JPH0156034B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to a shift device for an inboard/outboard motor.

Conventionally, the shift fork is displaced by the stroke of the remote control cable, and the clutch engaged by the shift fork can be selectively shifted from the neutral position to the forward position where it meshes with the forward gear or the reverse position where it meshes with the reverse gear. In a shift device for an inboard/outboard motor, the amount of displacement of the shift fork, that is, the amount of displacement of the clutch, can be changed substantially linearly with respect to the stroke of the remote control cable.

Therefore, in the above shift device, if the stroke of the remote control cable is excessive, the clutch will hit the forward gear or reverse gear during the stroke of the remote control cable, resulting in an excessive load on the remote control cable and its link mechanism. may come into play. On the other hand, if the stroke of the remote control cable is too small, the meshing allowance between the clutch and the forward gear or reverse gear will be too small, and the contact pressure between the two will increase, potentially causing damage to the claws of both. be. That is, the stroke of the remote control cable must always be set to a predetermined stroke. However, in reality, the stroke of a remote control cable gradually decreases due to cable elongation with use, wear and play of the link mechanism, etc., so it is necessary to readjust or replace link mechanism components from time to time. be.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a shift device for an inboard/outboard motor that can reliably shift a clutch to a constant forward position or reverse position even if the stroke of a remote control cable changes.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention moves a shift fork that can be interlocked with the shift arm linearly in the fork axis direction by swinging a shift arm to which a remote control cable is connected, and the shift fork is engaged. The engaged clutch is selectively shifted from the neutral position to the forward position where it engages with the forward gear or the reverse position where it engages with the reverse gear, allowing the drive shaft to which the clutch is integrated in the rotational direction to rotate forward or backward. In the shift device for an inboard/outboard motor, a bulge is formed at the tip of the shift arm, and a pair of engaging parts are formed at two positions in the fork axis direction of the shift fork, so that the neutral position of the shift arm is at the center. In a predetermined reference swing range, the bulge can be held between the engagement surfaces of both the engagement parts, and outside the reference swing range of the shift arm, the bulge can be held between the engagement surfaces of both the engagement parts. The clutch can be disengaged from between the engagement surfaces of the clutch, and the clutch can complete the shift by moving the shift fork corresponding to the reference swing range of the shift arm.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an inboard/outboard motor to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing its power transmission mechanism, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing the power transmission mechanism thereof. 4 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the remote control cable stroke and the shift fork displacement amount.

A swivel bracket 14 is supported on a clamp bracket 12 fixed to a stern plate 11 of the hull via a rotation shaft 13 so as to be rotatable around a substantially horizontal axis. Cylindrical portion 1 of swivel bracket 14
5, a propulsion unit 16 is rotatably supported around an axis perpendicular to the rotation shaft 13 via a rotation shaft (not shown). That is, the propulsion unit 16 can be steered around the cylindrical portion 15 of the swivel bracket 14, and can be tilted up or down around the rotation axis 13 of the clamp bracket 12.

A lock plate 18 is swingably supported on the cylindrical portion 15 of the swivel bracket 14 via a pin 17. The front end of the lock plate 18 is engageable with a tilt lock lock 19 held on the clamp bracket 12. The rear part of the lock plate 18 is an upright part 20 that stands up along the rear surface of the cylindrical part 15, and a spring 21 is interposed between the lower end of this upright part 20 and the upper end of the cylindrical part 15. That is, the lock plate 18 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by the spring 21, and the lock plate 18 can be engaged with the tilt lock rod 19 when the propulsion unit 16 is tilted down. It is said that Also, by operating a tilt lever (not shown), the lock plate 18 can be locked.
By rotating the lock plate 18 clockwise, the lock plate 18 is disengaged from the tilt lock lock 19, and the propulsion unit 16 is rotated about the rotation shaft 13, so that it can be tilted up.

The output of an engine (not shown) housed inside the hull is transmitted through a double cardan joint 22 and an input gear 2.
3. Forward gear 24 or reverse gear 25, clutch 26, drive shaft 27, bevel gear 28, output shaft 29
The signal can be transmitted to the propeller 30 via the . That is, the clutch 26 splined to the drive shaft 27 by the shift device described below.
By meshing with either the forward gear 24 or the reverse gear 25 that meshes with the input gear 23, the drive shaft 27 and propeller 30 can be rotated forward or backward.

A window 31 is opened on one side of the propulsion unit 16, and a shift case 32 is attached to the window 31. A holding plate 33 is attached to the shift case 32, and a remote control cable 34 is attached to the holding plate 33.
The outer 35 of is locked. In addition, the retaining plate 3
3 is covered with a cover 33B via screws 33A.

Also, a window 31 is provided on one side of the propulsion unit 16.
A shift lever 36 is fixed to a shaft 37 rotatably supported on the side surface of the propulsion unit 16 below. An inner 38 of a remote control cable 34 is locked to the rear end of the shift lever 36. That is, with respect to the neutral position shown in FIG. 1, when moving forward, the inner 38 of the remote control cable 34 protrudes from the state shown in FIG. The lever 36 rotates counterclockwise. During this backward movement, the lock member 39 fixed to the shaft 37 also rotates counterclockwise together with the shift lever 36, and the tip of the lock member 39 is located behind the upright portion 20 of the lock plate 18, and the lock plate 18 is regulated, the tilt lock mechanism is prevented from opening when moving backward, and the backward propulsive force of the propulsion unit 16 can be transmitted to the hull.

A pin 40 is rotatably supported on the shift case 32, and an intermediate arm 4 is attached to the externally projecting end of the pin 40.
1 is fixed, and the intermediate arm 41 is connected to the connecting rod 42.
A shift arm 43 is fixed to an internally protruding end of a pin 40 that is connected to the approximate center of the shift lever 36 via a pin 40 . On the other hand, the shift case 32
A guide shaft 44 is fixedly arranged to be perpendicular to the pin 40 and parallel to the drive shaft 27. A shift fork 45 is attached to the guide shaft 44 so as to be movable back and forth. The shift arm 43 is engaged with the shift fork 45 as will be described in detail below, and the fork portion 45A of the shift fork 45 is engaged with the ring groove 26A of the clutch 26. In other words, the inner 3 of the remote control cable 34
When the shift arm 43 swings through the shift lever 36, the connecting rod 42, and the intermediate arm 41 by the stroke of 8, the shift fork 45 that the shift arm 43 is engaged with moves linearly in the fork axis direction, and the clutch The claw portion 26B or 26C of the drive shaft 27 is engaged with the claw portion 24A of the forward gear 24 or the claw portion 25A of the reverse gear 25.
can be rotated forward or backward.

Here, the shift arm 43 and the shift fork 4
The engagement structure with 5 is as follows. That is, a bulge 46 is formed at the tip of the shift arm 43, and both surfaces of the bulge 46 are engaged with engagement surfaces 47A, 47.
B, and the distal end surface of the bulging portion 46 is an outer cylindrical surface 47C having a radius R1 centered on the axis of the pin 40. On the other hand, a pair of engaging portions 48A and 48B are formed at two positions in the fork axial direction of the shift fork 45, and each of the engaging portions 48A and 48B has both sides formed on the bulging portion 46 of the shift arm 43. Engagement surface 49 that can hold engagement surfaces 47A and 47B
A, 49B, and the bulged portion 4
Inner cylindrical surfaces 50A and 50B are provided with a radius R2 equivalent to that of the outer cylindrical surface 47C of No. 6, and are capable of sliding contact with the outer cylindrical surface 47C. Further, in the predetermined reference swing ranges of the forward and reverse sides of the shift arm 43 centered on the neutral position shown in FIG. It is possible to maintain the state of being held between the mating surfaces 49A and 49B, and the claw portion 26 of the clutch 26 is moved by moving the shift fork 45 in this range.
B or the claw portion 26C to the claw portion 24A of the forward gear 24.
Alternatively, the shift operation of engaging the claw portion 25A of the reverse gear 25 can be completed. Further, outside the reference swing range of the shift arm 43, as shown in FIG.
A and 47B are both engaging surfaces 49 of the shift fork 45
A and 49B, and the outer cylindrical surface 47C of the bulge 46 is connected to one inner cylindrical surface 5 of the shift fork 45.
0A and 50B, and therefore, when the shift arm 43 swings beyond the reference swing range, the shift fork 45 stays at its forward or reverse moving end, and the shift arm Only 43 is capable of swinging in the air.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 7, which shows the relationship between the stroke R of the remote control cable 34 on the horizontal axis and the displacement H of the shift fork 45 on the vertical axis. When the inner 38 of the remote control cable 34 projects forward from its neutral position or is pulled into the reverse direction, the shift arm 43 swings as the thinner 38 moves. Within the stroke range of the remote control cable 34 corresponding to the reference swing range of the shift arm 43, the amount of displacement of the shift fork 45 changes linearly with respect to the stroke of the remote control cable 34, and the amount of displacement of the shift fork 45 changes linearly with respect to the stroke of the remote control cable 34, and The vehicle reaches point P, which is the end of movement on the reverse side, and completes the shift operation. When this shift operation is completed, the claw portion 26B or 26C of the clutch 26 meshes well with the claw portion 24A of the forward gear 24 or the claw portion 25A of the reverse gear 25, and
The drive shaft 27 is rotated forward or backward. When the remote control cable 34 further increases its stroke after the shift fork 45 reaches the above-mentioned moving end, only the shift arm 43 swings idly, and the shift fork 45 moves to the final point Q without any displacement.
reach.

That is, in the above embodiment, if the stroke of the remote control cable 34 corresponding to the reference swing range of the shift arm 43 is set as the minimum set stroke, the actual stroke of the remote control cable 34 exceeds the minimum set stroke. As long as the shift fork 45 always moves by the required amount, the clutch 26 can always be shifted by the required amount, even if the stroke is reduced from the original stroke due to use. Furthermore, a stroke of the remote control cable 34 that exceeds the minimum setting stroke will not cause excessive loads to be applied to the remote control cable 34 and the link mechanism, and the clutch 26 will not hit the forward gear 24 or the reverse gear 25.

As described above, the present invention moves the shift fork, which is capable of interlocking with the shift arm, linearly in the fork axis direction by swinging the shift arm to which the remote control cable is connected, and the shift fork engages with the shift fork. A ship in which the clutch selectively shifts from a neutral position to a forward position where it engages with a forward gear or a reverse position where it engages with a reverse gear, thereby enabling the drive shaft with which the clutch is integrated in the rotational direction to rotate forward or backward. In an internal/external shift device, a bulge is formed at the tip of the shift arm, a pair of engaging parts are formed at two positions in the fork axial direction of the shift fork, and a predetermined reference is made with the neutral position of the shift arm as the center. In the swing range, the bulge can be held between the engagement surfaces of both the engagement parts, and outside the reference swing range of the shift arm, the bulge can be held between the engagement surfaces of both the engagement parts. Since the clutch can be detached from between the surfaces and the shift is completed by moving the shift fork corresponding to the standard swing range of the shift arm, even if the stroke of the remote control cable changes, the clutch will not shift. The fork can always be moved by the required amount, ensuring that the clutch can be shifted to a fixed forward or reverse position.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an inboard/outboard motor to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied, Fig. 2 is a schematic side view showing its power transmission mechanism, and Fig. 3 is taken along the - line in Fig. 1. A sectional view, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a different operating state from FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the relationship between the remote control cable stroke and the shift fork displacement amount. 24...forward gear, 25...reverse gear, 26...clutch, 27...drive shaft, 34...remote control cable,
38... Inner, 43... Shift arm, 44... Fork shaft, 45... Shift fork, 46... Swelling part,
47A, 47B...Engagement surface, 47C...Outer cylindrical surface, 4
8A, 48B...Engaging portion, 49A, 49B...Engaging surface, 50A, 50B...Inner cylindrical surface.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 By swinging the shift arm to which the remote control cable is connected, the shift fork that can be linked to the shift arm is moved linearly in the fork axis direction, and the clutch engaged by the shift fork is shifted from the neutral position to the forward gear. selectively shifting to a forward position meshing with the reverse gear or a reverse position meshing the reverse gear;
In a shift device for an inboard/outboard engine that enables forward or reverse rotation of a drive shaft with which a clutch is integrated in the rotational direction, a bulge is formed at the tip of the shift arm, and the shift fork is positioned at two positions in the fork axial direction. In a predetermined reference swing range centered on the neutral position of the shift arm, the bulge can be held between the engagement surfaces of the two engagement parts, and the shift arm Outside the reference swing range of the shift arm, the bulge can be disengaged from between the engagement surfaces of the two engagement parts, and the clutch is moved by movement of the shift fork corresponding to the reference swing range of the shift arm. A shift device for an inboard/outboard motor, characterized in that the shift is completed.