JP3166172B2 - Amphibious vehicle steering system - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a steering device for an amphibious vehicle.

[Prior Art] Generally, the hull (president) of an amphibious vehicle is provided with wheels for land running and a propulsion device for water running, and these are driven by a diesel engine or the like. , And run on land and water as appropriate.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] On the other hand, in traveling on land, steering (steering) is performed by changing the direction of wheels (front wheels) by a known steering mechanism, whereas traveling on water is performed. If so,
For example, a completely different operation such as appropriately rotating the nozzle of the propulsion device is performed.

For this reason, the steering devices are individually configured, but from the viewpoint of ease of use, it is desirable that any steering operation can be easily performed within the reach of the driver in the driver's seat. However, when both steering devices are arranged close to each other, there is a problem that an erroneous operation occurs such as operating a land-based steering mechanism during traveling on water.

In particular, in the case of an amphibious vehicle (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 47-24087) in which wheels are stored to reduce underwater resistance when traveling on water, if there is an erroneous operation in the stored state, serious damage to the wheels or suspension device Serious damage may be caused.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention has been devised to provide a steering apparatus for an amphibious vehicle that can easily perform a steering operation both on land and on water, and that does not cause erroneous operation.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, a steering wheel shaft is divided into a steering wheel side and an anti-steering wheel side, and a steering mechanism for land traveling is connected to the shaft on the anti-steering wheel side. A water traveling steering mechanism is provided in the vicinity of the shaft division position, and only one of the anti-steering wheel side shaft or the water traveling steering mechanism is provided on the steering wheel side shaft at the shaft division position. Switching means for connection are provided.

[Operation] With the above configuration, during land running, the switching means connects the shaft on the steering wheel side to the steering mechanism for land running, and performs steering on land by turning the steering wheel. When the vehicle shifts to water traveling, the shaft on the steering wheel side and the steering mechanism for water traveling are connected by the switching means, so that the water traveling steering is performed without operating the steering mechanism for land traveling.

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

1 and 2 show an embodiment of a steering apparatus for an amphibious vehicle according to the present invention.

In this steering apparatus, a ground traveling steering mechanism 3 and a water traveling steering mechanism 4 are provided on a shaft 2 of a steering wheel 1, and only one of these mechanisms 3, 4 is connected to the shaft 2. Switching means 5 is provided.

The steering wheel 1 is provided in a driver's seat 7 of a boat body 6 formed in a predetermined boat shape, and is located in an area where the driver P can easily operate while sitting on a seat 8.

The hull 6 is equipped with an engine 9 as a driving source, and has wheels 10 and 11 for land running at a lower portion, and a water jet propulsion device for water running at a rear portion.
12 are provided, and each is connected to the engine 9 by a propeller shaft (not shown).

The shaft 2 is composed of a column shaft 13 serving as a rotation axis of the steering wheel 1 and a second shaft 16 connected to a known tie rod 14 serving as a ground-based steering mechanism 3 via a gear portion 15. They are connected by a universal joint 17. Then, the switching means 5 has its second shaft
It is formed in the middle of 16.

The water jet propulsion device 12 is configured such that an impeller 20 attached to a rotating shaft 19 is housed in a substantially cylindrical housing 18, and the rotating shaft 19 is driven to rotate, so that water sucked into the housing 18 is removed. It spouts backward. At the rear of the housing 18, there is a nozzle that guides the jet flow
21 is provided and a vertical axis provided at the upper end of the housing 18
It is supported to rotate around 22.

The steering mechanism 4 for traveling on water includes a helm 23 that is formed in a substantially disk shape and converts rotation around its axis into tangential movement, a cable 24 having one end tangentially connected to the helm 23, It comprises a rotating member 25 connected to the other end of the cable 24 and provided at the position of the longitudinal axis 22. When the cable 24 is pulled or pushed out by the operation of the helm 23, the rotating member 25 causes the nozzle 21 to appropriately rotate around the longitudinal axis 22 according to the movement.
The input shaft 26 of the helm 23 is extended close to and in parallel with the second shaft 16.

As shown in FIG. 3 to FIG.
Are divided into an upper part 27 and a lower part 28, which are coaxially connected by a pin 29 provided at the axial position thereof, and are appropriately separated so that rotation about the axis is not transmitted. The pin 29 is loosely fitted in a fine hole 30 formed in the axial center on each of both end faces facing the second shafts 27 and 28.

As described above, the shaft 2 is divided into two parts in the middle of the second shaft 16, and the column shaft 13, the universal joint 17 and the upper part 27 of the second shaft 16 constitute a shaft on the steering wheel 1 side, and the lower part 28 of the second shaft 16 forms the opposite part. A shaft on the steering wheel 1 side is configured. The lower portion 28 of the second shaft 16 is connected to the land traveling steering mechanism 3, and the switching means 5 is provided at a position where the shaft 2 is divided.

And on the outer periphery of the end of both second shafts 27 and 28,
Protrusions 31 and 32 for serration fitting are formed, and a joint pipe 34 having a boss portion 33 meshed with the projections on an inner peripheral wall is slidably fitted in the axial direction. The input shaft 26 of the helm 23 is located near the upper second shaft 27, and a ring 36 having a serration protrusion 35 on the outer periphery similar to that of the second shafts 27 and 28 is attached.

The projections 31 of the upper second shaft 27 extend from the end face of the shaft to a position overlapping the ring body 36, and the projections 32 of the lower second shaft 28 extend from a position separated by a predetermined distance from the end face of the upper shaft 27. Are formed over sections that are slightly shorter than the projection 31 of each.

On the other hand, the joint pipe 34 has a length such that it can be appropriately bridged over both serrations, and the outer periphery of the end on the upper second shaft 27 side is engaged with the ring body 36 of the input shaft 26 by serration. Projection 37 is formed,
Thus, when the joint pipe 34 is engaged with the input shaft 26, the joint pipe 34 is simultaneously fitted with the upper second shaft 27.

The input shaft 26, the joint pipe 34, and the second shafts 27, 28 do not engage with the input shaft 26 when the joint pipe 34 is engaged with the lower second shaft 28, and engage with the input shaft 26. When it is present, it is appropriately adjusted so that the engagement with the lower second shaft 28 is released.

Also, the vicinity of the projection 32 of the lower second shaft 28 and the input shaft
In the vicinity of 26, position sensors 38 and 39 are provided so as to face both ends of the joint pipe 34, respectively. And the joint pipe 34 is the lower second shaft 28
Or when a predetermined engagement position where the input shaft 26 is completely engaged is detected by the respective position sensors 38 and 39, and a display (not shown) indicating the completion of switching provided in the driver's seat 7 is provided. ).

In addition, in the present embodiment, a lifting device (not shown) is provided in the suspension system of the wheels 10 and 11, and the wheels 10 and 11 are stored in the hull 6 when traveling on water, and Is reduced. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

When traveling on land, the joint pipe 34 is slid toward the lower second shaft 28 (FIG. 3), and serration fits into the projection 31 of the upper second shaft 27 and the projection 32 of the lower second shaft 28 on both surfaces of the boss 33, respectively. Let it.

Thus, the rotation of the steering wheel 1 is transmitted from the column shaft 13 and the upper second shaft 27 to the lower second shaft 28 via the joint pipe 34. Then, by the rotation of the lower second shaft 28, the tie rod 14 is appropriately operated via the gear portion 15, the direction of the front wheel 10 is changed, and the traveling direction of the hull 6 is adjusted.

Then, when shifting to water running, use the joint pipe
The upper part 34 is slid upward (FIG. 4) to mesh with the ring body 36 of the input shaft 26 and the lower second shaft 28
Release the engagement with. Thus, the rotation of the steering wheel 1 is transmitted to the input shaft 26 of the helm 23 via the joint pipe 34 without being transmitted to the front wheel 10 side, and the cable 24 is pulled or pushed out according to the amount of rotation.
By this movement, the rotating member 25 appropriately rotates the nozzle 21 around the longitudinal axis 22. In accordance with the rotation of the nozzle 21, the direction of the jet flow from the water jet propulsion device 12 is changed, and the traveling direction of the hull 6 is adjusted.

In this manner, the switching means 5 is formed on the divided second shaft 16 and the sliding of the joint pipe 34
Since the upper second shaft 27 is selectively connected to the input shaft 26 and the lower shaft 28 of the helm 23, the turning operation of the same steering wheel 1 enables the steering of land running and the steering of water running. , And an easy-to-use steering device is achieved.

And by completely switching the steering mechanism,
It is possible to eliminate an erroneous operation such as steering the wheels 10, 11 during traveling on water. This not only prevents dangerous driving due to erroneous operation, but also
There is no danger of the cover and the like coming into contact with the hull 6 when the 10 and 11 are stored. In other words, the storage space can be minimized.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the position sensors 38 and 39 for detecting the position of the joint pipe 34 are provided, the driver P can confirm the switching of the steering device while keeping the normal driving posture.

Note that the sliding of the joint pipe may be directly performed manually or may be operated via an appropriate operation tool.

Further, it is preferable that the projection of the serration fitting is of a single notch type so that the centering of the steering wheel can be performed. The second shaft may be provided with an appropriate lock mechanism for holding the joint pipe at a predetermined engagement position.

[Effects of the Invention] In summary, according to the present invention, the following excellent effects are exhibited.

A steering device that can easily perform steering operations for land running and water running and that is free from erroneous operations is achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing one embodiment of a steering apparatus for an amphibious vehicle according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part thereof, FIG. The figure is a sectional side view for explaining the operation of the switching means, and FIG. 5 is an exploded view thereof. In the figure, 1 is a steering wheel, 2 is a shaft, 3
Is a steering mechanism for traveling on land, 4 is a steering mechanism for traveling on water, and 5 is a switching means.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A steering wheel shaft is divided into a steering wheel side and an anti-steering wheel side, and a steering mechanism for land traveling is connected to the shaft on the anti-steering wheel side, and water traveling near the dividing position of the shaft. Switching means for connecting only one of the shaft on the side opposite to the steering wheel or the steering mechanism for water traveling to the shaft on the steering wheel side at the split position of the shaft. A steering device for an amphibious vehicle, comprising: