Patent Description:
Underwater vehicles have a wide range of applications, including: commercial applications that involve seabed exploration, scientific and research applications as well as applications relating to environmental protection that involve mapping the underwater structure of seabeds and inland bodies of water, and special applications that involve defence and location activities to defend and protect national ports and water borders, including to promote water rescue operations that involve both people and property. Currently, manufacturers of underwater vehicles offer a large number of products of various designs that employ a variety of propulsion control methods. However, most of them treat as confidential any information relating to additional equipment of their vehicles, the internal systems and devices used as well as their arrangement or operational connectivity, and do not intend to disclose such information.

The state of the art for this invention comprises the <CIT> for KH100 - a self-propelled remotely operated underwater vehicle, powered externally and propelled by several electric drive units, provided with a submersible unit connected by a cable line to the control station fitted with a manually operated movement control console that is equipped with two <NUM>-function lever manipulators, two <NUM>-function slotted push-button manipulators and seven monostable control switches. The manipulators and control switches are both assigned specific functions by their respective manufacturers so that their users can control the horizontal movement of the submersible unit, including by reducing the operating range of the horizontally driven engines, the horizontal movement of the submersible unit as well as the upward and downward movement of the chamber and the brightness level of the lighting system.

The state of the art for this invention also comprises the US patent application publication <CIT> for an outboard motor adapted to be mounted on a stem of a boat and having power sources constituted by an internal combustion engine and an electric motor which are connected to a propeller to propel the boat and a bar handle whose free end projects toward a cockpit of the boat so as to be operable for an operator to steer the boat. The bar handle comprises a throttle grip provided at the free end of the bar handle to be pushed-pulled in a longitudinal axis of the bar handle and to be rotated about the axis by the operator and a power source selector provided at the throttle grip which selects one of the two motors to connect to the propeller of said boat. The bar handle also comprises an engine speed controller provided at the throttle grip which controls a speed of the engine by regulating a throttle opening of the engine in response to the rotational operation of the operator and a motor speed controller provided at the throttle grip which controls a speed of the motor in response to the rotational operation of the operator. To sum up, the outboard motor according to this patent description is provided with a handpiece - the bar handle equipped with a throttle grip enabling push-pull operation and rotate operation by the boat operator and with three motors one of which is connected to the boat propeller in accordance with the push-pull operation of the throttle grip, wherein the speeds of these motors are regulated in accordance with the rotating operation of the throttle grip.

The state of the art for this invention comprises the US patent application publication <CIT> for a remote control device consisting of a front housing, control levers, steering knob, locking mechanisms, selector switch, indicators, emergency stop switch, wherein the locking mechanisms can hold the control levers in a neutral position. The housing of the device is provided with potentiometers which are adapted to deliver electric signal for engine control when the control levers are moved back and forth and a potentiometer adapted to deliver electric signal for driving a steering mechanism when the steering knob is moved from side to side.

The state of the art for this invention further comprises the US patent application publication <CIT> for a remote control device for a small vessel, consisting of: a portable housing capable of being held by a steersman, at least one control lever attached to the housing and rockable back and forth, a displacement sensor (for engine control) set in the housing and adapted to deliver a forward-control signal for an engine when the control lever is rocked forward and to deliver a reverse-control signal for the engine when the control lever is rocked backward, a locking mechanism capable of holding the control lever in a neutral position and an emergency stop switch provided on the housing for stopping operation of the engine in case of emergency. Preferably, the device is provided with a steering knob on the upper surface of the housing.

The state of the art for this invention comprises the Chinese patent application publication <CIT> for an underwater propulsion device comprising an underwater power system consisting of a left power system and a right power system which is connected to an infinite position speed regulation device comprising a battery pack, a relay and an infinite position speed regulation component consisting of a knob switch, an encoder, an electronic microswitch and a mainboard. The mainboard is connected to the battery pack, the relay, the infinite position speed regulation component, a handheld control handle and an underwater power system, wherein the relay is connected to the battery pack.

The object of this invention is to develop a vehicle propulsion control handle, especially for underwater ve90hicles, that is simple, compact and rigid in structure and can also be used to start engines of vehicles, change their speed, and to trim vehicles and steer them in various directions, can be manually activated by the operator of the vehicle and is adapted to be mounted in any place convenient to the operator, mainly in the front part of the vehicle hull, and to be hand-held by the operator controlling the vehicle.

This invention is also intended to design a control handle that is provided with an ergonomically arranged set of operatively connected control elements for starting vehicle engines, controlling their operation, including vehicle trimming for vehicles equipped with such control handles.

A vehicle propulsion control handle, especially for underwater vehicles, according to the present invention, characterised in that: the lower end of its handpiece is connected in a detachable manner to an offset of the upper surface of the base and to a lower inner offset, mounted thereon, of the profile lever arranged on the handpiece slot, wherein said lever, above its lower inner offset, is provided with an inner offset with a spring mounted thereon, whose other end is adjacent to the inner surface of the handpiece, and with an upper offset with magnet M1 fitted loosely to a pin in the handpiece slot. Inside the upper end of the handpiece, there is provided a lower end of the housing with an outer ring-shaped offset and a bottom whose lower surface has two offsets separated by a slot such that an upper lever offset is provided in said slot, in said housing, there is set an electronic board permanently connected to an encoder and to at least one Hall sensor H2, H3, arranged on the upper surface of said board, and the Hall sensor H1 arranged on the lower surface of said board such that electrical wires are led out of said board through a pass-through hole in the housing offset. Next to each of the Hall sensors H2, H3 arranged on the upper surface of said board, in the side surface of the housing, there is provided at least one socket for a bistable slide function switch with magnet M2, M3. From top side, the electronic board is covered with a sleeve-shaped lid having on its upper face blind holes for springs with metal balls mounted thereon, wherein, on said lid, there is mounted a sleeve-shaped knob with an upper bottom, connected to the lid in a detachable manner, whose inner surface has an offset for the upper end of the profile encoder and blind holes for said metal balls of the springs.

An offset for the upper surface of the base preferably consists of two segments separated from each other by a rectangular slot for a lower inner offset for the profile lever, said base being provided with mounting holes.

Preferably, the segments of the offset for the upper surface of the base are provided with two round pass-through holes positioned coaxially and horizontally, the lower end of the handpiece has two pass-through holes positioned coaxially to said holes and also horizontally mounted, and the lower inner offset for the profile lever, diagonally positioned, is provided with a pass-through hole, wherein a pin is mounted in the holes.

Also preferably, in the front wall of the base, there is provided a horizontally positioned blind hole with its inner end connected to the inner lower end of a vertically positioned blind hole in the upper face of the segment of the offset for the upper surface of the base.

Also preferably, in the lower part of the side surface of the segment of the offset for the upper surface of the base, there is provided a diagonally oriented blind hole with its inner end connected to the inner ends of the horizontally and vertically positioned blind holes of the base.

Also preferably, the first offset for the lower surface of the bottom of the electronic board housing has a horizontally arranged round pass-through hole, and its second offset has a blind hole, made from inside and positioned opposite the hole of the first offset, wherein both said holes are arranged along the axis of symmetry of the handpiece slot and have a pin mounted therein that connects said handpiece to the housing.

Also preferably, the second offset for the lower surface of the bottom of the electronic board housing has a lower cylinder-shaped offset with a hole and a threaded cylinder-shaped recess for an insulated cable gland with a vertically positioned pass-through hole for electric wires.

Also preferably, on the outer surface of the lid for the electronic board, there is provided a circumferential groove for end points of the screws inserted into the mounting holes in the side surface of the knob, preferably knurled, whereas the handpiece has on its outer sleeve-shaped side surface evenly spaced and vertically arranged trapezoid-shaped grooves.

Also preferably, the Hall sensors H1, H2, H3 and the encoder are connected by electric wires to the external central electronics system of the vehicle.

A vehicle propulsion control handle, especially for underwater vehicles, has a rigid base so that it can be mounted at any place in the vehicle convenient to the operator, including in the front part of the vehicle hull. Whereas its rigid handpiece allows the operator to hand hold the control handle to steer the vehicle by altering the position of the operator's centre of gravity, i.e. to control the vehicle trajectory by changing the position of the operator's body relative to the vehicle. Additionally, on the side surface of the handpiece, there are provided grooves so that the control handle can be grasped with ease, especially when the operator is wearing thick protective gloves that reduce the precision and effectiveness of his/her hand movements.

Moreover, the use of the ergonomically arranged set of operatively connected control elements, such as a knob, bistable switches and a lever, makes it easier for the operator to start the engines, control their operation, including a trimming operation for vehicles equipped with such a control handle. Whereas the control handle is fitted with Hall sensors and an encoder such that control signals are delivered to the central electronics system of the vehicle.

The object of the present invention according to an embodiment is shown in <FIG>, in which: <FIG> - shows an isometric view of the vehicle propulsion control handle, especially for underwater vehicles, <FIG> - shows a side view of the control handle, <FIG> - shows a top view of the control handle, <FIG> - shows an isometric view of the control handle disassembled into components, <FIG> - shows a vertical cross-section of the control handle taken along line A-A, <FIG> - shows a vertical cross-section of the control handle taken along line B-B, <FIG> - shows an enlarged view of fragmentary portion C of the upper part of the control handle as shown in the cross-section represented in <FIG>, <FIG> - shows an enlarged view of fragmentary portion D of the upper part of the control handle as shown in the cross-section represented in <FIG>, <FIG> - shows an exemplary embodiment of two such control handles in an underwater vehicle, <FIG> - provides an enlarged view of fragmentary portion E that shows how one of the control handles is mounted to the hull of the underwater vehicle.

A vehicle propulsion control handle, especially for underwater vehicles, according to the present invention, has a metal cuboid-shaped base <NUM> with pass-through mounting holes <NUM> arranged in its corners and with a longitudinal, horizontally oriented blind hole <NUM> in its front wall, wherein an upper surface of said base has a cylinder-shaped two-segment offset <NUM> along its axis of symmetry with a rectangular slot <NUM> along the symmetry axis of the offset <NUM> whose both segments <NUM> and <NUM>' are provided at their upper ends with round pass-through holes <NUM> and <NUM>', positioned coaxially and horizontally, wherein the segment <NUM> has in its upper face a vertically positioned round pass-through hole <NUM> with its lower inner end connected to the inner end of the hole <NUM> and to the inner end of a diagonally positioned blind hole <NUM>' in the lower side surface of said segment <NUM> such that said blind hole facilitates the installation of electric wires.

On the cylinder-shaped two-segment offset <NUM> for the base <NUM>, there is mounted the lower end of a metal sleeve-shaped handpiece <NUM> having on its side surface a vertically positioned rectangular pass-through slot <NUM> and coaxially and horizontally positioned mounting holes <NUM> and <NUM>', with a pass-through hole <NUM> arranged above the hole <NUM>', whereas the handpiece <NUM> between the holes <NUM>, <NUM>' and <NUM> has on its outer sleeve-shaped side surface evenly spaced and vertically arranged trapezoid-shaped grooves <NUM> so that the control handle can be easily held by hand. In the vertically positioned slot <NUM> for the handpiece <NUM>, there is mounted a profile plate-shaped lever <NUM> having a triangle-like profile in the side view, the lower end of said lever being fitted with an inwardly facing, diagonally arranged, rectangular lower offset <NUM> with its rounded end and a pass-through mounting hole <NUM> made therein, whereas the upper end of the lever <NUM> is also provided with an inwardly facing upper U-shaped offset <NUM> with magnet M1 mounted therein, wherein the offset <NUM> is fitted loosely to a pin <NUM> push fitted into an upper hole <NUM> of the handpiece <NUM>, whereas, above the lower offset <NUM>, the lever <NUM> is also provided with an inwardly facing cylinder-shaped offset <NUM>. The lower offset <NUM> for the lever <NUM> is pivotally connected to the sleeve-shaped handpiece <NUM> and connected to the two-segment offset <NUM> using a pin <NUM> mounted in the hole <NUM> of the offset <NUM> for said lever and partially in the holes <NUM> and <NUM>' of both segments <NUM> and <NUM>' of the offset <NUM>, wherein, onto the threaded ends of the pin <NUM>, there are screwed mounting nuts <NUM>' that are also partially mounted in the holes <NUM> and <NUM>' of both segments <NUM> and <NUM>' of the offset <NUM> and in the holes <NUM>, <NUM>' of the handpiece <NUM>. Whereas the offset <NUM> for the lever <NUM> is fitted with a cylinder-shaped spring <NUM> with its end adjacent to the inner surface of the sleeve-shaped handpiece <NUM>.

Inside the upper end of the sleeve-shaped handpiece <NUM>, there is mounted the lower end of a housing <NUM> of the electronics system constituted by a sleeve-shaped upper part <NUM> with an outer ring-shaped offset <NUM> and a bottom <NUM> with its lower surface having two identical offsets <NUM> and <NUM>' with a circular segment profile, positioned vertically and opposite one another, separated by a rectangular slot <NUM> for the offset <NUM> for the lever <NUM>, wherein the offset <NUM>' has a horizontally arranged round pass-through hole <NUM> and the offset <NUM> has a blind hole <NUM>, made from inside (on the side of the slot <NUM>) and positioned opposite the hole <NUM> and along the axis of symmetry of the hole <NUM> for the sleeve-shaped handpiece <NUM>, whereas the face of the offset <NUM> has a lower cylinder-shaped offset <NUM> with a vertically arranged pass-through hole <NUM> in both said offsets <NUM> and <NUM>, said hole having in its lower part a threaded cylinder-shaped recess <NUM>' for an insulated cable gland <NUM>' with a vertically arranged pass-through hole <NUM>" along its symmetry axis for electric wires (not shown in the drawing) to protect the housing <NUM> against water ingress, wherein the wires in the hole <NUM>" are potted with epoxy resin to provide additional sealing.

Both said offsets <NUM> and <NUM>' of the housing <NUM> are mounted inside the upper end of the sleeve-shaped handpiece <NUM> so that the lower face of the ring-shaped offset <NUM> is adjacent to the upper face of said handpiece; and in the pass-through hole <NUM> of the offset <NUM>' and in the blind hole <NUM> of the offset <NUM>, there is mounted the pin <NUM> that connects said handpiece to the housing <NUM>. Whereas, above the bottom <NUM> and in the circumferential recess <NUM>' of the sleeve-shaped housing <NUM>, there is mounted an electronic board <NUM> with a microprocessor (not shown in the drawing), said board <NUM> having a profile encoder <NUM> and three Hall sensors H1, H2 and H3 soldered thereto, wherein the Hall sensors H2 and H3 are arranged on the upper surface of said board <NUM> on both sides of the encoder <NUM> in its front part, and the third Hall sensor H1 is soldered to the lower surface of said board in its back part and detects the magnetic field generated by magnet M1 of the inner offset <NUM> for the lever <NUM> when the control handle operator presses said lever <NUM>. The board <NUM>, together with electronic elements arranged thereon, is covered from the top by a two-stage sleeve-shaped lid <NUM> fitted in the upper part of its side surface with a circumferential groove <NUM>' (larger in diameter). In the upper face of the lid <NUM>, there are positioned two opposing round pass-through holes <NUM> and <NUM>' having cylinder-shaped compression springs <NUM> and <NUM>' mounted thereon with metal balls <NUM> and <NUM>' mounted on their upper faces. On the lid <NUM>, there is provided a sleeve-shaped knurled knob <NUM> with an upper bottom <NUM> whose inner surface has a vertically positioned coaxial sleeve-shaped offset <NUM> with an upper end of the profile encoder <NUM> fitted therein, whereas the side surface of said knob <NUM> has along its perimeter and every <NUM>° four threaded mounting holes <NUM> for screws <NUM> with their inner ends mounted in the groove <NUM>' of the lid <NUM>, thereby stabilising the position of the knob <NUM>.

Moreover, thirty-two blind holes <NUM> are arranged on the inner surface of the bottom <NUM> of the knurled knob <NUM>, evenly spaced on a circle with a diameter adjusted to the spacing of the holes <NUM> and <NUM>' of the lid <NUM>, for the metal balls <NUM> and <NUM>' of the springs <NUM> and <NUM>', thereby enabling step changes in the position of the knob <NUM>.

Whereas, in the side surface of the ring-shaped offset <NUM> of the housing <NUM>, there are provided, next to the Hall sensors H2 and H3 of the board <NUM>, two rectangular sockets <NUM> and <NUM>' with bistable slide function switches <NUM> and <NUM>' with an inner channel <NUM> mounted thereon, said channel <NUM> being fitted with magnets M2 and M3 whose magnetic field is detected by said sensors when the operator of the control handle changes the position of the function switches <NUM> and <NUM>'.

Electric wires (not shown in the drawing) for electronic elements of the board <NUM> are led out of said board <NUM> and led out of the control handle through the holes <NUM>, <NUM>", <NUM> and <NUM>, said wires being connected to the central electronics system of the vehicle (not shown in the drawing) that receives and processes control signals, including the signal from the electronics system of the control handle.

In another exemplary embodiment (not shown in the drawing), in the bottom <NUM> of the knurled knob <NUM>, there were provided eight or sixteen blind holes <NUM> for the metal balls <NUM> and <NUM>' of the springs <NUM> and <NUM>', wherein the number of said holes <NUM> was adapted to the type of the encoder <NUM>'; moreover, the control handle had only one socket <NUM> with the function switch <NUM> fitted with M2 magnet and its board <NUM> was equipped with only one Hall sensor H2; whereas in the holes <NUM> and <NUM>' of both segments <NUM>, <NUM>' of the offset <NUM> for the base <NUM>, in the holes <NUM> and <NUM>' of the lower end of the handpiece <NUM> and in the hole <NUM> of the inner offset <NUM> for the lever <NUM>, there is push fitted the longitudinal pin <NUM>.

The plate-shaped base <NUM> of the control handle according to the present invention is fastened to a hull <NUM> of an underwater vehicle <NUM> by means of screws <NUM> arranged in the corner holes <NUM> of said base, wherein, in the front part of the hull, two control handles are preferably mounted symmetrically to the longitudinal axis of the underwater vehicle <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>), whereupon the electric wires (not shown in the drawing) are connected to the central electronics system of the underwater vehicle <NUM>.

In order to start engines <NUM> of the underwater vehicle <NUM>, the lever <NUM> of the control lever is pressed such that its magnet M1 is moved into the area covered by the Hall sensor H1 that sends a signal to the central electronics system of the underwater vehicle <NUM>, whereupon the knurled knob <NUM> of said control handle that controls both engines <NUM> of the underwater vehicle <NUM> is turned to select the appropriate gear (from <NUM> to <NUM>) of the engines <NUM>, and, if the gear is set to <NUM> (neutral), the engines <NUM> do not start independently of the signals from any other systems that control and support the operation of said engines <NUM>. The position of the knurled knob <NUM> is read by the encoder <NUM> that transmits the signal to the central electronics system of the underwater vehicle <NUM>. Whereas, when one of the bistable function switches <NUM> or <NUM>' of the housing <NUM> is moved, magnet M2 or M3 is moved into the area covered by the Hall sensor H2 or H3 that transmits the signal to the central electronics system of the underwater vehicle <NUM> to stop the vehicle and engage the reverse gear. When the bistable function switches <NUM> and <NUM>' are moved again, the engines <NUM> accelerate until the preset speed of the knurled knob <NUM> is reached.

Claim 1:
A vehicle propulsion control handle, especially for underwater vehicles, fitted with a handpiece having a lever and a knob and with a board having a microprocessor and an encoder, wherein: the lower end of its handpiece (<NUM>) is connected in a detachable manner to an offset (<NUM>) of the upper surface of the base (<NUM>) and to a lower inner offset (<NUM>), mounted thereon, of the profile lever (<NUM>) arranged on a slot (<NUM>) of the handpiece (<NUM>), wherein the profile lever (<NUM>) is provided above the offset (<NUM>) with an inner offset (<NUM>) with a spring mounted thereon (<NUM>) whose other end is adjacent to the inner surface of the handpiece (<NUM>), and characterized in that said profile lever (<NUM>) is provided with an upper offset (<NUM>) with magnet M1 fitted loosely to a pin (<NUM>) in the slot (<NUM>) of the handpiece (<NUM>), inside the upper end of said handpiece, and in that there there is provided the lower end of the housing (<NUM>) with an outer ring-shaped offset (<NUM>) and a bottom (<NUM>) whose lower surface has two offsets (<NUM>, <NUM>') separated by a slot (<NUM>) such that an upper offset (<NUM>) for the lever (<NUM>) is provided in said slot; in said housing (<NUM>), there is set an electronic board (<NUM>) permanently connected to an encoder (<NUM>) and to at least one Hall sensor (H2, H3), arranged on the upper surface of the board (<NUM>), and the Hall sensor (H1) arranged on the lower surface of said board such that electrical wires are led out of said board through a pass-through hole (<NUM>) in the offset (<NUM>) of the housing (<NUM>); next to each of the Hall sensors (H2, H3), in the side surface of the housing (<NUM>), there is provided at least one socket (<NUM>, <NUM>') for a bistable slide function switch (<NUM>, <NUM>') with a magnet (M2, M3), from top side, the electronic board (<NUM>) is covered with a sleeve-shaped lid (<NUM>) having on its upper face blind holes (<NUM>, <NUM>') for springs (<NUM>, <NUM>') with metal balls (<NUM>, <NUM>') mounted thereon, wherein, on said lid (<NUM>), there is mounted a sleeve-shaped knob (<NUM>) with an upper bottom (<NUM>), connected to the lid in a detachable manner, whose inner surface has an offset for the upper end of the profile encoder (<NUM>) and blind holes (<NUM>) for said metal balls (<NUM>, <NUM>') of the springs (<NUM>, <NUM>').