JP2007203842A - Steering device for navigation - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steering device for navigation enabling an adjustment of a steering angle ratio (turning angle/steering angle) of a turning angle of a steering mechanism and a steering angle of a steering wheel according to a driver's taste. <P>SOLUTION: This steering device is provided with a steering angle detecting device 15 for detecting the steering angle of the steering member 14 for steering a hull 8, steering mechanisms 3 and 30 mechanically separated from the steering member 14 to turn the hull 8, a means 16 for fixing a target turning angle by multiplying the steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting device 15 by the steering angle ratio, a turning actuator 11 for driving the steering mechanisms 3 and 30 based on the target turning angle fixed by the fixing means 16, and an adjusting means 16 for adjusting the steering angle ratio. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a navigation steering apparatus such as an outboard motor.

  A small boat such as a motor boat that uses an outboard motor as a propulsion device does not have a rudder, the outboard motor is a steering mechanism, and steering is performed by changing the direction of the outboard motor main body. In particular, in the case of a small size, a handlebar is attached to the outboard motor main body so that the driver can directly steer. In other cases, the rotation of a steering wheel (steering member, steering wheel) provided in the driver's seat is transmitted by a rope and pulley, a push-pull cable, or a hydraulic plunger to steer the outboard motor body.

As a navigation steering apparatus for steering such an outboard motor, in recent years, a steering wheel of a driver's seat is arranged without mechanical connection with the outboard motor, and an actuator for steering the outboard motor is provided. The separation type is configured such that the actuator is operated based on the detection result of the operation direction and the operation amount of the steering wheel, and the outboard motor is steered to perform the steering according to the operation of the steering wheel. A steering apparatus for navigation is proposed in Patent Document 1 and the like.
Japanese Patent No. 2959044 JP 07-257488 A

  In the navigation steering apparatus as described above, the steering angle ratio (steering angle / steering angle) between the steering angle of the steering mechanism and the steering angle of the steering wheel is fixed for each model, and the driver's preference There is a problem that may not fit.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances. In the first invention, the steering angle ratio (steering angle / steering angle) between the steering angle of the steering mechanism and the steering angle of the steering wheel is set. An object of the present invention is to provide a navigation steering device that can be adjusted and adapted to the driver's preference.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a stopper angle for stopping the rotation of the steering wheel is also prepared in accordance with the adjustment of the steering angle ratio (steering angle / steering angle) between the steering angle of the steering mechanism and the steering angle of the steering wheel. It is an object of the present invention to provide a navigation steering device that can be used.

  A navigation steering apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a steering angle detector that detects a steering angle of a steering member that steers a hull, a steering mechanism that is mechanically separated from the steering member and steers the hull, Means for multiplying the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector by a steering angle ratio to determine a target turning angle; a steering actuator for driving the steering mechanism based on the target turning angle determined by the means; Adjusting means for adjusting the rudder angle ratio.

  The navigation steering apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a reaction force actuator that applies a steering reaction force to the steering member according to the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector, and a steering angle detected by the steering angle detector. Means for applying a steering reaction force to the steering member by the reaction force actuator so that steering is prohibited when the angle exceeds a predetermined angle, and the predetermined angle is a steering angle ratio adjusted by the adjustment means. And the maximum value of the target turning angle.

  According to the navigation steering apparatus of the first aspect of the invention, the steering angle detector detects the steering angle of the steering member that steers the hull, and the steering mechanism is mechanically separated from the steering member to steer the hull. The means for determining determines the target turning angle by multiplying the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector by the steering angle ratio, and the steering actuator determines the steering mechanism based on the target turning angle determined by the means for determining. Since the steering means adjusts the steering angle ratio, the steering angle ratio (steering angle / steering angle) between the steering angle of the steering mechanism and the steering angle of the steering wheel can be adjusted. It is possible to realize a navigation steering apparatus that can be adapted to the user's preference.

  According to the navigation steering apparatus of the second aspect of the invention, the reaction force actuator applies a steering reaction force to the steering member according to the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector, and the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector is When the angle exceeds a predetermined angle, the giving means applies a steering reaction force to the steering member by the reaction force actuator so that the steering is prohibited. The predetermined angle is determined by the steering angle ratio adjusted by the adjusting means and the target turning. Since the adjustment is based on the maximum value of the angle, the rotation of the steering wheel can be stopped according to the adjustment of the steering angle ratio (steering angle / steering angle) between the steering angle of the steering mechanism and the steering angle of the steering wheel. It is possible to realize a navigation steering apparatus that can also adjust the stopper angle to be stopped.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments thereof.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a navigation steering apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a connection relationship between an outboard motor main body and a hull used in the navigation steering apparatus according to the present invention. FIG.
This navigation steering device includes a steering shaft 37 of a steering wheel (steering member) 14 provided in a driver seat in front of the hull 8, a steering angle detector 15, a motor drive circuit 44, a reaction force motor (reaction force actuator). 9 and a rotor angle detector 12 are attached. The steering angle signal detected by the steering angle detector 15 that detects the absolute steering angle of a plurality of revolutions is given to the steering / reaction force controller 16.

The steering / reaction force controller 16 drives and controls the reaction force motor 9 based on the given steering angle signal, and gives a steering reaction force to the steering wheel 14. Further, a target turning angle is determined based on a steering angle signal and a steering angle ratio set by a steering angle ratio setting unit 46 (FIG. 3), which will be described later, and a steering wheel provided at the rear part of the hull 8 by a cable 39. To the controller 42.
The rotor angle signal detected by the rotor angle detector 12 is given to the motor drive circuit 44 and used to generate a three-phase voltage for driving the reaction force motor 9 which is a brushless motor.

The outboard motor 1 is attached to a transom (cross member) 7 at the rear part of the hull 8 via an outboard motor suspension bracket 4 and a pair of clamp brackets 5 (FIG. 2). The outboard motor main body 3 (steering mechanism) can be rotated in the horizontal direction around the outboard motor suspension bracket 4 via a steering shaft 45 (FIG. 2) described later fixed to the outboard motor main body 3. It is supported.
The outboard motor suspension bracket 4 is pivotally supported by a clamp bracket shaft 6 passed between a pair of clamp brackets 5 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, that is, capable of being tilted and trimmed.
A propeller (not shown) of the outboard motor main body 3 is attached below the drive shaft housing in which the drive shaft at the lower portion of the outboard motor main body is accommodated.

  The steered motor 11 (steering actuator) that generates the steered force is provided with a motor drive circuit 43, and a steerable controller 42 that controls the steered motor 11 is connected to the motor drive circuit 43 by a cable. Has been. A gear case 27 is provided adjacent to the steered motor 11, and the gear case 27 is attached to the rack housing 18. Both ends of a rack 17 (FIG. 2), which will be described later, the central portion of which is accommodated in the rack housing 18 are supported by mounting brackets 22 mounted on the clamp brackets 5.

A guide plate 30 is fixed to the side of the rack housing 18, and a steered arm 33 is connected to the tip portion of the guide plate 30 on the outboard motor main body 3 side so as to be rotatable in the horizontal direction.
The motor drive circuits 43, 44, the steering controller 42, the steering / reaction force controller, the steering angle detector 15, the reaction force motor 9, and the like are supplied from a battery 40 installed at the rear of the hull 8.

Both ends of the rack (steering mechanism) 17 in the longitudinal direction, which is the width direction of the hull 8, are fixed to the mounting brackets 22 by bolts 23. Each mounting bracket 22 is fastened to the clamp bracket 5 by nuts 24 that are screwed to both ends of the clamp bracket shaft 6 that pivotally supports the outboard motor suspension bracket 4 by the clamp bracket 5.
A portion of the rack (steering mechanism) 17 that is not accommodated in the rack housing 18 is covered with a boot 50 for waterproofing that can be expanded and contracted.

A portion of the rack 17 accommodated in the rack housing 18 rolls a number of steel balls between a male screw 25 engraved on the rack 17 and a female screw engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder 26. By doing so, it is a ball screw mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the steering motor 11 into a linear motion. The rotating cylinder 26 is rotatably supported by a pair of bearings 28 provided between the outer peripheral surface thereof and the inner peripheral surface of the rack housing 18.
In the ball screw mechanism, the rotational motion of the steered motor 11 is caused by the meshing of the bevel gear 20 attached to the tip of the motor shaft 29 of the steered motor 11 and the bevel gear 21 provided around the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder 26. The speed is reduced and transmitted to the rotary cylinder 26, and the rotary cylinder 26 rotates.

As the rotary cylinder 26 rotates, the rack housing 18 moves in the axial direction of the rack 17, and the guide plate (steering mechanism) 30 attached to the side surface of the rack housing 18 so as to be freely rotatable in the vertical direction similarly moves. To do.
A long hole 32 that is long in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rack 17 is formed at the tip of the guide plate 30 on the outboard motor main body 3 side, and protrudes from one end of a steering arm (steering mechanism) 33. The guide pins 34 that pass through the long holes 32.
The other end (not shown) of the steered arm 33 is fixed to the outboard motor main body 3, and the direction toward the other end of the steered arm 33 is the direction toward the propeller of the outboard motor main body 3. Is done.

A steered shaft 45 (steering mechanism) protrudes from the tip of the outboard motor suspension bracket 4 on the outboard motor main body 3 side, and the steered shaft 45 is drilled in an intermediate portion of the steered arm 33. The turning arm 33 is pivotally supported by the turning shaft 45.
A turning angle detector 41 is provided around the turning shaft 45, and the turning angle detector 41 detects the rotation angle with the turning arm 33 as the turning angle, and detects the detected turning angle. A steering angle signal is supplied to the steering controller 42.

From the connection relationship of the steering motor 11, the rack 17, and the steering arm 33, when the steering motor 11 rotates in one direction, the rack housing 18 and the guide plate 30 move in one axial direction of the rack 17. . When the guide plate 30 moves in one axial direction of the rack 17, the steered arm 33 rotates in the other direction around the axis of the steered shaft 45 as the guide pin 34 slides in the long hole 32. The outboard motor body 3 is steered.
Further, when the steering motor 11 rotates in the other direction, the rack housing 18 and the guide plate 30 move in the other direction of the rack 17 in the axial direction. When the guide plate 30 moves in the other direction in the axial direction of the rack 17, the steered arm 33 rotates in one direction around the axis of the steered shaft 45 as the guide pin 34 slides in the long hole 32. The outboard motor body 3 is steered.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the navigation system according to the present invention.
In this control system, the steering angle signal of the steering wheel 14 detected by the steering angle detector 15 is given to the steering / reaction force controller 16. The steering / reaction force controller 16 controls driving of the reaction force motor 9 by the motor drive circuit 44 based on the given steering angle signal.

The steering angle ratio setting device 46 (adjusting means) adjusts the steering angle ratio (steering angle / steering angle) between the steering angle of the steering arm 33 and the steering angle of the steering wheel 14. The steering angle ratio set by the setting device 46 is given to the steering / reaction force controller 16.
The steering / reaction force controller 16 multiplies the steering angle ratio set by the steering angle ratio setting unit 46 and the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector 15 to obtain a steering angle (target steering angle). It is determined and given to the steering controller 42 through the cable 39. In this case, the relationship between the steering angle ratio, the steering angle, and the steering angle is as shown in FIG. 4 and the end contact angle of the steering does not change. Therefore, if the steering angle ratio is set to large / small, the steering The stopper angles A, B, and C of the wheel 14 are set to small / large.

As shown in FIG. 5, the steering reaction force (reaction force torque) gradually increases from the steering angle 0 ° to the stopper angles A, B, C, and discontinuously at the stopper angles A, B, C. As a result, the driver cannot steer beyond the stopper angles A, B, and C. The steering / reaction force controller 16 stores a reference table showing the relationship between the steering angle and the target motor current of the reaction force motor 9 for realizing the steering reaction force as shown in FIG. 5 in the built-in memory 16a. ing.
The steering controller 42 is based on the target turning angle given from the steering / reaction force controller 16 and the turning angle signal between the turning shaft 45 and the turning arm 33 detected by the turning angle detector 41. The steered motor 11 is driven and controlled by the motor drive circuit 43.

It is a mimetic diagram showing composition of an embodiment of a steering device for navigation concerning the present invention. It is a cross-sectional view showing the connection relationship between the outboard motor main body and the hull used in the navigation steering apparatus according to the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the control system of the steering apparatus for navigation which concerns on this invention. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship of the steering angle ratio, the steering angle, and the turning angle of the steering apparatus for navigation which concerns on this invention. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship between the steering angle and steering reaction force (reaction torque) of the steering apparatus for navigation which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 outboard motor, 3 outboard motor body (steering mechanism), 4 outboard motor suspension bracket, 5 clamp bracket, 8 hull, 9 reaction force motor (reaction actuator), 11 steering motor (steering actuator), 12 Rotor angle detector, 14 Steering wheel (steering member), 15 Steering angle detector, 16 Steering / reaction force controller (adjusting means), 16a Memory, 17 Rack (steering mechanism), 18 Rack housing, 22 Mounting bracket 26 Steering cylinder (steering mechanism), 30 Guide plate (steering mechanism), 33 Steering arm (steering mechanism), 41 Steering angle detector, 42 Steering controller, 45 Steering shaft (steering mechanism) ), 46 Rudder angle ratio setting device (adjustment means)

Claims (2)

  A steering angle detector that detects a steering angle of a steering member that steers the hull, a steering mechanism that is mechanically separated from the steering member and steers the hull, and a steering angle detected by the steering angle detector. Means for multiplying the rudder angle ratio to determine a target turning angle; a steering actuator for driving the steering mechanism based on the target turning angle determined by the means; and an adjusting means for adjusting the rudder angle ratio. A navigation steering apparatus comprising: a navigation steering apparatus;   In response to the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector, a reaction force actuator that applies a steering reaction force to the steering member, and when the steering angle detected by the steering angle detector exceeds a predetermined angle, steering is performed. Forbidden, further comprising means for applying a steering reaction force to the steering member by the reaction force actuator, wherein the predetermined angle is a steering angle ratio adjusted by the adjustment means and a maximum value of the target turning angle. The navigation steering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the navigation steering apparatus is configured to be adjusted based on the adjustment.

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