US2254144A - Engine control for marine engines - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 26, 1941. A. J. HIGGINS ENGINE CONTROL FOR MARINE ENGINES Filed Nov. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 26, 1941. A. J. HIGGINS ENGINE CONTROL FOR MARINE ENGINES Filed Nov. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 .W J W Y Patented Aug. 26, 1941,

v 1 4 1 IENGINE CONTROL For: MARINE ENGINES Andrew" J, Higgins, New Orleans, 'La'., assignor to "Higgins" Industri s;

corporation of Louisiana I r v Application member 2, 1940, Serial Nq.1 3s4, 0cs sea in (01.- vl-my v This invention relates to marine, engines and more particularlytocontrol devices formarine gasengines. a v

In marine engines it is essential that their control shall be as simple as possible, and; preferably, that it be capable of being located at-various positions with respect to the engine as in; many instances it is highly desirable that the helmsman, located at; a considerable distance from the engine, should be able, himself, to control the engme.

. For purpose of, maneuverability and safety, it is also highlydesirable, if not essential, :that it be possible to;.th row the engine from'a position of full. speed ahead to fullspeedasternalmost in- I;

stantaneously, inasmuch "as the reversal of the propelleris the only means forlbraking the vessel and bringing itlto a 'quick'stopw r a In connection with such rapid reversalof the engine from high spe.ed, ahead to high speed 'in reverse,jitis essential, for the safety of the "engine; that the supply of fuelbereduced'to a mini mumduring thezlim-ited-neutral position of the reversingr gear mechanism to avoid racinglof the engine; at :that point with the consequent undue wear on the reversing gear mechanism. 6 l v 1 A further. essential requirement of suchfa control, device -is that it be very simple and as nearly fool-proofzas-possible in-viewofthe' fact that many-motor boats are handled by inexperienced persons. 1 I

Having these problems in mind, the present invention relates ,tosuch a device which can be locatedvat remote points with respect to the engine, or, if desired, directly on the reversing gear case; which "is operated by'single hand lever and which permits the almost instantaneous reversal' of the propeller from any speed ahead to any desired speed in reverse or the'converse', as may be desired, with means for'avoidi ng undue wear on the reversing gear mechanism and'such simplicity in construction'and arrangement as ren-' ders the same substantially fool-proof.

The invention consists "of the 'novel'construm.

tionf' arrangement and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

Two sheets of drawings accompany this speci- I fication, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of one possible installation of the present invention illustrating a remote control of the reversing gear and carburetor throttle or an engine; Y

gear power device: and];- Figure '7'is a'diagram of Figure 2-is a fragmentary cross section taken online 2-2' of Figure 1; r

; Figured is a front elevation of the 'i mproved control device;

Figure 4 is a verticalcross section taken onjlin e 441 of Figure'3';

F gure 5 is a fragmentary cross section taken on line 5'-5 of Figure 4; i. I} F1gure6-is a diagram of the control device associat'ed directly with the valve fof the reversing the improved control device atfa position rQmOte from the engine C indicates; the I operative shaft ofthe reversing gear mechanism of,a-.;marine en-v g1ne, the rotation of jw'hich .shaft operates-to change the direction of rotation of the propeller shaft. As here illustrated, this, reversing gear shaft C'is operated by compressed.aireoperating through a cy'linde'rb, piston rodb and lever c.-

The qm sed air suppliedlto cylinder; a

through suitable pipes. 11. which are connected with a control valve e,having an operative shaft (3 upon which is 'a;,pulley f operated bya belt .9 which s'passe'd oversuitabie uide pulleysh to-a second pulley f' on shaft C of the improved con-' trol' device; 7 The carburetor throttle is mounted on a shaft 2' connected by a link'k to a bell-crank l9 which is also connected to the improvedcontrol device.

It w 1l 1 be apparent from a consideration of Figure 1 that the control device. can be located at various distances and indifferent directions with respect to the engine merely by the provision of suitable guide pulleys for the belt o and linkage in connection with the rod h. r a It will further be noted that, if desired, the improved control device can be mounted with its reversing gear control. shaft 01- directly coupled Figures 3 to 5, it consists essentially of a support.

ing pedestal I having a base 2 which may be secured by bolts or screws to any convenient part of the boat. The pedestal I is provided with a journal for a stub shaft 3 on a lever 4, which lever is further provided on its inner face toward the pedestal with segmental gear 5 concentric with the shaft 3. The lever 4 is further provided with a detent screw 6 and has its upper end formed as a hand grasp I. At its lower end the lever 4 is connected as by pin 8 with a link 9.

Between pedestal l and lever 4 and mounted on the pedestal is a quadrant 9 provided with a plurality of detent, holes II in which the detent screw 6 is adapted to engage and thus frictionally hold the lever 4 in adjusted positions.

The pedestal is further provided with a journal for shaft C "which carries on one endadiacent lever 4, a quadrant gear I2, the teeth of, which are adapted to engage w'iththe teeth of the quadrant gear 5 formed on lever 4 during, a limited portion of the stroke of lever 4, the sector of such enmeshment being indicated 'in' Fig? ure 3 between the arrows, and marked reversing,

gear. On the other end of shaft is a pulley I3 carrying belt 9 which, lasillustrated in Figure 1, also rides 'on pulley f of valve e. Where the control device is to be located immediately adjacent the valve e the shaft C will be ,di-

rectly coupled to the shaft, C Alternatively, where the control device is to be used as a manual gear shift, the shaftC will be directly coupled or formed'integral with the shaft C.v

The lower end of thelink 9 is illustrated as being formed as an enlargedsocket l4 adapted to-slidably receive in its bore a rod IS. The sleeve I4 is provided with a through-slot l6 and a pin l1 passes through thisslot and rod l5,

thus providing a limited lost motion connection between the rods 9 and IS. A compression spring 18 may be conveniently positioned within the --socket and between the end of its bore and the end of rod IE to eliminate shocks at this point. The rod I is, as illustrated in Figure 1, connected to hell crank I 9 and thus through link is to the throttle control valve i.

It will be noted that the sector of travel of reduced the supply of fuel from the-full volume at'the extreme left to a mere idling supply of fuel as the lever enters the reversing gear travel sector and that during the passage of the lever through this reversing gear travel sector, the

throttle will be heldat idling position while the gears arebejingshifted and that the continued movement offthe lever to the right will again gradually open the throttle from idling position tofullfuel supplyat the extreme right.

Yarious modifications in the construction of the parts will readily suggest themselves to those 'skilled in the art, but all within the scope of the. present invention as claimed.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention,*I claim: ,H'

-1. A control device for a marine engine having a reversing gear anda carburetor throttle, comprising a support, aglever. pivotally mounted on the support, a rotary reversing gear operating member pivotally mounted -on the support, segmental gearsv operatively associating the lever and reversing gear operating member and linkage operatively connecting the lever and the throttle.- l r l r 2. The device of claim 1, in which the segmental gears are arranged to .engage only through a sector medial of the operative stroke of the "lever between the extremepositions" of lever 4 during which the segmental gears connecting the lever with the shaft C are in engagement, is intermediate those sectors of travel on either side of its vertical position, and that during such intermediate sector 'of travel the extension 9 is in its vertical position corresponding with the closed position of the carburetor valve 1' and throughout this intermediate sector of travel during which the reversing control gears are in mesh, there will be no lift exerted upon bell crank Is by reason of the lost'motion device formed by the slotted sleeve l4 and the slidable connection between rods 9 and I5. Thus, during the entire period of rotation of lever I within the sector called reversing gear the throttle valve will be closed, and that at the extreme full power ahead and full power in reverse.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the segmental gears are arranged to engage only through a sector medial of the operative stroke ofthe lever between the extreme positions of full power ahead and full power in reverse, and the throttle control leakage includes a link pivoted on the lever and having a lost motion extension. Y

,4, The device of claim -1, with a its. motion device between the lever and the throttle control, comprising a two-part link, said link .parts being slidably associated with means limiting the movement of said parts with respect to each other. j

5. A control device for marine engines comprising a support, a lever pivotally mounted on the support having one end provided with a hand grip'and the other end provided with an axially extensible link and stop means for limiting said extension, a rotary reversing gear operating member pivotally mounted on the support,

and means for operatively associating the lever out a limited sector only of the lever stroke, said operative'sector of the lever strokecoinciding with the lost motion sliding movement of the link extension as and for the purposes specified.

- ANDREW J. HIGGINS.

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