Brunswick Corporation

Michael A Karls

Roger E Koepsel

Robert B Weronke

Michael E Frazzell

Donald F Harry

Ronald M Steiner

Daniel R Lindgren

John M Griffiths

John J Litjens

William P Lang

Richard A Davis

Matthew W Jaeger

David J Belter

Randall J Poirier

John A Tuchscherer

Troy J Kollmann

James M Schiek

James L Bloemers

Mitesh B Sheth

Steve Wynveen

Darrin L Doty

Jeffrey J Andrews

Bruce A Schroeder

Douglas A Kiesling

James C Dutcher

Daniel J Schlagenhaft

David A Gussert

George E Brown

The temperature regulation system is provided which places a flow controlling valve at a location which can be different than the location of the temperature being controlled. In other words, a valve can be located at a remote position relative to, cooling passages of an engine block or head. Signals from temperature sensors are provided to a microprocessor of an engine control module and the engine control module controls the operation of the valve in response to the measured temperatures. The engine control module can select different temperature ranges as a function of selected operating conditions of the engine, such as engine speed. In addition, the engine control module can cycle the valve in order to free it of debris when it is sensed that the valve is not responding in an expected manner.

Electronically controlled cooling system for a marine propulsion engine

A torque transmitting device for use in conjunction with a marine propulsion system provides an adapter that is attached in torque transmitting relation with a propulsor shaft for rotation about a central axis of rotation. The first insert portion is attached in torque transmitting relation with the adapter and a second insert portion is attached in torque transmitting relation with a hub of the propulsor hub which can be a marine propeller or an impeller. A third insert portion is connected between the first and second insert portions and is resilient in order to allow the first and second insert portions to rotate relative to each other about the central axis of rotation. The adapter is shaped to prevent compression of the first, second, and third insert portions in a direction parallel to the central axis of rotation. The relative shapes of the various components and the resilience of the third insert portion, which can be a plurality of titanium rods, provides significant compliance of the device under low torque magnitudes, but at higher torque magnitudes it provides a significantly decreased compliance to facilitate torque transfer between a propulsor shaft and the propulsor hub.

Torque transmitting device for mounting a propeller to a propeller shaft of a marine propulsion system

A marine propulsion device is provided with a water inlet system that comprises at least a plurality of frontal inlet openings at the tapered forward end of a gearcase portion of a housing structure. The water inlet system can be provided for an outboard motor or a stern drive unit. Additional water flow can be provided through side inlet formed in the housing structure of the marine propulsion device where both the frontal inlet openings and side inlet openings are connected with fluid communication with the water pump mounted within the housing structure.

Marine propulsion unit with water inlets in all quadrants of the front

An improved twin propeller marine propulsion unit. A vertical drive shaft is journaled in the lower gearcase and drives a pair of bevel gears. A pair of concentric propeller shafts are mounted in the lower torpedo section of the gearcase and each shaft carries a propeller. A slidable clutch is movable between a neutral, a forward, and a reverse position and serves to operably connect the outer propeller shaft with one of the bevel gears when the clutch is moved to the forward drive position. A gear is mounted for sliding movement in unison with the clutch and acts to operably engage the inner propeller shaft with the second bevel gear when the clutch is in the forward drive position so that both propellers are driven in opposite directions to provide forward motion for the watercraft. The propulsion unit also includes a dual cooling water pick-up system in which seawater is drawn to the water pump both through a series of vertical inlet ports in the gearcase and through a plurality of inlet holes that are located in the forward end of the lower torpedo section. Exhaust gas from the engine is discharged through the rear end of the lower housing section through axial passages in the hub of the forward propeller and then across the outer surface of the rear propeller.

Marine propulsion unit with dual water inlet structure

Twin propeller marine propulsion unit

A sea water pump (130) for a marine propulsion system includes a housing (130) having a generally cylindrical pumping chamber (134) defined by a generally cylindrical sidewall (136) extending axially between opposite end walls (138 and 140). A multi-vaned rotary impeller (44) in the chamber is driven by an impeller shaft (28) extending axially into the chamber through one of the endwalls (40). An intake port (146) at the other endwall (140) has a first branch (148) providing radial flow (170, 172) into the chamber, and a second branch (154) providing axial flow (178) into the chamber. A discharge port (158) has a first branch (160) receiving radial flow (174, 176) out of the chamber, and a second branch (166) receiving axial flow (180) out of the chamber. The housing (132) is an integrally molded one-piece cup-shaped unit including the cylindrical sidewall (136) integral with an end cap (144) providing a flat inner wall wear surface (140) providing the noted endwall engaging an axial end (50) of the impeller in sealing sliding relation.

High capacity simplified sea water pump

A marine drive having a drive sleeve and a drive sleeve adapter between the propeller shaft and the propeller hub where the drive sleeve absorbs the shock of the propeller striking an object by torsionally twisting a forward end of the drive sleeve which is keyed to the propeller hub and where the adapter is keyed to the propeller shaft and the drive sleeve is keyed to the adapter. The combination provides both high load capability and shock protection.

Torsionally twisting propeller drive sleeve and adapter

A marine drive has a reverse thrust cup on the propeller shaft between the propeller hub and the rear retaining nut. The reverse thrust cup permits the propeller hub to slide on the propeller shaft fore and aft. When the marine drive is in the forward direction the rearward thrust of the propeller forces the propeller hub to the forward position thereby directing engine exhaust out the rear of the propeller hub. Conversely, when the marine drive is in the reverse direction, the forward thrust created by the propeller hub forces the propeller hub to the rearward position thereby directing exhaust out a forward exhaust opening forward of the propeller blades increasing the reverse thrust of the marine drive.

Method and apparatus for improving reverse thrust of a marine drive

An apparatus and method is provided to release a propeller from the driving engagement of a propeller shaft when the propeller hits an object with sufficient force to otherwise cause damage to the marine drive. A clutch with first and second clutch members disengagably drives the propeller with a plurality of clutch teeth on one of the clutch members and a corresponding plurality of clutch sockets on the other. The clutch teeth and clutch sockets engage to provide a nonslip direct drive from the propeller shaft to the propeller and disengage to allow the propeller shaft to rotate free of the propeller when the propeller strikes an object. The clutch members are biased together such that the clutch teeth engage the clutch sockets during normal boating operation. The torque required to disengage the clutch may be adjustable by an adjustable retaining nut, or by using a spring of different compression rate, or by changing the characteristics of the clutch teeth or clutch sockets. Preferably, the torque required to disengage the clutch is set to a level just below that which would cause damage to the marine drive.

Marine drive propeller clutch

In a marine drive (10), a drive sleeve (50) between the propeller shaft (22) and the propeller hub (34) absorbs shock after the propeller (12) strikes an object by torsionally twisting between a forward end keyed to the propeller hub and a rearward end keyed to the propeller shaft. The drive sleeve is composed of a plastic material providing torsional twisting angular rotation at a first spring rate less than 100 lb. ft. per degree from 0.degree. to 5.degree. rotation, a second higher spring rate beyond 5.degree. rotation, and supporting over 1,000 lb. ft. torque before failure.

Torsionally twisting propeller drive sleeve

A supplemental remote mounted marine engine cooling system (20) includes a supplemental water pickup (36) mounted to the boat (18), and a flow control valve (38) supplying supplemental cooling water therethrough from the water pickup (36) to the main cooling system (20) when main cooling system water pressure on the downstream side (48) of a check valve (44) in the flow control valve (38) is less than supplemental cooling system water pressure on the upstream side (46) of the check valve (44), and blocking supplemental water flow therethrough when main cooling system water pressure is greater than supplemental cooling system water pressure. The control valve (38) also includes a relief valve (50) between the check valve (44) and the water pickup (36) and discharging excess supplemental cooling water when the check valve (44) is blocking water flow therethrough and supplemental cooling system water pressure is above a given bypass relief threshold. The control valve (38) provides continuous flow therethrough to a first outlet having the check valve (44) and/or a second bypass outlet having the relief valve (50), at high boat speed, to minimize deadhead pressure and minimize reduction in top end boat speed otherwise resulting from the addition of a supplemental water pickup. The water pickup (36) is provided by a tube (106) slicing out a core of water along the underside of the boat hull (108) with minimal drag and turbulence.

Supplemental remote mounted marine engine cooling system

A marine propeller includes a hub rotatable about a longitudinal axis and having a plurality of blades extending radially outwardly therefrom and pivotable about respective radial pivot axes between a low pitch position and a high pitch position. A disc has a plurality of guide slots each receiving and retaining a respective lever arm extending rearwardly within the hub from a respective blade. A biasing spring coaxial with the longitudinal axis of rotation of the hub biases the disc to in turn bias the lever arms and blades to the low pitch position. The disc is a generally flat planar plate-like member extending radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis at the rear of the hub and includes a preload mechanism accessible at the rear of the hub for adjusting the bias. The disc restricts movement of the lever arms along the guide slots such that the lever arms can move only in unison, which prevents blade flutter. Pivoting of the blades is controlled by both a) movement of the lever arms along the guide slots, and b) arcuate movement of the guide slots as the disc rotates about the longitudinal axis, such that pivoting of each blade from its low pitch position to its high pitch position requires both a) movement of the respective lever arm along its respective guide slot, and b) rotation of the disc to arcuately move the guide slot.

Variable pitch marine propeller with shift biasing and synchronizing

A floating marine propeller wrench (18) is provided for removing a marine propeller nut (16), and comprises a floating member composed of a material selected to have a specific gravity less than or equal to 1.0, to enable floatation, yet strong enough to apply torque of at least 50 lb.ft. to the nut. The floating member is composed of chemically coupled long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene, particularly ten percent glass by weight, one percent foaming agent by weight, and the balance polypropylene. The material is also selected to provide a user detectable slight deflection (70) of a handle portion (24) when approximately 50 lb.ft. is applied to the nut by a socket portion (22), to provide a combined floating marine propeller wrench and torque meter.

Torque rated floating marine propeller wrench

A shock absorbing drive sleeve (50) is provided by a molded plastic member directly mounting the propeller hub (14) to the propeller shaft (22). The sleeve has a rearward inner diameter portion (52) engaging the propeller shaft in splined relation, and a forward inner diameter portion (56) spaced radially outwardly of and disengaged from the propeller shaft. The drive sleeve has a rearward outer diameter portion (58), and a forward outer diameter portion (60) engaging the propeller hub. The drive sleeve and the propeller hub are tapered relative to each other such that a forward outer diameter portion (60) of the drive sleeve snugly engages the propeller hub, and a rearward outer diameter portion (58) is spaced slightly radially inwardly of the hub by a small gap (62) and may partially rotate relative to the propeller hub in response to rotation of the propeller shaft drivingly engaging the rearward inner diameter portion. When the propeller strikes an object, the shock is absorbed by torsional twisting of the drive sleeve wherein the rearward inner diameter portion and the rearward outer diameter portion continue to rotate to a further rotated position than the forward outer diameter portion, whereafter the splined teeth of the rearward inner diameter portion shear.

Growing community of inventors

Hilbert, WI, United States of America

Michael A Karls