Marine transmission using rheological fluids
OwnerBrian R. White, Keith S. Ducotey +1inventors
InventorsBrian R. White, Keith S. Ducotey, Brian S. Ritthaler
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A marine transmission provides first and second drive gears that have first and second driving surfaces in contact with first and second quantities of rheological fluid. First and second driven surfaces of a propeller shaft are also in contact with the rheological fluids within first and second cavities. Torque is transmitted between the drive gears and the propeller shaft through the increase in viscosity of the rheological fluid. A dog clutch can also be provided in order to lock the propeller shaft to the driving one of the first and second drive gears after the rheological fluid is used to spin up the propeller shaft to the appropriate speed.
Claims20
A marine transmission, comprising:
- a drive shaft supported for rotation about a drive shaft axis;
- a pinion gear attached to said drive shaft;
- a propeller shaft supported for rotation about a propeller shaft axis;
- a first drive gear supported for rotation about said propeller shaft axis;
- a first driving surface of said first drive gear;
- a first driven surface of said propeller shaft;
- a first quantity of rheological fluid disposed in contact with said first driving surface and with said first driven surface;
- and
- a first actuator configured to change the viscosity of said first quantity of rheological fluid to connect said first driving surface in torque transmitting association with said first driven surface.
A marine transmission, comprising:
- a pinion gear;
- a propeller shaft supported for rotation about a propeller shaft axis;
- a first drive gear supported for rotation about said propeller shaft axis;
- a second drive gear supported for rotation about said propeller shaft axis;
- a first driving surface of said first drive gear;
- a second driving surface of said second drive gear;
- a first driven surface of said propeller shaft;
- a second driven surface of said propeller shaft;
- a first quantity of rheological fluid disposed in contact with said first driving surface and with said first driven surface;
- a second quantity of rheological fluid disposed in contact with said second driving surface and with said driven surface;
- a first actuator configured to change the viscosity of said first quantity of rheological fluid to connect said first driving surface in torque transmitting association with said first driven surface;
- and
- a second actuator configured to change the viscosity of said second quantity of rheological fluid to connect said second driving surface in torque transmitting association with said second driven surface.
A marine transmission, comprising:
- a drive shaft supported for rotation about a drive shaft axis;
- a pinion gear attached to said drive shaft;
- a propeller shaft supported for rotation about a propeller shaft axis;
- a first drive gear supported for rotation about said propeller shaft axis;
- a first driving surface of said first drive gear;
- a first driven surface of said propeller shaft;
- a first quantity of magnetorheological fluid disposed in contact with said first driving surface and with said first driven surface;
- a first actuator configured to change the viscosity of said first quantity of magnetorheological fluid to connect said first driving surface in torque transmitting association with said first driven surface;
- and
- a dog clutch supported for rotation about said propeller shaft axis in synchrony with said propeller shaft, said dog clutch being selectively movable into torque transmitting association between said first drive gear and said propeller shaft and into non torque transmitting association with said first drive gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.