The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-180203 filed on Oct. 28, 2020, including specification, drawings and claims is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to an outboard motor to be attached to a transom board of a ship.
In an outboard motor attached to a transom board of a ship, it is important to appropriately set (adjust) a so-called transom height in order to appropriately transmit a propulsive force obtained by rotation of a propeller to water and obtain desired propulsion performance. Here, the transom height refers to a positional relationship between the transom board and the outboard motor, and specifically, refers to a height from an upper end surface of the transom board to an anti-ventilation plate (or a rotation shaft of the propeller) of the outboard motor.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an outboard motor including a transom height adjusting mechanism that adjusts a transom height. The transom height adjusting mechanism adjusts the transom height by moving up and down a steering bracket, a pilot shaft, or the like by operating a hydraulic cylinder.
Patent Literature 1: JP-A-2008-162331
According to one advantageous aspect of the present invention, there is provided an outboard motor configured to be attached to a transom board of a ship, the outboard motor including:
a drive shaft housing accommodating a drive shaft that transmits power of a power source to a propeller;
a swivel bracket supporting the drive shaft housing such that the drive shaft housing is pivotable about an axis thereof and is movable in an axial direction thereof;
a steering adjuster attached to the swivel bracket and configured to increase or reduce a rotational resistance force of the drive shaft housing against the swivel bracket; and
at least one spacer mounted to the drive shaft housing at a position adjacent to at least one of both ends of the swivel bracket in the axial direction, in which
in a state in which the spacer is mounted to the drive shaft housing, the drive shaft housing is restricted from moving in the axial direction with respect to the swivel bracket, and
a dimension from the swivel bracket to a rotation shaft of the propeller is changed by changing a mounting position of the spacer.
In the transom height adjusting mechanism in the Patent Literature 1, since a hydraulic cylinder and a device for controlling the hydraulic cylinder are required, there is a problem that a structure becomes complicated and manufacturing costs are increased. Therefore, the transom height adjusting mechanism described above is not suitable for, for example, a small outboard motor that is inexpensive and has a simple structure.
For example, in the case of a small output outboard motor using an electric motor as a power source, it is required to deal with the attachment of the outboard motor to various ships such as a rubber boat and a small ship, and a structure capable of easily adjusting the transom height is required.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an outboard motor that can easily adjust a transom height.
An outboard motor according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device that is attached to a transom board of a ship and propels the ship. The outboard motor includes a drive shaft housing accommodating a drive shaft that transmits power of a power source to a propeller, a swivel bracket supporting the drive shaft housing such that the drive shaft housing is pivotable about an axis thereof and is movable in an axial direction thereof, a steering adjuster attached to the swivel bracket and configured to increase or reduce a rotational resistance force of the drive shaft housing against the swivel bracket, and at least one spacer mounted to the drive shaft housing at a position adjacent to at least one of both ends of the swivel bracket in the axial direction. In a state in which the spacer is mounted to the drive shaft housing, the drive shaft housing is restricted from moving in the axial direction with respect to the swivel bracket. A dimension from the swivel bracket to a rotation shaft of the propeller is changed by changing a mounting position of the spacer.
For example, when the spacer is mounted to the drive shaft housing at a position adjacent to a lower end of the swivel bracket, the swivel bracket is relatively lifted up by a height of the spacer, and the drive shaft housing is pulled down with respect to the swivel bracket (a long specification). For example, when the spacer is mounted to the drive shaft housing at a position adjacent to an upper end of the swivel bracket, the swivel bracket is relatively pulled down by a height of the spacer, and the drive shaft housing is lifted up with respect to the swivel bracket (a short specification). A dimension from the swivel bracket (for example, a lower end surface) to a rotation shaft (an axial center) of the propeller is larger in the long specification than that in the short specification. In this manner, the dimension from the swivel bracket to the rotation shaft of the propeller is changed by changing a mounting position of the spacer. Accordingly, a transom height can be easily adjusted by a simple operation of changing the mounting position of the spacer.
An outboard motor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment, an upper side (Ud), a lower side (Dd), a front side (Fd), a rear side (Bd), a left side (Ld), and a right side (Rd) are set based on an upper side, a lower side, a front side, a rear side, a left side, and a right side of an occupant who boards a ship to which an outboard motor is attached and faces a forward direction of the ship. These directions are indicated by arrows shown in the drawings.
An overall configuration of an outboard motor 1 will be described with reference to
As shown in
The outboard motor 1 includes an upper unit 2, a middle unit 3, and a lower unit 4. The upper unit 2 constitutes an upper portion of the outboard motor 1, and the lower unit 4 constitutes a lower portion of the outboard motor 1. The middle unit 3 is provided between the upper unit 2 and the lower unit 4.
[Upper Unit]
As shown in
The electric motor 11 serving as an example of a power source is housed in the motor case 10. An upper end portion of a drive shaft 14 is connected to an output shaft of the electric motor 11. The drive shaft 14 extends downward from the electric motor 11. The drive shaft 14 is rotated about an axis by power of the electric motor 11, and transmits the power of the electric motor 11 to a propeller 42 (to be described later). The inverter 13 is disposed above the electric motor 11 and is housed in the inverter case 12. The inverter 13 controls driving of the electric motor 11.
[Middle Unit]
As shown in
<Drive Shaft Housing>
As shown in
An upper end restricting portion 22 and a lower end restricting portion 23 are formed at an upper end portion of the housing extension portion 21 and an intermediate portion in the upper-lower direction of the housing extension portion 21 in a manner in which the upper end restricting portion 22 and the lower end restricting portion 23 protrude radially outward. Here, The upper end restricting portion 22 and the lower end restricting portion 23 may be formed in the vicinity of a boundary between the housing extension portion 21 and the housing connection portion 20 at the upper end portion of the housing extension portion 21. The upper end restricting portion 22 and the lower end restricting portion 23 are formed into a substantial flange shape, and the swivel bracket 17 to be described later is attached to the housing extension portion 21 between the upper end restricting portion 22 and the lower end restricting portion 23 in a manner in which the swivel bracket 17 is movable in the upper-lower direction. In the present description, the housing extension portion 21 between the upper end restricting portion 22 and the lower end restricting portion 23 is referred to as a sliding portion 21A. The housing extension portion 21 extending downward from the lower end restricting portion 23 is formed in a manner of being flush with a front peripheral surface of the lower end restricting portion 23. Although the housing connection portion 20 is a part of the drive shaft housing 15, the housing connection portion 20 may be regarded as a part of the upper unit 2.
As shown in
<Clamp Bracket>
As shown in
<Swivel Bracket>
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
(Handle and Attachment)
As shown in
(Pivoting Restricting Portion)
As shown in
(Steering Adjuster)
As shown in
Specifically, as shown in
As shown in
The steering adjuster 36 described above has a function of increasing or decreasing a rotational resistance force of the drive shaft housing 15 against the swivel bracket 17. For example, when the user rotates the pinching portion 36A to screw the screw portion 36B, the pressing portion 36C is pressed against the peripheral surface of the drive shaft housing 15, and pivoting resistance of the drive shaft housing 15 is increased. On the other hand, when the user rotates the pinching portion 36A to pull back the screw portion 36B, the pressing of the pressing portion 36C against the peripheral surface of the drive shaft housing 15 is reduced, and the pivoting resistance of the drive shaft housing 15 is reduced.
As shown in
<Heat Sink>
As shown in
[Lower unit]
As shown in
<Gear Case>
The gear case 40 is coupled to a lower end of the heat sink 18. The gear case 40 has a shape in which a portion from an upper end portion of the gear case 40 to a gear mechanism housing portion 40A that houses the gear mechanism 41 is narrowed and tapered in a front view. A portion of the gear case 40 extending downward from the gear mechanism housing portion 40A is formed in a plate shape so as to function as a rudder. An anti-ventilation plate 44 extends rearward at a lower end portion of the drive shaft housing 15, that is, in the vicinity of a boundary between the drive shaft housing 15 and the gear case 40. The anti-ventilator plate 44 has a function of preventing air from flowing from the water surface into the propeller 42.
<Gear Mechanism>
The gear mechanism 41 is housed in the gear mechanism housing portion 40A of the gear case 40. A lower side of the drive shaft 14 enters the gear case 40 and is connected to the gear mechanism 41. The gear mechanism 41 includes a propeller shaft 43 (a rotation shaft) extending in the front-rear direction, and a rear portion of the propeller shaft 43 protrudes rearward from the gear case 40. The propeller 42 is attached to the rear portion of the propeller shaft 43. The gear mechanism 41 transmits rotation of the drive shaft 14 about an axis to the propeller shaft 43 (the propeller 42). The propeller 42 is rotated about an axis underwater to generate a propulsive force for propelling the ship 5.
In the outboard motor 1, it is important to appropriately set a positional relationship between the transom board 6 of the ship 5 and the outboard motor 1 in order to appropriately transmit a propulsive force obtained by the rotation of the propeller 42 to water and obtain desired propulsion performance. Specifically, it is necessary to appropriately set a height (so-called transom height) from an upper end surface of the transom board 6 to the anti-ventilation plate 44 of the outboard motor 1 (or a rotation shaft (axial center) of the propeller 42 or an axial center of the propeller shaft 43). As a result of appropriately setting the transom height, a water depth (propeller water depth) from the water surface to a rotation shaft of the propeller 42 is appropriate, the propulsive force obtained by the rotation of the propeller 42 can be efficiently transmitted to water, and desired propulsion performance can be obtained.
Therefore, in order to easily adjust the transom height, the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment includes a spacer 60 mounted on the drive shaft housing 15 at a position adjacent to an upper end or a lower end of the swivel bracket 17.
[Spacer]
The spacer 60 will be described mainly with reference to
The spacer 60 is made of, for example, a metal such as an aluminum alloy, and is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape. The spacer 60 is disposed in a manner of surrounding the sliding portion 21A of the drive shaft housing 15 via the bush 70 (see
A pair of left and right bolt through holes 63 through which bolts 67 pass in the front-rear direction are formed in a front peripheral surface of the spacer front portion 61. A nipple through hole 64 through which a grease nipple 71 of a bush 70 which will be described later passes in the left-right direction is formed in a right peripheral surface of the spacer front portion 61. A pair of left and right screw holes 65 (female screws) are formed in a dividing surface of the spacer rear portion 62 at a rear side (see
As shown in
The grease nipple 71 protrudes radially outward from a right peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 70A of the bush 70 at a front side. The bush 70 at a front side after being divided is fitted into the spacer front portion 61 in a state in which the grease nipple 71 passes through the nipple through hole 64. The bush 70 at a rear side after being divided is fitted into the spacer rear portion 62. Grease injected from the grease nipple 71 is interposed between the spacer 60 (the swivel bracket 17) and the drive shaft housing 15 and lubricates the drive shaft housing 15. Although the bush 70 is a member separate from the spacer 60, the bush 70 may be regarded as a part of the spacer 60.
[Transom Height Adjusting Operation]
Next, an example of a transom height adjusting operation using the spacer 60 will be described with reference to
<Overview of Spacer Mounting>
The spacer rear portion 62 is disposed such that the spacer rear portion 62 and the spacer front portion 61 sandwiches the drive shaft housing 15 (the sliding portion 21A), and the spacer rear portion 62 is coupled to the spacer front portion 61 by screwing the bolt 67 that passes through the bolt through hole 63 into the screw hole 65. Accordingly, the spacer 60 is mounted to the sliding portion 21A via the bush 70 at a position adjacent to an upper end or a lower end of the swivel bracket 17 (see
<Long Specification>
A case where the spacer 60 is mounted to the sliding portion 21A at a position adjacent to the lower end of the swivel bracket 17 will be described with reference to
In the case of the long specification, since an upper portion (the housing connection portion 20) of the drive shaft housing 15 comes close to an upper end of the transom board 6 (or the clamp bracket 16) of the ship 5, it is preferable that the handle 30 is provided at a position separated upward from the upper end of the transom board 6. Therefore, as shown in
The handle 30 coupled to the support portion 31B is provided at a position separated upward from the upper end of the transom board 6.
<Change from Long Specification to Short Specification>
Next, a case where the transom height is changed from the long specification to a low setting state (the short specification to be described later) will be described with reference to
A user positions the drive shaft housing 15 (the handle 30) at an angle other than a right maximum steering angle, removes the bolts 67 of the spacer 60, and divides the spacer 60 into the spacer front portion 61 and the spacer rear portion 62. The rotation stop protrusion 27 provided on the lower end surface of the swivel bracket 17 is pulled out. In this state, since a lower surface of the protruding portion 33 for attaching the steering adjuster 36 interferes with an upper end of the pivoting restricting protrusion 24 that is a part of the drive shaft housing 15, the drive shaft housing 15 is restricted from moving upward with respect to the swivel bracket 17. As described above, when the spacer 60 adjacent to a lower end of the swivel bracket 17 is removed, the drive shaft housing 15 is positioned at an angle other than the right maximum steering angle. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the drive shaft housing 15 may be positioned at the right maximum steering angle.
Next, the user pivots the drive shaft housing 15 (the handle 30) to the right maximum steering angle. Then, the pivoting restricting protrusion 24 of the drive shaft housing 15 abuts against the left pivoting restricting portion 32, and is disposed so as to coincide with the passage allowing portion 35 of the swivel bracket 17 in a plan view (see a two-dot chain line shown in
Next, the user pivots the drive shaft housing 15 (the handle 30) to an angle other than the right maximum steering angle. In this state, (a lower end of) the pivoting restricting protrusion 24 that is a part of the drive shaft housing 15 interferes with (an upper surface of) the protruding portion 33 for attaching the steering adjuster 36, and the drive shaft housing 15 is restricted from moving downward (see
Next, the user disposes the spacer 60 on the sliding portion 21A that is exposed between the upper end restricting portion 22 of the drive shaft housing 15 and an upper end of the swivel bracket 17. More specifically, the user inserts the rotation stop protrusion 27 into a hole in an upper end surface of the swivel bracket 17 or the like, sets the rotation stop recessed portion 66 of the spacer rear portion 62 in a posture facing downward, and fits the rotation stop protrusion 27 into the rotation stop recessed portion 66. Then, the user sandwiches, between the spacer front portion 61 and the spacer rear portion 62, the sliding portion 21A that is exposed between the upper end restricting portion 22 of the drive shaft housing 15 and the upper end of the swivel bracket 17, and integrates the sliding portion 21A with the spacer front portion 61 and the spacer rear portion 62 by the bolts 67. Since the rotation stop protrusion 27 at the upper end of the swivel bracket 17 is fitted into the rotation stop recessed portion 66, the spacer 60 is restricted from rotating about an axis.
As described above, the spacer 60 adjacent to the lower end of the swivel bracket 17 is turned upside down and is mounted to the drive shaft housing 15 at a position adjacent to the upper end of the swivel bracket 17 (see
In the case of the short specification, since the upper portion (the housing connection portion 20) of the drive shaft housing 15 is separated upward from the upper end of the transom board 6 of the ship 5, it is preferable that the handle 30 is provided at a position close to the upper end of the transom board 6. Therefore, in the case of the short specification, the user removes the attachment 31 from the drive shaft housing 15, turns the attachment 31 upside down, and couples the attachment 31 to the drive shaft housing 15. The attachment 31 is fixed to the drive shaft housing 15 in a posture in which the support portion 31B is positioned below the coupling portion 31A. The handle 30 coupled to the support portion 31B is provided at a position close to the upper end of the transom board 6.
<Change from Short Specification to Long Specification>
A procedure for changing the specification from the short specification to the long specification is substantially the same as a procedure for changing the specification from the long specification to the short specification described above. Briefly, the user removes the attachment 31 from the drive shaft housing 15, turns the attachment 31 upside down, fixes the attachment 31 to the drive shaft housing 15, and couples the handle 30 to the support portion 31B located below the coupling portion 31A (see
Next, after pivoting the drive shaft housing 15 to the right maximum steering angle, the user pulls down the drive shaft housing 15, and the upper end of the swivel bracket 17 that is relatively lifted up abuts against the upper end restricting portion 22 of the drive shaft housing 15 (see
Next, the user inserts the rotation stop protrusion 27 into a hole in a lower end surface of the swivel bracket 17 or the like, and mounts the spacer 60 to the sliding portion 21A that is exposed between the lower end restricting portion 23 of the drive shaft housing 15 and the lower end of the swivel bracket 17 (see
In the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment described above, in a state in which the spacer 60 is mounted to the drive shaft housing 15, the drive shaft housing 15 is restricted from moving in the axial direction with respect to the swivel bracket 17 and the dimension (L1>L2) from the swivel bracket 17 to the rotation shaft of the propeller 42 is changed by changing a mounting position of the spacer 60. That is, the transom height is changed (adjusted) in accordance with the change of the mounting position of the spacer 60. According to such a configuration, a structure related to the adjustment of the transom height can be simplified and manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with a case where the transom height is adjusted using an actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder. Accordingly, the transom height can be easily adjusted by a simple operation of changing the mounting position of the spacer 60.
In the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the drive shaft housing 15 can be moved in the upper-lower direction (axial direction) by being pivoted about an axis to the maximum steering angle (a predetermined angle) with respect to the swivel bracket 17. The mounting position of the spacer 60 is changed in a state in which the drive shaft housing 15 can be moved in the upper-lower direction. According to such a configuration, the drive shaft housing 15 does not move in the upper-lower direction unless the drive shaft housing 15 is pivoted to the maximum steering angle. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the drive shaft housing 15 from moving in the upper-lower direction against the intention of the user.
In a state in which the drive shaft housing 15 (the handle 30) swings, it may be difficult to adjust the transom height (to move the drive shaft housing 15 in the upper-lower direction). In particular, it is difficult to move the drive shaft housing 15 in the upper-lower direction together with the upper unit 2 including the electric motor 11 which is a heavy object. As one solution for preventing such swinging of the drive shaft housing 15, it is conceivable to form a groove in the swivel bracket 17 and the groove is fitted to the pivoting restricting protrusion 24 of the drive shaft housing 15 at a predetermined angle.
On the other hand, in the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the predetermined angle at which the drive shaft housing 15 is allowed to move in the upper-lower direction is the maximum steering angle at which the drive shaft housing 15 is pivoted from a steering position at which the ship 5 travels straight up to a position where the drive shaft housing 15 is restricted from pivoting. According to such a configuration, the user can perform the transom height adjusting operation (move the transom height in the upper-lower direction) in a stable state in which the pivoting restricting protrusion 24 of the drive shaft housing 15 abuts against the pivoting restricting portion 32. Accordingly, the adjusting operation can be performed appropriately and quickly.
In the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, in a case where the drive shaft housing 15 is positioned at an angle other than the maximum steering angle (the predetermined angle), a part of the drive shaft housing 15 (the pivoting restricting protrusion 24) interferes with the protruding portion 33 that protrudes radially inward from an inner surface of the swivel bracket 17 for attaching the steering adjuster 36, and the drive shaft housing 15 is restricted from moving in the axial direction (see
In the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the attachment 31 has a stepped shape in the upper-lower direction between the coupling portion 31A coupled to the drive shaft housing 15 and the support portion 31B that supports the handle 30. The attachment 31 is configured to change a height of the support portion 31B when the attachment 31 is turned upside down and can be coupled to the drive shaft housing 15. According to such a configuration, the height of the handle 30 (for example, a height from a ship bottom of the ship 5 to the handle 30) can be changed in accordance with the adjusted transom height.
Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a change in the height of the handle 30 due to a change in the transom height, and it is possible to provide good operability to the user.
Although the passage allowing portion 35 is formed at the left side of the swivel bracket 17 (the protruding portion 33) in the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the passage allowing portion 35 may be formed at the right side of the swivel bracket 17 or may be formed at both the left and right sides of the swivel bracket 17 (not shown). Although the passage allowing portion 35 is formed at a position where the pivoting restricting protrusion 24 that abuts against the pivoting restricting portion 32 passes through the passage allowing portion 35 in the upper-lower direction, the present invention is not limited thereto. As described above, the passage allowing portion 35 may be formed at a position (not shown) where the drive shaft housing 15 is pivoted to a predetermined angle that is different from the maximum steering angle and the pivoting restricting protrusion 24 passes through the passage allowing portion 35 in the upper-lower direction. That is, as long as the drive shaft housing 15 can be moved in the upper-lower direction (axial direction), basically, the predetermined angle can be freely set.
Although one spacer 60 is mounted to the drive shaft housing 15 at a position adjacent to the upper end or the lower end of the swivel bracket 17 in order to adjust the transom height in the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of spacers 60 having the same or different heights may be prepared, and the plurality of spacers 60 may be mounted to the drive shaft housing 15 at positions adjacent to the upper end, the lower end, or both ends of the swivel bracket 17 (not shown). That is, at least one spacer 60 may be mounted to the drive shaft housing 15 at a position adjacent to at least one of both ends of the swivel bracket 17 in the upper-lower direction (axial direction). According to such a configuration, the transom height can be adjusted in three or more stages.
Although the spacer 60 is divided into two portions in the front-rear direction in the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the spacer 60 may be divided into two portions in the left-right direction.
Although the rotation stop protrusion 27 is provided on an end surface in the upper-lower direction of the swivel bracket 17 and the like, and the rotation stop recessed portion 66 is provided in the spacer 60 in the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a pair of rotation stop protrusions 27 may be fixed to both of the upper and the lower end surfaces of the swivel bracket 17 or the like (not shown). A pair of rotation stop recessed portions may be provided in both of the upper and the lower end surfaces of the swivel bracket 17, and a rotation stop protrusion may be provided on the spacer 60 (not shown).
Although the handle 30 is coupled to the drive shaft housing 15 via the attachment 31 in the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, instead of the handle 30, the outboard motor 1 may include a cable (not shown) connected to a steering device (not shown) mounted in the ship 5 in order to swing the drive shaft housing 15. In this case, the support portion 31B of the attachment 31 supports the cable. According to such a configuration, since a height of the cable (the support portion 31B) can be changed in accordance with the adjusted transom height by turning the attachment 31 upside down and coupling the attachment 31 to the drive shaft housing 15, it is possible to prevent problems such as the cable being forcibly bent.
Although the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment is divided into three portions of the upper unit 2, the middle unit 3, and the lower unit 4, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the outboard motor may be divided into two portions of an upper unit and a lower unit, or may be a single unit (neither of them is shown).
Although the outboard motor 1 according to the present embodiment uses the electric motor 11 as a power source, instead of the electric motor 11, a small internal combustion engine (for example, an internal combustion engine in which exhaust gas is open to the atmosphere) may be used as a power source, or a hybrid power source in which the electric motor 11 and the internal combustion engine are combined may be provided (none of them is shown).
The present invention can be modified as appropriate without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention which can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and the outboard motor accompanying such a change is also included in the technical concept of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2020-180203 | Oct 2020 | JP | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4604067 | Roberts | Aug 1986 | A |
9914517 | Shomura | Mar 2018 | B2 |
20050020150 | Bernloehr | Jan 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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H 02-014996 | Jan 1990 | JP |
2008-162331 | Jul 2008 | JP |
Entry |
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Notice of Reasons for Refusal dated Feb. 6, 2024, in corresponding application JP 2020-180203. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220126964 A1 | Apr 2022 | US |