Transom Bracket Water Pickup for Cooling in Tilted Drive Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transom brackets for marine drive units are not versatile enough to accommodate various vessel and drive unit configurations, and they often fail to provide efficient cooling and routing of media when the drive unit is tilted or stored in an up-tilted position.
Innovation Solution
A transom bracket with integrated water conduits and adjustable length portions that support the drive unit pivotably, allowing cooling even in up-tilted positions, and features a sealing arrangement that maintains a seal during vertical adjustments without altering the transom cutout.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the drive unit is tilted into an up-tilted storage position, then biofouling is reduced and maintenance is easier, but cooling water intake becomes insufficient or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new spatial dimension for water intake by providing conduits that extend from the upper surface to the lower surface of the transom bracket. This allows water to be drawn from the lower surface even when the drive unit is tilted upward, solving the contradiction between ease of maintenance (up-tilted position) and cooling functionality (water intake requirement).
Solution Approach 2:
The transom bracket is segmented into functionally independent components: drive unit supports, water conduits with upper and lower apertures, and adjustable length portions. This segmentation allows the water intake function to operate independently of the drive unit position, enabling cooling to continue during maintenance operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the transom bracket is designed to accommodate various vessel and drive unit configurations, then versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transom bracket is designed as a universal mounting structure that can accommodate different drive unit configurations and vessel types. The bracket includes adjustable length portions that can be modified to suit various installation requirements, and the water conduits are positioned to function effectively regardless of the specific drive unit arrangement, achieving multi-functionality without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The transom bracket incorporates adjustable and modifiable elements such as adjustable length portions that can be extended or trimmed. This dynamic capability allows the same bracket design to adapt to different vessel and drive unit configurations, providing versatility while maintaining a relatively simple base structure.
3Temperature
If the lower apertures are positioned close to the water for effective cooling, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the bracket must be precisely positioned on the transom center
Solution Approach 1:
The water conduits are strategically positioned with lower apertures on the lower surface of the transom bracket close to the water line, ensuring effective cooling when the vessel is in operation. The upper apertures are positioned on the upper surface for water discharge. This localized optimization of water intake and discharge positions maintains cooling efficiency while the overall bracket design accommodates positioning variations through adjustability.
Data Source
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Figure 4A~4B
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AI summary
A transom bracket (130) for mounting a marine drive unit (110) to the hull (120) of a marine vessel (100), the transom bracket (130) extending in a plane (P) spanned by a first axis (a1) and by a second axis (a2), where a third axis (a3) is normal to the plane (P), and where a center line (440) of the transom bracket (130) extends in the plane (P) and parallel to the first axis (a1), the transom bracket (130) comprising at least one drive unit support (450, 460) for holding the drive unit (110) in position, the transom bracket (130) comprising a first water conduit (410) and a second water conduit (420) integrated in the transom bracket (130), where the first water conduit (410) and the second water conduit (420) extend from respective upper apertures (411, 421) formed in an upper part (401) of the bracket (130) to respective lower apertures (412, 422) formed in a lower part (402) of the bracket (130), where the lower apertures (412, 422) are separated from each other by the center line (440).