Outboard Motor Upper Engine Cover Rigidity and Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outboard motors face challenges in miniaturization, rigidity, and weight reduction, particularly with large-sized engines, which lead to noise and difficulty in attaching/detaching engine covers due to insufficient rigidity and increased weight.
Innovation Solution
The outboard motor design includes an inclined oil filter and a lower-mounted electric actuator with a link mechanism, reducing the width and weight of the upper engine cover while maintaining rigidity, and optimizing the mating position between engine covers to prevent interference during maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of the upper engine cover is increased to ensure rigidity, then the rigidity is improved, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces reinforcing ribs that extend in the width direction (lateral dimension) rather than simply increasing thickness in the vertical dimension. These ribs create a three-dimensional reinforcing structure that boosts rigidity through geometric configuration rather than material volume, thereby improving stiffness without proportionally increasing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcing ribs are strategically positioned at specific locations on the upper engine cover where structural support is most needed. This localized reinforcement approach concentrates material only where necessary to achieve the required rigidity, avoiding uniform thickness increases across the entire cover and thus minimizing unnecessary weight gain.
2Area of stationary object
If the size of the upper engine cover is increased to cover the entire periphery of the engine, then the coverage is improved, but the rigidity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds reinforcing ribs that extend in the width direction across the large surface area of the upper engine cover. These ribs create a three-dimensional reinforcing structure that divides the large flat area into smaller rigid sections, preventing deformation across the entire periphery while maintaining comprehensive engine coverage.
3Area of stationary object
If the upper engine cover is made large-sized to cover the entire periphery, then the coverage is improved, but the workability of attaching and detaching decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces reinforcing ribs that create natural hand-holding positions and structural divisions on the large upper engine cover. These ribs provide tactile reference points and structural edges that make it easier for operators to grip and maneuver the large cover during attachment and detachment operations, improving workability despite the increased size.
4Volume of moving object
If the width of the outboard motor is reduced to miniaturize, then the size is improved, but the position for mounting the oil filter becomes constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the width direction (lateral dimension) for the reinforcing ribs and oil filter mounting structure. By extending elements in the width direction rather than increasing overall motor width, the design creates mounting space for the oil filter within the constrained lateral dimension, achieving miniaturization while maintaining mounting flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an outboard motor. In a posture in use of the outboard motor, an oil filter is inclined such that a mounting portion side is located lower than a tip end side and the mounting portion side is located at an inner side and a tip end side is located at an outer side in the width direction of the outboard motor, a cover mating position between an upper engine cover and a lower engine cover is set to a position lower than an upper part of the tip end, and is higher than a lower part of the mounting portion, and an electric actuator is mounted on a lower part of an engine block and is mounted on a position closer to a center of the engine relative to a position of an outermost end of the oil filter in a width direction of the engine.