BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a boat cover, and specifically a motorized boat cover known as a bimini that uses a specialized actuator having synchronized worm-gears.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

A bimini top is a rain or sun cover on a boat or aquatic vehicle for providing protection from the elements to the boat occupants while the boat is in use. Some bimini designs extend or retract the canvas or cover manually. Some bimini designs use hydraulic cylinders from a metal supporting frame. Manual biminis can be laborious for the user when out on the water, and hydraulic cylinders on other biminis are expensive, difficult to maintain in marine environments, and take up usable space on the boat. Other previous bimini designs use drive screws or rack and pinion systems, which may require a lot of power to drive the system to full extension and may be prone to mechanical issues in a marine environment. Accordingly, there is a need for improved bimini mechanisms that can provide electronic synchronization for bimini actuators with a controller, has a more effective gearing location and operation, is enclosed/weather proof, has gears that does not strip under large forces, does not have gears that lock up, and wears out less often.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,477 discloses a retractable top for a boat having at least one strut having a first end attached to the top, and motor driven retraction device attached to the boat. The electrically driven device is attached to the boat and operatively coupled to the strut by means of a rack and pinion arrangement. The strut is moved between its first and second positions by the electrically driven device, whereby the top is electrically raised and lowered.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,895,964 discloses a retractable boat top device having an arched canopy assembly operatively deployed in mounted attachment upon a conventional radar arch or like elevated structure on the deck of a boat. The arched canopy assembly includes a stationery roof section formed having a curved planar surface transversely mounted within the radar arch, a pair of telescoping extension arms mounted on opposite sides of the roof section, and an arched roller assembled to hold a flexible canopy material thereon and operatively connected between the outer ends of the extension arms so that the flexible canopy material may be extended and retracted relative to the stationery roof section in an arched configuration substantially in the same plane as the roof section. The arched roller includes a curved roller bar supported coaxially Within the bore of a flexible hose member that supports the canopy material in a rolled-up state and further includes torsion spring members mounted along opposite sides of the roller bar to maintain tension upon the canopy material during roll-out and retraction.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,862,461 discloses an awning for a boat is operable between retracted and extended positions and includes a frame structure having left and right telescopically extendable and retractable tube assemblies each having a fixed tube, a telescopic mid tube and a telescopic end tube. Cross tubes extend transversely between each of the mid tubes and the end tubes. A canvas roller is mounted transversely between the fixed tubes. A sheet of marine canvas is secured to the roller and the end cross tube and is rolled onto the roller when the awning is retracted. A gear box disengages the canvas roller to allow the telescoping tube assemblies and canvas to be manually extended. To retract the awning, the gear box is engaged with the canvas roller and a removable crank handle is operated to rotate the roller and roll up the canvas as the frame structure is telescopically retracted.

U.S. Pat. No. 11,046,394 discloses an articulating top having a frame, a cover attached to the frame and a mounting bracket to attach the frame to a vehicle can be moved between a deployed position to provide shelter to an area below the top and a stowed position. The frame having main and secondary frame members in addition to one or more struts between a frame member and the vehicle to provide additional support to the frame such that the top can be used while the vehicle is in motion or in windy conditions. The top may also use one or more braces.

U.S. patent publication 2021-0047003 discloses a drive mechanism for a bimini top with a pair of bimini arms supporting the bimini top includes a motor, a worm screw coupled with the motor for rotation by the motor, and a driven gear coupled with the worm screw. One of the pair of bimini arms is connected to the driven gear, and the driven gear is configured for displacement between a stowed position and an extended position by operation of the motor. A pivot hub engages the driven gear via an intermediate hub, and the other of the pair of bimini arms is connected to the pivot hub. The pivot hub and intermediate hub are configured for displacement between a down position and an up position by operation of the motor through the driven gear and the intermediate hub. A first arc spanned by the driven gear between the stowed position and the extended position is greater than a second arc spanned by the pivot hub between the down position and the up position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed to a bimini-style boat cover frame, comprising two synchronized electronically actuated worm gear drive units, each drive unit mounted on either side of (port and starboard) a boat and connected to a front frame assembly and a back frame assembly that supports a canopy covering.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a bimini-style boat cover frame, comprising two synchronized electronically actuated worm gear drive units, each drive unit mounted on either side of (port and starboard) a boat and connected to a front frame assembly and a back frame assembly that supports a canopy covering, wherein the front frame assembly is configured as an inverted u-shaped arch comprising a port-side front strut connected to a starboard-side front strut using a curved front center arch, the front frame assembly also having a short interior arch comprising a port-side short front strut connected to a starboard-side short front strut using a curved front interior center arch, the port-side short front strut connected to a mid-section portion of the port-side front strut and the starboard-side short front strut connected to a mid-section portion of the starboard-side front strut, and wherein the back frame assembly is configured as an inverted u-shaped arch comprising a port-side back strut connected to a starboard-side back strut using a curved back center arch, the back frame assembly also having a short interior arch comprising a port-side short back strut connected to a starboard-side short back strut using a curved back interior center arch, the port-side short back strut connected to a mid-section portion of the port-side back strut and the starboard-side short back strut connected to a mid-section portion of the starboard-side back strut, and wherein the front frame and the back frame are attached to a canopy wherein the canopy covers the curved front center arch, the curved front interior center arch, covers the curved back center arch, and covers the curved back interior center arch, and wherein the canopy covers a top curved portion of the port-side front strut, a top curved portion of the starboard-side front strut, a top curved portion of the port-side short front strut, and a top curved portion of the starboard-side short front strut, and wherein the canopy covers a top curved portion of the port-side back strut, a top curved portion of the starboard-side back strut, a top curved portion of the port-side short back strut, and a top curved portion of the starboard-side short back strut, and wherein a port-side worm gear drive unit is connected to and synchronously drives the port-side front strut, and a starboard-side worm gear drive unit is connected to and synchronously drives the starboard-side front strut.

In an additional preferred embodiment, the port-side rear strut mount is slidably adjustable to travel closer and further to the port-side worm gear drive unit, and the starboard-side rear strut mount is slidably adjustable to travel closer and further to the starboard-side worm gear drive unit.

In another preferred embodiment, the port-side and starboard-side worm gear drive units include a planetary reducer, and a specific worm gear ratio to eliminate backdrive, preventing slippage.

In another preferred embodiment, the port-side and starboard-side worm gear drive units have a variable speed motor, configured for automatic pre-programmed stops, and configured for slowing speed to provide soft-stops.

In another preferred embodiment, the port-side worm gear is connected to and synchronously drives both the port-side front strut and the port-side back strut, and a starboard-side worm gear is connected to and synchronously drives both the starboard-side front strut and the starboard-side back strut.

In another preferred embodiment, the drive unit is wired or wireless.

In another preferred embodiment, the port-side worm gear and the starboard-side worm gear are mounted on the boat at a position that directly below an outer edge of the canopy space between the curved front interior center arch and the curved back interior center arch to balance strut forces from wind or rain that translate from the canopy movement to gear pressure through the struts.

In another preferred embodiment, the worm gear housing is enclosed and weather proof.

In another preferred embodiment, the worm gear is enclosed and a submersion test allows in less than 20 ml of water compared to other gearing, wherein the worm gear has resistance to stripping force having a range to resist stripping force from 400 ft lbs to 1100 ft lbs., wherein the worm gear maintains function under force, where tooth and pawl locks above 300 ft lbs of force, the inventive worm gear does not lockup at 300 ft lbs of force, and wherein the worm gear ranges from 5000 to 100,000 travels between replacements.

