JP2008279972A - Outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a load on an occupant when a tilt up and tilt down operations are performed without impairing the aesthetic appearance of an outboard motor. <P>SOLUTION: This outboard motor comprises a clamp bracket 4 attached to a hull 2 and an outboard body 6 so connected to the clamp bracket 4 as to be vertically swung through a tilt shaft 5. A stepping plate 25 is attached to the outboard body 6 at the front higher position of the tilt shaft 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an outboard motor that can reduce the burden of operation force during tilt-up and tilt-down operations.

  A conventional outboard motor is supported by a clamp bracket attached to the hull so as to be able to perform so-called tilt up and tilt down, and swingable in the vertical direction via a horizontal tilt shaft on the clamp bracket. And outboard motor body. In this type of outboard motor, the outboard motor body is tilted up with the tilt shaft as the center of swinging so that the propeller moves rearward and upward, and swings in the opposite direction. Tilt down by.

  Since a large outboard motor cannot be tilted up or tilted down manually, it has a tilt device that uses a motor or hydraulic pressure as a power source. However, a small outboard motor is not equipped with a tilt device, and tilt-up and tilt-down can be performed by the passenger holding the upper part of the outboard motor by hand and swinging the outboard motor up and down. Is done by letting For this reason, in such a small outboard motor, it is required to reduce the burden on the occupant during tilt-up and tilt-down operations.

As a conventional outboard motor in which the burden on the occupant during the tilt-up and tilt-down operations is reduced, there is one described in Patent Document 1, for example.
The outboard motor disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a handle for a passenger to hold when performing tilt up and tilt down.

The handle is formed in a gate shape surrounding the rear end portion of the outboard motor main body from above. The tilt-up operation using this handle is performed by the occupant holding the upper end of the handle and pulling up the handle forward and upward. On the other hand, the tilt-down operation is performed by gradually lowering the outboard motor body while the occupant holds the handle and supports the weight of the outboard motor body.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-98954

  However, with the handle for tilt operation disclosed in Patent Document 1, the burden on the occupant during tilt-up and tilt-down operations is not as light as expected. This is because the grip portion of the handle is positioned in the vicinity of the upper end of the outboard motor main body, and the force required for the tilt up and tilt down operations directly grips the upper end of the outboard motor main body. Because it doesn't change so much.

  In order to further reduce the burden on the occupant's operating force during tilt-up and tilt-down operations, it is desirable to position the grip portion at a higher position. However, if configured in this way, the handle extends higher above the outboard motor main body, so that the appearance of the outboard motor is impaired.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides an outboard motor that can reduce the burden on the occupant's operating force during tilt-up and tilt-down operations without impairing the appearance of the outboard motor. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve this object, an outboard motor according to the present invention includes a clamp bracket attached to a hull and an outboard motor main body that is pivotably connected to the clamp bracket through a tilt shaft in the vertical direction. In the outboard motor provided, a stepping member is provided at a high position in front of the tilt axis in the outboard motor main body.

  According to the present invention, in the above invention, a steering handle formed in a bar shape is provided at one of the front end portion of the outboard motor main body in the left-right direction, and the stepping member is disposed in the left-right direction from the steering handle. It is positioned on the other side.

  The present invention is the above invention, wherein the stepping member is provided on a carry handle that protrudes forward from the front end of the outboard motor main body.

  In the present invention, the stepping member is attached to the carry handle so as to be rotatable between a use position extending forward from the carry handle and a storage position extending upward from the carry handle. Between the member and the carry handle, a spring member for urging the stepping member toward the storage position is mounted.

  According to the present invention, an outboard motor main body can be biased in the tilt-up direction by a passenger stepping on the stepping member with his / her foot and applying weight to the member. For this reason, since the occupant can assist the tilt-up / tilt-down operation with his / her feet by gripping the upper rear end of the outboard motor body with his / her hand, The burden imposed on the can be reduced.

  If the weight of the outboard motor main body is not so large, the tilt-up and tilt-down operations can be performed only by the force of stepping on the stepping member without applying force to the occupant's arm. Since the stepping member can be provided at a position lower than the cowling at the front portion of the outboard motor main body, the appearance is not impaired as in the case where the handle is provided above the rear portion of the cowling.

  According to another invention in which a stepping member is provided on the opposite side of the left-right direction from the steering handle provided on one side of the left-right direction, the stepping member is placed in the center in the left-right direction of the outboard motor body or in the vicinity of the center. Can be positioned. For this reason, when the tilt-up / tilt-down operation is performed using the stepping member, the outboard motor main body does not fluctuate in the left-right direction, so that the tilt-up / tilt-up operation can be performed more easily. it can.

  According to the invention in which the member for stepping is provided on the carry handle, a dedicated bracket is not required when the member for stepping is provided on the outboard motor body, so that the cost can be reduced.

  According to the invention in which the stepping member is configured to be rotatable, when the stepping member is not used, the springing member rotates the stepping member to the storage position when the stepping member is not used. The stepping member does not get in the way. Further, when the outboard motor is carried while holding the carry handle, the stepping member does not get in the way. Therefore, it is possible to provide an outboard motor that can be easily tilted up and tilted down and that is easy to use.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an outboard motor according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
1 is a side view showing an embodiment of an outboard motor according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a carry handle and a stepping plate, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

  In these drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates an outboard motor according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the outboard motor 1 is connected to a clamp bracket 4 attached to the stern plate 3 of the hull 2 and to the clamp bracket 4 through a horizontal tilt shaft 5 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction. The outboard motor main body 6 is constructed.

  The outboard motor main body 6 includes a swivel bracket 7 having a front end attached to the tilt shaft 5, a steering shaft 8 rotatably supported by the swivel bracket 7, and an upper end portion of the steering shaft 8. A guide exhaust 9 connected via an upper mount member (not shown), and an upper casing 11 attached to a lower end portion of the guide exhaust 9 and connected to a lower end portion of the steering shaft 8 via a lower mount member 10 A lower casing 12 attached to the lower end of the upper casing 11, a propeller 13 rotatably provided on the lower casing 12, an engine 14 mounted on the upper portion of the guide exhaust 9, and the engine 14 It is constituted by a covering cowling 15 or the like.

  The outboard motor main body 6 swings (tilts up) about the tilt shaft 5 in the direction indicated by arrow A (rear and upper) in the drawing from the traveling position shown in FIG. (Not shown). The outboard motor main body 6 can be swung (tilted down) in the direction opposite to the arrow A from the tilt up position to the sailing position.

  A steering bracket 21 is provided at the upper end of the steering shaft 8 so as to extend forward (to the right in FIG. 1) of the outboard motor 1. The steering bracket 21 is formed in a strip shape extending in the front-rear direction. The front end portion of the steering bracket 21 is positioned below the front end portion of the cowling 15 and higher than the tilt shaft 5.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a carry handle 22 is attached to the front end portion of the steering bracket 21 by mounting bolts 23. That is, the carry handle 22 protrudes forward from the front end portion of the outboard motor main body 6.
The carry handle 22 has the following three functions.

The first function is a function for a carrier to hold by hand when the outboard motor 1 is removed from the hull 2 and transported.
The second function is a function of transmitting the steering force applied to the steering handle 24 provided at the left end of the outboard motor of the carry handle 22 to the steering bracket 21. The steering handle 24 is formed in a rod shape as shown in FIG.
The third function is a function of transmitting the weight of the occupant added to a later-described stepping plate 25 provided on the carry handle 22 to the steering bracket 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the carry handle 22 includes a rear portion 31 formed with a mounting seat 26 attached to the steering bracket 21 and extending in the left-right direction, and an outboard motor right side of the rear portion 31 (in FIG. 2). The right side portion 32 extending forward from the lower end portion, the left side portion 33 extending forward from the left end portion of the outboard motor of the rear portion 31, and the front ends of the left and right side portions 32, 33 are connected to each other. The front part 34 and the horizontal part 35 spanned between the left part 33 and the right part 32 are configured. The rear part 31, the right part 32, the left part 33, the front part 34, and the horizontal part 35 are integrally formed by integral molding. The carry handle 22 is formed to have a thickness equivalent to the thickness of the steering bracket 21.

The front portion 34 and the horizontal portion 35 of the carry handle 22 are positioned in front of and above the tilt shaft 5.
A finger passage space S is formed between the front portion 34 and the horizontal portion 35 of the carry handle 22 so that the carrier can grasp the front portion 34.

  A recess 37 for receiving a nut 36 screwed onto the mounting bolt 23 is formed in the rear portion 31 of the carry handle 22 so as to open downward and forward. As shown in FIG. 3, the mounting bolt 23 is erected at the front end portion of the steering bracket 21 and passes through the mounting seat 26 of the front portion 34 and faces the recess 37. The mounting structure for mounting the carry handle 22 to the steering bracket 21 is not limited to the structure of this embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a handle mounting portion 33 a is provided on the left side portion 33 of the carry handle 22 so as to protrude upward from other portions of the carry handle 22. A shaft portion 24a (see FIG. 3) of the steering handle 24 is rotatably supported by the handle attachment portion 33a. With this attachment structure, the steering handle 24 is attached to the carry handle 22 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The steering handle 24 according to this embodiment is configured to be able to rotate between a standing position shown in FIG. 1 and a traveling position (not shown) whose front end is directed forward.

Since the steering handle 24 is provided on the left side portion 33 of the carry handle 22 as described above, in the outboard motor 1 according to this embodiment, it is the front end portion of the outboard motor body 6 on the left side (one in the left-right direction). ) Is provided with a steering handle 24.
A support shaft 41 of a foot plate 25 to be described later is attached to the right side portion 32 and the left side portion 33 of the carry handle 22.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stepping plate 25 is formed of a single metal plate bent into a predetermined shape, and the main surface (the widest surface) is positioned above and below. The support shaft 41 is supported by the carry handle 22 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The stepping plate 25 is positioned in front of the tilt shaft 5 and at a higher position, like the front portion 34 and the horizontal portion 35 of the carry handle 22. In addition, the attachment portion (support shaft 41) of the stepping plate 25 to the carry handle 22 and the carry handle 22 are positioned lower than the attachment portion (the handle attachment portion 33a) of the steering handle 24.
In this embodiment, the stepping plate 25 constitutes a stepping member according to the present invention. The stepping plate 25 shown in this embodiment rotates between a use position indicated by a solid line in FIGS. 2 and 3 and a stowed storage position as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the stepping plate 25 is positioned on the right side (the other in the left-right direction) from the steering handle 24. The stepping plate 25 according to this embodiment is positioned at the center of the outboard motor main body 6 in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the center line in the left-right direction of the outboard motor main body 6 is at the same position as the III-III line showing the fracture position in FIG. 3 in the plan view shown in FIG.

  The support shaft 41 is fixed to the right side portion 32 and the left side portion 33 so as to penetrate the center portion of the carry handle 22 in the left-right direction, and supports the stepping plate 25 so as to be rotatable. Cylindrical spacers 42 and 43 are provided between the foot plate 25 and the right side 32 and left side 33 in order to hold the foot plate 25 at a predetermined position in the left-right direction. The spacers 42 and 43 are supported by the support shaft 41 through the support shaft 41.

  Of these spacers 42 and 43, a torsion spring 44 for urging the stepping plate 25 in one direction is provided on the outer periphery of the spacer 43 located on the left side of the outboard motor (upper side in FIG. 2). ing. The torsion spring 44 has a right end portion 44b connected to the stepping plate 25 and a left end portion 44c connected to the left side portion 33 in a state where the spacer 43 is inserted into the coil portion 44a.

  The direction in which the torsion spring 44 urges the stepping plate 25 is a direction in which the stepping plate 25 rotates counterclockwise as viewed from the right side of the outboard motor, as indicated by an arrow B in FIG. In other words, the torsion spring 44 urges the stepping plate 25 from the use position to the storage position side. In this embodiment, the torsion spring 44 constitutes a spring member in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the stepping plate 25 is positioned above the carry handle 22 in the up-down direction extending portion 25a passed through the finger passing space S of the carry handle 22 and the up-down direction extending portion 25a. The foot rest 25b extends forward from one end, and the rear end 25c extends rearward from the other end located below the carry handle 22 in the vertical extending portion 25a.

  The support shaft 41 extends in the left-right direction through the up-and-down extending portion 25a of the stepping plate 25. The position of the support shaft 41 in the front-rear direction is between the front part 34 and the horizontal part 35 of the carry handle 22, and as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. In the state where it has moved and stood, it is positioned at a position where the finger passage space S is largely opened between the stepping plate 25 and the front portion 34 of the carry handle 22.

  As shown by a solid line in FIG. 3, the footrest portion 25b of the stepping plate 25 is formed by rotating the stepping plate 25 in the clockwise direction when viewed from the right side of the outboard motor. It is formed so as to contact the upper surface. The footrest portion 25b according to this embodiment is formed in a size that allows an occupant to place one foot. The length of the footrest portion 25b in the front-rear direction is a length that protrudes forward from the front portion 34 of the carry handle 22, and is a length that is located behind the front end of the steering handle 24 that is positioned at the traveling position. Is formed. That is, the length of the stepping plate 25 is formed to be shorter than the length of the steering handle 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the length of the portion of the footrest portion 25 b that protrudes forward from the front portion 34 is formed to be longer than the distance between the support shaft 41 and the front portion 34. As shown in FIG. 2, a large number of anti-slip grooves 45 extending in the left-right direction are formed on the upper surface of the footrest 25b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rear end portion 25 c of the stepping plate 25 is formed so as to contact the lower surface of the horizontal portion 35 of the carry handle 22 by turning the stepping plate 25 in the same manner as described above. The horizontal portion 35 according to this embodiment is formed so that the upper surface of the rear portion of the stepping plate 25 is also in contact with the upper surface of the rear portion. In this way, the footrest 25b comes into contact with the front part 34 of the carry handle 22, and the stepping plate is such that the rear end part 25c and the vertically extending part 25a come into contact with the horizontal part 35 of the carry handle 22. The position 25 is the use position.

  As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 3, the vertically extending portion 25a of the stepping plate 25 is formed on the horizontal portion when the stepping plate 25 is turned counterclockwise when viewed from the right side of the outboard motor. 35 is in contact with the front upper end portion. In this way, the position of the stepping plate 25 where the vertically extending portion 25a comes into contact with the horizontal portion 35 is the storage position. When the vertically extending portion 25a contacts the horizontal portion 35, the rotation of the stepping plate 25 urged by the resilient force of the torsion spring 44 is restricted, and the stepping plate 25 is held in the retracted position. Is done.

  In the outboard motor 1 configured as described above, the footing plate 25 is positioned while standing by being positioned at the storage position by the elastic force of the torsion spring 44 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. To do. In this state, the stepping plate 25 does not protrude greatly forward from the carry handle 22. For this reason, the stepping plate 25 does not interfere with the steering wheel operation while sailing.

  In order to tilt up the outboard motor main body 6, first, the occupant rotates the stepping plate 25 to the use position against the elastic force of the torsion spring 44. When the stepping plate 25 is in the use position, the footrest portion 25b of the stepping plate contacts the front portion 34 of the carry handle 22, and the rear end portion 25c of the stepping plate 25 is the horizontal portion 35 of the carry handle 22. To touch.

The occupant puts one foot on the footrest portion 25b of the stepping plate 25 and puts his weight on the footrest 25b, and grasps the upper part of the rear end of the cowling 15 by hand and pulls it forward. The occupant's pedaling force applied to the stepping plate 25 is applied from the stepping plate 25 to the front portion 34 and the horizontal portion 35 of the carry handle 22, and from the carry handle 22 to the swivel bracket 7 via the steering bracket 21. Communicated.
As described above, the pedal force is transmitted to the swivel bracket 7 so that the outboard motor main body 6 swings around the tilt shaft 5 and tilts up.

  For this reason, according to the outboard motor 1 according to this embodiment, the outboard motor main body 6 can be tilted up by the resultant force of the force of the passenger pulling the cowling 15 by hand and the stepping force of stepping on the stepping plate 25 by foot. it can. When the tilt-down operation is performed to lower the outboard motor main body 6 in the tilted-up state to the sailing position, the speed at which the outboard motor main body 6 is lowered can be increased by operating the footrest plate 25 while the occupant is applying weight. The outboard motor main body 6 can be gradually lowered. After the tilt-up operation and the tilt-down operation are completed, the occupant lowers the foot from the stepping plate 25, so that the stepping plate 25 is rotated to the storage position by the elastic force of the torsion spring 44.

  Therefore, in the outboard motor 1 according to this embodiment, the occupant can assist the tilt-up and tilt-down operations in which the occupant grips the rear end upper portion of the outboard motor body 6 and applies force with his / her foot. The burden on the occupant's hand during up and tilt down operations can be reduced. If the weight of the outboard motor main body 6 is not so large, the tilt-up and tilt-down operations can be performed only by the stepping force for stepping on the stepping plate 25 without applying force to the passenger's hand.

  The stepping plate 25 according to this embodiment is provided at a position lower than the cowling 15 at the front portion 34 of the outboard motor main body 6, so that the outboard as in the case where a handle is provided above the rear portion 31 of the cowling 15 is provided. The appearance of the machine 1 is not impaired.

  In the outboard motor 1 according to this embodiment, the stepping plate 25 is provided on the opposite side in the left-right direction from the steering handle 24 provided on one side in the left-right direction. Can be positioned at or near the center in the left-right direction. For this reason, when the tilt-up / tilt-down operation is performed using the stepping member, the outboard motor main body does not fluctuate in the left-right direction, so that the tilt-up / tilt-up operation can be performed more easily. it can.

  In the outboard motor 1 according to this embodiment, since the stepping plate 25 is provided on the carry handle 22 protruding forward from the front end portion of the outboard motor main body 6, the stepping plate 25 is attached to the outboard. A dedicated bracket is not required for installation in the machine body 6. For this reason, according to this embodiment, the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where a dedicated bracket is used.

  In the outboard motor 1 according to this embodiment, when the stepping plate 25 is not used, the stepping plate 25 is rotated to the storage position by the elastic force of the torsion spring 44. It will not get in the way. Further, when the outboard motor 1 is transported while holding the carry handle 22, the stepping plate 25 does not get in the way.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the attachment portion (support shaft 41) of the foot plate 25 to the carry handle 22 and the carry handle 22 are positioned lower than the attachment portion (the handle attachment portion 33a) of the steering handle 24. Therefore, it is possible to easily put the foot on the stepping plate 25.
In addition, since the length of the stepping plate 25 is formed shorter than the length of the steering handle 24, even if the stepping plate 25 remains in the use position for some reason during cruising, the stepping plate 25 The working plate 25 does not protrude greatly forward. For this reason, even when the stepping plate 25 is in the use position, the stepping plate 25 does not affect the operation when being steered by the steering handle 24, and the stepping plate 25 is provided. Regardless, high operability can be maintained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the stepping plate 25 is provided on the carry handle 22. However, the stepping plate 25 may be provided on another part of the outboard motor body 6, for example, the swivel bracket 7 or the guide exhaust 9. it can. Further, the position in the left-right direction of the stepping plate 25 is not limited to the center in the left-right direction as shown in this embodiment, and is a position deviated to the steering handle 24 side (left side) or right side from the center in the left-right direction. It may be.

1 is a side view showing an embodiment of an outboard motor 1 according to the present invention. It is a top view of a carry handle and a stepping plate. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Outboard motor, 4 ... Clamp bracket, 5 ... Tilt shaft, 6 ... Outboard motor main body, 21 ... Steering bracket, 22 ... Carry handle, 25 ... Stepping plate, 41 ... Support shaft, 44 ... Torsion spring

Claims (4)

In an outboard motor comprising a clamp bracket attached to the hull and an outboard motor main body connected to the clamp bracket via a tilt shaft so as to be swingable in the vertical direction.
An outboard motor comprising a stepping member in front of and above the tilt axis in the outboard motor body. The outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein a steering handle formed in a rod shape is provided at one of the front end portion of the outboard motor main body in the left-right direction,
The outboard motor, wherein the stepping member is positioned on the other side in the left-right direction with respect to the steering handle.   2. The outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein the stepping member is provided on a carry handle that protrudes forward from a front end portion of the outboard motor main body. The outboard motor according to claim 3, wherein the stepping member is attached to the carry handle so as to be rotatable between a use position extending forward from the carry handle and a storage position extending upward from the carry handle.
An outboard motor characterized in that a spring member for urging the stepping member toward the storage position is disposed between the stepping member and the carry handle.

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