Outboard motor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016137280-A1
Application number	US-201514939082-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 12, 2015
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The outboard motor includes a lower unit that rotatably supports a propeller shaft installed with propellers, and a shift unit that switches a shift position. The lower unit is provided with an upwardly opened shift unit storage chamber and a lid member that covers the upper side of the shift unit storage chamber. The shift unit has a dog clutch that switches the shift position by reciprocating in parallel with the drive shaft, a shift fork member that reciprocates the dog clutch in parallel with the drive shaft, and an actuator that reciprocates the shift fork member in parallel with the drive shaft. The actuator is supported by the lid member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An outboard motor comprising:
an upper unit where an engine is housed; a lower unit that rotatably supports a propeller shaft where a propeller is installed; a middle unit provided between the upper and lower units to house a part of a drive shaft that transmits rotational power from the engine to the propeller shaft; and a shift unit that switches a shift position, wherein the lower unit is provided with an upwardly opened shift unit storage chamber and a lid member that blocks an upper side of the shift unit storage chamber, the shift unit has
a clutch body that switches the shift position by reciprocating in parallel with the drive shaft,
a shift fork member engaged with the clutch body to reciprocate the clutch body in parallel with the drive shaft, and
an actuator that reciprocates the shift fork member in parallel with the drive shaft,
the shift unit is housed in the shift unit storage chamber, and the actuator is supported by the lid member.

2 . The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the lid member is provided with a guide member that guides the shift fork member reciprocatingly in parallel with an axial line of the drive shaft.

3 . The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator is a linear motion type having a motor that generates rotational power, and a ball screw mechanism that has a ball screw nut and a screw shaft and converts rotational power generated from the motor into a rectilinear motion, and
the shift fork member is connected by using the screw shaft and reciprocates the clutch in parallel with the drive shaft by a rectilinear motion of the screw shaft.

4 . The outboard motor according to claim 1 , wherein the lid member is provided with a bearing that rotatably supports the drive shaft.

Assignees

• Suzuki Motor Corp

Inventors

• Sugiyama Shuichi
• Daikoku Keisuke

Classifications

• B63H20/20

  with provision for reverse drive · CPC title

• B63H2005/106

  with drive shafts of second or further propellers co-axially passing through hub of first propeller, e.g. counter-rotating tandem propellers with co-axial drive shafts · CPC title

• B63H20/14 Primary

  Transmission between propulsion power unit and propulsion element · CPC title

• B63H2020/323

  Gear cases · CPC title

• B63H23/30 Primary

  characterised by use of clutches · CPC title