The present technology relates to marine motor assemblies and to methods for testing a water resistance of a motor unit housing of a marine motor assembly.
A typical marine outboard motor assembly is formed from a motor unit having a motor, such as an internal combustion engine, a lower unit with a propeller, and a midsection connecting the motor to the propeller. The motor (or motor unit) is enclosed in a motor unit housing.
The outboard motor assembly is generally connected to its corresponding watercraft by a transom or mounting bracket, typically connected to the midsection, below the motor unit. The bracket connects to a rear portion of the watercraft, such that the motor unit and part of the midsection is well above the water. In some cases, however, it could be preferable to have a marine outboard motor which is disposed lower relative to the watercraft to allow more useable room in the watercraft for example.
However, by positioning the marine outboard motor lower, a portion of the motor unit, and therefore the motor, will likely be below the water level at least some of the time, risking water intrusion in the motor unit housing. As a portion of the motor unit is likely to be below the water level some of the time, the motor unit housing is intended to be water-resistant to prevent water infiltration to a certain degree into an under-housing volume defined between the motor unit housing and the motor unit.
Therefore, there is a desire for a marine motor assembly having features assisting in the prevention of water intrusion in the motor and in the motor unit housing, and there is a desire for testing that the motor unit housing is water-resistant to the desired degree.
It is an object of the present technology to ameliorate at least some of the inconveniences present in the prior art.
According to one aspect of the present technology, there is provided a marine motor assembly for mounting to a watercraft. The marine motor assembly includes a motor unit having a motor unit housing, a motor disposed inside the motor unit housing, a propulsion device operatively connected to the motor, an air pump fluidly communicating with an under-housing volume of the motor unit housing, a pressure sensor fluidly communicating with the under-housing volume for measuring air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing, and a control unit communicating with the air pump and the pressure sensor. The control unit is programmed for controlling the air pump for changing air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing, and monitoring change in the air pressure for a predetermined amount of time. Following the predetermined amount of time, in response to determining that the change in air pressure is within a predetermined range, confirming that the motor unit housing is water-resistant, and in response to determining that the change in air pressure is outside the predetermined range, indicating that the water resistance of the motor unit housing is compromised.
In some implementations, the air pump fluidly communicates to an exterior of the motor unit housing.
In some implementations, the pressure sensor is disposed inside the motor unit housing.
In some implementations, the control unit is disposed inside the motor unit housing.
In some implementations, the control unit is programmed for controlling the air pump to reduce air pressure in the under-housing volume.
In some implementations, the control unit is programmed for controlling the air pump to stop the air pump when the air pressure in the under-housing volume reaches a predetermined air pressure.
In some implementations, the predetermined amount of time is a first predetermined amount of time, and the control unit is programmed for generating a fault signal in response to determining that the air pressure fails to reach a predetermined air pressure within a second predetermined amount of time following an activation of the air pump.
In some implementations, the motor is an internal combustion engine. The motor unit housing defines an air intake opening fluidly communicating an exterior of the motor unit housing with the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing. The motor unit further includes an air intake assembly disposed in the motor unit housing, the air intake assembly defining an air inlet fluidly communicating with the air intake opening, the air intake assembly being fluidly connected to the at least one combustion chamber for supplying air to the at least one combustion chamber, the air intake assembly including a throttle valve. The marine motor assembly further includes an exhaust system fluidly communicating with the at least one combustion chamber for conveying exhaust gases from the at least one combustion chamber to an exterior of the marine motor assembly, the exhaust system defining an exhaust outlet, the air intake assembly, the at least one combustion chamber, and the exhaust system together defining at least in part a gas flow pathway, the air intake opening defining an upstream end of the gas flow pathway, the exhaust outlet defining a downstream end of the gas flow pathway. A sealing valve is provided in the gas flow pathway between the air intake opening and the exhaust outlet, the sealing valve having an open position permitting flow of gas therethrough, and the sealing valve having a closed position preventing flow of gas therethrough for sealing a portion of the gas flow pathway downstream of the sealing valve from a portion of the gas flow pathway upstream of the sealing valve.
In some implementations, the air inlet is fluidly communicating with the air intake opening and the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing, the gas flow pathway being defined at least in part by the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing.
In some implementations, the marine motor assembly further includes a service plug selectively connected to the motor unit housing for sealing the air intake opening.
In some implementations, the air pump is controlled for changing air pressure in the under-housing volume in response to the sealing valve being in the closed position, and the service plug being connected to the motor unit housing for sealing the air intake opening.
In some implementations, the service plug includes at least one of a pressure gauge, a connector for selectively supplying air through the service plug, and a blow-off valve.
In some implementations, the air pump is disposed inside the motor unit housing, and the air pump is configured for supplying air downstream of the sealing valve from the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing.
In some implementations, in the closed position, the sealing valve hermetically seals the portion of the gas flow pathway downstream of the sealing valve from the portion of the gas flow pathway upstream of the sealing valve.
In some implementations, the sealing valve is disposed upstream of the engine.
In some implementations, the sealing valve is disposed downstream of the throttle valve.
In some implementations, the air pump supplies air to the gas flow pathway at a position upstream of the engine.
In some implementations, the air intake assembly includes an intake manifold fluidly connected to the engine, and the air pump supplies air in the air intake manifold.
In some implementations, the marine motor assembly further includes a valve actuator operatively connected to the sealing valve, the control unit communicating with the valve actuator, and the control unit is programmed for sending a closing signal to the valve actuator to close the sealing valve.
In some implementations, in response to the sealing valve failing to close in response to the closing signal, the control unit is programmed for generating a fault signal.
In some implementations, the air pump supplies air in the air intake assembly.
In some implementations, the marine motor assembly further includes a lower unit connected to the motor unit, the lower unit including a lower unit housing fastened to at least one of the internal combustion engine and the motor unit housing, a transmission disposed in the lower unit housing, the transmission being operatively connected to the engine, and the propulsion device being operatively connected to the transmission.
In some implementations, the propulsion device is a propeller, and the exhaust outlet is defined in the propeller.
In some implementations, the marine motor assembly further includes an external conduit fluidly connected to the air intake opening and being disposed externally of the motor unit housing, at least one line extending from a component disposed inside the motor unit housing, the at least one line extending inside the external conduit, the at least one line being at least one of a power line, a communication line and a fuel line, and at least one grommet disposed between the at least one line and the motor unit housing for sealing the motor unit housing and pass-through of the at least one line.
In some implementations, the marine motor assembly further includes a transom bracket connected to the motor unit housing. The transom bracket defines a tilt-trim axis, and a center of mass of the motor is disposed below the tilt-trim axis at least when the marine motor assembly is in a trim range.
In accordance with another aspect of the present technology, there is provided a method for testing a water resistance of a motor unit housing of a marine motor assembly. The method includes changing air pressure in an under-housing volume of the motor unit housing, monitoring change in the air pressure for a predetermined amount of time, and following the predetermined amount of time, in response to determining that the change in air pressure is within a predetermined range, confirming that the motor unit housing is water-resistant, and in response to determining that the change in air pressure is outside the predetermined range, indicating that the water resistance of the motor unit housing is compromised.
In some implementations, the method further includes closing an air intake opening of the motor unit housing fluidly communicating an exterior of the motor unit housing with the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing, and closing a sealing valve provided in a gas flow pathway of the marine motor assembly for sealing a portion of the gas flow pathway downstream of the sealing valve from a portion of the gas flow pathway upstream of the sealing valve, the gas flow pathway being defined at least in part by an air intake assembly fluidly connected to the air intake opening, at least one combustion chamber, and an exhaust system of the marine motor assembly.
In some implementations, closing the air intake opening includes connecting a service plug to the motor unit housing.
In some implementations, closing the sealing valve includes sending a closing signal to a valve actuator to close the sealing valve. The method further includes sensing a position of the sealing valve and generating a fault signal in response to the sealing valve failing to close in response to the closing signal.
In some implementations, changing air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing further includes controlling an air pump fluidly communicating with the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing.
In some implementations, controlling the air pump includes reducing the air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing.
In some implementations, monitoring change in the air pressure further includes determining if the air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing has reached a predetermined air pressure, and in response to determining that the air pressure fails to reach the predetermined air pressure, indicating that the water resistance is compromised.
In some implementations, the predetermined amount of time is a first predetermined amount of time, and monitoring change in the air pressure further includes determining if the air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing has reached the predetermined air pressure within a second predetermined amount of time, and in response to determining that the air pressure is not reached within the second predetermined amount of time, indicating that the water resistance of the motor unit housing is compromised.
In some implementations, monitoring change in the air pressure further includes determining if the air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing has reached a predetermined air pressure following an activation of the air pump, controlling the air pump to stop pumping air in response to determining that the air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing has reached the predetermined air pressure, and the predetermined amount of time is a predetermined amount of time after the air pump is stopped.
In some implementations, the predetermined amount of time is a first predetermined amount of time, and monitoring change in the air pressure further includes determining that the air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing has reached a predetermined air pressure within a second predetermined amount of time, and controlling the air pump to stop pumping air in response to determining that the air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing has reached the predetermined air pressure within the second predetermined amount of time, the first predetermined amount of time is a predetermined amount of time after the air pump is stopped.
In some implementations, the method further includes controlling the air pump to stop pumping air in response to determining that the air pressure in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing has reached the predetermined air pressure.
In some implementations, indicating that the water resistance is compromised includes at least one of providing a warning indication to an operator of the test, registering a fault code, and supplying compressed air in the under-housing volume of the motor unit housing.
For purposes of this application, terms related to spatial orientation such as forward, rearward, upward, downward, left, and right, should be understood in a frame of reference of the marine motor assembly, as it would be mounted to a watercraft with a motor unit in a neutral trim position. Terms related to spatial orientation when describing or referring to components or sub-assemblies of the motor assembly separately therefrom should be understood as they would be understood when these components or sub-assemblies are mounted in the marine motor assembly, unless specified otherwise in this application. The terms “upstream” and “downstream” should be understood with respect to the normal flow direction of fluid inside a component. As such, in an assembly including an internal combustion engine, the air intake system is upstream of the engine and the exhaust system is downstream of the engine. Similarly, for a component having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet is upstream of the outlet, and the outlet is downstream of the inlet.
The term “hermetically sealed” should be understood to mean that the passage of gas through the associated device is prevented, such as in an airtight manner. The term “water-resistant” should be understood to mean that the intrusion of water through the associated device is prevented to some degree but not entirely, and this term is to be understood as not being equivalent to expressions such as “waterproof” or “watertight” meaning that the associated device is impervious to water. It should also be understood that a device that is “waterproof” or “watertight” is also “water-resistant”, but that a device that is “water-resistant” is not necessarily “waterproof” or “watertight”. The term “under-housing volume” should be understood to mean the volume defined under the motor unit housing and not being occupied by the motor unit. In other words, the “under-housing volume” is the residual volume between the interior walls of the motor unit housing and the motor unit.
Explanations and/or definitions of terms provided in the present application take precedence over explanations and/or definitions of these terms that may be found in any documents incorporated herein by reference.
Implementations of the present technology each have at least one of the above-mentioned objects and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology that have resulted from attempting to attain the above-mentioned object may not satisfy this object and/or may satisfy other objects not specifically recited herein.
Additional and/or alternative features, aspects and advantages of implementations of the present technology will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
For a better understanding of the present technology, as well as other aspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
It should be noted that the Figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
The present technology is described with reference to its use in a marine motor assembly 100 that is used to propel a watercraft and is configured to be disposed under the deck of the watercraft it propels. It is contemplated that the marine motor assembly 100 may be disposed at a transom 15 of a watercraft, but not beneath its deck and that aspects of the present technology could be used in other types of marine motor assemblies, such as in a marine outboard motors having a motor unit, a midsection connected below the motor unit, a lower unit connected below the midsection, and a transom bracket configured to connect the midsection to a watercraft.
In
The boat 10 also includes a marine motor assembly 100, also referred to herein as the assembly 100. The assembly 100 is pivotably and rotatably connected to the watercraft body 12 for providing propulsion via a propulsion device 102. The propulsion device 102 is specifically a propeller 102 in the present implementation, but it is contemplated that the propulsion device 102 could be different in some implementations.
The assembly 100 includes a transom bracket 104 which is fastened to the watercraft body 12. The transom bracket 104 is connected to a transom 15 of the boat 10, such that the assembly 100 is generally disposed below a top surface 18, also called the deck 18, of the platform 16 laterally between the pontoons 14.
With additional reference to
The motor unit 106 includes a motor unit housing 110 for supporting and covering components disposed therein. The motor unit housing 110 is water-resistant such that water in which the motor unit housing 110 is immersed is impeded from entering the motor unit housing 110 during normal operating conditions, including when at rest. The motor unit housing 110 is water-resistant to a certain degree. In the present implementation, the motor unit housing 110 has a water resistance rating of IP69K, which is dust proof and submersion resistant up to a meter. In other words, water directed against the motor unit housing 110 from any direction does not have harmful effects or impair performance of the motor unit 106. In addition, the “K” in the IP69K rating indicates resistance to a high pressure heated jet stream from a few inches away (i.e. cleaning by a heated pressure washer). In other implementations, it is contemplated that motor unit housing 110 has a water resistance rating of IP68 or IP69. Other water resistance ratings are also contemplated. The components of the motor unit 106 inside the motor unit housing 110 are water-resistant to the same degree as in a conventional outboard motor. Depending on the specific implementation of the motor unit housing 110 and methods used to produce a generally water-resistant seal, the motor unit housing 110 could be water-resistant to varying degrees. It is contemplated that the housing 110 could receive different treatments to seal the motor unit housing 110 depending on the specific application for which the marine motor assembly 100 is going to be used. In the present implementation, the motor unit housing 110 includes a cowling 112. The cowling 112 is fastened to the rest of the motor unit housing 110 along a diagonally extending parting line 114. A seal 115 (schematically shown in
The motor unit 106 includes an internal combustion engine 116 disposed in the motor unit housing 110 for powering the assembly 100 and for driving the propeller 102. By removing the cowling 112, the engine 116 can be accessed, as shown in
With reference to
The engine 116 includes one air intake 138 per cylinder 122. The air intakes 138 are provided at the bottom of the crankcase 118. Air is delivered to the air intakes 138 by an air intake assembly 140 (
Each combustion chamber 132 has a corresponding exhaust port 150. Exhaust gases flow from the combustion chambers 132, through the exhaust ports 150, into an exhaust manifold 152 as indicated by arrow 154. Each exhaust port 150 has a corresponding reciprocating exhaust valve 155 that varies the effective cross-sectional area and timing of its exhaust port 150. From the exhaust manifold 152, the exhaust gases are routed out of the marine motor assembly 100 via the other portions of an exhaust system 156 (some of which are shown in
The reciprocation of the pistons 126 causes the crankshaft 130 to rotate. The crankshaft 130 drives an output shaft 158 (
Returning to
As can be seen in
Turning now to
The lower unit housing 174 defines an exhaust passage 184 for receiving exhaust from the engine 116. The exhaust passage 184 is fluidly connected with channels 186 near the propeller shaft 180. The channels 186 fluidly connect to passages 188 in the propeller 102 which allow exhaust gas to leave the marine motor assembly 100 under water.
With additional reference to
The motor unit housing 110 defines an air intake opening 200 in a top, front, right side thereof. The air intake opening 200 fluidly communicates air exterior of the motor unit housing 110 to the air intake assembly 140, and more particularly to three outlets (not shown) fluidly connected to the three air intakes 138 of the engine 116. The air intake opening 200 is fluidly connected to an external conduit 202 (
In other implementations, the air intake assembly 140 forms a conduit between an exterior of the motor unit housing 110 and the engine 116 for providing air for combustion. In other words, the gap 206 described above is absent and the air intake assembly 140 is fluidly connected directly to the air intake opening 200. The air intake assembly 140 is sealed such that surrounding fluids in the under-housing volume 210, such as any air and water present in the motor unit housing 110, are impeded from entering the air intake assembly 140 and thereby will not enter the engine 116 via the air intake assembly 140. Instead, the air intake assembly 140 delivers air from outside the motor unit housing 110 to the engine 116 directly, delivering the air needed for combustion in the engine 116.
Additional components of the air intake assembly 140 will now be described in more detail. An air intake valve unit 220 disposed on a right side of the engine 116 has an upstream end fluidly connected to the under-housing volume 210 and the air intake opening 200 (as seen from arrow 209). The air intake valve unit 220 has a sealing valve 224a and a throttle valve 224b. The air intake valve unit 220 will be described in more detail below. A plenum 226 is connected to a downstream end of the air intake valve unit 220. As can be seen in
As can be seen in
As can be seen in
Turning now to
During operation of the marine motor assembly 100, such as when the engine is idling or operating at trolling speeds, the exhaust gas pressure may become too low to keep the water out of the lower portion of the exhaust system 156. Under these conditions, this can result in water entering the passages 188, the channels 186, the exhaust passage 184, and rising into the exhaust passage 258 up to the same level as the water outside of the marine motor assembly 100 (i.e. up to the waterline). As this water blocks the exhaust outlets 264, the exhaust system 156 includes an idle relief passage 266 (
The air intake assembly 140, the under-housing volume 210 of the motor unit housing 110, the crankcase 118, the transfer ports 146, the combustion chambers 132, and the exhaust system 156 together define a gas flow pathway. The gas flow pathway is the path through which gas (air or exhaust gas depending on the location) flows from the point it enters the motor unit housing 110 to be supplied to the engine 116 to the point at which it is exhausted from the marine motor assembly 100. The air intake opening 200 defines the upstream end of the gas flow pathway. The exhaust outlets 264, 282 define the downstream ends of the gas flow pathway. In implementations where the engine 116 is a four-stroke engine, as the engine 116 has no transfer ports, and since the air does not flow through the crankcase before reaching the combustion chambers, the gas flow pathway would not include the crankcase and transfer ports. In implementations where the air intake opening 200 is connected directly to the air intake assembly 140, the gas flow pathway would not include the under-housing volume 210.
As described above, the marine motor assembly 100 is provided with various features to make the motor unit housing 110 water-resistant and to help prevent entry of water into the combustion chambers 132 of the engine 116. Although these are effective for most conditions, there could be some rare conditions, especially when the engine 116 is stopped, where additional protection against water intrusion may be useful. Examples of such possible conditions could include a lot of weight being on the boat 10 above the marine motor assembly 100 causing it to sink into water much lower than it typically does, the boat 10 and marine motor assembly 100 being launched in the water at a steep angle and/or at higher than normal speed, and rough water conditions wherein large waves impact the motor unit housing 110.
To provide additional protection against water intrusion into the combustion chamber 132 from the exhaust system 156, the marine motor assembly 100 is provided with the sealing valve 224a. When the sealing valve 224a is open, gas can flow through the gas flow pathway. However, when the sealing valve 224a is closed, flow of gas through the sealing valve 224a is prevented, and the sealing valve 224a thus hermetically seals the portion of the gas flow pathway downstream of the sealing valve 224a from the portion of the gas flow pathway upstream of the sealing valve 224a. This is in contrast to a conventional throttle valve, such as the throttle valve 224b illustrated herein, which is used to control the amount of air that flows to the engine while it is operating, and which restricts the flow of air when closed but does not provide a hermetic seal. As a result, when the sealing valve 224a is closed, should water rise into the exhaust system 156 rise above the idle relief passage inlet 268, the gas present between the sealing valve 224a and the water having entered the exhaust system 156 is trapped and has nowhere to go. As such, this volume of air acts like an air spring pushing against the water, thus resisting increases in water level in the exhaust system 156. In implementations where no idle relief passage 266 is provided, the entire volume of gas between the sealing valve 224a and the exhaust outlets 264 could act like an air spring resisting increases in water level in the exhaust system 156.
In other implementations, the sealing valve 224a could also combine the function of the throttle valve 224b, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/164,256 filed Feb. 1, 2021 entitled “Marine Engine Assembly Having A Sealing Valve”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. It is contemplated that in other implementations, only one valve could be provided. It is also contemplated that the sealing valve 224a could be in any location along the gas flow pathway. It is contemplated that the sealing valve 224a could be provided in the gas flow pathway at positions upstream of the combustion chambers 132, or upstream of the engine 116. It is contemplated that the sealing valve 224a could be provided in the gas flow pathway at positions downstream the engine 116.
Turning now to
The sealing valve 224a is disposed in the valve unit body 322 between the throttle valve 224b and the downstream end 326. In the present implementation, the sealing valve 224a is a ball valve 224a. The ball valve 224a has a ball valve body 334 defining a passage 336 therethrough. The ball valve body 334 is pivotally received in a correspondingly shaped seat 338 defined by the valve unit body 322. The ball valve body 334 is operatively connected to a sealing valve actuator 340 disposed outside of the valve unit body 322. In the present implementation, the sealing valve actuator 340 is an electric motor, but other types of actuators are contemplated. The sealing valve actuator 340 pivots the ball valve body 334 between open and closed positions corresponding to open and closed positions of the ball valve 224a.
In the open position of the ball valve 224a, shown in
Turning now to
The sealing valve position sensor 342, as its name suggest, sends a signal to the EMM 350 indicative of the position of the sealing valve 224a. It is contemplated that the sealing valve position sensor 342 could be integrated with the sealing valve actuator 340 or could be a dedicated sensor sensing the position of sealing valve 224a. It is also contemplated that the sealing valve position sensor 342 could only provide an indication of whether the sealing valve 224a is open or closed, without an exact indication of its position. Should there be a discrepancy between the signals sent by the EMM 350 to the sealing valve actuator 340 and the sensed position of the sealing valve 224a by the sealing valve position sensor 342, the EMM 350 generates a fault signal that can be indicated to an operator of the watercraft 10 and/or registered in the data storage modules of the EMM 350. For example, should the sealing valve 224a fail to close in response to a closing signal from the EMM 350 to the sealing valve actuator 340, the EMM 350 is programmed for generating a corresponding fault signal.
The EMM 350 is also connected to and receives signals from a pressure sensor 354 (schematically shown in
Turning now to
As will become apparent from the following description, the method 400 could be performed in various ways and with steps in different order and is therefore not limited to the steps and actions about to be described in relation to the marine motor assembly 100 described herein. Alternatives will be provided, and other alternatives not explicitly described herein are also contemplated.
The method 400 begins at step 402. At step 402, the air intake opening 200 is closed. In the present implementation, the step 402 is performed by connecting a service plug 380 (
At step 404, the sealing valve 224a is closed for sealing a portion of the gas flow pathway downstream of the sealing valve 224a from a portion of the gas flow pathway upstream of the sealing valve 224a. When the sealing valve 224a is closed, the air contained in the under-housing volume 210 and in the air intake assembly 140 upstream of the sealing valve 224a is trapped, and the air pressure can be changed in the under-housing volume 210. At step 406, the sealing valve position sensor 342 senses the position of the sealing valve 224a. As described above, if the EMM 350 determines that the sealing valve 224a fails to close in response to the closing signal, the EMM 350 generates a fault signal at step 408 and sends signals to provide an indication of this to the operator of the test. The indication could be visual, such as a light turning on a console or laptop computer, or auditive, such as one or more beeps. It is contemplated that the step 404 could be omitted in some implementations, notably when the motor unit 106 includes an electric motor instead of the engine 116 or in implementations where there is no gap 206 and the air intake assembly 140 is fluidly connected directly to the air intake opening 200.
At step 410, after confirming that the sealing valve 224a is closed, the air pressure in the under-housing volume 210 is changed by controlling the air pump 230 disposed in the motor unit housing 110. The air pump 230 fluidly communicates the under-housing volume 210 to the air intake manifold 228 at a position downstream of the sealing valve 224a. More particularly, the air pump 230 has an outlet 230a fluidly connected to the air intake manifold 228 (
Still referring to
Then, at step 414, the method 400 includes determining if a predetermined air pressure P is reached within a predetermined amount of time T1. In one example, the predetermined amount of time T1 is one minute after the activation of the air pump 230 and the predetermined pressure P is 1 PSI below atmospheric pressure. It is contemplated that the predetermined pressure P could be between 0.5 to 2 PSI below atmospheric pressure, but other values are contemplated. It is also contemplated that prior to step 410, the air pressure in the under-housing volume 210 could be measured by the pressure sensor 354 to form a baseline for step 414 and step 426 about to be described. If it is determined that the air pressure fails to reach the predetermined air pressure P within the predetermined amount of time T1, the EMM 350 indicates that the water resistance of the motor unit housing 110 is compromised by providing a warning indication to the operator and/or by registering a fault code at step 420. The step 420 is performed by providing one or more indications to the operator of the test. The indications could be visual, such as a light turning on a console or a laptop computer, or auditive, such as one or more beeps.
It is contemplated the step 414 could be performed by the operator controlling the air pump 230 manually and checking the air pressure using the pressure gauge 382 provided on the service plug 380. It is also contemplated that the step 414 could be replaced by only determining if the predetermined air pressure P is reached following the activation of the air pump 230 at step 410, without regard to time T1. If it is determined that the air pressure fails to reach the predetermined air pressure P, the step 420 is taken.
If it is determined that the air pressure reaches P within T1, then at step 422 the air pump 230 is stopped by the EMM 350. In other implementations, it is contemplated that the air pump 230 could be stopped by the EMM 350 once the predetermined air pressure P is reached following the activation of the air pump 230, without regard to time T1.
Then at step 424, the change in the air pressure is monitored for a predetermined amount of time T2. The predetermined amount of time T2 is an amount of time after the air pump 230 is stopped at step 422. In other implementations, it is contemplated that T2 could be an amount of time not related to the stopping of the air pump 230 at step 422. For example, T2 could be an amount of time since the activation of the air pump 230 at step 410. It is contemplated that T2 could be shorter than T1 in some implementations. By monitoring change in the air pressure in the under-housing volume 210 for the time T2, a decay of the partial vacuum created by the air pump 230 can be monitored over the time T2. If it is determined at step 426 that the change in the air pressure is within a predetermined range following the time T2, the water resistance of the motor unit housing 110 is confirmed at step 430. In some embodiments, the predetermined range is 50% of the difference between the predetermined pressure P and the atmospheric pressure, but other values are contemplated. The confirmation of the water resistance of the motor unit housing 110 is performed by providing one or more indications to the operator of the test. The indications could be visual, such as a light turning on a console or a laptop computer, or auditive, such as one or more beeps. Conversely, if it is determined at step 426 that the change in the air pressure is outside the predetermined range following the time T2, an indication that the water resistance is compromised is provided to the operator of the test at step 420.
In response to receiving an indication that the water resistance is compromised at step 420, actions to detect leaks in the motor unit housing 110 can be taken. These actions include, and are not limited to, spraying soapy water on the motor unit housing 110, supplying compressed air through the connector 384 and looking for the formation of bubbles on the motor unit housing 110 indicative of a leak, and checking the seal 115, the grommet 240a and pass-through connector 240b for leaks.
Following either one of steps 420 and 430, the method 400 further includes the step 440 of storing the test result in the data storage modules of the EMM 350. It is contemplated that the step 440 could be omitted in some implementations.
In an alternative embodiment of the method 400, steps 412 and 414 are omitted, and at step 422 the air pump 230 is stopped after a predetermined amount of time following the actuation of the air pump 230 at step 410. Steps 424 and 426 are then performed based on the pressure that is reached when the air pump 230 is stopped at step 422.
Modifications and improvements to the above-described implementations of the present technology may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/143,651, entitled “Marine Motor Assembly and Method for Testing a Water Resistance of a Motor Unit Housing of a Marine Motor Assembly,” filed Jan. 29, 2021, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
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20030234041 | Boulot | Dec 2003 | A1 |
20150122214 | Etherington-Smith | May 2015 | A1 |
20190233073 | Wiatrowski | Aug 2019 | A1 |
Entry |
---|
Yamaha F115 Service Manual (Year: 2000). |
How to vacuum and pressure test an outboard lower end https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf2Kg4crhWY (Year: 2020). |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
63143651 | Jan 2021 | US |