The subject of the invention is an integrated electric outboard motor for propulsion of vessels, in which all components of the outboard motor are installed in an integral (unibody) housing, which also serves as a heat exchanger, motor support structure, mechanical protection of components contained in the housing. At the same time, the electric outboard motor is also the rudder of the vessel on which it is mounted, so it performs two functions: it drives the vessel and changes the direction of navigation (at the skipper's request).

The technical problem solved by the invention is such a construction of an electric outboard motor, which includes all the components necessary for operation within a single housing and which has no electrical conductor connected during operation; either for power supply or control. As a result, the outboard motor is durable, compact, efficient, easy to carry and use, and has all components well protected from external influences. The design minimizes the number of components exposed to corrosion, especially electrical connectors, as the only connector is inactive and protected during the operation of the invention.

Another technical problem solved by the invention is such an outboard motor construction which also acts as a rudder of the vessel during motor operation and during motor standstill. This allows the outboard motor to be used as the main or auxiliary rudder of the vessel to which it is attached.

Known older solutions in the field of electric outboard motors are known from documents US2429774A, US3791331A, JP2014080077A,US3791331A, JP4193682B2,

WO EP US CN JP CN104583071A, JP2014080077A , JP4337522B2, JP5477118B2, JP4193683B2, JP2011213217A.

Solution FR3098489B1 is known, where the drive assembly is positioned axially with respect to the main longitudinal axis of the invention and the invention does not serve as a rudder for the vessel.

A solution to the assembly of an electric outboard motor drive according to patent EP1826888 is also known. It relates to a support made of thermally conductive material, through which a shaft of the electric motor passes. On each side of the support, drive components are attached to it: electric motor, controller, reducer, etc. The front and rear covers close the support on both sides. The connection to the power supply (battery) is made through a pipe, in which a cable is arranged and which is inserted into the support from the top.

The present invention differs significantly from patent EP1826888 in terms of

- construction: our invention includes a self-supporting housing, i.e. without a support

- level of integration: in addition to the electric motor, electronic motor controller, reducer, bearings and seals, our solution also contains a battery pack, control panel with electronics, wiring and indicators.

The solution according to US8337264B2 does not integrate all components into a single housing. The same applies to patent US10106237B2.

The same applies to the solution according to patent AT518495B1 and patent US20180362131A1 , where the batteries and the control panel are connected to the drive assembly by an axle.

Only a drive assembly without batteries is also integrated in patent WO2019125177A1.

In US10029775B2, the drive system consists of three assemblies: a power supply assembly, a drive assembly and an adapter, the drive assembly being similar to that of EP1826888. It is therefore not a fully integrated solution as in our invention.

Patent US20150004856A1 has an electric motor separated from the propeller shaft with a propeller.

The patent solution WO2018026735A1 includes an integrated electric motor and a reducer, but not an electronic motor controller, batteries and other components.

Other already known generic outboard drives are for example EP2730494A1 , JP2005/162055A and EP1100717B1.

A common feature of all the solutions listed here is that they consist of several parts that are interconnected or assembled; often involve cable connections. In all of these solutions, the following problems remain unresolved or poorly solved:

- the problem of connecting cables where the contacts corrode,

- the problem of cumbersomeness for transport and carrying,

- the problem of rigidity and durability of the entire outboard motor,

- the water tightness problem of the entire outboard motor,

- the problem of efficient heat dissipation from components that are loaded with large currents and

- the problem of steering the vessel when the outboard motor is running at low power or when it is not running.

According to the invention, the problem is solved with an integral metal housing having good thermal conductivity, which has only two openings: a lower one for the output of the drive shaft to the propeller and an upper one for the user interface and the charging terminal. Inside the housing, which also serves as a structural support for the components, all the components necessary for the operation of the invention are arranged in such a way that the contact with the housing allows for efficient heat dissipation, the components are protected from environmental impacts and together with the housing form a solid structure which is easy to carry due to its compactness.

The integral housing thus has the function of a heat exchanger, the supporting structure of the motor, the mechanical protection of the components located in the housing and the function of a rudder of the vessel on which the motor of the invention is mounted.

The invention will be described by way of an embodiment and Figure 1 which schematically represents an integrated electric outboard motor.

The basic construction, which is at the same time a housing 15 of the integrated electric outboard motor, is made of a light metal alloy with high thermal conductivity and high structural strength, such as aluminium and its alloys. The housing 15 is integrally made of one piece and is of a flat shape, i.e. a slim and elongated shape with a rounded front and rear edge, so the housing 15 has a hydrodynamic shape and provides low resistance when moving through fluids. Due to the slim and elongated shape of the housing 15, preferably similar to a flattened ellipse, the motor according to the invention also acts as a rudder of the vessel on which it is mounted, even when the vessel itself is not actively propelled. In the lower part of the housing 15 there is mounted a drive assembly 6, preferably consisting of an electric motor 7, a drive shaft 9, bearings and seals 10, and a speed reducer, which in known ways allow power transfer to a propeller 11 and prevent water from entering the housing 15.

The propeller 11 which is mounted coaxially with the drive assembly 6 and perpendicular to the housing 15 converts the work of the electric motor 7 into a thrust force.

On the lower part of the housing 15, a protective anode 8 is placed under the propeller 11 , which helps to protect the housing 15 against corrosion. A protective anode is also mounted on the motor drive shaft 9.

A battery 12 is mounted in the housing 15, which provides electricity for the electric motor 7 and other electronics. The layout and composition of cells 13 in the battery 12 depends on the size and shape of the cells 13 used. Different shapes and technologies of cells 13 can be used, which are arranged into the most optimal layout that may differ from the layout shown in Figure 1. In one variant, cylindrical cells 13 are used that are stacked in horizontal clusters stacked on top of each other. In a further embodiment, when using flat rectangular cells 13, these are stacked in clusters of cells next to each other, these clusters being stacked on top of each other.

A housing 14 of the battery 12 mechanically connects the cells 13 to each other and forms an assembly that can be inserted in one piece into the housing 15 during production. The housing 14 of the battery 12 is made of durable material and tightly fits the housing 15. The assembly formed by the housing 14 of the battery 12 and the cells 13 provides additional structural support, which makes the entire electric outboard motor more resistant to loads due to external forces.

Safe operation of the battery 12 is provided for by a protective circuit 4 which monitors the charging and discharging of the battery 12 and checks that during operation of the invention the characteristics of the battery 12, such as voltage, current and temperature, are within the intended operating parameters.

The speed and direction of rotation of the electric motor 7 is controlled by an electronic controller 5 of the electric motor 7, located in the lower part of the housing 15, with which it is in good thermal contact, so that good heat transfer is ensured between the two components. Preferably, the electronic controller 5 is located in front of or above the drive assembly 6.

The user controls the motor via a user interface 16 on a control panel 1 at the top of the housing 15. In addition to the user interface 16, the control panel 1 may also have a charging terminal 18, an indicator 17, a vent 19 and a safety switch 2. Below the control panel 1 , there is a printed circuit board 3 which controls the components on the control panel 1 and converts the user entries on the user interface 16 into commands for controlling the electric motor 7.

The user interface 16 shown in Figure 1 consists of two buttons, but other interfaces are also possible, which are not shown and which allow the same control of the electric motor 7. In the interface 16 shown, one button is used to rotate the propeller 11 in one direction and the other to rotate it in the opposite direction. Pressing one of the buttons increases the speed of the propeller 11 in the corresponding direction, and pressing the other button lowers this speed all the way to the point where the electric motor 7 stops. Pressing the second button again causes the direction of rotation of the propeller 11 to change in the other direction. The user can therefore easily operate the motor according to the invention with just two buttons. When the propeller 11 rotates in the opposite direction, the buttons switch the function of acceleration and deceleration. If both buttons are pressed at the same time, the electric motor 7 or the propeller 11 stops.

The indicator 17 informs the user about the condition of the electric motor 7 and the battery 12 in known ways, for example by using LED lights.

The housing 15 is completely sealed in known ways, so the pressure equalization during regular operation is ensured by the vent 19. At the same time, the vent 19 acts as a safety valve in the event of a sudden increase in pressure inside the housing 15 in the event of an unforeseen failure.

Various power supplies can be connected to the charging terminal 18, which enable charging of the battery 12. Even during charging, the motor according to the invention can be used to power the vessel.

The electric outboard motor is switched on when the safety switch (killswitch) 2 is placed in its place, which is preferably on the lower part of the control panel 1. The safety switch 2 is preferably attached to the control panel 1 with magnets. When the safety switch 2 is removed, the motor stops immediately.

The components that produce a not negligible amount of heat during operation, such as (but not limited to) the electric motor 7 and the electronic controller 5 of the electric motor 7, are mounted directly on the housing 15, which means that at least part of their surfaces is in direct contact with the housing 15. Optionally, an additional thermally conductive substance can be added between said components and the housing 15. When using an electric outboard motor according to the invention to power a vessel, at least half of the housing 15 is immersed in water. The housing 15, due to the excellent thermal conductivity of the material, provides effective drainage of heat to the surroundings and thus keeps the components at lower temperatures, where their operation is more efficient and the efficiency is higher. The integration of all these components into the housing 15, in addition to excellent heat dissipation, also offers excellent protection against external influences, which extends the durability and service life of the motor according to the invention.

Said motor construction according to the invention further allows that no external electrical conductor, neither for power supply nor for control, is connected during operation of the outboard motor to the outboard motor or to any component of the outboard motor or between different parts of the outboard motor.

Said motor construction according to the invention further allows the housing 15 to have two and only two openings. Through the lower opening located on a thickened part of the housing 15 behind the propeller 11 , the drive assembly 6 is inserted into the housing 15 together with the electronic controller 5 and the power transmission to the propeller 11. A battery 12 with the protective circuit 4 and the printed circuit board 3 is inserted into the housing 15 via the upper opening, and the user interface 16, the charging terminal 18, the indicator 17, the vent 19 and the safety switch 2 are mounted on the cover of the upper opening, which represents the upper surface of the housing 15 or the control panel 1 . Both openings are hermetically sealed in known ways, for example with a sealant or glued.

The upper part of the housing 15, i.e. the part of the housing 15 above the top of the propeller 11 , has a fixed cross-section in the vertical direction, which means that the housing 15 and thus the motor according to the invention have a fixed cross-section all the way to the control panel 1. The unchanged cross-section of the housing 15 makes it possible to attach a fastening element which can be continuously moved along the housing 15, in order to attach the motor according to the invention to the vessel at any height of the housing 15. In this way, the motor according to the invention can be mounted on a number of different vessels having different heights between the mounting point and the sea level, which differs significantly from other existing solutions where the distance between the mounting point and the sea level is fixed.

High efficiency due to excellent heat dissipation, possibility of using the invention as a rudder for the vessel, minimization of environmentally exposed components, solid construction of the whole invention and easy handling due to the compactness of the invention are innovative advantages of the invention - integrated electric outboard motor, which differentiate the invention from the existing and known solutions.