Outboard Motor Electrical Box Layout for Compact Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing layout of outboard motors with internal combustion engines restricts the placement of electrical equipment boxes near the cylinder head due to exhaust manifold passages, limiting the freedom of arranging parts and increasing the motor's transverse width.
Innovation Solution
Reconfiguring the outboard motor to place the exhaust manifold passage in the cylinder head and forming an exhaust passage in the cylinder block, allowing the electrical equipment box to overlap the exhaust passage vertically, thereby creating space for larger components like the inlet air silencer and enabling a more compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the electrical equipment box is placed in the exhaust-side part near the cylinder head, then the freedom of arranging parts and determining sizes is improved, but the transverse width and weight of the outboard motor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the electrical equipment box from a lateral placement to a vertical stacking arrangement where it overlaps the exhaust passage in the vertical direction. This dimensional change allows the box to occupy space above the exhaust passage rather than extending the transverse width, thereby maintaining freedom of part arrangement while avoiding increase in transverse dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrical equipment box is positioned to overlap and nest around the exhaust passage, utilizing the vertical space above the exhaust passage. This nesting arrangement allows the electrical equipment box to be integrated into the existing engine structure without requiring additional transverse space, effectively using idle vertical volume.
2Ease of operation
If the electrical equipment box is disposed transversely apart from the center axis to avoid interference, then the interference with intake system and exhaust manifold walls is avoided, but the transverse width and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the electrical equipment box laterally to avoid interference (which would increase transverse width), the patent positions it vertically to overlap the exhaust passage. This vertical stacking eliminates lateral interference with the intake system while avoiding the penalty of increased transverse dimension.
Data Source
AI summary
An outboard motor S has an exhaust manifold passage 37 for carrying exhaust gas from combustion chambers 30. The exhaust manifold passage 37 is formed in a part of a cylinder head 22 in an exhaust-side part of an internal combustion engine E on the side of the cylinder head 22 with respect to a joint surface P of a cylinder block 20 joined to the cylinder head 22. An exhaust passage 38 is formed in the cylinder block 20 and connected to the exhaust gas outlet 37e of the exhaust manifold passage 37 in the joint surface P. An electrical equipment box 50 holding electrical equipment is placed in the exhaust-side part so as to overlap the exhaust passage 38 when viewed in vertical direction. An electrical equipment box 50 is disposed adjacent to the cylinder head 22 with respect to the direction parallel to the axes of cylinders 20a. It is thus possible to increase freedom of arranging parts at positions farther from the cylinder head than the electrical equipment box and freedom of determining the sizes of those parts.