JP2009012767A - Steering device of outboard motor, and outboard motor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device and an outboard motor in which a structure around a tilt shaft of a bracket in a ship is simplified, the complicated fitting work of the steering device is simplified, and a space around the bracket is increased. <P>SOLUTION: There are provided a swivel bracket 30 mounted on a stern plate of a ship, an outboard motor rotatably mounted on a swivel shaft 31 of the swivel bracket 30, and a driving means (an electric motor 16) which is provided on the outboard motor to turn the outboard motor around the swivel shaft. The outboard motor has an outboard motor body 35, and the driving means is provided inside a cowling 40 of the outboard motor body 35. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an outboard motor steering device and an outboard motor equipped with the steering device.

  The outboard motor steering device determines the propulsion direction of the ship by rotating the outboard motor provided on the stern plate of the hull to the left and right around the swivel shaft via a clamp bracket. A steering device using an electric motor has been proposed as a driving device for such an outboard motor steering device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The steering device described in Patent Document 1 changes the linear motion of the rack and pinion mechanism to the rotational motion via the link mechanism to rotate the swivel bracket, and steers the outboard motor main body by the rotation of the swivel bracket. In this steering apparatus, an electric motor is used as a drive source for pinion rotation of the rack and pinion mechanism. The electric motor and the rack and pinion mechanism are attached to a bracket that connects the outboard motor and the stern plate, and are provided inside the stern plate (inboard).

  However, the steering device disclosed in Patent Document 1 must be provided with bosses and stays for mounting on a bracket made up of a clamp bracket and a swivel bracket, which makes the structure complicated and increases the size of the bracket so that it can be attached to the hull. Is complicated. In addition, the steering device occupies a large space around the bracket in the ship in order to prevent interference with other members when attached to the bracket or when tilted up.

Japanese Patent No. 2959044

  The present invention takes the above-mentioned prior art into consideration, and simplifies the structure around the tilt axis of the bracket in the ship, simplifies the complicated mounting work of the steering device, and widens the space around the bracket. And to provide an outboard motor.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and includes a swivel bracket attached to a stern plate of a ship, an outboard motor rotatably attached to a swivel shaft of the swivel bracket, and the outboard An outboard motor steering device provided with a driving means for rotating the outboard motor about a swivel shaft, wherein the outboard motor has an outboard motor main body, It is provided inside the cowling of the outboard motor main body.

  An outboard motor steering apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the outboard motor steering apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the drive means has a rotary drive shaft, and an end portion of the rotary drive shaft is provided. A drive gear is provided, and a fixed gear that meshes with the drive gear is provided on the swivel shaft of the swivel bracket.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the outboard motor steering apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the driving means includes an electric actuator.
An outboard motor according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes the steering apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects.

  According to the present invention, the driving device for rotating the outboard motor around the swivel shaft is provided in the outboard motor itself outside the stern plate instead of the inboard bracket side, so that the steering device is disposed inside the stern plate. Not. Accordingly, there is no space occupied by the steering device in the ship. As a result, the space on the inside of the stern plate is substantially expanded and the structure around the tilt axis of the bracket is simplified.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the driving means is provided inside the cowling of the outboard motor body, the steering device is not disposed inside the stern plate. Accordingly, there is no space occupied by the steering device in the ship. As a result, the space on the ship is substantially expanded and the structure around the tilt axis of the bracket is simplified. Further, since the driving means is built in the outboard motor main body, the driving means itself is also covered by the cowling of the outboard motor main body, and the possibility of getting wet is reduced.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the fixed gear cooperating with the driving means is provided on the swivel shaft of the swivel bracket, the rotation of the outboard motor main body as the rotation target is achieved with a compact configuration. In addition, the number of parts is reduced as a steering device, which is advantageous in terms of cost and assembly.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the drive means has the electric actuator, so that the steering device can be made compact. The electric actuator is a drive device having an electric drive unit such as an electric motor or an electric hydraulic cylinder.

  FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of a small vessel provided with an outboard motor which is a reference of the present invention. A swivel bracket 4 is attached to a stern plate 2 of the hull 1 via a clamp bracket 3. The swivel bracket 4 includes a swivel shaft 5 extending in a direction perpendicular to the drawing, and an outboard motor 6 is attached to be rotatable around the swivel shaft 5 (steering shaft). The outboard motor 6 includes a steering bracket 7 that is rotatably mounted around the swivel shaft 5, and an outboard motor main body 8 that is fixed to one end of the steering bracket 7.

  On the hull 1 side, a handle 9 is provided at the driver's seat, a handle control unit 11 is provided at the base of the handle shaft 10, and a handle operation angle sensor 12 and an anti-torque motor 13 are provided therein. The handle control unit 11 is connected to a controller 15 on the outboard motor 6 side via a signal cable 14, and the controller 15 is connected to an electric motor 16 (FIG. 2) as drive means described later. The anti-torque motor 13 is used to give a handle feeling to the operator by applying a reaction force according to the external force received from the hull side to the handle when the handle 9 is rotated.

  FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate an outboard motor steering device 17 which is a reference of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the steering device, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

  The clamp bracket 3 includes a pair of clamp members 18 and 19 that are fitted to the stern plate 2 at a distance, and a tilt shaft 20 that connects the clamp members 18 and 19 to each other. The swivel bracket 4 is mounted so as to be rotatable with respect to the tilt shaft 20 by its hull side end. The swivel bracket 4 is formed so as to protrude toward the outboard motor main body 8, and the above-described swivel shaft 5 is further formed so as to protrude downward at the tip portion thereof. A hydraulic tilt cylinder (not shown) is mounted on the clamp bracket 3, and the outboard motor body 8 is rotated around the tilt shaft 20 together with the swivel bracket 4 to tilt up the outboard motor when necessary.

  According to this reference example, the swivel shaft 5 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the shaft portion 21 of the steering bracket 7 is rotatably inserted therein. The shaft portion 21 of the steering bracket 7 is also hollow like the swivel shaft 5, and the electric motor 16 is accommodated therein.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the steering bracket 7 is opened to the tilt shaft 20 side and is formed in a U-shaped cross section. The recess 22 decelerates the rotation of the electric motor 16 as one element of the driving means. A reduction gear 23 for rotating is attached rotatably. The reduction gear 23 includes a large-diameter gear portion 26 that meshes with a drive gear 25 fixed to the tip of the motor output shaft 24, and a small-diameter gear portion 28 that meshes with a fixed gear 27 fixed to the swivel bracket 4. .

  The fixed gear 27 is formed in an arc shape as shown in FIG. 2 with the shaft center O of the swivel shaft 5 and the motor output shaft 24 as the center, and the gear is provided only on the side facing the small diameter gear portion 28 of the reduction gear 23. It is configured as an arc-shaped rack gear.

  While the fixed gear 27 is fixed to the swivel bracket 4 side, the steering bracket 7 including the reduction gear 23 meshing with the fixed gear 27 is rotatable with respect to the swivel shaft 5 of the swivel bracket 4. Therefore, when the electric motor 16 is rotated by the motor drive signal from the controller 12 and the drive gear 25 at the end of the output shaft 24 is rotated, the reduction gear 23 is rotated accordingly. As a result, the small-diameter gear portion 28 of the reduction gear 23 moves while rotating on the fixed gear 27, whereby the steering bracket 7 and the shaft portion 21 rotate around the axis O described above.

  As described above, the steering bracket 7 fixes the outboard motor main body 8 at the opposite side of the reduction gear 23. Accordingly, the outboard motor main body 8 rotates around the steering shaft O by the rotation of the steering bracket 7 described above. Thereby, the hull 1 is steered.

  Thus, according to this reference example, since the electric motor 16 and the reduction gear 23 constituting the driving means are mounted on the swivel bracket 4 outside the stern plate 2, the steering device is attached to the inside of the stern plate 2. You don't need a complicated structure for. Therefore, the steering device 17 itself does not occupy the space on the inside of the ship around the tilt shaft 20, the space on the ship is widened, and there is no interference with other members in the hull 1. Further, this eliminates the need for a steering device mounting structure on the swivel bracket 4 and simplifies the structure of the swivel bracket 4. Since the electric motor 16 and the reduction gear 23 are unitized with the steering bracket 7, it is only necessary to engage the reduction gear 23 and the fixed gear 27 on the swivel bracket 4 side when attaching the outboard motor body 8. Will be greatly simplified. In addition, in terms of appearance, the electric motor 16 is also covered by the shaft portion 21 of the steering bracket 7, and the possibility of being wet is reduced. Of course, it goes without saying that space saving as drive means is achieved by incorporating a motor in the shaft portion 21.

  4 and 5 illustrate the outboard motor steering apparatus 29 according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the steering apparatus 29 and FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. In this embodiment, the same components as those constituting the steering device 17 of the previous reference example are given the same numbers.

  In this embodiment, the swivel bracket 30 is rotatably attached to the tilt shaft 20 of the clamp bracket 3 by its hull side end as in the above reference example. The swivel bracket 30 is formed so as to protrude to the outboard motor main body 8 side, and is bent downward in the middle thereof, as shown in FIG.

  Unlike the above-described reference example, the swivel shaft 31 of the swivel bracket 30 is formed as a solid body, and the outboard motor 32 is rotatably mounted around the swivel shaft 31. In this embodiment, the outboard motor 32 includes a steering bracket 33 and a support bracket 34 that are rotatably mounted around the swivel shaft 31, and an outboard motor main body 35 that is fixed to one end of these brackets 33 and 34. The

  Shaft portions 36 and 37 that rotatably support the steering bracket 33 and the support bracket 34 are provided above and below the swivel shaft 31 in the axial direction. Ball bearings 38 and 39 are interposed between the brackets 33 and 34 and the shaft portions 36 and 37 in order to smooth the rotation of the outboard motor main body 35 with respect to the swivel bracket 30.

  The shaft portion 36 located above the swivel shaft 31 passes through the cowling (engine cover) 40 of the outboard motor main body 35 and protrudes into the interior thereof, and a fixed gear 41 is fixed to the tip thereof. The fixed gear 41 is formed as a circular gear centered on the axis O of the swivel shaft 31.

  Unlike the reference example, the electric motor 16 is installed inside the cowling 40 of the outboard motor main body 35. 4 (plan view), the axis M of the motor output shaft 24 is parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the outboard motor main body 35, and the axis M extends in the tangential direction of the fixed gear 41 described above. The worm gear 42 (driving gear in the claims) provided at the tip of the motor output shaft 24 in this positional relationship is fixed to the base 43 of the cowling 40 so as to mesh with the fixed gear 41.

  While the fixed gear 41 is fixed to the swivel shaft 31, the outboard motor main body 35 to which the electric motor 16 having the worm gear 42 meshing with the fixed gear 41 is fixed has the swivel bracket 30 via the steering bracket 33 and the support bracket 34. The swivel shaft 31 can be rotated. Therefore, when the electric motor 16 is rotated by the motor drive signal from the controller 12, the worm gear 42 at the tip of the motor output shaft 24 moves in the circumferential direction on the outer periphery of the fixed gear 41. In the electric motor 16 indicated by a two-dot chain line and a solid line in FIG. 4, the electric motor 16 itself is displaced around the swivel shaft 31 by driving the motor, whereby the outboard motor main body 35 rotates around the axis O of the swivel shaft 31. It shows the moved state.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the steering device 29 itself is provided inside the cowling of the outboard motor main body 35, so that the inboard space is expanded and the space around the tilt shaft 20 is not occupied. There is no interference with other members. Further, since the electric motor 16 and the fixed gear 41 are housed in the outboard motor main body 35, not only these elements but also the meshing portions thereof are covered by the cowling 40 of the main body 35, and the possibility of being wet is reduced. . Further, since the fixed gear 41 is provided on the swivel shaft 31 of the swivel bracket 30, the number of parts is reduced as the steering device 29, which is advantageous in terms of cost and assembly.

  Further, since the electric motor 16 is built in the outboard motor main body 35, the worm gear 42 on the electric motor 16 side and the fixed gear 41 on the swivel bracket 30 side need only be engaged when the outboard motor main body 35 is mounted. The installation work is greatly simplified.

  The outboard motor steering apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the structure shown in the above embodiment. In connection with the above reference example, the electric motor 16 is built in the steering bracket 7 connected to the outboard motor main body 8, but the outboard motor main body 8 itself is equipped with an equivalent to the steering bracket 7. The electric motor 16 may be built in the outboard motor main body 8. In the above reference example, the reduction gear 23 is interposed between the electric motor 16 and the fixed gear 27 to reduce the motor rotation. However, if a motor capable of high torque and low speed rotation is used, the reduction gear need not be provided. .

  As an application example of the present invention, for example, the present invention can be effectively applied to a ship provided with an outboard motor in which a complicated mechanism and various members are arranged on the hull side around the tilt axis of a clamp bracket fixed to a stern plate.

1 is a plan view of a ship to which an outboard motor steering apparatus to which the present invention is applied is applied. 1 is a plan view of an outboard motor steering apparatus which is a reference of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a steering device for an outboard motor that is a reference of the present invention. 1 is a plan view of an outboard motor steering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a steering apparatus for an outboard motor as an embodiment according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1: hull, 2: stern board, 3: clamp bracket,
4: swivel bracket, 5: swivel shaft, 6: outboard motor,
7: Steering bracket, 8: Outboard motor body, 9: Handle,
10: Handle shaft, 11: Handle control unit,
12: Handle operation angle sensor, 13: Anti-torque motor,
14: Signal cable shaft, 15: Controller
16: Electric motor (drive means), 17: Steering device,
18: Clamp member, 19: Clamp member, 20: Tilt axis,
21: Shaft part, 22: Recessed part, 23: Reduction gear (drive means),
24: motor output shaft, 25: drive gear, 26: large diameter gear part,
27: fixed gear, 28: small diameter gear part, 29: steering device,
30: Swivel bracket, 31: Swivel shaft, 32: Outboard motor,
33: Steering bracket, 34: Support bracket,
35: Outboard motor main body, 36: Shaft portion, 37: Shaft portion,
38: Ball bearing, 39: Ball bearing,
40: Cowling, 41: Fixed gear, 42: Worm gear,
43: Base.

Claims (4)

A swivel bracket attached to the stern of the ship;
An outboard motor rotatably attached to the swivel shaft of the swivel bracket;
A steering device for an outboard motor provided on the outboard motor and having a driving means for rotating the outboard motor about a swivel shaft, the outboard motor having an outboard motor main body,
The outboard motor steering apparatus, wherein the driving means is provided inside a cowling of the outboard motor main body. The outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive means has a rotary drive shaft, and an end of the rotary drive shaft has a drive gear.
A steering apparatus for an outboard motor, wherein a fixed gear that meshes with the driving gear is provided on a swivel shaft of the swivel bracket.   3. The outboard motor steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving means includes an electric actuator.   An outboard motor comprising the steering device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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