US 12,296,933 B2
Outboard motor
Kimitaka Saruwatari, Shizuoka (JP); Akihiro Noma, Shizuoka (JP); Ryo Nakanishi, Shizuoka (JP); Isao Tateishi, Shizuoka (JP); Makoto Mizutani, Shizuoka (JP); and Kenji Yukishima, Shizuoka (JP)
Assigned to YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Shizuoka (JP)
Filed by YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Iwata (JP)
Filed on Mar. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/699,495.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-053365 (JP), filed on Mar. 26, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0306258 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. B63H 20/14 (2006.01); B63H 20/32 (2006.01)
CPC B63H 20/14 (2013.01) [B63H 2020/323 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An outboard motor comprising:
an engine;
a propeller shaft that is rotatable together with a propeller;
a drive shaft divided into a first shaft and a second shaft that is farther away from the engine than the first shaft and that is rotated by power of the engine;
a coupling to connect the first shaft and the second shaft together; and
a transmission to transmit rotation of the drive shaft to the propeller shaft, the transmission including:
a rotary body that is rotatable interlockingly with rotation of the second shaft; and
a dog clutch that is rotatable interlockingly with the propeller shaft and movable between a connection position to engage with the rotary body and a disconnection position to disengage from the rotary body; wherein
the coupling includes:
a first portion attached to the first shaft and including a plurality of first claws arranged along a rotation direction of the drive shaft;
a second portion attached to the second shaft and including a plurality of second claws arranged between adjacent ones of the plurality of first claws in the rotation direction; and
a damper including an elastic portion interposed between a first claw of the plurality of first claws and a second claw of the plurality of second claws that is adjacent to the first claw in the rotation direction;
the damper includes a plurality of the elastic portions arranged along the rotation direction;
the plurality of elastic portions are interposed between adjacent ones of the plurality of first claws and the plurality of second claws in the rotation direction;
the first claw includes a first inward portion and a first outward portion, the first inward portion is located between adjacent ones of the plurality of elastic portions in the rotation direction, and the first outward portion extends in the rotation direction from an outer end portion of the first inward portion and faces inward toward the elastic portion in a radial direction of the drive shaft;
the second claw includes a second inward portion and a second outward portion, the second inward portion is located between adjacent ones of the elastic portions in the rotation direction, and the second outward portion extends in the rotation direction from an outer end portion of the second inward portion and faces inward toward the elastic portion in the radial direction;
the first inward portion and the second inward portion are alternately arranged along the rotation direction; and
the first outward portion and the second outward portion are alternately arranged along the rotation direction.