The present invention relates generally to steerable and tiltable marine outboard engines and in particular to an integrated tilt/trim and steering subsystem for marine outboard engines.
A marine outboard engine generally comprises a stern bracket assembly that is fixed to the stern of a hull (boat) and to an outboard engine main unit incorporating an internal combustion engine, propeller and the like. The marine outboard engine is typically designed so that the steering angle and the tilt/trim angles of the outboard engine relative to the stern brackets (i.e. the steering angle and the tilt/trim angles relative to the boat) can be adjusted and modified as desired. The stern bracket assembly typically includes a swivel bracket carrying the outboard engine for pivotal movement about a steering axis that extends generally vertically, and a clamping bracket supporting the swivel bracket and the outboard engine for pivotal movement about a tilt axis extending generally horizontally.
Known tilt-trim subsystems typically comprise a tilt cylinder unit for swinging a swivel bracket through a relatively large angle to lift the lower portion of the outboard engine above the water level or, conversely, lower the outboard engine below the water level. Such subsystems may further comprise a distinct trim cylinder unit for angularly moving the swivel bracket through a relatively small angle to trim the outboard engine while the lower portion thereof is being submerged. One desirable characteristic of a tilt-trim subsystem would be to provide a slower rate of rotation during trimming to retain the propulsion unit in water for a longer interval during movement thereof through a predetermined angular trim range and thereafter to more rapidly elevate the propulsion unit from the water so as to reach a full tilt-up position. Unfortunately, previous tilt-trim subsystems, as suggested above, may require use of distinct tilt and trim cylinder units or have required use of fairly complex mechanical structures to somewhat meet the tilt-trim requirements of the propulsion unit. Previous subsystems have typically been bulky and cumbersome.
Therefore, there is a need for a tilt-trim and steering subsystem for a marine outboard engine that alleviates some of the drawbacks of prior art systems.
It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate at least some of the inconveniences present in the prior art.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an integrated tilt/trim/steering subsystem for a marine outboard engine.
In one aspect, the invention provides a marine outboard engine comprising a drive unit, a tilt/trim/steering subsystem and a stern bracket adapted for connection to an associated watercraft, the tilt/trim/steering subsystem connecting the drive unit to the stern bracket; the tilt/trim/steering subsystem comprising a first rotary actuator carrying the drive unit for pivotal movement about a steering axis that extends generally vertically, and a second rotary actuator connected to the first rotary actuator and supporting the first rotary actuator and the drive unit for pivotal movement about a tilt/trim axis that extends generally horizontally.
In a further aspect the first and second rotary actuator each include a main body having an inside wall, a shaft extending through the main body, the shaft defining an axis of rotation, and a piston having an inside diameter and an outside diameter, the outside diameter of the piston slidably engaged to the inside wall of the main body and the inside diameter of the piston engaging the shaft, wherein axial movement of the piston is converted into rotational movement.
In an additional aspect, the axial movement of the piston in the first rotary actuator is converted into rotational movement of the shaft.
In another aspect, the axial movement of the piston in the second rotary actuator is converted into rotational movement of the main body.
In a further aspect, the shaft of the first rotary actuator includes two ends extending beyond the main body, each end being connected to the drive unit via a bracket, the rotational movement of the shaft being transmitted to the drive unit to effect steering of the marine outboard engine.
In a further aspect, the shaft of the second rotary actuator includes two ends extending beyond the main body, each end being non-rotatably connected to the stern bracket, the rotational movement of the main body being transmitted to the drive unit to effect tilting and trimming of the marine outboard engine.
In an additional aspect, the main body of the first rotary actuator and the main body of the second rotary actuator form a single unit. The main body of the first rotary actuator and the main body of the second rotary actuator are preferably cast into a single unit.
In another aspect, the first rotary actuator and the second rotary actuator are perpendicular to each other.
In an additional aspect, the first and second rotary actuators are hydraulic actuators, each rotary actuator being connected to a control valve system which is connected to a hydraulic pump; wherein axial movement of the piston is effected by hydraulic fluid under pressure pushing on the piston.
In a further aspect, when a control valve of the control valve system is closed, hydraulic fluid is trapped inside one of the first and second rotary actuator and the one of the first and second rotary actuator is locked.
In yet another aspect, the inside diameter of the piston engages the shaft via oblique spline teeth and matching oblique splines.
In another aspect, the ratio between the axial movement of the piston and the converted rotational movement is defined by an angle of the oblique spline teeth and matching oblique splines.
In another aspect, the inside diameter of the piston engages the shaft via a pin and a groove.
In an additional aspect, the pin and groove engagement of the piston and the shaft defines two ratio between the axial movement of the piston and the converted rotational movement of the main body, a first ratio for rotation of the main body to effect tilting of the marine outboard engine, and a second ratio for slower rotation of the main body to effect trimming of the marine outboard engine.
For purposes of this application, the term “horizontal” means that the subject portions, members or components extend generally in parallel to the water surface when the watercraft is substantially stationary with respect to the water surface and when the drive unit 32 is not tilted and is generally placed in the position shown in
Embodiments of the present invention each have at least one of the above-mentioned objects and/or aspects, but do not necessarily have all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present invention that have resulted from attempting to attain the above-mentioned objects may not satisfy these objects and/or may satisfy other objects not specifically recited herein.
Additional and/or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
For a better understanding of the present invention, as well as other aspects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following description which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
With reference to
The drive unit 32 includes an upper portion 15 and a lower portion 17. The upper portion 15 includes an engine 40 surrounded and protected by a cowling 42. The engine 40 housed within the cowling 42 is a vertically oriented internal combustion engine, such as a two-stroke or four-stroke engine. The lower portion 17 includes the gear case assembly 44 which includes the propeller 34, and the skeg portion 46 which extends from the upper portion 15 to the gear case assembly 44.
The engine 40 is coupled to a vertically oriented driveshaft 48. The driveshaft 48 is coupled to a drive mechanism 50, which includes a transmission 52 and a propeller 34 mounted on a propeller shaft 54. The driveshaft 48 as well as the drive mechanism 50 are housed within the gear case assembly 44, and transfer the power of the engine 40 to the propeller 34 mounted on the rear side of the gear case assembly 44 of the drive unit 32. It is contemplated that the propulsion system of the outboard engine 20 could alternatively include a jet propulsion device, turbine or other known propelling device. It is further contemplated that the bladed rotor could alternatively be an impeller. Other known components of an engine assembly are included within the cowling 42, such as a starter motor, an alternator and the exhaust system. As it is believed that these components would be readily recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art, further explanation and description of these components will not be provided herein.
With reference to
Referring now to
The tilt/trim/steering subsystem 30 includes a tilt/trim hydraulic rotary actuator 70 oriented horizontally relative to the watercraft 24 and a steering hydraulic rotary actuator 80 which is perpendicular to the tilt/trim actuator 70 and oriented vertically when the drive unit 32 of the marine outboard engine 20 is in the upright position as illustrated in
The steering hydraulic rotary actuator 80 also includes a main cylindrical body 82 and two end plates 84. A central shaft 86 extends through the main body 82 and extends outside the main body 82 from both ends of the cylindrical body 82. The central shaft 86 is rotatable relative to the main body 82. A bracket 89 is non-rotatably connected to a first end 86a of the central shaft 86 through splines (not shown). The bracket 89 is adapted for connection to the drive unit 32 with fasteners. The second end 86b of the central shaft 86 includes splines 87 similar to the splines on its first end 86a. The splines 87 are adapted for non-rotatable connection to a second bracket 95 (
Referring back to
With reference to
Referring now to
The steering hydraulic rotary actuator 80 includes the cylindrical main body 82 and the two end plates 84 which together define a pressure chamber 120. The central shaft 86 extends through the end plates 84 and through the chamber 120 and defines the steering axis 38. The central shaft 86 is fixed along the steering axis 38 i.e. it does not move longitudinally along the steering axis 38. The central shaft 86 is rotatable about the steering axis 38. A piston 122 surrounds the central shaft 86 and is engaged to the central shaft 86 via oblique spline teeth 130 on central shaft 86 and matching splines 132 on the inside diameter of the piston 122. The piston 122 is slidably engaged to the inside wall 126 of the cylindrical main body 82 via longitudinal spline teeth 142 on the outer diameter of the piston 122 and matching splines 140 on the inside diameter of the main body 82 best shown in the cross-section of the piston 122 of the tilt/trim hydraulic rotary actuator 70. The piston 122 is adapted to slide along the steering axis 38 but is prevented from rotating about the steering axis 38 by the longitudinal matching splines and spline teeth 140, 142.
A first “T” shaped hydraulic conduit 106 is provided through the central shaft 86 and brings hydraulic fluid under pressure from the first hydraulic aperture 105 to the pressure chamber 120 on a first side of the piston 122. A second “T” shaped hydraulic conduit 108 is provided through the reinforcement arm 92 connecting of the main body 72 with the main body 82 and leads hydraulic fluid under pressure from the second hydraulic aperture 107 to the pressure chamber 120 on a second side of the piston 122. The exit 109 of the conduit 108 is a bleeder and is plugged. Hydraulic fluid under pressure moves the piston 122 up and down along the steering axis 38. Hydraulic fluid under pressure entering through the first conduit 106 pushes the piston 122 downwardly, while fluid under pressure entering through the second conduit 108 pushes the piston 122 upwardly. As hydraulic pressure is applied, the piston 122 is displaced axially within the main body 82 and the matching oblique splines 130, 132 cause the central shaft 86 to rotate. The linear motion of the piston 122 is converted into a rotation of the central shaft 86 by the oblique splines 132 on the inside diameter of the piston 122 engaging the matching oblique spline teeth 130 on central shaft 86 and forcing the central shaft 86 to rotate as the piston 122 cannot rotate. When the control valve 110 is closed, hydraulic fluid is trapped inside the pressure chamber 120 and the central shaft 86 is locked in place.
Referring now to
Referring now to
A first hydraulic aperture 101 is in fluid communication with the pressure chamber 149 through a hydraulic conduit leading to a first side 150 of the piston 122. A second hydraulic aperture 103 is in fluid communication with the pressure chamber 149 through a hydraulic conduit leading to a second side 152 of the piston 122.
Hydraulic fluid under pressure displaces the piston 122 along the tilt/trim axis 38. Hydraulic fluid under pressure entering through the first aperture 101 pushes the piston 122 towards the end 77 of the internal shaft 78, whereas fluid under pressure entering through the second aperture 103 push the piston 122 towards the end 79 of the internal shaft 78. As hydraulic pressure is applied, the piston 122 is displaced axially within the main body 72 and the matching oblique splines 130, 132 cause the entire main body 72 to rotate. Since the internal shaft 78 is fixed relative to the stern bracket 26 and the piston 122 can only move axially relative to the main body 72, it is the main body 72 that is forced to rotate and by doing so, it rotates the drive unit 32 about the tilt/trim axis 36 as depicted by the arrow “T” in
Referring now to
The tilt/trim hydraulic rotary actuator 70 controls the extended rotation (>90°) of the complete tilt of the outboard engine 20 as illustrated in
With reference to
The tilt/trim hydraulic rotary actuator 175 includes a piston 176 surrounding an internal shaft 178. As the embodiment shown and described in
The internal shaft 178 is engaged to the piston 176 via a pin 180 inserted in a groove 182 on the inside diameter 184 of the piston 176. The groove 182 defines a first segment 186 having an angle θ with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 178 and a second segment 188 having an angle γ with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 178. As previously described, when hydraulic pressure is applied on either side of the piston 176, the piston 176 is displaced axially within the main body 172 and the pin 180 and groove 182 cause the main body 172 to rotate. The first segment 186 defines the ratio between the axial movement “P” of the piston 176 and the rotation “T” of the main body 172 in the tilting portion of the rotation “T”, whereas the second segment 188 defines the ratio between the axial movement “P” of the piston 176 and the rotation “T” of the main body 172 in the trimming portion of the rotation “T” of the main body 172. In the tilting portion defined by the first segment 186, the rotation “T” of the main body 172 is more rapid than in the trimming portion of the rotation “T” of the main body 172 for the same amount of longitudinal movement of the piston 176. Because the angle θ of the tilting portion 186 is greater than the angle γ of the trimming portion 188, the main body 172 rotates more per unit length of axial movement “P” of the piston 176 than in the trimming portion 188.
Because there is less rotation of the main body 172 per unit length of axial movement “P” of the piston 176 in the trimming portion 188, it is easier for the operator of the watercraft to adjust and control the angle of the propeller 34 when it is submerged in the body of water as shown in
Referring now to
The embodiment illustrated in
Modifications and improvements to the above-described embodiments of the present invention may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The foregoing description is intended to be exemplary rather than limiting. The scope of the present invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/991,359 filed on Nov. 30, 2007, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4687448 | Peirce | Aug 1987 | A |
4836810 | Entringer | Jun 1989 | A |
5327812 | Weyer et al. | Jul 1994 | A |
5924379 | Masini et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60991359 | Nov 2007 | US |