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A system for adjusting the pitch of a variable pitch propeller has a hub assembly, a valve assembly, and a fluid supply assembly. The hub assembly comprises a hub rotatably driven by a propeller shaft, an actuator connected to the hub, and a plurality of propeller blades connected to the actuator wi

A system for adjusting the pitch of a variable pitch propeller has a hub assembly, a valve assembly, and a fluid supply assembly. The hub assembly comprises a hub rotatably driven by a propeller shaft, an actuator connected to the hub, and a plurality of propeller blades connected to the actuator with at least one mechanical connection. The valve assembly is in fluid communication with the valve assembly and the actuator. The fluid supply assembly comprises a valve control mechanism that is isolated from the valve assembly and the hub assembly. The valve control mechanism provides a variable hydraulic pressure control signal to the valve assembly, which transfers fluid to the actuator as a function of the variable hydraulic pressure control signal. Based on the fluid pressure in the actuator, the pitch of the propeller blades is adjusted.

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1. A system for adjusting the pitch of a variable pitch propeller, the system comprising: a duct assembly mounted to an exterior of a deck of a vehicle;a hub assembly disposed within the duct assembly, the hub assembly comprising: a hub rotatably driven by a propeller shaft extending from an engine

1. A system for adjusting the pitch of a variable pitch propeller, the system comprising: a duct assembly mounted to an exterior of a deck of a vehicle;a hub assembly disposed within the duct assembly, the hub assembly comprising: a hub rotatably driven by a propeller shaft extending from an engine mounted to the vehicle;an actuator connected to the hub; anda plurality of propeller blades connected to the actuator with at least one mechanical connection;a valve assembly disposed within the duct assembly and in fluid communication with the actuator, the valve assembly comprising: a piston pilot valve; anda proportional valve having a tip that contacts the piston pilot valve, wherein an opening is created within the proportional valve depending on a location of the tip; anda fluid supply assembly in fluid communication with the valve assembly through a plurality of hydraulic lines extending through the deck, the fluid supply assembly comprising a valve control mechanism isolated from the valve assembly and the hub assembly within an interior of the deck;wherein the valve control mechanism provides a variable hydraulic pressure control signal to the valve assembly, the valve assembly transfers fluid to the actuator as a function of the variable hydraulic pressure control signal, and the mechanical connection adjusts the pitch of the propeller blades relative to fluid pressure in the actuator. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the valve control mechanism is an electro-hydraulic servovalve. 3. The system of claim 2, the valve control mechanism further comprising: an electrical supply; anda controller for providing an input current that is proportional to the variable hydraulic pressure control signal. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the input current determines a position of a spool within the valve control mechanism, which creates an opening proportional to the input current, and fluid passes through the opening and is transferred to the valve assembly at a first pressure to create the variable hydraulic pressure control signal. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein: the piston pilot valve includes a front face and a rear face; and the valve assembly further comprises: a first chamber bounded on a first side by the rear face of the piston pilot valve; anda second chamber bounded on a first side by the front face of the piston pilot valve;wherein the first chamber receives the variable hydraulic pressure control signal from the valve control mechanism, the second chamber receives fluid from the fluid supply assembly, and the piston pilot valve axially moves relative to a difference in fluid pressures between the first chamber and the second chamber. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein movement of the piston pilot valve causes fluid from the second chamber to be transferred to the actuator through a hydraulic line. 7. The system of claim 5, wherein movement of the piston pilot valve in an axial direction stops when fluid pressure in the first chamber is about half the fluid pressure in the second chamber. 8. The system of claim 5 wherein: the tip contacts the front face of the piston pilot valve. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein, as the piston pilot valve moves in a first axial direction, the opening within the proportional valve increases and as the piston pilot valve moves in a second axial direction the opening within the proportional valve decreases. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein fluid within the first chamber is transferred through the opening in the proportional valve and back to a reservoir of the fluid supply assembly. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid supply assembly further comprises: a reservoir; anda pump for pumping a first portion of fluid from the reservoir to the valve control mechanism and a second portion of fluid from the reservoir to the valve assembly. 12. The system of claim 1, the mechanical connection comprising: a piston connected with the actuator that moves in an axial direction depending on fluid pressure within the actuator, the piston having a slot for each propeller blade; anda pin and roller assembly connected to an end of each propeller blade and received within the slot in the piston. 13. The system of claim 10, wherein when fluid pressure is greater in a first chamber of the actuator than in a second chamber of the actuator, the piston moves in a first axial direction and the pin and roller assembly rotates in a first rotational direction to decrease the pitch of the propeller blade; and wherein when the fluid pressure is greater in the second reservoir of the actuator than in the first reservoir of the actuator, the piston moves in a second axial direction and the pin and roller assembly rotates in a second rotational direction to increase the pitch of the propeller blade. 14. A system for adjusting the pitch of a variable pitch propeller, the system comprising: a hub assembly comprising: a hub rotatably driven by a propeller shaft;an actuator connected to the hub and having a first actuator chamber and a second actuator chamber; anda plurality of propeller blades connected to the actuator with at least one mechanical connection;a valve assembly in fluid communication with the actuator, the valve assembly comprising: a piston pilot valve having a front face and a rear face;a first piston chamber bounded on one side by the rear face of the piston pilot valve;a second piston chamber bounded on one side by the front face of the piston pilot valve; anda proportional valve having a tip that contacts the front face of the piston pilot valve, wherein an opening is created within the proportional valve depending on a location of the tip; anda fluid supply assembly in fluid communication with the valve assembly; the fluid supply assembly comprising: a valve control mechanism comprising: an electrohydraulic servovalve that is electrically isolated from the valve assembly;an electrical supply;a controller for providing an input current to the electrohydraulic servovalve that is proportional to the variable hydraulic pressure control signal;a fluid supply reservoir in fluid communication with the opening in the proportional valve so that fluid from the first piston chamber is transferred back to the fluid supply reservoir of the fluid supply assembly through the opening; anda pump that pumps fluid from the fluid supply reservoir to the valve control mechanism and the second valve chamber of the valve assembly;wherein the valve control mechanism transfers the variable hydraulic pressure control signal to the first valve chamber of the valve assembly to move the piston pilot valve, and the valve assembly transfers fluid to the actuator as a function of the variable hydraulic pressure control signal, which causes movement of the mechanical connection to adjust the pitch of the propeller blades. 15. The system of claim 14, the mechanical connection comprising: a piston connected with the actuator that moves in an axial direction depending on fluid pressure within the actuator, the piston having a slot for each propeller blade; anda pin and roller assembly connected to an end of each propeller blade and received within the slot in the piston. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein when fluid pressure is greater in the first actuator chamber of the actuator than in the second actuator chamber of the actuator, the piston moves in a first axial direction and the pin and roller assembly rotates in a first rotational direction to decrease the pitch of the propeller blade; and wherein when the fluid pressure is greater in the second actuator chamber of the actuator than in the first actuator chamber of the actuator, the piston moves in a second axial direction and the pin and roller assembly rotates in a second rotational direction to increase the pitch of the propeller blade. 17. The system of claim 14, wherein, as the piston pilot valve moves in a first axial direction, the opening within the proportional valve increases and as the piston pilot valve moves in a second axial direction, the opening within the proportional valve decreases. 18. A method of adjusting the pitch of a variable pitch propeller for a watercraft in an aqueous environment, the method comprising: sending an input signal to a valve control mechanism isolated from the water environment to create a variable hydraulic pressure control signal that is a function of the input signal of the valve control mechanism, the valve control mechanism receiving hydraulic fluid from a fluid source;transferring the variable hydraulic pressure control signal to a valve assembly comprising a piston pilot valve;sending a direct fluid supply to the piston pilot valve from the fluid source;axially moving the piston pilot valve relative to the variable hydraulic pressure control signal to variably transfer the direct fluid supply from the piston pilot valve to an actuator in communication with a blade of the variable pitch propeller; andincreasing fluid pressure in a first chamber of the actuator with the direct fluid supply relative to a second chamber of the actuator to mechanically rotate the blade and adjust the pitch of the blade. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the valve control mechanism is an electrohydraulic servovalve. 20. A system for adjusting the pitch of a variable pitch propeller, the system comprising: a hub assembly comprising: a hub rotatably driven by a propeller shaft;an actuator connected to the hub; anda plurality of propeller blades connected to the actuator with at least one mechanical connection;a valve assembly in fluid communication with the actuator, the valve assembly comprising: a piston pilot valve having a front face and a rear face;a first chamber bounded on a first side by the rear face of the piston pilot valve;a second chamber bounded on a first side by the front face of the piston pilot valve; anda proportional valve having a tip that contacts the front face of the piston pilot valve, wherein an opening is created within the proportional valve depending on a location of the tip; anda fluid supply assembly in fluid communication with the valve assembly, the fluid supply assembly comprising a valve control mechanism isolated from the valve assembly and the hub assembly;wherein the valve control mechanism provides a variable hydraulic pressure control signal to the valve assembly, the valve assembly transfers fluid to the actuator as a function of the variable hydraulic pressure control signal, and the mechanical connection adjusts the pitch of the propeller blades relative to fluid pressure in the actuator; andwherein the first chamber receives the variable hydraulic pressure control signal from the valve control mechanism, the second chamber receives fluid from the fluid supply assembly, and the piston pilot valve axially moves relative to a difference in fluid pressures between the first chamber and the second chamber. 21. The system of claim 20, wherein, as the piston pilot valve moves in a first axial direction, the opening within the proportional valve increases and as the piston pilot valve moves in a second axial direction the opening within the proportional valve decreases. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein fluid within the first chamber is transferred through the opening in the proportional valve and back to a reservoir of the fluid supply assembly. 23. The system of claim 20, wherein the fluid supply assembly further comprises: a reservoir; anda pump for pumping a first portion of fluid from the reservoir to the valve control mechanism and a second portion of fluid from the reservoir to the valve assembly.