Exhaust treatment for outboard motor
First Claim
1. A marine outboard drive comprising an internal combustion engine having at least one exhaust port, a drive shaft housing and lower unit adapted to be supported upon the transom of an associated watercraft and having a propulsion device driven by said engine for propelling said watercraft through a body of water, an underwater exhaust gas discharge formed in said drive shaft housing and lower unit for discharging exhaust gases to the atmosphere through the body of water in which said watercraft is operating, exhaust conduit means for delivering exhaust gases from said exhaust port to said underwater exhaust gas discharge, and purging means responsive to a condition for precluding water from flowing above a predetermined position in said exhaust conduit means by purging water from said exhaust conduit means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An exhaust system for a marine propulsion outboard drive wherein the exhaust gases are normally discharged to the atmosphere at a point below the level of the body of water in which the watercraft is operating. A catalyst bed is provided in the exhaust system and the catalyst bed is protected from damage by precluding the flow of water in the exhaust conduit to the catalyst bed in response to certain conditions. These conditions may be either rapid deceleration of the engine or watercraft, stopping of the engine, or any of a combination of sensed factors. The water is precluded either by purging it through air pressure or from generating heat in the exhaust conduit, by providing a heat source in the exhaust conduit that will cause water to vaporize and increase the pressure or by a valve in the exhaust conduit positioned below the catalytic bed. The preclusion of water is initiated for only a predetermined time or until the sensed condition no longer is existent.
47 Citations
55 Claims
- 1. A marine outboard drive comprising an internal combustion engine having at least one exhaust port, a drive shaft housing and lower unit adapted to be supported upon the transom of an associated watercraft and having a propulsion device driven by said engine for propelling said watercraft through a body of water, an underwater exhaust gas discharge formed in said drive shaft housing and lower unit for discharging exhaust gases to the atmosphere through the body of water in which said watercraft is operating, exhaust conduit means for delivering exhaust gases from said exhaust port to said underwater exhaust gas discharge, and purging means responsive to a condition for precluding water from flowing above a predetermined position in said exhaust conduit means by purging water from said exhaust conduit means.
- 35. A marine outboard drive comprising an internal combustion engine having at least one exhaust port, a drive shaft housing and lower unit adapted to be supported upon the transom of an associated watercraft and having a propulsion device driven by said engine for propelling said watercraft through a body of water, an underwater exhaust gas discharge formed in said drive shaft housing and lower unit for discharging exhaust gases to the atmosphere through the body of water in which said watercraft is operating, exhaust conduit means for delivering exhaust gases from said exhaust port to said underwater exhaust gas discharge, and means responsive to a condition for precluding water from flowing above a predetermined position in said exhaust conduit means comprising a valve positioned at the predetermined position in the exhaust conduit means between said exhaust port and said underwater exhaust gas discharge.
- 37. A marine outboard drive comprising an internal combustion engine having at least one exhaust port, a drive shaft housing and lower unit adapted to be supported upon the transom of an associated watercraft and having a propulsion device driven by said engine for propelling said watercraft through a body of water, an underwater exhaust gas discharge formed in said drive shaft housing and lower unit for discharging exhaust gases to the atmosphere through the body of water in which said watercraft is operating, exhaust conduit means for delivering exhaust gases from said exhaust port to said underwater exhaust gas discharge, means for sensing a condition, and means responsive to the sensing of the condition for precluding water from flowing above a predetermined position in said exhaust conduit means, said sensed condition comprising a water level in the exhaust conduit means.
- 39. A marine outboard drive comprising an internal combustion engine having at least one exhaust port, a drive shaft housing and lower unit adapted to be supported upon the transom of an associated watercraft and having a propulsion device driven by said engine for propelling said watercraft through a body of water, an underwater exhaust gas discharge formed in said drive shaft housing and lower unit for discharging exhaust gases to the atmosphere through the body of water in which said watercraft is operating, exhaust conduit means for delivering exhaust gases from said exhaust port to said underwater exhaust gas discharge., means for sensing a condition, and means responsive to the sensing of the condition for precluding water from flowing above a predetermined position in said exhaust conduit means, said sensed condition comprising deceleration.
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47. A marine outboard drive comprising an internal combustion engine having at least one exhaust port, a drive shaft housing and lower unit adapted to be supported upon the transom of an associated watercraft and having a propulsion device driven by said engine for propelling said watercraft through a body of water, an underwater exhaust gas discharge formed in said drive shaft housing and lower unit for discharging exhaust gases to the atmosphere through the body of water in which said watercraft is operating, exhaust conduit means for delivering exhaust gases from said exhaust port to said underwater exhaust gas discharge, means for sensing a condition, and means responsive to the sensing of the condition for precluding water from flowing above a predetermined position in said exhaust conduit means, said sensed condition comprising the initiation of stopping of the engine.
- 48. A marine outboard drive comprising an internal combustion engine having at least one exhaust port, a drive shaft housing and lower unit adapted to be supported upon the transom of an associated watercraft and having a propulsion device driven by said engine for propelling said watercraft through a body of water, an underwater exhaust gas discharge formed in said drive shaft housing and lower unit for discharging exhaust gases to the atmosphere through the body of water in which said watercraft is operating, exhaust conduit means for delivering exhaust gases from said exhaust port to said underwater exhaust gas discharge, means for sensing a plurality of conditions, and means responsive to the sensing of any one of said plurality of conditions sensed for precluding water from flowing above a predetermined position in said exhaust conduit means in response to the sensing of any of said conditions.
- 53. A marine outboard drive comprising an internal combustion engine having at least one exhaust port, a drive shaft housing and lower unit adapted to be supported on the transom of an associated watercraft and having a propulsion device driven by said engine for propelling said watercraft through a body of water, an underwater exhaust gas discharge formed in said drive shaft housing and lower unit for discharging exhaust gases to the atmosphere through the body of water in which the watercraft is operating, exhaust conduit means for delivering exhaust gases from said exhaust port to said underwater exhaust gas discharge, and means responsive to a condition for precluding water from flowing above a predetermined position in said exhaust conduit means by providing a source of heat in said exhaust conduit means.
Specification