FIELD OF THE INVENTION
There is provided a mounting assembly. In particular, there is provided a mounting assembly for positioning stern-mounted propulsion units of marine vessels with a forward convergence.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,853, which issued to Lanyi et al. on May 22, 2001, discloses a docking system which utilizes the marine propulsion unit of a marine vessel, under the control of an engine control unit that receives command signals from a joystick or push button device, to respond to a maneuver command from the marine operator. The docking system does not require additional propulsion devices other than those normally used to operate the marine vessel under normal conditions. The docking or maneuvering system uses two marine propulsion units to respond to an operator's command signal and allows the operator to select forward or reverse commands in combination with clockwise or counterclockwise rotational commands either in combination with each other or alone.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,068, which issued to Bradley et al. on Sep. 11, 2007, discloses a marine vessel which is maneuvered by independently rotating first and second marine propulsion devices about their respective steering axes in response to commands received from a manually operable control device, such as a joystick. The marine propulsion devices are aligned with their thrust vectors intersecting at a point on a centerline of the marine vessel and, when no rotational movement is commanded, at the center of gravity of the marine vessel. Internal combustion engines are provided to drive the marine propulsion devices. The steering axes of the two marine propulsion devices are generally vertical and parallel to each other. The two steering axes extend through a bottom surface of the hull of the marine vessel.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION
There is provided a mounting assembly for a marine vessel having a bow, a stern, a center of rotation and a pair of stern-mounted propulsion units, each propulsion unit having a total steering range. The assembly comprises a pair of angle-setting members which forwardly angle the propulsion units towards the bow of the marine vessel when each propulsion unit is at the center of the total steering range. Each propulsion unit may have a line of action of its propulsion force. The lines of action of the propulsion units may intersect each other between the center of rotation of the marine vessel and the stern of the marine vessel when the propulsion units are steered forwardly towards each other. The marine vessel may be a twin-hulled vessel.
The marine vessel may have a longitudinal axis. The angle-setting members may angle the propulsion units inwardly and forwardly in the range of greater than 0 degrees and less than 30 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the marine vessel. The angle-setting members may angle the propulsion units inwardly and forwardly in the range of 5 to 10 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the marine vessel. The angle-setting members may angle the propulsion units inwardly and forwardly by 6 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the marine vessel. Each of the angle-setting members may comprise an inwardly biased tiller arm. Propeller axes of the propulsion units may be forwardly convergent relative to the tiller arms when the tiller arms align parallel with the longitudinal axis of the marine vessel.
The angle-setting members may be wedge-shaped. Each angle-setting member may have a thin end and a thick end. The thick ends of the angle-setting members may be positioned to face each other. There may be a pair of stern brackets which are operatively connected to respective ones of the propulsion units. The angle-setting members may be connected to the stern brackets. The angle-setting members may be integrally connected to and integrally formed with the stern brackets.
The marine vessel may have a transom. There may be a pair of stern brackets operatively connected to respective ones of the propulsion units. The angle-setting members may be connected to the stern brackets. The angle-setting members may be interposed between the stern brackets and the transom. Each angle-setting member may have a pair of spaced-apart apertures. There may be a plurality of fasteners. Each of the fasteners may extend through a respective one of the apertures. The fasteners may connect the stern brackets, the angle-setting members and the transom together. The angle-setting members may comprise angled portions of the transom. Each angle-setting member may comprise an angled stern bracket that connects to the transom.
There is also provided a mounting assembly for a marine vessel having a pair of stern-mounted propulsion units with a total steering range. The assembly comprises a pair of stops which allow the propulsion units to steer to a maximum steering range. The maximum steering range is one half of the total steering range plus an angle β on a first side and one half of the total steering range less the angle β on a second side.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The invention will be more readily understood from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof given, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a simplified, top plan schematic view of a marine vessel having a pair of outboard engines and a mounting assembly therefor according to one aspect, the engines being positioned in the center of their steering ranges;
FIG. 2 is a simplified, top plan schematic view of the marine vessel of FIG. 1, the engines being steered towards each other at a maximum steering angle so that they fully forwardly converge towards each other;
FIG. 3 is a front, side perspective view of a stern bracket and a pair of spaced-apart angle-setting members connected thereto, the angle-setting members being part of the mounting assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of part of the mounting assembly of FIG. 1 connected to a transom of the vessel of FIG. 1, the transom being shown in fragment, the mounting assembly showing an angle-setting member and a pair of washers;
FIG. 5 is a rear, elevational view of a washer of the mounting assembly of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a side view of the washer of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a simplified top plan schematic view of the vessel of FIG. 2 showing a port engine generating a forward propulsion force and a starboard engine generating a rearward propulsion force, lines of action of the propulsion forces of the engines intersecting forward of a center of rotation of the vessel;
FIG. 8 is a simplified top plan schematic view of the vessel of FIG. 2 showing the port engine generating a forward propulsion force and the starboard engine generating a rearward propulsion force, lines of action of the propulsion forces of the engines intersecting at the center of rotation of the vessel;
FIG. 9 is a simplified top plan schematic view of the vessel of FIG. 2 showing the port engine generating a forward propulsion force and the starboard engine generating a rearward propulsion force, lines of action of the propulsion forces of the engines intersecting rearward of the center of rotation of the vessel;
FIG. 10 is a simplified, top plan schematic view of the vessel of FIG. 1, with the engines being shown at the centers of their steering ranges and each engine generating a forward propulsion force;
FIG. 11 is a simplified, top plan schematic view of the vessel of FIG. 1 showing the vessel performing a turning operation;
FIG. 12 is a front, side perspective view of a mounting assembly for a marine vessel according to a second aspect, the assembly having angle-setting members integrally connected to and integrally formed with the stern bracket;
FIG. 13 is a simplified, top plan schematic view of a marine vessel and mounting assembly according to a third aspect, the mounting assembly having angle-setting members in the form of outwardly angled portions of a transom;
FIG. 14 is a simplified, top plan schematic view of a marine vessel having a pair of outboard engines, the vessel being shown in fragment, and a mounting assembly therefor according to a fourth aspect, the assembly having inwardly-biased tillers;
FIG. 15 is a simplified, top plan schematic view of the marine vessel and mounting assembly of FIG. 14, the engines being steered towards each other at a maximum steering angle so that they fully forwardly converge towards each other;
FIG. 16 is a simplified, top plan view of an outboard engine together with a mounting assembly according to a fifth aspect, the assembly having a pair of angle-setting members in the form of spaced-apart engine stops; and
FIG. 17 is a simplified, top plan view of the engine and assembly of FIG. 16, the engine being fully turned in a hard over direction.
DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, there is shown a mounting assembly 30 for a marine vessel 10. The vessel 10 has a bow 12, a stern 14 which is spaced-apart from the bow, a transom 16 located at the stern, a port side 18 and a starboard side 20 which is spaced-apart from the port side. The sides 18 and 20 of the vessel 10 extend from the stern 14 to the bow 12. The sides 18 and 20 of the vessel 10 are further spaced-apart in this example compared to a more conventional, narrower beamed vessel. Alternatively, the vessel 10 may be stern heavy compared to a conventional vessel. The vessel 10 has a longitudinal axis or longitudinal center line 200 which extends from the stern 14 to the bow 12 and which is situated between the sides 18 and 20 of the vessel. The vessel 10 has a lateral axis 210 that extends perpendicular to the longitudinal center line 200 from the side 18 to the side 20.
The vessel 10 has a plurality of engines, in this example a pair of engines in the form of a port engine 32 located adjacent to the port side 18 and a starboard engine 34 located adjacent to the starboard side 20. The engines 32 and 34 have propeller axes 36 and 38, respectively, as seen in FIG. 1, which correspond to the lines of action of their propulsion forces. As seen in FIGS. 7 to 9, the vessel 10 has a center of rotation 40, which may correspond to the center of gravity of the vessel in its static state. It is possible to apply the improvement to vessels that have three engines, where the outer two engines are far apart from each other. Angling the outer engines in a manner similar to the two engine embodiment illustrated herein can achieve a similar result. This description focuses on illustrating the improvement with two engines.
Referring back to FIG. 1, the mounting assembly 30 has a pair of stern brackets 42 and 44 which are operatively connected to the outboard engines 32 and 34, respectively. One of the stern brackets 42 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 3. The stern bracket 42 has a connector portion 46 facing the transom 16 of the vessel 10, shown in FIG. 1. The outboard engines and stern brackets in this embodiment are conventional, with parts and functionings well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore will not be described in further detail.
The mounting assembly 30 includes a plurality of angle-setting members, in this example a pair of spaced-apart members for each engine, as shown by members 48 and 50 for the engine 32 in FIG. 3. Only upper members 48 and 52 for the respective engines 32 and 34 are seen in FIG. 1. The angle-setting members are configured to position the engines 32 and 34 with a slight forward convergence that is angled towards the centerline 200 when the engines are at the center of their steering ranges, thus altering the steering angles of the engines relative to the centerline of the vessel.
Each angle-setting member is wedge-shaped in this example, with a thin end and a thick end that is thicker than the thin end. This is shown in FIG. 1 by thin ends 54 and 56 and thick ends 58 and 60 for the members 48 and 52, respectively. The thin ends 54 and 56 of the angle-setting members are positioned adjacent to respective sides 18 or 20 of the vessel 10. The thick ends 58 and 60 of the angle-setting members are positioned to face each other.
As seen in FIG. 4, the angle-setting member 48 has a pair of spaced-apart apertures 62 and 64, in this example, extending therethrough adjacent to its ends 54 and 58, respectively. The angle-setting member 48 in this example has an outer face 66, which extends between and is perpendicular to the ends 54 and 58, and an inner face 68 which is spaced-apart from the outer face. The inner face 68 extends between the ends 54 and 58 at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the ends in this example although this is not essential. As seen in FIG. 1, the angle-setting members 48 and 52 are interposed between the stern brackets 42 and 44 and the transom 16 in this example, with the inner face 68 of the angle-setting member 48 abutting an outer surface 70 of the transom as seen in FIG. 4. The outer face 66 of the angle-setting member 48 abuts the connector portion 46 of the bracket 42 as shown in FIG. 3.
As seen in FIGS. 4 to 6, the angle-setting member 48 includes a pair of wedge-shaped washers 74 and 76. Each washer has a thin end, a thick end which is thicker than the thin end, and a central aperture extending therethrough, as shown by thin end 78, thick end 80 and aperture 82 for the washer 76 in FIG. 4. The aperture 82 of the washer 76 aligns with the aperture 64 of the angle-setting member 48 and an aperture 84 of the washer 74 aligns with the aperture 62 of the angle-setting member 48. The washer 76 in this example has a first face 86, which extends between and is perpendicular to the ends 78 and 80, and a second face 88 which is spaced-apart from the first face. The face 88 extends between the ends 54 and 58 of the angle-setting member 48 at a non-perpendicular angle with respect to the ends in this example and abuts an inner surface 72 of the transom 16. The transom has a pair of spaced-apart apertures 90 and 92 extending therethrough for the angle-setting member 48 in this example. The washer 76 and the angle-setting member 48 are shaped such that the face 66 of the member 88 and the face 86 of the washer 76 extend substantially parallel to each other when the washer and the angle-setting member abut the transom 16. However, the exact shape of the washer is not essential. The washer 74 is similar in structure and function to the washer 76 and is accordingly not described in detail herein.
As seen in FIG. 3, the mounting assembly 30 includes a plurality of fasteners, in this example a pair of bolts 94 and 96 for the angle-setting member 48. The bolts extend through the bracket 42, the apertures 62 and 64 of the angle-setting member 48, the apertures 90 and 92 of the transom 16 and the apertures 84 and 82 of the washers 74 and 76, and connect the bracket 42 to the transom 16. As seen in FIG. 1, the angle-setting members 48 and 52 thus connect to the stern brackets 42 and 44.
Referring to FIG. 1, the angle-setting member 48 causes the propeller axis 36 of the port engine 32 to angle towards the starboard side 20 of the vessel 10 when the engine is at the center of its steering range as illustrated. Likewise, the angle-setting member 52 causes the propeller axis 38 of the starboard engine 34 to angle towards the port side 18 when the engine is at the center of its steering range. According to one embodiment, each propeller axis is inwardly and forwardly angled towards the centerline 200 at an angle β relative to the centerline when the engines 32 and 34 are positioned to the midpoint or center of their steering ranges. In this case and referring to FIG. 4, the outer face 66 of the angle-setting member 48 is also angularly spaced-apart from the lateral axis 210 of the vessel 10 and the inner face 68 of the angle-setting member 48 by angle β. It is practical to arrange both port and starboard angle β to be the same or symmetrical with respect to the centerline. The faces 86 and 88 of the washer 76 are also at angle β with respect to each other in this example.
According to one aspect, angle β is an angle within the range of 1 to 30 degrees. According to another aspect, angle β is an angle within the range of 5 to 15 degrees. According to a further aspect seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, angle β is substantially equal to 6 degrees, although other angles are possible. In this case and as seen in FIG. 2, when the engines 32 and 34 are steered to fully forwardly converge towards each other at the ends of their steering ranges, the angle of separation ϕ between the axes 36 and 38 is equal to 72 degrees. This is in contrast to a conventional engine arrangement where the angle of separation would typically only be 60 degrees. Due to physical limitations, each engine has a total steering range. The embodiments described above allow the total steering range to be maintained while having a biased steering range for the port side versus the starboard side. In general, one side has a steering range from center of (total_steering_range/2+β). The opposite side has a steering range from center of (total_steering_range/2−β).
Other angles may be used depending on the geometry of the vessel. For example, angle β may be equal to 12 degrees in another example. In this example, the steering range of the port engine extends within the range of 42 degrees to port and 18 degrees to starboard. The steering range of the starboard engine in this example extends within the range of 18 degrees to port and 42 degrees to starboard.
The propeller axes 36 and 38 of the engines 32 and 34 intersect at a point of intersection 98 along the centerline 200 of the vessel 10, as seen in FIG. 9, when the engines are fully steered towards the centerline. The angle-setting members 48 and 52 enable the point of intersection 98 to be further rearward towards the stern 14 of the vessel 10 compared to a conventional, wide-berthed or stern-heavy vessel. According to one aspect, the angle-setting members 48 and 52 are configured so that the point of intersection 98 is at or aft of the center of rotation 40. Thus, the angle-setting members 48 and 52 allow the point of intersection 98 to be aft of the center of gravity (or rotation) of the vessel 10. Positioning the point of intersection 98 rearward of the center of rotation 40 allows the vessel 10 to have counter-clockwise rotational adjustment while moving sideways, pure sideways movement and clockwise rotational adjustment while moving sideways.
In order to achieve pure sideways movement, a forward-moving propeller 100 of a first one of the engines, in this example port engine 32, has a line of action 102 with a forward propulsion force as seen in FIG. 8. A reverse-moving propeller 104 of a second one of the engines, in this example starboard engine 34, has a line of action 106 with a rearward propulsion force. Since the longitudinal components of the two propulsion vectors, in this example the line of action 102 of a forward propulsion force and the line of action 106 of a rearward propulsion force, are equal and opposite, the longitudinal components cancel each other. The biased steering range created by the angle-setting members 48 and 52 allows the engine propellers 100 and 104 to be steered further towards each other. The angle-setting members 48 and 52 thus enable alignment of the point of intersection 98 with the center of rotation 40 as shown in FIG. 8. When the point of intersection 98 is at the center of rotation 40, the propulsion force 102 of the port engine 32 will not create a rotational moment on the vessel 10. Likewise, the propulsion force 106 of the starboard engine 34 will not create a rotational moment on the vessel 10. Since the longitudinal components of the two propulsion vectors cancel each other, the lateral components of the two propulsion vectors are summed to provide a pure sideways movement towards starboard from the point of view of FIG. 8. Thus, with the balanced values of steering angles, propulsion forces and moments, the vessel 10 may move purely sideways.
The biased steering range created by the angle-setting members 48 and 52 alternatively or additionally allows heading corrections during sideways movement. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the engine propellers 100 and 104 are steered fully towards each other so the point of intersection 98 is rearward of the center of rotation 40, the propulsion forces create a counter-clockwise rotation to the vessel 10 while moving sideways to starboard. Conversely, when the engine propellers 100 and 104 are steered towards each other so that the point of intersection 98 is forward of the center of rotation 40, as shown in FIG. 7, the propulsion forces create a clockwise rotation to the vessel while moving sideways to starboard. The biased steering range created by the angle-setting members 48 and 52 accordingly allows the vessel to have clockwise rotational adjustment and counter-clockwise rotational adjustment while moving sideways to starboard. Similarly, the biased steering range also allows the vessel to have clockwise rotational adjustment, counter-clockwise rotational adjustment and pure sideways movement while moving sideways to port.
Both clockwise rotational adjustment and counter-clockwise rotational adjustment while moving sideways are important in practice. External forces such as wind and current may cause the vessel to rotate unintentionally. Allowing the steering angles to be adjusted slightly provides a smooth maneuver as opposed to shifting gears and steering rudders with large angles. For vessel command functionality, it is desirable that the engines point towards the center of rotation 40, or what is generally referred to as the vessel's center of gravity. It is also desirable that the engine angle should not be at its maximum while pointing towards this center and the angle-setting members as herein described facilitate this objective.
As seen in FIG. 10, when it is desired to move the vessel 10 in a straight ahead forward direction, the angle-setting members 48 and 52 cause propulsion forces 108 and 110 to be “toed in” with respect to the engine mounts. The propeller axes 36 and 38 represent the centers of the steering ranges. This amount of toe in towards the centerline 200 for movement in a straight or steered direction can be dynamically adjusted by an electronic power steering system so that the engines can be parallel when desired.
Referring to FIG. 11, the biased steering range is also useful for turning as it can incorporate Ackerman steering geometry. The arcs 112 and 114 represent the turning arcs that show the turning radii. The dot 116 represents the turning center of both engines 32 and 34. Especially when the vessel is moving slowly, this allows smoother steering with less slip. The amount of Ackerman geometry can be dynamically changed due to vessel speed, steering load, and aggressiveness settings by a user. The turning center of each engine can either coincide or be different. The angle-setting members 48 and 52 are not required to incorporate Ackerman steering geometry, but enable the maximum amount of Ackerman steering geometry to be greater.
FIG. 12 shows a mounting assembly 30.1 according to a second aspect. Like parts have like numbers and functions are the same as for the assembly 30 shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 with the addition of “.1”. However angle-setting members 48.1 and 50.1 are integrally connected to and are integrally formed with a stern bracket 42.1 in this example. In this case each angle-setting member comprises an angled stern bracket.
FIG. 13 shows a mounting assembly 30.2 and vessel 10.2 according to a third aspect. Like parts have like numbers and functions as the assembly 30 and vessel 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 with the addition of “.2”. However angle-setting members 48.2 and 52.2 comprise outwardly angled portions 118 and 120 of a transom 16.2. The angled portions are each located adjacent to a respective one of sides 18.2 and 20.2.
FIGS. 14 and 15 show a mounting assembly 30.3 and vessel 10.3 according to a fourth aspect. Like parts have like numbers and functions as the assembly 30 and vessel 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 with the addition of “.3”. However angle-setting members 48.3 and 52.3 comprise biased tillers 122 and 124. In this configuration, engines 32.3 and 34.3 are configured such that when the tillers 122 and 124 are held parallel with a centerline 200.3 of the vessel 10.3, propeller axes 36.3 and 38.3 of the engines are forwardly convergent towards the centerline at angles β, each of which is equal to 6 degrees in this example.
In a further alternative, the tillers may be configured in an unbiased conventional manner and the outboard engines may have engine stops which are further spaced-apart to allow for a greater than +30 degrees steering range. In this variation, the engine stops may be configured to allow steering in the range of an angle of 30−β degrees in the steering direction 126 towards the centerline and 30+β degrees in the opposite steering direction 128. In this case, the center point for steering is adjusted, making the steering asymmetrical.
FIGS. 16 and 17 show a mounting assembly 30.4 and vessel 10.4 according to a fifth aspect. Like parts have like numbers and functions as the assembly 30 and vessel 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 with the addition of “.4”. Typically engine stops are spaced-apart to allow an engine to have a steering range of ±30 degrees. An outboard engine 32.4 in this example has a pair of engine stops 130 and 132. The engine stops in this example are protrusions operatively connected to a transom and stern bracket (not shown). The engine 32.4 has a rotating part 134 with a protrusion 136 that selectively abuts the engine stops 130 and 132 at the outer steering ranges of the engine 32.4. In this variation, the angle-setting members are in the form of engine stops that are further spaced-apart, with the engine stops being altered when designing the engine to allow for a steering range of ±(30+β) degrees, which in this example equals to ±36 degrees. The embodiment of FIGS. 16 and 17 can be modified to provide a total steering range of 60 degrees. One side has (60/2+12)=42 degrees and the other side has (60/2−12)=18 degrees.
The forms of the angle-setting members as described herein may be referred to as means for positioning the outboard engines with a slight forward convergence.
The assembly 30 is shown in FIG. 3 with an upper angle-setting member 48 and a lower angle-setting member 50 in the form of wedges. However, it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that many further variations are possible within the scope of the invention described herein. For example, one angle-setting member may be used for each stern bracket instead of two spaced-apart members for each bracket. Alternatively, any number of wedge-shaped pieces may be used. For example, the two wedges could be made of one solid piece or four separate pieces in other embodiments.
The angle-setting members 48 and 52 may also be built into a jack plate mechanism. While the assembly 30 as described herein refers to two engines, the assembly as described herein may be used in conjunction with more than two engines in other embodiments. Alternatively, such an assembly 30 can be the engine mount which mates to the outboard engine midsection. For example, a metal engine mount is commonly used in pontoon or catamaran vessels.
It will be understood by a person skilled in the art that the mounting assembly is described herein with reference to outboard engines but that the mounting assembly may also be used with stern drive or inboard-outboard propulsion systems as well.
It will also be understood by a person skilled in the art that many of the details provided above are by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention which is to be determined with reference to at least the following claims.
Patent Grant
10202179
