JP7406381B2 - Outboard motor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an outboard motor that is attached to the rear of a ship for propelling the ship.

As shown in Patent Document 1, for example, an outboard motor includes an engine, a drive shaft that extends in the vertical direction and has an upper end connected to the crankshaft of the engine, and a drive shaft that extends below the drive shaft. A propeller shaft that is arranged perpendicular to the drive shaft, a reduction mechanism that transmits the rotation of the drive shaft to the propeller shaft, and a propeller that is attached to the propeller shaft. The driving force is transmitted to the propeller shaft via the speed reduction mechanism to rotate the propeller, thereby obtaining propulsive force.

The outboard motor includes a housing made of die-cast metal with good thermal conductivity to house its components. A drive shaft extending in the vertical direction is accommodated in the housing, and a crankshaft of an engine attached to an engine support base attached to the upper end of the housing is connected to the drive shaft. A propeller shaft and a speed reduction mechanism that transmits rotation of the drive shaft to the propeller shaft are housed in the lower part of the housing.

The drive shaft is rotatably supported by the housing via a bearing. In order to support the drive shaft, an upper bearing for supporting the drive shaft and a lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft are provided which are arranged vertically in order to support the drive shaft. A drive-side bevel gear that constitutes the input section of the mechanism is attached. To lubricate each bearing and the components of the speed reduction mechanism, lubricating oil is contained within the housing, and the upper and lower bearings and the speed reduction mechanism are immersed in this lubricating oil.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-49372

In an outboard motor, since the drive shaft extends vertically for a long time, it is unavoidable that some degree of runout occurs in a portion of the drive shaft near the lower end. Therefore, when the drive shaft rotates at high speed, a large load is applied to the lower bearing that supports the lower part of the drive shaft, which increases the temperature of the lubricating oil in the lower bearing, which reduces the viscosity of the oil and improves lubrication. may decrease. If the lubricity of the oil in the bearing decreases, the rolling elements (for example, needles or rollers) that make up the bearing will wear out, and the life of the bearing will inevitably be shortened. In addition, when using a shell-shaped bearing in which rolling elements consisting of needles and rollers rotate in direct contact with the drive shaft as a bearing that supports the lower part of the drive shaft, if the lubricity of the oil inside the bearing decreases, the bearing Not only will the rolling elements of the bearing wear out, but the drive shaft supported by the bearing will also wear out.

An object of the present invention is to prevent shortening of the life of a bearing that supports a drive shaft of an outboard motor.

In the present invention, a lower part of a drive shaft that is provided to extend vertically and is driven by an engine is supported in a housing via a lower drive shaft supporting bearing, and projects downward from the lower drive shaft supporting bearing. A lower end of the drive shaft is coupled to a propeller shaft via a reduction mechanism, and the lower drive shaft supporting bearing and the reduction mechanism are immersed in lubricating oil contained in the housing. .

In the present invention, a portion of a rotating body that rotates together with the drive shaft at a position adjacent to the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft, which is disposed adjacent to the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft, is provided with a An oil introduction channel is provided for causing lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side of the rotating body to flow to the inner circumferential side of the rotating body, and the lubricating oil that has flowed to the inner circumferential side of the rotating body through the oil introducing channel, The fluid is configured to flow into the bearing along the drive shaft.

With the above configuration, as the drive shaft rotates, the lubricating oil can be forcibly introduced into the drive shaft supporting lower bearing to suppress the temperature rise of the lubricating oil in the bearing. This can prevent the lubricity of the oil in the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft from decreasing. Therefore, when a high load is applied to the bearing from the drive shaft, it is possible to prevent the bearing from being worn out and shortening its lifespan.

In one aspect of the present invention, the oil introduction flow path is entirely opened at the end face of the rotating body on the bearing side, one end is opened at the outer circumferential side of the rotating body, and the other end is opened at the inner circumference of the rotating body. It is constituted by a groove portion that is opened to the inner circumference of the rotating body or that is provided to reach a portion near the inner circumference of the rotating body. In this case, a straight line connecting the center of one end of the groove and the center of the other end is inclined forward in the rotational direction of the rotary body with respect to a straight line connecting the center of the other end of the groove and the center of the rotary body. The direction in which the groove portion extends is set so that the condition is achieved.

In another aspect of the present invention, the oil introduction channel supports the drive shaft of the rotary body with one end thereof opened at the outer circumference of the rotary body and the other end located on the inner circumference side of the rotary body. It is composed of a hole drilled in the part adjacent to the lower bearing. In this case, the straight line connecting the center of one end of the hole and the center of the other end of the hole is on the front side in the rotating direction of the rotating body with respect to the straight line connecting the center of one end of the hole and the center of the rotating body. The direction in which the hole extends is set so that the hole is in an inclined state.

The present invention can be applied to any type of lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft, but in many cases, a bearing using rollers or needles as rolling elements is used as the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft. The lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft may have an inner ring or may not have an inner ring.

Since a drive-side bevel gear constituting the input section of the reduction mechanism is attached to the lower end of the drive shaft, this drive-side bevel gear can be used as a rotating body that provides the oil introduction channel.

However, the present invention is not limited to the case where a bevel gear attached to the lower end of the drive shaft is used as the rotating body providing the oil introduction flow path as described above, and the present invention is not limited to the case where a bevel gear attached to the lower end of the drive shaft is used. A separately formed rotating body is attached to the drive shaft between the bevel gear attached to the lower end of the drive shaft and the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft, and an oil introduction channel is connected to the rotating body. It may also be provided.

Generally, the reduction mechanism that transmits the rotation of the drive shaft to the propeller shaft has a drive-side bevel gear attached to the lower end of the drive shaft, facing the axial direction of the propeller shaft, and passing through the propeller shaft so as to be rotatable. a forward bevel gear and a reverse bevel gear which are arranged in a state in which the housing is rotatably supported and meshed with the drive side bevel gear; and a clutch which selectively couples the propeller shaft to the forward bevel gear or the reverse bevel gear. It is equipped with a mechanism. The part of the propeller shaft that passes through the forward bevel gear and the reverse bevel gear is supported by the housing via the forward bevel gear and the reverse bevel gear, and the part of the propeller shaft near the end to which the propeller is attached has a propeller shaft support bearing. is supported by the housing via.

When the speed reduction mechanism is configured as described above, among the forward bevel gear and the reverse bevel gear, the outer periphery of the rotating member rotates with the bevel gear disposed on the propeller side. An oil introduction passage is provided to allow lubricating oil taken in from the side to flow toward the propeller shaft, and the oil flowing toward the propeller shaft through the oil introduction passage is introduced into the propeller shaft support bearing along the propeller shaft. It is preferable to keep it.

With this configuration, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the lubricating oil in the propeller shaft supporting bearing, thereby extending the life of the bearing.

According to the present invention, as the rotating body rotates, a portion of the rotating body that rotates together with the drive shaft is placed adjacent to the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft at a position adjacent to the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft. An oil introduction channel is provided to allow lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side of the rotating body to flow to the inner circumferential side of the rotating body, so that the lubricating oil is forcibly introduced into the bearing as the drive shaft rotates. Therefore, the temperature rise of the lubricating oil in the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the lubricity of the oil in the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft from decreasing, and when a high load is applied to the bearing from the drive shaft, the bearing is worn out and its lifespan is shortened. can be prevented.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of essential parts of an outboard motor. FIG. 2 is a partially cross-sectional perspective view schematically showing the main structure of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of the main part of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a top view of the bevel gear attached to the lower end of the drive shaft, viewed from above in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, with the drive shaft cut away. FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the structure of the main part of another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the structure of the main part of still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the main part of still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the main part of still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the structure of the main part of still another embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows essential parts of an embodiment of an outboard motor according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a housing formed by die-casting aluminum having good thermal conductivity. A four-stroke engine is supported at the upper end of the housing 1 via an engine support base.

A drive shaft 3 extending vertically is accommodated within the housing 1 . The upper end of this drive shaft is directly connected to the crankshaft of an engine (not shown). The drive shaft 3 is rotatably supported by the housing 1 via an upper bearing 4 and a lower bearing 5 for supporting the drive shaft. The upper bearing 4 consists of a tapered roller bearing, and the lower bearing 5 consists of a roller bearing or a needle bearing.

A propeller shaft 6 extending in a direction perpendicular to the drive shaft 3 is disposed at a lower portion within the housing 1 . The lower end of the drive shaft protruding downward from the lower bearing 5 is coupled to the propeller shaft 6 via the reduction mechanism 10, and the rotation of the drive shaft 3 is transmitted to the propeller shaft 6 through the reduction mechanism 10.

The speed reduction mechanism 10 is arranged to face a drive-side bevel gear 11 in the axial direction of the propeller shaft 6, which is attached to the lower end of the drive shaft 3 projecting downward from the lower bearing 5 and constitutes an input section of the speed reduction mechanism. , a forward bevel gear 12 and a reverse bevel gear 13 are meshed with the drive side bevel gear 11. The forward bevel gear 12 and the backward bevel gear 13 are arranged with their central axes aligned and are rotatably supported by the housing 1 via bearings 14 and 15, respectively. The propeller shaft 6 is provided to rotatably pass through the forward bevel gear 12 and the backward bevel gear 13, and is supported by the housing 1 via the forward bevel gear 12 and the backward bevel gear 13.

The end of the propeller shaft 6 on the side away from the speed reduction mechanism 10 is fixed to the housing 1 and inserted into a cylindrical member 100 forming a part of the housing to support the propeller shaft with needles or rollers as rolling elements. It is rotatably supported by the cylindrical member 100 via a bearing 19. The boss portion 8 of the propeller 7 is attached to the outer end of the propeller shaft 6 that passes through the bearing 19 and is led out.

The speed reduction mechanism 10 is also spline-coupled to the propeller shaft 6 and has a forward position where it is engaged with a clutch engaging portion provided on the forward bevel gear 12, and a forward position where it is engaged with a clutch engaging portion provided on the forward bevel gear 12 and a reverse bevel gear 13. The dog clutch 16 is displaced between a neutral position in which it is not engaged and a reverse position in which it is engaged with a clutch engaging portion provided on the reverse bevel gear 13, and a spring 17 that biases the dog clutch 16 toward the forward position. and a push rod 18 for displacing the dog clutch 16 from the forward position, through the neutral position, and to the reverse position against the biasing force of a spring 17.

Further, the housing 1 supports a cam rod 20 that is moved up and down by being operated by a shift lever attached to the upper part of the housing 1. A clutch cam 21 that engages with the push rod 18 is attached to the lower end of the cam rod 20. By lowering the cam rod 20 and pushing the push rod 18 with the clutch cam 21 against the biasing force of the spring 17, the dog clutch 16 is activated. can be moved from the forward position to the neutral position and then to the reverse position.

A space in the housing 1 in which the drive shaft supporting lower bearing 5 and the speed reduction mechanism 10 are housed is filled with lubricating oil, and the bearing 5 and the speed reduction mechanism 10 are immersed in this lubricating oil.

An exhaust hole 22 is formed inside the boss portion 8 of the propeller 7 for discharging engine exhaust gas into the water during forward travel. The housing 1 is provided with an exhaust space 23 into which engine exhaust gas is introduced, and the exhaust gas introduced into the exhaust space 23 is exhausted through an exhaust passage (not shown) provided at the bottom of the housing 1. It is designed to be guided into the hole 22. When the hull moves forward, the exhaust gas introduced into the inside of the boss portion 8 of the propeller 7 is discharged into the water behind the propeller with the help of the water flow generated as the propeller 7 rotates.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 24 denotes a water pump that is rotationally driven by the drive shaft 3 through a gear mechanism to pump up water present in the lower part of the housing 1 through a pipe 25 in order to supply cooling water to the engine. Water pumped up by the water pump 24 is supplied into the water jacket of the engine through a pipe (not shown).

In an outboard motor, it is unavoidable that some degree of runout occurs in the portion near the lower end of the drive shaft 3 that extends in the vertical direction (vertical direction). This tends to cause vibration and a large load to be applied to the lower bearing 5 for supporting the drive shaft. Therefore, when the drive shaft 3 is rotated at high speed, the temperature of the bearing 5 increases and the temperature of the lubricating oil inside the bearing increases, which reduces the viscosity of the oil and reduces its lubricity. be. When the lubricity of the oil in the bearing 5 decreases, the rolling elements (needles or rollers in this embodiment) forming the bearing 5 will wear out, and the life of the bearing will be shortened. In addition, when using a shell-shaped bearing in which rolling elements such as needles and rollers rotate in direct contact with the drive shaft 3 as the bearing 5, if the lubricity of the oil in the bearing 5 decreases, the rolling elements of the bearing 5 Not only will the bearings wear out, but the drive shaft 3 side supported by the bearings will also wear out.

In order to prevent the above problem from occurring, in the present invention, a bearing 5 of a rotating body that is attached to the lower end of the drive shaft 3 and rotates together with the drive shaft 3 in a state adjacent to the lower bearing 5 for supporting the drive shaft is provided. An oil introduction channel is provided in a portion disposed adjacent to the rotor to cause lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side of the rotor to flow toward the drive shaft 3 side as the rotor rotates. The lubricating oil flowing toward the drive shaft 3 through the drive shaft 3 is configured to flow into the bearing 5 along the drive shaft 3.

The rotating body may be a bevel gear attached to the lower end of the drive shaft 3, or may be a member configured separately from the bevel gear. In this embodiment, a bevel gear 11 attached to the lower end of the drive shaft 3 is used as the rotating body, and this bevel gear is provided with an oil introduction passage. 2 and 3, a structure near the lower end of the drive shaft 3 including a bearing 5 supporting the lower end of the drive shaft 3 and a bevel gear 11 attached to the lower end of the drive shaft 3 is schematically shown. There is. FIG. 2 is a partially cross-sectional perspective view schematically showing the structure near the lower end of the drive shaft 3, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the drive shaft near the lower end.

In this embodiment, as the bearing 5 that supports the lower part of the drive shaft 3 with respect to the housing 1, a roller bearing or a needle bearing is used in which a holder 5b holds a rolling element 5a made of a roller or a needle. The bearing 5 is a shell-shaped bearing without an inner ring, and the drive shaft 3 is supported in direct contact with the rolling elements 5a of the bearing 5.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in this embodiment, the entire boss portion 11a of the bevel gear 11 is opened at the upper end surface (the end surface on the bearing 5 side) of the boss portion, and A groove 30 is provided with one end 30a opening toward the outer periphery of the bevel gear 11 and the other longitudinal end 30b opening toward the inner periphery of the boss portion 11a of the bevel gear 11. The groove 30 constitutes an oil introduction channel. There is.

In this embodiment, two grooves 30 constituting the oil introduction flow path are provided, and the two grooves 30 are arranged at equal angular intervals (symmetrical positions) in the circumferential direction of the bevel gear 11. Although three or more grooves 30 may be provided, when a plurality of grooves 30 are provided, it is preferable to provide the plurality of grooves at equal angular intervals.

In the sectional view shown in FIG. 3, in order to clearly show the presence of the groove 30, the groove 30 is shown extending in the radial direction of the rotating body (bevel gear 11) for convenience; Preferably, the groove extends in a direction suitable for actively taking in oil around the rotating body from an opening on the outer circumferential side of the groove when the rotating body rotates. For this purpose, it is preferable to provide the groove portion 30 so as to extend in a direction inclined toward the front side in the rotational direction of the rotary body with respect to the radial direction of the rotary body. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a straight line L1 connecting the center a of one end 30a of the groove 30 and the center b of the other end 30b connects the center of the other end 30b of the groove 30 and the center O of the rotating body. It is preferable to set the direction in which the groove portion 30 extends so that it is inclined at an angle θ (<90°) toward the front side in the rotation direction RA of the bevel gear (rotating body) 11 with respect to the straight line L2.

Although the illustrated groove 30 has a shape that extends linearly, the groove 30 does not necessarily have to be provided so as to extend linearly, and may be appropriately deformed as long as it does not impede the flow of oil. . For example, the groove portion 30 may have a curved shape.

With the above configuration, as the drive shaft 3 rotates, the lubricating oil around the bevel gear 11 is taken into the groove 30, and the taken oil is transferred to the groove 30 as shown by arrow A1 (see FIG. 3). The oil that has hit the drive shaft 3 can be made to flow toward the bearing 5 side as shown by arrow A2, so the oil around the bevel gear 11 is forcibly introduced into the bearing 5. As a result, it is possible to suppress the temperature of the lubricating oil within the bearing 5 from rising. Therefore, when a high load is applied to the bearing 5 from the drive shaft 3, it is possible to prevent the lubricity of the oil in the bearing 5 from decreasing, and it is possible to prevent the bearing from being worn out and shortening its life. can.

In the above embodiment, the groove 30 is formed such that the other end 30b of the groove 30 reaches the outer circumference of the drive shaft 3, but as shown in FIG. By forming an enlarged diameter portion on the inner periphery of the end of the bevel gear 11 on the bearing side, an annular groove 11b is formed at the end of the bevel gear 11 on the bearing side, and the other end 30b of the groove 30 is formed within this annular groove 11b. The groove portion 30 may be provided so as to be open. By providing the annular groove 11b on the inner peripheral side of the rotating body in this way, it is possible to facilitate the flow of lubricating oil flowing toward the drive shaft 3 side into the bearing 5 through the groove 30 forming the oil introduction flow path. I can do it.

The groove 30 constituting the oil introduction flow path may be provided so that the lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side of the bevel gear 11 as the bevel gear 11 rotates flows toward the drive shaft 3, and the other end 30b of the groove 30 does not necessarily have to be open on the inner diameter side of the bevel gear 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the groove portion 30 may be provided such that the other end 30b of the groove portion 30 terminates at a position in front of the inner circumferential surface of the bevel gear 11.

In the above embodiment, the oil introduction flow path provided in the rotating body (the bevel gear 11 in the above example) was entirely constituted by the groove 30 that opened on the end face of the rotating body on the bearing 5 side. The present invention is not limited to the case where the flow path is formed by a groove.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the portion of the bevel gear 11 adjacent to the lower bearing 5 for supporting the drive shaft has one end 30a' opened on the outer circumference of the bevel gear and the other end 30b' opened on the inner circumference side of the bevel gear. An oil introduction channel may be formed by a hole 30' formed in the hole 30'. Also in this case, the straight line connecting the center of one end 30a' of the hole 30' and the center of the other end 30b' of the hole 30' is relative to the straight line connecting the center of the other end of the hole 30' and the center of the bevel gear 11. It is preferable to set the direction in which the hole extends so that the hole is inclined forward in the rotational direction of the bevel gear 11.

When the hole 30' constitutes an oil introduction channel, it is preferable to provide a channel at the other end of the hole 30' for guiding the oil flowing out from the other end 30b' of the hole toward the bearing 5 side. . For example, as shown in FIG. 7, by enlarging the inner diameter of the portion of the bevel gear 11 closer to the bearing 5, an annular groove 11b that opens toward the bearing 5 is formed between the bevel gear 11 and the drive shaft 3. By opening the other end 30b' of the hole 30' into the groove 11b, a flow path can be formed to guide the oil flowing out from the other end 30b' of the hole 30' to the bearing 5 side.

Also, instead of forming the annular groove 11b at the end of the bevel gear 11 on the bearing 5 side, the other end 30b' of the hole 30' is formed on the inner diameter side of the end of the bevel gear 11 on the bearing 5 side. A hole or cutout for oil flow to be opened is formed to allow oil flowing toward the drive shaft 3 through the hole 30' as the bevel gear 11 rotates to flow into the bearing 5 through the hole or cutout for oil flow. You may also introduce it.

In the above embodiment, the bevel gear 11 attached to the lower end of the drive shaft 3 is used as a rotating body that forms the oil introduction channel, but the rotating body that forms the oil introduction channel is provided separately from the bevel gear 11. Good too. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the rotating body forming the oil introduction channel is provided separately from the bevel gear 11. In the example shown in FIG. 8, a rotating body 31 formed in a disc shape is placed adjacent to a propeller shaft support bearing 5 that supports a propeller shaft 3 and positioned between the bearing 5 and the bevel gear 11. The rotating body 31 is attached to the drive shaft 3, and a groove 30 forming an oil introduction channel is provided in the rotating body 31.

In the embodiment described above, as the rotating body rotates, a portion of the rotating body that is arranged adjacent to the bearing 5 of the rotating body that rotates together with the drive shaft 3 is placed adjacent to the lower bearing 5 for supporting the drive shaft. An oil introduction channel is provided to allow lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side of the rotating body to flow toward the inner circumferential side of the rotating body, and the lubricating oil flowed to the drive shaft 3 side through this oil introduction channel is directed along the drive shaft 3. However, the temperature of the lubricating oil in the propeller shaft support bearing 19 increases and the temperature of the lubricating oil in the bearing 19 increases. If there is a risk that the lubricating performance of oil in Preferably, means for introduction are provided.

In order to introduce oil into the propeller shaft support bearing 19, for example, one of the forward bevel gear 12 and the reverse bevel gear 13 must be rotated together with the bevel gear disposed on the propeller 7 side (in the illustrated example, the reverse bevel gear 13). A rotating member is provided, and this rotating member is provided with an oil introduction passage that allows lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side of the rotating member to flow toward the propeller shaft 6 side as the rotating member rotates, and through the oil introduction passage. The oil flowing toward the propeller shaft 6 may be introduced into the propeller shaft supporting bearing 19 along the propeller shaft 6.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the boss portion 13a of the reverse bevel gear 13 is extended toward the bearing 19, and the disc-shaped rotating member 32 is attached to the extended portion of the boss portion 13a of the reverse bevel gear 13. An oil introduction passage can be formed by providing a groove or hole 33 in this rotating member 32 that allows lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side of the rotating member to flow toward the propeller shaft 6 side as the rotating member rotates. can. The oil flowing toward the propeller shaft 6 through this oil introduction passage is introduced into the propeller shaft support bearing 19 through a gap G formed between the propeller shaft 6 and a cylindrical member 100 fixed to the gear housing. I can do it.

In the cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 5 to 9, similar to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. Although the grooves or holes constituting the passage are illustrated as extending in the radial direction of the rotating body, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 to 9 also facilitate the flow of oil into the oil introduction passage. In order to achieve this, it is preferable that the grooves or holes constituting the oil introduction flow path or the oil introduction passage be provided in an inclined state with respect to the radial direction of the rotating body, as in the example shown in FIG. Of course.

1 Housing 3 Drive shaft 4 Upper bearing for supporting drive shaft 5 Lower bearing for supporting drive shaft 5a Rolling element 5b Holder 6 Propeller shaft 7 Propeller 8 Propeller boss portion 10 Reduction mechanism 11 Bevel gear (rotating body)
11a Boss portion of bevel gear 12 Forward bevel gear 13 Reverse bevel gear 13a Boss portion of bevel gear 13 14 Bearing 15 Bearing 16 Dog clutch 17 Spring 18 Push rod 19 Bearing 20 Cam rod 21 Clutch cam 22 Exhaust hole 23 Exhaust space 24 Water pump 30 Oil introduction flow Groove portion forming a channel 30a One end of the groove portion 30 30b Other end of the groove portion 30 30′ Hole portion forming an oil introduction flow path 30a′ One end of the hole portion 30′ 30b′ Other end of the hole portion 30′ 31 Rotating body 32 Rotating member 33 Groove forming oil introduction passage

Claims (6)

A lower part of a drive shaft that is provided to extend in the vertical direction and is driven by the engine is supported in the housing via a lower drive shaft supporting bearing, and the drive shaft protrudes downward from the lower drive shaft supporting bearing. The lower end is coupled to the propeller shaft via a reduction mechanism, and the reduction mechanism is configured to oppose the drive side bevel gear attached to the lower end of the drive shaft in the axial direction of the propeller shaft. A forward bevel gear and a reverse bevel gear are arranged in a rotatably penetrating manner, are rotatably supported by the housing, and are meshed with the drive side bevel gear, and the propeller shaft is connected to the forward bevel gear or the reverse bevel gear. a clutch mechanism selectively coupled to the propeller shaft, a portion of the propeller shaft passing through the forward bevel gear and the reverse bevel gear is supported by the housing via the forward bevel gear and the reverse bevel gear; A portion near the end to which the propeller is attached is supported by the housing via a propeller shaft support bearing, and the drive shaft support lower bearing and the reduction mechanism are immersed in lubricating oil contained in the housing. In outboard motors,
At a position adjacent to the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft, a portion of the rotating body that rotates together with the drive shaft is disposed adjacent to the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft, as the rotating body rotates. An oil introduction channel is provided for causing lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side to flow toward the inner circumferential side of the rotating body, and the lubricating oil that has flowed to the inner circumferential side of the rotating body through the oil introducing channel is transferred to the drive shaft. configured to flow into the drive shaft supporting lower bearing along the
Of the forward bevel gear and the reverse bevel gear, a rotating member that rotates together with the bevel gear disposed on the propeller side is provided, and as the rotating member rotates, lubricating oil taken in from the outer circumferential side of the rotating member is transferred to the propeller. An oil introduction passage for causing oil to flow toward the propeller shaft is provided in the rotating member,
configured to introduce oil flowing toward the propeller shaft through the oil introduction passage into the propeller shaft support bearing along the propeller shaft;
An outboard motor featuring The entire oil introduction channel opens at the end face of the rotating body on the side of the drive shaft supporting lower bearing, one lengthwise end thereof opens toward the outer circumferential side of the rotating body, and the other lengthwise end opens toward the outer circumferential side of the rotating body. Consisting of a groove that opens on the inner periphery of the rotating body or is provided so as to reach a portion near the inner periphery of the rotating body,
A straight line connecting the center of the one end of the groove and the center of the other end of the groove is in the direction of rotation of the rotating body with respect to a straight line connecting the center of the other end of the groove and the center of the rotating body. The outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein the direction in which the groove extends is set so that the groove is inclined forward. The oil introduction channel has one end opened at the outer periphery of the rotary body, and the other end is located at the inner circumference side of the rotary body, and is connected to a portion of the rotary body adjacent to the lower bearing for supporting the drive shaft. Consists of a drilled hole,
The straight line connecting the center of the one end of the hole and the center of the other end of the hole is the same as the straight line connecting the center of the other end of the hole and the center of the rotating body. The outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein the direction in which the hole extends is set so that the hole is inclined forward in the rotational direction. 4. The outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein the lower drive shaft supporting bearing is a bearing using rollers or needles as rolling elements. 5. The outboard motor according to claim 1, wherein a drive-side bevel gear constituting an input section of the reduction mechanism is attached to a lower end of the drive shaft, and the bevel gear constituting the rotating body. A drive-side bevel gear constituting an input section of the speed reduction mechanism is attached to the lower end of the drive shaft, and the rotating body is formed separately from the drive-side bevel gear, and the rotating body is connected to the drive-side bevel gear and the lower part for supporting the drive shaft. The outboard motor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the outboard motor is attached to the drive shaft while being located between the outboard motor and a bearing.

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