Boat propeller drive unit with trim/tilt sensor

Claim 1

In a boat propeller drive unit of the type which has a portion securely mounted in an opening in a boat transom and designed to be drivingly connected to a motor placed inside the transom, and a propeller leg disposed outside the transom, said leg being adjustable to various angles in relation to the transom by tilting about a horizontal axis and pivotable about an upright steering shaft, said drive unit comprising means for providing to an instrument an output signal dependent on the tilting angle relative to the transom, which signal indicates said angle; the improvement in which said means comprise a signal emitter spaced from the tilt axis and having means extending through the steering shaft and cooperating with a position sensor which is joined to the propeller leg and extends in a circular arc having the tilt axis as its center, in order to actuate the signal emitter to send a signal dependent on the tilting angle of the propeller leg relative to the steering shaft, the signal emitter and the position sensor having elements which cooperate mechanically with each other, the signal emitter being joined to a shaft mounted in the steering shaft, said shaft having a gear thereon, and the position sensor comprising a toothed segment which is curved in a circular arc with the tilt axis as its center.