Hydraulic steering device for a boat, a vessel, or the like

Abstract

A hydraulic steering device for boats, vessels or the like, includes a hydraulic pump coupled to a drive motor to feed a drive fluid alternately according to two flow directions; a hydraulic actuating cylinder connected to the delivery and return of the pump; and a fluid flow distributor switching the connection of the delivery and suction of the pump alternatively to one of two inlets/outlets of the cylinder communicating with one of two chambers of the cylinder. The actuating cylinder is mechanically articulated to a steering member, which determines direction change by modifying its orientation relative to an axis of the boat, the vessels or the like, preferably to a longitudinal axis, the modification of steering member orientation being implemented by the actuating cylinder according to the supply of the drive fluid to the cylinder caused by operation of the pump. The motor has inputs for a power supply signal to drive the pump to supply fluid flow according to one of the two predetermined directions of flow.

Claims

1. A hydraulic steering device for a boat, comprising: a pump coupled to a drive motor to supply an operating fluid alternatively along two flow directions; a hydraulic actuating cylinder that is connected to a delivery and a return of the pump; and a fluid flow distributor that switches a connection of the delivery and suction of the pump alternatively to one of two inlets/outlets of the actuating cylinder, the fluid flow distributor communicating with one of two chambers in the actuating cylinder, wherein the actuating cylinder is mechanically articulated to a direction-changing member, the direction-changing member determining a change of direction by changing orientation relatively to an axis of the boat, wherein a change in the orientation of the direction-changing member is actuated by the actuating cylinder depending on a supply of the operating fluid to the actuating cylinder, caused by operation of the pump, wherein the drive motor has inputs for a supply signal to operate the pump at the supply of the fluid flow along one of two flow directions provided, and wherein the actuating cylinder, the pump, the fluid flow distributor and the drive motor are fixed to each other so as to form an operative unit integrated into a single body, and are translatable together with the actuating cylinder along a rod thereof.

2. A hydraulic steering device for a boat, comprising: a pump coupled to a drive motor to supply an operating fluid alternatively along two flow directions; a hydraulic actuating cylinder that is connected to a delivery and return of the pump; and a fluid flow distributor that switches a connection of the delivery and suction of the pump alternatively to one of two inlets/outlets of the actuating cylinder, the fluid flow distributor communicating with one of two chambers in the actuating cylinder, wherein the actuating cylinder comprises a bar displaceable relative to the cylinder, the bar being mechanically articulated to a direction-changing member, the direction-changing member determining a change of direction by changing orientation relative to an axis of the boat, wherein a change in the orientation of the direction-changing member is actuated by the actuating cylinder depending on a supply of the operating fluid to the hydraulic cylinder, caused by operation of the pump, wherein the drive motor has inputs for a supply signal to operate the pump at the supply of the fluid flow along one of two flow directions provided, and wherein the actuating cylinder, the pump, the fluid flow distributor and the drive motor are fixed to each other so as to form an operative unit integrated into a single body.

3. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 2, wherein ducts that connect the pump, in the flow distributor to the inlets/outlets of the actuating cylinder are made partly integral with a supporting plate integral with the actuating cylinder to which at least the cylinder, the pump, the flow distributor and the drive motor are fixed.

4. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 3, wherein the supporting plate is adapted to be fixed or is fixed to the actuating cylinder, or wherein the supporting plate and the actuating cylinder are made in one piece in a single body.

5. The hydraulic steering device according claim 2, wherein the hydraulic cylinder is double-acting for a hydraulic steering device of an outboard marine engine, the outboard marine engine comprising a terminal fastening to a transom of a boat on which the engine is rotatably mounted around a vertical steering axis, wherein the actuating cylinder is slidingly mounted on a rod coaxial to the cylinder, the rod sealingly protruding from at least one head of the actuating cylinder and bearing a separating piston that divides the actuating cylinder into two chambers of variable volume, each of the two chambers having at least one inlet/outlet for the operating fluid, the inlet/outlet being connected to the delivery and suction of the pump, the rod being connected to a fastening bracket to fasten the actuating cylinder to the outboard marine engine, non-slidingly and so as to enable a relative rotation of the outboard marine engine with respect to the transom along an axis parallel to an axis of the rod.

6. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 2, wherein the hydraulic steering device is part of a steering system for the boat, the device hydraulic steering being provided in combination with: a steering control member that controls a generator for generating a steering control signal from a transducer to convert a displacement of the steering control member into a corresponding electrical signal; a control unit that transforms the steering control signal into a corresponding supply signal of the drive motor; and an electric power source for the supply signal of the drive motor.

7. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit and/or electric power source are provided integral with a structure of the actuating cylinder, and are supported by a supporting frame shared therewith.

8. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 7, wherein the drive pump is provided with an integrated tank for a supply of the operating fluid to the actuating cylinder.

9. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 8, wherein the tank comprises a compensation chamber to compensate fluid pressure, the compensation chamber being sealingly separated from a compartment containing operating fluid by a membrane, the compensation chamber being filled with a compressible fluid.

10. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 9, wherein the compensation chamber is configured as a hollow in a closing and sealing cap of the integrated tank, the membrane being configured as a sealing gasket between the sealing cap and the integrated tank or integrated with the sealing gasket.

11. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 7, wherein the supporting frame is shaped as a fastening plate for fastening to a transom or another fixed part of the boat.

12. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 11, wherein the actuating cylinder is supported on a face of the fastening plate, and wherein the drive motor, the pump, and a distribution valve are supported on a face of the fastening plate opposite the actuating cylinder.

13. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 12, wherein the hydraulic steering device is fixed to an intermediate fastening framework for fastening the drive motor to the boat, the intermediate framework having a first fastening terminal for fastening to the boat and a second fastening terminal for fastening to the drive motor.

14. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 13, wherein the intermediate fastening framework is configured as a cradle or shell to house at least part of units composing the device, the units being one or more of: the drive motor, the pump and/or the distribution valve, the control unit, the electric power source to supply the control unit and the drive motor, at least some hydraulic ducts, or at least some electric connecting cables.

15. The hydraulic steering device according to claim 14, wherein, in combination with the control unit, the intermediate fastening framework or the actuating cylinder further support one or more of: a logic control unit of propulsion and/or side engines of the boat, or a logic control of an additional piloting member, a control unit of an inertial platform combined with the actuating cylinder, or a part of the steering system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] The features described above and further features and the relative advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description of some embodiments illustrated in the attached drawings wherein:

[0060] FIG. 1 shows in a perspective view a steering system of an outboard motor according to the state of the art, being in said figure shown only a piece of the transom to which the motor is attached.

[0061] FIGS. 2 and 3 show an embodiment of the steering device according to the present invention in a perspective view and in a partially sectional view respectively.

[0062] FIG. 4 shows a side elevation view of the device according to FIGS. 2 and 3 on the side opposite to that facing the engine.

[0063] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the device according to the previous figures according to a section plane indicated with A-A in FIG. 4.

[0064] FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5, but according to a section plane indicated with E-E in FIG. 4.

[0065] FIGS. 7 and 8 are sectional views of the device according to the previous figures respectively according to a plane B-B and a plane D-D of FIG. 4.

[0066] FIG. 9 shows a sectional view of the device according to the previous figures along a section plane indicated with F-F in FIG. 6.

[0067] FIG. 10 shows a section view of the device according to the previous figures according to a section plane H-H of FIG. 9.

[0068] FIGS. 11 and 12 show a section view of the device according to the previous figures respectively according to a section plane J-J and according to a section plane K-K of FIG. 6.

[0069] FIG. 13 schematically shows an executive example of a steering system using a steering device according to the present invention.

[0070] FIGS. 14 and 15 show enlarged sections of the pump, distributor and tank assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0071] FIG. 1 schematically shows a steering system for a boat 7 equipped with an outboard motor 6 according to the state of the art and in particular according to documents WO2007/085515 or EP3372487. A directional control member, such as a handwheel 102, is keyed onto the shaft of a pump 2. The pump is reversible in the sense that it can operate in both directions of rotation, the delivery and intake of the pump are connected alternately according to the direction rotation, respectively to one of the two inlets/outlets of a double-acting actuator cylinder indicated as a whole by 4. The switching or exchange of connection of the delivery and intake of the pump between the two inlets/outlets of cylinder 4 according to the direction of rotation takes place by means of a switching unit 11 which has two inlet/outlet ports, each of which is connected to the corresponding inlet/outlet of the actuator cylinder 4 by means of pipes 9, 10. The pump and the switching unit 2, 11 can be for example of the type described in documents EP1382845 and EP2857680.

[0072] The double-acting cylinder comprises a rod 8 attached to motor 6 thanks to a rod which in turn is attached with its ends to those of rod 104 via brackets. Rod 104 therefore remains stationary, while depending on the direction of rotation of steering wheel 102, one of the two chambers of the double-acting cylinder is filled with pressurized fluid, causing it to slide in one direction or the other along the rod 104. A system of levers 5 connects the cylinder to an engine steering arm 6. Engine 6 is attached by means of a clamp or other removable fastening members to the transom of the boat which in FIG. 1 is symbolically represented by the part of the wall 7.

[0073] As known in the state of the art, engine 6 is supported on the attaching clamp in a rotatable way around a substantially vertical axis, hereinafter referred to as the steering axis and thanks to which propeller 108 is oriented relative to the transom and/or to the fore-aft longitudinal axis of the boat, causing its directional variation.

[0074] The propeller is supported rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation, at the end of foot 208 of the motor and driven by the same through a transmission.

[0075] Engine 6 can generally be further pivoted about a horizontal axis and perpendicular to the steering axis and the longitudinal axis of the boat, this pivoting being called engine tilt and in the present example occurring about an axis substantially parallel to the rod for fixing cylinder 4 to engine 6.

[0076] Generally, engine 6 is mounted on the transom of the boat, while steering wheel assembly 102, pump 2 and distributor 11 are in a central position of the boat so that pipes 9 and 10 have a considerable length which also depends on the length of the boat.

[0077] The remaining figures show an embodiment of the present invention, wherein cylinder 4, with rod 104, end arms 204, mechanism 5 for coupling the cylinder to the steering arm of engine 6 (not shown in detail), pump 2 with the switching unit 11 and distributor/manifold 22, and motor 20 are mounted together on a single frame 21 which is intended to be attached to transom 7 of the boat.

[0078] In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, said frame comprises a plate to which the cylinder is attached on one side and pump 2 on the other, with switching unit 11, distributor/manifold 22 connecting the inlets/outlets of the distributor to the inlets/outlets of cylinder 4 and motor 20.

[0079] As shown in the figures, plate 21 is made of one piece with cylinder 4 and slides together with the same along rod 104. During the sliding movement, the following are also moved together with cylinder 4: motor 20, pump 2 with intake valves 122 integrated and constituting the switching unit 11 and the distributor/manifold 22 which has supply channels 322 partly made in the distributor/manifold 22 and partly in the plate 21 and in the thickness of the wall of the cylinder 4, as shown by several sectional views of FIGS. 5 to 12.

[0080] FIG. 13 shows a steering system for boats or the like comprising a steering device according to the present invention and in particular according to the illustrated embodiment. Steering wheel 102 is connected to a transducer of the rotation of a shaft controlled by said steering wheel in an electrical signal. There are several possibilities that provide for electromechanical, magnetic and/or optical transducers and which are generically indicated by block 30.

[0081] The electrical or optical signal generated by transducer 30 can be of the analog or digital type and in the same various physical parameters that describe the rotational motion of the shaft, such as rotation angle and/or number of revolutions, speed of rotation and/or acceleration/deceleration, as well as direction of rotation can be coded.

[0082] The electrical or optical signal is supplied to a control unit 31 configured to generate, according to the parameters encoded in said signal, a power supply signal for motor 20 which is supplied by a power output of control unit 31. The power signal, the control unit and other operating units such as transducer 30 and a possible input/output interface 33 are powered by a source of electrical energy indicated with 32.

[0083] Different system configurations are possible with regards to the arrangement of control unit 31, power source 32 and input/output interface 33.

[0084] An embodiment can provide that at least one of said units or part or all of the said units are also integrated in a single group with the cylinder, the pump, the motor and the distributor/manifold, while the steering wheel with transducer 30 are arranged in a position remote from engine 6 in which the boat steering station is provided.

[0085] An execution variant provides that the control unit, input/output interface 33 and energy source 32 or at least part of these units are arranged in the vicinity of the steering wheel and transducer 30 in the area of the control station.

[0086] According to yet another embodiment which can be provided in any combination or sub-combination with one or more of the previous embodiments and variants, the device according to the present invention can be provided in combination with an intermediate frame for attaching outboard motor 6 to the boat, which intermediate frame has an end for attaching to the boat and an end for attaching to outboard motor 6, while at least a part of said frame is like a case housing at least pump 2 inside it, with switch unit 11, distributor/manifold 22 and motor 20 as well as possibly control unit 31 and/or source of electrical energy 32.

[0087] Finally, it should be noted that the control unit can comprise a generic hardware comprising a processor with the peripherals necessary for the execution of a control program, the instructions for configuring the generic hardware being encoded in said control program to perform the functions provided for the said control unit.

[0088] According to yet another execution variant, the boat can be equipped with two or more engines, each engine or part of said engines being provided with a steering device according to the present invention and which steering devices are controlled by a common directional control member as known in the state of the art.

[0089] With reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, they show an execution example of integrated pump 2, distributor 22, tank 26 and motor 20 unit (not shown). In this embodiment, tank 26 has a pressure compensation chamber 27 which is separated from the remaining part of the tank by means of a membrane 28.

[0090] Compensation chamber 27 is filled with air or other fluid, in particular other gas.

[0091] According to an advantageous embodiment from the construction point of view, chamber 27 is formed in a cap 29 which closes tank 26 towards the outside and membrane 28 is integrated or constitutes the gasket between said cap 29 and tank 26.

[0092] This membrane 28 separates tank 26 full of oil from a closed compartment full of air 27, the deformability of membrane 28 allows the internal pressure of the hydraulic tank 26 to be kept constant by absorbing volume changes caused by thermal variations.