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US 7,442,104 B2Granted
Steering handlebar for outboard motor
AssigneeYamaha Marine Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYoshihiko Okabe
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AssigneeYamaha Marine Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorYoshihiko Okabe
Estimating the term…
A tiller handle assembly for an outboard motor is provided that comprises a steering handle having a generally hollow body. A throttle grip is attached to a front end of the steering handle, and a shift mechanism coupled to the steering handle. The shift mechanism includes an moveable operator that can be moved at least between two positions: one of the positions corresponding to a drive operational mode of the outboard motor and the other position corresponding to a neutral operational mode of the outboard motor. A sensor device is disposed within the hollow body of the steering handle and is configured to determine whether the movable operator is positioned in one of the two position. The location of the sensor device within the hollow body makes mounting and maintenance of the sensor device easier and generally isolates the sensor device from water.
A tiller handle assembly for an outboard motor comprising an elongated steering handle having a longitudinal axis, the steering handle being configured to be pivotally connected to the outboard motor and to extend outward from the outboard motor, a throttle grip attached to a front end of the steering handle and being rotatable generally about the longitudinal axis, a shift lever rotatably movable about a rotational axis to select an operational mode of the outboard motor among forward, neutral and reverse operational modes, a shift cable operatively linked to the shift lever and adapted to communicate the selected operational mode from the steering handle to the outboard motor, and a neutral switch disposed inside the steering handle and arranged to determine at least when the shift lever lies in a position corresponding to the neutral operational mode for the outboard motor, wherein the shift cable is disposed above the rotational axis of the shift lever and the neutral switch is disposed below the rotational axis of the shift lever.
A tiller handle assembly for an outboard motor comprising a steering handle having a generally hollow body, a throttle grip attached to a front end of the steering handle, a shift mechanism coupled to the steering handle, the shift mechanism including a moveable operator that can be moved at least between two positions, one of the positions corresponding to a drive operational mode of the outboard motor and the other position corresponding to a neutral operational mode of the outboard motor, an operational mode linkage attached to the moveable operator and configured to communicate the position of the moveable operator out of the steering handle, and a sensor device configured to engage the moveable operator so as to determine whether the operator is disposed in one of the two positions, the sensor device being disposed within the hollow body of the steering handle and in a bottom portion of the steering handle, a portion of the operational mode linkage within the hollow body being disposed in a top portion of the steering handle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.