Vessel Steering Handle Joint Aligning Cable With Tilt Shaft
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing steering handle devices for personal watercrafts face challenges in maintaining support strength and preventing the steering cable from swinging when the tilt angle changes, leading to layout restrictions and interference with surrounding parts.
Innovation Solution
A steering handle device with a housing, tube member, and steering shaft that allows the tube member to rotate forward and backward, supported by a tilt shaft, and a joint member with a connection portion that suppresses the steering cable's swinging, ensuring the steering cable does not interfere with other members, while maintaining a robust support structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the steering shaft is divided into upper and lower parts with a universal joint, then the tilt angle can be changed, but the support strength of the steering shaft is reduced due to short span of support portion
Solution Approach 1:
The steering shaft is divided into an upper shaft portion and a lower shaft portion connected by a universal joint, allowing independent adjustment of the upper portion for tilt angle while maintaining support strength through proper segmentation of the support structure
Solution Approach 2:
The support portion is extended in the longitudinal direction (along the axis of the steering shaft) to increase the span between support points, thereby improving support strength without limiting the tilt angle adjustment capability
2Adaptability or versatility
If the lower part of the steering shaft moves forward and backward when tilt angle changes, then the tilt mechanism works, but the steering cable swings and interferes with surrounding parts
Solution Approach 1:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the lower shaft portion and the steering cable. This guide member guides the steering cable through a fixed opening, preventing it from swinging during tilt angle changes while allowing the lower shaft portion to move freely
Solution Approach 2:
The steering cable is extracted from the moving lower shaft portion and routed through a fixed opening in the housing, separating the cable's path from the moving components to eliminate interference
3Strength
If the span of the support portion is increased, then the support strength is improved, but the layout of the steering arm and steering cable becomes more restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member is nested within the housing structure, and the steering cable is routed through a fixed opening in the housing. This nested arrangement allows the support portion to have increased span for strength while the cable is contained within the housing structure, avoiding layout restrictions
Data Source
AI summary
A steering handle device includes a housing to be mounted on a hull, a tube member and a steering shaft. The tube member is rotatable in a forward/backward direction around the tilt shaft relative to the housing. The steering shaft is inserted to the tube member. A steering arm is attached to the steering shaft. The steering arm includes an extending portion extending to an outer side of the housing. A joint member is provided on the extending portion. The joint member includes a connection portion to connect to the steering cable and a support portion to support the connection portion. When the steering shaft is in the neutral position in the rotation direction, the connection portion is located in a position corresponding to the tilt shaft as viewing the housing from the lateral direction.