Patent Document

RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a continuation-in-part patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/318,638 filed on Dec. 13, 2002, now abandoned, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to outboard motors. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In forward gear, the reaction forces on an outboard motor propeller tend to push the submerged portion of the motor toward the stern of the boat. However, in reverse gear, the reaction forces on the propeller tend to push the submerged portion of the motor away from the stern of the boat. To help prevent this from occurring, some non-rigid mounting brackets utilize a stabilizing link to connect the motor with the boat to make the bracket more rigid. 
     In some outboards utilizing a non-rigid mounting bracket, a hook is used to connect the motor with the boat before operating the motor in reverse gear. Typically, some kind of mechanical linkage connects to the hook and the transmission shift lever. The linkage is arranged such that when the transmission is engaged in reverse gear, the linkage engages the hook with the crossbar. Similarly, when the transmission is disengaged from reverse gear, the linkage typically disengages the hook from the crossbar. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a solenoid-operated reverse hook assembly for an outboard motor. One construction of the hook assembly includes a reverse hook assembly that is adapted to attach an outboard motor to a fixed member of a marine vessel, such as a crossbar of a boat, canoe, or raft. The reverse hook assembly includes a movable hook engageable with the crossbar or other fixed member, a solenoid having a movable plunger, a linkage that selectively moves the hook in response to movement of the plunger, and a switch electrically connecting the solenoid with a power source. 
     Another construction of the hook assembly includes a reverse hook assembly that is adapted to attach an outboard motor to a marine vessel, including a movable hook engageable with the crossbar, a solenoid having a movable plunger, a lever coupled to the plunger, a rod that selectively moves the hook in response to movement of the lever, and a switch electrically connecting the solenoid with a power source. 
     The present invention also provides a method of actuating a reverse hook assembly for an outboard motor including manipulating a switch to a first position, applying a first voltage to a solenoid to initiate movement of the hook assembly, replacing the first voltage with a second voltage to the solenoid to maintain the hook assembly in an engaged position, the second voltage being less than the first voltage, manipulating the switch to a second position, and removing the second voltage from the solenoid to initiate movement of the hook assembly toward a disengaged position. 
     Further constructions and features of the present invention, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements have like numerals throughout the drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention is further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, it should be noted that the invention as disclosed in the accompanying drawings is illustrated by way of example only. The various elements and combinations of elements described below and illustrated in the drawings can be arranged and organized differently to result in embodiments which are still within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outboard motor including one construction of a solenoid-operated reverse hook assembly embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reverse hook assembly of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 a  is a partial cutaway side view of the outboard motor including the reverse hook assembly of FIG. 2, illustrating the assembly engaged with a crossbar; 
     FIG. 3 b  is a partial cutaway side view of the outboard motor including the reverse hook assembly of FIG. 2, illustrating the assembly disengaged with the crossbar; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another construction of a reverse hook assembly embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 a  is a partial cutaway side view of the outboard motor including the reverse hook assembly of FIG. 4, illustrating the assembly engaged with the crossbar; and 
     FIG. 5 b  is a partial cutaway side view of the outboard motor including the reverse hook assembly of FIG. 4, illustrating the assembly disengaged with the crossbar. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIGS. 1 through 3 b  illustrate a solenoid-operated reverse hook assembly  10  for an electric outboard motor, or electric outboard  14 . It should also be known that the reverse hook assembly  10  is adaptable for use in a conventional, engine-powered outboard if DC power is available from, for example, a battery. In one configuration of the reverse hook assembly  10 , the assembly  10  utilizes existing controls of the battery-powered electric outboard  14 , in addition to power supplied by the electric outboard&#39;s battery (not shown). 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the reverse hook assembly  10  is positioned within the interior of an outboard housing  16 . Although only the reverse hook assembly  10  of FIG. 2 is shown positioned within the interior of the housing  16 , other reverse hook assemblies, such as the reverse hook assembly  200  of FIG. 4, may also be positioned within the housing  16 . The reverse hook assembly  10  is electrically actuated via a solenoid  18  including a body portion  22  and a plunger  26 . The solenoid  18  is a conventional electric solenoid  18  and may include any size and reasonable stroke length. The solenoid  18  may operate at different voltages, such as 24-VDC or 48-VDC, provided the solenoid  18  satisfies the design requirements of the assembly  10 . In addition, the solenoid  18  may be energized with a large initial voltage spike, such as 48-VDC, to actuate the plunger  26 . The large initial voltage spike may then be followed by a reduced voltage signal, such as 16-VDC, to hold the plunger  26  in its actuated position. An example of such a solenoid  18  is an intermittent-rated 24-VDC solenoid  18 , part number 53753-88, made by Deltrol Controls. A multi-position switch  30  is mounted on the outboard  14  to allow a boater to shift between forward, neutral, and reverse gears, for example. The switch  30  is electrically connected with a conventional motor controller  34 , such as a motor controller  34  manufactured by Sevcon, Inc. in Boston, Mass. The motor controller  34  operates on a 48-VDC system to control the operation of the outboard&#39;s electric motor (not shown). In addition, the controller  34  can also be configured to control actuation of the reverse hook assembly  10  based on input received from the switch  30 . The switch  30  is wired to the controller  34  such that when the switch  30  is moved to the “reverse gear” position, the switch  30  triggers the controller  34  to output a voltage to the solenoid  18 . Also, the switch  30  is wired to the controller  34  such that the voltage output to the solenoid  18  is removed once the switch  30  is moved from “reverse gear” to either “neutral” or “forward gear.” 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 a - 3   b , the solenoid  18  is rigidly mounted to a bracket  38 , which itself is rigidly mounted within the outboard housing  16  along with a majority of the components of the reverse hook assembly  10 . In one configuration, the bracket  38  may be fastened to an interior boss  42  on the outboard housing  16 . Alternatively, in another configuration, the bracket  38  may be integrally formed with a portion of the outboard housing  16 . The plunger  26  is linearly movable relative to the body portion  22  of the solenoid  18  when voltage is applied to the solenoid  18 . The solenoid  18  is configured to retract the plunger  26  into the body portion  22  upon the application of voltage. Alternatively, the solenoid  18  may be configured to extend the plunger  26  upon the application of voltage. A compression spring  46  held between a plunger stroke limiter  28  coupled to the plunger  26  and the bracket  38  to provide a biasing force against the plunger  26  upon retraction into the body portion  22 , such that the spring  46  outwardly biases the plunger  26  from the body portion  22 . 
     The plunger  26  includes a slot  50  to receive a first lever arm  54  therein, the combination of the slot  50  and first lever arm  54  forming a pinned joint  58  to allow the first lever arm  54  to pivot relative to the plunger  26 . The first lever arm  54  is rigidly coupled to a shaft  62  which itself is coupled to the outboard housing  16  for pivoting thereon about a central axis  64 . As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 b , the first lever arm  54  is fastened to the shaft  62 . In another construction, the first lever arm  54  may be integrally formed with the shaft  62 . The shaft  62  may be coupled to the outboard housing  16  for rotation relative to the housing  16  in a number of ways. As shown in FIGS. 3 a - 3   b , the shaft  62  is snugly received between interior bosses  66  within the housing  16  and secured via a retaining plate  70 . In another construction, the shaft  62  may be snugly received by a bushing coupled to the outboard housing  16  or to the bracket  38  securing the solenoid  18 . Further, in another construction, the bushing may be integrally formed with the outboard housing  16 . 
     A second lever arm  74  is rigidly coupled to the shaft  62  toward the opposite end of the shaft  62  as the first lever arm  54 . The second lever arm  74  is positioned relative to the first lever arm  54  on the shaft  62  to achieve about 90-degrees of separation between the lever arms  54 ,  74 . As shown in FIG. 2, the second lever arm  74  is integrally formed with the shaft  62 . In another construction, the second lever arm  74  may be fastened to the shaft  62 , similar to the first lever arm  54 . The second lever arm  74  includes an aperture to receive a substantially vertically-extending rod  78  therethrough, forming a pivotal joint  82  allowing the rod  78  to pivot relative to the second lever arm  74 . The rod  78  is slidably coupled to the outboard housing  16  within the interior of the outboard housing  16 . The rod  78  may be coupled to the housing  16  in a number of different ways. In one construction, the rod  78  may be secured within the outboard housing  16  via integrally formed passageways that slidably receive the rod  78 . In another construction, a bushing or multiple bushings may be coupled directly to the housing  16  or coupled to the housing  16  via brackets, whereby the rod  78  is slidably received by the bushing or multiple bushings. Further, in another construction, the bushing or multiple bushings may be integrally formed with the housing  16 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 2-3 b , a toe  86  is fixedly coupled to the rod  78  to provide a surface to engage a hook  90 . The toe  86  defines a semi-circular shape, and is fixedly coupled to the rod  78  via a number of conventional ways, such as a setscrew connection, pin connection, welding, brazing, and so forth. 
     In one configuration of the reverse hook assembly  10  within an electric outboard  14 , the outboard  14  includes a rotatable sleeve  94  attached to the housing  16 . The sleeve  94  attaches to the housing  16  via a rotational element (not shown), such as a roller bearing or bushing, to allow the sleeve  94  to rotate relative to the housing  16 . A non-rigid bracket  98  is coupled to the sleeve  94 , whereby the non-rigid bracket  98  mounts the outboard  14  to a boat (not shown). When mounted to the boat, the sleeve  94  allows the outboard  14  to pivot relative to the boat. 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 a - 3   b , the hook  90  is pivotally mounted to the sleeve  94 . The hook  90  includes an outer portion  102  and an inner portion  106 . The toe  86  engages the inner portion  106  of the hook  90  upon activation of the solenoid  18 . In turn, the hook  90  pivots until engaging a fixed-location crossbar  110  positioned relative to the outer portion  102  of the hook  90 . As shown in FIG. 1, the crossbar  110  is coupled to the bracket  98 . Alternatively, the crossbar  110  may be directly coupled to the boat via fasteners or integrally forming with the boat. Also, instead of the crossbar  110 , the hook  90  may engage another fixed member on the boat. 
     During operation, the operator moves the switch  30  to put the outboard  14  into reverse gear. The controller  34  receives the input from the switch  30 , and outputs an initial voltage spike to the solenoid  18 . The magnitude of the initial voltage spike is dependent on the available power and the operating specifications of the solenoid  18 , however, about 48-VDC is a preferable initial voltage spike input to the solenoid  18 . In the construction of FIGS. 1-3 b , the plunger  26  retracts upon energizing the solenoid  18 , therefore pivoting the first lever arm  54 , the shaft  62 , and the second lever arm  74 . 
     The pivoting of the second lever arm  74  causes the rod  78  to move downward, therefore causing the toe  86  to engage the inner portion  106  of the hook  90 . Its semi-circular shape allows the toe  86  to engage the inner portion  106  of the hook  90  along multiple positions adjacent the toe&#39;s outer perimeter. This is desirable since the toe  86  pivots with the motor housing  16  relative to the sleeve  94  and the hook  90  during steering of the boat. Therefore, the toe  86  is engageable with the inner portion  106  of the hook  90  at any steering position of the outboard  14 . 
     The toe  86  pivots the hook  90  until the outer portion  102  of the hook  90  engages the crossbar  110 . The motor controller  34  is preferably configured to reduce the voltage output to the solenoid  18  after the hook  90  engages the crossbar  110 , since less voltage is required to maintain the plunger  26  in a retracted position. This helps conserve battery power, and also helps prevent the solenoid&#39;s coils from overheating due to receiving full power for an extended period of time. The controller  34  is preferably configured to reduce the voltage from the initial 48-VDC spike to a continuous 16-VDC after one second following the switch  30  being moved into reverse gear. Alternatively, this time interval can be changed to any reasonable length of time, or the controller  34  may interface with a sensor or multiple sensors to determine whether the hook  90  is engaged with the crossbar  110 . 
     Upon moving the switch  30  from reverse gear into neutral or forward gear, the controller  34  receives the input from the switch  30  and removes the voltage output to the solenoid  18 . The plunger  26  is then released toward its biased extended position, where the spring  46  provides a restoring force to the plunger  26  to assist in rotating the shaft  62 , and subsequently retracting the rod  78 . As the rod  78  retracts, the toe  86  disengages the inner portion  106  of the hook  90 , allowing the outer portion  102  of the hook  90  to disengage the crossbar  110  by pivoting downward under its own weight. Alternatively, a torsion spring (not shown) may be incorporated at the hook&#39;s pivot to resiliently bias the outer portion  102  of the hook  90  away from the crossbar  110 . 
     With reference to FIGS. 4-5 b , another construction of a reverse hook assembly  200  is shown. The reverse hook assembly  200  utilizes a rigid plate in the form of a bell crank lever  204  rather than the shaft  62  illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 b  to translate the substantially horizontal motion of the plunger  26  to the substantially vertical motion of the rod  78 . In the reverse hook assembly  200  of FIGS. 4-5 b , like components are labeled with like reference numerals as those in the reverse hook assembly  10  of FIGS. 1-3 b.    
     A bracket  208  is utilized to secure the solenoid  18  to the housing  16  of the outboard  14  (shown only in FIG.  1 ). In one configuration, the bracket  208  may be fastened to the interior boss  42  on the outboard housing  16 . Alternatively, in another configuration, the bracket  208  may be integrally formed with a portion of the outboard housing  16 . The bracket  208  includes a lower portion  212  and an upper portion  216 . The lower portion  212  of the bracket  208  is fastened to the interior boss  42 , while the upper portion  216  includes a lever mounting portion  220  positioned above the plunger  26 . The bell crank lever  204  is pivotally coupled to the lever mounting portion  220  via a first pinned joint  224 , such that the bell crank lever  204  is allowed to pivot about a central axis  226 . Also, the slot  50  in the plunger  26  receives a portion of the bell crank lever  204  therein. A second pinned joint  228  between the slot  50  and the bell crank lever  204  allows the bell crank lever  204  to pivot relative to the plunger  26 . Also, the bell crank lever  204  includes an aperture to receive the substantially vertically-extending rod  78  therethrough, forming a pivotal joint  232  allowing the rod  78  to pivot relative to the bell crank lever  204 . The remaining structure of the reverse hook assembly  200  of FIGS. 4-5 b  is similar to that structure previously described in FIGS. 1-3 b , and further description thereof is omitted. 
     Operation of the reverse hook assembly  200  of FIGS. 4-5 b  is substantially the same as the operation of the reverse hook assembly  10  of FIGS. 1-3 b . The operator moves the switch  30  to put the outboard  14  into reverse gear. The controller  34  receives the input from the switch  30 , and outputs an initial voltage spike to the solenoid  18 . However, in the reverse hook assembly  200  of FIGS. 4-5 b , the plunger  26  retracts upon energizing the solenoid  18 , therefore pivoting the bell crank lever  204  in a clockwise direction (as illustrated in FIGS. 5 a - 5   b ) to move the rod  78  downwards. The remaining operational steps involving the interaction of the rod  78 , toe  86 , hook  90 , and crossbar  110  are the same as previously described for the reverse hook assembly  10  of FIGS. 1-3 b.    
     Also, upon moving the switch  30  from reverse gear into neutral or forward gear, the controller  34  receives the input from the switch  30  and removes the voltage output to the solenoid  18 . The plunger  26  is then released toward its biased extended position, where the spring  46  provides a restoring force to the plunger  26  to assist in rotating the bell crank lever  204 , and subsequently retracting the rod  78 . The remaining operational steps involving the interaction of the rod  78 , toe  86 , hook  90 , and crossbar  110  are the same as previously described for the reverse hook assembly  10  of FIGS. 1-3 b.    
     In other configurations of the reverse hook assembly (not shown), the assembly  10  or  200  is integrated with a conventional, engine-powered outboard motor. In this configuration, the assembly  10  or  200  may utilize a separate and dedicated controller  34  to oversee operation of the assembly  10  or  200 . Alternatively, the controller  34  may not be necessary, and the solenoid  18  is wired directly to a power source, such as battery, through the switch  30 .

Technology Category: 7