Patent Application
20250083787
This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-148166 filed on Sep. 13, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an outboard motor for propelling a ship.
In recent years, contamination due to fine dust such as microplastic has become a problem in sea, lakes, rivers and the like, and it is desired to recover such fine dust from sea, lakes, rivers and the like to purify sea, lakes, rivers and the like.
JP2021-169240A (Patent Literature 1) describes an outboard motor capable of collecting fine dust contained in water such as sea, lakes, and rivers. The outboard motor disclosed in the above publication is provided with a fine dust capturing device that captures fine dust. The fine dust capturing device has a water intake, a capturer, and a water outlet. When a ship is sailing, water in the sea, lakes, rivers, and the like flows into the capturer from the water intake, passes through a filter provided in the capturer, and is then discharged to the sea, lakes, rivers, and the like from the water outlet. When water passes through the filter, fine dust contained in the water is captured by the filter.
Patent Literature 1: JP2021-169240A
In order to promote purification of sea, lakes, rivers, and the like, it is desired to increase an amount of fine dust to be captured per unit sailing time of a ship or an amount of fine dust to be captured per unit sailing distance, thereby increasing a capturing efficiency of fine dust.
In the fine dust capturing device provided in the outboard motor of the related art described in JP2021-169240A, the water intake is disposed in a front portion of the outboard motor and in a portion positioned below a water surface, and the water outlet is disposed in a portion positioned above the water surface in the outboard motor. Then, by using a pressure of the water flowing into the water intake when the ship moves forward, a flow of the water from when the water flows into the capturer via the water intake to when the water is discharged via the water outlet is generated.
In the case of such a configuration, since the flow of water from when the water flows into the capturer through the water intake to when the water is discharged through the water outlet is generated only by the pressure of the water flowing into the water intake when the ship moves forward, it is difficult to increase the flow rate of the water flowing through the capturer, and thus it is difficult to increase the flow rate of the water passing through the filter. As a result, it is difficult to increase an amount of the fine dust captured per unit sailing time or the amount of the fine dust captured per unit sailing distance, and it is difficult to increase a capturing efficiency of the fine dust.
In this regard, it is conceivable to add a pump to the fine dust capturing device and increase the flow rate of water flowing through the capturer by sucking water from the water intake by the pump. However, the addition of the pump is not preferable because it complicates the structure of the fine dust capturing device, increases the size of the outboard motor, and increases manufacturing cost of the outboard motor.
The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor capable of increasing a capturing efficiency of fine dust while avoiding complication of a structure of the fine dust capturing device, an increase in the size of the outboard motor, and an increase in manufacturing cost of the outboard motor.
In order to solve the problems described above, according to the present invention, there is provided an outboard motor for propelling a ship, the outboard motor including: a propeller unit including a propeller shaft, a propeller fixed to the propeller shaft, and a case for rotatably supporting the propeller shaft; a support portion formed in a columnar shape extending in an upper-lower direction and having a lower portion to which the propeller unit is supported; a bracket provided at an upper portion of the support portion and configured to attach the support portion to the ship; and a fine dust capturing device provided on the propeller unit or the support portion, in which the fine dust capturing device includes a water intake for taking in water around the outboard motor, a passage through which the water taken in from the water intake flows, a filter for capturing fine dust contained in the water by allowing the water flowing through the passage to pass therethrough, and a water outlet for discharging the water after passing through the filter to a periphery of the outboard motor, and the water outlet is positioned in front of the propeller and inside a circle having the same diameter as a diameter of the propeller, with a rotation center of the propeller as a center, when the outboard motor is viewed from a rear side, and faces in a direction other than a front side of the outboard motor.
According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the capturing efficiency of the fine dust while avoiding complication of the structure of the fine dust capturing device, an increase in the size of the outboard motor, and an increase in the manufacturing cost of the outboard motor.
An outboard motor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a propeller unit, a support portion formed in a columnar shape extending in an upper-lower direction and having a lower portion to which the propeller unit is supported, a bracket provided at an upper portion of the support portion and configured to attach the support portion to a ship, and a fine dust capturing device provided on the propeller unit or the support portion. The propeller unit includes a propeller shaft, a propeller fixed to the propeller shaft, and a case for rotatably supporting the propeller shaft.
In the outboard motor according to the present embodiment, the fine dust capturing device includes a water intake for taking in water around the outboard motor, a passage through which the water taken in from the water intake flows, a filter for capturing fine dust contained in the water by allowing the water flowing through the passage to pass therethrough, and a water outlet for discharging the water after passing through the filter to a periphery of the outboard motor.
The water outlet is positioned in front of the propeller. In addition, when the outboard motor is viewed from the rear side, the water outlet is positioned inside a circle having the same diameter as a diameter of the propeller, with a rotation center of the propeller as a center. Further, the water outlet faces in a direction other than a front side of the outboard motor, specifically, the water outlet faces a rear side, an upper side, a lower side, a left side, a right side, an upper left side, a lower left side, an upper right side, a lower right side, an upper rear side, a lower rear side, a left rear side, a right rear side, an upper left rear side, a lower left rear side, an upper right rear side, and a lower right rear side of the outboard motor.
In the outboard motor according to the present embodiment, the water outlet of the fine dust capturing device is positioned in front of the propeller, and when the outboard motor is viewed from the rear side, the water outlet of the fine dust capturing device is positioned inside the circle having the same diameter as the diameter of the propeller, with the rotation center of the propeller as the center, and the water outlet of the fine dust capturing device faces a direction other than the front side of the outboard motor. According to such a configuration, a negative pressure is formed outside the water outlet of the fine dust capturing device by the flow of water generated by the rotation of the propeller, and the water in the passage of the fine dust capturing device is sucked to the outside of the passage through the water outlet by the negative pressure. Accordingly, the flow rate of the water flowing through the passage of the fine dust capturing device can be increased, and thus the flow rate of the water passing through the filter can be increased. As a result, an amount of fine dust captured per unit sailing time of the ship and an amount of fine dust captured per unit sailing distance of the ship can be increased, and a capturing efficiency of fine dust can be increased.
According to the outboard motor of the present embodiment, since the flow rate of the water flowing through the passage of the fine dust capturing device can be increased without adding a pump, it is possible to prevent complication of the structure of the fine dust capturing device, an increase in size of the outboard motor, and an increase in manufacturing cost of the outboard motor due to the addition of the pump.
An outboard motor according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
The outboard motor 1 is a device that is attached to a transom of a ship to propel the ship. As illustrated in
The propeller unit 2 is disposed in a lower portion of the outboard motor 1, and is positioned below the water surface in a state in which the outboard motor 1 is attached to the ship. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The support portion 8 is a member that connects the battery case 7 and the propeller unit 2 and supports both. The propeller unit 2 is supported by a lower portion of the support portion 8, and the battery case 7 is supported by an upper portion of the support portion 8. Specifically, the support portion 8 is formed in a columnar shape extending in an upper-lower direction, and the propeller unit case 6 is fixed to the lower end portion of the support portion 8. An attachment plate portion 15 is fixed to an upper end portion of the support portion 8, and the battery case 7 is detachably attached to the attachment plate portion 15. In addition, an outboard motor carrying hand 16 for the user to carry the outboard motor 1 detached from the ship is provided at a rear portion of the support portion 8.
The transom bracket 17 is a clamp mechanism for attaching the outboard motor 1 to the transom of the ship. The transom bracket 17 is disposed at a front portion of the upper portion of the support portion 8.
The swivel bracket 18 is a bracket for making the outboard motor 1 attached to the transom rotatable in the left-right direction with respect to the ship, and is integrally formed with a rear portion of the transom bracket 17. A steering shaft (not illustrated) is rotatably attached to the swivel bracket 18, and the steering shaft is fixed to the front portion of the upper portion of the support portion 8. The support portion 8 can rotate with respect to the swivel bracket 18 with an axis of the steering shaft as a rotation axis, and as a result, the outboard motor 1 is rotatable in the left-right direction with respect to the ship.
The bar handle 19 is a handle that rotates the outboard motor 1 in the left-right direction with respect to the ship in order to steer the ship. The bar handle 19 is disposed above and in front of the support portion 8. Specifically, a base end portion of the bar handle 19 is attached to the upper front end portion of the attachment plate portion 15. The user can rotate the outboard motor 1 to the right or left with respect to the ship by grasping a distal end portion of the bar handle 19 and moving the bar handle 19 to the left or right, and can change a direction of the propeller 5 to the right or left.
As illustrated in
The fine dust is, for example, fine dust having an outer diameter or a maximum length of 0.1 mm or more and 5 mm or less. Plastic dust flows into the sea, lakes, rivers, and the like, and is crushed by waves or a water flow, or is decomposed by ultraviolet light or the like into minute plastic pieces. The minute plastic pieces may diffuse in water such as sea, lakes, and rivers. Such a minute plastic piece is generally called microplastic. The microplastic corresponds to fine dust.
In
The main body portion 22 is formed of, for example, resin or metal. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The filter 28 is provided in the middle of the passage 27. In the present embodiment, the filter 28 is disposed in a portion of the passage 27 on the rear side of the center thereof in the axial direction. The filter 28 is provided so as to block the entire cross section of the passage 27. The filter 28 is a filter capable of capturing fine dust, and is formed of, for example, a nonwoven fabric in a sheet shape or a plate shape. Water can pass through the filter 28, but fine dust cannot pass through the filter 28.
In the present embodiment, the filter 28 has a multi-layer structure. For example, the filter 28 includes a first layer having coarse openings and a second layer having fine openings. The filter 28 is disposed in the passage 27 such that the first layer is positioned on the water intake side and the second layer is positioned on the water outlet side. According to the structure and arrangement of the filter 28, when the water flows back through the passage 27 and flows in the direction from the water outlet 29 toward the water intake 26, it is possible to prevent the fine dust captured by the filter 28 from diffusing away from the filter 28. That is, when the water flows in a forward direction from the water intake 26 toward the water outlet 29 in the passage 27, the fine dust contained in the water is captured by the first layer or the second layer, but continuing such a flow of water in the forward direction, the fine dust is accumulated in an intermediate portion between the first layer and the second layer, or inside the second layer. On the other hand, when the water flows backward in the passage 27 and flows in a reverse direction from the water outlet 29 toward the water intake 26, the fine dust accumulated inside the second layer or in the intermediate portion between the first layer and the second layer is pushed toward the water intake 26 by the water. However, at this time, since the fine dust cannot easily pass through the first layer, most of the fine dust remains inside the second layer or in the intermediate portion between the first layer and the second layer. Accordingly, the fine dust captured by the filter 28 is prevented from diffusing away from the filter 28 by the backflow of water.
A material of the filter 28 is not limited to the non-woven fabric, and may be woven fabric, sponge, glass mat, or the like. The filter 28 may be a single layer.
As illustrated in
In the fine dust capturing device 21, the passage forming portion 23 of the main body portion 22 is formed in a triangular tubular shape as described above, but a shape of the passage forming portion 23 corresponds to a shape of the space between the lower end portion of the support portion 8 and the upper surface of the propeller unit case 6. Therefore, the fine dust capturing device 21 is provided so as to be fitted in the space formed between the lower end portion of the support portion 8 and the upper surface of the propeller unit case 6. In a state in which the fine dust capturing device 21 is provided in the space between the lower end portion of the support portion 8 and the upper surface of the propeller unit case 6, an outer peripheral surface of the fine dust capturing device 21 (specifically, an outer peripheral surface of the water intake forming portion 24 and an outer peripheral surface of the water outlet forming portion 25) is in contact with an inner surface of each coupling portion 9 and the upper surface of the propeller unit case 6.
The main body portion 22 of the fine dust capturing device 21 is disposed in the space between the lower end portion of the support portion 8 and the upper surface of the propeller unit case 6 such that the water intake 26 faces the front side of the outboard motor 1 and the water outlet 29 faces the rear side of the outboard motor 1. In addition, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the passage forming portion 23 is formed of a transparent resin. As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the fine dust capturing device 21 can be removed from the space formed between the lower end portion of the support portion 8 and the upper surface of the propeller unit case 6. Further, in the main body portion 22 of the fine dust capturing device 21, the water outlet forming portion 25 is detachably attached to a rear portion of the passage forming portion 23. In the main body portion 22, the filter 28 is detachably attached between a portion on a rear end side of the passage forming portion 23 and a portion on a front end side of the water outlet forming portion 25. When the user pulls up the outboard motor 1 to the ground and looks through the window 31 to confirm that a large amount of fine dust is accumulated in the filter 28, the user can remove the fine dust capturing device 21 from the outboard motor 1 and replace the filter 28.
In the fine dust capturing device 21 having such a configuration, the propeller unit 2 and the fine dust capturing device 21 sink below the water surface in a state in which the outboard motor 1 is attached to the transom of the ship on the water surface. When the propeller 5 rotates and the ship is moving forward by a propulsive force generated by the propeller 5, water flows into the water intake 26 from the front side of the outboard motor 1. The water flowing into the water intake 26 flows rearward in the passage 27 toward the water outlet 29. The water flowing through the passage 27 toward the water outlet 29 passes through the filter 28. When the water passes through the filter 28, fine dust contained in the water is captured by the filter 28. The water passing through the filter 28 is discharged rearward from the water outlet 29.
The water intake 26 is positioned below the water surface, is disposed at a front portion of the outboard motor 1, and faces the front side of the outboard motor 1. Therefore, the water flows into the passage 27 through the water intake 26 as the ship moves forward. The water outlet 29 is positioned below the water surface, is positioned in front of the propeller 5, and is positioned inside the circle C having the same diameter as the propeller 5, with the rotation center A of the propeller 5 as the center, when the outboard motor 1 is viewed from the rear side. In addition, the water outlet 29 faces the rear side of the outboard motor 1. Therefore, a negative pressure is formed outside the water outlet 29 by the flow of water generated by the rotation of the propeller 5, and the water in the passage 27 is sucked to the outside of the passage 27 through the water outlet 29 by the negative pressure. Due to the pressure of the water flowing into the passage 27 via the water intake 26 and the negative pressure formed outside the water outlet 29 by the water flow generated by the rotation of the propeller 5, the water flows in the passage 27 from the water intake 26 toward the water outlet 29, and the water passes through the filter 28, whereby the fine dust is captured.
As described above, in the outboard motor 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the water outlet 29 of the fine dust capturing device 21 is positioned in front of the propeller 5, when the outboard motor 1 is viewed from the rear side, the water outlet 29 is positioned inside the circle C having the same diameter as the propeller 5, with the rotation center A of the propeller 5 as the center, and the water outlet 29 faces the rear side of the outboard motor 1. According to this configuration, the water in the passage 27 of the fine dust capturing device 21 can be sucked to the outside of the passage 27 through the water outlet 29 by using the negative pressure formed outside the water outlet 29 by the water flow generated by the rotation of the propeller 5. Accordingly, the flow rate of the water flowing through the passage 27 of the fine dust capturing device 21 can be increased, and thus the flow rate of the water passing through the filter 28 can be increased. As a result, the amount of fine dust captured per unit sailing time of the ship and the amount of fine dust captured per unit sailing distance of the ship can be increased, and a capturing efficiency of fine dust can be increased. According to this configuration, since the flow rate of the water flowing through the passage 27 of the fine dust capturing device 21 can be increased without adding a pump, it is possible to prevent complication of the structure of the fine dust capturing device 21, an increase in size of the outboard motor 1, and an increase in manufacturing cost of the outboard motor 1 due to the addition of the pump. As described above, according to the outboard motor 1 of the first embodiment, it is possible to increase the capturing efficiency of the fine dust while avoiding complication of the structure of the fine dust capturing device 21, an increase in the size of the outboard motor 1, and an increase in the manufacturing cost of the outboard motor 1.
In the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the water outlet 29 of the fine dust capturing device 21 faces the rear side of the outboard motor 1 and in the direction parallel to the axis E of the propeller shaft 4. According to this configuration, for example, compared to a case where the water outlet 29 face the rear side of the outboard motor 1, in a direction not parallel to the axis E of the propeller shaft 4, or in a direction parallel to a straight line orthogonal to the axis E of the propeller shaft 4, the negative pressure formed outside the water outlet 29 by the water flow generated by the rotation of the propeller 5 is increased, and thus a force of sucking the water in the passage 27 to the outside of the passage 27 through the water outlet 29 is increased. Accordingly, the flow rate of the water flowing through the passage 27 can be further increased, and the capturing efficiency of the fine dust can be further increased.
In the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the fine dust capturing device 21 includes the main body portion 22 formed in a tubular shape extending linearly, the water intake 26 is provided at one axial end portion of the main body portion 22, the water outlet 29 is provided at the other axial end portion of the main body portion 22, the passage 27 penetrates the main body portion 22 in the axial direction from the water intake 26 to reach the water outlet 29, and the filter 28 is provided in the middle of the passage 27. With this configuration, in the fine dust capturing device 21, the passage 27 from the water intake 26 to the water outlet 29 can be shortened, and the entire passage 27 can be formed in a shape close to a straight line. Accordingly, a resistance of the water flowing through the passage 27 can be reduced. Since the fine dust capturing device 21 having such a configuration is disposed at a position in front of the propeller 5 and inside the circle C when the outboard motor 1 is viewed from the rear side such that the water intake 26 faces the front side of the outboard motor 1 and the water outlet 29 faces the rear side of the outboard motor 1, when the ship moves forward, the water around the outboard motor can smoothly flow into the passage 27 of the fine dust capturing device 21, the water flowing into the passage 27 can smoothly flow toward the water outlet 29, and the water in the passage 27 can smoothly flow out from the water outlet 29 using the negative pressure. Thus, the flow rate of water passing through the filter 28 can be increased, and the capturing efficiency of fine dust can be increased.
In the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the fine dust capturing device 21 is provided at the lower end portion of the support portion 8, specifically, between the lower end portion of the support portion 8 and the propeller unit case 6. Accordingly, the fine dust capturing device 21 can be easily disposed at the position in front of the propeller 5 and inside the circle C when the outboard motor 1 is viewed from the rear side.
The fine dust capturing device 21 is in contact with an outer surface of the propeller unit case 6. As a result, the fine dust capturing device 21 can be brought very close to the propeller unit 2, and the fine dust capturing device 21 can be reliably placed in the water flow generated by the rotation of the propeller 5.
An outboard motor according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
Specifically, six water outlets 59 are disposed at intervals of 60 degrees in the peripheral portion of the rear portion of the main body portion 52. An outer diameter of the rear portion of the main body portion 52 decreases toward the rear, and as a result, an outer surface of the peripheral portion of the rear portion of the main body portion 52 is inclined. The six water outlets 59 are open to the inclined outer surface of the peripheral portion of the rear portion of the main body portion 52. The six water outlets 59 faces the rear side of the outboard motor 41 and in a direction not parallel to the axis E of the propeller shaft 44. That is, the six water outlets 59 face a left rear side, an upper left rear side, a lower left rear side, a right rear side, an upper right rear side, and a lower right rear side, respectively.
Also in the outboard motor 41 according to the second embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, it is possible to obtain an effect that the water in the passage of the fine dust capturing device 51 is sucked to the outside of the passage through the water outlet 59 by the negative pressure formed by the water flow generated by the rotation of the propeller 45 when the ship moves forward. Accordingly, the flow rate of the water flowing through the passage of the fine dust capturing device 71 can be increased, and the capturing efficiency of fine dust can be increased.
An outboard motor according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
Specifically, eight water outlets 79 are disposed at intervals of 45 degrees in the peripheral portion of the rear portion of the main body portion 72. The eight water outlets 79 face in a direction parallel to a straight line orthogonal to the axis E of the propeller shaft 44. That is, the eight water outlets 79 face an upper side, a lower side, the left side, the right side, an upper left side, a lower left side, an upper right side, and a lower right side, respectively.
Also in the outboard motor 61 according to the third embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, it is possible to obtain an effect that the water in the passage of the fine dust capturing device 71 is sucked to the outside of the passage through the water outlet 79 by the negative pressure formed by the water flow generated by the rotation of the propeller 45 when the ship moves forward. Accordingly, the flow rate of the water flowing through the passage of the fine dust capturing device 71 can be increased, and the capturing efficiency of fine dust can be increased.
An outboard motor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to
Also in the outboard motor 81 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, it is possible to obtain an effect that the water in the passage of the fine dust capturing device 91 is sucked to the outside of the passage through the water outlet by the negative pressure formed by the water flow generated by the rotation of the propeller 85 when the ship moves forward. Accordingly, the flow rate of the water flowing through the passage of the fine dust capturing device 91 can be increased, and the capturing efficiency of fine dust can be increased.
According to the outboard motor 81 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to easily form an outboard motor having a configuration in which a motor or an internal combustion engine is provided in the upper portion of the outboard motor, a drive shaft is provided in the support portion, a gear mechanism is provided in the propeller unit case of the propeller unit, and power of the motor is transmitted to the propeller shaft via the drive shaft and the gear mechanism. That is, in the outboard motor 81, since the fine dust capturing device 91 is disposed at a position where the fine dust capturing device 91 does not intersect with an axis F of the support portion 88, when the drive shaft is provided in the support portion 88, the drive shaft can be extended to the inside of the propeller unit case 86 of the propeller unit 82. Therefore, a lower end of the drive shaft is easily connected to the gear mechanism provided in the propeller unit case 86.
In each of the above embodiments, when the outboard motor 1 (41, 61, 81) is viewed from the rear side, the entire fine dust capturing device 21 (51, 71, 91) is positioned inside the circle having the same diameter as the propeller 5 (45, 85), with the rotation center of the propeller 5 (45, 85) as the center, but the present invention is not limited thereto. When the outboard motor is viewed from the rear side, in the fine dust capturing device, a portion other than the portion where the water outlet is disposed may be positioned outside a circle having the same diameter as the diameter of the propeller, with the rotation center of the propeller as the center. For example, the water intake, a part of the passage, a filter, or the like may be positioned outside the circle.
In the above embodiments, the case where the fine dust capturing device is provided between the lower end of the support portion and the propeller unit as illustrated in
The present invention can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist or concept of the invention which can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and an outboard motor with such a change is also included in the technical concept of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-148166 | Sep 2023 | JP | national |
