Marine propulsion – Screw propeller – Having transmission
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-04
2001-03-27
Avila, Stephen (Department: 3617)
Marine propulsion
Screw propeller
Having transmission
C440S08900C
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206739
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to drive systems for vehicles, especially water craft. More particularly, the invention relates to outdrives for water craft.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, features include, among others, use of plastic or other relatively flexible material, e.g., compared to metal, especially as a substantial part of the housing material, and techniques which enable and/or at least facilitate use of such housing material. One of those techniques employs a flexible member, such as a belt, to couple power between the input and output of an outdrive and/or others include heat conducting back bending surfaces to urge the belt legs toward each other and to remove heat from the outdrive, a stuffer or fence to reduce energy losses, such as heat, and lubricant requirements, and/or an eccentric mechanical tensioning device for the belt. The invention also relates to use in a vehicle drive, especially for water craft, of at least some housing materials that are not subject to corrosion, galvanic action and the like. Other features include rotational shock absorber, output shaft support, oil, anti-shear fence, sprocket tooth profile, water by-pass silencer, L C exhaust silencer, split eccentric tensioner, active tensioner, transmission design, transmission shift mechanism, tensioning protocol and exhaust thermal barrier. A still further feature includes use of a thermally conductive outdrive housing, such as aluminum, to facilitate and to enhance conducting heat to the water in which the outdrive is immersed.
BACKGROUND
In an exemplary drive system for a vehicle, there usually is a power supply, an output mechanism, a power coupling system, and a housing and/or structural apparatus. The power supply typically is an engine or a motor, although other means also may be employed. The output mechanism converts power received from the power supply to motive force for the purpose of moving and directing the vehicle. In a boat, the output mechanism typically is a propeller. The power coupling mechanism couples, transmits or transfers power from the power supply to the output mechanism. Often the power coupling system includes one or more of a drive shaft, an output shaft, other coupling gears and shafts, a clutch, a transmission, etc. The housing and/or structural support apparatus typically holds one or more of the other components of the drive system in relation to each other in order to accomplish the appropriate interaction to effect the desired driving function. Additionally, the housing and/or structural support mechanism may provide, to the extent needed and/or desired, appropriate enclosure functions.
The present invention preferably relates to drive systems for boats. As it is used herein, the term “boat” is intended to mean virtually any type of water craft, vehicle, apparatus, device, etc., that is intended to be operated on, in and/or under water. The features of the present invention are particularly useful with surface craft, i.e., boats that float and/or are operated at the water surface, and especially drive systems therefor that are rated at from about 100 horsepower up to about 1000 horsepower and beyond 1000 horsepower, and especially in the range of from about 100 hp to about 250 hp. However, it will be appreciated that features of the invention may be used with other boat drive systems and at other power levels, e.g., those that are rated at less than 100 horsepower or more than several hundred horsepower, or even more than 1,000 horsepower, depending on the sizes of the several components of the outdrive.
Moreover, although the features of the present invention are particularly useful in and relate to boat drive systems, it will be appreciated, and it is intended, that features of the invention may be used in drive systems for vehicles other than boats and/or in other applications, too. For compactness, though, the following description is directed to application of the features of the invention in drive systems for boats; application of features of the invention in other drive systems will be evident to those having ordinary skill in the art in view of the disclosure hereof.
Conventional boat drive systems often are categorized by labels inboard, outboard, and inboard/outboard. In an exemplary inboard drive system the power supply, which will be referred to hereinafter for convenience as an engine although it may be a motor or some other source of power, and the majority of the power coupling system are located within the boat, which provides at least some housing and structural support functions. The propeller and at least part of the propeller shaft, of course, are located outside the boat in the water, as also is the case for outboard and inboard/outboard drive systems. One example of an inboard drive system is an in line system in which the engine, clutch, transmission and propeller shaft generally are in line facing from the front to the back of the boat, the propeller being at or near the back. Another example of an inboard drive system is referred to as a V-drive. In an outboard drive system typically the engine and the power coupling system are located outside or mostly outside the boat. Furthermore, in an inboard/outboard drive system an exemplary configuration employs an engine located in the boat and a power coupling system that has a substantial portion located outside the boat. The foregoing is exemplary; it will be appreciated that various hybrid combinations of the foregoing categories of boat drive systems, as well as other types of boat drive systems also exist and/or may exist in the future.
The present invention includes features that may be useful in the various categories or types of boat drive systems mentioned above and in others that may not be specifically identified. However, according to the preferred embodiment and best mode, as is described in greater detail below, the present invention has particular utility when employed in and/or with the outdrive portion of the power coupling system of an inboard/outboard boat drive system and of outboard boat drive systems. Features of the invention also are especially useful in V-drive systems.
The term outdrive typically means that portion of a vehicle drive system, usually excluding the engine, which is located outside the hull of a boat. The outdrive usually is part of or is the entire power coupling system of a boat drive system and also may include the output mechanism, typically the propeller. As they are used herein, the terms outdrive and power coupling system may be used synonymously, and such terms also may be used to designate non-overlapping parts or functions, i.e., not synonymously; the context will make the usage clear. For example, the engine drive shaft itself may be considered part of the power coupling mechanism, as is the universal joint, but only the latter usually would be considered part of the outdrive.
In a conventional outdrive type of power coupling system, power is coupled between the engine and the output mechanism, which for convenience is referred to below as the propeller. Typically during use, the engine drive shaft or at least the power input shaft for the outdrive and the propeller shaft are oriented generally in parallel horizontal directions and are vertically spaced apart. The conventional outdrive includes a rigid coupling shaft and associated gears to couple the rotary output from the drive shaft to the propeller shaft. Accurate positioning of the various parts of such a conventional outdrive is necessary in order to assure proper alignment and meshing of respective gears and shafts, as is well known. Relatively rigid metal castings typically are used as housings for such outdrives to provide the necessary stiffness to obtain the necessary accurate positioning functions mentioned.
The gears, coupling shaft, and metal castings employed as housings and/or other parts for such conventional outdrives are relatively expensive to manufacture and are relatively heavy. It would be desirable to reduce the expense of man
Anspach Charles R.
Dadd Paul M.
French Park
Rose, Jr. Carl W.
Venaleck John T.
Avila Stephen
Ohio Associated Enterprises, Inc.
Renner , Otto, Boisselle & Sklar, LLP
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