtained by multiplying the basic consumption a by the first correction coefficient b and the second correction coefficient c (in other words, the basic consumption a corrected by the first and second correction coefficients b and c) is used as the previous time. It adds to the oil consumption integrated value, and the value thus obtained is set as the current oil consumption integrated value. That is, in the second embodiment, the basic consumption amount a is corrected by the first and second correction coefficients b and c, and the corrected basic consumption amount a is integrated to detect the oil consumption amount. To do.

  Thus, in the second embodiment, the engine 32 is based on the number (specifically, two) of outboard motors (first and second outboard motors 10A and 10B) mounted on the hull 12. Is detected (S21), and the basic consumption amount a is corrected based on the load state of the engine 32 detected based on the radix of the outboard motor 10 (S24a). Since the load state can be detected more accurately and the basic consumption amount a is corrected from the load state, the consumption amount of the lubricating oil can be detected more accurately.

  That is, when the number of outboard motors 10 increases (in other words, when multiple units are multiplied), the load per outboard motor decreases accordingly, and the consumption of lubricating oil also decreases. Therefore, by configuring as described above, it becomes possible to integrate the basic consumption amount a of the lubricating oil while reducing the correction according to the base number of the outboard motor 10, so that the consumption amount can be detected more accurately. it can.

  The remaining configuration and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, in the first and second embodiments of the present invention, the lubricating oil (oil) of the engine 32 mounted on the outboard motor (10. first outboard motor 10A, second outboard motor 10B). ) In the apparatus for detecting the consumption amount of basic oil consumption amount calculating means (ECUs 100, 100A,. 100B, S16), load state detection means (ECU 100, 100A, 100B, S20, S21) for detecting the load state of the engine, and the calculated basic consumption amount a based on the detected load state of the engine Correction means (ECU 100, 100A, 100B. S20, S21, S24, S24a) and the corrected basic consumption amount a are integrated to consume the lubricating oil. Lubricating oil consumption detection means for detecting (ECU100,100A, 100B.S24, S24a) was composed as and a.

  Further, the basic consumption calculating means searches the map in which the basic consumption a is set for each engine speed NE based on the detected engine speed NE, and determines the basic consumption a. It was configured to calculate (S16).

  The correction means calculates correction coefficients (first and second correction coefficients b and c) based on the detected load state of the engine 32, and the basic consumption is calculated using the calculated correction coefficients b and c. It was configured to correct the quantity a (S20, S21, S24, S24a).

  Further, trim angle detecting means (trim angle sensor 96) for detecting a trim angle θ with respect to the hull 12 of the outboard motor 10 is provided, and the load state detecting means is configured to detect the trim angle θ of the engine based on the detected trim angle θ. While detecting the load state (S20), the correcting means is configured to correct the basic consumption amount a based on the load state of the engine 32 detected based on the trim angle (S20, S24, S24a). ).

  In the second embodiment, the load state detecting means is based on the radix (number) of the outboard motors (first and second outboard motors 10A, 10B) mounted on the hull 12. (S21), and the correcting means is configured to correct the basic consumption amount a based on the load state of the engine 32 detected based on the radix of the outboard motors 10A, 10B. (S20, S24a).

  In the above description, the outboard motor has been described as an example. However, the present invention can also be applied to an outboard motor. Moreover, although the basic consumption amount a, the first and second correction coefficients b and c, the predetermined value, the exhaust amount of the engine 32, and the like are shown as specific values, these are examples and are not limited.

  In addition, when the oil consumption is increased and the remaining amount of oil is likely to be insufficient, an oil warning is displayed on the display 120a to notify the operator, but instead of or in addition to this, a buzzer, a speaker, etc. The oil warning may be notified by a ringing sound or voice.

  10 outboard motor, 10A first outboard motor, 10B second outboard motor, 12 hull, 32 engine (internal combustion engine), 96 trim angle sensor (trim angle detecting means), 100 ECU (electronic control unit), 100A first 1ECU, 100B 2ECU

Claims (5)

  In a device for detecting consumption of lubricating oil of an engine mounted on an outboard motor, basic consumption calculating means for calculating basic consumption per unit time of the lubricating oil based on the number of revolutions of the engine, Load state detecting means for detecting the load state of the engine, correction means for correcting the calculated basic consumption based on the detected load state of the engine, and integrating the corrected basic consumption, An engine lubricating oil consumption detecting device for an outboard motor, comprising: a lubricating oil consumption detecting means for detecting a lubricating oil consumption.   The basic consumption calculating means calculates the basic consumption by searching a map in which the basic consumption is set for each engine speed based on the detected engine speed. The outboard motor engine lubricant consumption detection device according to claim 1.   The outboard of claim 1, wherein the correction means calculates a correction coefficient based on the detected engine load condition, and corrects the basic consumption with the calculated correction coefficient. Engine lubricant consumption detection device.   Trim angle detection means for detecting a trim angle with respect to the hull of the outboard motor, the load condition detection means detects the load condition of the engine based on the detected trim angle, and the correction means includes: 4. The engine lubricant consumption detection device according to claim 1, wherein the basic consumption is corrected based on a load state of the engine detected based on the trim angle. 5.   The load state detection means detects the load state of the engine based on the radix of the outboard motor mounted on the hull, and the correction means detects the engine detected based on the radix of the outboard motor. 5. The engine lubricant consumption detection device according to claim 1, wherein the basic consumption is corrected based on a load state of the engine.

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