JP2007203840A - Steering device for navigation - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device for navigation not requiring complicated structure and installation space, enabling operation of a steering member while feeling suitable weight, and an easy change of a limited angle. <P>SOLUTION: This steering device is provided with a steering angle detecting device 15 for detecting a steering angle of the steering member 14 for steering a hull 8, steering mechanisms 3 and 30 mechanically separated from the steering member 14 to turn the hull 8, and a turning actuator 11 for driving the steering mechanisms 3 and 30 according to the steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting device 15. The steering device is provided with a reaction actuator 9 for imparting steering reaction to the steering member 14 according to the steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting device 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation steering apparatus such as an outboard motor.

  A small boat such as a motor boat that uses an outboard motor as a propulsion device does not have a rudder, the outboard motor is a steering mechanism, and steering is performed by changing the direction of the outboard motor main body. In particular, in the case of a small size, a handlebar is attached to the outboard motor main body so that the driver can directly steer. In other cases, the rotation of a steering wheel (steering member, steering wheel) provided in the driver's seat is transmitted by a rope and pulley, a push-pull cable, or a hydraulic plunger to steer the outboard motor body.

As a navigation steering apparatus for steering such an outboard motor, in recent years, a steering wheel of a driver's seat is arranged without mechanical connection with the outboard motor, and an actuator for steering the outboard motor is provided. The separation type is configured such that the actuator is operated based on the detection result of the operation direction and the operation amount of the steering wheel, and the outboard motor is steered to perform the steering according to the operation of the steering wheel. A steering apparatus for navigation is proposed in Patent Document 1 and the like.
Japanese Patent No. 2959044

In the navigation steering apparatus as described above, since the steering wheel is linkless with the steering mechanism, the steering wheel can freely rotate freely without limitation, and braking means and a stopper are required to limit the free rotation. However, since the steering wheel is usually steered by multiple rotations, if a mechanical mechanism is provided with a stopper, a reduction mechanism is required, resulting in a complicated structure, an increase in size, and an easy to change limit angle. There is a problem that is not.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. In the first invention, a complicated structure and an installation space are unnecessary, and the steering member can be operated while feeling an appropriate weight. Another object of the present invention is to provide a navigation system that can easily change the limit angle.
It is an object of the second and third aspects of the invention to provide a navigation steering apparatus that includes a stopper for a steering member that does not require a complicated structure and installation space and that can easily change the limit angle.

  A navigation steering apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a steering angle detector that detects a steering angle of a steering member that steers a hull, a steering mechanism that is mechanically separated from the steering member and steers the hull, In a navigation steering apparatus comprising a steering actuator that drives the steering mechanism according to a steering angle detected by the steering angle detector, the steering member according to the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector And a reaction force actuator for applying a steering reaction force to the motor.

  In the navigation steering apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the reaction force actuator is arranged so that the steering member is prohibited from being steered when the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector exceeds a predetermined angle. It is characterized by giving a steering reaction force.

  When the steering device for navigation according to the third aspect of the invention determines that the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, and determines that the means is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle, Means for giving the steering member a steering reaction force that is discontinuously greater than when it is determined that the angle is not equal to or greater than a predetermined angle.

  According to the navigation steering apparatus of the first invention, the reaction force actuator applies a steering reaction force to the steering member in accordance with the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector, so that a complicated structure and installation space are not required. The steering member can be operated while feeling an appropriate weight, and a navigation steering device that can easily change the limit angle can be realized.

  In the navigation steering apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, the reaction force motor is applied to the steering member so that steering by the steering member is prohibited when the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector exceeds a predetermined angle. Since the steering reaction force is applied, it is possible to realize a navigation steering apparatus including a steering member stopper that does not require a complicated structure and installation space and that can easily change the limit angle.

  According to the navigation steering apparatus of the third aspect of the invention, the determining means determines whether or not the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector is equal to or greater than a predetermined angle, and the determining means is equal to or greater than the predetermined angle. When it is determined that the angle is not equal to or greater than the predetermined angle, the means for applying a steering reaction force that is discontinuously greater than the predetermined angle is applied to the steering member. It is possible to realize a navigation steering apparatus having a steering member stopper that can be easily changed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a navigation steering apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a connection relationship between an outboard motor main body and a hull used in the navigation steering apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.
This navigation steering device includes a steering shaft 37 of a steering wheel (steering member) 14 provided in a driver seat in front of the hull 8, a steering angle detector 15, a motor drive circuit 44, a reaction force motor (reaction force actuator). 9 and a rotor angle detector 12 are attached. The steering angle signal detected by the steering angle detector 15 that detects the absolute steering angle of a plurality of revolutions is given to the steering / reaction force controller 16.

The steering / reaction force controller 16 drives and controls the reaction force motor 9 based on the given steering angle signal so as to apply a steering reaction force to the steering wheel 14, and sends the steering angle signal to the rear part of the hull 8 through the cable 39. Is provided to the steering controller 42 provided in
The rotor angle signal detected by the rotor angle detector 12 is given to the motor drive circuit 44 and used to generate a three-phase voltage for driving the reaction force motor 9 which is a brushless motor.

The outboard motor 1 is attached to a transom (cross member) 7 at the rear part of the hull 8 via an outboard motor suspension bracket 4 and a pair of clamp brackets 5 (FIG. 2). The outboard motor main body 3 (steering mechanism) can be rotated in the horizontal direction around the outboard motor suspension bracket 4 via a steering shaft 45 (FIG. 2) described later fixed to the outboard motor main body 3. It is supported.
The outboard motor suspension bracket 4 is pivotally supported by a clamp bracket shaft 6 passed between a pair of clamp brackets 5 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, that is, capable of being tilted and trimmed.
A propeller (not shown) of the outboard motor main body 3 is attached below the drive shaft housing in which the drive shaft at the lower portion of the outboard motor main body is accommodated.

  The steered motor 11 (steering actuator) that generates the steered force is provided with a motor drive circuit 43, and a steerable controller 42 that controls the steered motor 11 is connected to the motor drive circuit 43 by a cable. Has been. A gear case 27 is provided adjacent to the steered motor 11, and the gear case 27 is attached to the rack housing 18. Both ends of a rack 17 (FIG. 2), which will be described later, the central portion of which is accommodated in the rack housing 18 are supported by mounting brackets 22 mounted on the clamp brackets 5.

A guide plate 30 is fixed to the side of the rack housing 18, and a steered arm 33 is connected to the tip portion of the guide plate 30 on the outboard motor main body 3 side so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction.
The motor drive circuits 43 and 44, the steering controller 42, the steering / reaction force controller 16, the steering angle detector 15, the reaction force motor 9, and the like are supplied from a battery 40 installed at the rear of the hull 8.

Both ends of the rack (steering mechanism) 17 in the longitudinal direction, which is the width direction of the hull 8, are fixed to the mounting brackets 22 by bolts 23. Each mounting bracket 22 is fastened to the clamp bracket 5 by nuts 24 that are screwed to both ends of the clamp bracket shaft 6 that pivotally supports the outboard motor suspension bracket 4 by the clamp bracket 5.
A portion of the rack (steering mechanism) 17 that is not accommodated in the rack housing 18 is covered with a boot 50 for waterproofing that can be expanded and contracted.

A portion of the rack 17 accommodated in the rack housing 18 rolls a number of steel balls between a male screw 25 engraved on the rack 17 and a female screw engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder 26. By doing so, it is a ball screw mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the steering motor 11 into a linear motion. The rotating cylinder 26 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 28 provided between the outer peripheral surface thereof and the inner peripheral surface of the rack housing 18.
In the ball screw mechanism, the rotational motion of the steered motor 11 is caused by the meshing of the bevel gear 20 attached to the tip of the motor shaft 29 of the steered motor 11 and the bevel gear 21 provided around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder 26. The speed is reduced and transmitted to the rotary cylinder 26, and the rotary cylinder 26 rotates.

As the rotary cylinder 26 rotates, the rack housing 18 moves in the axial direction of the rack 17, and the guide plate (steering mechanism) 30 attached to the side surface of the rack housing 18 so as to be freely rotatable in the vertical direction similarly moves. To do.
A long hole 32 that is long in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rack 17 is formed at the tip of the guide plate 30 on the outboard motor main body 3 side, and protrudes from one end of a steering arm (steering mechanism) 33. The guide pins 34 that pass through the long holes 32.
The other end (not shown) of the steered arm 33 is fixed to the outboard motor main body 3, and the direction toward the other end of the steered arm 33 is the direction toward the propeller of the outboard motor main body 3. Is done.

A steered shaft 45 (steering mechanism) protrudes from the tip of the outboard motor suspension bracket 4 on the outboard motor main body 3 side, and the steered shaft 45 is drilled in an intermediate portion of the steered arm 33. The turning arm 33 is pivotally supported by the turning shaft 45.
A turning angle detector 41 is provided around the turning shaft 45, and the turning angle detector 41 detects the rotation angle with the turning arm 33 as the turning angle, and detects the detected turning angle. A steering angle signal is supplied to the steering controller 42.

From the connection relationship of the steering motor 11, the rack 17, and the steering arm 33, when the steering motor 11 rotates in one direction, the rack housing 18 and the guide plate 30 move in one axial direction of the rack 17. . When the guide plate 30 moves in one axial direction of the rack 17, the steered arm 33 rotates in the other direction around the axis of the steered shaft 45 as the guide pin 34 slides in the long hole 32. The outboard motor body 3 is steered.
Further, when the steering motor 11 rotates in the other direction, the rack housing 18 and the guide plate 30 move in the other direction of the rack 17 in the axial direction. When the guide plate 30 moves in the other direction in the axial direction of the rack 17, the steered arm 33 rotates in one direction around the axis of the steered shaft 45 as the guide pin 34 slides in the long hole 32. The outboard motor body 3 is steered.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the navigation system according to the present invention.
In this control system, the steering angle signal of the steering wheel 14 detected by the steering angle detector 15 is given to the steering / reaction force controller 16. The steering / reaction force controller 16 controls driving of the reaction force motor 9 by the motor drive circuit 44 based on the given steering angle signal. Further, a steering angle signal is given to the steering controller 42 through the cable 39.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the steering angle and the reaction force torque are gradually increased from a steering angle of 0 to a stopper angle at which steering is restricted. Has a characteristic of rapidly increasing to the maximum torque. The steering / reaction force controller 16 has a built-in reference table indicating the relationship between the steering angle and the motor current that realizes this characteristic in the memory 16a. By referring to this reference table with the steering angle signal, the target table is obtained. The motor current is determined and the reaction force motor 9 is driven and controlled.

The rotor angle signal detected by the rotor angle detector 12 is given to the motor drive circuit 44, and the motor drive circuit 44 generates, for example, a three-phase voltage for driving the reaction force motor 9 based on the given rotor angle signal. generate.
The turning controller 42 calculates the target turning angle based on the steering angle signal given from the steering / reaction force controller 16. Further, based on the calculated target turning angle and the turning angle signal between the turning shaft 45 and the turning arm 33 detected by the turning angle detector 41, the motor driving circuit 43 drives and controls the turning motor 11. .
The calculation of the target turning angle can also be performed by the steering / reaction force controller 16.

In the navigation steering apparatus having such a configuration and operation, the steering / reaction force controller 16 is a steering angle signal detected by the steering angle detector 15 and is incorporated in the memory 16a, and the steering angle and reaction force torque ( = Motor current) is determined with reference to a reference table as shown in FIG. 4, and the motor drive circuit 44 is set to PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) so that the determined motor current flows to the reaction motor 9. )Control.
When the steering angle signal is equal to or greater than the stopper angle, the steering / reaction force controller 16 determines a target motor current so as to maximize the reaction force torque, and drives and controls the reaction force motor 9.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another operation of the steering reaction force control of the navigation system according to the present invention.
In this flowchart, the steering / reaction force controller 16 first reads the steering angle θ detected by the steering angle detector 15 (S1), and if the steering angle θ (for example, if the steering angle in one direction is positive), the other direction. It is determined whether or not the absolute value of the steering angle is negative is larger than a predetermined angle that is a stopper angle (S3).

If the absolute value of the steering angle θ is not larger than the predetermined angle (S3), the steering / reaction force controller 16 sets the target motor current = a | θ | (a is a positive proportionality constant) (S5) and sets the steering angle. The direction of rotation of the reaction force motor 9 based on plus / minus θ and the target motor current are instructed to the motor drive circuit 44 (S7), and the process returns.
If the absolute value of the steering angle θ is larger than the predetermined angle (S3), the steering / reaction force controller 16 sets the target motor current to a current several times larger than the maximum current of a | θ | (S9), and the steering angle θ The direction of rotation of the reaction force motor 9 based on the plus / minus and the target motor current are instructed to the motor drive circuit 44 (S7), and the process returns.
The motor drive circuit 44 performs PWM control of the reaction force motor 9 based on the instructed rotation direction and the target motor current.

  As a result, it becomes difficult for the driver to steer the steering wheel 14 to a steering angle equal to or greater than the stopper angle, and the steering wheel 14 does not rotate beyond the stopper angle, and functions similarly to the stopper by the mechanical mechanism. Obtainable. Further, the stopper angle can be easily changed by rewriting the reference table in the memory 16a or the program of the steering / reaction force controller 16.

It is a mimetic diagram showing composition of an embodiment of a steering device for navigation concerning the present invention. It is a cross-sectional view showing the connection relationship between the outboard motor main body and the hull used in the navigation steering apparatus according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the control system of the steering apparatus for navigation which concerns on this invention. It is a characteristic view for demonstrating operation | movement of the steering apparatus for navigation which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows other operation | movement of the steering reaction force control of the steering apparatus for navigation which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 outboard motor, 3 outboard motor body (steering mechanism), 4 outboard motor suspension bracket, 5 clamp bracket, 8 hull, 9 reaction force motor (reaction actuator), 11 steering motor (steering actuator), 14 steering wheel (steering member), 15 steering angle detector, 16 steering / reaction force controller, 16a memory, 17 rack (steering mechanism), 18 rack housing, 22 mounting bracket, 26 rotating cylinder (steering mechanism), 30 Guide plate (steering mechanism), 33 Steering arm (steering mechanism), 41 Steering angle detector, 42 Steering controller, 45 Steering shaft (steering mechanism)

Claims (3)

A steering angle detector that detects a steering angle of a steering member that steers the hull, a steering mechanism that is mechanically separated from the steering member and steers the hull, and a steering angle detected by the steering angle detector. In response, in a navigation steering apparatus comprising a steering actuator that drives the steering mechanism,
A navigation steering apparatus comprising a reaction force actuator that applies a steering reaction force to the steering member in accordance with a steering angle detected by the steering angle detector.   The reaction force actuator applies a steering reaction force to the steering member so that steering by the steering member is prohibited when the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector exceeds a predetermined angle. The navigation steering apparatus according to claim 1.   Means for determining whether or not the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, and when it is determined that the means is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle, it is less than when it is determined that the steering angle is not greater than or equal to the predetermined angle The navigation steering apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for continuously applying a large steering reaction force to the steering member.

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