Tillers that facilitate ambidextrous shifting of a marine drive

Abstract

A tiller is for steering a marine drive relative to a marine vessel. The tiller has a tiller arm and a lever for changing an operational characteristic of the marine drive. The lever is pivotably coupled to the tiller arm along a lateral pivot axis and extends along both the port side and the starboard side of the tiller arm and thus is manually operable from both the port side and the starboard side of the tiller arm. A sensor is configured to sense pivoting of the lever and electronically communicate a sensed position of the lever to a controller for controlling an operational characteristic of the marine drive.

1 . A tiller for steering a marine drive relative to a marine vessel, the tiller comprising:
 a tiller arm that extends from an inner end to an outer end in a longitudinal direction, from a top side to a bottom side in an axial direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and from a port side to a starboard side in a lateral direction that is perpendicular to the lateral direction and perpendicular to the axial direction, and   a lever for changing an operational characteristic of the marine drive, the lever being pivotably coupled to the tiller arm along a lateral pivot axis, the lever extending along both the port side and the starboard side of the tiller arm and thus being manually operable from both the port side and the starboard side of the tiller arm.   
     
     
         2 . The tiller according to  claim 1 , the lever comprising a port arm and a starboard arm which are pivotably coupled to the port side and the starboard side of the tiller arm, respectively. 
     
     
         3 . The tiller according to  claim 2 , further comprising a handle extending between the port arm and the starboard arm. 
     
     
         4 . The tiller according to  claim 2 , further comprising a port pivot joint coupling the port arm to the port side and a starboard pivot joint coupling the starboard arm to the starboard side. 
     
     
         5 . The tiller according to  claim 4 , the tiller arm comprising a chassis, the port pivot joint comprising a port pivot boss extending from the port arm into the chassis, and the starboard pivot joint comprising a starboard pivot boss extending from the starboard arm into the chassis, the port pivot pin and the starboard pivot boss being pivotable relative to the chassis along the lateral pivot axis. 
     
     
         6 . The tiller according to  claim 1 , further comprising a detent mechanism which retains the lever relative to the tiller arm in a forward position, a reverse position, and a neutral position. 
     
     
         7 . The tiller according to  claim 6 , the detent mechanism comprising a spring-loaded piston which is biased into engagement with the lever and thus retains the lever relative to the tiller arm in the forward position, the neutral position, and the reverse position. 
     
     
         8 . The tiller according to  claim 7 , the detent mechanism comprising grooves which seat the spring-loaded piston in the forward position, the neutral position, and the reverse position, respectively. 
     
     
         9 . The tiller according to  claim 1 , further comprising a stop mechanism which prevents over-pivoting of the lever relative to the tiller arm. 
     
     
         10 . The tiller according to  claim 9 , the stop mechanism comprising a leg which is pivoted with the lever and opposing stop surfaces which are engaged by the leg to prevent said over-pivoting. 
     
     
         11 . The tiller according to  claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to sense pivoting of the lever and communicate a sensed position of the lever to the marine drive. 
     
     
         12 . The tiller according to  claim 11 , further comprising a magnet which is rotated when the lever is pivoted, and the sensor comprising a magnetic sensor which senses pivoting of the magnet. 
     
     
         13 . The tiller according to  claim 12 , further comprising a magnet carrier which couples the magnet to the lever, the magnet carrier further comprising a leg configured to prevent over-pivoting of the lever relative to the tiller arm. 
     
     
         14 . The tiller according to  claim 1 , the operational characteristic of the marine drive comprises a shift state including a reverse state, a neutral state, and a forward state. 
     
     
         15 . A tiller for steering a marine drive relative to a marine vessel, the tiller comprising:
 a tiller arm,   a shift lever which is pivotably coupled to the tiller arm, and   a sensor configured to sense pivoting of the shift lever and electronically communicate a sensed position of the shift lever to a controller for controlling shifting of the marine drive.   
     
     
         16 . The tiller according to  claim 15 , further comprising a magnet coupled to the shift lever such that pivoting of the shift lever rotates the magnet, the sensor being a magnetic sensor which is configured to sense rotation of the magnet. 
     
     
         17 . The tiller according to  claim 16 , further comprising a magnet carrier which couples the magnet to the shift lever, the magnet carrier further comprising a leg configured to prevent over-pivoting of the shift lever relative to the tiller arm. 
     
     
         18 . A system for propelling a marine vessel, the system comprising:
 a marine drive,   a controller configured to control shifting of the marine drive,   a tiller for steering the marine drive relative to the marine vessel, the tiller comprising a shift lever which is pivotably coupled to the tiller, and a sensor configured to sense pivoting of the shift lever and electronically communicate a sensed position of the shift lever to the controller for controlling shifting of the marine drive.   
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 18 , further comprising a magnet coupled to the shift lever such that pivoting of the shift lever rotates the magnet, the sensor being a magnetic sensor which is configured to sense rotation of the magnet. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 19 , further comprising a magnet carrier which couples the magnet to the shift lever, the magnet carrier further comprising a leg configured to prevent over-pivoting of the shift lever relative to the tiller.