JP7172508B2 - outboard steering gear - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering device for an outboard motor. In particular, it is suitable for use in a steering device that steers an outboard motor with an actuator.

2. Description of the Related Art A steering system using an actuator for facilitating steering of an outboard motor is conventionally known.
In the power steering device for an outboard motor disclosed in Patent Document 1, a power unit is arranged in front of a pair of left and right clamp brackets positioned outside a transom. When the motor of the power unit rotates, the rack reciprocates in the axial direction via a pin-on or the like, and the outboard motor is steered via the link mechanism, thereby reducing the steering load.

JP-A-3-595

However, in Patent Document 1, the motor box is arranged in parallel with the swivel shaft, so-called horizontal installation. interfere with. Therefore, there arises a problem in assembling the outboard motor to the transom via the clamp bracket.

Further, in a structure using an electric motor as an actuator, it is necessary to either increase the diameter of the electric motor or lengthen the total length of the electric motor in order to improve the driving force of the electric motor. However, in the power steering device of Patent Document 1, since the motor box is placed horizontally, if the size of the electric motor is changed in order to improve the driving force, the above-mentioned problem of ease of assembly will further increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and it is an object of the present invention to improve the ease of assembly when assembling an outboard motor to a transom by making the steering system compact.
Further, according to the present invention, the design change for improving the ease of assembly is based on the structure of the existing bracket device, thereby reducing the number of modified parts and reducing the cost related to the design change.

An outboard motor steering system according to the present invention has a steering shaft disposed on a swivel bracket that tilts and rotates with respect to a clamp bracket via a swivel shaft. An outboard motor steering device for steering an outboard motor, wherein the actuator includes a driving force providing portion that provides a driving force to the steering shaft, and the actuator is disposed on the clamp bracket and reciprocates in the same direction as the axis of the swivel shaft. a hydraulic cylinder that moves to rotate the steering shaft , wherein the driving force providing portion is disposed on the clamp bracket and fastens both sides of the clamp bracket in a side view of the outboard motor. The driving force providing unit further includes an electric motor and a hydraulic pump driven by the electric motor, and supplies hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pump. The steering device has a link arm, a pivot link and a fixed link connecting between a steering bracket coupled to the steering shaft and the hydraulic cylinder, the steering device being configured to feed the hydraulic cylinder. One end of the dynamic link and one end of the fixed link are rotatably connected on the axis of the swivel shaft, and one end of the rotatable link and one end of the fixed link are connected to the transom to which the clamp bracket is fastened. It is characterized by being positioned above .

According to the present invention, by constructing the steering device compactly, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly when the outboard motor is assembled to the transom.

Fig. 2 is a left side view showing the configuration of the outboard motor; It is the perspective view which looked at the bracket apparatus from the rear side and the left side. It is the perspective view which looked at the bracket apparatus from the front side and the right side. It is the plane sectional view which looked at the bracket apparatus from the upper side. It is the perspective view which looked at the bracket apparatus from the rear side and the left side which omitted the fastening part of the left side. It is a plane sectional view in the axis line Lc position of a bracket apparatus. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of a steering actuator; It is the perspective view which looked at the transmission part from the left side and upper side.

In the embodiment according to the present invention, the driving force providing portion that provides driving force to the steering shaft 65 is disposed on the clamp bracket 30, and the fastening portions 31R and 31R on both sides of the clamp bracket 30 when the outboard motor 1 is viewed from the side. It is arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction in which 31L is fastened to the hull side. Therefore, since the driving force providing portion can be configured compactly, it is suppressed that the driving force providing portion interferes with the tightening direction of the bolt that fastens the clamp bracket 30 . Therefore, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly when the outboard motor 1 is assembled to the transom 3 via the clamp bracket 30 .

(Example)
Hereinafter, examples according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a left side view showing an example of the configuration of the outboard motor 1. FIG. In the following drawings including FIG. 1, the front side is indicated by the arrow "front" with the outboard motor 1 attached to the hull 2 as the reference, and the reverse is indicated by the rear side. Also, the left side is indicated by the arrow "left", and the reverse is the right side. Also, the upper side of the outboard motor 1 is indicated by the arrow "upper", and the opposite is referred to as the lower side. In addition, let the front side be the same direction as the direction in which the hull 2 advances.

The outboard motor 1 of this embodiment includes an outboard motor main body 10 and a bracket device 20 for attaching the outboard motor main body 10 to the transom 3 positioned at the rear of the hull 2 . Further, the steering device 100 of the outboard motor 1 of this embodiment is configured such that a portion thereof is incorporated in the bracket device 20 . In the following, the steering device 100 will be described in detail after the outboard motor main body 10 and the bracket device 20 are described.

The outboard motor main body 10 has an engine 12 covered with an engine cover 11 . A drive shaft housing 13 is arranged on the lower side of the engine cover 11 to cover the periphery of a drive shaft 14 extending substantially vertically downward from the engine 12 . A gear case 15 is arranged below the drive shaft housing 13 and accommodates a bevel gear 16 for transmitting rotation of the drive shaft 14, a propeller shaft 17, and the like. A propeller 18 is arranged on the rear side of the gear case 15, and rotates to propel the outboard motor 1 forward.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bracket device 20 as seen from the rear and left sides. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bracket device 20 viewed from the front and right sides. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the bracket device 20 viewed from above.

The bracket device 20 has a clamp bracket 30 , a swivel bracket 60 and a power tilt trim device 70 .
The clamp bracket 30 is fastened to the transom 3 and serves as a fixed side when the outboard motor body 10 is tilted up or tilted down. Note that tilting up and tilting down are referred to as tilt rotation. The clamp bracket 30 has a pair of left and right fastening portions 31R and 31L and a housing 51, and the fastening portions 31R and 31L and the housing 51 are integrally configured by being coupled.
The fastening portion 31R and the fastening portion 31L have substantially symmetrical shapes, and are positioned apart from each other in the left and right directions with the housing 51 interposed therebetween. The fastening portions 31R and 31L each have a front wall portion 32 and a side wall portion 36. As shown in FIG.

The front wall portion 32 has a plate shape elongated along the vertical direction, and the front surface 33 faces the transom 3 . The front wall portion 32 has fastening holes 34 a and 34 b through which bolts for fastening the clamp bracket 30 to the transom 3 are inserted. The fastening holes 34a and 34b are holes extending in a direction perpendicular to the front surface 33, that is, substantially in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, a plurality of (eg, six) fastening holes 34 a are positioned above the front wall portion 32 , and a plurality of (eg, six) fastening holes 34 b are positioned below the front wall portion 32 . Each fastening hole 34a and each fastening hole 34b are formed with a space therebetween in the vertical direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the plurality of fastening holes 34a are located farther from the center of the clamp bracket 30 in the horizontal direction than the plurality of fastening holes 34b. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, which will be described later, the pitch P1 between the pair of fastening holes 34a of the fastening portion 31R and the fastening hole 34a of the fastening portion 31L is It is longer than the pitch P2 between a pair of fastening holes 34b. A bolt is inserted into a fastening hole corresponding to the specification of the transom 3 among the plurality of fastening holes 34a and the plurality of fastening holes 34b to fasten.

The side wall portion 36 has a vertically elongated shape that integrally protrudes rearward and upward from the rear and upper ends of the front wall portion 32 . The side wall portion 36 has an insertion hole 38 through which the swivel shaft 37 is inserted on the upper and front sides. As viewed from the side, the insertion hole 38 is located above the upper end of the front wall portion 32 . A swivel shaft 37 is inserted through the insertion hole 38 of the fastening portion 31R and the insertion hole 38 of the fastening portion 31L.
Further, the side wall portion 36 has an accommodation hole 39 in which a steering hydraulic cylinder 104 (to be described later) is accommodated behind and below the insertion hole 38 . As viewed from the side, the accommodation hole 39 is positioned behind the upper end of the front wall portion 32 . A steering hydraulic cylinder 104 is housed in a state of being bridged between the housing hole 39 of the fastening portion 31R and the housing hole 39 of the fastening portion 31L.
Moreover, the side wall portion 36 has a coupling hole 40 for coupling the fastening portions 31R and 31L to the housing 51 below the accommodation hole 39 . In the present embodiment, a plurality of (for example, six) coupling holes 40 are formed at intervals in the vertical and longitudinal directions.

On the other hand, the housing 51 is positioned between the fastening portion 31R and the fastening portion 31L. The housing 51 is substantially U-shaped when viewed from the front side, and the front surface 52 faces the transom 3 and is substantially flush with the front surface 33 of the front wall portion 32 .
The housing 51 has a substantially block-shaped base end portion 53 positioned on the lower side, and a pair of left and right support portions 54R and 54L extending upward from the left and right upper ends of the base end portion 53, respectively. A steering electric motor 102 and a steering hydraulic pump 103, which will be described later, are accommodated in a space surrounded by the base end portion 53 and the support portions 54R and 54L. A steering hydraulic cylinder 104 is coupled to the upper side of the support portions 54R and 54L. The base end portion 53 and the support portions 54R and 54L each have a bolt hole 55 communicating with the coupling hole 40 on the side surface facing the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portions 31R and 31L (see FIGS. 5 and 7 described later). ). The fastening portions 31R and 31L are coupled to the left and right sides of the housing 51 by fastening bolts to the bolt holes 55 through the coupling holes 40 of the side wall portion 36 . In this way, the rigidity of the clamp bracket 30 can be improved by connecting the fastening portions 31R and 31L to the housing 51 and configuring them integrally.

The swivel bracket 60 is a movable side when the outboard motor main body 10 is tilt-rotated about the swivel shaft 37 with respect to the clamp bracket 30 fastened to the transom 3 . In the following description, it is assumed that the swivel bracket 60 is tilted down.
The swivel bracket 60 is positioned between the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portion 31R and the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portion 31L. The swivel bracket 60 has an upper side portion 61 and a rear side portion 63 and is shaped to cover the housing 51 from the upper side and the rear side.

The upper portion 61 has a substantially plate-like shape extending substantially horizontally. As shown in FIG. 3 , the upper portion 61 has an insertion hole 62 along the left-right direction that communicates with the insertion hole 38 of the side wall portion 36 at the front end. By inserting the swivel shaft 37 through the insertion hole 38 and the insertion hole 62 , the swivel bracket 60 is tiltably supported with respect to the clamp bracket 30 .
The rear side portion 63 has a substantially plate-like shape extending in the left-right direction and the up-down direction, which is continuous from the rear end of the upper portion 61 while curving in a substantially orthogonal direction. A shaft hole 64 is formed through the rear side portion 63 in a substantially vertical direction, and a steering shaft 65 is inserted therethrough so as to be rotatable about the axis Lt. A steering bracket 66 is fixed to the upper end of the steering shaft 65 by spline fitting or welding.

The steering bracket 66 has a plate shape extending in the front-rear direction. The front end of the steering bracket 66 has a mounting portion 67 for mounting a tie bar (a connecting bar for connecting multiple outboard motors when multiple outboard motors are mounted). On the other hand, the rear end of the steering bracket 66 has an upper coupling portion 68 for coupling with the upper mount of the drive shaft housing 13 . The upper coupling portion 68 is fastened to the upper mount by inserting a bolt through the insertion hole extending in the front-rear direction. A lower coupling portion (not shown) is fixed to the lower end of the steering shaft 65, and is coupled to the lower mount of the drive shaft housing 13 via the lower coupling portion.
When the steering bracket 66 rotates about the axis Lt of the steering shaft 65 in the left-right direction, the outboard motor main body 10 also rotates along the axis Lt via the upper coupling portion 68 of the steering bracket 66 and the lower coupling portion of the lower end of the steering shaft 65 . rotate around.

The power tilt trim device 70 tilts and rotates the swivel bracket 60 using a power tilt trim actuator.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the bracket device 20 as viewed from the rear and left sides, and is a view of FIG. 2 with the fastening portion 31L removed. FIG. 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the bracket device 20 cut horizontally so as to pass through the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 and viewed from above.
Power tilt trim device 70 is arranged in a space surrounded by clamp bracket 30 and swivel bracket 60 . The power tilt trim device 70 includes a power tilt trim electric motor 71, a tilt cylinder 72 (see FIG. 6), and a trim cylinder 73 (see FIG. 5) as power tilt trim actuators.

The power tilt trim electric motor 71 drives hydraulic pumps (not shown) to send hydraulic pressure to the tilt cylinder 72 and the trim cylinder 73 . As shown in FIG. 6, the electric motor 71 for power tilt trim is located between the rear side portion 63 of the swivel bracket 60 and the housing 51 of the clamp bracket 30, and extends to the left (one side) of the center in the left-right direction. placed lopsidedly. As shown in FIG. 5, the power tilt trim electric motor 71 is fixed to the swivel bracket 60 with the motor central axis Lp oriented substantially vertically. The position of the power tilt trim electric motor 71 in the vertical direction is substantially the same as that of the fastening holes 34a of the fastening portions 31R and 31L.

The tilting cylinder 72 tilts the steering bracket 66 by reciprocating the piston rod. As shown in FIG. 6, the tilting cylinder 72 is arranged between the swivel bracket 60 and the housing 51 of the clamp bracket 30 and substantially in the center in the left-right direction. The lower end of the cylinder tube of the tilting cylinder 72 is attached to the clamp bracket 30 side, and the upper end of the piston rod is attached to an attachment portion 63a projecting forward from the rear side portion 63 of the swivel bracket 60. As shown in FIG.
The trim cylinder 73 can adjust the trim angle of the outboard motor main body 10 by reciprocating the piston rod. The trimming cylinder 73 is composed of a left and right pair with the tilting cylinder 72 interposed therebetween. The trim cylinder 73 has a cylinder tube attached to the swivel bracket 60 side and a piston rod positioned to the clamp bracket 30 side. Further, as shown in FIG. 5 , the left trim cylinder 73 is positioned below the power tilt trim electric motor 71 .

According to the bracket device 20 configured as described above, by driving the power tilt trim electric motor 71 of the power tilt trim device 70, the piston rod of the tilt cylinder 72 advances upward to move the swivel bracket 60. push up. Therefore, the swivel bracket 60 rotates about the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 with respect to the clamp bracket 30 . As the swivel bracket 60 rotates, the outboard motor body 10 attached via the steering shaft 65 tilts up as indicated by the chain double-dashed line in FIG.

Next, the outboard motor steering device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the steering device 100 , the outboard motor 1 is steered by transmitting the driving force of the steering actuator 101 to the steering shaft 65 .
The steering device 100 mainly includes a steering actuator 101 and a transmission section 120 that transmits the driving force of the steering actuator 101 to the steering bracket 66 . In this embodiment, in order to make the structure of the steering device 100 compact, the position where the steering actuator 101 is arranged on the bracket device 20 is devised.

First, the steering actuator 101 will be described.
A steering actuator 101 of this embodiment includes a steering electric motor 102 , a steering hydraulic pump 103 , and a steering hydraulic cylinder 104 . Note that the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 function as an example of a driving force providing unit that applies driving force to the steering shaft 65 .

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the structure of the steering actuator 101. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 of this embodiment are arranged in a space surrounded by the base end portion 53 and the support portions 54R and 54L, so that they are attached to the housing 51. be accommodated. The steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 are positioned in the center of the clamp bracket 30 in the left-right direction.
Specifically, the steering hydraulic pump 103 is fixed to the upper surface of the base end portion 53 , and the steering electric motor 102 is fixed to the upper surface of the steering hydraulic pump 103 . That is, the electric motor 102 for steering and the hydraulic pump 103 for steering are arranged vertically side by side in a vertical direction. In FIGS. 3 and 7, the direction of this arrangement is indicated by the axis Lr. This axis Lr is substantially perpendicular to the axis Lh of the fastening holes 34a, 34b of the fastening portions 31R, 31L shown in FIG. Therefore, in a side view, the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 are arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the clamp bracket 30 is fastened to the hull. Further, the steering electric motor 102 is arranged along the axis Lr, with the center axis of the motor also extending in the substantially vertical direction.

By arranging the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 substantially in the vertical direction, the total size of the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 is long in the vertical direction, and the horizontal and vertical directions are large. Can be placed short in the direction. In particular, since the housing 51 has a shape elongated substantially along the vertical direction, the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 can be efficiently arranged in the housing 51 .

In this embodiment, the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 are accommodated between the pair of fastening portions 31R and 31L. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 are accommodated within the pitch P1 between the pair of left and right fastening holes 34a, and further within the pitch P2 between the pair of left and right fastening holes 34b. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 from interfering with the bolts inserted through the fastening holes 34a and 34b.
In this embodiment, the power tilt trimming electric motor 71 as the actuator of the power tilt trimming device 70 described above also fits within the pitch P1 between the pair of left and right fastening holes 34a or the pitch P2 between the pair of left and right fastening holes 34b. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the electric motor 71 for power tilt trim from interfering with the bolt inserted through the fastening hole 34a.
Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the power tilt trim electric motor 71 and the steering electric motor 102 are arranged such that their center axes are shifted in the direction of the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 . By shifting the relatively large electric motor in the direction of the axis Ls, the electric motor 71 for power tilt trim can be arranged closer to the front side, so that the size of the bracket device 20 in the front-rear direction can be made compact. can be done.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 is integrally connected to the housing 51 so as to span between the upper portion of the support portion 54R and the upper portion of the support portion 54L. The steering hydraulic cylinder 104 of this embodiment is arranged so that the axis Lc extends in the left-right direction, that is, parallel to the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 .
The steering hydraulic cylinder 104 has a cylinder tube 105 and a piston 106 that reciprocates within the cylinder tube 105 . As shown in FIG. 6, the cylinder tube 105 is accommodated between the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portion 31R and the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portion 31L. A first chamber 107a and a second chamber 107b are formed in the cylinder tube 105 so as to be divided into left and right. A piston rod 108 extends from the left side surface of the cylinder tube 105 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the piston rod 108 extends from the left side surface of the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portion 31L of the clamp bracket 30. As shown in FIG. In the steering hydraulic cylinder 104, hydraulic pressure is sent to the first chamber 107a so that the piston rod 108 advances leftward, and hydraulic pressure is sent to the second chamber 107b so that the piston rod 108 retreats rightward.

A stroke sensor 110 is attached to the right end of the cylinder tube 105 in this embodiment. A stroke sensor 110 detects the stroke amount of the piston rod 108 . Since the piston rod 108 is connected to the steering bracket 66 via the transmission portion 120, the stroke sensor 110 indirectly detects the steering angle. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the stroke sensor 110 extends from the right side surface of the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portion 31R.

Further, the housing 51 is formed therein with an oil passage 112 for flowing hydraulic oil between the steering hydraulic pump 103 and the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 . As shown in FIG. 7, the oil passage 112 includes a first oil passage 113a that connects the steering hydraulic pump 103 to the first chamber 107a of the cylinder tube 105, and a second oil passage 113a that connects the steering hydraulic pump 103 to the second chamber 107b of the cylinder tube 105. It has the 2nd oilway 113b which connects.
The first oil passage 113a and the second oil passage 113b extend laterally away from each other from the upper portion of the base end portion 53, and then the main oil passage 114 extends upward along the support portion 54R and the support portion 54L, respectively. , and further extends in directions away from each other to the left and right, and then connects to the first chamber 107a and the second chamber 107b. The main oil passages 114 of the first oil passage 113a and the second oil passage 113b are located on the left and right sides of the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103, and are substantially perpendicular to the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37. More specifically, it extends substantially in the vertical direction. By forming the oil passage 112 inside the housing 51 and not exposing it to the outside, the structure around the housing 51 can be simplified, and the durability against external force and corrosion can be improved.
In this manner, the steering actuator 101 including the oil passage 112 is integrated with the housing 51 to increase the rigidity.

Next, the transmission section 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 and 8. FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the transmission section 120 as viewed from the left and above.
The transmission section 120 of this embodiment includes a fixed link 121 , a rotary link 123 , a link arm 125 and a slide shaft 127 .
The fixed link 121 is positioned leftward away from the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portion 31L, and extends obliquely rearward and downward from one end portion 122a toward the other end portion 122b. The other end 122b of the fixed link 121 is positioned on an extension line of the axis Lc of the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 and coupled to the left end (tip) of the piston rod 108. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the fixed link 121 moves in the left-right direction in conjunction with the advancing and retreating of the piston rod 108 . On the other hand, one end portion 122a of the fixed link 121 is located above the upper end of the transom 3 and is connected to the rotating link 123. As shown in FIG. One end 122a of the fixed link 121 is located on the left and right sides of the rotary link 123 so that the fixed link 121 serves as a guide when the rotary link 123 rotates.

The rotary link 123 is positioned leftward away from the side wall portion 36 of the fastening portion 31L and extends rearward from the one end portion 124a toward the other end portion 124b. One end 124a of the rotating link 123 is rotatably connected to one end 122a of the fixed link 121 . Here, the rotation axis between the one end 124 a of the rotation link 123 and the one end 122 ba of the fixed link 121 coincides with the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 . One end 124 a of the rotating link 123 and one end 122 a of the fixed link 121 are connected to the slide shaft 127 . On the other hand, the other end 124b of the rotating link 123 is connected to the link arm 125. As shown in FIG.

The link arm 125 is positioned above and away from the bracket device 20 . As shown in FIG. 4, in a plan view, the link arm 125 extends substantially in the left-right direction, one end 126a is located leftward from the fastening portion 31L, and the other end 126b is substantially in the center of the bracket device 20 in the left-right direction. Located in One end 126a of the link arm 125 is rotatably connected to the other end 124b of the rotating link 123 . Here, the rotation axis La between the one end 126a of the link arm 125 and the other end 124b of the rotation link 123 is substantially vertical and substantially parallel to the axis Lt of the steering shaft 65. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the other end 126b of the link arm 125 is rotatably connected to the steering bracket 66 at a position behind the front end thereof. Here, the rotation axis Lb between the other end 126b of the link arm 125 and the steering bracket 66 is substantially vertical and substantially parallel to the axis Lt of the steering shaft 65. As shown in FIG.

A slide shaft 127 extends from the left end of the swivel shaft 37 . A portion of the slide shaft 127 is inserted into the swivel shaft 37 and is slidable along the swivel shaft 37, that is, along the left-right direction. A distal end of the slide shaft 127 is connected to one end 124 a of the rotating link 123 and one end 122 a of the fixed link 121 . The slide shaft 127 guides the movement of the fixed link 121 and the rotary link 123 along the lateral direction in accordance with the advance and retreat of the piston rod 108 .

Next, the operation of steering the outboard motor body 10 with the steering device 100 will be described.
The ECU installed in the outboard motor main body 10 receives a steering instruction from the operator and controls the hydraulic pressure to be sent to the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 via the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103. . Specifically, under the control of the ECU, the steering electric motor 102 drives the steering hydraulic pump 103 so as to send hydraulic pressure to the first chamber 107a or the second chamber 107b in accordance with steering instructions from the operator.

In the steering hydraulic cylinder 104, when hydraulic pressure is sent to the first chamber 107a, the piston rod 108 moves to advance leftward, and when hydraulic pressure is sent to the second chamber 107b, the piston rod 108 moves forward. moves backwards to the right.
Movement of the piston rod 108 is transmitted to the steering bracket 66 via the transmission portion 120 . Specifically, as the piston rod 108 moves leftward or rightward, the fixed link 121, the rotary link 123, and the link arm 125 also move leftward or rightward. Therefore, the steering bracket 66 connected to the link arm 125 rotates horizontally counterclockwise or clockwise about the axis Lt of the steering shaft 65 in a plan view in conjunction with the movement of the link arm 125 .

As the steering bracket 66 rotates, the outboard motor main body 10 also rotates in the horizontal direction, so the outboard motor 1 is steered by the steering device 100 . The ECU detects the current steering angle based on the stroke amount information received from the stroke sensor 110 . Therefore, the ECU can control the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 so as to achieve the instructed steering angle.

Next, the operation of the transmission section 120 of the steering device 100 when the outboard motor main body 10 is tilted will be described. Since the transmission portion 120 of the steering device 100 of this embodiment has a fixed link 121 and a rotation link 123 that are rotatable relative to each other, the transmission portion 120 can be tilted and rotated without obstruction.
When the swivel bracket 60 tilts about the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 with respect to the clamp bracket 30, the steering bracket 66 fixed to the steering shaft 65 also tilts. As the steering bracket 66 tilts, the link arm 125 and the rotary link 123 connected to the steering bracket 66 also try to rotate. Here, as described above, the one end 124a of the rotating link 123 is rotatably connected to the one end 122a of the fixed link 121, and the rotational axis of both coincides with the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37. Therefore, by rotating the rotating link 123 about the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 with respect to the fixed link 121 , the swivel bracket 60 tilts with respect to the clamp bracket 30 without being hindered by the transmission part 120 . It is possible.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the outboard motor 1 is viewed from the side, the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103, which serve as driving force providing units, are arranged in the same direction as the clamp bracket 30 is fastened to the hull. They are arranged in a direction perpendicular to each other, that is, in the present embodiment, in a substantially vertical direction. By arranging the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 substantially in the vertical direction, the structure can be made compact and short in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 are prevented from interfering with the bolts inserted through the fastening holes 34a and 34b. Therefore, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly when the outboard motor 1 is assembled to the transom 3 by inserting the bolts through the fastening holes 34a and 34b.

In addition, the bracket device 20 of the present embodiment follows the conventional configuration in which the swivel bracket 60 that tilts with respect to the clamp bracket 30 is rotated with respect to the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 . Therefore, it is possible to change the design to add or improve the steering device 100 of the present embodiment based on the existing configuration, so that the cost related to the design change can be reduced.

Further, the actuator of the steering device 100 of this embodiment has a steering hydraulic cylinder 104 that is arranged on the clamp bracket 30 and reciprocates in the same direction as the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 . A steering hydraulic pump 103 driven by a steering electric motor 102 sends hydraulic pressure to a steering hydraulic cylinder 104 . Thus, the steering hydraulic cylinder 104, which reciprocates in the same direction as the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37, does not need to form a rack over the entire length compared to the conventional case of reciprocating the rack. The lateral size of the actuator can be shortened. Therefore, it is possible to suppress or prevent the actuator from interfering with the fastening holes 34a and 34b. Therefore, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly when the outboard motor 1 is assembled to the transom 3 by inserting the bolts through the fastening holes 34a and 34b.

Further, in the steering device 100 of this embodiment, an oil passage 112 for sending the hydraulic pressure from the steering hydraulic pump 103 to the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 is arranged in the clamp bracket 30, which is in the housing 51 in this embodiment. . By arranging the oil passage 112 in the housing 51 in this way, the structure of the clamp bracket 30 can be simplified, and the durability against external force and corrosion can be improved.

Further, in the steering device 100 of this embodiment, the steering bracket 66 and the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 are connected by the link arm 125 , the rotary link 123 and the fixed link 121 . One end portion 124 a of the rotating link 123 and one end portion 122 a of the fixed link 121 are rotatably connected on the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 . Therefore, when the swivel bracket 60 tilts and rotates, the rotating link 123 can rotate about the axis Ls of the swivel shaft 37 with respect to the fixed link 121, so that the swivel bracket 60 can move without being hindered by the steering device 100. Tilt rotation is possible.

Further, in the steering device 100 of the present embodiment, the power tilt trim electric motor 71 of the power tilt trim actuator, the steering electric motor 102 and the steering hydraulic pump 103 are connected to the pair of fastening holes 34 a of the clamp bracket 30 . It is positioned within the pitch P1 or within the pitch P2 of the pair of fastening holes 34b. Therefore, it is possible to improve the ease of assembly when the outboard motor 1 is assembled to the transom 3 by inserting the bolts through the fastening holes 34a and 34b.

Further, the steering device 100 of this embodiment indirectly detects the steering angle by detecting the stroke amount of the piston rod 108 with the stroke sensor 110 arranged at the end of the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 . Therefore, the steering device 100 can steer the outboard motor 1 to the steering angle instructed by the operator. The steering angle is not limited to the case where the stroke sensor 110 detects the steering angle, and the steering angle may be detected by a rotation angle sensor arranged on the steering bracket 66 .

Although the embodiments according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and modifications and the like are possible within the scope of the present invention.
In the above-described embodiment, the outboard motor 1 includes the engine 12 .
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the piston rod 108 of the steering hydraulic cylinder 104 of the steering device 100 extends from the left side surface of the cylinder tube 105 has been described, but it may extend from the right side surface of the cylinder tube 105. . In this case, the above-described configuration is horizontally reversed, and the fixed link 121, the rotating link 123, and the link arm 125 are also arranged on the right side.

1: outboard motor 30: clamp bracket 34a, 34b: fastening hole 60: swivel bracket 65: steering shaft 66: steering bracket 71: power tilt trim electric motor 72: tilt cylinder 73: trim cylinder 100: steering device 102 : Electric motor for steering (electric motor) 103: Hydraulic pump for steering (hydraulic pump) 104: Hydraulic cylinder for steering (hydraulic cylinder) 110: Stroke sensor 112: Oil passage 121: Fixed link 123: Rotating link 125: Link arm

Claims (4)

An outboard motor steering device, wherein a steering shaft is disposed on a swivel bracket that tilts and rotates with respect to a clamp bracket via a swivel shaft, and the outboard motor is steered by transmitting driving force of an actuator to the steering shaft. hand,
The actuator is
a driving force providing unit for providing driving force to the steering shaft ;
a hydraulic cylinder that is arranged on the clamp bracket and reciprocates in the same direction as the axis of the swivel shaft to rotate the steering shaft ;
The driving force providing unit
is arranged in the clamp bracket and is arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the fastening portions on both sides of the clamp bracket are fastened to the hull side in a side view of the outboard motor ,
The driving force providing unit further
having an electric motor and a hydraulic pump driven by the electric motor, configured to send hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic cylinder;
The steering device
a link arm, a pivot link and a fixed link connecting between a steering bracket coupled to the steering shaft and the hydraulic cylinder;
one end of the rotatable link and one end of the fixed link are rotatably connected on the axis of the swivel shaft;
A steering device for an outboard motor , wherein one end of the rotating link and one end of the fixed link are positioned above a transom to which the clamp bracket is fastened . an oil passage disposed within the clamp bracket for sending hydraulic pressure from the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic cylinder;
The oil passage is
2. The outboard motor steering device according to claim 1 , wherein the swivel shaft extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the axis of the swivel shaft. a power tilt trim actuator for tilting and rotating the swivel bracket;
3. The outboard motor steering system according to claim 1, wherein the power tilt trim actuator and the driving force providing portion are positioned within a pitch between the pair of fastening holes of the clamp bracket. The outboard according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the steering angle of the steering is detected by a stroke sensor arranged at the end of the hydraulic cylinder or a rotation angle sensor arranged on the steering bracket. machine steering device.

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