JP2001191981A - Boat bumper device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a boat bumper device very simple to use. SOLUTION: This boat bumper device includes an expandable object 1. The object 1 is expanded by the air sent from a compressor through a valve and a mouth 6 and protruded from the opening 8 of a chamber 4 provided on the peripheral wall 2 of a boat. The object 1 is deflated, shrunk, and stored in the chamber 4 when not in use, and the opening 8 is closed with a shutter 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a boat bumper device which is very simple to use.

[0002] As is known, during mooring, a boat may use a damper device along its side to accidentally impact the boat against a quay or against another boat. We try to prevent damage.

[0003] Bumper systems currently in use generally consist of a plurality of inflated hollow objects which are placed on the boat such that they are located along the sides of the boat. There is a rope used to connect.

[0004] When the boat is sailing, the bumper device is typically pulled into the boat and shrunk appropriately before being packed into the space of the boat's cockpit.

[0005] Bumper systems currently used during mooring of boats, however, have the following problems and disadvantages.

One of the main problems is that positioning the inflated object along the side of the boat is laborious and difficult.

Another problem that arises with the use of currently commercially available bumper devices is the space that occupies the interior of the boat when the bumper device is not in use. The space issue that is required when the bumper device is not used is particularly acute in small boats, where very small spaces are good to improve the comfort of the boat.

[0008] Still another problem is as follows. That is, the bumper device becomes a storage container for dust and organic matter as it is used, and such a container not only makes the bumper device unattractive from an aesthetic point of view, but also releases an unpleasant odor on the boat. Things.

It is a basic object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems by providing a boat bumper device which is very simple and easy to use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a bumper device that does not require directional intervention along the surrounding wall of the boat to activate or deactivate.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a bumper device which does not reduce the space available on the boat when not in use.

An object of the present invention described above includes a plurality of inflatable objects provided on a peripheral wall of a boat, and a device for expanding and contracting the inflatable objects, wherein the inflatable object is provided. Actuating the device for inflating and deflating according to a command, from the rest state in which the inflatable object is contracted to the operative state in which the inflatable object is inflated and protrudes from the surrounding wall of the boat. The present invention is achieved by a boat bumper device capable of transferring an inflatable object.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a bumper device according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings. Will.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a bumper device according to the present invention includes a plurality of inflatable objects 1, which are generally designated by the reference numeral 3, the peripheral wall 2 of the boat, ie the side. It is equipped in the section or stern area. The bumper device also expands the inflatable body 1.
Includes a device for contracting. The device for inflating and deflating the object comprises a device in which the object 1 is inflated from a rest state in which the object 1 is deflated, for example, to protect the surrounding wall 2 during mooring, to the side or stern area 2 of the boat 3. Can be actuated by a command to effect a transition of the inflatable body 1 to an operating state protruding therefrom.

Preferably, several chambers 4 are provided along the perimeter wall 2 of the boat, each chamber being capable of containing a dormant inflatable object 1.

Each inflatable object 1 is connected to an air inlet / outlet mouth 6, for example by means of an attachment cone 5. Each mouse 6 is attached to the side of the boat 3 or the surrounding wall 2 inside each chamber 4. The mouse 6 is connected to a pneumatic circuit indicated generally by the reference numeral 7. The pneumatic circuit 7 expands the object 1
It is connected to the compression device.

Each chamber 4 has an opening 8 facing the outside of the boat and closed by a shutter 9;
This opening can be opened on command.

More specifically, the shutter 9 is hinged to the surrounding wall 2 of the boat, for example, the shutter 9 has an opening 8
The shutter 9 can be rotated by a mechanical or pneumatic or other actuating device of a known type to move the shutter 9 from an open position releasing the shutter 9 to a closed position in which the shutter 9 closes the opening 8.

The chamber 4 can be made when manufacturing a boat, or later on an existing boat. In the latter case, the chamber 4 can be provided inside a box-shaped body already equipped with a shutter 9 and designed to be assembled in an opening provided in the surrounding wall of the boat.

The device for inflating and deflating the object 1 includes a compressor 10 mounted on the boat, the compressor being operated by command and the outlet or inlet of the compressor being selectively connected to a pneumatic circuit 7. be able to.

The selective connection of the outlet or the inlet of the compressor 10 to the pneumatic circuit 7 can be made by means of an operable valve 11, for example an operable two-position slide valve. That is, in one operating position, the operable valve 11 connects the outlet of the compressor 10 to the pneumatic circuit 7 and connects the inlet of the compressor 10 to the outside. Conversely,
In the other operating position, the operable valve 11 controls the compressor 1
The inlet of the compressor 10 is connected to the pneumatic circuit 7 and the outlet of the compressor 10 is connected to the outside.

The pneumatic circuit 7 preferably includes two branches for each wall of the boat, these two branches preferably being provided with an on-off operable valve 12, for example. This is to connect the corresponding branch of the pneumatic circuit 7 to the compressor 10 or to interrupt this connection. The presence of the steerable valve 12 allows only the inflatable body 1 provided on one of the two sides of the boat 3 or one of the stern sections 2 to be activated when required.

Each mouse 6 supporting each inflatable object 1
An operable valve 13 is provided between the air pressure circuit 7 and the air pressure circuit 7.
It can be activated to make or break at least a one-way connection of the discharge mouth 6.

As shown in FIG. 4, these operable valves 13 consist of a valve body having two one-way valves. These one-way valves are used to control the compressor 10 in the direction of the corresponding inflatable body 1 or in the opposite direction, depending on whether expansion or contraction of the inflatable body 1 is required.
Can be selectively used according to the operating position of the operable valve 13 to allow the flow of air from.

Each branch of the pneumatic circuit 7 can carry the required number of inflatable objects 1 (these objects can be connected to corresponding branches of the pneumatic circuit 7 via operable valves 13). Although possible, it should be noted that in FIG. 4 only one inflatable body 1 is shown for each branch of the pneumatic circuit 7 for simplicity of illustration.

The bumper device according to the present invention operates as follows.

When the boat 3 is moored, preferably using one or more control buttons provided on the boat's control panel, the shutter 9 is moved from the closed position to the released position. Subsequently, the compressor 10 with the operable valve 11 is operated in the operating state shown in FIG. 4, so that the outlet of the compressor 10 is connected to the pneumatic circuit 7. The operable valve 13 is also in the state shown in FIG. 4, i.e. allowing the air energized by the compressor 10 to travel in the direction of the expandable object 1. Thereby, the object 1 is inflated and exits the chamber 4 and projects from the side of the boat or the stern area 2. Such a method prevents the boat from colliding with the quay or other boats.

It should be noted that valve 13 prevents contraction of inflatable body 1 when compressor 10 is operating.

The inflatable body 1 is supported on the edge of the opening 8 when inflated, so that the connection between the cone 5 and the mouth 6 is not exposed to excessive stress.
The generated impact is released directly to the side of the boat 3 or to the stern area 2.

If desired, one of the valves 12 can be placed in the closed position to obtain inflation of the inflatable body 1 provided, for example, along a single side or stern area of the boat. I can put it.

When the boat is sailing, the operating state of the valve 11 is switched so that the pneumatic circuit 7
Is connected to the inlet of the compressor instead of to the outlet of the compressor 10, and the operating state of the operable valve 13 is also reversed from the state shown in FIG. In this state, the operation of the compressor 10 causes the suction of air from the expandable object 1 and thus causes the contraction of the object 1 back into the chamber 4, after which the chamber 4 is closed by means of the shutter 9. .

In this way, when the boat is sailing, the bumper device according to the invention cannot be seen from outside the boat.

The cone 5 supporting the inflatable body 1
Advantageously, it can be connected to the mouse 6 in a removable manner, for example by means of a screw connection, so that, for example, a rapid conversion of a damaged or worn inflatable object can take place.

In practice, the bumper device according to the invention achieves the required operation completely and can be activated or deactivated by means of simple buttons, so that it is very convenient and easy to use. It has been found easy.

Another advantage of the damper device according to the invention is that
It does not require space on the boat when the device is not used.

It should be noted that the bumper device of the present invention designed as described above can make many modifications and changes, and all of these modifications and changes fall within the scope of the concept of the present invention. Things. Also, all of the above elements can be replaced by other elements that are technically equivalent.

In practice, any materials and dimensions can be used according to the requirements and the state of the art.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a bumper device according to the present invention applied to a boat.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a boat provided with a bumper device according to the present invention, showing an inflatable object in operation.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the inflatable object is at rest.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a pneumatic circuit for operating a bumper device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inflatable object 2 Perimeter wall (side or stern area) 3 Boat 4 Chamber 5 Attachment cone 6 Air intake / discharge mouth 7 Pneumatic circuit 8 Opening 9 Shutter 10 Compressor 11 Valve 12 Valve 13 Valve

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (71) Applicant 500011791 VIA COMASINA 11-VERANO BRIANZA, MILAN, ITALY (72) Inventor Roberto Corbetta Italy Milano Seregno Via Oriani 44 (72) Inventor Gianni Mariani Italy Milan Seregno Via Virgilio 2

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A boat bumper device, comprising: a plurality of inflatable objects provided on a peripheral wall of a boat; and a device for expanding and contracting the inflatable objects, wherein the inflatable objects are inflated. Activating the device for inflating and deflating according to a command so that the inflatable object is inflated from a rest state in which the inflatable object is contracted to an operative state in which the inflatable object protrudes from the surrounding wall of the boat. A bumper device capable of transferring a possible object. 2. The bumper device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of chambers are provided along a peripheral wall of the boat, and these chambers can accommodate the inflatable object in the rest state. . 3. The inflatable body is mounted on a respective air intake / exhaust mouth, each of these air intake / exhaust mice being mounted on a peripheral wall of the boat inside one of the chambers, and wherein the air intake / exhaust is provided. 3. The bumper device according to claim 1, wherein a discharge mouth is connected to a pneumatic circuit connected to the device for expanding and contracting the expandable object. 4. The chamber has an opening facing the exterior of the boat to cause the inflatable object to protrude from the corresponding chamber when transitioning from the resting state to the operating state; The bumper device according to claim 1, wherein the opening is closed by a shutter that can be opened by a command. 5. The bumper device according to claim 1, wherein, in the operating state, the inflatable object is supported on an edge of the opening of the corresponding chamber. . 6. The apparatus for inflating and deflating the inflatable object includes a compressor provided on the boat and operated on command, the outlet or inlet of the compressor expanding or contracting the inflatable object. 4. The pneumatic circuit of claim 1 wherein said compression circuit is selectively connected to said pneumatic circuit for compression.
6. The bumper device according to claim 5. 7. The device for inflating and deflating the inflatable object includes an operable valve provided between the air intake / exhaust mouth and the pneumatic circuit, wherein the operable valve is provided. The bumper device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bumper device is actuated to make or break at least one-way connection of the air intake / exhaust mouth to the pneumatic circuit. 8. The pneumatic circuit includes two branches, each of these branches for each side of a boat, and connecting each of the two branches of the pneumatic circuit to the compressor. The bumper device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a device that can be activated or deactivated by a command to perform the operation. 9. The bumper device according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable object is detachably connected to the air intake / exhaust mouse. 10. The bumper device according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral wall of the boat includes a side portion and / or a stern area of the boat.