Nippon Cable System Inc.

Masanao Baba

Makoto Teraura

Koichi Mori

An engine control apparatus for marine use comprising an operating plate which is driven by pushing/pulling operation through a cam attached to a driving disc, a transmission link which is arranged so as to extend in the moving direction of the operating plate and to be movable in the direction, and moreover, which is driven by pushing/pulling operation according to the operation of a free throttle lever, and a throttle arm which is connected to the transmission link at a first rotation center and connected to the top end of the operating plate at a second rotation center which is apart from the first center of rotation. In the device, when a throttle is operated through the operating plate, the throttle arm rotates around the first center of rotation, and on the other hand, when the throttle is operated through the free throttle lever, the throttle arm rotates around the second center of rotation.

Engine control apparatus for marine use

A control device for a boat engine, capable of controlling both clutch and throttle with a single lever. The control device has a supporting shaft installed within a housing. A clutch arm, an operating disk and a throttle arm are rotatably mounted on the supporting shaft in such order. The root portion of the operating lever radially extending through a slit of a peripheral portion of the housing is fixed to the periphery of the operating disk. The control device has a gear mechanism and a cam-link mechanism. The gear mechanism changes the first stage turning of the operating disk to a swing movement of the clutch arm, and then, locks the clutch arm after the clutch arm has been swung to an end position. The cam-link mechanism prevents swing movement of the throttle arm during the first turning stage of the operating disk and also provides a swing movement of the throttle arm during the latter turning stage of the operating disk.

Control device for boat engine

A steering apparatus for a boat, comprising a steering wheel, a rudder and a push-pull control cable layed between former two, wherein a connecting device, of the push-pull control cable and a steering mechanism on the side of the rudder, comprises a cable cap fixed to a conduit of the push-pull control cable, a guide pipe provided in said steering mechanism, an adjusting nut adjustably engaged to said cable cap and a semi-box nut having an annular bottom to be used for connecting the cable cap and the guide pipe by catching the adjusting nut on the cable cap and simultaneously being engaged to a male-threaded surface of the guide pipe. The adjustment of the effective length of the conduit of the push-pull control cable is easily achieved by the selection of an axial position of the adjusting nut.

Steering apparatus for boat

A steering system for a boat, comprising a steering unit, at least one push-pull control cable and a pinion-rack unit. The pinion-rack unit has a rack casing having at least one inner cable guiding portion along at least one side wall thereof, a cable guide for outwardly guiding smoothly an inner cable of the push-pull control cable from the inner cable guiding portion, an end portion of the inner cable connected with the end portion of the rack, and a pinion meshed with the rack. The steering system can be easily mounted on a boat, does not require a wide space for mounting and for arranging a push-pull control cable, and can be applied to several types of boats, e.g. a boat which has two or more operator's seats.

Steering system for a boat

A steering system for a boat, comprising a steering unit, at least one push-pull control cable and a pinion-rack unit. The above pinion-rack unit has a rack casing, a rack slidably inserted into the rack casing, a cable guide for outwardly guiding an inner cable of the push-pull control cable; the inner cable being inserted into an inner cable path formed in a surface of the rack, a small guide groove being formed in the inner cable path and a small projection piece slidably inserted into the small guide groove and is formed on the front bottom portion of the cable guide, whereby the inner cable can be very smoothly operated and the space for arranging the push-pull control cable can be saved.

A fitting structure for a steering wheel mechanism to a dashboard comprising a flange provided to a top portion of a casing of the steering wheel mechanism, having a vertical plane and an slant plane on a front side and a reverse side, respectively, and clamping bores perforated perpendicularly to the vertical plane at an angle with respect to the slant plane; a C-shaped setting holder interposed between the slant plane of the flange and that of the dashboard; at least two bolts inserted through said clamping bores and arranged at reverse side of the dashboard; and a U-shaped clamping plate for clamping the dashboard with said flange and said mounting holder by said bolts.

Fitting structure of steering wheel mechanism

A steering apparatus comprising an operating unit having an operating pulley rotated by a steering wheel, a steering unit having a steering pulley rotated by two inner cables so as to steer a rudder means through a steering screw rotated by the steering pulley and a steering pipe moved by the steering screw, and substantially two pull cables having the two inner cables connecting the operating unit and the steering unit, whereby the rudder is operated by the steering wheel without the influence of waves, and further the steering apparatus can be constructed by combination of the plural operating units and the plural steering units.

Steering apparatus

A locking device includes an annular locking face formed on the inner surface of a casing and an annular lockable face opposed to the locking face and provided on a driven member turnably mounted on the casing. The lockable face is movable into pressing contact with the locking face to lock a lever when the lever is rotated and thereby screwed in toward one direction longitudinally thereof. The locking face and the lockable face are operable free of any local uneven wear, while the lever can be locked to the desired position and unlocked therefrom with high reliability at all times.

Rotatable operating lever locking device

In an intermittent transmission meshing mechanism comprising a toothed drive member having a toothed portion and a circular outer periphery continuous therewith and a toothed driven member having a toothed portion and arcuate locking faces formed on the opposite sides thereof, an oil retaining member having a projection projecting toward the drive member is provided on the driven member between the toothed portion thereof and each of the locking faces or on each of the locking faces. When an end of the circular outer periphery of the drive member adjacent its toothed portion comes into sliding contact with the toothed portion or locking face of the driven member, the corresponding oil retaining member slightly presses against and applies lubricant to the end. The oil retaining member affords continued lubrication over a prolonged period of time without the depletion of lubricant liable to occur in conventional like meshing mechanisms and without entailing any waste of lubricant since no lubrication is done while the mechanism is out of operation. The oil retaining member can be easily replenished with lubricant.

Meshing mechanism for intermittent transmission

A single lever clutch and throttle control which in normal operation assures that the throttle is held out of operation until the clutch is completely engaged and further assures that the clutch is held in the engaged position during operation of the throttle. An engine warm up mode allows operation of the throttle while the clutch is held disengaged.

Control mechanism for marine engine

In a two-lever control unit including a shaft mounted on the main body of the unit, a clutch operating plate and a throttle operating plate both rotatably supported by the shaft, a clutch lever for moving the clutch operating plate and a throttle lever for moving the throttle operating plate, a locking pin extends through a bore in the main body and has one end engageable in three locking cavities formed in the clutch operating plate and the other end engageable in a locking cavity formed in the throttle operating plate. One of the operating plates, when turned, causes the locking pin to lock the other operating plate. Thus, the clutch lever, when operated, locks the throttle lever, whereas when the throttle lever is operated, the clutch lever is locked. This simple structure gives the control unit greatly improved safety.

Two-lever control unit

A control unit comprising a casing, a drive shaft rotatably supported by the casing, a lever having a boss secured to the drive shaft, a shift rod extending through the boss and slidably inserted in a bore of the drive shaft, the shift rod being biased by a spring in a returning direction, a locking ring turnably supported on the outer periphery of the drive shaft, a drive gear rotatably supported by the drive shaft and having a toothed portion on part thereof and a circular outer peripheral surface continuous with the toothed portion, a driven gear rotatable by the drive gear, a drive plate having a drive pin implanted therein, a throttle cam having a specified cam groove receiving the drive pin therein and mounted on a pin on the driven gear movably in a direction at right angles to the drive shaft, a clutch arm having a clutch cable pivoted thereto, and a throttle arm having a throttle cable pivoted thereto. The control unit operates the clutch and throttle mainly of a marine engine by the single lever, ensuring efficient warm-up operation and control of the engine.

Single lever control unit for engines

A control unit comprises a frame member, a drive shaft rotatably supported by the frame member, a lever member slidably mounted on the drive shaft, a shift rod secured to the lever member, locking means fitting around the drive shaft, a drive member turnably supported by the drive shaft and having a toothed portion and a circular outer peripheral edge, a clutch actuating member having a toothed portion meshable with the toothed portion of the drive member and inwardly curved locking edges, a clutch rod pivoted to the clutch actuating member, a driven member secured to the drive shaft, a drive pin mounted on the driven member, a throttle operating member turnably supported by the frame member and having a cam aperture slidably receiving the drive pin therein, and a throttle rod pivoted to the throttle operating member. The control unit operates the clutch and throttle mainly of a marine engine by a single lever and has an improved waterproof structure. The control cable remains free of any bending when the lever member is shifted to warm up the engine.

Control unit for throttle and clutches

A control mechanism comprising a lever, a housing member, an axle journaled in the housing, a throttle operating means turnable by the lever and secured to the axle, gear means rotatable by the throttle operating means, a clutch arm fixed on the gear means, a throttle cable operable by the throttle operating means and a clutch cable operable by the clutch arm. Control mechanism adapted to operate both the clutch and throttle of engine by a single main lever. The mechanism assures that the throttle is held out of operation until the clutch is completely shifted, while the clutch is held in its shifted position during the operation of the throttle.

Control mechanism

A control mechanism for controlling the operation of both the clutch and throttle of an engine by a single main lever, which comprises a lever means, a clutch operating means having a clutch member and a sliding member; a throttle operating means having a throttle member and a sliding member; a standing means having a standing clutch guide means, along which the sliding member of the clutch operating means slides, and a standing throttle guide means, along which the sliding member of the throttle operating means slides; and a rotatable means having a rotatable clutch guide means, along which the sliding member of the clutch operating means slides, and a rotatable throttle guide means, along which the throttle operating means slides. The control mechanism assures that the throttle is held out of operation until the clutch is completely shifted, while the clutch is held in the shifted position during the operation of the throttle, and has particular relevance to controlling the operation of both the throttle and clutch in an engine of comparatively small power such as engine for motorboat from the viewpoint that it is quite economical in manufacturing and quite reliable owing to the simple construction comprising trouble-free parts.

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Takarazuka, Japan

Masanao Baba