Rotational jet-drive bow thruster for a marine propulsion system
AssigneeBombardier Motor Corporation of America
InventorsThomas E. Griffith, Sr., Harold L. Wikel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A propulsion system for a watercraft is provided, which may be an integral part of a watercraft or may be retrofitted to a particular watercraft. The propulsion system is fixedly mounted to the hull in a central area, rather than along the perimeter of the watercraft. The propulsion system includes a jet-drive assembly coupled to a jet, an angular drive assembly for rotating the jet, and a control system for controlling the jet-drive assembly and the angular drive assembly.
Claims34
A propulsion system for a watercraft, the watercraft having a hull and a transverse centerline, the system comprising:
- a rotatable body adapted for external mounting on the hull at, or forward of, the transverse centerline of the watercraft;
- a jet coupled to the rotatable body and rotatable therewith;
- a jet-drive assembly coupled to the jet;
- and
- an angular drive assembly coupled to the rotatable body, wherein the angular drive assembly comprises an electric motor configured for orienting the jet to produce a thrust in a desired direction during operation.
A watercraft comprising:
- a rotatable body mounted to a hull of the watercraft at, or forward of, a transverse centerline of the watercraft;
- a recessional mount disposed on the hull at, or forward of, the transverse centerline for mounting the rotatable body;
- a jet coupled to the rotatable body and rotatable therewith;
- a pump assembly coupled to the jet;
- a drive assembly coupled to the pump assembly;
- and
- an angular drive assembly coupled to the rotatable body configured for orienting the jet to produce a thrust in a desired direction during operation.
A technique for watercraft propulsion comprising:
- fixedly mounting a rotatable propulsion assembly to a hull of a watercraft at, or forward of, a transverse centerline of the watercraft, the rotatable propulsion assembly having a steering assembly, a jet coupled to the steering assembly, and a pump assembly coupled to the jet;
- and
- driving the pump to expel water from the jet to produce a desired thrust;
- and
- fixedly coupling a recessional mount to the hull at, or forward of, the transverse centerline for mounting the rotatable propulsion assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.