US 11,724,788 B2
Arrangement for a sailing boat furling system and a furling system with such an arrangement
Nils Janhäll, Askim (SE)
Assigned to SELDÉN MAST AB, Västra Frölunda (SE)
Appl. No. 17/764,299
Filed by Seldén Mast AB, Västra Frölunda (SE)
PCT Filed Sep. 21, 2020, PCT No. PCT/SE2020/050880
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 28, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/096404, PCT Pub. Date May 20, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1951310-0 (SE), filed on Nov. 13, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0371711 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. B63H 9/10 (2006.01)
CPC B63H 9/1028 (2013.01) [B63H 2009/105 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An arrangement for a sailing boat furling system arranged for reception of or comprising an outgoing shaft exposed to external torque loads, the arrangement comprising:
a furling drive unit comprising a gear mechanism and a motor unit connected to an ingoing shaft or motor shaft;
a ratchet mechanism comprising a locking functionality, the ratchet mechanism comprises a ratchet mechanism housing and is arranged for taking up the outgoing shaft, the furling drive unit is connectable to the ratchet mechanism and is so arranged that the motor unit is located distant from the outgoing shaft; and
a control unit for control of the motor unit driving the ingoing shaft,
wherein the outgoing shaft can be switched between an engaged mode, in which the outgoing shaft, when exposed to external torque loads in a first direction, is allowed to rotate in an opposite, second, direction but prevented from rotating in a said first direction, hence protecting the motor unit and the gear mechanism from external torque loads in said engaged mode, external torque loads on the outgoing shaft being transferred to or taken up by the ratchet mechanism, and a disengaged mode, in which the outgoing shaft and the ingoing shaft, or the motor shaft, are allowed to rotate in both directions, by controlling, by means of the control unit, the movement of the ingoing shaft, and thereby, via the ratchet mechanism, the outgoing shaft, between being in the engaged mode and in the disengaged mode, and
wherein the ratchet mechanism further comprises a ratchet hub which is rotatable within the ratchet mechanism housing, said ratchet hub being provided with rotatably stored ratchet pawls, each ratchet pawl being spring loaded by means of springs, that the ratchet mechanism housing comprises pawl locking seats in a substantially cylindrical inner wall thereof, and in that in the engaged mode, the ratchet pawls are taken up in said pawl locking seats, whereas in the disengaged mode the ratchet pawls are released from said pawl locking seats, hence allowing transfer between the engaged mode and the disengaged mode by controlling the direction and the speed of rotation of the ingoing shaft by the control unit controlling the motor unit, and in that external torques to which outgoing shaft is exposed are taken up by the ratchet mechanism housing via said ratchet pawls.