MARINE VESSEL STEERING DEVICE AND MARINE VESSEL

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-094024 filed on Jun. 7, 2023. The entire contents of this application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a marine vessel steering device including a steering wheel, and a marine vessel including the steering device.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, various switches and a paddle-shaped throttle lever have been provided on a steering wheel, and a harness, which is wiring for transmitting operation inputs to these switches and the throttle lever as electrical signals, is routed from the steering wheel to an ECU (Electronic Control Unit). Some steering devices limit a rotation angle of the steering wheel within a predetermined range in order to suppress disconnection of the harness due to the rotation of the steering wheel.

For example, a steering device for an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) that is a straddle-type four wheeled automobile is provided with a pair of shaft-side stoppers 91, as shown in FIG. 9A, attached to a lower end portion of a steering shaft 90 that rotates together with a steering wheel (not shown). A frame-side stopper 92 is attached to a frame (not shown) of a vehicle body. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the steering shaft 90 rotates, the shaft-side stopper 91 abuts against the frame-side stopper 92 such that the rotation angle of the steering wheel is limited within a predetermined range (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H11(1999)-157476).

In a steering device for a sports boat that is a jet propulsion boat, as shown in FIG. 10A, a pin 101 is inserted into a helm shaft 100 that rotates together with a steering wheel (not shown) so as to be orthogonal to the helm shaft 100. Further, a cylindrical stopper 102 fixed to a tilt cover (not shown) that does not rotate is provided with a regulator 103 that protrudes toward a central axis of the stopper 102. As shown in FIG. 10B, when the helm shaft 100 rotates, the pin 101 abuts against the regulator 103 of the stopper 102 such that the rotation angle of the steering wheel is limited within a predetermined range.

However, the steering devices described above need the shaft-side stoppers 91 or the pin 101 that are separate components from the steering shaft 90 and the helm shaft 100, and there is room for improvement from a viewpoint of improving the ease of assembly and reducing the number of components.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Example embodiments of the present invention provide marine vessel steering devices that improve the ease of assembly and reduce the number of components.

According to an example embodiment of the present invention, a marine vessel steering device includes a hub to rotate with a helm shaft and to which a steering wheel is attached, and a stopper attached to a pedestal that does not rotate around an axis of the helm shaft and faces the hub. The hub includes a protrusion integral with the hub, and the stopper includes a regulator integral with the stopper. When the helm shaft rotates around the axis, a rotation angle of the steering wheel is limited because the protrusion of the hub abuts against the regulator of the stopper.

According to another example embodiment of the present invention, a marine vessel steering device includes a first component to rotate with a helm shaft, and a second component that does not rotate around an axis of the helm shaft. The first component includes a protrusion integral with the first component, and the second component includes a regulator integral with the second component. When the helm shaft rotates around the axis, a rotation angle of the helm shaft is limited because the protrusion of the first component abuts against the regulator of the second component.

According to another example embodiment of the present invention, a marine vessel includes a marine vessel steering device including a hub to rotate with a helm shaft and to which a steering wheel is attached, and a stopper attached to a pedestal that does not rotate around an axis of the helm shaft and faces the hub. The hub includes a protrusion integral with the hub, and the stopper includes a regulator integral with the stopper. When the helm shaft rotates around the axis, a rotation angle of the steering wheel is limited because the protrusion of the hub abuts against the regulator of the stopper.

According to the above configurations, since the protrusion of the hub and the regulator of the stopper that limit the rotation angle of the steering wheel are integral with the hub and the stopper, respectively, it is unnecessary to use a pin or the like that is a separate component from the hub and the stopper. This improves the ease of assembly of the marine vessel steering device and reduces the number of components.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the example embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a marine vessel according to an example embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a marine vessel steering device in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view for describing the configuration of the marine vessel steering device in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged perspective views for describing configurations of a stopper and a hub of the marine vessel steering device in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are views for describing limiting a rotation angle of a steering wheel in the marine vessel steering device in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views schematically showing a configuration of a first modification of a mechanism to limit the rotation angle of the steering wheel.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views schematically showing a configuration of a second modification of the mechanism to limit the rotation angle of the steering wheel.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a third modification of the mechanism to limit the rotation angle of the steering wheel.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views for describing a conventional mechanism to limit a rotation angle of a steering wheel in a steering device of an ATV.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are views for describing a conventional mechanism to limit a rotation angle of a steering wheel in a steering device of a sports boat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, example embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a marine vessel according to an example embodiment of the present invention. A marine vessel steering device according to an example embodiment is applied to the marine vessel 1. FIG. 1 shows a portion of an internal configuration of the marine vessel 1. The marine vessel 1 is a jet propulsion watercraft as an example, and is a type of a watercraft called a jet boat or a sport boat. In FIG. 1, components disposed at a port side of a vessel body 2 of the marine vessel 1 are denoted by a reference sign “L”, and components disposed at a starboard side of the vessel body 2 are denoted by a reference sign “R”.

As shown in FIG. 1, the marine vessel 1 includes the vessel body 2, engines 3L and 3R, and marine propulsion devices 4L and 4R. The vessel body 2 includes a deck 11 and a hull (not shown). The hull is disposed below the deck 11. A maneuvering seat 13 is disposed on the deck 11. In the maneuvering seat 13, a marine vessel steering device 14 to change a traveling direction of the marine vessel 1 to the left and right and a remote control unit 15 to control the traveling direction and a vessel speed of the marine vessel 1 are disposed. The marine propulsion devices 4L and 4R are respectively driven by the engines 3L and 3R and generate propulsive forces to move the vessel body 2. The marine vessel 1 may have three or more engines and three or more vessel propulsion devices.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the marine vessel steering device 14, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view for describing the configuration of the marine vessel steering device 14 in detail.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the marine vessel steering device 14 includes a switch controller 30, a steering wheel 31 to which the switch controller 30 is attached, and a hub 32 to which the steering wheel 31 is attached. The marine vessel steering device 14 includes a front cover 33 and a rear cover 34 that cover the hub 32, throttle levers 35L and 35R that protrude to the left and right from the hub 32, and an approximately cylindrical assembly case 36 to which the hub 32 is attached. The switch controller 30 and the assembly case 36 are assembled to each other, and rotate integrally with a helm shaft 43 described below around an axis of the helm shaft 43.

The marine vessel steering device 14 further includes a stopper 37, an inner cover 38 to which the stopper 37 is attached, an outer cover 39 that covers the inner cover 38, and a tilt mechanism 40 to which the inner cover 38 is attached. The marine vessel steering device 14 also includes a base 41 to which the tilt mechanism 40 is attached, and a helm mechanism 42 to which the base 41 is attached. Since the stopper 37 is directly or indirectly attached to the components from the inner cover 38 to the helm mechanism 42, the components from the inner cover 38 to the helm mechanism 42 function as a pedestal for the stopper 37. Since the base 41 and the helm mechanism 42 are fixed to the vessel body 2, the components from the inner cover 38 to the tilt mechanism 40 in addition to the stopper 37 do not rotate around the axis of the helm shaft 43.

The tilt mechanism 40 supports the helm shaft 43, which is a cylindrical shaft, to be rotatable around its axis, and the helm mechanism 42 supports a helm shaft 45 to be rotatable around its axis. The base 41 is provided with a shaft hole 41a to allow the helm shaft 45 to pass therethrough, and when the base 41 is attached to the helm mechanism 42, the helm shaft 45 protrudes from the base 41 toward the tilt mechanism 40.

The inner cover 38 is provided with a shaft hole 38a to allow the helm shaft 43 to pass therethrough, and when the inner cover 38 is attached to the tilt mechanism 40, the helm shaft 43 protrudes from the inner cover 38 toward the stopper 37. Further, the stopper 37 is also provided with a shaft hole 37a to allow the helm shaft 43 to pass therethrough, and when the stopper 37 is attached to the inner cover 38, the helm shaft 43 protrudes from the stopper 37. The helm shaft 43 protruding from the stopper 37 is coupled to the hub 32 through the inside of the assembly case 36.

The helm shaft 43 and the helm shaft 45 are coupled to each other with a universal joint inside the tilt mechanism 40. Therefore, when the steering wheel 31 is rotated by an operator, the hub 32 and the helm shaft 43 rotate around their axes with the rotation of the steering wheel 31, and the helm shaft 45 also rotates around its axis.

For example, various switches for determining maneuvering modes are disposed in the switch controller 30. The switch controller 30 outputs an electrical signal in response to an operation to one of the various switches by a user steering the marine vessel 1. The electrical signal is transmitted to a BCU (Boat Control Unit, not shown) provided in the vessel body 2 via a harness 46 as a wiring connected to the switch controller 30.

When the front cover 33 and the rear cover 34 cover the hub 32, the throttle levers 35L and 35R respectively protrude to the left and right. When a user pulls the throttle lever 35R toward oneself, the throttle lever 35R outputs an electrical signal to move the marine vessel 1 forward. When the user pulls the throttle lever 35L toward oneself, the throttle lever 35L outputs an electrical signal to move the marine vessel 1 backward. These electrical signals are also transmitted to the BCU via the harness 46.

At least a portion of the stopper 37 has a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical shape, and the harness 46 is routed along the side surface of the stopper 37 while staying loose. Thus, the stopper 37 functions as or defines a guide for the harness 46. When the steering wheel 31 rotates, the switch controller 30 and the throttle levers 35L and 35R also rotate, and the harness 46 routed from the switch controller 30 and the throttle levers 35L and 35R is dragged by the rotation, and the shape of the harness 46 changes.

According to the present example embodiment, since the change in the shape of the harness 46 at this time is absorbed by the slack of the harness 46 on the side surface of the stopper 37, tension is reduced in the harness 46 due to the harness 46 being forcibly stretched in association with the rotation of the steering wheel 31. This can prevent the tension generated in the harness 46 from disturbing the rotation of the steering wheel 31. Further, since the harness 46 is not forcibly stretched, disconnection of the harness 46 can also be prevented.

When the helm shaft 43 is coupled to the hub 32, the stopper 37 is inserted into the assembly case 36. At this time, the harness 46 is routed along the side surface of the stopper 37, and thus the harness 46 does not protrude outward from the stopper 37. This prevents the harness 46 from coming into contact with and rubbing against the assembly case 36, and eliminates the need to increase the size of the assembly case 36 in order to avoid contact with the harness 46, which in turn contributes to a reduction in the size of the marine vessel steering device 14.

The tilt mechanism 40 is provided with a tilt shaft 44 extending in the left-right direction, and the helm shaft 43 pivots around the tilt shaft 44 together with a shaft support component of the helm shaft 43. Thus, the position of the steering wheel 31 in the vertical direction can be changed.

The helm mechanism 42 includes a converter (not shown) to convert the rotation of the helm shaft 45 into an electrical signal, and incorporates a clutch mechanism (not shown) to switch connection and disconnection between the helm shaft 45 and the converter. When the steering wheel 31 rotates, the helm shaft 45 connected to the helm shaft 43 also rotates, and therefore the helm mechanism 42 outputs the rotation of the steering wheel 31 as an electrical signal from the converter. This electrical signal is also transmitted to the BCU.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged perspective views for describing configurations of the stopper 37 and the hub 32. FIG. 4A shows the stopper 37 as viewed from the user side, and FIG. 4B shows the hub 32 as viewed from the opposite side to the user. In FIG. 4A, the harness 46 routed around the side surface of the stopper 37 is not shown.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the stopper 37 includes a regulator 47 that protrudes toward the center axis of the stopper 37. The regulator 47 occupies a portion of space inside the cylindrical portion at the cylindrical end at the user side. From a different view point, the regulator 47 protrudes from the bottom of the cylindrical portion toward the user side, that is, toward the stern side. The regulator 47 is integral (unitary) with the stopper 37 by, for example, casting a metal such as aluminum.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the hub 32 includes lever bases 48L and 48R provided on the left and right, a hollow cylindrical boss 49 protruding from the central portion of the hub 32 toward the side opposite to the user, and a plate-shaped protrusion 50 protruding from the boss 49 in the radial direction of the boss 49. The throttle levers 48L and 48R are respectively attached to the lever bases 35L and 35R. The protrusion 50 is integral (unitary) with the hub 32 by, for example, casting a metal such as aluminum, so as to extend in the axial direction of the boss 49. From a different view point, the protrusion 50 protrudes from the central portion of the hub 32 toward the opposite side to the user, that is, toward the bow side, together with the boss 49.

When assembling the marine vessel steering device 14 using the hub 32 and the stopper 37, the hub 32 and the stopper 37 are arranged to face each other. When the hub 32 and the stopper 37 approach each other, the boss 49 and the protrusion 50 of the hub 32 enter the space inside the cylindrical portion of the stopper 37 so as to be accommodated in a portion of the space excluding the regulator 47. The portion of the space excluding the regulator 47 is hereinafter referred to as “accommodation space”. At this time, the helm shaft 43 passing through the shaft hole 37a is inserted into a hollow portion 49a of the boss 49. Thus, the helm shaft 43 is coupled to the hub 32.

FIGS. 5A to 5C are views for describing limiting a rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 in the marine vessel steering device 14. FIGS. 5A to 5C show the stopper 37 coupling the helm shaft 43 to the hub 32 as viewed from the user side. In these drawings, the boss 49 and the protrusion 50 of the hub 32 are shown by broken lines.

As shown in FIG. 5A, when the steering wheel 31 is rotated to neither left nor right, that is, when the steering wheel 31 is in what is called a neutral state, the protrusion 50 that has entered the accommodation space is located on the opposite side of the regulator 47 with respect to the center axis of the stopper 37 (at a position rotated 180° from the regulator 47). In this state, the regulator 47 is not in contact with the protrusion 50, and thus the user can rotate the steering wheel 31 in either the left or right direction.

When the steering wheel 31 in the neutral state is rotated in the right direction and the helm shaft 43 rotates to the right around the axis, the protrusion 50 of the hub 32 approaches the regulator 47 of the stopper 37. When the steering wheel 31 is rotated from the neutral state to the right by about 150°, for example, the protrusion 50 of the hub 32 abuts against the regulator 47 of the stopper 37 as shown in FIG. 5B, and the steering wheel 31 cannot be rotated further to the right. Thus, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 from the neutral state to the right direction is limited to about 150°, for example.

Further, when the steering wheel 31 in the neutral state is rotated in the left direction and the helm shaft 43 rotates to the left around the axis, the protrusion 50 of the hub 32 approaches the regulator 47 of the stopper 37. When the steering wheel 31 is rotated from the neutral state to the left by about 150°, for example, the protrusion 50 of the hub 32 abuts against the regulator 47 of the stopper 37 as shown in FIG. 5C, and the steering wheel 31 cannot be rotated further to the left. Thus, the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 from the neutral state to the left is limited to about 150°, for example.

According to the present example embodiment, since the protrusion 50 is integral with the hub 32, and the regulator 47 is integral with the stopper 37, it is not necessary to use a pin or the like that is a component separate from the hub 32 and the stopper 37 in order to limit the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31. Therefore, the ease of assembly of the marine vessel steering device 14 is improved, and the number of components of the marine vessel steering device 14 is reduced.

Further, since the protrusion 50 is integral with the hub 32 by, for example, casting and the restricting portion 47 is integral with the stopper 37 by, for example, casting, the strength of the protrusion 50 and the regulator 47 is improved, and the durability against the operation input is improved.

Although example embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

For example, according to the present example embodiment, the limiting of the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 is achieved by the hub 32 and the stopper 37. However, the limiting of the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 may be achieved by other components of the marine vessel steering device 14.

Specifically, the protrusion may be integral with a first component (first element) that rotates together with the helm shaft 43, and the regulator may be integral with a second component (second element) that is fixed to the vessel body 2 and does not rotate around the axis of the helm shaft 43. In this case, when the helm shaft 43 rotates around the axis, the protrusion of the first component is brought into contact with the regulator of the second component, thus limiting the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views schematically showing a configuration of a first modification of the mechanism to limit the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31. FIG. 6A is a sectional view of the helm mechanism 42 taken along the axial direction of the helm shaft 45, and FIG. 6B is a view of the helm mechanism 42 as viewed from the opposite side (bow side) to the user. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, components that are not related to the limiting of the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 are not shown.

In the first modification, a regulator 51 protrudes from an inner peripheral wall of a cylindrical case 42a that accommodates the internal components of the helm mechanism 42 toward a center axis of the case 42a, and a plate-shaped protrusion 52 protrudes from the helm shaft 45 in the radial direction of the helm shaft 45. The regulator 51 is integral with the case 42a, and the protrusion 52 is integral with the helm shaft 45.

In the first modification, when the steering wheel 31 is rotated in the right direction or the left direction from the neutral state, the protrusion 52 approaches the regulator 51 accompanied with the rotation of the helm shaft 45. The rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 is limited because the protrusion 52 abuts the regulator 51.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are views schematically showing a configuration of a second modification of the mechanism to limit the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31. FIG. 7A is a sectional view of the helm mechanism 42 taken along the axial direction of the helm shaft 45, and FIG. 7B is a view of the helm mechanism 42 as viewed from the bow side. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, components that are not related to the limiting of the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 are not shown.

In the second modification, a thin shaft portion 45a having a smaller radius than another portion is provided at the end of the helm shaft 45 on the bow side, and a protrusion 53 protrudes in the radial direction from the thin shaft portion 45a. A plate-shaped regulator 54 protrudes from the inner peripheral wall of the case 42a of the helm mechanism 42 toward the center axis of the case 42a. The regulator 54 extends closer to the center axis of the case 42a than the regulator 51 of the first modification, and the tip of the regulator 54 enters a stepped space between the thin shaft portion 45a of the helm shaft 45 and the other portion. The regulator 54 is integral with the case 42a, and the protrusion 53 is integral with the helm shaft 45.

In the second modification, when the steering wheel 31 is rotated in the right direction or the left direction from the neutral state, the protrusion 53 approaches the regulator 54 accompanied with the rotation of the helm shaft 45. The rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 is limited because the protrusion 53 abuts the regulator 54.

FIG. 8 is an external perspective view schematically showing a configuration of a third modification of the mechanism to limit the rotation angle of the steering wheel 31.

In the third modification, a plate-like protrusion 55 protrudes from the bow side of the rear cover 34 in the bow direction, and a pair of plate-like regulators 56 projects from the outer cover 39 in the lower left and right directions. The protrusion 55 is integral with the rear cover 34, and the regulators 56 are integral with the outer cover 39. FIG. 8 shows only one of the regulators 56 that protrudes in the lower right direction.

In the third modification, when the steering wheel 31 is rotated in the right direction or the left direction from the neutral state, the protrusion 55 approaches the regulator 56 accompanied with the rotation of the rear cover 34 that rotates integrally with the steering wheel 31. The rotation angle of the steering wheel 31 is limited because the protrusion 55 abuts the regulator 56.

According to the present example embodiment, the steering wheel 31 and the hub 32 are configured as separate components, but the steering wheel 31 and the hub 32 may be integral. This further improves the ease of assembly of the marine vessel steering device 14 and further reduces the number of components of the marine vessel steering device 14.

Further, according to the present example embodiment, the marine vessel steering device 14 includes the steering wheel 31, but the marine vessel steering device 14 may include a control wheel instead of the steering wheel 31. According to the present example embodiment, the marine vessel steering device 14 is applied to the jet propulsion boat. However, the marine vessel steering device 14 is also applicable to other types of marine vessels, such as a marine vessel including an outboard motor and a marine vessel including an inboard/outboard motor.

While example embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

MARINE VESSEL STEERING DEVICE AND MARINE VESSEL

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