Abstract: A number of embodiments of outboard motors employing direct fuel injection systems having high pressure fuel pumps that are mechanically driven off of the engine crankshaft. A wide variety of driving arrangements are disclosed which include direct and indirect drives and drive that employs flexible transmitters and other types of driving arrangements. Furthermore, the pump operating mechanisms are also provided with lubricating systems that will permit servicing of the lubricant even though the drive arrangement may be positioned outside of the crankcase of the engine. Furthermore, arrangements for mounting various components including the fuel pump and other engine-driven accessories in an outboard motor are shown.

Abstract: Distance sensors are mounted on both ends of a vehicle and have light transmitting and receiving sections. A distance to an object is independently measured by alternately transmitting "one-side-only enlarged light beams" at a time interval and receiving corresponding reflected beams from the object. In an overlapped area of the "one-side-only enlarged light beams", the distance from the vehicle to the object, as well as the azimuth of the object, is measured by a triangulation distance measurement using an interval between the distance sensors as a baseline. The lengths of the "one-side-only enlarged light beams" in the running direction of the vehicle are about 50m and a width vertical to the running direction of the overlapped area is about 2m slightly greater than a width of the vehicle.

Abstract: A feed back control system and method for direct injected engines, particularly useful in marine applications to avoid knocking. Different types of injection control are applied to achieve this depending on the engine running condition when knocking occurs. Both injection initiation and duration are controlled. Injection timing is employed primarily to control knocking under steady state running. Both injection initiation and duration are controlled to avoid knocking under acceleration.

Abstract: A feed back control system and method for direct injected engines, particularly useful in marine applications to improve transitional operation. This is done by effecting a change in engine speed by effecting a change in fuel injection to a cylinder subsequent to the cylinder being supplied with fuel at the time the change in speed is called for.

Abstract: A fuel supply system for providing fuel from a fuel source to a combustion chamber of an engine is disclosed. The fuel supply system includes a vapor separator in which vapor is separated from fuel supplied from the fuel source. A pre-pressurizing pump pressurizes fuel from the vapor separator to a first pressure and delivers it to a high pressure pump. The high pressure pump pressurizes the fuel to a pressure above the first pressure and delivers it to a fuel rail to which is connected a fuel injector for delivering fuel into the combustion chamber. A fuel return line extends from the fuel rail for returning undelivered fuel back to the fuel system. A valve controls the flow of fuel through the return line and maintains the fuel at high pressure in the fuel rail. A fuel cooler is provided along the return fuel line.

Abstract: A start-up strategy for engine feedback control that utilizes a combustion condition sensor associated with only one cylinder. On starting and warm-up, only that one cylinder is feedback-controlled at all times. Under these conditions, the amount of corrected fuel supplied to the feedback cylinder is added to a fixed incremental amount of fuel that will be supplied to the remaining cylinders. This promotes smooth warm-up without backfiring or stalling and a quicker transition to all cylinder feedback control.

Abstract: A feed back control system and method for direct injected engines, particularly useful in marine applications to avoid excessive hunting due to the close proximity of the sensor to the fuel injector. Both injection initiation and duration are controlled. Under certain conditions such as lean burn, steady state and transition from rich to lean the control is initially of only one of these two factors. If the air fuel ratio is then still out of range, the other control is effected.

Abstract: A direct injection system and control methodology for two-cycle crankcase compression engines wherein the injection timing is advanced from those normally utilized to avoid the incomplete combustion that results from the prior art method. The injection timing is advanced so that it occurs while the exhaust port is still open but it is timed in such a way that the injected fuel will not be swept out of the exhaust port before the exhaust port closes. The initiation of injection timing is adjusted in response to certain parameters such as engine speed and the volume of intake air flow. In addition, the effects of other cylinders sharing a common exhaust manifold is also compensated for.

Abstract: An outboard motor exhaust system and control for insuring good running and effective exhaust gas silencing and treatment. The system includes a very compact exhaust system that includes an expansion chamber formed beneath the exhaust guide plate and to which the exhaust gases are delivered and removed at optimal locations. Furthermore, a feedback control employing a combustion condition sensor is employed along with a catalyst in the exhaust. Sensors are provided upstream and downstream of the catalyst to ensure that it is operating at optimum conditions.

Abstract: A fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine mounted in a cowling of a marine device is disclosed. The engine has a body defining at least one combustion chamber and an output shaft arranged to drive a water propulsion device of the marine device. The engine has an intake system supplying air to the combustion chamber. The fuel supply system includes at least one fuel injector providing fuel to the engine for combustion with the air. Various configurations for at least two pumps used to deliver fuel from a fuel source to the fuel injector(s) which contribute to reduced vapor production and improved pumping efficiency are disclosed.

Abstract: A number of embodiments of direct injected V-type outboard motors provided with a very effective fuel supply system wherein the number of components can be significantly reduced as well as the elimination of many of the flexible conduits normally employed. This also permits the fuel system to be assembled as a relatively unitary assembly that can be then affixed to the engine. The arrangement is such that purging of the system from vapors during shutdowns is easily accomplished and the system can be purged without complicated construction. Furthermore, the system can be pressure tested by an arrangement where the low pressure system can bypass the high pressure system when the engine is not operating so as to be pressurized for testing purposes. However, when the high pressure system operates, then the bypass line will be closed by the shunting valve arrangement.

Abstract: A laser beam type distance measuring device comprising a laser beam emitter; a laser beam receiver having a going laser beam sensor and a returning laser beam sensor; an electrical signal processing circuit connected to the going and returning laser beam sensors; a returning laser beam guide way leading to the returning laser beam sensor; a polygon mirror for reflecting a going laser beam from the laser beam emitter toward a remote object and reflecting a returning laser beam from the object toward the returning laser beam guide way along which the returning laser beam travels to the returning laser beam sensor; and a reference optical track having one end directed to the laser beam emitter and the other end directed to the going laser beam sensor, so that a first part of the going laser beam from the laser beam emitter travels to the going laser beam sensor through the reference optical track.

Abstract: A fuel system for an internal combustion engine powering an outboard motor of a watercraft is disclosed. The fuel system includes a main fuel source and a pump for delivering fuel from the main fuel source through a fuel filter to a vapor separator. Fuel is supplied from the chamber by high pressure pump through a fuel rail to one or more fuel injectors. Undelivered fuel is returned to the vapor separator through a return line. Oil is mixed into the fuel between the fuel filter and the high pressure pump, so that the high pressure pump draws a mixture of fuel and oil and delivers it to the charge former(s) and fuel return.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a hydraulic brake apparatus which includes a master cylinder having a cylinder body and a master piston slidably disposed therein for defining a pressure chamber ahead of the master piston and a power chamber behind the master piston. A control piston is slidably disposed in the cylinder body ahead of the master piston to define the pressure chamber behind the control piston, and adapted to be moved in response to movement of the master piston. An auxiliary pressure source is provided for pressurizing brake fluid to generate a power pressure, and a valve assembly is communicated with the auxiliary pressure source to regulate the power pressure into a regulated pressure in response to movement of the control piston. The valve assembly is adapted to supply the regulated pressure into the power chamber to assist the operation of a brake pedal.

Abstract: A throttle sensor senses the position of an associated throttle shaft in order to determine the position of a corresponding throttle valve. The position of the throttle sensor is positioned in the engine to reduce the girth of engine. In one embodiment, the throttle sensor lies to the side of a throttle linkage which interconnects a plurality of throttle valves. The throttle sensor and throttle linkage are arranged on a side of an intake manifold opposite a side on which fuel injectors of the engine are located. In another embodiment, the throttle sensor lies at an upper end of the intake manifold and is coupled to a common, vertically orientated throttle shaft that operates a plurality of throttle valves.

Abstract: The present method is to produce an active material powder formed of a spinel oxide containing lithium or a layer-structured oxide containing lithium for a lithium secondary battery which is uniform in composition, fine in particle size and free of oxygen defects, and which is unlikely to cause capacity deterioration resulted from repetitive charge/discharge cycles at a high current density.A suspension 1 prepared by suspending an ingredient of the active material powder in a combustible liquid or an emulsion prepared by emulsifying a solution of the ingredient in the combustible liquid is sprayed in a droplet state 15 together with an oxygenic gas 2. The combustible liquid contained in the droplet 15 is burned to have the ingredient therein reacted and to evaporate the solvent. As a result, active material powder 4 formed of the spinel oxide containing lithium is obtained.

Abstract: A number of embodiments of direct injected V-type outboard motors. In each embodiment, a high pressure pump is driven off of the upper end of the crankshaft and is disposed at a high level in the protective cowling. The drive for the high pressure pump is disposed in the path of air flow from an opening in the protective cowling to the engine induction system. On the other hand, the high pressure pump is out of this air flow to avoid corrosion. Various alternative locations for the components of the engine including specifically the high pressure pump, an alternator, a fuel vapor separator, an ECU control unit and a fuel injector solenoid driver are disclosed.

Abstract: A feedback control system and method for operating an internal combustion engine to provide the desired air/fuel ratio under all running conditions. The feedback control operates to modify the fuel/air ratio from that achieved by a basic setting that is derived from parameters of engine performance so as to maintain the desired ratio. The feedback control adjusts the air/fuel ratio in two different modes. In a first lean-set mode, when the air/fuel ratio is indicated to be lean, the feedback control adjusts the air/fuel mixture in a first large step and then a number of smaller incremental steps. In a second normal-operational mode, when adjustments to the air/fuel ratio is indicated to be rich, the feedback control adjusts the air/fuel mixture in a first large and then several smaller incremental steps, these steps being larger and more closely spaced in time than their respective counterpart steps in the lean-set mode.

Abstract: An engine control for an internal combustion engine powering a water propulsion device of an outboard motor propelling a watercraft is disclosed. The engine control changes one or more combustion condition parameters of the engine based upon changes in one or more operating conditions of the motor or watercraft which affect the exhaust back pressure of the exhaust in the exhaust system of the engine. The operating conditions may include the motor trim angle, watercraft speed, watercraft posture, transmission position, and engine mount height. The engine control changes a combustion condition parameter such as the air/fuel ratio, spark ignition timing, or fuel injection timing to optimize the engine operating performance based upon the detected operating parameter.

Abstract: A two-compartment type prefilled syringe includes a first rubber stopper fitted into a front sleeve, a second rubber stopper fitted into a rear end portion of a cartridge, a third rubber stopper for hermetically dividing the interior of the cartridge into front and rear compartments and a bypass formed by radially outwardly bulging a portion of a peripheral wall of the cartridge. In an axial direction of the cartridge, a length of the third rubber stopper is slightly smaller than an inner length of the bypass. When the third rubber stopper has been displaced into the bypass, the sealing property of the rear compartment with the front compartment is cancelled such that the dissolving agent, suspension or the like in the rear compartment is carried, via the bypass, into the front compartment containing dry medicament or the like.