LOAD REACTIVE MEMBER AND DEVICES USING THE MEMBER

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a load reactive member for allowing relative movement of an article when a predetermined load is reached, and to various devices including such a member . In specific embodiments , such devices include control levers, and gear drive assemblies such as those used in a berley macerator .

Background of the Invention

Devices for allowing movement of one article relative to another when load is applied are known and can take many forms from sprag clutch type arrangements through to frangible type devices or the like.

In many engineering applications , such devices are relatively sophisticated and therefore can be complicated and expensive .

Summary of the Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive load reactive member which can be used in a number of different environments .

The invention may be said to reside in a load reactive member for allowing relative movement of an article when a predetermined load is reached, comprising: a component having at least one region against which the article can abut; a space; a resilient bridge between the space and the region ; and > wherein when the article abuts the region and the load is less than the predetermined load, substantially no relative movement occurs , but the space and the resilient bridge enable the region to move when the load on the

article reaches -the predetermined load so that the article can move past the region relative to the component by virtue of resilient movement of the bridge.

Thus, a relatively inexpensive member is provided which enables the article to move when a predetermined load is applied and which can be used in a number of different environments . The level of the load required before the article will move can be designed by the size of the resilient bridge and the amount of deformation of the bridge into the space which is required to enable the article to move past the region.

In one embodiment of the invention the member comprises a plate having a central cut-out defined by a first enlarged end, a second enlarged end a narrow intermediate section between the ends, and wherein the space comprises a pair of openings through the plate adjacent the intermediate section, and wherein the resilient bridge comprises portions of the plate between the intermediate section and the adjacent openings.

In one embodiment the plate is circular.

In one embodiment the adjacent openings are curved slots.

In one application of a first embodiment of the invention the article is in the form of a lever intended to be moved from one enlarged end of the opening to the other enlarged end of the opening past the intermediate section to give positive feel of the lever when moved from the one end to the other end.

In a second embodiment of the invention the member has a central body section and at least one finger for engaging the article, the space being defined by an open ended slot between the central body section and the finger, the at

— ^ —

least one region being an outer surface of the finger and the resilient bridge being formed by the finger.

In the preferred form of this embodiment of the invention three said fingers are provided on the central body.

In an application of this embodiment the article is in the form of an outer gear which engages the fingers so that when a predetermined load is applied from the member to the gear, the member can move relative to the gear to stop rotation of the gear .

This embodiment has particular- application to a berley macerator for macerating fish for use as bait.

The invention also provides a control lever assembly mounted for selective movement along two generally parallel paths and for lateral movement from one path to the other path, comprising a said member as described above for receiving the lever so that in order to move the lever from one path to the other path, the lever resiliently deforms the resilient bridge to give a positive feel to the movement from the said one path to the other path and to prevent spurious movement from the one path to the other path.

Thus, in this aspect of the invention definite movement of the lever by an operator is required to move the lever relative to the member and the predetermined load is that which is generally applied when the lever is moved. This therefore gives the positive feel to movement of the lever from one path to the other path during lateral movement, and prevents the lateral movement from occurring in a spurious fashion .

The invention also provides a berley macerator, comprising;

a drive gear ; a motor for driving the drive gear; a shaft for supporting a chopper for chopping substances into pieces for use as fish bait; and a said member located between the gear and the shaft so that if the chopper is jammed and a predetermined load exists between the gear and the member due to jamming of the chopper, the gear can move relative to the member .

This can prevent burn-out or overdraw of current of control circuitry for controlling the motor and also provide a signal that the macerator should be turned off so that the blockage can be cleared safely without the risk of a person being cut if the person clears the blockage with his or her hands.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is a plan view of a load reactive member according to one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the member of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of a member according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the member of Figure 3 mounted in a gear;

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a control lever housing and control lever movement pattern according to an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a control lever assembly of one embodiment of the invention;

, Figure 7 is a view of the assembly of Figure 6 showing some additional detail;

Figure 8 is a side view of a gear arrangement for a berley macerator according to another embodiment of the

_ c _

invention ;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the arrangement of Figure 8; and

Figure 10 is an exploded diagram of a berley macerator according to one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments With reference to Figure 1, a load reactive member according to a first embodiment of the invention is shown .

The member 10 comprises a circular plate 12 having an opening 14. The opening 14 has a first enlarged end 16, a second enlarged end 18 and a narrow intermediate section 20. A first space 22 is provided next to the opening 14 and adjacent to the narrow section 20. A second space 24 is provided on the other side of the opening 14. The spaces 22 and 24 are preferably in the form of arcuate slots which pass completely through the plate 12. A first bridge 26 and a second bridge 28 are formed by the parts of the plate between the slots 22 and 24 and the intermediate narrow section 20.

The embodiment shown in Figure 1 , as will be described in more detail hereinafter, is intended to give a positive feel to movement of a control lever from one lateral position to another lateral position, so the control lever at the two lateral positions can then move along paths by pivotal movement of the control lever around a central axis to control movement of a boat or the like.

The amount of load which needs to be applied to the control lever so the control lever moves from the end 16 to the end 18 through the intermediate section 20 depends on the thickness of the bridges 26 and 28. The amount of load can therefore be controlled by making the openings 22 and 24 slightly larger, as is shown by dotted line 30 around the slots 22 and 24. Thus, as the bridges 26 and

^• - o "-

28 become smaller, the less load or force is needed to move the lever from the end 16 to the end 18.

The plate 12 is preferably formed from resilient plastics material so that the bridges 26 and 28 resiliently deform when a predetermined load is applied by the lever to regions 29 which define the central section 20 and so that the bridge resiliently deforms into the slots 22 and 24 and then returns to its equilibrium position after the lever has cleared the regions 26.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of a second embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment the member 40 has a central body 42 and a plurality of arms 44 extending in "spiral galaxy form" from the central body 42. In other words, the arms 44 are generally circumferential arms extending in the circumferential direction of a circle surrounding the body 42. Each arm 44 has a boss 45 at its end and is separated from the central section 42 by a space 46 which is generally in the form of an open ended slot. The bosses 45 have outer surfaces 47 and the arms themselves define bridges 49 between the surfaces 47 and the slots 46.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the member 40 arranged within an outer gear 122 for use in a berley macerator . The outer gear 122 is provided with recesses 152 on its inner circumference into which the bosses 45 can locate.

Figures 5 to 7 show the embodiment of Figure 1 used in a control lever assembly. As shown in Figure 5, the control lever assembly has two generally parallel paths 60 and 62 along which a lever (not shown in Figure 5) can move. The embodiment of Figures 5 to 7 relates specifically to a control lever for a boat of the type described in our

International Patent Application No. PCT/AU2005/001608. The contents of that specification are incorporated into

this specification by this reference. As shown in Figure 5, the path 62 is intended to control a boat in a manoeuvring mode between a maximum forward speed and a maximum reverse speed and through a neutral position. The path 60 controls movement of the boat in a cruise mode between a maximum forward speed and a maximum reverse speed again through a neutral position. The neutral positions are joined by a path 63 so that the lever can move laterally from the path 62 to the path 60. The member of Figure 1 controls movement of the lever through the path 63 so that a positive feel is provided to movement of the lever and the lever will not spuriously move through the path 63 between the paths 60 and 62.

As is shown in Figure 6, a control lever assembly 70 has a housing 72 which has open slots to define the paths 6O ₇ 62 and 63. Only one wall defining the path 60 is shown in Figure 6 because the housing is cut away to show the internal mounting of the member 10. The shaft 74 of control lever 76 passes through opening 14 of member 10, and the shaft 74, as is explained in detail in the above- mentioned patent, is mounted for pivotal movement about axis A in one of the paths 60 or 62 and also lateral movement in the direction of the axis A through the path 63. When in the path 62, the lever 74 locates at end 16 of the opening 14 and when in path 60, the lever locates in end 18 of the path 60. In order to move from the path 62 to the path 60 , the lever must pass through the narrow intermediate section 20. Thus, when the lever is pushed in the direction of the axis A by an operator, the lever abuts the regions 29 defining the narrow intermediate section 20 (see Figure 1) and those surfaces are pushed outwardly in the direction of arrows B in Figure 1 , which movement is accommodated by the spaces 22 and 24. The lever can therefore force through the narrow section 20 from one path 62 to the other path 60 whilst at the same time giving a positive feel to the movement and

controlling unwanted movement of the lever between the two paths . Thus , the operator has positive feel of movement from one path to the other and cannot erroneously move the lever from one path to the other .

As the lever moves past the surfaces 29, the openings 22 and 24 deform because of the movement of the material which makes up the bridges 26 and 28 into those spaces and because of the resilient nature of the bridges , the material returns to the position shown in Figure 1 after movement of the lever for the next controlled movement of the lever .

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the entire member 10 is formed from a resilient plastics material. However, if desired, only the bridges portions 26 and 28 need be formed from resilient material to allow movement of the lever through the intermediate narrow section 20 and then return of the intermediate section 20 to its equilibrium position.

As shown in Figure 7, the member 10 is held by a housing section 78 which has a groove or cut-out 79 into which the member 10 locates. The housing section 78 is mounted for rotary movement with the lever 76 so that when the lever 76 moves along one of the paths 60 or 62, the housing 78 and therefore the member 10 also moves with the lever. Relative movement of the lever 76 with respect to the member 10 only occurs when lateral movement of the lever 76 through the passage 63 occurs.

Figures 8 to 10 show a berley macerator in which the embodiment of Figure 3 is used. Full details of the berley macerator can be found in our International Application No. PCT/AUOl/01581. Again, the contents of that specification are incorporated into this specification by this reference.

— Q —

As is explained in the International application, berley macerators are devices which are usually used on small boats to attract fish. The berley macerator generally comprises a rotatable chopper blade and a bucket. Bait such as fish or the like is thrown into the macerator and chopped and by sea action, water flows into and out of the bucket so that pieces of chopped fish can flow from the bucket and trail behind the boat to attract fish which can then be caught by the fisherman in the boat. One safety issue with berley macerators is that if the chopper blade within the bucket becomes jammed by fish bones or the like and a person reaches into the bucket to clear the blockage whilst the macerator is still powered, the chopper blade may cause injury to the person. Also, jamming of the chopper blade can cause an overdraw of current to a motor powering the macerator, which can damage the motor or the control circuitry for controlling the macerator.

As shown in Figures 8, 9 and 10, the berley macerator generally includes a bucket or container 100 which has holes 101 so that sea water can flow through the bucket either through the holes or over top edge 102 of the bucket and wash chopped pieces of fish out of the bucket for attracting fish. Generally fisherman will throw small fish or other bait into the bucket which is chopped by a chopper blade 196 which is mounted on a shaft 194 by a nut 198. The shaft 194 projects through a stem 184 in a housing part 180 which bolts onto a lower housing part 186 by bolts or screws (not shown) which pass through hollow bosses 182.

A motor 120 is provided with an output shaft 124 which has a worm gear 126 which drives a drive gear 122. The drive gear 122 is shown in Figure 4 and supports the member 40 shown in Figure 3. In other embodiments it should be noted the gear and member could be independently supported

by bushes or bearings to run concentrically. The shaft 124 may be journalled in a bushing or bearing 187 which locates in a contoured profile 189 within the housing 186. The shaft 194 which carries the chopper blade 196 passes through a central hole 199 of the member 40 and is fixed to the shaft 194. Thus, the shaft 194 and member 40 can rotate as an integral unit. The end of the shaft 194 can journal in a bearing or bushing 192. The motor 120 locates in a contoured portion 188 formed in the housings 186 and 180.

The control circuitry for controlling the motor 120 is not shown . Suffice it to say that the control circuitry is the same as that in the aforementioned International application, except that the shut off of the motor when a jamming occurs by sensing a current change is not included. Instead of cutting off the motor when a current change is sensed, the member 40 allows the shaft 194 and therefore the chopper 196 to stop if it becomes jammed, whilst the motor 120 and the gear 122 continue to rotate.

This therefore avoids the need for relatively expensive sensing componentries and replaces them by a relatively inexpensive member 40.

If the chopper blade 196 does become jammed and the motor 120 continues to rotate the gear 122, the member 40, because it is fixed to the shaft 194, stops moving, thereby enabling the gear 122 to move relative to the member 40 by the bosses 45 moving out of the cut-outs 152. This is accommodated by resilient movement of the fingers

144 into the spaces 46. The load which is required between the stationary member 40 and the rotating gear ring 122 can be determined by the length of the bridge 47 by in turn making the slot 46 shorter or longer than that shown in Figure 4. When the predetermined load has been reached by virtue of the motor driving the gear 122 and the member 40 being stopped because of a jamming of the

chopper blade 196, the bosses 45 simply slide over inner periphery 153 of the gear 122. This will generally result in some sound, particularly as the bosses 45 move over the cut-outs 152, alerting the fisherman to a problem, who can then switch off the macerator and clear the blockage.

In the preferred embodiments of the invention the predetermined load is adjusted by the size of the bridge 45 or bridge 26/28. By some experimentation, suitable bridge sizes can be determined to provide a release of the article at the predetermined load required, depending on the application of the member 10 or 40.

It will be noted in the embodiment of Figure 1 that the member 10 remains stationary and the lever moves when the predetermined load is reached. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the member 40 moves when the predetermined load is reached. Thus, the relative movement between the components can be a movement of the article whilst the member remains substantially stationary, or a movement of the member whilst the article remains substantially stationary.

Since modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention may readily be effected by persons skilled within the art, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described by way of example hereinabove.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.