1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vessel propulsion systems, and in particular to a hydraulic thruster for vessel.
2. Background of the Invention
Marine thrusters typically mount on barges and flat boats, and are used as propulsion for these vessels. One type of marine thruster employs a prime mover such as a diesel engine driving a hydraulic pump, together known as a “power pack”, and the resultant pressurized hydraulic fluid may be employed to drive a propeller attached to a lower unit.
One problem with existing marine thruster system designs is the absence of a quick and easy means to add additional thrusters to the system, as required. It would be desirable to provide a hydraulic thruster for vessel which may be readily attached as required to an existing marine hydraulic thruster system for a flat vessel, as required by changed weight loading and/or thruster requirements.
In addition, there are a number of problems with existing marine hydraulic thrusters themselves. One problem is that existing hydraulic marine thrusters can only extend and retract their propellers units around twenty inches. It would be desirable to be able to extend and retract the propeller unit a greater range, in the order of at least four feet, to accommodate deeper vessels and varied thrusting requirements.
Another problem with existing marine hydraulic thrusters is the challenge involved in shipping them. It would be desirable to provide a marine hydraulic thruster which can fold into a compact size for shipping, including containerized shipping, without having to disassemble the thruster to reduce its shipping cube.
Still another problem associated with currently-available marine thrusters is the absence of a secure down-stop when the thruster is tilted completely down. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide positive, redundant down-stops to securely prevent further tilting of a fully down-tilted thruster when it is developing full forward thrust.
Yet another problem associated with existing marine hydraulic thrusters is the absence of a means of securely fastening a thruster to the deck of a vessel upon which it is to be mounted, short of physically welding the thruster base directly to the vessel deck.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a hydraulic thruster for vessel which may be readily attached as required to an existing marine hydraulic thruster system for a flat vessel, which is extendible over a significantly greater range than existing thrusters, which can fold into a compact size for shipping, whose design incorporates a positive, redundant down-stop, and means of securely and removably mounting the thruster to a vessel.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic thruster for vessel which may be readily attached to an existing marine hydraulic thruster system. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include a housing tiltably attached to a bracket, a cylinder rigidly attached to the housing, a tube slidably and rotatably attached to the cylinder, and means of removably attaching the bracket to a vessel deck. Advantages associated with the accomplishment of this object include flexibility in adding additional thruster power, and cost savings where unnecessary thruster power is not installed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic thruster for vessel which is capable of extending over a significantly greater range than currently available designs. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include a tube reciprocating within a cylinder, and externally-mounted extension actuator(s) which provide a significantly greater extension/retraction range than currently available extension actuators. Benefits associated with the accomplishment of this object include flexibility of installation of the instant hydraulic thruster for vessel into vessels of greater than usual depth, and increased flexibility of use.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a hydraulic thruster for vessel which can fold into a compact size for shipping, without having to disassemble the thruster to reduce its shipping size. Design features enabling the accomplishment of this object include a housing tiltably attached to a bracket, a cylinder rigidly attached to the housing, a tube slidably and rotatably attached to the cylinder, and at least one tilt actuator disposed above the bracket, in order to provide a flat-profile for the hydraulic thruster for vessel when it is completely tilted up. Advantages associated with the realization of this object include reduced labor in preparing the hydraulic thruster for vessel for shipping, reduced setup cost after shipping, and reduced shipping cost due to smaller shipping volume.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hydraulic thruster for vessel having positive, redundant down-stops to securely prevent over-tilting of a fully down-tilted thruster when it is developing forward thrust. Design features allowing this object to be accomplished include a housing which butts up against a pair of bracket-mounted stops when the hydraulic thruster for vessel cylinder and tube are tilted completely down, and at least one housing-mounted down-stop tab which butts against the bracket when the hydraulic thruster for vessel cylinder and tube are tilted completely down. Benefits associated with the accomplishment of this object include more stable and smoother thruster operation and steering.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a hydraulic thruster for vessel having means of securely and removably fastening a thruster to the deck of a vessel upon which it is mounted. Design features enabling the accomplishment of this object include at least one bracket floor brace having bracket floor brace bores sized to slidably admit a weld tab fastener, and a weld tab with a weld tab threaded bore sized to mate with the weld tab fastener. Advantages associated with the realization of this object is the ability to securely and removably bolt the hydraulic thruster for vessel to a deck to which weld tabs have been welded, and the associated flexibility of use.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a hydraulic thruster for vessel which is economical to produce. Design features allowing this object to be achieved include the use of commercially available elements, and components made of readily available materials. Benefits associated with reaching this objective include reduced cost, and hence increased availability.
The invention, together with the other objects, features, aspects and advantages thereof will be more clearly understood from the following in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Six sheets of drawings are provided. Sheet one contains
Referring to
A cylinder aperture 32 is disposed in housing roof 22 and also in housing floor 26. As may be observed in
An extension actuator aperture 34 is disposed in housing roof 22 and also in housing floor 26. As may be observed in
Each housing side 24 contains a housing pivot point 30. A tilt arm 28 is rigidly attached to an end of at least one housing side 24 opposite bracket 40. Each tilt arm 28 extends upwards past housing roof 22 in a direction away from housing floor 26 and substantially perpendicular to housing roof 22.
A down-stop tab 36 is attached to at least one housing side 24 between housing pivot point 30 and tilt arm 28. As may be observed in
As may be observed in
Bracket 40 incorporates a pair of substantially parallel bracket sides 42 mutually attached by bracket front brace 44, bracket rear brace 46, and at least one bracket floor brace 48. One end of bracket front brace 44 is rigidly attached to one end of a first bracket side 42, and the other end of bracket front brace 44 is rigidly attached to one end of a second bracket side 42.
A bracket pivot point 60 is disposed at an end of each bracket side 42 opposite bracket front brace 44. One end of bracket rear brace 46 is rigidly attached to a first bracket side 42 between bracket front brace 44 and bracket pivot point 60, and the other end of bracket rear brace 46 is rigidly attached to a second bracket side 42 between bracket front brace 44 and bracket pivot point 60.
A stop 58 is rigidly attached to a at least one bracket side 42 between bracket pivot point 60 and bracket front brace 44. Each stop 58 extends downwards from, and substantially perpendicular to, the bracket side 42 to which it is attached. When hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 is installed on a vessel, stop(s) 58 butt up against the stern of the vessel, and provide a positive mechanical stop for hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 to exert forward force against the vessel.
One end of each bracket floor brace 48 is rigidly attached to a lower edge of a first bracket side 42 between bracket front brace 44 and stop 58, and the other end of each bracket floor brace 48 is rigidly attached to a lower edge of a second bracket side 42 between bracket front brace 44 and stop 58.
Each bracket floor brace 48 incorporates at least one bracket floor brace bore 50 sized to slidably admit a weld tab fastener 54. Weld tabs 52 serve to attach hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 to a vessel deck to which weld tabs 52 have been attached, e.g. by welding. Each weld tab 52 includes a weld tab threaded bore 53 sized to mate with weld tab fastener 54, as may be more clearly observed in
In use, weld tabs 52 are attached to respective bracket floor braces 48 by inserting a weld tab fastener 54 through a bracket floor brace bore 50, and then threading and tightening it into a weld tab threaded bore 53. Hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 is then positioned on the deck of a vessel to which it is to be attached, and weld tabs 52 are attached to the vessel deck, e.g. by welding. Hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 can then subsequently be quickly and easily detached from the vessel deck by simply un-screwing weld tab fasteners 54 from their respective weld tabs 52. Hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 can then be removed from the vessel deck, leaving weld tabs 52 in place attached to the deck, ready for later use in re-attaching a hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 to the deck.
Housing 20 is assembled onto bracket 20 by pivotally attaching each housing pivot point 30 to a respective bracket pivot point 60. This may be accomplished via any appropriate pivotal attachment means. In the preferred embodiment, an axle was slid through each housing pivot point 30 and bracket pivot point 60 pair, which were bores.
A bracket tilt actuator attach point 56 corresponding to each tilt arm 28 is disposed on at least one bracket side 42. In order to tilt housing 20 around housing pivot point 30 and bracket pivot point 60 relative to bracket 40, one end of a tilt actuator 64 is rotatably attached to an end of a tilt arm 28 opposite housing 20, and the other end of the tilt actuator 64 is rotatably attached to a respective bracket tilt actuator attach point 56 on a corresponding bracket side 42.
Housing 20 may then be tilted up as urged by tilt actuator(s) 64 is indicated by arrow 62 in
Referring to these figures, it may be observed that hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 further comprises cylinder 70 installed through cylinder apertures 32 in housing 20, and tube 90 slidably and rotatably installed through cylinder 70 bore 72 in cylinder 70.
Hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 also has at least one extension actuator 74 which permits tube 90 to be extended and retracted relative to cylinder 70. Extension actuator 74 is attached at its lower end to cylinder 70, and at its upper end to collar 76. Collar 76 has collar bore 78 sized to slidably admit tube 90.
In the preferred embodiment, a length of cylinder 70 was substantially 28%-48% the length of tube 90, a height of housing 20 was substantially 5%-20% the length of tube 90, and the retracted length of extension actuator 74 was substantially 26%-46% the length of tube 90. These dimensional relationships permit the instant hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 provide a significantly increased extension/retraction range of tube 90 relative to cylinder 70, thus increasing utility and flexibility of use. Propeller 10 is disposed at a lower end of tube 90, and during operation would be immersed in water and provides thrust.
Because cylinder 70 is installed through cylinder apertures 32 in housing 20 and tube 90 is slidably and rotatably installed through bore 72 in cylinder 70, when housing 20 tilts relative to bracket 40, so also do cylinder 70 and tube 90. Thus, the tilt actuator(s) 64 previously described act to tilt tube 90 up and down relative to bracket 40 and to the vessel to which hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 is mounted.
Swivel union 100 having an upper swivel union stationary section 102 rotatably attached to a lower swivel union rotating section 104 is disposed atop tube 90. Swivel union rotating section 104 is attached to the upper end of tube 90, and rotates with tube 90. Swivel union stationary section 102 is prevented from rotating by means of anti-rotation member 80, an upper end of which is rigidly attached to swivel union stationary section 102. Swivel union 100 includes electronic angle detection means to determine and transmit to an instrument panel via electrical signal the angle between swivel union stationary section 102 and swivel union rotating section 104, thus indicating steering angle of propeller 10.
Anti-rotation member 80 is maintained in constant vertical orientation relative to housing 20 by means of antirotation member guide(s) 82 rigidly attached to housing 20. Each anti-rotation guide 82 is sized to slidably admit anti-rotation member 80. In the preferred embodiment, one anti-rotation member guide 82 was rigidly attached at an upper edge of housing 20, and another anti-rotation member guide 82 was rigidly attached at a lower edge of housing 20.
Because anti-rotation member 80 is free to reciprocate within anti-rotation member guides 82 (which are rigidly attached to housing 20), and because an upper end of anti-rotation member 80 is rigidly attached to swivel union stationary section 102, swivel union 100 is free to rise as urged by collar 76 actuated by extension actuator(s) 74 (while simultaneously being prevented from rotating relative to housing 20 by anti-rotation member 80); and is also free to descend with collar 76 under the influence of gravity when extension actuator(s) 74 are retracted (while simultaneously being prevented from rotating relative to housing 20 by anti-rotation member 80).
Thus, tube 90 is retracted by extension of extension actuator(s) 74, which push both collar 76 and swivel union 100 upwards. Tube 90 is extended by retraction of extension actuator(s) 74, which permits both collar 76 and swivel union 100 to descend under the influence of gravity.
Tube 90 is sized to slidably fit into cylinder bore 72 in cylinder 70. Thus, tube 90 is free to rotate and reciprocate within cylinder 70. Referring now also to
Tube gear clamp 94 contains tube gear clamp bore 107, which is sized to slidably admit tube 90. Tube gear clamp key 109 extends into tube gear clamp bore 107, and is sized to slidably reciprocate within tube keyway 73 in tube 90. Tube gear clamp key 109 reciprocating within tube keyway 73 prevents tube 90 from rotating relative to tube gear clamp 94 and tube gear 92. Thus, when steering motor 96 turns tube gear 92 and rigidly attached tube gear clamp 94, tube 90 turns at the same rate, thereby providing a steering function to hydraulic thruster for vessel 2.
The top view shape of tube gear clamp first half 106 and tube gear second half 108 is substantially a 180 degree arc of a circle, with a tube gear clamp flange on each end. When mounted to tube 90, tube gear clamp first half 106 and tube gear second half 108 are emplaced around tube 90 such that tube 90 is slidably disposed within tube gear clamp bore 107. Then a tube gear clamp first half flange 112 is attached to a corresponding tube gear second half 108 flange 112 (using fasteners such as bolts, in the preferred embodiment), as depicted in
Tube gear clamp actuator 110 is mounted to one of the two remaining unattached flanges 112, and its actuator attached to the other remaining unattached flanges 112, as depicted in
Following extension or retraction of tube 90, tube gear clamp 94 must be closed or tightened, in order to help prevent tube 90 from rotating within tube gear clamp 94 while steering, and to lock tube 90 into position relative to cylinder 70 axially.
The ability for hydraulic thruster for vessel 2 to tilt and retract into the shipping configuration depicted in
In the preferred embodiment, the structural components of housing 20, bracket 40, tube 90 and cylinder 70 were made of metal, synthetic, or other appropriate material. Steering motor 96, swivel union 100, collar 76, tube gear 92, steering motor gear 98, tube gear clamp 94, tilt actuator 64, extension actuator 74, and propeller 10 were commercially available items. While a propeller is illustrated as the thrust means in the drawings, it is intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure that propeller 10 be any appropriate thrust means, including but not limited to jet thrust, ducted fan, water jet, boat propeller, etc.
In the preferred embodiment, tilt actuator 64 and extension actuator 74 were hydraulic actuators powered by pressurized hydraulic fluid, although it is intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure that these elements be any appropriate actuator, including but not limited to electrical actuators, solenoids, linear motors, rack-and-pinion gear arrangements, etc. Similarly, in the preferred embodiment steering motor 96 was a hydraulic motor, but it is intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure that this elements be any appropriate motor, including electrical, etc.
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated herein, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the appending claims.
This utility patent application is a Continuation-In-Part U.S. utility application Ser. No. 12/800,026 filed May 6, 2010 entitled Modular Hydraulic Thruster System for Vessel, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. utility application Ser. No. 12/381,245 filed Mar. 10, 2009 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,883,384 entitled Self-Contained Hydraulic Thruster for Vessel, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. utility application Serl. No. 11/999,531 filed Dec. 6, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,654,875 entitled Self-Contained Hydraulic Thruster for Vessel, which was based upon U.S. provisional patent application Serl. No. 60/903,400 filed Feb. 26, 2007 entitled Self-Contained Hydraulic Thruster for Vessel; and claims the benefit of the earlier filing date of these applications.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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60903400 | Feb 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12800026 | May 2010 | US |
Child | 12806274 | US | |
Parent | 12381245 | Mar 2009 | US |
Child | 12800026 | US | |
Parent | 11999531 | Dec 2007 | US |
Child | 12381245 | US |