Dual thruster assembly for maritime vehicle

Abstract

A jet pump assembly for causing a maritime vehicle to traverse a body of water, and a maritime vehicle including such a jet pump assembly. The jet pump assembly includes a jet pump drive system including an impeller and a motor operatively coupled to the impeller. The jet pump assembly also includes a transom assembly that includes a transom plate including a first aperture facing the motor, a transom housing coupled to the transom plate, thereby enclosing the first aperture, and a transom box coupled to the transom plate and including a second aperture aligned with the first aperture. The jet pump assembly further includes a bottom plate coupled to and disposed perpendicular to the transom plate. The bottom plate includes a base and an opening formed through the base, wherein the opening is enclosed by the transom housing. The impeller is at least partially disposed within the transom box.

1 . A jet pump assembly for causing a maritime vehicle to traverse a body of water, the jet pump assembly comprising:
 a jet pump drive system including an impeller and a motor operatively coupled to the impeller to drive rotation of the impeller;   a transom assembly including:
 a transom plate including a first aperture facing the motor; 
 a transom housing coupled to the transom plate, thereby enclosing the first aperture; and 
 a transom box coupled to the transom plate and including a second aperture aligned with the first aperture; and 
   a bottom plate coupled to and disposed perpendicular to the transom plate, the bottom plate including:
 a base; and 
 an opening formed through the base, wherein the opening is enclosed by the transom housing, 
   wherein the impeller is at least partially disposed within the transom box.   
     
     
         2 . The jet pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the transom housing further includes a third aperture aligned with the first aperture of the transom plate, wherein the jet pump drive system further includes a drive shaft that operatively couples the motor to the impeller, and wherein at least part of the drive shaft is disposed in the transom channel and passes through the aperture. 
     
     
         3 . The jet pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the impeller includes an impeller head and a plurality of impeller blades disposed about the impeller head, wherein the impeller blades are rotatable about a central axis, and wherein the drive shaft is centered about an axis that is coaxially aligned with the central axis. 
     
     
         4 . The jet pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the jet pump drive system further comprises a directional nozzle coupled to the impeller. 
     
     
         5 . The jet pump assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the directional nozzle is at least partially disposed within the transom box. 
     
     
         6 . The jet pump assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the transom plate is coupled to the bottom plate via alignment fasteners inserted into alignment apertures formed in the transom plate and corresponding alignment apertures formed in the bottom plate. 
     
     
         7 . A method of assembling a jet pump assembly, comprising:
 assembling a transom assembly, including:
 coupling a transom plate, having at least a first aperture, to a transom box, having a corresponding second aperture; and 
 coupling a transom housing, having an inlet and an outlet, to the first aperture of the transom plate, such that the transom housing encloses the first aperture of the transom plate and the outlet of the transom housing is fluidly coupled to the first aperture of the transom plate; 
   installing a jet pump drive system on the transom assembly, the jet pump drive system including an impeller and a motor operatively coupled to the impeller to drive rotation of the impeller;   coupling the transom plate to a bottom plate, the bottom plate including an opening extending through the bottom plate; and   enclosing the opening with the transom channel, such that the opening is fluidly coupled to the inlet of the transom channel.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein installing the jet pump drive system on the transom assembly includes:
 inserting a drive shaft, having a first end and a second end, through the first aperture of the transom plate and the second aperture of the transom box and through a third aperture in the transom housing;   coupling the motor to the first end of the drive shaft;   coupling the impeller to the second end of the drive shaft.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising coupling the jet pump drive system to the bottom plate. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein coupling the jet pump drive system to the bottom plate includes:
 coupling the motor to a bracket, wherein the drive shaft passes through the bracket;   inserting alignment pins on the bracket in corresponding alignment holes on the bottom plate; and   fastening the bracket to the bottom plate.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein coupling the transom plate to the bottom plate includes inserting alignment pins on the transom plate into corresponding alignment holes on the bottom plate. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising creating water-tight sealing joints between the transom assembly, the jet pump drive system, and the bottom plate. 
     
     
         13 . A maritime vehicle configured to traverse a body of water, the maritime vehicle comprising:
 a hull; and   a jet pump assembly, comprising:   a jet pump drive system including an impeller and a motor operatively coupled to the impeller to drive rotation of the impeller;   a transom assembly including:
 a transom plate including a first aperture facing the motor; 
 a transom housing coupled to the transom plate, thereby enclosing the first aperture; and 
 a transom box coupled to the transom plate and including a second aperture aligned with the first aperture and a first lip disposed along at least a portion of a perimeter of the transom box, wherein the first lip is configured to sealingly engage an interior surface of the hull; and 
   a bottom plate coupled to and disposed perpendicular to the transom plate, the bottom   plate including:
 a base; and 
 an opening formed through the base, wherein the opening is enclosed by the transom housing. 
   
     
     
         14 . The maritime vehicle of  claim 13 , wherein the impeller is at least partially disposed within the transom box. 
     
     
         15 . The maritime vehicle of  claim 13 , wherein the base includes a lower surface wherein the bottom plate further includes a second lip that is offset from the lower surface and is disposed along at least one side of the bottom plate, and wherein the lower surface is flush with an exterior surface of the hull when the second lip is coupled to the interior surface of the hull. 
     
     
         16 . A method of installing a jet pump assembly on a maritime vehicle, comprising:
 providing the jet pump assembly, the jet pump assembly including:
 a jet pump drive system including an impeller and a motor operatively coupled to the impeller to drive the impeller; 
 a transom assembly including a transom plate, a transom box, and a transom housing; and 
 a bottom plate including a base, an opening formed through the base, and an outer lip disposed along at least a portion of a perimeter of the bottom plate and offset from a lower surface of the base; 
   coupling the outer lip of the bottom plate to an interior surface of a hull of the maritime vehicle;   coupling the transom box to the interior surface of the hull of the vehicle; and   installing the jet pump drive system in the transom assembly.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein coupling the outer lip of the bottom plate to an interior surface of a hull of the vehicle includes inserting the bottom plate in an opening disposed in the hull of the maritime vehicle. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising aligning a lower surface of the bottom plate with an exterior surface of the hull. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the jet pump drive system is installed in the transom assembly before coupling the bottom plate or the transom box to the interior surface of the hull of the vehicle. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the transom assembly is coupled to the bottom plate before coupling the bottom plate to the interior surface of the hull of the vehicle.