US3778187A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Controllable pitch propellers for marine vessels
Assignee: PROPULSION SYSTEMS Inc
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Filing: 1971-04-13
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Granted: 1973-12-11
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Expires: 1991-04-13
Abstract
Abstract In a controllable pitch propeller arrangement of the type having a hydraulic piston-and-cylinder type motor in the propeller hub for effecting pitch settings, the power oil is passed to and from the motor through oil tubes nested in the hollow propeller shaft, and the follow-up or feedback member, which gives read-out of actual pitch, is relatively isolated from the temperature effects of the power oil, preferably by arranging the follow-up or feedback member as the central member of a nested arrangement in which the power oil tubes are radially spaced from the feedback member about the circumference of the nested assembly. Preferably the feedback member and the oil tubes are arranged as a unitary bundle, made up of several sections, and the oil tubes of each section are provided with sliding seals at the section coupling, whereby thermal expansion and contraction of the oil tubes is absorbed by the sliding seals in each section and will not affect the overall length of the bundle or the feedback member, thus preventing or minimizing erroneous pitch feedback signals. The follow-up member preferably is tubular, and an air tube passes therethrough to feed air to the propeller blades.
Inventors
- 👤 P Wennberg
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 14:19
CPC Classifications
B; B63; B63H; B63H3/00; B63H3/06; B63H3/08; B63H3/081; B63H3/082; B63H2003/088
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
In a marine vessel, a controllable pitch propeller, a propeller hub, a plurality of controllable pitch proeller blades mounted on said hub, a hollow propeller shaft of substantial length coupled to said hub and adapted for operative connection to a power plant for the vessel, a hydraulic motor located at least near the hub for varying and controlling the pitch of said blades, means defining oil passages extending down said shaft for conveying power oil to said hydraulic motor, valve means for controlling the flow of oil through said oil passages, and means forming a follow-up link of substantial length extending down said hollow shaft but physically removed from said oil passages over at least the major part of the length of said link so as to minimize direct heat transfer therebetween, said follow-up link being operatively coupled to said hydraulic motor for movement therewith such that the instantaneous position of a selected point located on said follow-up link a substantial distance from said hydraulic motor is indicative of the instantaneous actual pitch setting of said blades substantially regardless of the temperature of the oil in said oil passages.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
189 words
In a marine vessel, a controllable pitch propeller, a propeller hub, a plurality of controllable pitch proeller blades mounted on said hub, a hollow propeller shaft of substantial length coupled to said hub and adapted for operative connection to a power plant for the vessel, a hydraulic motor located at least near the hub for varying and controlling the pitch of said blades, means defining oil passages extending down said shaft for conveying power oil to said hydraulic motor, valve means for controlling the flow of oil through said oil passages, and means forming a follow-up link of substantial length extending down said hollow shaft but physically removed from said oil passages over at least the major part of the length of said link so as to minimize direct heat transfer therebetween, said follow-up link being operatively coupled to said hydraulic motor for movement therewith such that the instantaneous position of a selected point located on said follow-up link a substantial distance from said hydraulic motor is indicative of the instantaneous actual pitch setting of said blades substantially regardless of the temperature of the oil in said oil passages.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hydraulic motor comprises a piston and cylinder, and is located inside said hub.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said oil passages comprise oil tubes extending down said hollow shaft and communicating at their forward ends with passages leading from said shaft to said valve means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said follow-up link, over at least the major part of its length, is substantially centrally disposed in said hollow shaft, and said oil tubes, over at least the major part of their lengths, are disposed radially outwardly of said follow-up link.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said oil tubes and said follow-up link are coupled together as a nested assembly movable with said hydraulic motor, and wherein said assembly includes means for absorbing any expansion or contraction of said oil tubes so as not to affect the length of said follow-up link.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
109 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said nested assembly comprises a plurality of longitudinally disposed sections extending down said hollow shaft, each section being joined to adjacent sections by couplings, each section of said follow-up link being rigidly connected to adjacent couplings, and each section of oil tube of at least most of the sections being slidably mounted in at least one of the adjacent couplings, whereby any expansion or contraction of a section of oil tube is absorbed in that section of the assembly, and the length of the assembly between the forward-most and after-most couplings is governed solely by the length of the follow-up linkage therebetween.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a selectively operable pitch command means, and control means operatively coupled to said command means, said valve means and said follow-up means for variably setting said valve means appropriately to obtain and maintain conformity between desireD pitch settings indicated by said command means and actual pitch settings indicated by said follow-up link.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said control means comprises a differential lever coupled to said follow-up link at a substantial distance from said hydraulic motor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
69 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an air tube extending down said hollow shaft and being rigidly coupled to said hub at its stern end and adapted for connection to a pressurized air source at its forward end, and means defining hub air passages extending from the rigidly coupled end of said air tube to each of said blades for discharge of air through orifices opening therefrom.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
48 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said follow-up link is of hollow tube construction, and said air tube passes therethrough and through said hydraulic motor to said rigid coupling at the stern end of said hub, said follow-up link being freely movable relative to said air tube.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein each blade includes a crank disc formed with an annular air passage encircling the pitch-changing rotational axis of the blade, and one of said hub air passages from said air tube opens into each annular air passage.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
55 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein each hub air passage includes a check valve closely adjacent but upstream of said annular air passage, said valve being oriented relative to the rotational axis of said hub such that any substantial centrifugal biassing of the valve will be in a direction other than its opening direction.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
131 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said oil passages comprise tubes in said hollow shaft, and wherein, over the major portion of their lengths, the oil tubes and said follow-up link comprise a unitary bundle movable together back-and-forth in said hollow shaft in response to movement of said hydraulic motor, the oil tubes and the follow-up link being radially spaced from each other, the bundle being divided longitudinally into sections coupled together by coupling members, the follow-up link of each section being rigidly coupled to the adjacent coupling members and the oil tubes of each section having at least one end slidably mounted in the associated coupling member such that expansion and contraction of an oil tube is absorbed in the slidable mounting without varying the length of the section.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising means for circulating fluid at a controlled temperature along at least part of the length of, and in contact with, said follow-up link.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein said follow-up link is of hollow tubular form, and said controlled temperature fluid circulates in the hollow interior of said follow-up link.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 further comprising means for circulating fluid at a controlled temperature in the annulus between said hollow tube follow-up link and said air tube to control the temperature of said follow-up link.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
83 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 16 including means extending along the length of said annulus for dividing the annulus into separate flow passages communicating with each other at the after end of the annulus, and wherein said circulating means comprises means for passing controlled temperature fluid into one of said flow passages at the forward end thereof and for receiving return fluid from the other of said passages at the forward end thereof, whereby the circulating fluid traverses the length of said annulus.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein said circulating means includes selectively operable heating and cooling means for said fluid.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
176 words
In a controllable pitch propeller for a marine vessel, a propeller hub, a plurality of controllable pitch propeller blades mounted on said hub, a hollow propeller shaft coupled to said hub and adapted for operative connection to a power plant for the vessel, a hydraulic motor comprising a piston and cylinder located in the hub for varying and controLling the pitch of said blades, means defining oil passages extending down said shaft for conveying power oil to said hydraulic motor, means defining a follow-up link of hollow tubular construction in said hollow shaft operatively coupled to said hydraulic motor for movement therewith, an air tube extending down said hollow shaft through said follow-up link and the piston and cylinder of said hydraulic motor and rigidly coupled to said hub at the stern end thereof, and adapted for connection to a pressurized air source at the forward end thereof, and means defining air passages from the rigidly coupled end of said air tube to the propeller blades for discharge of air through orifices opening from the blades.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
176 words
In a controllable pitch propeller for a marine vessel, a propeller hub, a plurality of controllable pitch propeller blades mounted on said hub, a hollow propeller shaft coupled to said hub and adapted for operative connection to a power plant for the vessel, a hydraulic motor comprising a piston and cylinder located in the hub for varying and controLling the pitch of said blades, means defining oil passages extending down said shaft for conveying power oil to said hydraulic motor, means defining a follow-up link of hollow tubular construction in said hollow shaft operatively coupled to said hydraulic motor for movement therewith, an air tube extending down said hollow shaft through said follow-up link and the piston and cylinder of said hydraulic motor and rigidly coupled to said hub at the stern end thereof, and adapted for connection to a pressurized air source at the forward end thereof, and means defining air passages from the rigidly coupled end of said air tube to the propeller blades for discharge of air through orifices opening from the blades.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
37 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 19 further comprising means for circulating fluid at a controlled temperature through the annulus between said hollow tube follow-up link and said air tube to control the temperature of said follow-up link.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
47 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 20 incuding means forming forward-to-aft and aft-to-forward fluid passages in said annulus along the length thereof, said passages communicating at their aft ends, and wherein said circulating means passes fluid to and receives fluid from said passages at the forward ends thereof.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
157 words
In a marine vessel, a controllable pitch propeller, a propeller hub, a plurality of controllable pitch propeller blades mounted on said hub, a hollow propeller shaft of substantial length coupled to said hub and adapted for operative connection to a power plant for the vessel, means for varying and controlling the pitch of said blades, means forming a movable follow-up linkage of substantial length extending down said hollow shaft and operatively associated with said propeller blades such that the instantaneous position of a selected point located on said follow-up linkage a substantial distance from said hub is indicative of the instantaneous actual pitch setting of said blades, and means for circulating controlled temperature fluid along at least a substantial part of the length of, and in contact with, said follow-up linkage so as to control the temperature thereof and minimize the possibility of erroneous pitch setting indications caused by thermal expansion and contraction of the follow-up linkage.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
157 words
In a marine vessel, a controllable pitch propeller, a propeller hub, a plurality of controllable pitch propeller blades mounted on said hub, a hollow propeller shaft of substantial length coupled to said hub and adapted for operative connection to a power plant for the vessel, means for varying and controlling the pitch of said blades, means forming a movable follow-up linkage of substantial length extending down said hollow shaft and operatively associated with said propeller blades such that the instantaneous position of a selected point located on said follow-up linkage a substantial distance from said hub is indicative of the instantaneous actual pitch setting of said blades, and means for circulating controlled temperature fluid along at least a substantial part of the length of, and in contact with, said follow-up linkage so as to control the temperature thereof and minimize the possibility of erroneous pitch setting indications caused by thermal expansion and contraction of the follow-up linkage.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-12-10 | 1977-06-11 | 1977-12-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-12-10 | 1981-06-11 | 1981-12-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-12-10 | 1985-06-11 | 1985-12-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |