Patent ID: 8229608

Claim:
An apparatus installed on a boat for identifying and controlling operation of an outboard motor selected by an operator and clamped to the boat from among a plurality of outboard motors having different models prepared to be selectable by the operator, the plurality of outboard motors including at least one analog model that communicates via an analog signal and at least one digital model that communicates via a digital signal, comprising: an analog signal input/output component that is able to input/output the analog signal produced by the at least one analog model; a digital signal input/output component that is able to input/output the digital signal produced by the at least one digital model; a model identifier that identifies the model of the selected outboard motor based on discriminating whether the inputted signal is the analog signal inputted through the analog signal input/output or the digital signal inputted through the digital signal input/output; and a controller configured to control the model of the selected outboard motor using engine control signals that are particularized to the model identified by the model identifier, wherein the at least one analog model includes a first model that produces analog signals in one of high and low levels and a second model that produces analog signals in opposing high and low levels, and wherein the model identifier further identifies the model of the selected outboard motor from the first and second models based on discriminating the level of the inputted analog signal, and wherein the first model has a first analog device of a first type that produces analog signals in high levels and a second analog device of a second type that produces analog signals in low levels, and wherein the second model has a third analog device of a first type that produces analog signals in low levels and a fourth analog device of a second type that produces analog signals in the high levels, and wherein the model identifier further identifies the model of the selected outboard motor from first and second models based on discriminating between signals from the first type of analog devices and the second type of analog devices and on the level of the inputted signals.