JP2946530B2 - Outboard motor power steering system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a power steering apparatus for an outboard motor that assists power steering of the outboard motor.

(Prior Art) FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a conventional steering device for an outboard motor.

Steering wheel 2 installed in driver's seat of hull 1
Is operated by the operator, as shown in FIG. 7, the gear in the gear box 4 is rotated via the steering shaft 3, and the inner cable 6 of the steering cable 5 is operated by this gear. The steering cable 5 has an inner cable 6 housed in an outer cable 7, and the inner cable 5 is a push-pull cable. Further, the steering cable 5 extends from the gear box 4 to the rear of the hull 1 to which the outboard motor 8 is attached.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2 (the outboard motor main body is also the same as the conventional example), the outboard motor 8 includes an outboard motor main body 10 having a drive shaft housing 9 and the like. A swivel bracket 11 and a clamp bracket 12 are attached. The outboard motor main body 10 is horizontally rotatably supported by a swivel bracket 11 via a pilot shaft (not shown) fixed to the outboard motor main body 10. The swivel bracket 11 is vertically rotatably supported by the clamp bracket 12 via the clamp bracket shaft 13. The clamp bracket 12 grips the transom of the hull 1 so that the outboard motor body 10
Attached to.

The outer cable 7 of the steering cable 5 is
It is fixed to one end of the clamp bracket shaft 13. The clamp bracket shaft 13 has a hollow cylindrical shape, and the inner cable 6 extends through the clamp bracket shaft 13 to the opposite side. A link mechanism 14 is attached to the tip of the inner cable 6. This link mechanism 14
Is formed by connecting a substantially L-shaped drag link 15 and a steering bracket 16. Drag link
15 is fixed to the tip of the inner cable 6 of the steering cable 5, and the steering bracket 16 is fixed to the outboard motor main body 10. Accordingly, the outboard motor main body 10 is horizontally rotated via the pilot shaft by the movement of the inner cable 6 of the steering cable 5 via the link mechanism 14, and is steered.

However, in such a conventional steering device based only on the manual operation of the operator, the steering load during steering of the outboard motor depends on the navigation conditions of the hull 1, that is, the wind and waves, the hull speed, the trim angle of the outboard motor, and the like. , The steering may be difficult.

In view of this, a hydraulic power steering has conventionally been proposed to eliminate the weight of the steering. However, since this hydraulic power steering relies on the power of the outboard motor itself as a power source, it is necessary to replace the drive shaft and the like in the drive shaft housing 9 in order to attach it to an existing outboard motor. Installation becomes difficult.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, in the conventional outboard motor steering apparatus, it becomes difficult to steer the outboard motor depending on the navigation conditions of the hull. Further, in the conventional hydraulic power steering, the structure is complicated, and there is a possibility that attachment to an existing outboard motor becomes difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and accurately detects a steering load acting on a steering wheel to generate an appropriate assist force, and can easily ship with a small operation load under any navigation conditions. An object of the present invention is to provide a power steering device for an outboard motor that can steer an outer motor and has a simple structure.

[Configuration of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) A power steering device for an outboard motor according to the present invention comprises:
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, as described in claim 1, a clamp bracket is provided on the hull so as to be fixable, and a swivel bracket is supported by the clamp bracket so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction. In an outboard motor having a main body rotatably supported in a horizontal direction, a steering cable is operatively connected to a steering wheel installed on the hull via a steering gear, and the steering cable is connected to the boat via a link mechanism. The outboard motor body is horizontally rotated through the steering cable and the link mechanism by the steering load acting on the steering wheel and connected to the outer motor body to perform steering, and the swivel bracket includes a power steering device. A power assist device is installed and this -The steering device is mounted on a steering handle between the steering wheel and the steering gear, detects a steering load acting on the steering wheel, and is connected to the link mechanism to apply a force to the link mechanism. A power assist device, and a control unit that operates the power assist device based on a signal from the torque sensor. The power assist device comprises a motor, a reduction gear that connects a motor output side to a link mechanism, and a pinion. The power assist device has a rack extending in a width direction of the hull, and a shaft of the motor is also installed in a width direction of the hull.

(Operation) Therefore, according to the power steering apparatus for an outboard motor according to the present invention, the torque sensor detects the operation load transmitted from the steering wheel to the link mechanism, and the control unit operates based on the signal from the torque sensor. Activate the power assist device to apply assist force to the link mechanism. Then, the outboard motor body is rotated left and right in the horizontal direction via the link mechanism by this assist force, and is steered. Therefore, the outboard motor can be easily operated by applying a small operation load to the steering wheel under any navigation conditions.

Moreover, since the torque sensor is installed between the steering wheel and the steering cable, the steering load acting on the steering wheel can be accurately detected, and an appropriate assist force can be applied to the link mechanism.

In addition, the main part of the power steering device is attached to the outside of the swivel bracket and does not change the internal mechanism of the outboard motor main body.Since the structure is simple, it can be easily attached to the existing outboard motor be able to.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of FIG. 3 showing an embodiment of a power steering apparatus for an outboard motor according to the present invention. In this embodiment, the same parts as those in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

A power assist device 22 of a power steering device 21 is fixed by bolts 23 in front of the swivel bracket 11 of the outboard motor 20 (on the hull 1 side). The power steering device 21 further includes a torque sensor 24 and a control unit 25.

As shown in FIG. 4, the torque sensor 24 is interposed between a steering shaft upper element 27 and a steering shaft lower element 28 which are divided in the axial direction to form a steering shaft 26. The torque sensor 24 is preferably a torque detection mechanism such as a load cell. Therefore, when the operator operates the steering wheel 2 and the steering shaft upper element 27 is rotationally displaced with respect to the steering shaft lower element 28, the amount of this displacement is detected by the torque sensor 27 and converted into an electric signal (torque signal). Control unit 25
To the controller 23. Thus, the steering load acting on the steering wheel 2 is directly and accurately detected by the torque sensor 24.

Now, the power assist device 22 shown in FIG.
33, a pinion 34, and reduction gears 35, 36 connected to the pinion 34 are housed in a housing 37. In particular, both ends of the rack 33 are covered by a stretchable bellows case 43 fixed to the housing 37. The rack 33 extends horizontally in the width direction of the hull 1 and meshes with the pinion 34. The reduction gears 35 and 36 are bevel gears, and the reduction gear 36 is fixed to the shaft of the motor 38. The axis of the motor 38 is installed horizontally in the width direction of the hull 1.

An assist arm 39 is fixed to one end of the rack 33, and the assist arm 39 is attached to the drag link 15 of the link mechanism 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the mounting state is such that the assist arm 39 and the inner cable 6 are overlapped, the distal end of the drag link 15 penetrates the 39 and the inner cable 6, and the nut 41 is passed through the washer 40.
Fixed by. Accordingly, the pinion 34 rotates via the reduction gears 35 and 36 by the driving of the motor 38 in FIG. 1, the rack 33 moves linearly, and an assist force is applied to the drag link 15 via the assist arm 39.

Further, the control unit 25 includes the controller 32 and the driver 42 described above. The controller 32 receives the torque signal from the torque sensor 24, generates a signal for causing the power assist device 22 to generate an assist force according to the steering load, and outputs the signal to the driver 42. The driver 42 receives the signal, amplifies the signal to drive the motor 38, and outputs the signal to the motor 38 as a drive signal.

 Next, the operation will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the operator operates the steering wheel 2, the gear in the gear box 4 rotates, and the inner cable 6 of the steering cable 5 moves with respect to the outer cable 7. The movement of the inner cable 6 causes the drag link 15 and the steering bracket to move.
The outboard motor main body 10 rotates via 16.

At this time, the steering load acting on the steering wheel 2 is directly and accurately detected by the torque sensor 24 as a torque signal. The detected torque signal is output to the controller 32 of the control unit 25, converted into a signal for driving the power assist device 22, and output as a drive signal to the motor 38 of the power assist device 22 via the driver 42.

The motor 38 is driven by inputting the drive signal, linearly moves the rack 33 via the reduction gears 35 and 36 and the pinion 34, and applies an assist force to the drag link 15 via the assist arm 39. As a result, the outboard motor 20 can be easily steered with a small operation load regardless of the navigation conditions of the hull 1.

Moreover, since the torque sensor 24 is interposed between the steering shaft upper element 27 and the steering shaft lower element 28, the steering load acting on the steering wheel 2 can be directly and accurately detected. As a result, an appropriate assist force can be applied to the link mechanism 14 via the power assist device 22.

Further, the power assist device 21 has a simple structure, and the power assist device 22 is not attached to the outside of the swivel bracket 11 to change the internal mechanism of the outboard motor main body 10; Since it can be mounted simply by changing the individual, it can be easily mounted on the existing outboard motor.

Furthermore, the power assist device 22 has a swivel bracket.
Since it is attached to the outboard motor 11, it rotates in the vertical direction together with the swivel bracket 11 when the outboard motor body 10 is tilted up, is not affected by the tilt angle, and does not involve the steering cable or the like.

Further, since the rack 33, the pinion 34, and the reduction gears 35, 36 of the power assist device 22 are housed in the housing 37, the structure of the power assist device 22 becomes compact, and the device can be made small and lightweight.

Further, the outer cable 7 of the steering cable 5 is directly fixed to the clamp bracket 13, and these 7 and
Since no component relating to the torque sensor 24 is interposed between the components 13, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a steering disabled state due to the unexpected damage of the components relating to the torque sensor 24.

Further, since the torque sensor 24-related parts are not attached to the outer cable 7, the outboard motor main body 10 can be easily attached to and detached from the hull 1.

In the above embodiment, the torque sensor 24 is described as being interposed between the steering upper element and the lower elements 27 and 28 of the steering shaft 26. However, a similar torque sensor is installed in the gear box 4. You may.

〔The invention's effect〕

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the power steering apparatus of the outboard motor which concerns on this invention, a clamp bracket is fixedly provided in the hull, the swivel bracket is supported rotatably in a vertical direction by this clamp bracket, and the outboard motor main body is mounted on the said swivel bracket. In an outboard motor supported rotatably in the horizontal direction, a steering cable is operatively connected to a steering wheel installed on the hull via a steering gear, and the steering cable is connected to the outboard motor main body via a link mechanism. Power steering device for turning the outboard motor body horizontally via the steering cable and link mechanism by the steering load acting on the steering wheel for steering, and the swivel bracket to the power assist device of the power steering device. Is installed, this power The steering device is mounted on a steering handle between the steering wheel and the steering gear and detects a steering load acting on the steering wheel. The torque sensor is connected to the link mechanism to apply a force to the link mechanism. A power assist device; and a control unit that operates the power assist device based on a signal from the torque sensor. The power assist device includes a reduction gear and a pinion rack that connect a motor and a motor output side to a link mechanism. Since the rack of the power assist device extends in the width direction of the hull, the axis of the motor is also installed in the width direction of the hull, so that the torque sensor is integrated with the steering handle to simplify the structure. And a compact steering wheel. The steering assist system can accurately detect the steering load acting on the outboard motor and activate the power assist device to generate an appropriate assist force. Can steer.

In addition, the axis of the rack and motor of the power assist device are installed in the width direction of the hull, and this power assist device is installed on the swivel bracket of the outboard motor. The power assist device is provided on the swivel bracket and tilts integrally with the tilt of the outboard motor. Thus, the assisting operation of the outboard motor can be smoothly and smoothly performed without causing any angular displacement and without causing tilt interference with the outboard motor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of FIG. 3 showing an embodiment of a power steering apparatus for an outboard motor according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing an outboard motor to which the embodiment of FIG. 1 is applied, FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrow III in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the torque sensor of FIG. V section enlarged perspective view of FIG.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a conventional steering apparatus for an outboard motor, and FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a steering wheel and the like shown in FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hull 2 Steering wheel 5 Steering cable 6 Inner cable 7 Outer cable 10 Outboard motor main body 11 Swivel bracket 12 Clamp bracket 13 …… clamp bracket shaft, 14 …… link mechanism, 15 …… drag link, 16 …… steering bracket, 20 …… outboard motor,
21: Power steering device, 22: Power assist device, 24: Torque sensor, 25: Control unit, 26: Steering shaft, 32: Controller, 33: Rack, 34: Pinion, 35, 36 ... reduction gear, 39 ... assist arm, 42 ... driver.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An outboard having a clamp bracket fixedly mounted on a hull, a swivel bracket supported by the clamp bracket so as to be vertically rotatable, and an outboard motor body supported by the swivel bracket so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction. A steering cable is operatively connected to a steering wheel installed on the hull via a steering gear, and the steering cable is connected to the outboard motor body via a link mechanism and acts on the steering wheel. A power assist device of a power steering device is installed on the swivel bracket while the main body of the outboard motor is horizontally rotated by the steering load via the steering cable and the link mechanism for steering. The above steering wheel A torque sensor installed on a steering handle portion between the steering wheel and the steering gear to detect a steering load acting on a steering wheel; a power assist device coupled to the link mechanism for applying a force to the link mechanism; A control unit for operating the power assist device based on a signal from the torque sensor, the power assist device including a motor, a reduction gear and a pinion rack connecting the motor output side to a link mechanism, A power steering device for an outboard motor, wherein a rack of the assist device extends in a width direction of the hull, and an axis of a motor is also installed in a width direction of the hull.