Patent GB-955866-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to mechanical control devices
IPC: B63H21/22
Filed: 1961-11-14
Abstract: 955,866. Change-speed control. W. A. STEWART. Feb. 14, 1963 [Nov. 14, 1961; Oct. 15, 1962], Nos. 40725/61 and 38985/62. Heading F2D. In a single input control for a marine engine throttle and reversing gear, a pin on a control input member pivoted about a first axis engages a radial slot in an arm connected to a reversing gear control member pivoted about a second axis parallel to the first axis, and a link has one end pivoted to the input member and its other end constrainedfor movement towards and away from the first axis and connected to a throttle control member, such that during movement of the input member in either the forward or reverse gear direction from a central neutral position the predominant part of the reversing gear control member movement takes place during a first movement of the input member and the predominant part of the throttle control member movement takes place during subsequent movement of the input member. In Fig. 2, a pin 10 engages a radial slot 14 in an arm 15 on a shaft 7a and is connected by parallel links 9 to an arm 6 on a shaft 4a. The pin 10 may be rotated about an axis 12 by an hydraulic ram the piston of which is connected to the pin 10, by a rack meshing a gear-wheel carrying the pin, or by a lever 13 actuated through linages, cable or "Teleflex" (Registered Trade Mark) or, as shown, directly manually. The arm 15 is connected to the reversing gear control member through a Bowden cable or, as shown, through the shaft 7A. The arm 6 is connected to the throttle control member as by a further arm on the shaft 4A. With the pin 10 in line with the axes 12, 7A, the engine idles and the reversing gear is in neutral. On sufficient movement, 20 or more degrees, of the pin to engage forward or reverse gear, the throttle is only slightly opened and on subsequent movement of the pin in the same direction to open up the throttle the arm 15 is rotated only slightly so as to have no effect on the reversing gear which is thereby locked due to the irreversibility of the mechanism in such positions. In Figs. 4, 5, a pin 48, carried on an input arm 28, engages, through a roller 49, a radial slot 37, divergent at its outer end, in an arm 42 of a cruciform plate 41 which is pivoted on a pin 46 and is connected by one of its other arm ends 43, 44, or, as shown, 45 to the reversing gear control member through a rod 51 and an hydraulic system or flexible transmitter. The input arm 28, pivoted on a pin 25, has pivotally connected thereto a handle 30 swinging on an axis 29 transverse to the axis of the pin. The handle is connected by a ball-jointed link 55 to an arm 52 pivoted on a pin 53 and connected to the throttle control member by a rod connected to one of alternative pivot-pin holes 57, 57A and by a flexible transmitter. A casing cover 17 comprises a suitably engraved gate for the handle which latter is biased leftwardly of the gate by a spring 33. The gate has a centrally positioned transverse slot 40 into which the handle can be moved, thereby downwardly moving the arm 52 and opening the throttle, for engine warming-up, without gear engagement. On movement of the handle along the gate slot 34 to engage forward or reverse gear it is initially slightly rightwardly cammed from a notch 35 from idling to fast idling throttle position and then, due to a compensating curvature of the gate slot 34, is gradually leftwardly cammed to maintain the same fast idling position until a recess 36 or 37 is reached and the gear engaged. On subsequent movement of the handle along a straight portion of the slot to open up the throttle, the plate 41 is not moved further due to the divergent shape of the slot 47.