EP0159995A1

EP0159995A1 - Floats to be used pairwise to walk on water.

Info

Publication number: EP0159995A1
Application number: EP84901971A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Karl Reinhard Zeiss
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-05-20
Filing date: 1984-05-12
Publication date: 1985-11-06
Also published as: US4731039A; AU3014984A; IT1199469B; WO1984004694A1; DE3474778D1; EP0159995B1; DE3318384A1; IT8412520A0

Abstract

Un flotteur allongé pour marcher sur l'eau possède au moins une cavité ouverte en bas (29, 30). La surface de pose (4) pour le pied se trouve en-dessous de l'arête supérieure de la cavité. En outre, il peut être plus ou moins fermé sur le côté inférieur. Le flotteur peut être doté d'organes d'entraînement pouvant prendre par exemple la forme d'aubes, de pagaies ou de palmes.An elongated float for walking on water has at least one open cavity at the bottom (29, 30). The mounting surface (4) for the foot is located below the upper edge of the cavity. In addition, it can be more or less closed on the lower side. The float can be fitted with drive members which can take, for example, the shape of blades, paddles or fins.

Description

Buoyancy body to be used in pairs for running on the water

The invention relates to buoyancy bodies to be used in pairs with one foot receptacle for one foot each for running on the water.

Floats that can keep a person afloat have been known for a long time. However, they have the disadvantage that they are relatively large and heavy and accordingly expensive. It is also very difficult to balance and move on them as little practiced. They can usually only be moved with the help of poles or sticks.

In contrast, the invention has for its object to develop a device for running on the water, on which it is better to keep balance, while it is otherwise comparable in terms of portability, use and cost to skis, and this object is achieved according to the invention solved that the arrangement of the foot receiving and / or the mass distribution with respect to the foot receiving in the transverse direction are so asymmetrical that the buoyancy force is higher on the side of the inner edge than on the side of the outer edge in the loaded state.

«& In practice, the lowest possible contact area for the foot should be aimed for, because this improves stability. The invention offers this possibility in all versions, in particular also when there are cavities which are open at the bottom and which result in a relatively high but narrow construction which allows walking, similar to that on skis.

Depending on the design in individual cases, several advantages can be achieved with the above-mentioned open cavities. First, the volume of air trapped in the cavity is used for buoyancy. Through an upper opening of an inner cavity which is otherwise only open at the bottom, in connection with a non-return valve, a non-return valve or the like, it can be achieved that, when a negative pressure develops in the cavity, air moves from above through the non-return valve into the cavity can flow, but then can no longer escape upwards. In addition, the cavities offer the opportunity to influence the sliding resistance solely by their design or in cooperation with guiding, guiding and / or driving elements which extend into the water. Normally one will strive for only a relatively low sliding or flow resistance to be felt in the forward direction, but this is significantly greater in the backward direction. This makes it possible to push one buoyancy body forward with one foot, while the buoyancy body carrying the other foot offers support to the rear.

The cavities mentioned can also be designed, for example in that they are largely but not completely closed at the bottom, in such a way that they fill with water during use and this water volume is carried along, has a stabilizing effect and improves certain dynamic properties. In a further practical embodiment, cavities can be designed so that water enters at the front and exits at the back during the movement. By means of flaps and the like, it can be ensured that a flow through the cavity in the reverse direction from the rear to the front is not possible in the same way as from the front to the rear.

In a preferred practical embodiment, each buoyancy body essentially has a structure in the manner of a catamaran, the two fuselage parts on the one hand taking over lateral guidance - henceforth called lateral guide parts below - and on the other hand forming the lateral boundary of one or more cavities. The side guide parts should themselves generate lift and be relatively long and high, but narrow to do the job of the side guide, i.e. To prevent sliding in the transverse direction, to fulfill as well as possible.

The two lateral guide parts are preferably connected to one another by an upper part covering them and other connecting elements and are kept at a predetermined distance. As such connecting elements e.g. Intermediate walls or intermediate bodies serve which limit cavities to the front or to the rear. The front surfaces and / or rear surfaces of the intermediate walls and intermediate bodies are expediently designed obliquely in the direction or provided with bevels that the sliding in the forward direction is facilitated, while the resistance in the reverse direction is opposed.

The foot receptacle preferably also serves as the connecting element between the two side guide parts. In the longitudinal section, this preferably has the shape of a shoe. In the upper area of the buoyancy element, side parts made of light material attached or formed laterally outside the side guide parts provide further reinforcement, buoyancy and better stabilization. There is also the possibility of covering hard reinforcement inserts, reinforcements or the like.

Irrespective of the measures already mentioned for generating a different sliding resistance in the forward and backward directions, the new buoyancy body can be provided with suitable drive elements. These can of course be of the motor type. However, drives which are driven either by foot movements or changes in load are preferred. Examples in this context are bucket-shaped or fin-shaped drive elements which are moved by movements of the foot relative to the foot holder in such a way that a propulsive force is generated. In another practical embodiment, the foot movements can be used to operate a pump device which pushes water backwards and thereby generates propulsion.

Closed-cell soft plastic is preferred as the material for the new buoyancy body, although individual parts can also be solidified or can consist of firmer materials. Because of the better transportation with a passenger car, each buoyant body preferably consists of several short parts which can be assembled to the total length.

For further preferred alternative embodiments, reference is made to the claims and the following description of the example. The drawing shows:

1 is a side view of a buoyancy body according to the invention,

_ OMPI 2 shows a cross section through the buoyancy body according to FIG. 1,

^'Fig. 3 is a plan view of the buoyancy of Fig. 1 and 2,

4 again a cross section through a buoyancy body on a larger scale,

5 shows a basic drawing corresponding to a side view or a longitudinal section for the construction of the front part of a buoyancy body,

6 shows a further cross section through an exemplary buoyancy body,

7 is a side view of the middle part of a buoyancy body,

8 is a front pivoting, freely pivoting blade acting as a return brake,

9 is a side view of the blade of FIG. 8,

10 shows a front view of a drive blade that can be moved arbitrarily by foot movement,

11 shows the blade according to FIG. 10 in a side view,

12 shows a section through an exemplary swivel mounting of a drive member in the area of the foot mount,

OMPI

Replacement Blue $ Fig. 13 complementary sectional views of the front and 14 their and the rear part of a

12 mounted drive member in the form of a vibrating paddle,

15 shows the corresponding top views of FIGS. 13 and 16 and 14,

17 shows the special shape of a drive paddle which can be driven manually or by foot actuation, and

18 shows a side view of a further exemplary embodiment of a paddle blade shape.

In ^"Figures 1 to 3, a buoyancy is provided as a preferred exemplified embodiment shown, the metacentre is particularly low. The buoyancy is divided into an upper part 1, two side guide parts 2 and in the upper region on 'whose outer sides are arranged side panels 3. The side guide parts 2 are further connected to one another by a foot receptacle 4, a front inner part 5, an inner discharge part 6, an inner guide wedge 7 and a rear inner part 9. A water guide part is designated by 8 and a flap stop part is designated by 10. At 11 is a foot opening and behind it shows a guide opening at 12. The lower water line, designated 13, applies to the unloaded buoyancy body, the upper water line, designated 14, to the loaded state in the area of the upper angle 15 and the lower angle 16 around the Waterline 14. These oscillating movements as well as all other movements of the buoyancy body are also carried out by the rear aggregate receptacle 17 and the front aggregate receptacle 18. There are certain aggregates, for example braking or

OMPI drive organs stored, which will be discussed in more detail later. For example, with 17 or 18 swiveling or otherwise mounted folding devices, paddles and possibly even elements provided with further buoyancy bodies, which use the different vibrations, penetration depths and loads as well as other movements to drive the buoyancy body in the forward direction and in the backward direction to break. For example, in FIG. 1 the starting position of a rocker is designated with 19, with 20 its bottom dead center and with 21 its top dead center. If, instead of the rocker mentioned or in addition to the latter, a paddle is pivotably mounted on the rear aggregate receptacle 17, this can, as also indicated in FIG. 1, stop an essentially vertical counter-movement secured in the reverse direction by a stop Assume zero position or a first inclined position 23 when traveling in the forward direction or a second inclined position 24 when traveling faster and finally an upper position 25 when traveling even faster in the forward direction.

Furthermore, a rear transverse guide tube 26 and a front transverse guide tube 27 are shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. At 28 an optional water guiding part is indicated by dashed lines, which can be designed in the manner of a so-called sword.

The above-mentioned parts 1, 2, 5, 6 delimit an inner front cavity 29 which, in the example, is only open on the underside. A corresponding rear cavity 30 is delimited by parts 1, 2, 7, 9. During the use of the buoyancy body, the cavities 29 and 30 which are open at the bottom are partly filled with air and partly with water and are therefore also referred to as water chambers. The trapped air promotes buoyancy, and the water contained in the cavities 29 and 30 increases the mass moved during the journey and acts through stabilizing.

Fig. 2 shows in connection with Fig. 1, the deep position of the foot holder 4. In addition, it can be seen that the side guide parts have several functions by sliding with their lower area in the water and preventing lateral drift, while at the same time providing buoyancy and improving it by having the air in the cavities in the upper area Keep 29 and 30 prisoners.

The foot receptacle is laterally offset outwards, so that when viewed in the transverse direction, the buoyancy is asymmetrical when loaded, and in such a way that it is higher on the inside edges of both buoyancy bodies used by a person than on the outside edges. The same effect could also be achieved by using different materials for the side guide parts 2 or side parts 3.

The cavities or water chambers 29 and 30 can, based on the exemplary embodiment shown, be opened further or else closed on the underside. The inertia and stability of the buoyancy body can thus be influenced during the run. In addition, the water chambers can be provided with materials that generate fluidic resistance, so that the opened chambers release liquid only with a time delay or depending on the speed. Such a material can e.g. be a revised filter foam.

The foot entry opening 11 shown in plan view in FIG. 3 is designed in such a way that the foot can easily get in and out. Suitable footwear can also be used _*

- ^< BURE 7j OMPI At its front end, the buoyancy body has a favorable shape in terms of flow.

FIG. 4 shows a cross section through an exemplary buoyancy body on an enlarged scale. Just as in the case of FIGS. 1 and 2, this consists of an upper part 1, two side guide parts 2 and two side parts 3. The foot receptacle is again designated 4 and its opening 11.

4 shows an upper inner reinforcement 32 and an upper outer reinforcement 34 as well as a lower inner reinforcement 36 and a lower outer reinforcement 38 on the side guide parts 2. The upper outer reinforcements 34 are each covered by the side parts 3. The reinforcements located opposite each other on a side guide part can be braced against one another by means of reinforcement tensioning parts 40 and 42 and thereby generate a compressive prestress when using compressible materials for the side guide parts. Otherwise, a guide holder tube is indicated at 44, which extends through the two side guide parts 2, connects them to one another and is used for storing further parts, e.g. of the drive or the foot support.

The front part of the abrasion body according to FIG. 1 shown in FIG. 5 clearly shows that attention is paid to suitable water guidance through the outer and inner slopes. In the example, the upper part 1 is provided with an upper slope 46 and each side guide part with a lower slope 48. The front inner part 5 has an outer bevel 50 and an inner bevel 52. The parts which constantly come into contact with the water can be surface-finished so that the flow losses are reduced. In addition, the surfaces can be coated with environmentally compatible lubricants which, like in skiing, adhere and

OMPI Reduce friction.

6 shows a further section through a buoyancy body shown as an example. The removable and adjustable foot holder can be seen in particular.

In this context, FIG. 7 shows a side view of the central part of the buoyancy body shown in cross section in FIG. 6. It can be seen how the footbed is fastened and adjusted by a simple plug-in device. By arranging grid bores in several positions, the foot receptacle can be brought into the desired position.

The exemplary position of the reinforcement can also be seen by comparison with FIG. 6. The outer reinforcement 34 according to FIGS. 4 and 6 is covered by the application of the side parts 3, so that there is no risk of accidents due to protruding hard, non-yielding parts.

8 and 9 together show the front view and the side view of a paddle which serves as the drive and is pivotably mounted between the side guide parts 2. There should be no restriction associated with this designation. This part could also be referred to as a flap or blade. In the exemplary embodiment, it is divided into a guide vane 54 and a large paddle 56, which is attached laterally to its free end. The flap is pivotally mounted on a guide tube 58 using spacers 60.

If the feed speed relative to the water is zero, the flap assumes the substantially vertical position 62 shown in FIG. 9. If a backward movement is initiated by the foot, it presses

OMPI upper arm 64 of the flap against a locking block 66, so that the flap remains in the position 62 shown and the guide vane 54 together with the large paddle 56 offer considerable resistance in the water, which the user can use to support the advancement of the other foot with the other buoyancy body.

As soon as the buoyancy body moves forward with the flap at a certain speed relative to the water, the paddle swings to position 68 at a relatively low speed, then to position 70 at high speed. Then the speed slows down again, depending on its own weight, the paddle again approaches position 62 so that further propulsion can take place by further foot movements.

To optimize the system, the guide vane 54 and / or the large paddle 56 can consist of several vane parts, all of which can carry out a corresponding oscillating movement in relation to the other parts and have a defined locking. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, for reasons of simplification, the flap 54, 56, 64 is an inherently rigid part with a substantially U-shaped cross section, the guide tube 58 on which the flap is mounted, according to FIG extends the side webs. The flap can of course be provided with additional weights or buoyancy elements, so that various desired positions can be assumed depending on the driving conditions. In addition, the flap can be biased to a certain position by a spring.

With 72, 74 and 76 intermediate positions are indicated.

10 and 11 together show the front view and side view of a pendulum which can be actively activated with the foot.

OMPI shown paddle drive. This pendulum paddle is in turn pivotably mounted on a guide tube 78 extending between the side guide parts 2 and firmly connected to the plate-shaped foot receptacle 4. From this side arms 80 extend downward to a paddle 82. The angular movements of the foot are in this case enlarged by the arms 80 and an effective paddle movement is generated. Depending on the foot actuation, the paddle 82 swings from position 84 to position 86 to position 88. Satisfactory propulsion is ensured by rapid movement of the paddle in the backward direction and slow movement in the forward direction.

It can be seen particularly well from FIG. 11 that the pivot point of the paddle lies directly under the stressing foot. In the middle position 86 shown, the blade surface of the paddle 82 is essentially horizontal. The paddle can in turn be designed to be resilient and non-articulated. Depending on the distance of the paddle 82 from the bearing 78, the load requirement for the user is increased or reduced.

Another exemplary embodiment of a drive is shown in the associated FIGS. 12 to 16. 12 shows a cross-section in the area of the foot receptacle, FIGS. 13 and 14, which must be imagined to be connected horizontally one after the other, a side view, and FIGS. 15 and 16, which also adjoin one another horizontally, a plan view a paddle 92 attached to an essentially horizontally extending rocker 90. The rocker 90 is angled upwards at the front end before the foot receptacle and can be pivoted by means of a guide tube 94 which extends between the side guide parts 2 stored. For fluidic reasons, the rocker 90 is attached centrally in the drive body. It extends from its warehouse at 94 to

OMPI behind below the foot holder 4, which is provided in the area of the verses of the foot with an opening through which a lever element 96 connected to the rocker 90 passes through to the foot, via which the rocker can thus be loaded and moved by pressure from the foot. The purpose of this arrangement is to alternately load and relieve the rocker 90 with the paddle 92 when the drive body is alternately loaded and unloaded by the foot, and thereby move it. The rocker 90 in FIG. 13 is brought from the position 98 shown into the indicated position 100 by the pressure of the foot.

FIGS. 14 and 16 show the paddle at the rear end of the rocker 90 in a side view and a top view. It is shown that an additional paddle 102 can be pivotably mounted at the rear end of the paddle 92. In addition, the paddle 92 is provided with vertical ribs 104 as a lateral guide device. The paddle 92 is connected to the rocker by means of a wedge 106.

17 and 18 together show an end view and a side view of a further embodiment of a drive paddle which can be operated manually or by foot operation. The shape is selected so that actuation is possible even without lateral linkage guidance. The blade, designated overall by 108, is divided into a front blade part 110 and a rear blade part 112. A guide part is designated by 114. The blade 108 is guided on a stick 116 which is connected to the blade by means of a stick holding part 118 and a stick clamping part 120 with associated connecting points 122 and 124. The front plunge angle of the paddle is indicated at 126. The paddle is moved from this position to the rear position via the shown central position 128

OMPI er> V ->, WIPO 130 led. The upper water line is shown at 132 and the lower water line at 134.

It goes without saying that, in deviation from the illustrated and described exemplary embodiments, numerous further modifications are possible within the scope of the patent claims.

'OMPI

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Paired buoyancy body to be used with a foot holder for one foot each for running on the water, characterized in that the arrangement of the foot holder (4) and / or the mass distribution with reference to the foot holder in the transverse direction is such Asymmetrical are that in the loaded state, the buoyancy force on the side of the inner edge is higher than on the side of the outer edge.

2. buoyancy body according to claim 1, d a d u r c h g e ¬ k e n n z e i c h n e t that it is formed with at least one cavity open at the bottom (29, 30) and the foot contact surface is arranged below the upper edge of the cavity (9, 30).

3. Buoyancy body according to claim 2, so that the cavity (29, 30) is provided with an upper opening at which a check valve is arranged, which allows air to flow into the cavity only from the outside inwards.

4. buoyancy body according to claim 2, d a d u r c h g e ¬ k e n n z e i c h n e t that it is designed in the manner of a catamaran with two relatively narrow, elongated buoyant bodies (2) as side guide parts, between which the cavity (29, 30) is located.

5. buoyancy body according to claim 4, dadurchge ¬ indicates that at least one of the front surfaces of the walls (6), body (5, 9) or other connecting elements between the Seitenführungs¬ parts (2) is chamfered from the front top to the back bottom and at least one of the back surfaces of the walls (6), body (5, 9) or other connecting elements between the side guide parts (2) is chamfered from the front bottom to the rear top.

6. buoyancy body according to claim 4, d a d u r c h g e ¬ k e n n z e i c h n e t that the contact surface (4) for the foot is arranged near the lower edge of the side guide parts (2).

7. buoyancy body according to claim 1, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the foot receptacle (4) in length, height and width and or in their position is adjustable.

8. buoyancy body according to claim 1, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that it consists of several parts (1, 2, 3) which are inserted into each other and are releasably connected by connecting elements.

9. buoyancy body according to claim 1, d a d u r c h g e ke n n z e i c h n e t that it has a foot-operated drive.

10. buoyancy body according to claim 1, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that it is formed with Antriebsor¬ organs (90, 92) which can be driven by changing the load when shifting weight.