Claims
- 1. An oil sump for a vertically shafted combustion engine, the oil sump having a housingwith an upper face for sealing against a lower face of a block of the engine defining an internal volume therein for containing a quantity of oil received from the engine through an oil drain opening in the upper face of the sump; defining an exhaust inlet for receiving a flow of exhaust from the engine and directing the flow of exhaust toward an exhaust outlet along an exhaust passage defined within the housing; and defining a water inlet for receiving a flow of cooling water into a water passage defined within the housing about the exhaust passage; the sump further comprising means for securely mounting the engine within a boat hull.
- 2. The oil sump of claim 1 wherein the mounting means includes multiple mounting holes for receiving removable fasteners for resiliently mounting the engine within the boat hull at multiple points.
- 3. The oil sump of claim 2 wherein the mounting holes comprise through holes defined in lugs extending from the sump housing.
- 4. The oil sump of claim 2 wherein the mounting holes comprise blind and tapped holes extending into the sump housing.
- 5. The oil sump of claim 1 wherein the means for mounting is configured to secure the engine to a fixed structure at three discrete mounting points defining a plane.
- 6. The oil sump of claim 1 wherein one side of the sump defines a recess configured to provide clearance for a pulley secured to a lower end of a crankshaft of the engine and disposed within a vertical profile of the sump.
- 7. The oil sump of claim 1 wherein the exhaust outlet of the sump is surrounded by cooling water outlets extending from the water passage.
- 8. The oil sump of claim 1 wherein the housing has an overall vertical profile, below said upper face, of less than about five inches.
- 9. The oil sump of claim 8 wherein the overall vertical profile is less than about 3.5 inches.
- 10. The oil sump of claim 1 wherein the internal volume accommodates at least about 60 cubic inches of engine oil.
- 11. The oil sump of claim 1 wherein the water passage is disposed between the exhaust passage and said internal volume, so as to insulate engine lubricating oil from exhaust heat.
- 12. A combination oil sump and engine mount housing having an upper face for sealing against a block of a vertically shafted engine, the housing definingan internal volume therein for containing a quantity of oil received from the engine through an oil drain opening in the upper face of the housing; an exhaust inlet for receiving a flow of exhaust from the engine and directing the flow of exhaust toward an exhaust outlet along an exhaust passage defined within the housing; a water inlet for receiving a flow of cooling water into a water passage defined within the housing about the exhaust passage for cooling the flow of exhaust; and holes spaced apart across the housing and adapted to receive fasteners for resiliently securing the engine within a boat hull at multiple mounting points.
- 13. The combination oil sump and engine mount housing of claim 12 wherein the holes comprise through holes defined in lugs extending from the housing.
- 14. The combination oil sump and engine mount housing of claim 12 wherein the holes comprise blind and tapped holes extending into the housing.
- 15. The combination oil sump and engine mount housing of claim 12 wherein the holes are arranged to secure the housing to a fixed structure at three discrete mounting points defining a plane.
- 16. The combination oil sump and engine mount housing of claim 12 wherein two of the mounting holes are disposed on opposite sides of a recess extending inward from a side of the housing and sized to provide clearance for a pulley secured to a lower end of a crankshaft of the engine and disposed within a vertical profile of the sump.
- 17. The combination oil sump and engine mount housing of claim 12 wherein the exhaust outlet of the housing is surrounded by cooling water outlets extending from the water passage.
- 18. The combination oil sump and engine mount housing of claim 12 having an overall vertical profile, below said upper face, of less than about five inches.
- 19. The combination oil sump and engine mount housing of claim 18 wherein the overall vertical profile is less than about 3.5 inches.
- 20. The combination oil sump and engine mount housing of claim 12 wherein the internal volume accommodates at least about 60 cubic inches of engine oil.
- 21. A marine generator assembly comprisinga combustion engine having a vertically disposed crankshaft; an electric generator with a rotor connected to the crankshaft for rotation; and an oil sump secured to a lower end of the engine and defining an internal volume therein for containing a quantity of oil received from the engine through an oil drain opening in an upper face of the sump; an exhaust inlet for receiving a flow of exhaust from the engine and directing the flow of exhaust toward an exhaust outlet along an exhaust passage defined within the sump; a water inlet for receiving a flow of cooling water into a water passage defined within the sump about the exhaust passage for cooling the flow of exhaust; and holes spaced apart across the sump and adapted to receive fasteners for resiliently securing the engine within a boat hull at multiple mounting points.
- 22. The marine generator assembly of claim 21 wherein the rotor is connected to the crankshaft by a belt.
- 23. The marine generator assembly of claim 21 wherein a lower end of the engine crankshaft has a pulley disposed within a vertical profile of the sump.
- 24. The marine generator assembly of claim 21 wherein the sump has an overall vertical profile, below the engine, of less than about five inches.
- 25. The marine generator assembly of claim 24 wherein the overall vertical profile is less than about 3.5 inches.
- 26. The marine generator assembly of claim 21 wherein the holes are arranged to secure the sump to a fixed structure at three discrete mounting points defining a plane.
- 27. A method of producing electrical power on-board a boat, the method comprisingattaching an oil sump to a lower face of a block of an outboard motor engine, the oil sump comprising a housing defining an internal volume therein for containing a quantity of oil received from the engine through an oil drain opening in the upper face of the housing; an exhaust inlet for receiving a flow of exhaust from the engine and directing the flow of exhaust toward an exhaust outlet along an exhaust passage defined within the housing; a water inlet for receiving a flow of cooling water into a water passage defined within the housing about the exhaust passage for cooling the flow of exhaust; and holes spaced apart across the housing and adapted to receive fasteners for resiliently securing the engine within a boat hull at multiple mounting points; attaching a crankshaft of the engine to an electrical generator; mounting the engine and generator on-board a boat; attaching the water inlet to a source of cooling water; and running the engine to turn the generator to produce electrical power.
- 28. The method of claim 27 wherein the cooling water is seawater.
- 29. The method of claim 27 wherein the engine is mounted with its crankshaft extending vertically.
- 30. The method of claim 27 wherein attaching the crankshaft of the engine to the generator includes attaching a pulley to a lower end of the engine crankshaft, so as to dispose the pulley within a vertical profile of the sump.
- 31. The method of claim 27 wherein attaching the crankshaft of the engine to the generator includes wrapping a belt about both a first pulley secured to the crankshaft and a second pulley secured to a rotor of the generator, with the rotor and crankshaft extending in parallel relation.
- 32. The method of claim 27 wherein mounting the engine and generator includes resiliently securing the sump to structure within the boat hull.
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 60/256,717, filed Dec. 19, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth.
US Referenced Citations (16)
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60/256717 |
Dec 2000 |
US |