CN110979546A

CN110979546A - Hydrofoil

Info

Publication number: CN110979546A
Application number: CN201910931932.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 科尼利厄斯·盖斯林格; 安德烈亚斯·布兰兹塔特
Original assignee: Ellergon Antriebstechnik GmbH
Current assignee: Ellergon Antriebstechnik GmbH
Priority date: 2018-10-02
Filing date: 2019-09-29
Publication date: 2020-04-10
Also published as: US20200102052A1; JP2020055523A; EP3632786A1; DE102018124323A1; AU2019236624A1

Abstract

Hydrofoil for a watercraft comprising at least one wing (6) and a connecting rod (4) connecting said at least one wing (6) to a mast, a conical protrusion (12) being provided on said connecting rod (4), a conical recess (13) being provided on said wing (6), said conical protrusion and said conical recess co-operating, a wedge angle (α) of said conical recess (13)₂) Greater than a wedge angle (α) of the conical projection (12)₁) To allow angular adjustment between the connecting rod (4) and the wing (6). By providing fixing means (20), the connecting rod (4) can be supported on part of the conical recess (13) and/or the wings (5,6) can be supported on part of the conical projection (12).

Description

Hydrofoil

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a hydrofoil for a watercraft, said hydrofoil comprising at least one foil and one connecting rod connecting said at least one foil to a mast.

Background

During driving, such as in kite surfing or jet ski sports, the hydrofoils can lift the board off the water, thereby reducing flow resistance. Propulsion may be achieved by hydraulic means attached to the drive means. A hydrofoil typically has a mast and at least one wing mounted on the mast. The at least one wing is attached to the mast by a connecting rod. The mast is in turn attached to the plate. During travel, only a portion of the mast and wings remain submerged while the plate is hovering above the water surface. Examples of such hydrofoils are available in EP 2907737B 2.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to propose an alternative solution for connecting at least one wing to a connecting rod. In particular, the object of the invention is to improve the adjustability of the foils so that the driving characteristics of the hydrofoil can be adapted more easily to different requirements.

This object is achieved by a hydrofoil according to the following scheme. The hydrofoil of the present invention comprises at least one wing and a connecting rod connecting said at least one wing to the mast; the connecting rod is provided with a conical protrusion, the wing is provided with a conical concave part, the conical protrusion is matched with the conical concave part, a wedge angle (wedge angle) of the conical concave part is larger than that of the conical protrusion, so that the angle adjustment between the connecting rod and the wing is allowed, and by arranging a fixing device, the connecting rod can be supported on part of the conical concave part and/or the wing can be supported on part of the conical protrusion.

The connection between the tie rod and the wing in the present invention allows for stepless angular adjustment between the tie rod and the wing within the range of the difference in wedge angle between the tapered protrusion and the tapered recess. The fixing means can set and maintain a desired angle as required. Thus, the hydrofoil may be adjusted according to driver preference, water temperature, salt or fresh water, wave patterns, etc., for example, to achieve optimal performance and/or ride comfort.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention constitute the subject matter of the following solution.

In one embodiment, the fastening device has a threaded bore running transversely to the conical projection and a screw screwed into the threaded bore for adjusting the angle. The desired angle can be easily adjusted by twisting the bolt.

Preferably, the screw hole is provided on a tapered protrusion of the connecting rod, and the bolt screwed into the screw hole may be supported on a conical inner wall portion of the tapered recess to adjust an angle. Thus, the fixing means can be accommodated almost completely in the hydrofoil without reducing the influence of the water flow on the hydrofoil.

According to another embodiment, at least two pairs of threaded holes and bolts are provided, respectively, wherein one bolt is supportable on a first conical inner wall portion of the conical depression on the wing and the other bolt of a pair is supportable on a second conical inner wall portion of the conical depression of the wing, the first conical inner wall portion being disposed opposite the second conical inner wall portion. This makes it possible to fix the angular position of the wings relative to the connecting rods in a particularly simple manner. Furthermore, the design variant is particularly streamlined, since no part of the fixing device protrudes outwards.

Further, the tie rod and the wings are supported and fixed to each other by axial support surfaces facing each other, thereby ensuring a gapless connection between the wings and the tie rod.

Further, for axial fixation, a tension anchor (tension anchor) may be inserted into the connecting portion of the wing transversely to the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod, and a tension bolt (tension bolt) supported on the connecting rod is screwed into the tension anchor (tension anchor). A secure connection between the two components is achieved in a simple manner by tightening a tension bolt.

According to another design variant, the tension anchor extends transversely to the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod through the wing, in particular through a conical recess of the wing. Thereby, the wing can be connected to the connecting rod very firmly without play.

The tapered recess of the wing is provided on the rod-like connecting portion of the wing. The rod-shaped connecting portion may be integrally formed with the wing. By integrating a part of the connection between the foil and the mast into the foil, the hydrofoil according to the invention can be folded together in a very compact manner in the disassembled state.

Further, the tapered protrusion of the connecting rod has a non-circular cross-sectional profile, in particular a rectangular, square or oval cross-sectional profile. Thus, a good lateral guidance of the wings is achieved on the connecting rods, however, the above-mentioned adjustment mechanism enables the wings to be angularly adjusted by rotating them up and down in the mounted position.

Drawings

The invention will be described in further detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings. The accompanying drawings illustrate:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a hydrofoil according to an embodiment of the present invention shown attached to a plate indicated in dashed lines.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic longitudinal section, not to scale, of the connection between the connecting rod and the wing of the hydrofoil, an

Fig. 3 shows a horizontal cross-section of the connection between the connecting rod and the wing of the hydrofoil.

Detailed Description

The exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 3 shows a hydrofoil 1 for a watercraft. For the purposes of explanation, fig. 1 shows an example of a watercraft as a board 2, said board 2 being suitable for kitesurfer or jet ski sports, and the board 2 being connected with hydraulic hoses. However, the corresponding hydrofoil 1 can also be used, for example, on a ship.

The hydrofoil 1 comprises a mast 3, a connecting rod 4, a front wing 5 and a rear wing 6. These components are embodied as separate components and are interconnected in a manner that allows them to be individually replaced. This makes the hydrofoil 1 adaptable for different purposes. The hydrofoils 1 can be folded together very compactly for transportation. Alternatively, two or more of these components may be integrated into a single component.

The mast 3 has a first end 7 for attachment to the plate 2 and a second end 8 for attachment to the connecting rod 4. The height of mast 3 in vertical direction z is preferably 700mm to 1200 mm; the length of mast 3 in the longitudinal direction or advancing direction x is preferably 80mm to 150 mm; the thickness of the mast 3 in the transverse direction y is preferably 10mm to 30 mm.

Mast 3 is preferably made of fiber composite plastic, for example Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) or glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP). The mast 3 can also be made of an aluminium alloy or a laminated composite material.

The first end 7 of the mast 3 may form a flange-like attachment portion 9, said attachment portion 9 widening with respect to the remaining cross-section of the mast and providing a support surface for the underside of the plate 2.

Said second end 8 is provided with a receptacle for the connecting rod 4 at the free end of the mast 3. The receptacle may be embodied in the form of a through hole in which the connecting rod 4 is retained. Instead of a through-hole, the receptacle can also be embodied as a recess, in particular as a groove, which is open in the longitudinal direction and in which the connecting rod 4 is fixed.

The front wing 5 and the rear wing 6 are attached to the mast 3 in the forward direction. The forces generated on the wings (5,6) during travel are supported on the mast 3 by means of the connecting rods 4. The connecting rod 4 is thus fixed to the mast 3, preventing it from rotating about the longitudinal axis. This can be achieved by e.g. suitable contours of the connecting rod 4 and the receiver on the mast 3 and/or by means of suitable attachment means as explained in detail in EP 2907737 a 1.

The connecting rod 4 is made of metal, in particular steel, titanium or an aluminium alloy. The width and height thereof preferably range from 10 to 30mm, which allows the flow resistance in water to be kept low. The length of the connecting rod 4 preferably ranges from 400 to 1000 mm.

The front wing 5 and the rear wing 6 are arranged one after the other in the forward direction and are attached to the front end 10 and the rear end 11 of the connecting rod 4. In particular, the front wing 5 is located at the front end 10 of the connecting rod 4 and the rear wing 6 is located at the rear end 11 of the connecting rod 4, so that the front wing 5 is located in front of the mast 3 and the rear wing 6 is located behind the mast 3 with respect to the forward direction x. The rear wing 6 and optionally the front wing 5 may be spaced from the mast 3.

The attachment of the connecting rod 4 and the mast 3 can preferably be designed in a detachable manner. Furthermore, at least one of the wings (5,6) is detachably attached to the connecting rod 4. Thus, connecting rods 4 of different lengths may be attached to the mast 3, thereby changing the position of the wings (5, 6). Further, different front and

rear wings

5,6 may be attached to the connecting rod 4.

The wings (5,6) are preferably made of a fiber composite plastic, in particular a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) or a glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP), or of a laminated composite material.

The attachment of the wings to the connecting bar 4 is shown in detail in fig. 2 and 3.

For this purpose, the connecting rod 4, in particular the shaft end of the connecting rod, is formed with a conical projection 12 extending in the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod 4. Said conical projection 12 co-operates with a conical recess 13 on the

wing

5 or 6.

The conical depression 13 may be provided directly adjacent to the wing surface 14 of the wing 6. In the exemplary embodiment, however, the wing 6 has a rod-like connection 15, which rod-like connection 15 connects the actual wing surface 14 with the connecting rod 4. The rod-like connection 15 may be integrally formed with the wing surface 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wedge angle α of the tapered recess 13₂Greater than the wedge angle α of the conical projection 12₁Thereby the angle of the connecting rod 4 and the wing 6 in the vertical direction can be adjusted. The adjustment range is preferably not more than +/-2 deg., and more preferably not more than +/-1.5 deg..

In the assembled state, the conical projection 12 is inserted axially completely into the conical recess 13, so that the connecting rod 4 and the wing 6 are mutually supported by the mutually facing axial support surfaces 16 and 17.

The outer wedge surface 18 on the conical projection 12 and the conical inner wall surface 19 on the conical recess 13 meet in the vicinity of the axial support surfaces (16,17), so that a joint for vertical angular adjustment is formed at this point and the connection between the connecting rod 4 and the wing 6 and the axial support surfaces 16 and 17 is free of play. This ensures that the outer contour of the connecting rod 4 can continuously transition to the connection 15 of the wing 6.

In the transverse direction of the connecting rod 4, i.e. transverse to the longitudinal axis a and transverse to the vertical direction in the mounted position, as shown in fig. 3, said conical projection 12 and said conical recess 13 are guided in a mutual spacing, so that no angular displacement between the wing 6 and the connecting rod 4 can take place in the transverse direction. This can be achieved, for example, by providing the conical projection 12 of the connecting rod 4 with a non-circular cross-sectional profile. For example, the cross-sectional profile may be rectangular, square or oval.

Furthermore, the connecting region is provided with a fixing means 20 by which the connecting rod 4 can be supported on a portion of said conical recess 13 and/or said wings (5,6) can be supported on a portion of said conical projection 12. The desired angular position between the connecting rod 4 and the wing (5,6) can thus be established, and/or the point of engagement between the connecting rod 4 and the wing can be fixed.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the fixing means 20 are provided with a threaded hole 21 transversely to said conical projection 12 and a bolt 22 screwed into the threaded hole 21. In principle, the threaded bore 21 can be provided in the projection 12, but also in the region of the wall surface surrounding the conical depression 13. Since the latter is preferably made of a fibre composite material, the threaded hole 21 will preferably be formed in the protrusion 12. Depending on the position of the threaded hole 21, the bolt 22 bears on the conical inner wall surface 19 of the recess 13 or on the wedge surface 18 of the projection 12, so that a desired angular position is established between the connecting rod 4 and the wing.

The fixing means 20 not only allow the angular position to be determined, but also provide the possibility of adjusting the pitch of the front wing 5 or of the rear wing 6 at the connecting rod 4 more easily by means of a rational adjustment of the bolt 22.

Preferably, at least two pairs of threaded holes 21 and bolts 22 are provided as fixing means 20 in the connecting region, respectively, and are arranged oppositely in opposite directions. The desired pitch can be set by a first bolt 22 and fixed by a second bolt 22.

As shown in fig. 2, in the present exemplary embodiment, one of the bolts 22 may be supported on a first conical inner wall portion 19 of the tapered recess 13 of the front wing 5 or the rear wing 6, and the other bolt 22 of the pair of bolts may be supported on a second conical inner wall portion 19 of the tapered recess 13 of the front wing 5 or the rear wing 6, the second conical inner wall portion 19 being disposed opposite to the first conical inner wall portion 19.

Suitable through holes 23 are provided in the outer wall around the conical recess 13 to allow access to the bolt 22 by a tool.

In principle, the front wing 5 or the rear wing 6 can be axially fixed on the connecting rod 4 in any desired manner. In the present exemplary embodiment, a tension anchor 24 is used for this purpose, said tension anchor 24 being inserted transversely to the longitudinal direction a of the connecting rod 4 into the connecting portion 15 of the front wing 5 or the rear wing 6. The tensioning bolt 25 supported on the connecting rod 4 is screwed into the tension anchor 24. As the tightening bolt 25 is screwed into the tension anchor, the front wing 5 or the rear wing 6 is pulled in the direction of the connecting rod 4, whereby the axial bearing surfaces 16 and 17 are mutually supported.

The tension anchor 24 may be configured as a transverse bolt, for example the tension anchor 24 extends through the front wing 5 or the rear wing 6 in a longitudinal direction transverse to the connecting rod, in particular through the conical recess 13 of the wing. For this purpose, through-holes 26 in the form of long holes or the like may be provided in the projections 12 of the connecting rods 4.

The above-described connection between the connecting rod 4 and the front wing 5 or the rear wing 6 allows a stepless angular adjustment in the vertical direction z. The desired angle can be adjusted and maintained according to the requirements of the fixture 20. Since the fixing means 20 are completely accommodated in the hydrofoil, the flow characteristics of the latter are not impaired. Thus, a very stable and gapless connection between the connecting rod 4 and the front wing 5 or the rear wing 6 is achieved.

The invention has been described in more detail hereinabove with reference to an exemplary embodiment and a number of variants. The exemplary embodiments and other variations are used to demonstrate the feasibility of the present invention. The individual features explained in the context of the additional individual features mentioned above can be implemented independently of the former or can be combined with one another, even if not described in detail here, as long as this is technically possible, in particular in the case of a hydrofoil according to an exemplary embodiment, the features in the variants can be used individually or in combination. The present invention is therefore described with specificity but not in detail in relation to the exemplary embodiments and is not limited to the described variants but includes all embodiments defined in the claims.

List of reference numerals

1 hydrofoil

2 board

3 mast

4 connecting rod

5 front wing

6 rear wing

7 first end part

8 second end part

9 attachment part

10 front end

11 rear end

12 conical projection

13 conical recess

14 wing surface

15 connecting part

16 axial bearing surface of connecting rod

17 axial bearing surface of wing

18 raised wedge surface

19 conical inner wall portion

20 fixing device

21 threaded hole

22 bolt

23 through hole

24 pull anchor

25 tensioning bolt

26 through hole

x longitudinal direction (advancing direction)

y transverse direction

z vertical direction

A longitudinal axis

α₁Wedge angle of the protrusion 12

α₂Wedge angle of the recess 13

Claims

1. Hydrofoil (1) comprising at least one wing (5,6) and

a connecting rod (4) for connecting said at least one wing (5,6) to the mast,

characterized in that the connecting rod (4) is provided with a conical projection (12), the wings (5,6) are provided with conical recesses (13) with which the conical projection cooperates, the wedge angle (α 2) of the conical recess (13) being larger than the wedge angle (α 1) of the conical projection (12) to allow angular adjustment between the connecting rod (4) and the wings (5,6), the connecting rod (4) being supportable on a part of the conical recess (13) and/or the wings (5,6) being supportable on a part of the conical projection (12) by providing fixing means (20).

2. A hydrofoil according to claim 1, characterized in that said fixing means (20) comprise a threaded hole (21) transversal to said conical projection (12) and a bolt (22) screwed into the threaded hole (21) for adjusting the angle.

3. A hydrofoil according to claim 2, characterized in that said threaded hole (21) is provided on said conical projection (12), and said bolt (22) screwed into said threaded hole (21) can be supported on a conical inner wall portion (19) of said conical recess (13) for angular adjustment.

4. Hydrofoil according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that at least two pairs of threaded holes (21) and bolts (22) are provided, respectively, one bolt (22) of which can be supported on a first conical inner wall section (19) of the conical recess (13) on the hydrofoil (5,6) and the other bolt (22) of a pair of bolts can be supported on a second conical inner wall section (19) of the conical recess (13) of the hydrofoil, said first conical inner wall section being arranged opposite to the second conical inner wall section.

5. A hydrofoil according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the connecting rod (4) and the wings (5,6) are mutually supported by mutually facing axial support surfaces (16, 17).

6. Hydrofoil according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a tension anchor and a tension bolt, the tension anchor (24) being inserted transversely to the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod (4) into the connecting portion (15) of the hydrofoil (5,6), the tension bolt (25) supported on the connecting rod (4) being screwed into the tension anchor (24).

7. Hydrofoil according to claim 6, characterized in that the tension anchor (24) extends through the wing (5,6) transversely to the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod,

preferably, through a conical recess (13) of the wing (5, 6).

8. Hydrofoil according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the conical recess (13) of the wing (5,6) is provided on a rod-shaped connection (15) of the wing (5, 6).

9. Hydrofoil according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said conical projection (12) of the connecting rod (4) has a non-circular cross-sectional profile,

preferably, a rectangular, square or oval cross-sectional profile.

10. Plate (2) with a hydrofoil (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.