Zf Friedrichshafen Ag

Zf Padova Srl.

Zf Marine Propulsion Systems Miramar, LLC

Gator Tail LLC

Keith Stanley

Andrew Orvieto

Bryan Danner

Andrea Pellegrinetti

Dave Gruenwald

Michele Zottele

Gianantonio Bortolin

Daniel Piccini

Drew Orvieto

Kyle Broussard

Mattia Caracristi

Marco Murru

David Friedenberg

Dave Gustin

Blaine Broussard

A marine propulsion system, supported by a strut, which comprises an inner propeller shaft supporting a first propeller adjacent a trailing end thereof, and the inner propeller shaft is connected to the drive shaft for receiving and supplying a first portion of torque to the first propeller as well as transfer thrust, generated by the first propeller, along the inner propeller shaft back to the drive shaft. An outer propeller shaft supports a second propeller adjacent a trailing end thereof, and the outer propeller shaft surrounds the inner propeller shaft. A planetary gear assembly receives a second portion of the torque and supplies the torque to the outer propeller shaft so that the second propeller rotates in an opposite direction to the first propeller. A portion of the planetary gear assembly is accommodated vertically above a flat end face of the strut for reducing hydrodynamic drag of the strut.

Marine propulsion system supported by a strut

A gearcase for a marine propulsion system has an input shaft rotatable about a central axis of rotation and an output shaft coaxially arranged with the input shaft. A clutch assembly is operable between a first clutch position and a second clutch position, wherein, when the clutch assembly is in the first clutch position, the input shaft is coupled to the output shaft for rotating the output shaft in a first rotational direction. When the clutch assembly is in the second clutch position a gear assembly operably connects the input shaft to the output shaft for rotating the output shaft in an opposite second rotational direction. The gearcase can be part of a marine propulsion system, such as an outboard motor for a mud boat. A method of transferring power in a gearcase and a marine propulsion system are also disclosed.

Outboard motor transmission with coaxial input and output shafts

A marine propulsion system, supported by a strut, comprising an inner propeller shaft supporting a first propeller adjacent a trailing end thereof, and the inner propeller shaft is connected to the drive shaft for receiving and supplying a first portion of torque to the first propeller as well as transfer thrust, generated by the first propeller, along the inner propeller shaft back to the drive shaft. An outer propeller shaft supports a second propeller adjacent a trailing and thereof, and the outer propeller shaft surrounds the inner propeller shaft. A differential gear set receives a second portion of the torque and supplies the second portion to the outer propeller shaft so that the second propeller rotates in an opposite rotational direction to the first propeller. The thrust, generated by the first and the second propellers, is conveyed along either the inner or the outer propeller shafts, to the drive shaft.

A maritime drift control system comprising a vessel movement detection unit, for detecting an actual vessel speed and direction, and a vessel movement control unit with a drift controller for controlling operation of at least one propulsion device of a vessel. The maritime drift control system comprises a drift error generator for generating drift error signals depending on a predetermined speed limit and the actual vessel speed. The drift error generator is connected to the drift controller to transmit the drift error signals to the drift controller. The drift controller uses the drift error signals to compute and transmit propulsion command signals to the at least one propulsion device in order to reduce speed and alter the direction of the vessel to target values. The invention comprises further a maritime vessel with a corresponding maritime drift control system.

Maritime drift control system

Growing community of inventors

Coral Springs, FL, United States of America

Keith Stanley