Outboard machine

Abstract

To reduce the size of a shift device and reduce travel resistance.SOLUTION: An outboard machine (1) includes a shift device (50) for operating a power transmission mechanism (30), and reversely rotating propellers (27 and 28), and a housing (14) for housing the power transmission mechanism and the shift device. In the shift device, a cam mechanism (54) for converting the rotation of a shift shaft (52) into vertical motion of an operation part (57), a shift slider (61) which is connected to the operation part and is slidable, a dog clutch (66) for operating the power transmission mechanism, and a connector pin for connecting the shift slider and the dog clutch are provided. In the housing, a wide part (16) above an anti-cavitation plate (15), a narrow part (17) below the anti-cavitation plate are formed. The power transmission mechanism is housed in the wide part, and at least the shift slider of the shift device is housed in the narrow part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an outboard motor. [Background technology]

[0002] Outboard motors are provided with a shift device in which the shift position is changed by an actuator (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the outboard motor described in Patent Document 1, an upper shaft extends downward from the engine, and an upper bevel gear is fixed to the lower end of the upper shaft. The upper bevel gear is connected to a lower bevel gear via a middle bevel gear, and the lower shaft is inserted into the lower bevel gear so as to be able to rotate relative to the upper shaft. The upper end of the lower shaft protrudes from the lower bevel gear, and a dog clutch fixed to the upper end of the lower shaft is positioned in the opposing space between the upper bevel gear and the lower bevel gear.

[0003] In the shift device, the dog clutch is moved up and down between the upper bevel gear and the lower bevel gear by an actuator. When the dog clutch is moved up and connected to the upper bevel gear, the shift position changes to forward and the engine power is transmitted directly from the upper shaft to the lower shaft. When the dog clutch is moved down and connected to the lower bevel gear, the shift position changes to reverse and the lower bevel gear and lower shaft are connected via the dog clutch. The engine power is transmitted in reverse from the upper shaft through the upper bevel gear, middle bevel gear, and lower bevel gear to the lower shaft. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-202849 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Incidentally, the outboard motor described in Patent Document 1 has an upper housing and a lower housing below the engine cover. An anti-cavitation plate is formed in the lower housing, and the upper side of the anti-cavitation plate is formed wide and the lower side of the anti-cavitation plate is formed narrow. In the above-mentioned shift device, the dog clutch is located between the upper bevel gear and the lower bevel gear, so the components of the shift device are installed at approximately the same height as the upper bevel gear and the lower bevel gear. There is a risk that the wide portion of the lower housing will become large, increasing running resistance.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor capable of reducing running resistance by making the shift device more compact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An outboard motor of one embodiment of the present invention is an outboard motor comprising an upper shaft and a lower shaft extending from the engine side to the propeller side, a power transmission mechanism interposed between the upper shaft and the lower shaft, a shift device that operates the power transmission mechanism to reverse the propeller, and a housing that accommodates the power transmission mechanism and the shift device, wherein the shift device has a shift shaft extending downward from the actuator side, a cam mechanism that converts rotation of the shift shaft into vertical movement of an operating section, a shift slider that is connected to the operating section and can slide in the vertical direction, a dog clutch that moves in the vertical direction to operate the power transmission mechanism, and a connector pin that connects the shift slider to the dog clutch, and the housing has an anti-cavitation plate above the propeller, a wide portion above the anti-cavitation plate, and a narrow portion below the anti-cavitation plate, and the power transmission mechanism is accommodated in the wide portion, and at least the shift slider of the shift device is accommodated in the narrow portion, thereby solving the above-mentioned problems. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to an outboard motor of one aspect of the present invention, when the actuator rotates the shift shaft, the shift slider is slid up and down by the cam mechanism. A dog clutch is connected to the shift slider via a connector pin, and the up and down movement of the dog clutch operates the power transmission mechanism to switch the rotation direction of the propeller. In addition, while the power transmission mechanism is housed in the wide portion of the housing, at least the shift slider of the shift device is housed in the narrow portion of the housing. This prevents an increase in the height dimension of the wide portion due to the installation of the shift device, reduces the frontal projected area of ​​the housing, and reduces running resistance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the outboard motor of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the outboard motor of the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first gear mechanism and a shift device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the first gear mechanism and the shift device of the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are explanatory diagrams of a shift position switching operation in the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a component layout of the shift device and the first gear mechanism of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] In an outboard motor according to one aspect of the present invention, an upper shaft and a lower shaft extend from the engine side to the propeller side, and a power transmission mechanism is interposed between the upper shaft and the lower shaft. The power transmission mechanism is operated by a shift device to rotate the propeller in the reverse direction. In the shift device, a shift shaft extends downward from the actuator side, and a cam mechanism converts rotation of the shift shaft into vertical movement of an operating unit. A shift slider that can slide in the vertical direction is connected to the operating unit, and a dog clutch is connected to the shift slider via a connector pin. The dog clutch moves in the vertical direction to operate the power transmission mechanism. When the shift shaft is rotated by the actuator, the shift slider is slid in the vertical direction by the cam mechanism. A dog clutch is connected to the shift slider via a connector pin, and the power transmission mechanism is operated by the vertical movement of the dog clutch to switch the rotation direction of the propeller. An anti-cavitation plate is provided above the propeller in the housing. The housing above the anti-cavitation plate is a wide section, and the housing below the anti-cavitation plate is a narrow section. The power transmission mechanism is accommodated in the wide section of the housing, and at least the shift slider of the shift device is accommodated in the narrow section. This prevents an increase in the height of the wide section due to the installation of the shift device, reduces the frontal projection area of ​​the housing, and reduces running resistance. EXAMPLES

[0011] Hereinafter, an outboard motor according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view of the outboard motor according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view of the outboard motor according to this embodiment. In the following drawings, the arrow FR indicates the front of the vehicle, the arrow RE indicates the rear of the vehicle, the arrow L indicates the left side of the vehicle, and the arrow R indicates the right side of the vehicle.

[0012] 1 and 2, the outboard motor 1 transmits driving force from an engine 20 to counter-rotating propellers 27, 28 to generate propulsion for the boat. The engine 20 and other components are housed inside a top cowl 11 and a bottom cowl 12 at the upper part of the outboard motor 1. An upper housing 13 is provided below the bottom cowl 12, and a lower housing 14 is provided below the upper housing 13. A drive shaft 21 is housed vertically in the upper housing 13 and the lower housing 14, and a propeller shaft 24 connected to the drive shaft 21 is housed horizontally in the lower housing 14.

[0013] The drive shaft 21 has an upper drive shaft (upper shaft) 22 and a lower drive shaft (lower shaft) 23 that extend from the engine 20 side to the propellers 27, 28 side (lower side). The upper drive shaft 22 and the lower drive shaft 23 are spaced apart in the vertical direction, and a first gear mechanism (power transmission mechanism) 30 is interposed between the upper drive shaft 22 and the lower drive shaft 23. Although described in detail below, the first gear mechanism 30 is connected to a shift device 50, and the shift device 50 operates the first gear mechanism 30 to transmit or cut off the power of the engine 20 and to reversely rotate the propellers 27, 28.

[0014] The propeller shaft 24 is perpendicular to the drive shaft 21, and a second gear mechanism 40 is interposed between the propeller shaft 24 and the drive shaft 21. The propeller shaft 24 has a double-tube structure in which an inner propeller shaft 26 is inserted inside a hollow outer propeller shaft 25. The inner propeller shaft 26 protrudes in the front-to-rear direction from the front and rear ends of the outer propeller shaft 25. A front propeller 27 is fixed to the rear end of the outer propeller shaft 25, and a rear propeller 28 is fixed to the rear end of the inner propeller shaft 26.

[0015] The second gear mechanism 40 has a lower drive gear 41, a rear driven gear 42, and a front driven gear 43. The lower drive gear 41 is fixed to a lower end of the lower drive shaft 23, the rear driven gear 42 is fixed to a front end of the outer propeller shaft 25, and the front driven gear 43 is fixed to a front end of the inner propeller shaft 26. The lower drive gear 41, the rear driven gear 42, and the front driven gear 43 are bevel gears, and the rear driven gear 42 and the front driven gear 43 mesh with the lower drive gear 41. Rotation of the lower drive shaft 23 causes the outer propeller shaft 25 and the inner propeller shaft 26 to rotate in opposite directions.

[0016] The front propeller 27 fixed to the outer propeller shaft 25 is provided with three propeller blades, and the rear propeller 28 fixed to the inner propeller shaft 26 is also provided with three propeller blades. The outer propeller shaft 25 and the inner propeller shaft 26 rotate in opposite directions, causing the front propeller 27 and the rear propeller 28 to rotate in opposite directions. The swirling flow generated by the rotation of the front propeller 27 is collected by the reverse rotation of the rear propeller 28, improving propulsion efficiency, and counter torque generated by the rotation of the front propeller 27 and the rear propeller 28 is offset.

[0017] Meanwhile, an anti-cavitation plate 15 is formed above the propellers 27, 28 of the lower housing 14 to suppress air being drawn into the propellers 27, 28. The part of the lower housing 14 above the anti-cavitation plate 15 is a wide section 16, and the part of the lower housing 14 below the anti-cavitation plate 15 is a narrow section 17. Below the narrow section 17 is a housing section 18 for the propeller shaft 24 that bulges out like a bullet. Because the lower housing 14 is located below the water surface, if the frontal projection area of ​​the lower housing 14 is small, running resistance is reduced and acceleration is improved.

[0018] The lower housing 14 houses a first gear mechanism 30. A shift device 50 is connected to the first gear mechanism 30, but when the shift device 50 is housed in the lower housing 14, the propeller shaft 24 may move downward, increasing the frontal projection area of ​​the lower housing 14. In addition, a water pump 70 for cooling the engine 20 is installed on the upper surface of the lower housing 14, and the distance from the water surface near the anti-cavitation plate 15 to the water pump 70 becomes long during planing. For this reason, a large water pump must be provided to pump water from the water surface.

[0019] Therefore, the outboard motor 1 of this embodiment employs a smaller pinion gear of the first gear mechanism 30, a gear transmission structure of the shift device 50, and a layout of the shift device 50 that utilizes the space below the first gear mechanism 30. The first gear mechanism 30 and the shift device 50 are made smaller, and the shift device 50 is compactly installed within the lower housing 14, preventing an increase in the frontal projection area of ​​the lower housing 14. In addition, an increase in the distance from the water surface to the water pump 70 is prevented even when the boat is planing, making it possible to use a small water pump 70 for the outboard motor 1.

[0020] The first gear mechanism and the shift device will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first gear mechanism and the shift device of this embodiment. Figure 4 is a side view of the first gear mechanism and the shift device of this embodiment. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram of the shift position switching operation of this embodiment.

[0021] 3 and 4, the first gear mechanism 30 has an upper drive gear (upper gear) 31, a lower driven gear (lower gear) 32, and a pair of pinion gears (other intermediate gears, intermediate gears) 33, 34. The upper drive gear 31 is fixed to the lower end of the upper drive shaft 22, and the lower driven gear 32 is inserted into the lower drive shaft 23 and faces the upper drive gear 31 from below. The upper drive gear 31, the lower driven gear 32, and the pair of pinion gears 33, 34 are bevel gears, and the pair of pinion gears 33, 34 mesh with the upper drive gear 31 and the lower driven gear 32.

[0022] When rotation is transmitted from the upper drive gear 31 to the lower driven gear 32, the lower driven gear 32 rotates in the opposite direction to the upper drive gear 31. The lower driven gear 32 is supported by the lower drive shaft 23 so as to be rotatable relative to the lower drive shaft 23, and is configured so that the lower driven gear 32 and the lower drive shaft 23 can be connected by a dog clutch 66 of the shift device 50. When the lower driven gear 32 and the lower drive shaft 23 are not connected, the power transmission from the lower driven gear 32 to the lower drive shaft 23 is cut off, and when the lower driven gear 32 and the lower drive shaft 23 are connected, the lower driven gear 32 and the lower drive shaft 23 rotate integrally.

[0023] The shift device 50 uses power from the actuator 51 to operate a dog clutch 66 via a shift shaft 52, a cam mechanism 54, a shift slider 61, and a connector pin 63. The shift shaft 52 extends downward from the actuator 51 side, and a sector gear 53 having teeth formed in a predetermined area on its outer periphery is fixed to the middle part of the shift shaft 52 in the height direction. The cam mechanism 54 is configured by slidably attaching a shift fork (operating part) 57 to the outer periphery of a cylindrical cam 55. A sector gear 59 having teeth formed in a predetermined area on its outer periphery is fixed to the upper end side of the cylindrical cam 55, and the sector gear 59 meshes with the sector gear 53 of the shift shaft 52.

[0024] A spiral cam groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical cam 55, and a follower 58 (see FIG. 5) inside the cylinder of the shift fork 57 fits into the cam groove of the cylindrical cam 55. The rotation of the shift shaft 52 is transmitted to the cylindrical cam 55 via sector gears 53, 59, and the cylindrical cam 55 rotates to move the follower 58 of the shift fork 57 along the cam groove. In this way, the rotation of the shift shaft 52 is converted into the up and down movement of the shift fork 57 by the cam mechanism 54. The tip side of the shift fork 57 is forked, and the fork portion of the shift fork 57 is connected to a shift slider 61 that is movably installed on the outer circumferential surface of the lower drive shaft 23.

[0025] The shift slider 61 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is slidably installed on the outer circumferential surface of the lower drive shaft 23. Two annular grooves, one above and one below, are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the shift slider 61. The fork portion of the shift fork 57 fits into the upper annular groove of the shift slider 61, and the shift slider 61 slides up and down along the lower drive shaft 23 as the shift fork 57 moves up and down. A retaining spring 62 is attached to the lower annular groove of the shift slider 61, and the retaining spring 62 prevents a through pin 64 of a connector pin 63, which will be described later, from falling out.

[0026] A connector pin 63 is housed inside the lower drive shaft 23 and protrudes from the upper end of the lower drive shaft 23. A through pin 64 is inserted horizontally into the lower end of the connector pin 63, and the through pin 64 protruding from an elongated hole extending vertically in the lower drive shaft 23 is inserted into the shift slider 61. A through pin 65 is inserted horizontally into the upper end of the connector pin 63, and the through pin 65 is inserted into a dog clutch 66 above the lower drive shaft 23. The shift slider 61 and dog clutch 66 are connected via the connector pin 63.

[0027] The dog clutch 66 is disposed in the opposing space between the upper drive gear 31 and the lower driven gear 32. The dog clutch 66 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and an annular groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the dog clutch 66. A retaining spring 67 is attached to the annular groove of the dog clutch 66, and the through pin 65 of the connector pin 63 is prevented from falling off by the retaining spring 67. The upper surface of the dog clutch 66 faces the lower surface of the upper drive gear 31, and the lower surface of the dog clutch 66 faces the upper surface of the lower driven gear 32. A plurality of claws are formed on the opposing surfaces of the dog clutch 66 and the upper drive gear 31, and on the opposing surfaces of the dog clutch 66 and the lower driven gear 32.

[0028] Since the dog clutch 66 is connected to the shift slider 61 via the connector pin 63, the dog clutch 66 is moved up and down so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the upper drive gear 31 and the lower driven gear 32. The dog clutch 66 is connected to the upper drive gear 31 by hooking the claw portions of the dog clutch 66 and the upper drive gear 31 together, and the dog clutch 66 is connected to the lower driven gear 32 by hooking the claw portions of the dog clutch 66 and the lower driven gear 32 together. In addition, the dog clutch 66 is fixed to the lower drive shaft 23 via a through pin 65, and is connected to the lower drive shaft 23 so as to be able to rotate integrally therewith.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5(A), when the shift position is in the neutral position, the dog clutch 66 is located at a neutral position between the upper drive gear 31 and the lower driven gear 32. The dog clutch 66 is not connected to either the upper drive gear 31 or the lower driven gear 32. The power of the engine 20 (see Fig. 1) is transmitted to the lower driven gear 32 via the upper drive gear 31 and the pair of pinion gears 33, 34, but the lower driven gear 32 rotates idly relative to the lower drive shaft 23. Therefore, the power of the engine 20 is not transmitted from the upper drive shaft 22 to the lower drive shaft 23.

[0030] 5(B), when actuator 51 rotates shift shaft 52 in one direction, cam mechanism 54 converts the rotation of shift shaft 52 into upward movement of shift fork 57. Shift fork 57 causes shift slider 61 to slide upward along lower drive shaft 23. As shift slider 61 slides, dog clutch 66 moves upward from the neutral position, and the claws of dog clutch 66 are hooked onto the claws of upper drive gear 31. Dog clutch 66 is connected to upper drive gear 31, and the shift position is switched from the neutral position to the forward position.

[0031] The upper drive shaft 22 is fixed to the upper drive gear 31, and the dog clutch 66 is connected to the lower drive shaft 23 via a connector pin 63, so that the upper drive shaft 22 is connected to the lower drive shaft 23. The power of the engine 20 is transmitted from the upper drive shaft 22 to the lower drive shaft 23, causing the propellers 27, 28 (see FIG. 1) to rotate and generating thrust in the forward direction. Note that even in the forward position, the power of the engine 20 is transmitted to the lower driven gear 32 via the upper drive gear 31 and a pair of pinion gears 33, 34, but the lower driven gear 32 is rotating idly relative to the lower drive shaft 23.

[0032] 5(C), when actuator 51 rotates shift shaft 52 in the other direction, cam mechanism 54 converts the rotation of shift shaft 52 into downward movement of shift fork 57. Shift fork 57 causes shift slider 61 to slide downward along lower drive shaft 23. As shift slider 61 slides, dog clutch 66 moves downward from the neutral position, and the claws of dog clutch 66 are hooked onto the claws of lower driven gear 32. Dog clutch 66 is connected to lower driven gear 32, and the shift position is switched from the neutral position to the reverse position.

[0033] The lower driven gear 32 is connected to the lower drive shaft 23 via a dog clutch 66. The power of the engine 20 is transmitted from the upper drive shaft 22 to the lower drive shaft 23 via the upper drive gear 31, the pair of pinion gears 33, 34, and the lower driven gear 32, causing the propellers 27, 28 (see FIG. 1) to rotate in the reverse direction, generating thrust in the backward direction. In this way, the dog clutch 66 moves vertically to operate the first gear mechanism 30, thereby changing the transmission path from the upper drive shaft 22 to the lower drive shaft 23, and switching the rotation direction of the propellers 27, 28.

[0034] The layout of parts in the shift device and the first gear mechanism will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the layout of parts in the shift device and the first gear mechanism of this embodiment.

[0035] 6, the first gear mechanism 30 is positioned between the upper drive shaft 22 and the lower drive shaft 23, and the shift device 50 is positioned in front of the upper drive shaft 22 and the lower drive shaft 23. The first gear mechanism 30 is accommodated in the wide portion 16 of the lower housing 14, and the shift device 50 is accommodated across the wide portion 16 and the narrow portion 17 of the lower housing 14. More specifically, the shift shaft 52, the cam mechanism 54, the upper halves of the connector pin 63 (see FIG. 5), and the dog clutch 66 are accommodated in the wide portion 16, and the shift shaft 52, the cam mechanism 54, the lower halves of the connector pin 63, and the shift slider 61 are accommodated in the narrow portion 17.

[0036] By installing the shift slider 61 and the like of the shift device 50 in the narrow width portion 17, the height dimension of the wide width portion 16 of the lower housing 14 is reduced. By reducing the height dimension of the wide width portion 16, the frontal projected area of ​​the lower housing 14 is reduced, thereby reducing running resistance. Also, the shift slider 61 is located below the lower driven gear 32. Unlike a configuration in which the dog clutch 66 is directly operated by the shift fork 57, there is no need to place the shift fork 57 or the shift shaft 52 far away from the dog clutch 66. The shift shaft 52 and the dog clutch 66 are brought closer together in the front-to-rear direction, making the shift device 50 more compact.

[0037] In the first gear mechanism 30, a pair of pinion gears 33, 34 mesh with the upper drive gear 31 and the lower driven gear 32. The pair of pinion gears 33, 34 face each other in the front and rear with a dog clutch 66 in between. Since the torque of the upper drive shaft 22 is distributed and transmitted to the pair of pinion gears 33, 34, the strength of the pair of pinion gears 33, 34 can be reduced to achieve a reduction in the size of the gears. The reduction in the size of the pinion gears 33, 34 reduces the height of the wide portion 16 in which the first gear mechanism 30 is housed. The outboard motor 1 is made more compact, and the frontal projected area of ​​the lower housing 14 is reduced, reducing running resistance.

[0038] The pinion gear 34 is installed between the shift shaft 52 and the dog clutch 66. Even if the pinion gear 34 is installed on the shift shaft 52 side, the pinion gear 34 does not interfere with the shift device 50, and the pinion gear 34 and the shift device 50 are installed compactly in the wide portion 16 of the lower housing 14. A cam mechanism 54 is installed below the pinion gear 34. The cam mechanism 54 is installed in the space below the pinion gear 34, thereby making the shift device 50 more compact. In this case, the pinion gears 33, 34 and the cylindrical cam 55 are rotatably supported by a single bearing housing 69 (see FIG. 5).

[0039] As described above, power is transmitted from the shift shaft 52 to the cam mechanism 54 via gears. The amount of rotation of the shift shaft 52, the stroke of the dog clutch 66, and the shift load are adjusted by changing the gear ratio. With a small amount of rotation of the shift shaft 52, the stroke of the dog clutch 66 is increased, and the shift device 50 is made smaller and can be installed compactly in the lower housing 14. In this embodiment, the sector gear 59 of the cylindrical cam 55 is smaller than the sector gear 53 of the shift shaft 52, the number of teeth of the sector gear 53 of the shift shaft 52 is set to "10," and the number of teeth of the sector gear 59 of the cylindrical cam 55 is set to "9."

[0040] A water pump 70 is installed on the upper drive shaft 22 on the top surface of the lower housing 14. A water intake port 71 is formed in the accommodation portion 18 on the lower side of the lower housing 14, and water enters the lower housing 14 from the water intake port 71 up to the water surface level. Because the height dimension of the wide portion 16 above the anti-cavitation plate 15 of the lower housing 14 is reduced, the distance from the water surface near the anti-cavitation plate 15 to the water pump 70 is short. Therefore, even a small water pump 70 can pump water up from the water surface and send it to the engine 20.

[0041] As described above, according to the outboard motor 1 of this embodiment, when the actuator 51 rotates the shift shaft 52, the cam mechanism 54 slides the shift slider 61 up and down. The dog clutch 66 is connected to the shift slider 61 via the connector pin 63, and the first gear mechanism 30 is operated by the up and down movement of the dog clutch 66 to switch the rotation direction of the propellers 27, 28. In addition, the first gear mechanism 30 is housed in the wide portion 16 of the lower housing 14, but at least the shift slider 61 of the shift device 50 is housed in the narrow portion 17 of the lower housing 14. This prevents an increase in the height of the wide portion 16 due to the installation of the shift device 50, reduces the frontal projection area of ​​the lower housing 14, and reduces running resistance.

[0042] In this embodiment, the power transmission mechanism is configured by a gear mechanism, but the transmission structure of the power transmission mechanism is not particularly limited as long as the power transmission mechanism is interposed between the upper drive shaft and the lower drive shaft.

[0043] In addition, in this embodiment, the shift shaft, cam mechanism, lower halves of the connector pin and the shift slider of the shift device are housed in the narrow width portion, but it is sufficient that at least the shift slider of the shift device is housed in the narrow width portion.

[0044] Also, in this embodiment, the outboard motor is equipped with contra-rotating propellers, but the outboard motor may be equipped with a single propeller.

[0045] Also, in this embodiment, power is transmitted from the upper drive gear to the lower driven gear via a pair of pinion gears, but power may be transmitted from the upper drive gear to the lower driven gear via a single pinion gear.

[0046] In addition, in this embodiment, power is transmitted from the shift shaft to the cam mechanism by gears, but the power transmission mechanism from the shift shaft to the cam mechanism is not particularly limited.

[0047] As described above, the first aspect is an outboard motor (1) including an upper shaft (upper drive shaft 22) and a lower shaft (lower drive shaft 23) extending from the engine (20) side to the propellers (27, 28) side, a power transmission mechanism (first gear mechanism 30) interposed between the upper shaft and the lower shaft, a shift device (50) that operates the power transmission mechanism to rotate the propeller in reverse, and a housing (lower housing 14) that accommodates the power transmission mechanism and the shift device. The shift device includes a shift shaft (52) extending downward from an actuator side (51) and an operating unit (shift forward drive shaft) that controls the rotation of the shift shaft. The shift device has a cam mechanism (54) that converts a shift shaft (57) into a vertical movement of a shift slider (61) connected to the operating unit and slidable in the vertical direction, a dog clutch (66) that moves in the vertical direction to operate the power transmission mechanism, and a connector pin (63) that connects the shift slider and the dog clutch. The housing has an anti-cavitation plate (15) above the propeller, a wide portion (16) above the anti-cavitation plate, and a narrow portion (17) below the anti-cavitation plate, the power transmission mechanism is accommodated in the wide portion, and at least the shift slider of the shift device is accommodated in the narrow portion. According to this configuration, when the actuator rotates the shift shaft, the cam mechanism slides the shift slider in the vertical direction. The shift slider is connected to the dog clutch via the connector pin, and the vertical movement of the dog clutch operates the power transmission mechanism to switch the rotation direction of the propeller. In addition, while the power transmission mechanism is housed in the wide portion of the housing, at least the shift slider of the shift device is housed in the narrow portion of the housing, which limits an increase in the height of the wide portion due to the installation of the shift device, reduces the frontal projection area of ​​the housing, and reduces running resistance.

[0048] In the second aspect, in the first aspect, the shift slider is movably installed on the outer circumferential surface of the lower shaft, and the connector pin is accommodated inside the lower shaft. With this configuration, the connector pin can be installed by utilizing the inner space of the lower shaft.

[0049] In the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the power transmission mechanism has an upper gear (upper drive gear 31) fixed to the lower end of the upper shaft, a lower gear (lower driven gear 32) facing the upper gear from below, and an intermediate gear (pinion gear 34) meshing with the upper gear and the lower gear, and the intermediate gear is installed on the shift shaft side at the wide portion. With this configuration, even if the intermediate gear is installed on the shift shaft side, it does not interfere with the shift device, and the intermediate gear and the shift device can be installed compactly in the wide portion.

[0050] In the fourth aspect, the power transmission mechanism of the third aspect has another intermediate gear (pinion gear 33) that meshes with the upper gear and the lower gear, and the other intermediate gear faces the intermediate gear across a dog clutch at the wide portion. With this configuration, the torque of the upper shaft is dispersed, so the strength of the intermediate gear and the other intermediate gear can be reduced and they can be made smaller. By making the intermediate gear and the other intermediate gear smaller, the increase in the height of the wide portion is suppressed, and running resistance is reduced.

[0051] In a fifth aspect, in the third or fourth aspect, a cam mechanism is provided below the intermediate gear. With this configuration, the space below the intermediate gear can be utilized to provide the cam mechanism, thereby making it possible to reduce the size of the shift device.

[0052] A sixth aspect is any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a water pump (70) that pumps up water for engine cooling, the water pump being installed on the upper surface of the housing on the upper shaft. With this configuration, the distance from the water surface to the water pump is short, and even a small water pump can pump up water.

[0053] Although the present embodiment has been described, other embodiments may be made by combining the above-described embodiments and modifications in whole or in part.

[0054] In addition, the technology of the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and may be modified, substituted, or altered in various ways without departing from the spirit of the technical idea. Furthermore, if the technical idea can be realized in a different way due to the progress of technology or a different technology derived therefrom, the invention may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may be included within the scope of the technical idea. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1: Outboard motor 14: Lower housing (housing) 15: Anti-cavitation plate 16: Wide section 17: Narrow part 20: Engine 22: Upper drive shaft (upper shaft) 23: Lower drive shaft (lower shaft) 27: Front propeller (propeller) 28: Rear propeller (propeller) 30: First gear mechanism (power transmission mechanism) 31: Upper drive gear 32: Lower driven gear 33: Pinion gear (other intermediate gear) 34: Pinion gear (intermediate gear) 50: Shift device 51: Actuator 52: Shift shaft 54: Cam mechanism 57: Shift fork (operating part) 61: Shift slider 63: Connector pin 66: Dog clutch 70: Water pump

Claims

1. an upper shaft and a lower shaft extending from the engine side to the propeller side; a power transmission mechanism interposed between the upper shaft and the lower shaft; a shift device that operates the power transmission mechanism to reverse the rotation of the propeller; a housing that accommodates the power transmission mechanism and the shift device, The shift device is A shift shaft extending downward from the actuator side; a cam mechanism that converts rotation of the shift shaft into vertical movement of an operating part; a shift slider connected to the operation unit and slidable in an up and down direction; a dog clutch that moves vertically to operate the power transmission mechanism; a connector pin that connects the shift slider and the dog clutch, The housing includes: an anti-cavitation plate above the propeller; A wide portion above the anti-cavitation plate; a narrow portion below the anti-cavitation plate, the power transmission mechanism is accommodated in the wide portion, and at least the shift slider of the shift device is accommodated in the narrow portion.

2. The shift slider is movably installed on an outer circumferential surface of the lower shaft, 2. The outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein the connector pin is accommodated inside the lower shaft.

3. The power transmission mechanism includes: An upper gear fixed to a lower end of the upper shaft; a lower gear facing the upper gear from below; an intermediate gear that meshes with the upper gear and the lower gear, 3. An outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate gear is disposed on the shift shaft side at the wide portion.

4. The power transmission mechanism includes: another intermediate gear that meshes with the upper gear and the lower gear, 4. An outboard motor according to claim 3, wherein the other intermediate gear faces the intermediate gear at the wide portion with the dog clutch therebetween.

5. 4. An outboard motor according to claim 3, wherein the cam mechanism is disposed below the intermediate gear.

6. A water pump is provided for pumping water for cooling the engine.

3. The outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein the water pump is disposed on an upper surface of the housing and on the upper shaft.

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