JP2874048B2 - Outboard motor power steering system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power steering device for reducing the steering load of an outboard motor, and more particularly to an assist power unit for applying a steering assist force to a manual steering device. The present invention relates to a power steering device for an outboard motor, which is improved from the above.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as an example of this type of outboard motor steering device, there is one configured as shown in FIG.

When the operator rotates the steering wheel 2 in the driver's seat of the hull 1, the gear in the gear box 4 is rotated via the steering shaft 3, and the steering of this gear is performed. The rotation causes the inner cable 6 of the steering cable 5 to move forward or backward (push-pull) in the axial direction.

The distal end of the inner cable 6 penetrates the outer cable 7 coaxially and extends slightly to the outside.
Is connected to one end of the drag link 9. The link mechanism 8 is configured by rotatably connecting the other end of the drag link 9 to one end of the steering bracket 10 in a substantially L-shape.

The other end of the steering bracket 10 is the main body 12 of the outboard motor 11
It is stuck to.

The outboard motor body 12 has a drive shaft housing 13 containing a drive shaft (not shown), and a swivel bracket 14 via a pilot shaft (not shown) fixed to the outboard motor body 12 around the pilot shaft. It is supported so that it can rotate (steer) in the horizontal direction.

The swivel bracket 14 is supported by a swivel shaft 15 laid between a pair of right and left clamp brackets 16 in the figure so as to be freely rotatable (tilted) in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. The outboard motor body 12 is mounted on the transom 1a by gripping the transom 1a of the hull 1 with a pair of right and left clamp brackets 16.

Therefore, by the push-pull of the inner cable 6 of the steering cable 5 during the turning operation of the steering wheel 2, the outboard motor main body 12 is swung horizontally and horizontally around a pilot shaft (not shown) via the link mechanism 8,
Steered.

However, in such a conventional manual steering device, the steering load increases during steering of the outboard motor 11 due to the navigation conditions of the hull 1, for example, wind and waves, the hull speed, the trim angle of the outboard motor 11, and the like. Steering may be difficult.

Therefore, to reduce such steering load,
A power steering device including an assist power unit that generates a steering assist force can be considered.

As an example of the power steering device, there is considered a manual steering device 21 in which an assist power unit 22 is linked to a manual steering device 21 as shown in FIG. 7, and this manual steering device 21 is replaced with a manual steering device shown in FIG. And the sensor box 23 is fixed to one clamp bracket 16.

The sensor box 23 has a built-in torque sensor for detecting a reaction force applied to the outer cable 7 (see FIG. 5) of the manual steering device 21, that is, a steering load.

On the other hand, the assist power unit 22 is a motor box 24 having a motor for generating a steering assist force.
Having.

The motor receives a steering load signal detected by the torque sensor and supplies it to a controller (not shown). The motor receives an operation signal converted by required signal processing such as amplification, and rotates to generate a steering assist force. Has become.

Also, a gear box 25 having a built-in reduction gear for reducing the rotational force of the motor, and a rotational link decelerated by the reduction gear,
Box with built-in rack and pinion for power transmission
27 is integrally connected to the motor box 24
It is configured by being fixed to the front of the swivel bracket 14, ie, to the swivel bracket 14.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, such a power steering device 20
In the event that the assist power unit 22 is locked for some reason, the manual steering device 21 connected to the assist power unit 22 is also locked, and there is a possibility that the steering may be extremely difficult even with the manual steering device 21. .

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a power steering device for an outboard motor that can be steered by a manual steering device when the assist power unit is locked. .

[Configuration of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) In the present invention, a manual steering device and an assist power unit are configured to be detachable by removing a stay, and are configured as follows.

That is, the present invention provides a manual steering device that steers an outboard motor via a link mechanism by manually operating a steering member such as a steering wheel, and reduces a steering load applied when the manual steering device is steered. An assist power unit that applies a steering assist force to the link mechanism via a stay; the link mechanism includes an inner cable that reciprocates in an axial direction by manual operation of the steering member, and a ship connected to the inner cable. A drag link for steering an external machine, a stepped sleeve in which a small-diameter portion inserted into a through hole of the stay and a large-diameter portion larger than this are formed in a stepped shape; Link insertion hole and inside the stepped sleeve and inner cable A stop pin that is inserted through the through hole, and a folding pin that is removably inserted into a radial insertion hole at the outer end of the stop pin and whose outer end is freely bent in a direction perpendicular to the axis. It is characterized by being fastened together.

(Operation) If the assist power unit is locked for any reason, the bent end of the bent pin is returned straight and pulled out from the radial insertion hole of the stop pin. After pulling out from the inside of each inner cable insertion hole and stepped sleeve, removing only the stay, reconnect the inner cable and drag link,
The assist power unit can be separated from the manual steering device by fastening together with the stepped sleeve, the stop pin, and the bent pin. However, the inner cable is still connected to the drag link.

For this reason, only the manual steering device becomes free from the assist power unit, so that the outboard motor main body can be steered by the manual steering device.

Therefore, even if the assist power unit is locked, the outboard motor can be manually steered, so that the reliability and safety of the entire power steering device can be improved.

Then, insert the bending pin into the radial insertion hole at the outer end of the sleeve through the stop pin that inserts the inside of the sleeve to fasten the inner cable, the stay, and the drag link together. Since it bends in the direction perpendicular to the axis,
The stopper pin can be prevented from dropping out of the sleeve.

In addition, the bent pin is returned straight to the bent end by hand and easily pulled out from the radial insertion hole of the stop pin.
Alternatively, since the insertion can be performed, the operation of removing only the stay from the link mechanism and the operation of connecting the drag link and the inner cable again can be easily performed without using a tool or the like.

Furthermore, since the stepped sleeve has a stepped structure, the drag link, the inner cable, and the stay can be integrally fastened and fixed together without rattling, but even when only the stay is removed from these, Since the drag link and the inner cable can be continuously re-fixed without rattling, an error in operation performance can be prevented or reduced.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention, in which a power steering device 30 of the present embodiment is provided with an assist power unit in a manual steering device 21.
The feature is that the link mechanism 31 has been improved so as to be able to detachably connect the 22. Since the configuration is otherwise the same as that of the power steering device 20 shown in FIG. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the link mechanism 31 has a distal end 33a of a stay 33 and a distal end 6a of the inner cable 6 fastened and fixed to a distal end 32a of the drag link 32.

Next, a procedure for fixing the distal end 33a of the stay 33 to the link mechanism 31 will be described.

First, the distal end portion (right end portion in FIGS. 1 and 2) 32a of the cylindrical drag link 32 and the distal end portion (right end portion) 6a of the cylindrical inner cable 6 are both formed in a flat plate shape. As shown in FIG. 4, through holes 32b, 6b are respectively formed in the front end portions 6a, 32a, and the both ends 6b, 32b are opposed to each other with a required gap in the vertical direction.

Next, between the two through holes 32b and 6b, the through hole 33b of the distal end 33a (the right end in FIG. 3) of the square pillar-shaped stay 33 is coaxially arranged.

A small-diameter lower portion 34a of a cylindrical sleeve 34 having upper and lower ends is fitted into the through hole 33b of the stay 33, so that a stepped sleeve 3 is formed.
4 with the tip 32a of the drag link 32 and the inner cable 6
And the upper and lower open ends of the sleeve 34 are coaxially arranged in the through hole 32b of the drag link 32 and the through hole 6b of the inner cable 6, respectively. The sleeve 34 is a small-diameter lower part 3 inserted into the through hole 33b of the stay 33.
4a and a large-diameter portion exposed to the outside from the through hole 33b are integrally coupled, and a step is formed at a boundary between the large-diameter portion and the small-diameter lower portion 34a to form a stepped structure. I have.

The other base end 33b of the stay 33 is fixed in a direction perpendicular to the outer end 35a of the rack 35 extending outward in the axial direction from one end of the rack box 27.

The shaft tip 35b of the pinion 35a meshing with the rack 35 is connected to the output shaft of the motor in the motor box 24 via the input and output bevel gears 25a and 25b and the reduction gear 25c in the gear box 25.

This motor is controlled based on a steering load signal detected by a torque sensor in the sensor box 23, and the torque sensor detects a reaction force applied to the outer cable 7 as a steering load.

A shaft of a round rivet-shaped stop pin 36 is provided at each overlapping portion of the through hole 32b of the drag link 32, the inside of the cylindrical sleeve 34, the through hole 33b of the stay 33, and the through hole 6b of the inner cable 6. 3 and 4, the lower end 36b of the insertion shaft is inserted through the through hole 6b of the inner cable 6.
Extend below.

A washer 37 is externally fitted on the outer periphery of the lower end 36a of the stopper pin 36.

Thereafter, the bending pin 38 is inserted into the lateral hole 36b, which is a radial insertion hole of the lower end portion 36a of the stopper pin 36. Then, the bendable bending end 38a of the bending pin 38 is bent at substantially a right angle by the spring force, thereby preventing the retaining pin 36 from being pulled out.

As a result, the distal end 33a of the stay 33 is moved together with the distal end 6a of the inner cable 6 by the drag link 32 of the link mechanism 31.
Are fixedly fastened to the front end portion 32a.

However, by returning the bent portion 38a of the bent pin 38 to the straight shape, the bent pin 38 can be pulled out of the stop pin 36 very easily without using a tool.

When the bending pin 38 is pulled out from the locking pin 36, the locking pin 36 is moved to the distal end 32a of the drag link 32 and the sleeve 34.
Inner end 33a of stay 33, end 6 of inner cable 6
It can be pulled out axially from the connecting part of a.

When the retaining pin 36 is pulled out, the connecting portion is disassembled, and the connection between the drag link 32, the stay 33, and the inner cable 6 can be released.

Therefore, in the event that the assist power unit 22 is locked for some reason, the assist power unit 22 can be easily separated from the manual steering device 21 by removing the stay 33 from the link mechanism 31.

That is, first, with the bent end 38a of the folding pin 38 returned to a substantially straight shape, the folding pin 38 is
Pull out from 36b.

Next, after the retaining pin 36 is pulled upward in FIGS. 3 and 4, the small-diameter lower portion 34a of the sleeve 34 is pulled upward from the distal end 33a of the stay 33. After this, stay 33
The distal end 33a of the rack 35 and the outer end 35a of the rack 35.
Around the center of the connecting part with the tip 33a of the stay 33.
Only the tip 6a of the inner cable 6 and the drag link 32
Is rotated outward from the gap with the tip portion 32a.

Therefore, the stay 33 can be easily removed from the link mechanism 31 by pulling out the bending pin 38 and the stop pin 36.

Next, after interposing the sleeve 34 again between these two end portions 6a, 32a, the axis of the stop pin 36 is again turned from above in the figure,
A through hole 32b at the distal end 32a of the drag link 32, an inside of the sleeve 34, and a through hole 6b at the distal end 6a of the inner cable 6 are sequentially inserted in this order.
After fitting 7 outside, bending pin 38a returns bent end 38a straight
Then, the bent end portion 38a is bent again at a substantially right angle by a spring force or the like.

This prevents the break pin 38 from coming off the stop pin 36, thereby preventing the stop pin 36 from being pulled out of the sleeve 34.

As a result, the distal end portion 6a of the inner cable 6 is securely connected to the distal end portion 32a of the drag link 32, while the stay 33
And the drag link 32 can be released, so that the manual steering device 21 can be easily released from the assist power unit 22.

Therefore, even if the assist power unit 22 is locked, the free manual steering device
21 allows manual steering.

Therefore, both the reliability and the safety of the power steering device 30 can be improved.

 Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

When the steering wheel 2 (see FIG. 5) of the manual steering device 21 is turned (steered), the turning power is converted into a push or pull of the inner cable 6 of the steering cable 5, and the inner cable 6 is turned.
Pushes or pulls one end of the drag link 32 of the link mechanism 31.

Therefore, the steering bracket 10 rotates around a pilot shaft (not shown), and the outboard motor main body 12 is swung horizontally left and right to be steered.

At the time of this steering, that is, when the inner cable 6 is pushed or pulled, a steering load is applied as a reaction force to the distal end of the outer cable 7.

The reaction force (steering load) of the outer cable 7 is detected by a sensor in the sensor box 23, and this steering load detection signal is given to a controller (not shown). Is converted to

The operation signal is the motor (not shown) in the motor box 24
The steering speed is controlled to generate a required steering assist force for reducing the steering load.

That is, the rotation speed of the motor is reduced by a reduction gear such as a planetary gear.
After being decelerated by 25c, out, input bevel gears 25b, 25a
The rack 35 meshes with the pinion 35a moves forward or backward in the axial direction.

The reciprocating movement of the rack 35 is performed via the stay 33 and the link mechanism 31.
And transmitted to the drag link 32 as a steering assist force in the same direction as the manual operation force from the manual steering device 21 to reduce the steering load.

That is, since the manual operation force from the manual steering device 21 and the steering assist force from the assist power unit 22 are both applied to the drag link 32 of the link mechanism 31 in the same direction, the manual steering load is reduced.

If the assist power unit 22 is locked for some reason, the stay 33 is removed from the link mechanism 31 so that the assist power unit 22 is locked.
The manual steering device 21 is separated from the manual steering device 21 to make the manual steering device 21 free.

Therefore, when the assist power unit 22 is locked, the steering can be performed by the manual steering operation of the free manual steering device 21.

That is, according to the present embodiment, since the assist power unit 22 is locked,
The manual steering device 21 connected to the steering wheel 22 is also locked, so that it is possible to prevent the steering from being disabled, thereby improving the reliability and safety of the power steering device 30.

To remove the stay 33 from the link mechanism 31, the bent end 38a of the bent pin 38 is returned to a straight shape, pulled out from the stop pin 36, and the stop pin 36 is further inserted into the through hole of the stay 33.
Since the assist power unit 22 can be detached from the manual steering device 21 easily and quickly because it can be removed by a simple operation of pulling out from the 33b, no tool is required at that time. Further, at the time of reconnection of the drag link 32 and the inner cable 6, the bent end 38a of the bent pin 38 can be straightened and can be easily inserted into the radial insertion hole of the stop pin 36 without a tool.

After the stay 33 is removed from the link mechanism 31,
Since the inner cable 6 is connected to the drag link 32 via the stepped sleeve 34, it is possible to prevent the connection from rattling and prevent an operation error.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the present invention can easily pull out or insert the bent pin from the radial insertion hole of the stopper pin after manually returning the bent tip of the bent pin to a straight shape by hand. When removing only the stays from the link mechanism and then connecting the drag link and the inner cable again to separate the assist power unit from the manual steering device and enable manual steering operation, use tools etc. to attach and remove these stays It can be performed easily and reliably by hand without performing.

Furthermore, since the stepped sleeve has a stepped structure, the drag link, the inner cable, and the stay can be integrally tightened and fixed together without play, thereby preventing or reducing errors in operation performance. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of one embodiment of a power steering apparatus for an outboard motor according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view showing a part of FIG. 1 cut away, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion III, FIG. 4 is an end view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a conventional manual steering device, and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a side view showing before and after tilting of the outboard motor main body shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an example of the power steering device. 1 Hull, 1a Transom, 2 Steering wheel, 6 Inner cable, 7 Outer cable, 8, 31 Link mechanism, 11 Outboard motor, 12 Outboard motor body , 21 ... Manual steering device, 22 ... Assist power unit, 24 ... Motor box, 25 ... Gear box, 27 ... Rack box, 30 ... Power steering device, 32 ... Drag link, 33 ... Stay,
34 ... Sleeve, 36 ... Stop pin, 38 ... Breaking pin.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A manual steering device for steering an outboard motor via a link mechanism by manually operating a steering member such as a steering wheel, and reducing a steering load applied when the manual steering device is steered. An assist power unit that applies a steering assist force to the link mechanism via a stay; the link mechanism includes an inner cable that reciprocates in an axial direction by manual operation of the steering member, and a ship connected to the inner cable. A drag link for steering an external machine, a stepped sleeve in which a small-diameter portion inserted into a through hole of the stay and a large-diameter portion larger than this are formed in a stepped shape; In the insertion hole of the link, in the stepped sleeve, and in the through hole of the inner cable A stop pin to be inserted, and a bent pin that is removably inserted into a radial insertion hole at the outer end of the stop pin and whose outer end can be bent in the direction perpendicular to the axis. A power steering device for an outboard motor.