JP2000344191A - Steering device for outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device for an outboard motor that is simple in structure and can set the load of steering operation efficiently. SOLUTION: This outboard motor is attached on a hull through a bracket device 16, and can be steered along a horizontal direction around the pilot shaft 31 of the bracket device 16. The bracket device 16 is provided with a swivel bracket 28 attached on a hull side and a steering bracket 32 attached on an outboard motor side. These brackets 28 and 32 are connected by a connecting member 37 possible to turn freely and the movement of the connecting member 37 is controlled by a braking member 38 prepared on the swivel bracket 28. Hence, the load of steering operation can be established optionally.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a steering device for an outboard motor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An outboard motor is generally mounted on a ship via a bracket device, and can be steered horizontally (left and right) about a pilot shaft of the bracket device. Some outboard motor bracket devices include a steering adjuster capable of arbitrarily setting the load of the steering operation.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged left side view of a center portion of an outboard motor showing a conventional example of a steering adjuster, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a pilot shaft 3 is rotatably supported in the bracket device 2 of the outboard motor 1 in a vertical and rotatable manner. The mounting bracket 4 and the mounting bracket 5 are provided integrally with each other.

[0004] A pair of left and right upper mount units 7a are provided at the front of an engine holder 6 provided on the outboard motor 1 side. The upper mount units 7a are connected to the steering bracket 4 and both sides of the drive shaft housing. Is provided with a pair of lower mount units 7 b, which are connected to the mount bracket 5. As described above, the outboard motor 1 is configured to be steerable left and right with respect to the bracket device 2 around the pilot shaft 3 by a steering handle (not shown).

A pilot shaft 3 is rotatably supported in the steering bracket 4 via a bush 8, and a bolt 9 is inserted from, for example, a side of the steering bracket 4 toward the bush 8. The brake plate 10 provided at the tip of the bolt 9 comes into contact with the bush 8.

When the bolt 9 is tightened or loosened, the brake plate 10 applies or removes pressure to the bush 8 to adjust the load of the pilot shaft 3 in the rotating direction.

[0007]

However, the method of adjusting the pressure of the brake plate by operating the bolt requires a small moment applied to the pilot shaft, and requires a tool to operate the bolt.

Furthermore, the side of the steering bracket on which the bolts are provided is a place where it is difficult to operate from the hull side.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a steering apparatus for an outboard motor capable of efficiently setting a steering operation load with a simple structure.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a steering apparatus for an outboard motor, which is mounted on a hull via a bracket device. In an outboard motor capable of being horizontally steered about a pilot shaft of a bracket device, the bracket device includes a swivel bracket attached to the hull side and a steering bracket attached to the outboard motor side. Are rotatably connected by a connecting member, and the movement of the connecting member is regulated by a braking member provided on the swivel bracket, whereby the load of the steering operation can be arbitrarily set.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an arm portion is formed on the steering bracket, and one end of the connecting member is rotatably supported on the arm portion. A guide shaft is provided on the swivel bracket, and the guide shaft is inserted into an elongated hole formed at the other end of the connection member to connect the swivel bracket and the steering bracket. When the hull is going straight, a line connecting the connection point between the arm portion of the steering bracket and the connection member and the center of the pilot shaft,
An angle between a connecting point between the arm portion and the connecting member and a line connecting the center of the guide shaft is set to be substantially a right angle.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems,
As described in claim 3, a bush made of an elastic body is interposed at a connecting portion between the steering bracket and the connecting member.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a left side view showing an embodiment of an outboard motor to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the outboard motor 11 includes an engine holder 12, and an engine 13 is installed above the engine holder 12. The engine 13 is a vertical engine in which a crankshaft 14 is disposed substantially vertically.

An oil pan 15 is arranged below the engine holder 12, and a bracket device 16 is attached to the outboard motor 11, for example, and the outboard motor 11 is connected to the transom 17a of the hull 17 via the bracket device 16. Attached to. The engine 13, the engine holder 12 and the oil pan 15 of the outboard motor 11 are covered by an engine cover 18.

A drive shaft housing 19 is provided below the oil pan 15. Engine holder 12,
Oil pan 15 and drive shaft housing 19
A drive shaft 20 is disposed substantially vertically inside, and an upper end thereof is connected to a lower end of the crankshaft 14.
The drive shaft 20 is the drive shaft housing 1
9 extends downward through a bevel gear 22 and a propeller shaft 23 in a gear case 21 provided at a lower portion of the drive shaft housing 19.
4 is configured to be driven.

The engine 13 mounted on the outboard motor 11 is, for example, a water-cooled cycle three-cylinder engine configured by combining a cylinder head 25, a cylinder block 26, a crankcase 27 and the like.

The rear (right side) of the crankcase 27 which is disposed at the forefront of the engine 13, that is, the leftmost side in FIG.
Is provided with a cylinder block 26. Further, a cylinder head 25 is arranged behind the cylinder block 26.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged left side view of the upper half of the outboard motor 11. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bracket device 16 mainly includes a swivel bracket 28 and a clamp bracket 29. The swivel bracket 28 is fixed to the transom 17 a of the hull 17, and the clamp bracket 29 is fixed to the outboard motor 11. Is done.

The swivel bracket 28 is supported by a tilt shaft 30 provided between a pair of left and right clamp brackets 29 so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction. A pilot shaft 31 is vertically and rotationally supported in the swivel bracket 28. It is pivotally supported. A steering bracket 32 and a mount bracket 33 are provided on the upper and lower ends of the pilot shaft 31 so as to be integrally rotatable.

A pair of left and right upper mount units 34 are provided at the front of the engine holder 12 and are connected to the steering bracket 32. A pair of lower mount units 35 are provided on both sides of the drive shaft housing 19 and are connected to the mount bracket 33.

The steering bracket 32 is provided with a steering handle (not shown) extending toward the front. By swinging the steering handle left and right, the outboard motor 11 moves the bracket device 16 right and left around the pilot shaft 31. Can be steered. In addition, tilt and trim operations can be performed upward about the tilt shaft 30.

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the bracket device 16 of the outboard motor 11 is provided with a steering adjuster 36 that can arbitrarily set the load of the steering operation described above. The steering adjuster 36 mainly includes an adjuster plate 37 that is a connecting member that connects the swivel bracket 28 and the steering bracket 32, and an adjuster lever 38 that is a braking member that controls the movement of the adjuster plate 37.

The adjuster plate 37 is formed, for example, by forming a metal plate material into a substantially U-shape in plan view, and has two arm portions 37a, 3a extending from the substantially central portions in opposite directions.
7b. In addition, a slit-shaped long hole 39 is formed from substantially the center to the end of one arm 37a.

An arm portion 32a extending laterally from the upper portion of the steering bracket 32 near the upper end of the pilot shaft 31 and, in the present embodiment, toward the left side is integrally formed. On the other hand, a guide shaft 40 extending upward is planted at substantially the center of the upper surface of the swivel bracket 28.

The guide shaft 40 is inserted from below into a long hole 39 formed in one arm 37a of the adjuster plate 37, and the other end of the other arm 37b of the adjuster plate 37 is connected to a steering bracket. The arm 32 is rotatably mounted on the arm 32a by a bolt 42 via a bush 41 formed of an elastic material such as rubber (see FIG. 4).

That is, the steering bracket (not shown) is swung to the left and right so that the steering bracket 32
Rotates around the pilot shaft 31, and accordingly, the end of the arm portion 32 a moves on an arc (not shown) centered on the pilot shaft 31 within the range of the steering angle shown in FIG. 3. Then, as the arm 32a moves, the adjuster plate 37 moves along the guide shaft 40, for example, as shown in FIG.

From above the adjuster plate 37 inserted into the guide shaft 40, a mounting hole 38b of the base 38a of the adjuster lever 38 is inserted through the guide shaft 40 with the intermediate plate 43 interposed therebetween, and a nut 44 is coupled from above the mount hole 38b. You.

The adjuster lever 38 applies a braking force to the adjuster plate 37 by a frictional force, and the frictional force (braking force) applied to the adjuster plate 37 by rotating the adjuster lever 38.
Is configured to be able to increase or decrease.

As an example of a method of generating a frictional force by rotating the adjuster lever 38, for example, the guide shaft 40 and the mounting hole 38 of the adjuster lever 38 base 38a are provided.
The screws 45 and 46 are formed on both of the guide shaft 40b and the adjuster lever 38 is screwed to the guide shaft 40. When the adjuster lever 38 is rotated, the base 38a of the adjuster lever 38 moves the guide shaft 40 in its axial direction. Move up and down. And this adjuster lever 38
The frictional force is generated by pressing or loosening the adjuster plate 37 by the vertical movement of.

In addition, although not shown, the adjuster lever 3
A method may be used in which a cam shape is provided on the lower surface of the eight base portion 38a, and the adjuster plate 37 is pressed or loosened by rotating the adjuster lever 38, and many other well-known techniques can be used.

In this embodiment, in order to prevent the adjuster plate 37 from being excessively pressed or loosened,
For example, protrusions 38c are formed on both sides of the base 38a of the adjuster lever 38, and a stopper 47 is provided between the protrusions 38c to regulate the rotation angle of the adjuster lever 38.

By the way, the most efficient layout of each member in converting the frictional force into the braking force described above is the connection point between the arm portion 32a of the steering bracket and the adjuster plate 37 and the steering rotation center, that is, the pilot shaft 31. Line 4 connecting the centers
8, a line 49 connecting the connection point between the arm 32 a and the adjuster plate 37 and the center of the guide shaft 40.
Is a right angle (90 °).

Originally, the situation in which the user most frequently uses and holds the outboard motor 11 at a fixed position is when the hull 17 is moved straight. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the relationship between the angle A ° at the time of turning left, the angle B ° at the time of going straight, and the angle C ° at the time of turning right is A °> B °> C °. In addition, the arm portion 32a of the steering bracket 32 is designed so that the angle B ° when traveling straight is as close to a right angle (90 °) as possible.
, The position of the guide shaft 40 and the shape (the degree of bending) of the adjuster plate 37 are set.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

The steering bracket 32 attached to the outboard motor 11 and the swivel bracket 28 attached to the hull 17 are rotatably connected by an adjuster plate 37 as a connecting member.
7 is regulated by the adjuster lever 38 as a braking member, so that the load of the steering operation can be set arbitrarily. Therefore, the conventional method of adjusting the pressure of the brake plate 10 by operating the bolt 9 (see FIGS. 8), a larger moment can be applied to the pilot shaft 31. Also, no special tool is required for the load setting operation, and the operation can always be easily performed from the hull 17 side.

Further, when the outboard motor 11 is held at a position where the hull 17 moves straight, the line 48 connecting the connection point between the arm 32a of the steering bracket 32 and the adjuster plate 37 and the center of steering rotation, and the arm 32a The angle between the connecting point of the adjuster plate 37 and the line 48 connecting the center of the guide shaft 40 is a right angle (9
By setting the shape and arrangement of each member so that the angle is close to 0 °), the frictional force generated by the adjust lever can be efficiently converted to the braking force.

The vibration of the engine 13 is transmitted to the hull 17 side by interposing a bush 41 made of an elastic material such as rubber at a connecting portion between the arm portion 32a of the steering bracket 32 and the adjuster plate 37. In addition to the above, noise caused by contact between metals does not occur.

[0039]

As described above, according to the steering apparatus for an outboard motor according to the present invention, the outboard motor is mounted on the hull via the bracket device, and can be horizontally steered about the pilot shaft of the bracket device. In the outboard motor, the bracket device includes a swivel bracket attached to the hull side and a steering bracket attached to the outboard motor side, and these brackets are rotatably connected by a connecting member. By restricting the movement of the steering operation by the braking member provided on the swivel bracket, the load of the steering operation can be arbitrarily set, so that it is possible to efficiently set the load of the steering operation with a simple structure, The setting operation is also easy.

An arm is formed on the steering bracket, one end of the connecting member is rotatably supported on the arm, and a guide shaft is provided on the swivel bracket. Is inserted into an elongated hole formed at the other end of the connecting member to connect the swivel bracket and the steering bracket, while connecting the arm portion of the steering bracket to the connecting member when the hull goes straight. The angle between the line connecting the point and the center of the pilot shaft, and the line connecting the connecting point between the arm portion and the connecting member and the center of the guide shaft is set to be substantially perpendicular, so that the efficiency of the braking member is improved. I do.

Further, since a bush made of an elastic material is interposed at a connecting portion between the steering bracket and the connecting member, vibration and noise are prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a left side view of an outboard motor showing an embodiment of an outboard motor steering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged left side view of the upper half of the outboard motor.

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the movement of the adjuster plate.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged left side view of a central portion of an outboard motor showing a conventional example of a steering adjuster.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII in FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Outboard motor 13 Engine 16 Bracket device 17 Hull 28 Swivel bracket 31 Pilot shaft 32 Steering bracket 32a Arm part 36 Steering adjuster 37 Adjuster plate (connecting member) 38 Adjuster lever (braking member) 39 Slot 40 Guide shaft 41 Bush

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An outboard motor which is attached to a hull via a bracket device and which can be horizontally steered about a pilot shaft of the bracket device, wherein the bracket device 16 has a swivel bracket 28 attached to the hull 17 side. And a steering bracket 32 attached to the outboard motor 11 side. These brackets 28, 32 are rotatably connected by a connecting member 37,
The movement of the connecting member 37 is controlled by the swivel bracket 28.
A steering device for an outboard motor, wherein a steering operation load can be arbitrarily set by regulating the braking member 38 provided above. 2. An arm 32a is formed on the steering bracket 32. One end of the connecting member 37 is rotatably supported on the arm 32a, and a guide shaft 40 is mounted on the swivel bracket 28. The guide shaft 40 is inserted into an elongated hole 39 formed at the other end of the connecting member 37 to connect the swivel bracket 28 and the steering bracket 32. The arm 32a of the steering bracket 32 and the connecting member 37
A line 48 connecting a connection point between the arm shaft 32a and the center of the pilot shaft 31 and a line 4 connecting a connection point between the arm portion 32a and the connection member and the center of the guide shaft 40.
The outboard motor steering device according to claim 1, wherein the angle with the outboard motor (9) is set substantially at a right angle. 3. The outboard motor steering device according to claim 1, wherein a bush 41 made of an elastic material is interposed at a connecting portion between the steering bracket 32 and the connecting member 37.