Protector for seals of hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system for lifting a watercraft engine

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protector for seals of hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system for lifting a watercraft engine. The protector consists of: a main part made of rubbery plastic material; an intermediate sealing gasket for sealing the hydraulic piston, housed in the circular recess of the main part; a set of anti-corrosion sacrificial anodes housed in the cavities provided in the outer surface of the main part; a set of plastic studs housed in the pre-existing holes in the cover of the hydraulic piston, said studs passing through the main part; and a set of stainless steel screws to be inserted from outside the main part into the holes provided for this purpose, in order to secure the aforementioned elements in their assembled position on the cover of said hydraulic piston and its rod, previously closed, each screw being ultimately housed in a stud.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] Seal protector for hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system of a boat's engine.

[0003] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The following invention, as expressed in the statement of this specification, refers to an accessory for use as a protector for the seals of the hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system of a boat's engine, in order to prevent the escape of hydraulic oil through the piston, also protecting the piston rods themselves from marine corrosion and extending the useful life of the hydraulic system.

[0005] The field of application of the present invention is within the naval industry, as a protection accessory for mounting on the engine lifting system of any type of vessel that uses a conventional outboard motor.

[0006] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is known to experts in the field that, like most boats equipped with outboard motors, they have an electro-hydraulic system for lifting and tilting the engine so that it does not hit the seabed in shallow areas or remain submerged in sea or continental waters when the boat is not in use.

[0008] Specifically, these pistons are located in the stern or rear of vessels, fully or partially submerged below the waterline. Therefore, the weather and the marine environment, rich in algae and marine life, cause the seals of these pistons to deteriorate, causing hydraulic oil losses. Even the piston rods themselves are also affected by electrolysis, which also ends up causing corrosion and the subsequent loss of hydraulic oil, causing costly breakdowns in both cases. To identify the problem to be addressed, such seal failures are common as a result of the lifting system being submerged or semi-submerged for long periods in port areas.Thus, once the seal has been damaged and needs to be repaired, a procedure begins in which the boat must be taken to a workshop, the entire piston disassembled, the seals replaced, and only then can it be put back into the water, assuming a complex, expensive, and long-term repair that is unavailable for use.

[0009] Considering the inventions present in the state of the art that address the described problem, identified by publication number and title, respectively, the following documents are identified:

[0010] 1. ES0235018A1, “Improvements in the construction of hydraulic openers for tilting hatch covers”, composed of a traction member, movably housed between the hatch cover and a support fixedly arranged above the plane of the hatch cover at its hinge end, characterized in that the traction member is composed of two overlapping parts in the form of a flap, and by the reciprocal sliding of these parts it is variable in its length, as well as an expansively acting hydraulic piston motor, which is mounted between the mutually overlapping ends of the parts of the traction member, to shorten the traction member by its expansion movement.

[0011] 2. AR106932A1, “Alternative hydraulic system” which proposes a reciprocating hydraulic system characterized in that it comprises: a) Pistons or buoyant bodies, exchanging their internal contents between water, air or gas. b) Two or more interconnected pistons offset from each other. c) A pneumatic system that introduces air to the pistons, when they are in their upward or downward stroke. d) Chains, cables, pulleys and sprockets. e) Guide ducts for the pistons. f) A connecting element formed by curved ducts that communicate and join the internal cavities of the ducts. g) Shafts with pulleys or sprockets. h) Lubrication boxes, reducers, speed multipliers or for movement conversion.

[0012] In conclusion to the review of the state of the art, none of the documents found provide a solution that addresses the problem described.

[0013] However, the "Protector for seals of hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system of a boat's engine" offers the following advantages over the state of the art in this field:

[0014] ■ Protects and prevents deterioration of seals by isolating them from the elements and marine fauna and flora, as well as the stems from electrolysis and marine corrosion.

[0015] ■ Even if the seal is already damaged, it prevents hydraulic fluid leakage.

[0016] ■ Extends the life of the boat's hydraulic system.

[0017] ■ Avoid costly breakdowns that cause seal deterioration.

[0018] ■ It is adapted to the different models of hydraulic systems on the market.

[0019] ■ Simple manufacturing at low cost.

[0020] ■ It is quick and easy to install in just a few minutes, without the need to go to the workshop, or use skilled labor or specialized tools.

[0021] ■ Avoids the environmental impact associated with pollution from hydraulic oil spills.

[0022] EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] By way of explanation of the invention, the “Protector for seals of hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system of a boat's engine” is based on a piece of rubbery plastic material with elastic capacity according to the Shore A hardness scale between 80 and 85, of a size adapted to the cover of the hydraulic piston of the engine lifting system that it is to protect, and a configuration that is complemented with the following additional elements described from the contact with the cover of the hydraulic piston towards the outside:

[0024] A. Set of plastic plugs designed to be previously housed in the holes in the hydraulic piston cover itself, from where it is usually opened.

[0025] B. Intermediate sealing gasket for the hydraulic piston, to be housed on the inner surface of the protector according to a circular groove for this purpose.

[0026] C. Set of anti-corrosion sacrificial anodes to be housed in the holes provided on the outer surface of the protector for this purpose.

[0027] D. Set of stainless steel screws in the same quantity as the previous plugs and sacrificial anodes, designed to be introduced from the outside of the protector into the holes provided for this purpose, to fix the previous elements in their mounting position on the cover of the aforementioned previously closed hydraulic piston.

[0028] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] To complement the description being made and in order to help better understand the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred example of practical implementation thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description, in which the following has been represented for illustrative and non-limiting purposes:

[0030] Figure 1 - General perspective view of the electro-hydraulic lifting system as a whole with the “Protector for seals of the hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system of a boat's engine” once assembled.

[0031] Figure 2.- Exploded main perspective view of the “Protector for seals of hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system of a boat's engine” on the cover of the hydraulic piston and around its rod.

[0032] Figure 3.- Main perspective view of the "Hydraulic piston seal guard used in a boat's engine lifting system" once mounted on the hydraulic piston cover and around its stem. The following components can be highlighted in the figures:

[0033] 1. Previously existing hydraulic piston cover.

[0034] 2. Pre-existing hydraulic piston rod.

[0035] 3. Main piece made of rubbery plastic material.

[0036] 4. Set of plastic material plugs.

[0037] 5. Intermediate sealing gasket for sealing the hydraulic piston.

[0038] 6. Anti-corrosion sacrificial anodes.

[0039] 7. Stainless steel screws.

[0040] EXAMPLE OF PREFERRED IMPLEMENTATION

[0041] As an example of a preferred embodiment, the “Protector for seals of hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system of a boat's engine” can be carried out as shown in Figures 1-3, for assembly on an outboard motor of a boat moored to a buoy or in a port berth, guaranteeing the protection of the seals of its hydraulic pistons despite being submerged under water and / or in a saline atmosphere.

[0042] To this end, the boat user without specific mechanical knowledge could acquire the protector object of the invention in a size adapted to the cover of the previously existing hydraulic piston (1) on his boat, according to the corresponding main piece in rubbery plastic material (3), with the corresponding accessories, to take them to the boat and undertake the assembly in a few minutes on the cover of the previously existing piston (1) once closed and around its rod (2), according to the following sequence:

[0043] 1. Manual introduction of the four plastic plugs (4) into four of the holes in the hydraulic piston cover (1) from where it is usually opened.

[0044] 2. Manual placement of the intermediate sealing gasket of the hydraulic piston (5), in the circular groove located on the inner surface of the main piece made of rubbery plastic material (3). 3. Manual placement of the assembly consisting of the main piece made of rubbery plastic material (3) with the intermediate sealing gasket of the hydraulic piston (5), on the hydraulic piston cover (1), matching its four holes with the four previous plastic plugs (4).

[0045] 4. Placement of four anti-corrosion sacrificial anodes (6) in the four holes provided on the outer surface of the protector or main piece in rubbery plastic material (3)

[0046] 5. Manual placement and tightening with the help of a hand tool of the four stainless steel screws (7) in the holes for this purpose, to fix the above elements in their mounting position on the cover of the aforementioned hydraulic piston (1).

[0047] In an alternative embodiment, the assembly could be designed without an anti-corrosion sacrificial anode, simplifying its production and assembly at the cost of less protection of the stainless steel screws (6) from corrosion.

Claims

MODIFIED CLAIMS received by the International Bureau on July 16, 2025 (16.07.2025) 1.- Protector for the seals of the hydraulic pistons used in the lifting system of a boat's engine, characterized by comprising the following elements: 5 A main piece of slightly flexible plastic material capable of returning to its initial shape when deformed, the same size as the hydraulic piston cover (1) where it is coupled, previously existing, of the engine lifting system it is to protect, and elastic capacity according to the Shore A hardness scale. 10 between 80 and 85. This piece will have a circular groove on its inner surface, as well as some holes provided on the outer surface. An intermediate sealing gasket for the hydraulic piston (5), which will be housed in the circular groove of the main part. 15 A set of anti-corrosion sacrificial anodes (6), which will be housed in the holes provided on the outer surface of the main part. A set of plastic plugs (4), which will be housed in the holes 20 previously existing in the hydraulic piston cover (1) itself, and whose dimensions will be adapted to those of said holes. The set of plugs will pass through the main part, so that each plug passes through one of the sacrificial anodes housed in said main part. 25 A set of stainless steel screws (7) in the same quantity as the plugs (4) and previous sacrificial anodes (6), designed to be introduced from the outside of the main part (3) into the holes provided for this purpose, for fixing the previous elements in their mounting position on the cover of the aforementioned hydraulic piston (1) and its rod, (2) previously closed, with each screw finally being 30 housed in a taco. [0001]DECLARATION ACCORDING TO ARTICLE 19 (1 ) [0002]The new claim 1 meets the requirements of novelty, inventive step and industrial application. [0003]None of the documents retrieved in the International Search Report anticipate all the features of new claim 1. [0004]None of said documents, alone or in combination with others, allows one to arrive at the invention defined by the new claim 1. [0005]Furthermore, in the documents retrieved there are no suggestions that direct the person skilled in the art towards said invention.

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