JP4711842B2 - Navigation steering device - Google Patents

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 navigation steering apparatus is proposed in Patent Document 1 and the like.
Japanese Patent No. 2959044

  In the navigation steering apparatus as described above, there is considered a method of marking the rack and reading the marking with a detector in order to detect the midpoint position of the steering mechanism. However, in the case of a steering mechanism using a ball screw, the detector detects the ball screw groove and the marking without distinction. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the ball screw groove and install the detector. There is a problem that the rack must be lengthened. However, in the navigation steering apparatus, since the rack stroke amount is larger than that of the vehicle, it is difficult to lengthen the rack.

  The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances as described above, and provides a navigation steering apparatus that can detect the midpoint position of a steering mechanism using a ball screw without making the rack longer than necessary. With the goal.

  A navigation steering apparatus according to 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, and A steering actuator that drives the steering mechanism according to a steering angle detected by a steering angle detector, and the steering mechanism has a ball screw mechanism in which a ball nut is rotated by the steering actuator; In a navigation steering apparatus in which the ball screw mechanism steers by converting the rotational operation of the steering actuator into a linear motion, the navigation device includes a detector that detects an end of a ball screw groove portion of the ball screw mechanism, and the detector includes the detector A middle point of the steering mechanism is determined by detecting the end portion.

  According to the navigation steering apparatus according to the present invention, the detector detects the end of the ball screw groove of the ball screw mechanism, and the detector detects the end of the steering mechanism so that the midpoint of the steering mechanism is determined. A navigation steering device that can detect the midpoint position of the steering mechanism using the ball screw without making the rack longer than necessary can be realized.

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 angle detector 15, a motor drive circuit 44, a reaction force motor 9, and a rotor angle on a steering shaft 37 of a steering wheel (steering member) 14 provided in a driver seat at the front of the hull 8. A detector 12 is 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 so as to apply a steering reaction force to the steering wheel 14, and sends the steering angle signal to the rear part of the hull 8 through the cable 39. Is provided to the steering controller 42 provided in
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 meshing between 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 rotary cylinder 26. The speed is reduced and transmitted to the rotating cylinder 26, and the rotating 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. If the midpoint detector 46 described later is provided, the turning angle detector 41 does not need to be an absolute angle detector. If the midpoint detector 46 is not provided, the turning angle detector 41 is not required. 41 must be an absolute angle detector.

  A midpoint detector (detector) 46 for detecting the end of the groove of the male screw 25 is installed on the inner surface of the rack housing 18 at a position facing one end of the male screw 25 of the rack 17. As shown in FIG. 4, the midpoint detector 46 detects the end portion of the groove portion 17 a based on the difference in reflected light between the groove portion 17 a of the rack 17 and a portion where no groove is formed, for example. If the turning angle of the turning arm 33 when the midpoint detector 46 detects the end portion of the groove portion 17a is measured and stored in advance, the midpoint detector 46 thereafter detects the end portion of the groove portion 17a. By detecting, the turning angle of the turning arm 33 is determined, and the midpoint (straight advance angle) can be detected.

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.
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 supplied 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. Further, a steering angle signal is given to the steering controller 42 through the cable 39.

The rotor angle signal detected by the rotor angle detector 12 is given to the motor drive circuit 44, and the motor drive circuit 44 generates, for example, a three-phase voltage for driving the reaction force motor 9 based on the given rotor angle signal. generate.
The steered controller 42 uses the target steered angle signal given from the steering / reaction force controller 16 and the steered angle signal between the steered shaft 45 and the steered arm 33 detected by the steered angle detector 41. Based on this, the motor drive circuit 43 drives and controls the steered motor 11.

  Further, the steering controller 42 determines the midpoint of the turning angle detected by the turning angle detector 41 based on the midpoint detection signal from the midpoint detector 46 at the time of starting. That is, when a midpoint detection signal is given from the midpoint detector 46 at the start, the turning angle detected by the turning angle detector 41 at that time is set as the midpoint, and the subsequent turning angle detector 41. The turning angle detected by is corrected.

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 explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of a midpoint detector and the edge part of a groove part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION 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, 11 Steering motor (steering actuator), 14 Steering wheel (steering) Member), 15 steering angle detector, 16 controller for steering / reaction force, 17 rack (steering mechanism), 17a groove, 18 rack housing, 22 mounting bracket, 26 rotating cylinder (ball nut, 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 Midpoint detector (detector)

Claims (1)

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. And a steering actuator that drives the steering mechanism. The steering mechanism has a ball screw mechanism in which a ball nut is rotated by the steering actuator, and the ball screw mechanism rotates the steering actuator. In a navigation steering device that steers by converting motion into linear motion,
A detector for detecting an end of the ball screw groove of the ball screw mechanism is provided, and the detector detects the end so that a midpoint of the steering mechanism is determined. Steering device for navigation.

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