The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 04, 2007
Filed:
Apr. 29, 2005
Hideaki Takada, Saitama, JP;
Hiroshi Watabe, Saitama, JP;
Taiichi Otobe, Saitama, JP;
Hiroshi Mizuguchi, Saitama, JP;
Yoshinori Masubuchi, Saitama, JP;
Shinsaku Nakayama, Saitama, JP;
Hideaki Takada, Saitama, JP;
Hiroshi Watabe, Saitama, JP;
Taiichi Otobe, Saitama, JP;
Hiroshi Mizuguchi, Saitama, JP;
Yoshinori Masubuchi, Saitama, JP;
Shinsaku Nakayama, Saitama, JP;
Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
In a boat having a seat, a steering wheel, and an outboard motor, an outboard motor steering system is provided, where the steering wheel is installed near the seat a steering angle sensor installed near the steering wheel for outputting a signal indicative of a steering angle of the steering wheel. The steering system also includes a swivel shaft connected to a propeller to turn the propeller relative to the boat, and an electric motor connected to the swivel shaft for rotating the swivel shaft in response to the detected steering angle. The steering system also includes a manipulation load regulation mechanism, such as a hydraulic damper, to produce an added load for increasing a manipulation load of the steering wheel, thereby enabling reduced operator load by using the electric motor to steer the outboard motor, while improving the operator's feel of steering wheel manipulation.