Patent Publication Number: US-2015072577-A1

Title: Outboard Marine Drive

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Outboard motors are typically built with a thin aluminum frame and other light weight alloys. Outboard motors are designed to run in open water with little or no expected impact to the outdrive assembly. This design restricts the boat operator from running the motor and boat along shorelines and in many waterways where impacts to the lower drive unit are likely and can damage the propeller, drive, and/or outdrive housing. Such impacts can come from rocks, logs, a waterway bottoms, or other similar obstacles. Sportsmen and others who desire to hunt, fish and travel in areas where obstacles reside in the water may avoid these areas as much as possible. Even then, what lies below the water&#39;s surface is usually a mystery, especially in muddy or murky waters. 
     The possibility of impact and damage to the lower end of an outboard motor is always present. As such, boaters must be constantly alert for sub-surface obstacles. When an impact to an outboard motor occurs, the boater is likely to face large motor repair bills. The inconvenience, safety hazard, threat of being stranded, and the financial losses of motor damage can be daunting for outboard motor owners. 
     SUMMARY 
     The technology provides an outboard marine drive with an engine. The outboard marine drive may include a drive housing with an upper drive housing and lower drive housing. The drive housing may be configured to be attached to a transom of a marine craft. An upper drive assembly may be located in the upper drive housing. A lower gear drive assembly may be located in the lower drive housing. A cone clutch may be located in the lower drive housing to engage the upper drive assembly with the lower gear drive assembly. A propeller shaft may be coupled to the lower gear drive assembly. 
     Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an outboard marine drive in accordance with an example of the present technology; and 
         FIG. 2A  is a view of the example outboard marine drive of  FIG. 1  with a portion of the drive housing removed. 
         FIG. 2B  is another view of the example outboard marine drive of  FIG. 1  with a portion of the drive housing removed. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded view of an example outboard marine drive. 
         FIG. 4A  is a side view of an outboard motor boat with a motor mounted thereto using a motor mount in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology; 
         FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a portion of the outboard motor boat of  FIG. 4A . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention. 
     A transom mounted outboard motor technology is described here. More specifically, a heavy duty marine outboard is described with a lower shifting drive assembly. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an outboard motor, indicated generally at  100 , in accordance with the present technology. The outboard may include a drive housing with an upper drive housing  110  and lower drive housing  120 , and the drive housing may be configured to be attached to a transom of a marine craft. A steering handle  130  may also be attached to the drive housing to steer the outboard marine motor. A shifter  132  may also be provided to actuate the shifting of the gears including controlling forward, neutral, or reverse. The speed of the outboard marine motor may be controlled by a throttle control  140  on the end of the handle. The shifter may be an electric or a magnetic shifter and may include a servo mechanism. 
     Having an outboard drive unit designed and built from thicker and stronger alloys that can sustain motor operations when the motor impacts objects at medium speeds can be an advantage to a boater. In addition to the use of strong alloys, the outboard motor can have certain structures that can allow the outboard motor to be used in taxing environments. 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates a portion of an outboard marine drive with an engine. Specifically,  FIG. 2A  illustrates the drive train and propeller portions  200  of the outboard motor with a portion of the external drive housing(s) removed. As illustrated above, the outboard marine drive can have a drive housing with multiple housing pieces. The drive housing(s) can be configured to be attached to a transom of a marine craft using a clamping device (not shown), by bolts and/or other similar mechanisms. 
     An upper drive assembly  210  may be located in the upper drive housing. A lower gear drive assembly  220  may be located in the lower drive housing. A cone clutch  212  may be configured to engage the upper drive assembly with the lower gear drive assembly  220  and the cone clutch  212  may be located accordingly between the lower gear drive assembly  220  and the upper drive assembly. In this way, the cone clutch  212  may be located in or near the lower drive housing  120 . The upper drive assembly  210  may receive power from the engine and transmit power to the lower gear drive assembly  220  by way of the cone clutch  212 . The cone clutch  212  may be part of a transmission which may have a single speed or multiple speeds and the ability to change gear ratios. For example, there can be multiple forward gears and multiple reverse gears in the transmission associated with the cone clutch  212 . A gear ratio selection may be provided in the transmission for forward or reverse motion of the marine craft. In an example, the transmission may have a cone clutch that provides forward, neutral and reverse motion of the marine craft. While the transmission gearing has been provided in the lower housing in past outboard designs, providing the cone clutch allows the transmission and cone clutch to be consolidated in the same space. 
     Locating the transmission and the cone clutch  212  in or near the lower drive housing  120  has the advantage that a cone clutch may provide a more compact and stronger clutch over other types of clutches and/or transmissions and may still adequately meet gearing requirements. The cone clutch may be stronger and may be capable of handling more horsepower and drive impacts as compared to some other types of clutches and/or transmissions. For example, the outboard motor utilizing a cone clutch as heretofore described may produce between 300 and 500 horsepower. Moreover, a cone clutch may provide smoother shifting, may have a wider range of shifting options at lower or higher rotations per minute (RPMs) while consuming less space and therefore contributing less drag on the marine craft. 
     A cone clutch may provide sufficient positive engagement on an outboard motor while eliminating the need for dog clutches. Dog clutches, for instance, may not be able to withstand some types of high or sudden impacts as adequately as a cone clutch. 
     A lower gear drive assembly  220  may be located in the lower drive housing and be coupled to the upper drive assembly via the transmission and the cone clutch  212 . A propeller shaft  216  and propeller  218  may also be coupled to the lower gear drive assembly. The propeller shaft can be an extended length shaft and can be more than 12 inches in length. The propeller may be located above the bottom of the marine craft. 
     A rudder fin  150  ( FIG. 1 ) and cavitation plate (not shown) may also be located on the lower drive housing of the outboard marine motor. A portion of the lower drive housing may extend below the bottom of the marine craft.  FIG. 2B  illustrates another portion of an outboard marine drive with an engine. Specifically,  FIG. 2B  adds a transmission  214  to provide a multiplicity of gears in, for example, a gear box. A gear ratio selection may be provided with the transmission  214  to provide for multiple forward or reverse gears for the marine craft. The cone clutch  212  may also provide forward, neutral, and reverse motion to the marine craft. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exploded view of an example outboard marine drive. The transmission and the cone clutch  212  may be located between the connection of the lower gear drive assembly  220  and the upper drive assembly  210  and may be controlled by a shifter as described above. Reference will now be made to  FIGS. 4A-4B .  FIG. 4A  is a side view of an outboard motor boat  410  with a motor  405  mounted thereto using a motor mount. The motor includes a handle  415  described above, which can be used for steering and adjusting a trim or vertical positioning of the motor in the water.  FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a portion of the outboard motor boat of  FIG. 4A . It is to be understood that the above-referenced arrangements are only illustrative of the application for the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements can be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. While the present invention has been shown in the drawings and fully described above with particularity and detail in connection with what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications can be made without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention as set forth herein.