OUTBOARD MOTOR THAT CAN BE COUPLED TO A WATERCRAFT

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an outboard motor that can be coupled to a boat.

[0002] It relates in particular to an outboard motor comprising an elongated hollow body open at one of its ends, called the upper end, a propeller positioned on said body at the level of the so-called lower end of the body opposite the upper end, a propeller rotation drive system integrated into said body and a steering bar equipped at its free end with a throttle handle.

[0003] It should be noted that an outboard motor is defined as a motor that can be detached from the boat. Such a motor is well known to those skilled in this field.

[0004] US document 6,213,821 describes in particular an outboard motor that can be coupled to a boat, the motor being designed with a bar pivoting around a horizontal axis.

[0005] Due to its design, such an engine is frequently mounted on a boat or, conversely, removed. These mounting and dismounting operations are generally tedious and made very difficult by the weight and size of the latest outboard motors. Outboard motor designers are therefore looking for solutions to make transporting and handling outboard motors easier, even when the outboards are powerful and known to be heavy.

[0006] One aim of the invention is to provide an outboard motor whose design allows for easy carrying and transport without compromising the ability to have a powerful outboard motor.

[0007] To this end, the invention relates to an outboard motor that can be coupled to a boat, said outboard motor comprising an elongated hollow body open at one of its ends called upper, a propeller positioned on said body at the level of the lower end of the body opposite the upper end, a propeller rotation drive system integrated into said body, a steering bar equipped at its free end with a throttle handle,characterized in that the steering bar is mounted to slide within a guide track formed inside the body and extending longitudinally from the upper end of said body towards the lower end of said body for a movement of the steering bar between a configuration at least partially retracted into the body of the outboard motor and a deployed configuration in which the steering bar protrudes at least partially from said body and in that, in the deployed configuration,The steering bar is mounted to pivot about a transverse axis to a longitudinal axis of the guide track (9), allowing the steering bar to move between a raised position, in which it extends along the axial line of the guide track, and a lowered position, in which it forms an angle of between 60 and 120° with the longitudinal axis of the guide track. The ability to retract the steering bar into the body allows the engine body to be grasped at arm's length without being hindered by the bar, making it easier to carry and handle the outboard motor during boat assembly and disassembly. This design also allows for the use of a removable battery, which further facilitates carrying the outboard motor when the battery is removed.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the invention, the outboard motor comprises a slide to which the steering bar is pivotally coupled, this slide being mounted to slide freely within the guide track. This design allows for easy construction of said outboard motor.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, the body includes at least one end stop for the sliding movement of the active steering bar in its deployed position, preventing the bar from sliding along the guide rail beyond a predetermined position. This prevents any risk of the steering bar detaching from the outboard motor body.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the end stop includes a housing provided in the body, this housing being suitable for housing a push button carried by the slider, this push button being inserted in the deployed configuration of the steering bar into the housing of the body.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the steering bar is electrically connected by a wired link to the propeller rotation drive system.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the wire connection is formed by a spiral cord. The spiral cord construction allows for automatic stretching and retraction of the cord due to its elasticity.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the propeller drive system comprises an electric motor and a battery for powering the electric motor, said battery being removable from said body. This arrangement allows, as already mentioned above, for a lighter outboard motor to facilitate its carrying and handling.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the outboard motor comprises, for the attachment of the outboard motor to a boat, at least one arm, and in that the body externally comprises a longitudinal slide inside which one end of the arm is able to be inserted in an adjustable manner in position, said slide extending below and preferably vertically below the steering bar in the lowered position of the steering bar and in the upright position of the body with the upper end of the body extending above the lower end.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the arm is, at its end opposite to that which is insertable into the slide, coupleable via a link interface to a support which is itself coupleable to the craft, said link interface interposable between the arm and the support being coupleable to the arm by pivoting means by a link said to be pivoting comprising at least one pivot axis for a displacement of the arm between two extreme pivoting positions, in that the link interface is coupleable to the support by a link said to be rotating comprising at least one rotation axis to allow, in the coupled state of the link interface to the arm and the support, a displacement of the arm and the link interface around the rotation axis over an angular range of at least 160°, preferably at least 180°, and in that the rotation axis and the pivot axis are orthogonal to each other.Again, this design of the outboard motor mounting device to the boat helps with the handling of the outboard motor in particular by allowing an operator to mount and remove the outboard motor from the boat.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the invention, the guide path is delimited by rails arranged inside said body. Brève description des dessins

[0017] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings in which: [ Fig. 1 ] represents a perspective view of a boat equipped with an outboard motor according to the invention in a retracted steering tiller configuration; [ Fig. 2 ] represents a partially cross-sectional and transparent view of an outboard motor in a retracted steering tiller configuration; [ Fig. 3 ] represents a partially cross-sectional view of an outboard motor in its deployed configuration and with the tiller raised; Fig. 4 ] represents a partially cross-sectional view of an outboard motor in its deployed configuration and with the tiller lowered; Fig. 5 ] represents a partial perspective view of a boat equipped with an outboard motor according to the invention in a retracted configuration of the steering bar in the position of the outboard motor coupled to the boat; Fig. 6 ] represents a partial perspective view of a boat equipped with an outboard motor according to the invention in a retracted configuration of the steering bar in the position outside the boat of the motor coupled to the boat.

[0018] As mentioned above, the invention relates to an outboard motor 1 that can be coupled to a boat. The boat 20 can be any boat capable of operating with an outboard motor 1. In the example shown, the boat 20 is a semi-rigid inflatable boat. This boat 20 can be fully rigid or flexible without departing from the scope of the invention. The outboard motor 1 is generally fixed to the transom of the boat 20, as illustrated in the figures. It should be noted that the outboard motor 1 is understood to be a motor that can be detached from the boat 20.

[0019] As illustrated in figures 2 And 3The outboard motor 1 comprises an elongated hollow body 2 open at one of its ends, called the upper end 3. This body 2 is generally made of metal. This body 2 has a lower end 4 opposite the upper end 3, at which point the propeller 5 of the outboard motor 1, used to propel the boat 20, is located on an external surface of the body 2. The outboard motor 1 further comprises a system 6 for driving the rotation of the propeller 5, integrated into the body 2.

[0020] In the examples shown, the propeller 5 drive system 6 comprises an electric motor 61 and a battery 62 for powering the electric motor 61. The battery 62 is removable from the body 2. This battery can be extracted from the body 2 from its upper end. The outboard motor 1 also includes a steering bar 7 equipped at its free end with a throttle handle 8, usually rotary. The acceleration data resulting from the rotation of the throttle handle is conventionally supplied to the propeller drive system 6, and in particular to the control unit of the electric motor 61, to act on the rotational speed of the electric motor 61, via a wired connection 13 that electrically connects the steering bar 7, and in particular the throttle handle of the steering bar 7, to the control unit of the electric motor 61.

[0021] In the examples shown in figures 2 And 3 , the wired connection 13 is formed by a spiral cord.

[0022] Characteristically, the body 2 internally has a longitudinal guide track 9 within which the steering bar 7 is mounted to slide freely. This guide track 9 is preferably delimited by two parallel rails facing each other. This guide track 9 extends longitudinally, that is, along a so-called longitudinal axis of the guide track 9, from the upper end 3 of the body 2 towards the lower end 4 of the body 2 for a displacement of the steering bar 7 between a configuration at least partially retracted into the body 2 of the outboard motor 1, as illustrated in the figure 1 , and a deployed configuration in which the steering bar 7 protrudes at least partially from the body 2, as illustrated in the figure 3 In its deployed configuration, the steering bar 7 is mounted to pivot about an axis 10 transverse to the longitudinal axis of the guide rail 9, or, in other words, about an axis 10 transverse to the sliding direction of the steering bar 7. This allows the steering bar 7 to move between a raised position, in which it extends along the axial line of the guide rail 9, and a lowered position, in which it forms an angle α between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis of the guide rail 9. This lowered position is the typical position for such a steering bar on a state-of-the-art outboard motor. In the lowered position, part of the steering bar 7 fits into a notch made at the upper end of the body 2 on the part of the body 2 used to delimit the opening of the open upper end.This notch 21 forms a cradle inside which part of the steering bar 7 rests to relieve the joint.

[0023] It is understood that the retractable configuration allows for easy carrying of the outboard motor 1.

[0024] To allow such sliding movement of the steering bar 7, the outboard motor 1 includes a slide 11 to which the steering bar 7 is pivotally coupled. This slide 11 is mounted to slide freely within the guide rail 9. This slide 1 may be in the form of a simple block of material sliding along the rails constituting the guide rail 9. This block may be equipped with a pivot pin that contributes to the pivoting connection of the steering bar to the block. The steering bar is thus pivotally coupled to said block at its end opposite to the end equipped with the rotary throttle handle.

[0025] To complete the assembly, the body 2 includes at least one end stop 12 for the sliding movement of the active steering bar 7 in the deployed configuration of the bar to prevent a sliding movement of the bar in the guide path, in the direction of an exit from the guide path, beyond a predetermined position.

[0026] In the examples shown, the end stop 12 includes a housing 121 provided in the body 2. This housing 121 is suitable for housing a push button 122 carried by the slide 11. This push button 122 is inserted in the deployed configuration of the steering bar 7 into the housing 121 of the body 2.

[0027] Finally, and quite obviously, it is necessary to be able to attach the outboard motor 1 to the boat. For this purpose, the outboard motor includes, for attaching the outboard motor 1 to a boat 20, at least one arm 14. The body 2 of the outboard motor 1 includes externally a longitudinal slide 15 into which one end of the arm 14 is able to be inserted in an adjustable position. This slide 15 extends below and, preferably, vertically above the steering bar 7 in the lowered position of the steering bar 7 and in the upright position of the body 2, with the upper end 3 of the body 2 extending above the lower end 4.

[0028] The arm 14 is, at its end opposite to that which is insertable into the slide 15, coupleable via a link interface 16 to a support 17 itself coupleable to the boat 20. This link interface 16, interposable between the arm 14 and the support 17, is coupleable by pivoting to the arm 14 by a so-called pivoting link 18 comprising at least one pivot axis for a movement of the arm 14 between two extreme pivoting positions suitable for allowing a raising and lowering of the outboard motor. The connecting interface 16 is rotationally coupleable to the support 17 by a so-called rotational link 19 comprising at least one axis of rotation to allow, in the coupled state of the connecting interface 16 to the arm 14 and the support 17, a displacement of the arm 14 and the connecting interface 16 around the axis of rotation over an angular range of at least 160°, preferably at least 180°. The axis of rotation and the axis of pivoting are orthogonal to each other.

[0029] In the examples shown, the support 17 is a generally parallelepiped-shaped block with one face of the block having a hole for connecting the support 17 to the interface 16. The block forming the support 17 has a face that can be positioned to be surface-mounted on the rear deck of the boat.

[0030] The surface mounting can be achieved by screwing or other means.

[0031] When the rear apron is inclined relative to a vertical plane, the application face of the support on the rear apron takes up this inclination to, ideally, allow a hole in the block used for the connection of the support 17 with the connection interface 16 to present a longitudinal axis extending vertically in the fixed state of the support to the boat.

[0032] The connecting interface 16 is rotationally coupled to the support 17 by a rotational link 19 comprising at least one axis of rotation. This axis of rotation is materialized by a shaft. One end of this shaft is inserted into the bore of the support 17, while the other end of the shaft is rotationally coupled to the connecting interface 16.

[0033] This interface 16 of connection is presented here in the form of a circular plate with two opposite faces which form one, called the first face, the top face of the plate turned towards the sky in the coupled state of the interface of connection to the support 17 and coupled from the support to the vessel, the other, called the second face, the bottom face of the plate turned towards the ground in the coupled state of the interface of connection to the support 17 and coupled from the support 17 to the vessel.

[0034] The shaft materializing the axis of rotation of the rotational link 19 between the support 17 and the linking interface 16 extends in projection from the second face of the plate perpendicularly to this second face from the center of this second face.

[0035] Thanks to this rotational link 19 between the support 17 and the linking interface 16, the linking interface 16, in particular the plate of the linking interface, can rotate around the axis of rotation of said rotational link 19 in the stationary state of the support 17 and in particular in the fixed state of the support 17 to the vessel.

[0036] The arm 14, at one of its ends, is fixed in a slide 15 located outside the body of the outboard motor and extending along the longitudinal axis of the body 2.

[0037] The arm 14 can thus slide in the guide until it is locked in the desired position relative to the propeller. Note that this arm is positioned on the outboard motor body, on a surface of the outboard motor body opposite to the one carrying the propeller.

[0038] This arm 14 extends below the steering bar 7 and along a line directly substantially parallel to said bar in the lowered position of the steering bar 7.

[0039] This arm 14 is, at its opposite end, coupled to the linking interface 16 by a pivoting link 18 comprising at least one pivot axis for a movement of the arm 14 between two extreme pivoting positions suitable for raising and lowering the outboard motor 1.

[0040] This pivot axis extends parallel to one of the faces of the plate constituting the interface 16 of the link. In particular, the pivot axis of the pivoting link 18 between the arm 14 and the interface 16 of the link is materialized by a shaft coaxial with said pivot axis.

[0041] This shaft, coaxial with the pivot axis, is supported by the first face of the plate. The rotation axis and the pivot axis are orthogonal to each other. Thanks to the design of the connecting interface 16 and its pivot connection 18 to the arm 14 and its rotation connection 19 to the support 17, in the coupled state of the connecting interface 16 to the arm 14 and the support 17, the arm 14 and the connecting interface 16 are able to move around the rotation axis over an angular range of at least 160°, preferably at least 180°.If we assume that the arm 14 and the support 17 are respectively pre-fixed to the outboard motor 1 and the boat 20, it is possible to implement a method of fixing the outboard motor to a boat 20 by carrying out the following steps, namely a step of positioning the outboard motor 20 in the boat, a step of fixing the interface 16 for connecting to the support 17, a step of fixing the interface 16 for connecting to the arm 14 and a step of pivoting the arm 14 to raise the motor away from the bottom of the boat and obtain a configuration as illustrated in the figure. figure 5 , a rotation drive step of the linkage interface and associated arm for moving the outboard motor 1 from a position in which it is located inside the boat 20 to a position in which it is located outside the boat 20 as illustrated in the figure 6 , before again pivoting the arm in a downward direction to position the motor in a navigation configuration as illustrated in the figure 1 .

[0042] It should be noted that the step of attaching the connecting interface to the bracket can be performed before or after the step of positioning the outboard motor 1 in the boat. Generally, once the connecting interface has been attached to the bracket for the first time, this attachment remains permanent.

[0043] The various operations described above prevent operator fatigue during the coupling of the outboard motor 1 to the boat, a coupling that can be performed from the boat. The operator may need to mount or dismount the motor from the boat 20. Dismounting is performed similarly, meaning the outboard motor 1 is raised by pivoting the arm upwards in the direction of the connecting interface. During this maneuver, the operator can grasp a handle installed on the body of the outboard motor 1 to assist in pivoting the motor and the arm.The arm and link interface are then rotated to bring the motor inside the boat before the arm is pivoted in a downward direction to place the motor on the bottom of the boat and then the arm is uncoupled from the link interface.

[0044] To facilitate such operations, the pivoting joint 18 between the arm 14 and the connecting interface 16 comprises a first part carried by the arm 14, and a second part carried by the connecting interface 16. The first and second parts are configured to be coupled to each other by automatic tool-free coupling, by simply bringing said parts closer together and moving them relative to each other.

[0045] The outboard motor 1, as described above, can therefore be used as follows. It is assumed that the outboard motor 1 is not installed on the boat 20. The procedure described below is then used to couple the arm 14, pre-installed on the body of the outboard motor 1, and the support 17, pre-installed on the boat, to the connecting interface 16. Once the outboard motor 1 is coupled, the steering bar 7, which is in the position shown in the figure 1 , is brought into its deployed configuration by sliding movement in the guide path 9 and then into the lowered position. For the control in the direction of the boat 20, the operator acts conventionally on the steering bar by pulling or pushing to generate a movement of the arm, the body of the associated outboard motor 1 and the link interface around the axis of the rotation link 19 of the interface 16 linking to the support 17 according to the desired direction for said boat.

Claims

1. Outboard motor (1) capable of being coupled to a watercraft (20), wherein said outboard motor (1) comprises an elongate hollow body (2) that is open at one of its ends, called the upper end (3), a propeller (5) positioned on said body (2) at the so-called lower end (4) of the body (2), opposite the upper end (3), a system (6) for rotating the propeller (5) integrated into said body (2) and a steering bar (7) provided at its free end with an acceleration lever (8), the steering bar (7) being slidably mounted inside a longitudinal guideway (9) provided inside the body (2) and extending longitudinally from the upper end (3) of said body (2) towards the lower end (4) of said body (2) for moving the steering bar (7) between an at least partially retracted configuration within the body (2) of the outboard motor (1) and a deployed configuration in which the steering bar (7) at least partially projects from said body (2), and in the deployed configuration, the steering bar (7) is mounted so as to pivot about a shaft (10) transverse to a longitudinal axis of the guideway (9) in order to move the steering bar (7) between a so-called raised position in which it extends in the axial extension of the guideway (9) and a so-called lowered position in which it forms an angle (α) of between 60° and 120° with the longitudinal axis of the guideway (9).

2. Outboard motor (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the outboard motor (1) comprises a slide (11) to which the steering bar (7) is pivotally coupled, wherein this slide (11) is slidably mounted in the guideway (9).

3. Outboard motor (1) according to one of claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the body (2) comprises at least one sliding movement end stop (12) for the steering bar (7) that is active in the deployed configuration of the bar to prevent a sliding movement of the bar in the guideway (9), in the sense of an exit from the guideway (9) beyond a predetermined position.

4. Outboard motor (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the end stop (12) comprises an accommodation (121) provided in the body (2), this accommodation (121) being able to accommodate a pushbutton (122) carried by the slide (11), wherein, in the deployed configuration of the steering bar (7), this pushbutton (122) is inserted in the accommodation (121) of the body (2).

5. Outboard motor (1) according to any one of claim 1 through claim 4, characterized in that the steering bar (7) is electrically connected by a wire connection (13) to the system for rotating the propeller (5).

6. Outboard motor (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the wire connection (13) is formed by a spiral-shaped cord.

7. Outboard motor (1) according to any one of claim 1 through claim 6, characterized in that the system (6) for rotating the propeller (5) comprises an electric motor (61) and a battery (62) for supplying electricity to the electric motor (61), wherein said battery (62) is a battery that can be extracted from said body (2).

8. Outboard motor (1) according to any one of claim 1 through claim 7, characterized in that it comprises, for the attachment of the outboard motor (1) to a watercraft (20), at least one arm (14), and in that the body (2) externally comprises a longitudinal slideway (15) on the inside of which one end of the arm (14) is able to be inserted in a positionally adjustable manner, wherein said slideway (15) extends below and preferably at the height of the steering bar (7) in the lowered position of the steering bar (7) and in the erected state of the body (2) with the upper end (3) of the body (2) extending above the lower end (4).

9. Outboard motor (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the arm (14) is, at its end opposite to the end that is insertable into the slideway (15), capable of being coupled by means of a connection interface (16) to a support (17) which itself is capable of being coupled to the watercraft (20), wherein said connection interface (16) that is capable of being inserted between the arm (14) and the support (17) is capable of being coupled in a pivoting manner to the arm (14) by means of a so-called pivot connection (18) comprising at least one pivot axis for a movement of the arm (14) between two end pivot positions, in that the connection interface (16) is capable of being rotatably coupled to the support (17) by means of a so-called rotational connection (19) comprising at least one axis of rotation to allow, in the coupled state of the connection interface (16) to the arm (14) and to the support (17), a movement of the arm (14) and of the connection interface (16) about the axis of rotation over an angular range at least equal to 160°, preferably at least equal to 180°, and in that the axis of rotation and the pivot axis are orthogonal to each other.

10. Outboard motor (1) according to any one of claim 1 through claim 9, characterized in that the guideway (9) is delimited by rails arranged inside said body (2).