US 12,455,011 B2
Outboard motor and seal for outboard motor
Kazuhiko Inoue, Hiroshima (JP); Kentaro Toya, Shizuoka (JP); and Hiroyuki Hasegawa, Shizuoka (JP)
Assigned to YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI, Shizuoka (JP)
Filed by YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Iwata (JP)
Filed on Nov. 19, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/952,090.
Claims priority of application No. 2023-198393 (JP), filed on Nov. 22, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2025/0164008 A1, May 22, 2025
Int. Cl. F16J 15/06 (2006.01); B63H 20/32 (2006.01)
CPC F16J 15/06 (2013.01) [B63H 20/32 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A seal for an outboard motor including a shroud to cover an engine and including a shroud inclined surface inclined with respect to a horizontal direction, and a cowl to cover the shroud from above and including a cowl inclined surface facing the shroud inclined surface and inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, the seal to seal a space between a peripheral edge of a shroud opening in the shroud inclined surface and a peripheral edge of a cowl opening in the cowl inclined surface, the seal comprising:
a base plate having a rectangular annular shape including a diagonal center line, the base plate including a first attachment plate, a second attachment plate, a third attachment plate, and a fourth attachment plate, the base plate configured to be fixed to the peripheral edge of the shroud such that the first attachment plate is located at a higher position than the third attachment plate when seen from a left-right direction; and
a rectangular annular seal lip extending from the base plate and located around the diagonal center line and configured to be in elastic contact with the peripheral edge of the cowl opening; wherein
the rectangular annular seal lip includes:
a hollow first seal lip including a first lip portion, a second lip portion, and a hollow portion between the first lip portion and the second lip portion;
the first lip portion including a first base end connected to the first attachment plate and a first front end;
the second lip portion including a second base end and a second front end, the second base end being closer to the diagonal center line than the first lip portion and configured to be supported by the peripheral edge of the shroud opening, the second front end being connected to the first front end of the first lip portion;
a second seal lip including a base end connected to the second attachment plate and a front end configured to be in elastic contact with the peripheral edge of the cowl opening;
a third seal lip including a base end connected to the third attachment plate and a front end configured to be in elastic contact with the peripheral edge of the cowl opening; and
a fourth seal lip including a base end connected to the fourth attachment plate and a front end configured to be in elastic contact with the peripheral edge of the cowl opening;
each of the second seal lip, the third seal lip, and the fourth seal lip extending away from the diagonal center line with increasing distance toward the front end of each corresponding seal lip from the base end of each corresponding seal lip;
the first lip portion and the second lip portion have a chevron shape in cross-section inclined in mutually opposite directions; and
in an attached state to the outboard motor, the first lip portion defines a surface contact region that extends to the first front end from a halfway portion between the first base end and the first front end and elastically contacts with the peripheral edge of the cowl opening.