Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to a device for connecting
either one of two alternative operating means~ each of which
comprises an elongated incoming operating member wiih axial
operating movement, to a means intended for operation which
S likewise has an elongated axially movable outgoing operatin~
member, especially to couple either one of two gear shift
control cables to an operating cable leading to the gear shift
mechanism of a boat motor.
Certain motor boats are provided with two steering
locations, and steering as well as control of the motor should ~ -
be possible as desired from either location. Direct coupling
between the two operating levers for the gear shift mechanism 1~- :
of a boat motor is not desirable, inter alia because when
operating from one steering location, the other operating lever
and its transmission mechanism must also be brought into motion, - -
and additional frictional forces overcome, and this makes the
operation difficult and inexact. The purpose of the invention
is thus primarily to develop a change-over coupling device for
motor boats with double steering locations, with the help of
which device either one of two operating means is connected to
the gear shift mechanism of the motor, while the remaining
operating means is taken out of operation. The operating means
usually comprise operating levers which are coupled to control
wires or Bowden cables.l Thus the invention is primarily directed `
to a device for selective connection of either one of two
similar cables with a third cable which leads to the gear shift
mechanism. Alternatively, however, other transmission systems
are conceivable, for example link mechanisms.
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The problem is solved according to the invention in that
the device comprises a frame; that the incoming operating
members are connected to individual end portions of a link arm
which is pivotably and displaceably guided in its plane In the
S frame; that the outgoing operating member is directly or
indirectly pivotably connected to the central portion of the
link arm; that both end portions of the link arm have cam
engaging means disposed to cooperate with individual cams in
the frame7 wherein said cams extend essentially transverse to .~
the longitudinal direction of the link arm and are shaped as -.
mirror images of one another and each has a valley surrounded -~
by higher cam curve portions; and that the distance between ~.
the cam engaging means of the link arm is so chosen in relation
to the distance between the valleys of the cam curves and to
their depth that either one, but not both, of the end portions
of the link arm with associated cam engaging means can be swung .
out of the associated cam valley, while the cam en~aging means
at the opposite end of the link arm engages the associated cam
valley and forms the pivoting center of the link arm.
In a preferred embodiment of the device according to the .
invention the cam curve valleys are oriented with their bottoms
pointing towards one another and are siutated in cam ridges
pointing away from one another, and the portions of the link .:
arm's cam engaging means cooperating with the cams face one -~
another. I .~ .
According to an alternative embodiment of the invention
the cam curve valleys have their bottoms pointed away from.one
another and are siutated in cam curve denressions which point !".
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away from one another~ the Dortions of .he link arm's cam
engaging means cooperating with the cams facing away from one
another.
The cams are preferabiy n~de in a ca~ plate ir. the frame
which is parallel to the link arm. This simplifies the ~ -
manufacture of cams and frame. According to a preferred embodi-
ment the cams are formed of edge surfaces of openings in the
plate and the cam engaging means are rollers pivotably connected
to the link arm. Alternatively, the cams can be disposed as
non-penetrating grooves in the plate. Cam engaging means in the
form of slide surfaces 5 e.g. on feeler ~ins running in the cam
grooves, can be used as alternatives to rotating rollers.
According to a preferred embodiment of the device the
link arm is pivotably connected at its center portion to one end
of an intermediate arm, the other end of which intermediate arm
is pivotably connected to the center portion of a swing arm. One
end portion of the swing arm is pivotably connected to the frame
while the outgoing operating member is connected to the opposite
end portion of the swing arm. With this arrangement that loss of
movement which occurs in the operating movement in the first
link arm, acting as a single-armed lever, is counteracted by the
swing arm connected to the outgoing o~erating member, which
likewise acts as a single-armed lever. Thus the operating move-
ment of the outgoing operating cable can be made as great for
the ingoing operating Icables.
A simple, inexpensive and a productively advantageous
device according to the invention is characterized in that the
frame is formed of a single cam plate; that one link arm is
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~isposed on each side of the plate; that the cam engaging means
are disposed between the adjacent ends of the link arms; and
that the plate is provided with attachment or guide means for ~ -
the incoming and outgoing operating members. Thus the whole ~ - -
S coupling device accordin~ to the invention is completelY for~ed
of the single cam plate~ which is suitably provided with attach~
ment holes or other attachment means fGr attachment to the motor ~ ~
boat. If the device is to be mounted in the open it can be -
provided with a case, which can be constructed independently of
the function of the device. -
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Alternatively, the device can be so constructed that the
frame comprises two parallelly arranged cam plates with
identical cam curves running in parallel, the link arm being - -
located between the plates and having cam engaging means
arranged on both sides to engage the cam curves of the adjacent
plate. This device has fewer moving parts and can be made more ~5:. ~
rigid. ,- -
Two embodiments of the invention are described below with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1, 2 and
3 show the coupling device according to a first example of the
invention from the side~ above, and one end respectively; and
Figs, 4 and S show a second embodiment of the invention viewed
from the side and in section along the line V V in Fig. 4, -
respectivley.
The device shown in Figs. 1-3 comprises a frame in the
shape of an essentially rectangular plate 1, which from its ~ :
upper long side in Fig. 1 has a cut-out 2. Further, the plate
has a central rectangular opening 3 and a substantially
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rectangular opening 4 along its lower long side, which also has
- a perpendicularly bent-out bottom part 5, which forms the base
of the frame and is provided with holes 6 for attachment screws.
The right-hand portions, in the drawing, of the adjacent -~
S edges of the cut~out 2 and the opening 4 are shaped as cam
curves 7 and 8, respectively. The cam curves 7~8 are shaped as
mirror imæges of one another and each is form2d as a ridge 9
10, the top of which has a valley 11 and 12~ respectively. Two ~
link arms 13,14 are disposed parallel with one another on ;
either side of the cam ~late 1. Between each pair of adjacent -
ends of the link arms 13~14 there is a wheel 15 and 16,
respectively, journalled on an axle 17 and 18, respectively,
which extends through appropriate holes in the ends of the link ~ - -
arms 13,14. A fork-shaped wire attachment means 19 and 20, ~
respectively, is also pivotably journalled on the axle 17 and ~- - -
18, respectively, by the axle extending through holes (not
shown) in the legs of the wire attachment means~ which extend
beside the outwardly facing side surfaces of the link arms 13~
14. One end of the axles 17,18 has a head 21 of larger diameter.
Through the opposite end of the axle 17,18 a cotter pin, 22 and
23 respectively, extends on the outward facing side of t~e leg
of the respective wire attachment means. The wire attach~ent
means 19j20 are ri~idly joined to the ends of individual cable
cores 24 and 25 respectively (shown only schsmatically), which
extend essentially parahlel to the long sides of the cam plate
1 towards its left-hand short side in Fig. 1. There, the sheaths
241,25' (likewise only schematically shown) of the cable cores
24~25 are attached to the cam Plate 1 with the aid of clamps 26 `ff
and 27 respectively.
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10378;~3
An axle 28 extends between the axles 17 and 18, parallel
to the same, through link arms 13,14. The axle 28, as are axles
17 and 18, is provided with a head 29 and cotter pin 30. On the ..
axle 28 between the link arms 13 and 14, one end of an inter- :;
mediate arm 31 is journalled, said intermediate arm 31 lying in
the plane of the cam plate 1 and being movzble in its opening 3. ~ .
The opposite end of the i.ntermediate arm 31 extends between two ~ -
swing arms 32,33 disposed parallel . the cam plate 1 and is ~`
pivotably journalled on an axle 34 extending through a central
hole (not shown) in the swing arms 32,33. This axle, as are the
axles of the link arms 13~14S is provided with a head 35 and -.
cotter pin 36. ..
The swing arms 32 33, at their lower ends, are pivotably
journalled on an axle 37~ which extends through the cam plate `~
and is held.in place axially by means of a head 38 and cotter ~ -
. pin 39 on both outwardly facing sides of the swing arms 32,33. ~:-
The swing arms 32,33 are provided, between the axles 34 and 37~
with portions 40 and 41 respectively, bent out from one another~ .. ;. .
forming an intermediate space, through which the cable core 25 -
can run freely. The u~per ends of the swing arms 32,33 are also .i.~
bent out to form end portions 42 and 43, extending parallel at -
a greater distance from one another, and which grip the outsides .
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of the legs of a wire attachment member 44 of the same construc- . - -
tion as the wire attachment members 19,20. The wire attachment
member 44 is pivotably cornected to the swing arms 32,33 with
the aid of a transverse axle 45 which, as are the other axles~ .
is axially held in place with the aid of a head 46 and cotter ..
pin 47. The wire attachment member 44 is rig.idly joined to the . .
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end of a cable core 48 (shown only schematlcally)~ whose cable
sheath 48' (also shown only schematically) is held fast to the
cam plate 1 with the aid of a cla~p 49 screwed to the same~
- Cables 24,25 are the incoming o~erating ca~les an~ are
connected to individual alternative gear shi~t controls in a
motor boat. The operating cable 48 forms the outgoing cable,
which is connected to the gear shift ~.echanism of the boat motor-
The drawing shows the device in the state where both of the gear ~-
shift controls are in the neutral position. Under the effect of ~ ,
gravity the link arms 13 and 14 and the parts connected theretohave droppe~ down until the uppwer wheel 15 rests against the
bottom of cam curve valley 11. In this position the lower cam -' -
ridge 10 forms an arc of a circle having the axle 17 as center. ~-
Since the cam curves 7~8 are mirror images of one another,
conversely~ the cam curve ridge 9 is an arc of a circle with its
center in the center of the axle 18 when the wheel 16 rests
against the bottom of cam valley 12. The radiuS of the arcs 9~10
is designated by R in Fig. 1. This radius R is to be less than ;~
the distance between tne center line of the axle 17 (18) and the
nearest part of the wheel 16 (t5) on the opposing end of the
link arm~ so that said wheel can swing over the cam ridge 10 (9).
At the same time the greatest disLance A between facing parts of
the cam shall be greater than the distance B between the most
closely lying parts of the wheels 15,16. This prevents both -~
wheels from leaving their cam valleys 11,12 at the same time.
If the device is in the neutral position shown in Fig. 1
and cable core 25 is pulled out from the device to the left in
Fig. 1~ the lower ends of Lhe link arms 13~14 with the wheel 16 ~ -
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will pivot clockwise around the axle 17, and the wheel 16 will
run over the left-hand portion of the cam ridge 10. This also
displaces the intermediate arm 31 to the left in the opening 3 -
which will in turn pivot the swing arms 32,33 counter-clockwise
around the axle 37. This also gives the cable core 48 an
operating movement directed to the left, which acts on the gear
shift mech~nism of the mator, for example for engaging the ~ -
forward gear. The link arms 13,14 and the swing arms 32,33 act
as single-armed levers which are connected b~ tlie intermediate
arm 31. Thus the operating movement of the incoming cable is
transferred to the outgoing cable while ma;ntaining the direction.
The ratio between the sizes of the operating movements can be
chosen by the selection of lever lengths for the link arms 13,14
and the swing arms 32~33. ~ ;
If the operating movement on the cable core 25 is
directed in the opposite di~ection, to the right in Fig. 1, the
link arms 13,14 are displaced counter-clockwise around the axle ~-
17 so that the wheel 16 runs over the right hand cam ridge 10. ;
This movement is transferred via the intermediate arm 31 to the
swing arms 32,33 so that the cable core 48 is also displaced to
the right; thereby engaging the reverse gear.
If the operating movement is made on cable core 24 7 the
wheel 15 will roll from the position shown in Fig. 1 up one or ~
the other side of the cam valley 11 depending on the direction )! `
of the operating movement. This pulls the link arms 13,14
upwards until the lower wheel 16 engages agail.st the bottom of
cam valley 12. As the operating movement continues, the wheel 15
is moved out over one part or the other of the cam ridge 9,
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thereby pivoting the link arms 13,14. This movement is trans-
ferred in the manner de~cribed above by the intermediate arm 31
and the swing arms 32,33 to the outgoing operating cable 48. In -
this case also the operating movement in this cable will be in
the same direction as the incoming operating movement, due to ~the fact that the center of rotation for the link arms 13,14 has ~-
been shifted from the upper to the lower end of the link arms.
Figs. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of tne invention.
Parts which directly correspond to ~igs. 1-3 have retained the -
same reference numerals here. The change-over coupling device
according to Figs. 4,5 differs from that according to Figs. 1-3
primarily in that it is constructed of two parallelly arranged
cam plates and in that the cam curves face away from one another.
A first cam plate 50 has a foot 51 bent out at right angles for - -
attaching the coupling de~ice in a boat~ for example. A second
cam plate 52, arranged parallel to cam plate 50, is attached to ~ -
plate 50 at a distance from the same with the aid of spacing -~x
means (not shown) and posts 53 as well as axle 37. The cam
plates 50,52 are each provided with two openings 55,56 and 57,58
respectively. The openings in the two plates are identical w~th
one another and are aligned with one another. Furthermore, th~
upper openings 55,57 are shaped as mirror images of the lower
openings 56,58. The edges of the upper and lower openings facing
away from one another are shaped as cam curves 59 and 60. Each
cam curve is shaped as a comparatively shallow depression 61,62
in the middle of which there is a definite cam valley 63,64.
A link arm 65 is disposed between the cam plates 50,52 at
the openings 55-58. A penetrating tube 66 and 57 respectively is
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attached to both ends of the link arm 65, whic11 tube extends in
both directions from the link arm G5 through the openings 55,57 ~`
and 56~58~ respectively5 of the cam plates 50~52. In the neutral
po~ition shown in the drawing the iower tube 67 rests in the
lower cam valleys 64.
In its middle the link arm 65 is pivotably connected via -!': ---
the axle 28 to two paralle1ly disposed intermediate arms 31,31', ; -
the other ends of which are in turn pivotably connected via the - ~
axle 34 to the center point of two swing arms 32,33 parallelly ` ~ -
disposed to one another. The swing arms 32,33 are pivotable
around the axle 37 and are located next to the outwardly facing
side surfaces of the cam rlates 50,52. The axle 34 extends `
through an opening 6~ in the càm plate 50. The right hand
portion of the cam plate S2 is cut away to allow free movement
of the axle 34.
The two inComing opcrating cables 24~24' and 25,25' are --
connected (not shown in more detail here) with individual ends
of the link arm 65 while the outgoing operating cable 48,48' is
connected to the upper end of the swing arms 32~33.
In this case also~ the cams and the cam engaging means,
in this case in the form of tubes, are dimensioned so that when
a tube rests in the associated cam valley the opposite tube can
be freely displaced out of its associated cam valleys, while ~;
simultaneous displacement of both tubes from associated cam
valleys is prevented. ~n the neutral positio~ of the device as ~;
shown in the drawing the tube 67 rests in the cam valleys 64, ;~
so that the tube 66 via an operating movement of the cable-24 -'
can be freely swung out over the associated cam valleys 61.
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Lin~c arm 65 is then pivoted and its movement is trans*erred in
the manner described ahove to the swing arms 32~33 and the
outgoing cable 48. If the oPerating movement is instead imparted
to the cable 25 the tube 67 will slide up the sides of the
S associated cam valleys 64, displacing the link arm 65 upwards
until the upper tube G6 eng~ges the bottoms of cam valleys 63.
Continued operating moveme~t of the cable 25 causes the link arm
65 to rotate so that the tube 67 slides over the right-hand or
left-hand cam depressions 62. In this case also the operating
movement of the operating cable 25 is transferred to the out-
going cable 48 while maintaining the direction.
As in the embodiment according to Figso 1-3 the cams are *
shaped as arcs of a circle, the center points of which coincide
with the axis of the cam engaging means resting in the opposite
cam valley. This prevents the cam engaging means (~heel or tube)
forming the center of rotation from falling out of the
associated cam valley. The better the fitting is of these parts,
the less play there will be in the transference of the operating
movement.
In both of the embodiments the cable arrangement has been
shown so that the two incoming cables enter one short side of
the device while the outgoing cable is connected to the opposite
short side of the device. ~epending on how the change-over
coupling device is to be installed, the incoming and outgoing
cables can~ however, hle connected on the same short side of the
frame, whereby the incoming and outgoing operating movements
will have OppOsite dir~ctions; or the incoming operating cables
can be connected to individual short sides of the frame in
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which case the operating means of t~le incomin~ cable located on
the same side as the outgoin~ ca~le should have reversed wor]cing
direction~ for example in the form of a gear shift control with
inverted inner functioningO -
S The change-over coupiing device is suitably placed
relatively close to the motor so that the cable to the motor is
shorter than the czbles to the operating leversO In this way
there is greater frictional resistance to the movement of the
incoming cables than to the outgoing~ thereby guaranteeing that
the GUtgoing cable actua1ly performs the desired operating
movement and prevents the arm 13 or 65 from merely pivoting
around the axle 28 and possibly jammin~ without affecting the
outgoin~ cable.
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