Marine power splitting gearbox
AssigneeTwin Disc, Incorporated
InventorsPhilip Rolla, Mark B. Wilson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A power splitting gearbox is provided that allows a single prime mover to distribute power, for example torque, to multiple final drive assemblies, such as surface drives or other final drives. The power splitting gearbox can be provided downstream from a marine transmission and can be mounted directly to a transom of a marine vessel. The gearbox can have a back wall that accepts and supports mounting surfaces of the multiple final drive assemblies such that the gearbox bears the weight of the multiple final drive assemblies. The gearbox has two outputs that rotate in opposing directions so that a pair of final drive assemblies mounted to the gearbox will counter-rotate a pair of propellers for providing a propulsive force that moves the marine vessel.
Claims20
A power splitting gearbox for use with a marine powertrain system of a marine vessel, the power splitting gearbox comprising:
- a gearbox housing fixed with respect to a transom of a marine vessel;
- a gear train mounted within the gearbox housing, the gear train accepting power from a prime mover of a marine powertrain system and splitting the power into multiple power output components that are outputted by the gear train at separate locations thereof;
- multiple surface drive assemblies coupled to the gearbox such that each of the multiple surface drive assemblies accepts at least one of the multiple power output components from the gear train;
- and
- wherein the gear train maintains a constant relative position with respect to the transom of the marine vessel while relative orientations of at least a portion of the multiple surface drive assemblies is adjusted for trim and steering.
A marine power splitting propulsion system, comprising:
- a power splitting gearbox mounted to a transom of a marine vessel and accepting power from a prime mover, the power splitting gearbox dividing the power into multiple power components;
- multiple clutch assemblies operably connected to the power splitting gearbox, each of the multiple clutch assemblies selectively transferring a respective one of the multiple power components therethrough;
- and
- multiple final drive assemblies operably connected to the multiple clutch assemblies.
A marine power splitting propulsion system, comprising:
- a power splitting gearbox inputting power from a prime mover and dividing the power into multiple power components, the power splitting gearbox mounted to a transom of a marine vessel and having a gearbox mounting surface area defined by a surface area of an interface between the transom and the power splitting gearbox;
- multiple final drive assemblies operably connected to the power splitting gearbox, each of the multiple final drive assemblies having a final drive mounting surface area defined by a surface area of an interface between the final drive and at least one of the power splitting gearbox or transom;
- and
- wherein the gearbox mounting surface area is at least two-times larger than the final drive mounting surface area.
A method of propelling a marine vessel, comprising:
- operating a prime mover;
- accepting power created by the prime mover into a gear train housed in a power splitting gearbox;
- splitting the power in the gear train and outputting the power as multiple power components;
- accepting the multiple power components into corresponding multiple clutch assemblies;
- selectively transmitting the multiple power components through the clutch assemblies and to corresponding multiple final drive assemblies operably connected thereto;
- and
- driving a pair of propellers with corresponding ones of the multiple final drive assemblies in opposing rotational directions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.