JP2006160214A - Steering gear of outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering gear for an outboard motor to make steering by putting in operation an actuator connected with a steering shaft in accordance with the rotation of a steering wheel, allowing a boat operator to sense the neutral position of the steering wheel irrespective of the boat speed. <P>SOLUTION: The steering gear of the outboard motor is equipped with a speed reduction mechanism composed of a sun gear 70a connected with the shaft 28b of the steering wheel to decelerate its rotation, an internal gear 70b, and a planetary pinion 70c, a carrier (disc) 70d connected with the speed reduction mechanism through the planetary pinion 70c and rotating with a reduced speed, a notch 70d2 formed locally at the circumference of the carrier 70d, and a pressing mechanism 70e to press the circumference of the carrier 70d and impress a load. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an outboard motor steering apparatus.

  Conventionally, a steering wheel disposed on a hull is connected to a steering mechanism of an outboard motor via a push-pull cable or the like, and the rotation of the steering wheel is transmitted to the steering mechanism to steer the outboard motor. However, since the steering wheel and the steering mechanism are mechanically connected, the steering wheel operating load fluctuates depending on the size of the hull and outboard motor, and the running conditions such as the ship speed, and the operation feeling is always good. Couldn't always get. The same applies when a hydraulic mechanism is used instead of the mechanical connection.

In order to solve such a problem, in recent years, a steering device has been proposed in which the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the steering mechanism is disconnected. In the steering device, an actuator is connected to the steering shaft of the outboard motor, and a rotation angle sensor is disposed in the vicinity thereof to detect the rotation angle of the steering shaft. On the other hand, a rotation angle (steering angle) sensor for detecting the rotation angle (steering angle) is provided in the vicinity of the steering wheel, and the drive of the actuator is controlled so that the deviation between the detected rotation angle and the rotation angle becomes zero. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-249790 A (paragraph 0036 etc.)

  By the way, as in the prior art described at the beginning, the steering wheel is connected to the steering mechanism of the outboard motor via a push-pull cable or the like, and the rotation is transmitted to the steering mechanism so that the outboard motor is steered. In this case, when navigating at a medium or higher speed, the load resistance that the outboard motor receives from the water flow is transmitted to the steering wheel through the push-pull cable. Was able to recognize the neutral position to some extent.

  However, when the steering shaft is driven by an actuator as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the steering mechanism is broken, such load resistance is not transmitted. The ship operator was troublesome because it was necessary to check whether the steering wheel was in the neutral position by turning around the stern side. Note that this point has the same inconvenience at the time of low-speed navigation or stoppage even when the steering wheel and the steering mechanism are mechanically connected as in the prior art described at the beginning.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and to provide a steering apparatus for an outboard motor that steers by driving an actuator connected to the steering shaft of the outboard motor in accordance with the rotation of a steering wheel arranged in the hull. It is an object of the present invention to provide an outboard motor steering device that enables the operator to sense the neutral position of the steering wheel regardless of the ship speed.

  In order to solve the above-described object, according to claim 1, the outboard motor is steered by driving an actuator connected to a steering shaft of the outboard motor in accordance with rotation of a steering wheel arranged in the hull. In the outboard motor steering apparatus, a speed reduction mechanism that is connected to the steering wheel and decelerates rotation of the steering wheel, a disk that is connected to the speed reduction mechanism and rotates at a rotational speed reduced by the speed reduction mechanism, A notch formed locally on the circumference of the disk and a pressing mechanism for pressing the circumference of the disk and applying a load are provided.

  The outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the disk includes a protrusion protruding from the circumference, and the disk rotates when the protrusion comes into contact with the pressing mechanism. Is configured to be prevented.

  The outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 1 is connected to the steering wheel and decelerates the rotation thereof, the disc connected to the decelerating mechanism and rotating at the decelerated rotational speed, The disc is mechanically connected to the steering wheel via a speed reduction mechanism because it has a notch formed locally on the circumference and a pressing mechanism that applies a load by pressing the circumference of the disc. The change before and after the notch of the load applied to the steering wheel can be transmitted to the steering wheel, and can be recognized by the operator who grasps the change.

  Therefore, by forming the notch at a position corresponding to the neutral position of the steering wheel on the circumference of the disc, it is not limited to when navigating at a medium or higher speed, but when stopping or at low speed. In other words, in other words, the neutral position of the steering wheel can be reliably detected by the operator regardless of the ship speed. This makes it possible to detect the neutral position of the steering wheel regardless of the driving state of the outboard motor, improving the steering feeling and concentrating on maneuvering without having to turn around and check the stern. Therefore, steering stability can be improved.

  In the outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 2, the disc is provided with a protrusion protruding from the circumference thereof, and is configured such that the rotation is prevented when the protrusion comes into contact with the pressing mechanism. Therefore, in addition to the effects described above, the steering limit of the steering wheel can be recognized by the operator, and the steering feeling can be further improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the outboard motor steering apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an outboard motor steering apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 10 indicates an outboard motor in which an internal combustion engine, a propeller shaft, a propeller, and the like are integrated. As shown in FIG. 2, the outboard motor 10 is connected to a hull (boat body) 16 via a swivel case 12 in which a swivel shaft (described later) is rotatably accommodated and a stern bracket 14 to which the swivel case 12 is connected. It is attached to the tail so as to be steerable about the gravity axis and the horizontal axis.

  The outboard motor 10 includes an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as “engine”) 18 at an upper portion thereof. The engine 18 is a spark ignition type in-line four cylinder, which is a four-cycle gasoline engine having a displacement of 2200 cc. The engine 18 is located on the water surface, covered with the engine cover 20, and disposed inside the outboard motor 10. An electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “ECU”) 22 composed of a microcomputer is disposed in the vicinity of the engine 18 covered with the engine cover 20.

  In addition, the outboard motor 10 includes a propeller 24 and a ladder 26 provided in the vicinity thereof. The propeller 24 receives power from the engine 18 via a crankshaft, a drive shaft, a gear mechanism, and a shift mechanism (not shown), and moves the hull 16 forward or backward.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a steering wheel 28 is disposed near the cockpit of the hull 16. A rotation angle sensor 30 is disposed in the vicinity of the steering wheel 28. Specifically, the rotation angle sensor 30 includes a rotary encoder, and outputs a signal corresponding to the rotation angle or the rotation amount of the steering wheel 28 input by the vessel operator. A throttle lever 32 and a shift lever 34 are arranged on the right side of the cockpit, and their operations are transmitted to a throttle valve and a shift mechanism (both not shown) of the engine 18 via a push-pull cable (not shown).

  Further, a power tilt switch 36 for adjusting the tilt angle of the outboard motor 10 and a power trim switch 38 for adjusting the trim angle are arranged near the cockpit, and the tilt input by the operator is increased.・ Outputs signals according to down / trim up / down instructions. Outputs of the rotation angle sensor 30, the power tilt switch 36, and the power trim switch 38 are sent to the ECU 22 via signal lines 30L, 36L, and 38L.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the vicinity of the swivel case 12 and the stern bracket 14, an actuator for steering, specifically a hydraulic cylinder 40 (hereinafter referred to as “steering hydraulic cylinder”), a tilt angle, A known power tilt trim unit 42 for trim angle adjustment is arranged and connected to the ECU 22 via signal lines 40L and 42L, respectively. A rotation angle sensor 44 is disposed near the steering hydraulic cylinder 40 and outputs a signal corresponding to a rotation angle of a swivel shaft (described later) housed in the swivel case 12. The output of the rotation angle sensor 44 is sent to the ECU 22 via the signal line 44L.

  The ECU 22 drives the steering hydraulic cylinder 40 to steer the outboard motor 10 based on the outputs of the sensors and switches described above, and operates the power tilt trim unit 42 to operate the tilt angle and the outboard motor 10. Adjust the trim angle.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the vicinity of the swivel case 12 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the power tilt trim unit 42 includes one hydraulic cylinder for adjusting the tilt angle (hereinafter referred to as “tilt hydraulic cylinder”) 42 a and two (only one is shown in the figure) trim angle. An adjustment hydraulic cylinder (hereinafter referred to as “trim hydraulic cylinder”) 42b is integrally provided.

  The tilt hydraulic cylinder 42a is attached to the hull 16 with its cylinder bottom fixed to the stern bracket 14, and the rod head of the piston rod is brought into contact with the swivel case 12. The trim hydraulic cylinder 42 b is also attached to the hull 16 with its cylinder bottom fixed to the stern bracket 14, and the rod head of the piston rod is brought into contact with the swivel case 12.

  The swivel case 12 is connected to the stern bracket 14 via a tilting shaft 46 so as to be capable of relative angular displacement about the tilting shaft 46. The swivel case 12 houses a swivel shaft 50 in a rotatable manner. The swivel shaft 50 has an axial direction in the direction of gravity, and its upper end is fixed to the mount frame 52 and its lower end is fixed to a lower mount center housing (not shown) (in other words, the shaft of the mount frame 52). Part constitutes the swivel shaft 50). The mount frame 52 and the lower mount center housing are respectively fixed to frames on which the engine 18 and the propeller 24 are disposed.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of the vicinity of the swivel case 12 as viewed from above.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, a concave portion 54 having a concave shape (C shape) in a sectional view is formed in the upper portion of the swivel case 12, and the above-described steering hydraulic cylinder 40 is disposed in the internal space. Is done. The steering hydraulic cylinder 40 is composed of a return cylinder, and is connected to a hydraulic pump (not shown) via two oil passages (not shown) to be supplied with hydraulic pressure.

  The steering hydraulic cylinder 40 is attached to a mount frame 52 (a portion that produces a horizontal angle (steering angle) displacement with respect to the long axis of the hull 16) with its rod head 40a supported by a stay 60, and a cylinder bottom. 40b is supported by the stay 61 on the outboard motor main body side and attached to the swivel case 12 (a portion that does not cause a horizontal angle (steering angle) displacement with respect to the long axis of the hull 16), while the internal space of the recess 54 Placed in.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotation angle sensor 44 described above is disposed in the internal space of the recess 54. The rotation angle sensor 44 is connected to the stay 60 via the sensor rod 62. That is, the rotation angle of the swivel shaft 50 is transmitted to the rotation angle sensor 44 via the mount frame 52, the stay 60 and the sensor rod 62, and is detected by the rotation angle sensor 44.

  Next, the steering of the outboard motor 10 will be outlined based on the above. When the boat operator steers the steering wheel 28, the steering angle is input to the ECU 22 via the rotation angle sensor 30. The ECU 22 determines that the deviation between the rotation angle of the steering wheel 28 detected by the rotation angle sensor 30 and the rotation angle of the swivel shaft 50 detected by the rotation angle sensor 44 is the steering angle (the angle of the outboard motor 10 with respect to the hull 16). Then, the hydraulic pump is driven to drive (extend / contract) the steering hydraulic cylinder 40 so as to be zero, and the swivel shaft 50 is rotated to steer the outboard motor 10.

  As described above, when the steering hydraulic cylinder 40 is driven, horizontal steering of the outboard motor 10 is power-assisted using the swivel shaft 50 as a steering shaft, and thus the propeller 24 and the ladder 26 are swung. The hull 16 is steered. Specifically, when the steering hydraulic cylinder 40 is driven in the extending direction, as shown in FIG. 4, the swivel shaft 50 and the mount frame 52 are clockwise (rightward in top view) with respect to the hull 16. The outboard motor 10 is turned clockwise, so that the hull 16 is steered counterclockwise (counterclockwise in top view) (turned left).

  On the other hand, when the steering hydraulic cylinder 40 is driven in the contracting direction, the swivel shaft 50 and the mount frame 52 rotate counterclockwise with respect to the hull 16 as shown in FIG. The hull 16 is steered clockwise (turned right).

  4 and 5, reference numeral 64 indicates an outline (vertical projection plane) of the outboard motor 10 in a top view. 4 is a plan view of the vicinity of the swivel case 12 when the outboard motor 10 is rotated clockwise to the maximum turning angle (30 degrees), and FIG. It is the top view which looked at swivel case 12 vicinity when rotating the outer unit 10 to the maximum turning angle (30 degree | times) counterclockwise. 4 and 5, the illustration of some of the configurations is simplified so that the movement of the steering hydraulic cylinder 40 is well illustrated.

  Here, the structure near the steering wheel 28 will be described.

  6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the column portion 28a of the steering wheel 28, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG.

  As shown, the steering shaft 28b fixed to the steering wheel 28 extends through the column portion 28a. A key unit 66 is provided in the vicinity of the steering wheel 28 of the column portion 28a, and when an ignition key 68 is inserted and operated by the operator, a battery (not shown) is connected via an energizing circuit (not shown). The engine 18 is started by supplying power to the engine 18 from (not shown).

  The steering shaft 28b is provided with a neutral position sensing mechanism 70 including a planetary gear mechanism and a detent mechanism downstream of the arrangement position of the key unit portion 66. The neutral position sensing mechanism 70 is a mechanism for sensing the neutral position that is the center of the maximum amount of rotation (lock-to-lock) when the boat operator steers (rotates) the steering wheel 28. The maximum rotation amount of the steering wheel 28 is 3 rotations (1.5 rotations if it is counterclockwise).

  Referring also to FIG. 7, in the neutral position sensing mechanism 70, the planetary gear mechanism includes a sun gear 70a fixed to the steering shaft 28b, an internal gear 70b fixed to the column portion 28a, a sun gear 70a and an internal gear. It consists of three planetary pinions 70c that rotate around the sun gear 70a while meshing with the gear 70b, and a carrier (disk) 70d that fixes the three planetary pinions 70c. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the carrier 70d has a substantially disk shape.

  One stopper (protrusion) 70d1 is provided on the circumference of the carrier 70d, and one arcuate notch (recess) 70d2 is locally provided on the opposite side at an interval of 180 degrees. Formed. A pressing mechanism 70e is disposed in the notch 70d2. The pressing mechanism 70e includes a case 70e1, a roller 70e2 and a spring 70e3 that are movably disposed therein. In the pressing mechanism 70e, the roller 70e2 is constantly urged against the carrier 70d by a constant urging force by the spring 70e3, so that the pressing mechanism 70e applies a load by pressing the circumference of the carrier 70e. The detent mechanism described above includes a pressing mechanism 70e and a notch 70d2.

  In the neutral position sensing mechanism 70, the steering wheel 28, more specifically, the steering shaft 28b, is connected to a speed reduction mechanism including a sun gear 70a, an internal gear 70b, and a planetary pinion 70c. The rotation of the steering wheel 28 is reduced to about ¼ rotation speed through the speed reduction mechanism and transmitted to the carrier 70d connected to the speed reduction mechanism. As a result, for example, when the steering wheel 28 is rotated three times from the left or right steering limit toward the other, the carrier 70d rotates 3/4 (more precisely, 290 degrees), and the stopper 70d1 is the case of the pressing mechanism 70e. It abuts on the end 70e1a of 70e1 and locks (blocks) further rotation of the steering wheel 28.

  The roller 70e2 of the pressing mechanism 70e is constantly pressed against the carrier 70d by a constant urging force of the spring 70e3 and applies a load, but the load transmitted to the steering wheel 28 before and after the roller 70e2 engages the notch 70d2. Changes. Accordingly, the notch 70d2 is formed at a position where the steering by the steering wheel 28 is neutral, and the pressing mechanism 70e is disposed there, and further away from it, specifically, as shown in FIG. If the stopper 70d2 is formed at the opposite end, the boat operator can reliably detect that the vehicle has passed the neutral position corresponding to the center (center) of the lock-to-lock of the steering wheel 28 in the left-right direction.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 6, a hydraulic damper portion 72 is provided on the front end (lower end in the drawing) side of the neutral position sensing mechanism 70 in the steering shaft 28 b. The hydraulic damper portion 72 includes a circular chamber 72a formed in the periphery of the steering shaft 28b in the column portion 28a (as viewed from the axial direction of the steering shaft 28b) and a steering shaft 28b (more precisely, It consists of one vane 72b attached to the jacket 28b1) fitted on the outer periphery so as to protrude in the radial direction, and lubricating oil (hydraulic oil, not shown) filled in the chamber 72a.

  With this configuration, in the hydraulic damper portion 72, when the vane 72b moves in the lubricating oil charged in the chamber 72a as the steering shaft 28b rotates, the amount of lubricating oil in the chamber 72a, that is, the hydraulic pressure Receive resistance according to. Therefore, by appropriately setting the hydraulic pressure in the chamber 72a, an appropriate resistance can be given to the rotation of the steering wheel 28, and the steering feeling can be improved similarly.

  A rotation angle sensor 30 including the rotary encoder described above is disposed in the vicinity of the distal end side of the position where the hydraulic tamper portion 72 is disposed on the steering shaft 28. The rotation of the steering shaft 28b is transmitted to the rotation angle sensor 30 via a worm gear (not shown), and the rotation angle sensor 30 generates an output corresponding to the rotation amount of the steering shaft 28b, in other words, the steering wheel 28. As described above, the output of the rotation angle sensor 30 is sent to the ECU 22.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the steering hydraulic cylinder (actuator) connected to the swivel shaft (steering shaft) 50 of the outboard motor 10 according to the rotation of the steering wheel 28 disposed in the hull 16. In the outboard motor steering apparatus for driving the outboard motor by driving 40, the sun gear 70a, the internal gear 70b, and the planetary pinion 70c are connected to the steering wheel 28 via the steering shaft 28b and decelerate the rotation. A speed reducing mechanism, a carrier (disk) 70d connected to the speed reducing mechanism via a planetary pinion 70c therein and rotating at a reduced rotational speed, and a cut locally formed on the circumference of the carrier 70d. A notch 70d2 and a pressing mechanism 70e that applies a load by pressing the circumference of the carrier 70d. Since it is configured, a change before and after the notch 70d2 of the load applied to the carrier 70d mechanically connected to the steering wheel 28 via a speed reduction mechanism can be transmitted to the steering wheel 28. Can be recognized by the operator.

  Accordingly, by forming the notch 70d2 at a position corresponding to the neutral position of the steering wheel 28 on the circumference of the carrier 70d, the notch 70d2 is not limited to when sailing at a medium or higher speed, but at the time of stopping or at low speed. Even during navigation, in other words, the neutral position of the steering wheel 28 can be reliably detected by the operator regardless of the ship speed. This makes it possible to detect the neutral position of the steering wheel 28 regardless of the driving state of the outboard motor, thereby improving the steering sensation and eliminating the need for turning and checking the stern to concentrate on maneuvering. Therefore, steering stability can also be improved.

  The carrier 70d is provided with a stopper (projection) 70d1 projecting from the circumference thereof, and when the stopper 70d1 comes into contact with the pressing mechanism 70e, more specifically, the case 70e1, the rotation is prevented. Since it is configured, in addition to the effects described above, the steering limit (lock-to-lock) of the steering wheel 28 can be recognized by the vessel operator, and the steering feeling can be further improved.

  Furthermore, since the hydraulic damper portion 72 is provided on the steering shaft 28b, an appropriate resistance can be given to the rotation of the steering wheel 28, thereby further improving the steering feeling.

  In the above description, one notch 70d2 is provided. However, a plurality of, for example, three notches may be provided, and the depth of the second notch may be made larger than that of the rest. In any case, as long as the operator can sense the neutral position of the steering wheel, the number or shape may be set in any way.

  Further, although the number of the stoppers 70d1 is one, two stoppers 70d1 may be provided for counterclockwise and clockwise.

  In the above description, the hydraulic cylinder is exemplified as the actuator for rotating the swivel shaft 50. However, the actuator is not limited thereto, and an electric motor, a hydraulic motor, or the like may be used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an explanatory view generally showing an outboard motor steering apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is a partial explanatory side view of the steering device shown in FIG. It is a fragmentary sectional view which expands and shows the swivel case vicinity shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the vicinity of a swivel case viewed from above when the outboard motor shown in FIG. 1 is turned clockwise to the maximum turning angle. Similarly, it is the same top view as FIG. 4 which looked at the swivel case vicinity when turning the outboard motor of FIG. 1 counterclockwise to the maximum turning angle. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of the column part of the steering wheel shown in FIG. 1 in detail. It is the VII-VII line expanded sectional view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Outboard motor, 12 Swivel case, 18 Engine (internal combustion engine), 16 Ship hull, 22 ECU (electronic control unit), 24 propeller, 28 Steering wheel, 28a Column part, 28b Steering shaft, 30 Rotation angle sensor, 40 Steering hydraulic pressure Cylinder (actuator), 44 rotation angle sensor, 50 swivel shaft (steering shaft), 70a sun gear, 70b internal gear, 70c planetary pinion (deceleration mechanism), 70d carrier (disk), 70d1 stopper (protrusion), 70d2 cutting Missing, 70e pressing mechanism

Claims (2)

  In an outboard motor steering apparatus that drives an actuator connected to a steering shaft of an outboard motor in response to rotation of a steering wheel disposed in a hull to steer the outboard motor, the steering device is connected to the steering wheel, A speed reduction mechanism for reducing the rotation of the steering wheel, a disk connected to the speed reduction mechanism and rotating at a speed reduced by the speed reduction mechanism, a notch locally formed on a circumference of the disk, A steering apparatus for an outboard motor, comprising: a pressing mechanism that applies a load by pressing the circumference of the disk.   The outboard according to claim 1, wherein the disk includes a protrusion protruding from the circumference, and the disk is prevented from rotating when the protrusion contacts the pressing mechanism. Machine steering device.

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