JP6011436B2 - Tilt-up assist structure for outboard motors - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tilt-up auxiliary structure for an outboard motor. In particular, it is suitable for use when the ship operator tilts up the outboard motor body.

  In an outboard motor, when the hull is moored, the outboard motor body may be tilted up from the water. Many small outboard motors do not have a power assist mechanism for tilting up. Therefore, the ship operator must raise the outboard motor body to tilt up. Normally, the outboard motor body is attached to the hull's tail plate, so when tilting up the outboard motor body, it is difficult for the operator to fully exert the lifting force to get out of the hull. It is.

  Therefore, in an outboard motor equipped with a steering handle, it is conceivable that the ship operator tilts up the outboard motor main body by pushing down the steering handle using the lever principle. However, since the steering handle extends to the front side of the hull, when the operator pushes the steering handle down, the tip of the steering handle comes into contact with the hull, and the outboard motor body can be tilted up to a sufficient angle. I can't.

  With respect to such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a tilt-up device installed at the outboard motor top. This tilt-up device has an operation arm and a tilt arm that can be tilted on a movable base, and tilts up the outboard motor body about the horizontal axis of the movable base using the principle of lever.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a tilt device for an outboard motor having a tilt lock member that is held in a tilted-up state when the outboard motor body is tilted up. In this tilting device, the outboard motor main body is tilted up by applying a force that causes the operator to tilt the steering handle upward from the state in which the steering handle is rotated upward, and the outboard motor main body that has been tilted up is locked to the lock lever and lock pin. It is held by.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-22198 JP 60-197491 A

  However, the tilt-up device of Patent Document 1 not only impairs the appearance but also damages the cover of the outboard motor top part because the fulcrum of the insulator is located in the outboard motor top part where strength is not originally considered. There is a fear. Further, since the tilt-up device itself needs to be strong, there is a possibility that the weight of the outboard motor body increases or becomes large.

  Further, in the tilt device of Patent Document 2, it is necessary to pull up from the propulsion state propelled by the outboard motor main body to the tilt-up state in one operation. In other words, if it cannot be lifted by a single operation, the propulsion state is restored due to the weight of the outboard motor main body, and it is necessary to tilt up again. In addition, the steering handle can be tilted forward from a state in which the steering handle is turned upward to assist tilting up. Therefore, there is a problem that tilt-up is not easy.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to make it possible to easily tilt up the outboard motor body.

  The present invention relates to a clamp bracket fixed to a hull, a swivel bracket provided on the clamp bracket so as to be rotatable about a tilt axis, and an outboard motor provided on the swivel bracket so as to be rotatable about a swivel axis. In an outboard motor having a main body and a handle portion coupled to the outboard motor main body, within a rotation range from a propulsion position of the outboard motor main body around the tilt axis to a tilt completion position, A tilt-up support portion for supporting the outboard motor main body in stages; the handle portion; a handle bracket coupled to a front portion of the outboard motor main body; and an extension extending forward to the handle bracket. A steering handle provided so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis from an extended position to a folded position, and an extended position of the steering handle about the horizontal axis Within the range of rotation of up al collapsed position, and having a handle regulating portion for stepwise restricting the rotation of the lower side of the steering wheel.

  According to the present invention, the outboard motor main body can be tilted up easily.

It is a side view which shows the structure of an outboard motor. It is sectional drawing which shows the periphery of the clamp part of an outboard motor. It is sectional drawing which shows the periphery of the clamp part of an outboard motor. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the outboard motor main body is tilted up. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a handle part. It is a side view which shows the structure of a handle control part. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a handle control part. It is sectional drawing of a handle part. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a handle control part. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a handle control part. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a handle control part. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a handle control part. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a cancellation | release member. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a cancellation | release member. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of a cancellation | release member. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the tilt-up operation of the outboard motor main body. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the tilt-up operation of the outboard motor main body. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the tilt-up operation of the outboard motor main body. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the tilt-up operation of the outboard motor main body.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the front side of the outboard motor 1 (the forward direction of the hull 2 on which the outboard motor 1 is mounted) is indicated by an arrow Fr as necessary, and the rear side of the outboard motor 1 (outboard motor 1). The reverse direction of the hull in which the vehicle is mounted is indicated by an arrow Rr, the right side of the outboard motor 1 is indicated by an arrow R, and the left side of the outboard motor 1 is indicated by an arrow L.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of the outboard motor.
The outboard motor 1 includes an outboard motor main body 10, a clamp portion 30, and a handle portion 50.

The outboard motor main body 10 includes a power unit 11, a mid unit 14, and a propulsion unit 18.
The power unit 11 is configured by covering an engine (an outboard motor internal combustion engine) 12 as a drive source with an engine cover 13. The engine 12 is a vertical type in which a crankshaft is arranged in the vertical direction.

  The mid unit 14 is configured such that a drive shaft 15 connected to a crankshaft is arranged in the vertical direction, and the drive shaft 15 is covered with a drive shaft housing 16. Further, the mid unit 14 has a bracket 17 for connecting the clamp part 30 and the handle part 50. The bracket 17 includes an upper steering bracket 17a and a lower steering bracket 17b that are spaced apart in the vertical direction at the front portion of the mid unit 14. The upper steering bracket 17a and the lower steering bracket 17b are formed so as to extend from the front portion of the mid unit 14 toward the hull 2 side. Further, the upper steering bracket 17a is further extended toward the upper front oblique side, and the handle portion 50 is coupled to the tip.

The propulsion unit 18 includes a bevel gear 19 that is rotated by a drive shaft 15, a propeller shaft 20, a propeller 21, and the like. The bevel gear 19 and the propeller shaft 20 are accommodated in a gear case 22.
In the outboard motor body 10 configured as described above, the propeller 21 is rotated via the crankshaft, the drive shaft 15, the bevel gear 19, and the propeller shaft 20 by the output from the engine 12. As the propeller 21 rotates, the hull 2 to which the outboard motor 1 is attached is propelled forward or rearward.

The clamp unit 30 fixes the outboard motor body 10 to the rear plate 3 at the rear of the hull 2. The clamp unit 30 includes a clamp bracket 31, a swivel bracket 32, a clamp bracket shaft 33, and a pilot shaft 34.
The clamp bracket 31 is configured as a pair separated from each other on the left and right sides, and each clamp bracket 31 is fixed to the rear plate 3 by sandwiching the rear plate 3 from the front and rear.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the clamp unit 30 cut along the front-rear direction so that the outboard motor 1 passes through the center in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the swivel bracket 32 is integrally formed with a rotating portion 32 a disposed between a pair of clamp brackets 31 and a cylindrical support portion 32 b along the vertical direction.
The rotating portion 32a is pivotally supported so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction (tilt direction) via a clamp bracket shaft 33 installed in the horizontal direction between the pair of clamp brackets 31. The marine vessel operator can perform so-called tilt-up in which the outboard motor body 10, that is, the propulsion unit 18 is lifted from the water around the tilt axis T that is the axis of the clamp bracket shaft 33. In this embodiment, the outboard motor main body 10 is in a substantially vertical state and the propulsion unit 18 can propel the hull 2 from the propulsion position. It is possible to rotate between the tilt completion position exposed to the position.

  A hollow pilot shaft 34 is pivotally supported on the support portion 32b so as to be rotatable about the swivel shaft S in the support portion 32b. The pilot shaft 34 has an upper side coupled to the upper steering bracket 17a and a lower side coupled to the lower steering bracket 17b. Therefore, the marine vessel operator turns the steering handle 52, which will be described later, in the horizontal direction so that the outboard motor body 10 turns around the swivel axis S via the pilot shaft 34 in the support portion 32b of the swivel bracket 32. .

In the present embodiment, the clamp portion 30 includes a tilt-up support portion 35 as a tilt-up assist structure that assists the operator to tilt up the outboard motor body 10. Here, the tilt-up support part 35 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the tilt completion position of the outboard motor main body 10 from the state shown in FIG.
The tilt-up support part 35 supports the outboard motor main body 10 that attempts to return to the propulsion position by its own weight within a rotation range from the propulsion position of the outboard motor main body 10 to the tilt completion position. The tilt-up support part 35 of the present embodiment is a part of the clamp part 30 and is disposed between the clamp bracket 31 and the swivel bracket 32.

The tilt-up support portion 35 includes an engagement pin 36 as an engagement portion provided on the swivel bracket 32 side and an engaged portion as an engagement portion provided on the clamp bracket 31 side and engaged with the engagement pin 36. And a groove 45.
The engagement pins 36 are formed to bend to the outer sides of the outboard motor 1 on the tip side of the pair of left and right support arms 37 (37a, 37b). The support arm 37 (37a, 37b) is pivotally supported via a support shaft 38 (38a, 38b) at a position close to the support portion 32b in the rotation portion 32a of the swivel bracket 32. Therefore, when the outboard motor main body 10 is tilted up, the support arm 37, that is, the engagement pin 36 is similarly raised in accordance with the upward rotation of the swivel bracket 32. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, since the lower portions of the support arms 37a and 37b are connected by the connection shaft 39, the support arms 37a and 37b always operate synchronously with the support shafts 38a and 38b as the center.

A swing arm 40 is formed at one end of the support shaft 38a. A tension spring 41 as a biasing member is installed between the swing arm 40 and the connecting shaft 39. In FIG. 2, since the swing arm 40 extends rearward from the axis of the support shaft 38 a, the engagement pin 36 is urged rearward by the tension spring 41.
An operation lever 42 is formed at the other end of the support shaft 38a. In FIG. 2, the operation lever 42 extends from the end of the support shaft 38a toward the rear side. The operator can rotate the operation lever 42 in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. When the operation lever 42 is rotated, the swing arm 40 is also rotated in the same direction via the support shaft 38a. At this time, when the swing arm 40 rotates in the direction of arrow A beyond the vertical line passing through the support shaft 38a, the swing arm 40 extends from the axial center of the support shaft 38a toward the front side. The pin 36 is urged toward the front side by the tension spring 41.

On the other hand, the engaged groove 45 is formed in a groove shape on the front side surface in the concave portion 47 in the concave portion 47 formed on the inner side surface 46 where the pair of clamp brackets 31 face each other. In the present embodiment, a plurality of engaged grooves 45 (45a, 45b, 45c) are formed apart from each other in the vertical direction.
The engaged groove 45a supports the outboard motor main body 10 at the tilt completion position when the engagement pin 36 is engaged. FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the engagement pin 36 is engaged with the engaged groove 45a. As shown in FIG. 4, the outboard motor main body 10 is supported at the tilt completion position by the support arm 37 via the engagement pin 36 engaged with the engaged groove 45a.
Further, the engaged grooves 45b and 45c support the outboard motor main body 10 in the middle of rotating from the propulsion position to the tilt completion position when the engagement pin 36 is engaged.

  Further, a guide portion 48 is formed below the engaged grooves 45 (45a, 45b, 45c) so as to be continuous with the engaged grooves 45. Each guide part 48 has a guide surface along the rear oblique upper side. When the engagement pin 36 is lifted in response to the tilt-up of the outboard motor main body 10 when the engagement pin 36 is urged forward by the tension spring 41, each guide portion 48 moves the engagement pin 36 to the guide surface. Are guided to the respective engaged grooves 45 on the upper side.

  As described above, the tilt-up support portion 35 allows the outboard motor body 10 that is going to return to the propulsion position by its own weight within the rotation range from the propulsion position to the tilt completion position by the engaged groove 45b or the engaged groove 45c. It can be supported in stages. Therefore, the operator can perform the tilt up step by step without tilting up from the propulsion position to the tilt completion position at a time.

Next, the configuration of the handle portion 50 of the outboard motor 1 will be described.
The handle 50 is steered by the operator when it is desired to turn the hull 2. The handle portion 50 includes a handle bracket 51 and a steering handle 52.
The handle bracket 51 is coupled to the tip of the upper steering bracket 17a that extends to the front side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the handle portion 50 as viewed obliquely from above. The handle bracket 51 includes a right handle bracket 51a and a left handle bracket 51b. The steering handle 52 is attached to the handle bracket 51 by the right handle bracket 51a and the left handle bracket 51b sandwiching the base end portion 53 of the steering handle 52 from the left and right.

  The steering handle 52 is rotatable up and down around the horizontal axis H when a turning portion 54 (see FIG. 6A described later) formed on the side surface of the base end portion 53 is fitted with the handle bracket 51. It is pivotally supported. Here, the steering handle 52 has its tip substantially upward (more specifically, obliquely upward rearward) from the extended position in a substantially horizontal state where the tip extends forward, with the outboard motor body 10 in the propulsion position. It is possible to rotate between the folding position where it is bent toward the front. Here, the folding position refers to a limit position where the steering handle 52 is folded with respect to the handle bracket 51. Further, at the extended position of the steering handle 52, the base end portion 53 and the right handle bracket 51a come into contact with each other, so that the downward rotation of the steering handle 52 is restricted. The steering handle 52 is provided with a throttle grip 55 at the tip. The marine vessel operator can instruct the engine 12 to increase or decrease the output by rotating the throttle grip 55 about the axis of the steering handle 52.

In the present embodiment, the handle portion 50 includes a handle restricting portion 60 that restricts the rotation of the steering handle 52 as a tilt-up assist structure that assists the operator to tilt up the outboard motor body 10. The handle restricting portion 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 9C.
6A and 6B are a side view and a perspective view showing the vicinity of the base end portion 53 of the steering handle 52. FIG. 6A and 6B show a state in which the left handle bracket 51b is removed. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II shown in FIG.
The handle restricting portion 60 restricts the downward rotation of the steering handle 52 in a stepwise manner within the rotation range from the extended position of the steering handle 52 to the folded position. The handle restricting portion 60 is configured to restrict the downward turning of the steering handle 52 and to allow the upward turning. The handle restricting portion 60 of the present embodiment is a part of the handle portion 50 and is disposed between the handle bracket 51 and the steering handle 52.

The handle restricting portion 60 has a ratchet pawl 61 as an engaging portion provided on the handle bracket 51 side, and a ratchet cam 71 as an engaged portion provided on the steering handle 52 side.
The ratchet pawl 61 is a part of the release member 62 and is formed to protrude toward the ratchet cam 71. As shown in FIG. 7, the release member 62 is pivotally supported by a support bolt 63 that passes through the left handle bracket 51b in the horizontal direction and is fastened to the right handle bracket 51a. The release member 62 is always urged in one rotation direction (the B direction shown in FIG. 6A) around the support bolt 63 by a torsion spring 64 as a first urging member. Further, the release member 62 abuts against the abutment surface 65 of the handle bracket 51, whereby the urging force by the torsion spring 64 is restricted. On the other hand, when a force is applied to the release member 62 in the other rotation direction (direction C shown in FIG. 6A), the ratchet pawl 61 is moved together with the release member 62 against the bias of the torsion spring 64. It rotates (B direction shown in FIG. 6A).
One end of the torsion spring 64 is in contact with the release member 62, the other end is in contact with the right handle bracket 51 a, and is pivotally supported by the support bolt 63.

On the other hand, the ratchet cam 71 is formed on the side surface of the base end portion 53 of the steering handle 52 and projecting in the radial direction from the outer periphery of a circular portion 72 formed around the horizontal axis H. In the present embodiment, a plurality of ratchet cams 71a, 71b, 71c are formed apart from each other along the outer periphery of the circular portion 72. The ratchet pawl 61 is engaged with each ratchet cam 71 by rotating the steering handle 52 from the extended position to the folded position.
The ratchet cam 71a engages with the ratchet pawl 61 to restrict the steering handle 52 in the folded position from rotating downward.
In addition, the ratchet cams 71b and 71c restrict the turning of the steering handle 52 in the middle of turning from the extended position to the folded position when the ratchet pawl 61 is engaged. On the other hand, the ratchet cams 71b and 71c allow the steering handle 52 to rotate upward.

  Each ratchet cam 71 (71 a, 71 b, 71 c) has an engagement surface 73 that engages with the ratchet pawl 61 and a guide surface 74 that guides the ratchet pawl 61 to get over the ratchet cam 71. The engagement surface 73 is formed in a direction orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface of the circular portion 72, in other words, in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal axis H. On the other hand, the guide surface 74 is formed gently and continuously from the outer periphery of the circular portion 72.

Here, the operation of restricting the downward rotation of the handle bracket 51 by the ratchet pawl 61 and the ratchet cam 71 and allowing the upward rotation will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 8A to 8D. .
FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a state in which the steering handle 52 is in the extended position. In FIG. 6A, the rotation of the steering handle 52 to the lower side is restricted by the base end portion 53 and the right handle bracket 51a coming into contact with each other.

FIG. 8A is a view showing a state in which the steering handle 52 is turned upward about the horizontal axis H. FIG. When the steering handle 52 is rotated as shown in FIG. 8A, the ratchet cam 71c and the ratchet pawl 61 come into contact with each other.
FIG. 8B is a diagram illustrating a state in which the steering handle 52 is further rotated from FIG. 8A. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the ratchet cam 71 c rotates according to the rotation of the steering handle 52, the ratchet pawl 61 is pressed downward by the guide surface 74. Therefore, when a force in the other rotation direction is applied to the release member 62, the ratchet pawl 61 rotates in the other rotation direction against the bias of the torsion spring 64 (C shown in FIG. 8B). direction). At this time, the ratchet pawl 61 is guided by the guide surface 74 according to the rotation of the ratchet cam 71c.

  FIG. 8C is a diagram showing a state in which the steering handle 52 is further rotated from FIG. 8B. As shown in FIG. 8C, when the ratchet cam 71c rotates according to the rotation of the steering handle 52, the ratchet pawl 61 gets over the ratchet cam 71c. At this time, when the ratchet pawl 61 is released from being pressed by the ratchet cam 71c, the torsion spring 64 rotates the release member 62 in one rotation direction (direction B shown in FIG. 8C). Note that the release member 62 is in contact with the contact surface 65 of the handle bracket 51, so that the rotation by the torsion spring 64 is restricted.

  FIG. 8D is a diagram illustrating a state in which the steering handle 52 is rotated downward from FIG. 8C. As shown in FIG. 8D, the engagement surface 73 of the ratchet cam 71c and the ratchet pawl 61 are engaged with each other according to the lower rotation of the steering handle 52. At this time, the ratchet cam 71 c presses the ratchet pawl 61, that is, the release member 62 in one rotational direction by the downward rotation of the steering handle 52, but the release member 62 contacts the contact surface 65 of the handle bracket 51. It touches. Therefore, the steering handle 52 is restricted from turning downward via the release member 62.

  Here, only the operation of the ratchet cam 71c has been described, but the same applies to the ratchet cam 71b. As described above, the ratchet pawl 61 and the ratchet cams 71b and 71c of the handle restricting portion 60 are configured by a so-called ratchet mechanism that restricts the downward rotation of the steering handle 52 and allows the upward rotation. Yes.

The handle portion 50 also has a release mechanism for releasing the action of the ratchet mechanism by the handle restricting portion 60. The release mechanism includes a release member 62 and a space 66 of the handle bracket 51.
Specifically, the release member 62 is slidable along the axial direction of the support bolt 63. As shown in FIG. 7, a space 66 that can accommodate the release member 62 is formed at a position facing the release member 62 in the left handle bracket 51b. The space 66 is formed so that the accommodated release member 62 can be slightly rotated in one rotation direction (the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 6A). As shown in FIGS. 6B and 7, the release member 62 is always urged in a direction away from the space 66 by a compression spring 67 as a second urging member. Further, the release member 62 is formed to bend toward the left handle bracket 51b side after a lever portion 68 for operating the release member 62 by the boat operator protrudes upward.
The compression spring 67 is pivotally supported by the support bolt 63 between the left handle bracket 51 b and the release member 62.

Here, an operation for releasing the action of the ratchet mechanism by the handle restricting portion 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C. 9A to 9C are plan views showing the configuration of the release member 62 and the periphery of the release member 62.
FIG. 9A shows a state before the action of the ratchet mechanism is released. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 9A, the ratchet pawl 61 and the ratchet cam 71 face each other and overlap each other when viewed in the front-rear direction. Is an acceptable state.

  FIG. 9B is a diagram showing a state where the operator has pressed the release member 62 against the compression spring 67 against the space 66 via the lever portion 68. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the release member 62 is pressed, the release member 62 moves to the space 66. At this time, the ratchet pawl 61 of the release member 62 also moves to the space 66, and therefore the ratchet pawl 61 and the ratchet cam 71 do not overlap with each other when viewed in the front-rear direction, so the ratchet pawl 61 engages with the ratchet cam 71. There is nothing. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 9B, the restriction by the handle restricting portion 60 can be released.

  FIG. 9C is a diagram illustrating a state in which the release member 62 is rotated in one rotation direction from FIG. 9B. That is, the release member 62 accommodated in the space 66 is released from contact with the contact surface 65. In the space 66, as described above, the release member 62 can be slightly rotated in one rotation direction. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 9C, the release member 62 is rotated in the space 66 to one side by the torsion spring 64. At this time, a portion of the release member 62 that is close to the lever portion 68 is positioned between the right handle bracket 51a and the left handle bracket 51b. Therefore, even if the release member 62 is urged in the direction away from the space 66 by the compression spring 67, the release member 62 is held in contact with the right handle bracket 51a, so that the release of the restriction by the handle restricting portion 60 is maintained. Can do. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 9C, the boat operator can freely rotate the steering handle 52 from the extended position to the folded position. Thus, in the handle portion 50, the release member 62, the space 66, the torsion spring 64, and the compression spring 67 constitute a holding mechanism that holds the release of the restriction by the handle restriction portion 60.

  When it is desired to restrict the steering handle 52 again by the handle restricting portion 60, the ship operator turns the lever portion 68 in the other turning direction against the torsion spring 64 from the state shown in FIG. 9C. The release member 62 is released from contact with the right handle bracket 51 a and is urged to a position where the ratchet pawl 61 and the ratchet cam 71 are engaged by the compression spring 67.

  An example of the tilt-up operation of the outboard motor 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 10A to 10D. First, before tilting up, the boat operator can operate the operation lever 42 to urge the engaging pin 36 toward the guide portion 48 by the tension spring 41 and support the outboard motor body 10 by the tilt-up support portion 35. To. Further, the boat operator operates the lever portion 68 of the release member 62 to move the ratchet pawl 61 to a position facing the ratchet cam 71 so that the steering handle 52 can be regulated by the handle regulating portion 60.

Next, the boat operator rotates the steering handle 52 upward from the extended position. As the ratchet pawl 61 of the release member 62 gets over the ratchet cam 71c in response to the upward rotation of the steering handle 52, the ratchet pawl 61 and the engagement surface 73 of the ratchet cam 71c are engaged with each other. The downward rotation is restricted.
FIG. 10A shows a state in which the steering handle 52 is rotated upward, and the steering control unit 60 restricts the downward rotation of the steering handle 52. In FIG. 10A, the downward rotation is restricted in the state where the steering handle 52 extends obliquely upward in the front direction.

Next, the boat operator pushes down the steering handle 52 downward. At this time, since the steering handle 52 extends obliquely upward toward the front, the operator can hang the weight of the operator in the vertical direction with respect to the steering handle 52, and can efficiently tilt the outboard motor body 10. Can be up. As the outboard motor main body 10 rotates, the engagement pin 36 of the tilt-up support part 35 rises along the guide part 48.
FIG. 10B shows a state in which the outboard motor main body 10 is tilted up by pushing down the steering handle 52 downward.

Next, before the tip of the steering handle 52 contacts the hull 2, the boat operator releases the force that pushes the steering handle 52 downward. At this time, although the outboard motor main body 10 attempts to return to the propulsion position by its own weight, the engagement pin 36 is guided by the guide portion 48 and engaged with the engaged groove 45b or the engaged groove 45c. Therefore, the tilt-up support part 35 supports the outboard motor main body 10 that attempts to return to the propulsion position by its own weight between the propulsion position and the tilt completion position.
In addition, the boat operator increases the amount of pushing down the steering handle 52, so that the engaging pin 36 passes through the engaged groove 45c and engages with the engaged groove 45b. That is, the engagement pin 36 is engaged with either the engaged groove 45c or the engaged groove 45b according to the amount of rotation of the outboard motor main body 10 by tilting up. Here, it is assumed that the engagement pin 36 is engaged with the engaged groove 45b.

Next, the boat operator turns the steering handle 52 further upward. At this time, when the ratchet pawl 61 of the release member 62 gets over the ratchet cam 71b in response to the upward rotation of the steering handle 52, the ratchet pawl 61 and the engagement surface 73 of the ratchet cam 71b are engaged, and the steering The downward rotation of the handle 52 is restricted.
FIG. 10C shows a state in which the steering handle 52 is rotated upward and the steering restricting portion 60 restricts the downward rotation of the steering handle 52. In FIG. 10C, the downward rotation is restricted in a state where the steering handle 52 extends obliquely forward and upward.

  Next, the boat operator pushes down the steering handle 52 downward. At this time, since the steering handle 52 extends obliquely upward toward the front, the operator can hang the weight of the operator in the vertical direction with respect to the steering handle 52, and can efficiently tilt the outboard motor body 10. Can be up. As the outboard motor main body 10 rotates, the engagement pin 36 of the tilt-up support part 35 rises along the guide part 48.

  Next, before the tip of the steering handle 52 contacts the hull 2, the boat operator releases the force that pushes the steering handle 52 downward. At this time, although the outboard motor main body 10 tries to return to the propulsion position by its own weight, the engagement pin 36 is guided by the guide portion 48 and engaged with the engaged groove 45a. Therefore, the tilt-up support part 35 can support the outboard motor main body 10 at the tilt completion position.

  The tilt-up operation is not limited to the above-described case. From the beginning, the boat operator holds the steering handle 52 until the ratchet pawl 61 of the release member 62 exceeds the ratchet cam 71c and gets over the ratchet cam 71b or the ratchet cam 71a. It may be rotated upward. In this case, compared with the case where the ratchet pawl 61 of the release member 62 is engaged with the ratchet cam 71c, the steering handle 52 is extended in a substantially vertical direction and requires a force to push down, but the steering handle 52 is again pushed. The operation of turning upward can be omitted. That is, the marine vessel operator can freely change the angle at which the steering handle 52 is extended in accordance with the force that pushes down the steering handle 52 or the weight of the outboard motor body 10.

  On the other hand, when the outboard motor main body 10 is to be tilted down, the boat operator slightly rotates the outboard motor main body 10 in the direction of tilting up from the tilt completion position to engage the engagement pin 36 of the tilt up support portion 35. And the engaged groove 45 are separated from each other. In a state where the engagement pin 36 and the engaged groove 45 are separated from each other, the operator operates the operation lever 42 to separate the engagement pin 36 from the engaged groove 45, so that The outboard motor main body 10 can be tilted down to the propulsion position by its own weight without being engaged with the engaged groove 45a.

As described above, the outboard motor 1 of the present embodiment has the tilt-up support portion 35 that supports the outboard motor body 10 stepwise within the rotation range from the propulsion position of the outboard motor body 10 to the tilt completion position. doing. Therefore, it is not necessary to tilt up the outboard motor main body 10 from the propulsion position to the tilt completion position at a time, and the outboard motor body 10 can be tilted up in stages, so that the operator can easily perform the tilt up.
Further, the outboard motor 1 of the present embodiment has a handle restricting portion 60 that restricts the downward rotation of the steering handle 52 in a stepwise manner within a turning range from the extended position of the steering handle 52 to the folded position. Have. Accordingly, the boat operator can regulate the downward rotation of the outboard motor main body 10 that is supported stepwise by the tilt-up support portion 35 at a position where the boat operator can easily push down the steering handle 52. Can be easily tilted up.

Further, since the handle restricting portion 60 has a ratchet mechanism that allows the steering handle 52 to rotate upward, the steering handle 52 is rotated upward when the outboard motor body 10 is tilted up stepwise. By simply doing this, the angle in the direction in which the steering handle 52 extends can be easily changed.
Further, since the handle restricting portion 60 has a release member 62 for releasing the engagement between the ratchet cam 71 and the ratchet pawl 61, the ratchet cam 71 and the ratchet pawl 61 can be used when the outboard motor body 10 is not tilted up. Can be released.
In addition, since it has a holding mechanism that holds the release of the engagement between the ratchet cam 71 and the ratchet pawl 61 by the release member 62, the ratchet cam 71 and the ratchet pawl 61 can be moved when the outboard motor body 10 is not tilted up. Disengagement can be maintained.

  Moreover, in the tilt-up assist structure of this embodiment, since the handle restricting portion 60 is added to the existing handle portion 50, the appearance is not impaired. Further, since the handle restricting portion 60 is configured as the handle portion 50 having strength, it is not necessary to reinforce the strength of the tilt-up assist structure, and the increase in weight can be minimized.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by embodiment mentioned above, this invention is not limited only to embodiment mentioned above, A change etc. are possible within the scope of the present invention.
In the embodiment described above, in order to support the outboard motor main body 10 stepwise within the rotation range from the propulsion position of the outboard motor main body 10 to the tilt completion position, the tilt-up support portion 35 has a plurality of engaged portions. The case where the grooves 45b and 45c are provided has been described. That is, the tilt-up support portion 35 has been described with respect to the case where the outboard motor main body 10 is supported in two stages by the engaged grooves 45b and 45c, but is not limited to this case. For example, the outboard motor body 10 may be supported in a plurality of stages including three or more stages by further increasing the engaged grooves 45, and only one stage is provided by configuring the engaged grooves 45b and 45c. It may be supported by.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, in order to restrict the downward rotation of the steering handle 52 in a stepwise manner within the rotation range from the extended position of the steering handle 52 to the folded position, the handle restricting portion 60 is provided. The case where the plurality of ratchet cams 71b and 71c are provided has been described. That is, although the handle restricting unit 60 has been described with respect to the case where the steering handle 52 is restricted from rotating downward in two stages by the ratchet cams 71b and 71c, this is not a limitation. For example, by increasing the number of ratchet cams 71, it may be regulated in a plurality of stages of three or more stages, or by only one ratchet cam 71b, 71c, it may be regulated in only one stage.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the handle restricting unit 60 is configured by a ratchet mechanism has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this case. For example, by inserting a locking pin between the steering handle 52 and the handle bracket 51 within a rotation range from the extended position of the steering handle 52 to the folded position, the steering handle 52 can be rotated downward. The movement may be regulated in stages.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the ratchet cam 71a is engaged with the ratchet pawl 61 to restrict the steering handle 52 in the folding position from being rotated downward has been described. I can't. In a state where the ratchet cam 71a and the ratchet pawl 61 are engaged, the steering handle 52 may be in a state just before reaching the folding position. In this case, the ratchet cam 71a is also the same as the ratchet cams 71b and 71c. Further, a part of the ratchet mechanism that restricts the downward rotation of the steering handle 52 and allows the upward rotation is configured.

  1: Outboard motor 10: Outboard motor main body 11: Power unit 14: Mid unit 18: Propulsion unit 30: Clamp part 31: Clamp bracket 32: Swivel bracket 35: Tilt-up support part 36: Engagement pin (engagement part) 45: Engagement groove (engaged part) 48: Guide part 50: Handle part 51: Handle bracket 52: Steering handle 55: Throttle grip 60: Handle restricting part 61: Ratchet claw (engaging part) 62: Release member 64: Torsion spring (first urging member) 66: Space 67: Compression spring (second urging member) 68: Lever portion 71: Ratchet cam (engaged portion) 72: Circular portion

Claims (5)

A clamp bracket fixed to the hull,
A swivel bracket provided on the clamp bracket so as to be rotatable about a tilt axis;
An outboard motor body provided on the swivel bracket so as to be rotatable about a swivel shaft;
An outboard motor having a handle portion coupled to the outboard motor main body,
A tilt-up support part that supports the outboard motor body stepwise within a rotation range from the propulsion position of the outboard motor body around the tilt axis to the tilt completion position;
The handle portion is
A handle bracket coupled to a front portion of the outboard motor body;
A steering handle provided to be rotatable about a horizontal axis from an extended position extending to the front side of the handle bracket to a folded position;
A steering wheel restricting portion for stepwise restricting the downward rotation of the steering wheel within a rotation range from the extending position of the steering wheel to the folding position about the horizontal axis. Tilt-up assist structure for outboard motors. The handle restricting portion is
2. The outboard motor tilt-up assist structure according to claim 1, further comprising a ratchet mechanism that allows the steering handle to pivot upward while restricting pivoting downward. 3. The handle restricting portion is
A plurality of ratchet cams protruding radially from the outer periphery of the circular portion formed at the base end portion of the steering handle, and spaced apart along the outer periphery;
The outboard motor tilt-up assist structure according to claim 2, further comprising a ratchet pawl provided on the handle bracket and engaging with any of the plurality of ratchet cams. The handle portion is
4. The outboard motor tilt-up assist structure according to claim 3, further comprising a release member that releases engagement between the ratchet cam and the ratchet pawl of the handle restricting portion. The handle portion is
The outboard motor tilt-up assist structure according to claim 4, further comprising a holding mechanism that holds the release of the engagement between the ratchet cam and the ratchet pawl by the release member.

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