EP1486414A1 - Safety device for floatation and straightening of sailing boats - Google Patents

Safety device for floatation and straightening of sailing boats Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1486414A1
EP1486414A1 EP04013336A EP04013336A EP1486414A1 EP 1486414 A1 EP1486414 A1 EP 1486414A1 EP 04013336 A EP04013336 A EP 04013336A EP 04013336 A EP04013336 A EP 04013336A EP 1486414 A1 EP1486414 A1 EP 1486414A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
hull
sensor
flotation
boat
supplying gas
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Application number
EP04013336A
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German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Glauco Guida
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Individual
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Individual
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    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63BSHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B43/00Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for
    • B63B43/02Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for reducing risk of capsizing or sinking
    • B63B43/10Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for reducing risk of capsizing or sinking by improving buoyancy
    • B63B43/12Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for reducing risk of capsizing or sinking by improving buoyancy using inboard air containers or inboard floating members
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63CLAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS
    • B63C7/00Salvaging of disabled, stranded, or sunken vessels; Salvaging of vessel parts or furnishings, e.g. of safes; Salvaging of other underwater objects
    • B63C7/003Righting capsized vessels, e.g. sailing vessels
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B63SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
    • B63BSHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
    • B63B43/00Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for
    • B63B43/02Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for reducing risk of capsizing or sinking
    • B63B43/10Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for reducing risk of capsizing or sinking by improving buoyancy
    • B63B43/12Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for reducing risk of capsizing or sinking by improving buoyancy using inboard air containers or inboard floating members
    • B63B2043/123Improving safety of vessels, e.g. damage control, not otherwise provided for reducing risk of capsizing or sinking by improving buoyancy using inboard air containers or inboard floating members using floaters mounted to the tip of a mast, e.g. inflatable

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a safety device for flotation and uprighting (straightening) of sailing boats.
  • a purpose of the present invention is to provide a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats that will ensure protection of the boat as a whole by means of structural elements forming part of the boat itself.
  • Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats that will furnish a system capable of detecting the situation of danger of overturning and automatically proceed to guaranteeing flotation of the boat and so favour its uprighting.
  • Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats that will be particularly simple and functional, with contained costs.
  • a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats, whether single-hull or multi-hull ones, as a whole designated by 10 and comprising: a sensor device 12 for detecting the inclination of a hull 11 with respect to a plane of flotation on the water (water level); a means for supplying gas 13, consisting, for example, of a compressor or a cylinder; and one or more inflatable elements 14.
  • the means for supplying gas 13 is connected to the inflatable elements 14 via a pneumatic circuit 15 comprising one or more tubes, for example made of rubber or of any other material suitable for the purpose of transferring the gas supplied by the compressor or by the cylinder 13 into the inflatable elements 14.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates by way of example four inflatable elements 14 (shown outlined) connected in parallel to the means for supplying gas 13.
  • Said inflatable elements 14, which can be of any number and could also be connected in series, are preferably fixedly constrained to the equipment of the boat, for example at the top of the mast 16, or else at various heights of the mast 16, or at the helm either at the bow 18 or at the stern, or else on the hull 11 preferably in a position that is high above the horizon represented by the water level.
  • the inflatable elements consist, for example, of balloons contained, when deflated, in a housing 19, from which they exit when they are inflated.
  • the inflatable elements 14 could also be directly housed in the mast.
  • the sensor device 12 has the function either of detecting the situation of danger deriving from an excessive inclination of the hull or else of indicating contact with the water, for example of the sail 20 itself or of any other element of the boat that indicates, on the basis of predetermined parameters, a situation of danger of capsizing or overturning.
  • the sensor device 12 may, for example, be of a mechanical type 12a or of a digital type 12b, or of any other appropriate type for the purpose indicated above such as, again by way of example, devices for measuring pressure, humidity or other parameters.
  • An example of mechanical sensor 12a may be a so-called “level sensor”, in which a liquid or a ball 21 is free to rotate within a bulb 22 and indicates the lateral inclination of the hull 11 with respect to the horizon represented by the level of the water surface.
  • level sensor in which a liquid or a ball 21 is free to rotate within a bulb 22 and indicates the lateral inclination of the hull 11 with respect to the horizon represented by the level of the water surface.
  • the sensor 12a indicates the situation to the compressor or to the cylinder for supplying the gas 13, which, since it is activated automatically, will inflate the elements 14 through the connection tubes 15.
  • the digital sensor 12b instead, of which a possible scheme of operation is illustrated in Figure 4, can receive information from a series of sensor elements 23 located in various parts of the boat, to transfer the information regarding the inclination of the hull 11 in real time to a control unit 24, for example a computer, which, through the continuous processing of the data, compared to pre-set numeric parameters, will establish automatically the moment in which the situation of danger is to be indicated by sending the electronic impulse for activation of the means for supplying gas 13.
  • a control unit 24 for example a computer
  • the means for supplying gas 13, i.e., the compressor or the cylinder for supplying gas, may exploit a system similar to what is already in use in automobile air-bags, which are able to supply large amounts of gas in just a few instants, guaranteeing a fast and hence effective, in terms of safety, inflation of the elements 14.
  • the supplying means must moreover keep at least one inflatable element 14 inflated.
  • the safety device 10 further comprises means for deflating the elements 14 after their entry into action so that it is possible to resume navigation in conditions of safety after the purpose of preventing overturning of the boat has been achieved.
  • Figure 5 illustrates a further embodiment of an inflatable element 14 consisting of an inflatable multilayered sail 20'.
  • the third dimension of the sail 20' i.e., its capacity to inflate, is obtained by superimposing two faces or layers 25 and joining their perimeters using any one of the known techniques, for example by sewing, gluing, hot-sealing or some other technique. It will then be possible to insert between the two faces 25 of the sail 20' one or more bladders (i.e. gas chambers) 26, each equipped with an inflation valve 27, and then proceed to their inflation at the moment when the cylinder or the compressor 13 receives the impulse from the sensor device 12.
  • bladders i.e. gas chambers
  • the two layers 25 of the inflatable sail 20' are able by themselves to withhold the air within them, i.e., they are impermeable to the gas, it is possible to proceed directly to the inflation of the bladder formed by the two layers 25 of the sail, if necessary, divided into a number of compartments, each equipped with an inflation valve.
  • the safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats forming the subject of the present invention has the advantage of combining the action of uprighting of the hull with flotation thereof.
  • the safety device forming the subject of the invention may moreover advantageously be activated automatically when a given situation of pre-set inclination is reached.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Component Parts Of Construction Machinery (AREA)

Abstract

A safety device for flotation and uprighting sailing boats, whether single-hull or multi-hull ones, comprises: a sensor device (12, 12a, 12b) for indicating the inclination of a hull (11) with respect to a plane of flotation on the water; a means for supplying gas (13) designed to be activated by the sensor device (12, 12a, 12b); a pneumatic circuit (15); and at least one inflatable element (14), which is fixed to the hull (11), and/or to the equipment (18, 20) of the boat, in a position higher than the plane of flotation on the water and is connected to the means for supplying gas (13) through the circuit (15).

Description

The present invention relates to a safety device for flotation and uprighting (straightening) of sailing boats.
Up to the present day, safety devices and safety systems developed for sailing boats have been based, in general, on elements external to the boat itself. In particular, these are inflatable boats or dinghies or other rigid hulls, which, in the event of danger, enable safe transfer thereon of the occupants of the main hull. Solutions of this sort, albeit very effective in terms of safety of the occupants, do not, instead, solve the problem of safeguarding the boat in so far as they are not designed for said purpose. A purpose of the present invention is to provide a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats that will ensure protection of the boat as a whole by means of structural elements forming part of the boat itself.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats that will furnish a system capable of detecting the situation of danger of overturning and automatically proceed to guaranteeing flotation of the boat and so favour its uprighting.
Yet another purpose of the present invention is to provide a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats that will be particularly simple and functional, with contained costs.
The above purposes according to the present invention are achieved by providing a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats, as specified in Claim 1.
Further characteristics are described in the dependent claims.
The characteristics and advantages of a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats according to the present invention will emerge clearly from the following description, which is provided by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the annexed schematic figures, in which:
  • Figure 1 is a schematic view of a sailing boat provided with a safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats;
  • Figures 2a and 2b illustrate schematically the entry into action of the safety device forming the subject of the present invention following upon the dangerous inclination of a sailing boat, a single-hull and a multi-hull one, respectively;
  • Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a mechanical sensor belonging to the safety device that forms the subject of the present invention;
  • Figure 4 is a block diagram of the operation of a digital embodiment of the sensor of the safety device forming the subject of the present invention; and
  • Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a multilayered sail provided with inflatable elements belonging to the safety device of the invention.
With reference to the figures, a safety device is illustrated for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats, whether single-hull or multi-hull ones, as a whole designated by 10 and comprising: a sensor device 12 for detecting the inclination of a hull 11 with respect to a plane of flotation on the water (water level); a means for supplying gas 13, consisting, for example, of a compressor or a cylinder; and one or more inflatable elements 14.
The means for supplying gas 13 is connected to the inflatable elements 14 via a pneumatic circuit 15 comprising one or more tubes, for example made of rubber or of any other material suitable for the purpose of transferring the gas supplied by the compressor or by the cylinder 13 into the inflatable elements 14.
Figure 1 illustrates by way of example four inflatable elements 14 (shown outlined) connected in parallel to the means for supplying gas 13. Said inflatable elements 14, which can be of any number and could also be connected in series, are preferably fixedly constrained to the equipment of the boat, for example at the top of the mast 16, or else at various heights of the mast 16, or at the helm either at the bow 18 or at the stern, or else on the hull 11 preferably in a position that is high above the horizon represented by the water level.
In a first embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the inflatable elements consist, for example, of balloons contained, when deflated, in a housing 19, from which they exit when they are inflated.
Alternatively, the inflatable elements 14 could also be directly housed in the mast.
The sensor device 12 has the function either of detecting the situation of danger deriving from an excessive inclination of the hull or else of indicating contact with the water, for example of the sail 20 itself or of any other element of the boat that indicates, on the basis of predetermined parameters, a situation of danger of capsizing or overturning. The sensor device 12 may, for example, be of a mechanical type 12a or of a digital type 12b, or of any other appropriate type for the purpose indicated above such as, again by way of example, devices for measuring pressure, humidity or other parameters.
An example of mechanical sensor 12a, illustrated in Figure 3, may be a so-called "level sensor", in which a liquid or a ball 21 is free to rotate within a bulb 22 and indicates the lateral inclination of the hull 11 with respect to the horizon represented by the level of the water surface.
Once a certain inclination is exceeded with respect to the plane of flotation on the water or of the horizon, as illustrated by way of example in Figures 2a and 2b, the sensor 12a indicates the situation to the compressor or to the cylinder for supplying the gas 13, which, since it is activated automatically, will inflate the elements 14 through the connection tubes 15.
The digital sensor 12b, instead, of which a possible scheme of operation is illustrated in Figure 4, can receive information from a series of sensor elements 23 located in various parts of the boat, to transfer the information regarding the inclination of the hull 11 in real time to a control unit 24, for example a computer, which, through the continuous processing of the data, compared to pre-set numeric parameters, will establish automatically the moment in which the situation of danger is to be indicated by sending the electronic impulse for activation of the means for supplying gas 13.
The means for supplying gas 13, i.e., the compressor or the cylinder for supplying gas, may exploit a system similar to what is already in use in automobile air-bags, which are able to supply large amounts of gas in just a few instants, guaranteeing a fast and hence effective, in terms of safety, inflation of the elements 14. The supplying means must moreover keep at least one inflatable element 14 inflated.
The safety device 10 further comprises means for deflating the elements 14 after their entry into action so that it is possible to resume navigation in conditions of safety after the purpose of preventing overturning of the boat has been achieved.
Figure 5 illustrates a further embodiment of an inflatable element 14 consisting of an inflatable multilayered sail 20'. The third dimension of the sail 20', i.e., its capacity to inflate, is obtained by superimposing two faces or layers 25 and joining their perimeters using any one of the known techniques, for example by sewing, gluing, hot-sealing or some other technique. It will then be possible to insert between the two faces 25 of the sail 20' one or more bladders (i.e. gas chambers) 26, each equipped with an inflation valve 27, and then proceed to their inflation at the moment when the cylinder or the compressor 13 receives the impulse from the sensor device 12. In the case where the two layers 25 of the inflatable sail 20' are able by themselves to withhold the air within them, i.e., they are impermeable to the gas, it is possible to proceed directly to the inflation of the bladder formed by the two layers 25 of the sail, if necessary, divided into a number of compartments, each equipped with an inflation valve.
The safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats forming the subject of the present invention has the advantage of combining the action of uprighting of the hull with flotation thereof.
The safety device forming the subject of the invention may moreover advantageously be activated automatically when a given situation of pre-set inclination is reached.
The safety device thus conceived may undergo numerous modifications and variations, all falling within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, any of the items may be replaced by technically equivalent elements. In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any whatsoever according to the technical requirements.

Claims (11)

  1. A safety device for flotation and uprighting of sailing boats, whether single-hull or multi-hull ones, characterized in that it comprises: a sensor device (12, 12a, 12b) for detecting the inclination of a hull (11) with respect to a plane of flotation on the water; a means for supplying gas (13), designed to be activated by said sensor device (12, 12a, 12b); a pneumatic circuit (15); and at least one inflatable element (14), which is fixed to said hull (11), and/or to the equipment (18, 20) of the boat, in a position higher than the plane of flotation on the water and is connected to said means for supplying gas (13) through the circuit (15).
  2. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said sensor device (12) is a mechanical sensor (12a) comprising a liquid or a ball (21) that is free to rotate within a bulb (22), designed to indicate the lateral inclination of the hull (11) with respect to the plane of flotation on the water.
  3. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said sensor device (12) is a digital sensor (12b) comprising a plurality of sensor elements (23) located in various parts of the boat, which are designed to transfer information regarding the inclination of the hull (11) to a control unit (24), designed to send an electronic impulse for activation of the means for supplying gas (13).
  4. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said sensor device (12) is a sensor capable of measuring the pressure of a liquid or of the environment in which it is set for detecting a situation of danger of capsizing or overturning of the boat.
  5. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said sensor device (12) is a sensor capable of measuring the humidity of the environment in which it is set for detecting a situation of danger of capsizing or overturning of the boat.
  6. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said means for supplying gas (13) is a compressor or a cylinder capable of supplying large amounts of gas in a substantially instantaneous way and of keeping at least one inflatable element (14) inflated.
  7. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that it comprises means for deflating said inflatable elements (14) after their entry into action.
  8. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said at least one inflatable element (14) is an inflatable balloon.
  9. The device according to Claim 8, characterized in that said balloon (14) is contained, when deflated, in a housing (19), from which it comes out at the moment of inflation.
  10. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said at least one inflatable element (14) is a multilayered sail (20') comprising two layers (25), between which there is set at least one bladder (26) equipped with an inflation valve (27).
  11. The device according to Claim 1, characterized in that said at least one inflatable element (14) is a multilayered sail (20') comprising two layers (25), which are impermeable to air and are connected to said pneumatic circuit (15) for being inflated by said means for supplying gas (13).
EP04013336A 2003-06-09 2004-06-07 Safety device for floatation and straightening of sailing boats Withdrawn EP1486414A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITMI20031157 2003-06-09
IT001157A ITMI20031157A1 (en) 2003-06-09 2003-06-09 SAFETY DEVICE FOR FLOATING AND THE

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EP1486414A1 true EP1486414A1 (en) 2004-12-15

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EP04013336A Withdrawn EP1486414A1 (en) 2003-06-09 2004-06-07 Safety device for floatation and straightening of sailing boats

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN104229095A (en) * 2014-09-09 2014-12-24 中国电子科技集团公司第五十四研究所 Anti-overturning flat boat
JP2015140026A (en) * 2014-01-27 2015-08-03 古川 裕之 Downfall risk prevention device for sailing ship

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3016860A (en) * 1960-12-06 1962-01-16 Robert Mark Johnson Sail boat safety device
GB933360A (en) * 1961-03-27 1963-08-08 Bill O Brien Ltd Improvements in catamarans and like sailing vessels
US4753186A (en) * 1986-12-19 1988-06-28 Paras Ricardo S Inflatable sail for sailing craft
US5255624A (en) * 1992-06-01 1993-10-26 Legare David J Sailboat mast floatation device
FR2741588A1 (en) * 1995-11-23 1997-05-30 Dardenne Bernard Anti-capsize and balancing mechanism for sailing boats
FR2765184A1 (en) * 1997-06-27 1998-12-31 Patrick Dissoubray Equipment for returning a capsized yacht to its normal position

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3016860A (en) * 1960-12-06 1962-01-16 Robert Mark Johnson Sail boat safety device
GB933360A (en) * 1961-03-27 1963-08-08 Bill O Brien Ltd Improvements in catamarans and like sailing vessels
US4753186A (en) * 1986-12-19 1988-06-28 Paras Ricardo S Inflatable sail for sailing craft
US5255624A (en) * 1992-06-01 1993-10-26 Legare David J Sailboat mast floatation device
FR2741588A1 (en) * 1995-11-23 1997-05-30 Dardenne Bernard Anti-capsize and balancing mechanism for sailing boats
FR2765184A1 (en) * 1997-06-27 1998-12-31 Patrick Dissoubray Equipment for returning a capsized yacht to its normal position

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2015140026A (en) * 2014-01-27 2015-08-03 古川 裕之 Downfall risk prevention device for sailing ship
CN104229095A (en) * 2014-09-09 2014-12-24 中国电子科技集团公司第五十四研究所 Anti-overturning flat boat

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITMI20031157A1 (en) 2004-12-10
ITMI20031157A0 (en) 2003-06-09

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