Outboard Motor Dual-Pump Cooling Via Mechanical Drive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outboard motors with an electric motor-driven main pump require additional space, increasing the motor's size.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a first pump connected to the drive shaft and a second pump driven by the transmission to efficiently deliver cooling water to the engine, reducing the need for an electric motor and minimizing the motor's size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the main pump is driven by an electric motor, then the pump can be reliably controlled, but the size of the outboard motor is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electric motor-driven pump system with a mechanical drive system where the pump is directly coupled to the drive shaft. This substitution eliminates the need for an electric motor, reducing the overall size of the outboard motor while maintaining reliable pump operation through mechanical coupling to the existing drive shaft rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive shaft is given multiple functions: it not only transmits power to the propeller but also directly drives the water pump through its rotation. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate electric motor components, reducing the motor's size while maintaining reliable pump control through the existing mechanical drive system.
2Device complexity
If a single pump is used, then the structure is simpler, but the cooling water delivery efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cooling water delivery function into two separate pumps: a first pump for primary cooling water delivery and a second pump for supplementary cooling water delivery. This segmentation allows each pump to be optimized for its specific function, improving overall cooling water delivery efficiency while maintaining relatively simple individual pump structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses two pumps to provide more than what a single pump would deliver, ensuring sufficient cooling water supply to the engine. The first pump handles the primary cooling demand while the second pump provides additional cooling capacity, ensuring that the cooling system meets or exceeds the engine's cooling requirements under various operating conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Efficient cooling water delivery to the engine is achieved while reducing the overall size of the outboard motor by leveraging the drive shaft and transmission-driven pumps.
Implementation Method 1
The first pump is connected to the drive shaft and is operable to send cooling water to the engine through the cooling water passage
Implementation Method 2
The second pump is drivable by a driving force from the transmission to send the cooling water to the engine through the cooling water passage
Data Source
AI summary
An outboard motor includes an engine, an upper case, a lower case, a cavitation plate, a transmission, a cooling water passage, a first pump, and a second pump. The transmission includes a drive shaft and a propeller shaft. The cooling water passage is connected to the engine and located in the upper case and the lower case. The first pump is above the cavitation plate. The first pump is connected to the drive shaft and operable to send cooling water to the engine through the cooling water passage. The second pump is drivable by the driving force from the transmission to send the cooling water to the engine through the cooling water passage.