Patent Application
20240051650
The present disclosure relates to assemblies for supporting marine drives with respect to a vessel.
The following are incorporated herein by reference, in entirety.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,205,906 discloses a mounting arrangement for supporting an outboard motor with respect to a marine vessel extending in a fore-aft plane. The mounting arrangement comprises first and second mounts which each have an outer shell, an inner wedge concentrically disposed in the outer shell, and an elastomeric spacer between the outer shell and the inner wedge. Each of the first and second mounts extend along an axial direction, along a vertical direction that is perpendicular to the axial direction, and along a horizontal direction which is perpendicular to the axial direction and perpendicular to the vertical direction. The inner wedges of the first and second mounts both have a non-circular shape when viewed in a cross-section taken perpendicular to the axial direction. The non-circular shape comprises a first outer surface that extends transversely at an angle to the horizontal and vertical directions. The non-circular shape comprises a second outer surface that extends transversely at a different, second angle to the horizontal and vertical directions. A method is for making the mounting arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,701,383 discloses a marine propulsion support system having a transom bracket, a swivel bracket, and a mounting bracket. A drive unit is connected to the mounting bracket by a plurality of vibration isolation mounts, which are configured to absorb loads on the drive unit that do not exceed a mount design threshold. A bump stop located between the swivel bracket and the drive unit limits deflection of the drive unit caused by loads that exceed the threshold. An outboard motor includes a transom bracket, a swivel bracket, a cradle, and a drive unit supported between first and second opposite arms of the cradle. First and second vibration isolation mounts connect the first and second cradle arms to the drive unit, respectively. An upper motion-limiting bump stop is located remotely from the vibration isolation mounts and between the swivel bracket and the drive unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,764,813 discloses a tiller for an outboard motor. The tiller comprises a tiller body which is elongated along a tiller axis between a fixed end and a free end. A throttle grip is disposed on the free end. The throttle grip is rotatable through a first (left-hand) range of motion from an idle position in which the outboard motor is controlled at idle speed to first (left-hand) wide open throttle position in which the outboard motor is controlled at wide open throttle speed and alternately through a second (right-hand) range of motion from the idle position to a second (right-hand) wide open throttle position in which the outboard motor is controlled at wide open throttle speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 11,097,824 discloses an apparatus for steering an outboard motor with respect to a marine vessel. The apparatus includes a transom bracket configured to support the outboard motor with respect to the marine vessel; a tiller for manually steering the outboard motor with respect to a steering axis; a steering arm extending above the transom bracket and coupling the tiller to the outboard motor so that rotation of the tiller causes rotation of the outboard motor with respect to the steering axis, wherein the steering arm is located above the transom bracket; and a copilot device configured to lock the outboard motor in each of a plurality of steering positions relative to the steering axis. The copilot device extends above and is manually operable from above the steering arm.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/487,116 discloses an outboard motor including a transom clamp bracket configured to be supported on a transom of a marine vessel and a swivel bracket configured to be supported by the transom clamp bracket. A propulsion unit is supported by the swivel bracket, the propulsion unit comprising a head unit, a midsection below the head unit, and a lower unit below the midsection. The head unit, midsection, and lower unit are generally vertically aligned with one another when the outboard motor is in a neutral tilt/trim position. The propulsion unit is detachable from the transom clamp bracket.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/509,739 discloses an apparatus for removably supporting a marine drive on a marine vessel. The apparatus has a transom bracket assembly for mounting to the marine vessel, a steering bracket for coupling the marine drive to the transom bracket assembly so the marine drive is steerable relative to the transom bracket assembly and the marine vessel; and an integrated copilot and locking mechanism configured to retain the steering bracket in a plurality of steering orientations. The mechanism is further configured to lock and alternately unlock the steering bracket relative to the transom bracket assembly so that in a locked position the marine drive is retained on the transom bracket assembly and so that in an unlocked position the marine drive is removable from the transom bracket assembly.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/852,944 discloses an apparatus for supporting a marine drive on a marine vessel. The apparatus has a transom bracket comprising a swivel cylinder and a steering bracket configured to couple the marine drive to the transom bracket, the steering bracket comprising a steering arm and a swivel tube seated in the swivel cylinder, wherein steering of the steering arm relative to the transom bracket rotates the swivel tube in the swivel cylinder and thereby steers the marine drive. A copilot device is configured to frictionally restrain rotation of the swivel tube in the swivel cylinder by applying diametrically opposing pushing and pulling forces on the swivel tube.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts which are further described herein below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting scope of the claimed subject matter.
In non-limiting examples disclosed herein, a transom bracket assembly is for supporting a marine drive on a vessel. The transom bracket assembly comprises a transom bracket having a swivel cylinder, a steering arm extending from the marine drive, a swivel tube having a first end coupled to the steering arm and a second end seated in the swivel cylinder so that steering of the steering arm relative to the transom bracket rotates the swivel tube in the swivel cylinder about a steering axis for the marine drive, and a yoke which couples the second end of the swivel tube to the marine drive.
In non-limiting examples, the swivel tube is coupled to the steering arm at a first joint which provides a first shear location at which the marine drive will separate from the swivel cylinder upon an impact load on the marine drive. The yoke is coupled to the marine drive at a second joint which provides a second shear location at which the marine drive will separate from the swivel cylinder upon the impact load on the marine drive. In certain examples, the first joint comprises a bolted connection and the second joint comprises a male-female connection device such as a pin and an aperture which are configured so that insertion of the swivel tube into the swivel cylinder operably couples the swivel tube to the marine drive.
In non-limiting examples, the steering arm is located above the swivel cylinder and the yoke is located below the steering arm. The yoke comprises a receiver in the swivel cylinder and a yoke arm extending from the receiver, the receiver being configured to operably engage with the swivel tube when the swivel tube is inserted in the swivel cylinder so that the receiver and yoke arm rotate with the swivel tube relative to the steering axis. In certain examples, the receiver comprises a yoke cylinder, and the swivel tube is nested in the yoke cylinder, and further the swivel tube and yoke cylinder are keyed together so that the swivel tube and yoke cylinder rotate together about the steering axis.
Examples are described with reference to the following drawing Figures. The same numbers are used throughout to reference like features and components.
Referring to
The transom bracket 20 has a pair of clamp arms 40 which are fixed to the top of a not-shown transom of the marine vessel. A swivel bracket 38 is pivotably coupled to the upper end of the clamp arms 40 along a trim axis 200 which is perpendicular to the steering axis 100, so that the swivel bracket 38 is pivotable (i.e., trimmable) up and down about the trim axis 200. The swivel bracket 38 includes the swivel cylinder 32 nesting the swivel tube 22, as shown in
The assembly 50 shown in the drawings is merely exemplary. For example, the assembly does not necessarily need to have a swivel bracket which is pivotable relative to a transom bracket. In other arrangements, the transom bracket and the swivel bracket are a monolithic component or made of several components which are not pivotable about a trim axis. Reference is made to the above-incorporated U.S. patents and patent applications, which illustrate various other suitable arrangements facilitating pivoting movement of a swivel bracket relative to a transom bracket.
In the illustrated example, the assembly 50 also has a co-pilot device 80, which permits the user to selectively restrain rotation of the swivel tube 22 within the swivel cylinder 32, for example to temporarily retain the tiller 36 and outboard motor 10 in a particular steering orientation, providing co-pilot functionality. Presently incorporated U.S. application Ser. No. 17/852,944 discloses the co-pilot device presently shown in the drawings, and thus for brevity it is not further described herein. For the purposes of the present disclosure the assembly 50 does not need to include a co-pilot device.
During research and development, the present inventors determined it would be advantageous to improve upon known transom bracket assemblies for supporting marine drives on a transom of a marine vessel, in particular by providing improved transom bracket assemblies which facilitate easy connection and disconnection of the marine drive, and improved transom bracket assemblies having multiple points of connection for the marine drive, having multiple shear points for load bearing and for separating of the marine drive from the marine vessel when in use the marine drive is impacted by a large force, for example during a logstrike event.
Referring to
The lower end 33 of the yoke cylinder 64 is fixed to the yoke arm 62 at the base 59. The yoke arm 62 extends from the base 59 toward the outboard motor 10, i.e., transversely relative to the steering axis 100. The yoke arm 62 has an inner end 61 which is formed with or fixed to the base 59 and an outer end 55 having a pin 70, which extends upwardly from the base 59. The portions of the yoke arm 62 surrounding the pin 70 provide an annular lip 71 for supporting the hitch bracket 63 when the outboard motor 10 is installed, as shown and further described herein below. The hitch bracket 63 has a body 65 and a pair of L-shaped arms 67 which connect the body 65 to a mounting boss 53 on the lower leg of the supporting frame 11. A through-bore 72 in the body 65 is configured to receive the pin 70 of the yoke arm 62, as shown in
To install the outboard motor 10 onto the assembly 50, the user axially aligns the swivel tube 22 of the outboard motor 10 over the top of the swivel cylinder 32 of the assembly 50, as shown by dash-and-dot line in
In the illustrated example, the outboard motor 10 is operably coupled to the transom bracket 20 at a rigid, first joint 52 formed by the bolted connection between the upper end of the swivel tube 22 and the steering arm 24, and at a rigid, second joint 54 formed by male-female connection between the pin 70 and bore 72. In use, the assembly 50 is configured such that the yoke cylinder 64 is freely rotatable within the swivel cylinder 32, while the keyed connection rotationally locks the swivel tube 22 within the yoke cylinder 64. As such, steering of the outboard motor 10 via the tiller 36, relative to the steering axis 100, rotates the yoke cylinder 64 and the yoke arm 62 together with the swivel tube 22, relative to the swivel cylinder 32.
It will thus be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that the assembly 50 is advantageously configured to distribute the shear forces encountered by the outboard motor 10 during impact, for example upon a logstrike event, across the first and second joints 52, 54 which are spaced apart from each other in both the radial and axial directions relative to the swivel tube 22. This improves load bearing and permits the assembly to be made up of relatively smaller and lighter weight components compared to the prior art having only one shear location. In the illustrated example, the first joint 52 is positioned at the upper end 31 of the swivel cylinder 32, where the steering arm 24 is bolted to the swivel tube 22 via the fastener 30. The second joint 54 is positioned below the first joint 52 at the outer end 55 of the yoke arm 62, where the pin 70 engages the bore 72 and the body 65 is seated on the annular lip 71. Improved load bearing is achieved by providing the two vertically and horizontally displaced shear locations which also extend generally parallel to one another. The first joint 52 provides a first shear location at which the outboard motor 10 will separate from the swivel cylinder 32 upon an impact load on the outboard motor 10. The second joint 54 also provides a second shear location at which the outboard motor 10 will separate from the swivel cylinder 32 upon the impact load.
When the outboard motor 10 is impacted by a sufficient force, for example during a logstrike event, the assembly 50 is advantageously configured such that the outboard motor 10 will separate from the transom bracket 20 at both the first joint 52 and the second joint 54.
In the present description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clarity, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes only and are intended to be broadly construed. The different apparatuses described herein may be used alone or in combination with other apparatuses. Various equivalents, alternatives and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims.
