JPS6120479B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] This invention is suitable for use in small vessels such as yachts and pleasure boats with motors.
This article relates to a new marine propulsion device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel marine propulsion system of the angle drive type, ie of the type with a propeller shaft extending rearwardly and downwardly from the direction of the engine.

When adopting an angle drive system, the general method used to provide the above inclination to the propeller axis is to place the engine body in the stern of the ship in an inclined position along the inclination direction of the propeller axis. This is the method I used to post it. However, when this method is adopted, the height space occupied by the engine in the inclined position increases, and the living space, which is particularly important in pleasure boats and the like, is reduced accordingly. Another possible method for providing an inclination to the propeller shaft is to use the output shaft of a clutch device installed between the engine and the propeller shaft to selectively transmit engine power to the propeller in the forward or reverse direction. In this method, the propeller shaft and the inclined propeller shaft are interlocked and connected by a pair of bevel gears that are fitted onto both shafts and mesh with each other. In this case, it is possible to place the engine in a horizontal position, but it is expensive, and there are disadvantages in that the space occupied by the bevel gear mechanism also reduces the living space.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel marine propulsion device which eliminates the above-mentioned inconveniences as much as possible even though it is an angle drive type propulsion device.

The structure of the marine propulsion system according to the present invention will be explained with reference to the illustrated embodiment. As shown in FIG.
0, a mast 21 on the deck, and a rudder 22 for steering at the stern, the engine 23 serving as the propulsion source directs its output end toward the stern, It is mounted on the stern in an almost horizontal position. The propeller 24, which is a direct propulsion means for the hull, is attached to the tip of a propeller shaft 25 that extends rearward and downward from the stern, and the propeller shaft 25 has a portion near the tip hanging down to the bottom of the ship. It is supported by a shaft bracket 26 provided therein. A clutch housing 27 containing a clutch device for selectively transmitting the power of the engine 23 to the propeller shaft 25 in the forward or reverse direction is installed at the output end of the engine 23.

As shown in FIG.
Inside, an input shaft 29 whose front end extends toward the engine 23 and an output shaft 30 whose rear end extends toward the propeller shaft 25 are rotatably supported. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the clutch housing 27 is installed in an inclined manner along the inclined direction of the propeller shaft 25, and interlocks the input shaft 29, which is inclined accordingly, with the crankshaft 31 of the engine 23. By arranging the coupled and correspondingly inclined output shaft 30 concentrically with the propeller shaft 25 and fixedly coupling it to the propeller shaft 25,
At the front end of the clutch housing 27, the conduction path is bent from a horizontal shape to an inclined rearward downward direction, thereby adopting an angle drive system. Between the input shaft 29 and the output shaft 30, the rotation of the input shaft 29 is connected to the output shaft 30.
A clutch device including a friction clutch 32 is installed in the drive shaft 32 for selectively transmitting the rotation of the propeller shaft 25 in the forward direction or in the reverse direction. The structure of the illustrated clutch device will be explained later. Furthermore, a housing 27 is provided at the tip of the output shaft 30.
On the outside, use the spline connection 33 and the nut 34 screwed onto the end of the shaft 30 to connect the coupling.
Half 35 is fixed. The output shaft 30 is connected to another coupling half (not shown) fixed on the proximal end of the propeller shaft 25 and said coupling half.
By connecting the halves 35, the propeller shaft 25
fixedly connected to.

The input shaft 29, which has an angle of inclination equal to the angle of inclination of the clutch device, is operatively connected to the crankshaft 31 of the engine 23, in particular in the following manner. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a flywheel 39 is fixed to the end of the crankshaft 31 by a key 36 and a presser plate 38 fixed with screw bolts 37. The input shafts 29 are connected by a buffer coupling device 40 . As described above, it is customary to install a buffer coupling device between the crankshaft 31 or flywheel 39 and the clutch device input shaft 29. The following constant velocity universal joint 41 is installed inside.

That is, this constant velocity universal joint 41
As shown in the figure, Birfield, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat.
The outer raceway member 42, which has a spherical inner surface, is attached to the flywheel 39 at its outer circumferential end with a fixture 43 at a connecting collar 42b integrally protruding from its outer circumferential surface. the first diaphragm spring 44, and the first diaphragm spring 44 has a thrust
relative to the flywheel 39 via a second diaphragm spring 46 attached with a rivet 45 and a torsion spring 47 held by both diaphragm springs 44, 46 and the connecting collar 42b. Non-rotatably connected. That is, the outer raceway member 42 is connected to the flywheel 3 via the buffer means 44, 46, 47.
The buffer means 44, 46, and 47 constitute a buffer section of the buffer coupling device 40. Further, an inner raceway member 49 having a partially spherical outer surface is mounted on the input shaft 29 by spline connection 48 . A plurality of raceway grooves 42a and 49a along the meridian direction are formed on the spherical inner surface of the outer raceway member 42 and the spherical outer surface of the inner raceway member 49, respectively. A series of torque transmitting balls 50 are positioned between the raceway members 42, 49, facing toward each other. A ball holding member 51 having holes formed therein to receive and position these torque transmission balls 50.
is fitted into the gap between the spherical inner surface of the outer raceway member 42 and the spherical outer surface of the inner raceway member 49. The torque transmission ball 50 is connected to the outer raceway member 42
When it rotates under the direction of the crankshaft 31, it engages with the side surfaces of the raceway grooves 42a and 49a at an appropriate pressure angle and transmits torque from the outer raceway member 42 to the inner raceway member 49. The center of the series of balls 50 is a plane Y 1 that includes the node Y ₀ of the joint 41, that is, the intersection of the axis X ₁ of the crankshaft 31 and flywheel 39 and the axis X 2 of the input shaft 29, and is located on a plane Y 1 that includes the node Y ₀ of the joint 41, that is, the intersection of the axis X ₁ of the crankshaft 31 and the flywheel 39, and the axis X 2 of the input shaft 29, It is always located on the plane Y ₁ that divides the intersection _angle θ of 1 and X ₂ by 2, and therefore,
Torque transmission from the outer raceway member 42 to the inner raceway member 49 and therefore from the crankshaft 31 to the input shaft 2
Torque transmission to 9 is performed at a constant speed. Further, during this torque transmission, no variation in rotational torque occurs. Since this type of constant velocity universal joint itself is well known, it will not be described in further detail, but the important fact is that the constant velocity universal joint 41 for interlockingly connecting the crankshaft 31 and the inclined input shaft 29 Only one is used, and moreover, it is built into the buffer coupling device 40 between the crankshaft 31 and the input shaft 29. Note that the constant velocity universal joint 41 is connected to the outer raceway member 4
A cover member 53 is fixed to the outer raceway member 2 with a screw bolt 52 on the front side thereof, and a cover member 53 is fixed to the outer raceway member 42 on the back side thereof with a fixing member 54 and is mounted on the input shaft 29 and is rotatable relative to the shaft 29. A sealing sleeve 55 and another cover member 57 fixedly attached by a fixture 56 form a sealed structure, and lubricating oil is stored inside.

Next, the structure of the clutch device provided in the clutch housing 27 will be explained with reference to FIG. It includes an input gear 59, and a large-diameter forward output gear 60 and a backward output gear 61, which are provided on the output shaft 30 via a bearing so as to be relatively rotatable.
The forward output gear 60 is always meshed with the forward input gear 58, and the reverse output gear 61 is always meshed with a reverse intermediate gear (not shown) that is always meshed with the reverse input gear 59.
The clutch device described above includes the friction clutch 32 for selectively coupling the forward output gear 60 and the reverse output gear 61 to the output shaft 30. This friction clutch 32 has a gear 60 on the output shaft 30,
A movable clutch body 63 is provided on the output shaft 30 using a helical spline 62 formed between 61 so as to be movable along the axial direction but rotatable together with the shaft 30. There is. The movable clutch body 63 has a cone-shaped friction surface 64 that can be frictionally engaged with a cone-shaped friction surface 60a formed on the forward output gear 60, and a cone-shaped friction surface 61a formed on the reverse output gear 61. It has a cone-shaped friction surface 65 that can be frictionally engaged. When the movable clutch body 63 is moved leftward in FIG. 2 and its friction surface 64 is engaged with the friction surface 60a, the friction clutch 32 connects the forward output gear 60 to the output shaft 30, and vice versa. Clutch 63 second
When the friction surface 65 is moved to the right in the drawing to engage the friction surface 61a, the backward force gear 61 is coupled to the output shaft 30. Therefore, by selectively coupling the forward output gear 60 or the reverse output gear 61 to the output shaft 30 in this way, the input shaft 29 can selectively move the output shaft 30 in the forward or reverse direction. It can be rotated at a reduced speed.

The illustrated marine propulsion device moves the movable clutch body 63 from the neutral position of the friction clutch 32, in which the movable clutch body 63 does not engage with any of the output gears 60, 61, to the forward output gear 60 or the reverse force gear. 61, the power of the engine 23 is transmitted to the propeller shaft 25, and the propeller 24 is rotationally driven in the forward or reverse direction, thereby propelling the ship. Propeller 24 is approximately 900-1500rpm
On the other hand, the constant velocity universal joint 41 in the power transmission path does not cause torque fluctuations and does not generate vibrations, unlike non-uniform velocity universal joints. I won't let you.

As is clear from the above description, the marine propulsion system of the present invention is an angle drive type marine propulsion system, in which the engine 23 is mounted in the stern section in a substantially horizontal position, and the power of the engine 23 is transmitted in the forward direction. Alternatively, a clutch device for selectively transmitting power in the direction of the propeller 24 in the reverse direction,
The propeller shaft 25 is mounted on the tower in an inclined position along the inclination direction, and the constant velocity universal joint 4 is connected between the crankshaft 31 of the engine 23 and the input shaft 29 of the clutch device.
1 are interlocked and connected by a buffer coupling device 40, which has the following advantages in particular. That is, in the marine propulsion system of this invention, unlike conventional ones, the engine itself is placed in a substantially horizontal position, and the inclination required for the angle drive system is obtained in the front stage of the clutch device, so the height space occupied by the engine is small. In addition, the clutch device, which is small compared to the engine, does not substantially increase the height space even if it is tilted slightly, and the overall height space it occupies is saved. Along with being there,
A constant velocity universal joint is built into the buffer coupling device installed between the engine crankshaft and the clutch device input shaft to achieve trouble-free power transmission, and the constant velocity universal joint also occupies virtually no space. The propulsion device as a whole is extremely compact, and can be used to expand the living space of pleasure boats and the like.
Furthermore, the marine propulsion system of the present invention has a structure in which a horizontal engine crankshaft and an inclined clutch device input shaft are interlocked and connected without any inconvenience by a single constant velocity universal joint installed in a buffer coupling device between them. Furthermore, because the structure is simple and constant velocity universal joints are widely used in various industrial fields and are available at low cost, they can be manufactured at low cost. It has become a common thing.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the constant velocity joint 41 is connected to an outer raceway member 42 that is connected to the crankshaft 31 through buffer means 44, 46, 47 so as not to be relatively rotatable, and to the input shaft. an inner raceway member 4 provided on the shaft 29 so as to be non-rotatable relative to the shaft 29;
When constructing a bar field type constant velocity universal joint comprising 9, since the bar field type joint has a structure in which a torque transmission ball is interposed between ring-shaped inner and outer raceway members. The constant velocity universal joint can be easily incorporated into the propulsion device or the shock-absorbing coupling device, and the structure can be further simplified since the coupling member and the joint member can be used together.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a pleasure boat equipped with an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional side view of the main parts of the same embodiment, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line - - in Fig. 2. It is. 23...Engine, 24...Propeller, 25...Propeller shaft, 27...Clutch housing, 29...Input shaft, 30...Output shaft, 31...Crankshaft, 32...Friction clutch, 35...Coupling half, 39
...Flywheel, 40...Buffer coupling device, 41...Constant velocity universal joint, 42...Outer raceway member,
42b... Connection flange, 44, 46... Diaphragm spring, 47... Torsion spring, 49... Inner raceway member, 50... Torque transmission ball, 51... Ball holding member, 58... Forward input gear, 59... Reverse input gear , 60...forward input gear,
61... Rearward power wheel, 63... Movable clutch body.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. An angle drive marine propulsion system in which an engine is mounted in a substantially horizontal position at the stern of the ship, and the engine power is selectively transmitted to the propeller in the forward or reverse direction. A clutch device for this purpose was mounted on the tower in an inclined position along the direction of inclination of the propeller shaft, and the input shafts of the above-mentioned engine crankshaft clutch device were interlocked and connected by a buffer coupling device incorporating a constant velocity universal joint. This is a characteristic of marine propulsion systems. 2. The constant velocity universal joint includes an outer raceway member connected to the crankshaft through a buffer means so as not to be relatively rotatable, and an inner raceway member provided on the input shaft so as not to be relatively rotatable with the shaft. The marine propulsion device according to claim 1, characterized in that the marine propulsion device is configured as a bar field type constant velocity universal joint.