JP2022083590A - Vehicle on-water floating device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicle on-water floating device capable of continuing floating on a water surface even if a drifting object caused by the tsunami collides with it and capable of safely evacuating in a vehicle without wetting clothes.SOLUTION: A vehicle 100 floats up onto a water surface 150 by buoyancy applied to a vehicle on-water floating device 1. Specifically, the vehicle 100 floats up onto the water surface 150 by buoyancy applied to a first expansion unit 10 and to a second expansion unit 20 because the first expansion unit 10 provided in an internal region 50 and the second expansion unit 20 provided in an external region 60 are expanded by a substance supplied from a cylinder. The vehicle 100 is a self-propelled passenger car. The substance filled in the first expansion unit is a gas such as a nitrogen gas, and the substance filled in the second expansion unit is an urethane foam.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle surface levitation device that levitates a submerged vehicle onto the water surface.

When a huge tsunami is predicted, it is one of the effective disaster prevention measures to evacuate to a hill quickly before the tsunami in order to protect yourself. Walking, bicycles / motorcycles, and automobiles can be considered as means of transportation for evacuation to high ground.

Results of Questionnaire Survey conducted in Ishinomaki City (Reference 1: Proceedings of the 32nd Earthquake Engineering Research Presentation of the Civil Engineering Society "Transportation and Risk of Tsunami Evacuation in the Great East Japan Earthquake-Based on the Questionnaire Survey of Ishinomaki City-" ), The evacuation by car accounts for 52% of the total, which is higher than other means of transportation (44% on foot, 4% on bicycles / motorcycles).

Automobiles are considered to be a means of transportation that can be evacuated quickly because they move faster than other evacuation means, but it has also been pointed out that traffic congestion may occur because a large number of automobiles concentrate on the evacuation route at the same time. There is. According to Reference 1, 45% of the cases were caught in traffic jams, 14% had abandoned their cars and ran away, and 7% were swept away by the tsunami.

It is difficult for people with disabilities to abandon their cars and evacuate when they are caught in a traffic jam, and the current situation is that there is no other way but to stay in the car. At this time, if a tsunami strikes, it will be washed away by the tsunami while staying in the car. According to the results of the disaster investigation, it is said that a considerable number of bodies were found in the car.

In recent years, due to torrential rains, inland waters have frequently flooded in a short time, especially in urban areas. When flooded water invades an underground parking lot or an underpass under a road or railroad, it may not be possible to escape from the inside of the car, and in the worst case, the person may die in the car.

During floods, many damages have occurred in the past due to the submergence of automobiles. For example, during the heavy rains and floods in Nagasaki in July 1982, many people were killed by submerged automobiles in Nagasaki City.

In view of this situation, it can be foreseen that installing a device to levitate a car will save many precious lives in the event of a flood. As a device for floating an automobile on water, Patent Document 1 discloses a swim bladder for a vehicle housed in a front and rear bumper portion of a vehicle or the like.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-156175

However, since this device is mounted outside the vehicle and fixed to the bumper, there is a concern that the strength of the mounting portion may be insufficient. In particular, when drifting due to a tsunami, there is a possibility that the vehicle's swim bladder will separate from the vehicle due to the wave power of the tsunami and the collision of drifting objects, and the vehicle will be submerged. In addition, after inflating the swim bladder for the vehicle during evacuation, it becomes difficult for the vehicle to run.

Further, since the mounting position is limited to an extremely narrow range of the bumper, it is considered that the buoyancy received by the vehicle bladder is limited. Therefore, it is difficult to levitate the car to the intended height, and it cannot be denied that the clothes may get wet due to flooding when evacuating to the inside of the car.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle water surface floating device that can continue to float on the water surface even when a drifting object caused by a tsunami collides with the vehicle and can safely evacuate to the inside of an automobile without getting clothes or the like wet. Is.

The invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a vehicle floating device, which includes an expansion unit mounted on the floor of a vehicle and a cylinder for inflating the expansion unit, and operates the cylinder to inflate the expansion unit. When the vehicle is flooded, the seat located above the floor is characterized by being located above the surface of the water.

According to this configuration, even if the vehicle is about to be flooded due to a tsunami, flood, etc. while driving or riding the vehicle, the expansion unit can be expanded to stay inside the vehicle. You can avoid disasters without getting your clothes wet. For example, people who are lame and difficult to evacuate can avoid disasters such as floods by staying in the car. Further, since the expansion unit is fixed to the floor where a wide fixing range can be secured, the expansion unit can be firmly fixed.

The vehicle referred to here includes not only a self-propelled vehicle such as a passenger car but also a vehicle towed by a towed vehicle, for example, a trailer house.

Preferably, the expansion unit is characterized by having a first expansion unit that is secured to the internal region side of the floor.

According to this configuration, since the expansion unit has a first expansion unit fixed to the internal region side of the floor, it is possible to suppress the amount of water infiltrating into the internal region. This allows the internal region to remain buoyant.

Preferably, the expansion unit is characterized by having a second expansion unit that is fixed to the outer region side of the floor and is capable of expanding in a direction away from the floor while facing the floor.

According to this configuration, since the expansion unit has a second expansion unit that is fixed to the outer region side of the floor and can expand in a direction away from the floor while facing the floor, the second expansion unit is placed on the floor. It can be firmly fixed and the expansion scale can be increased. The entire second expansion unit is flooded when the floor is flooded. Maximum buoyancy can be obtained by inflating the second expansion unit.

Preferably, the second expansion unit is characterized in that it expands by being filled with urethane foam supplied from a cylinder.

According to this configuration, the second expansion unit expands by being filled with urethane foam supplied from the cylinder, so even if the expansion unit is damaged for some reason, it is in an expanded state due to the filled urethane foam. Can receive a predetermined buoyancy.

Preferably, the floor has a chassis that supports the riding portion, and the filling space defined by the chassis is filled with urethane foam.

According to this configuration, when the chassis is flooded, the urethane foam filled in the filling space allows the vehicle to receive a large buoyancy.

(A) is a side partial cross-sectional view illustrating a state of a vehicle surfaced on the water surface by the vehicle surface floating device according to the first embodiment. (B) is a partial cross-sectional view of the same plane. It is a figure explaining the state which the 1st expansion unit in Embodiment 1 expands. It is a figure explaining the state which the 2nd expansion unit in Embodiment 1 expands. (A) is a plan view of the second expansion unit according to the first embodiment. (B) is a partial front sectional view of the same. (A) is a side view illustrating a state in which the vehicle in the second embodiment is placed on the ground. (B) is a side partial cross-sectional view illustrating a state of a vehicle surfaced on the water surface by the vehicle surface floating device according to the second embodiment. (A) is a plan view of the chassis according to the second embodiment. (B) is the same side sectional view.

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the vehicle 100 is levitated to the water surface 150 by the buoyancy received by the vehicle surface levitation device 1 (hereinafter referred to as the buoyancy device 1). Specifically, when the first expansion unit 10 provided in the inner region 50 and the second expansion unit 20 provided in the outer region 60 expand, the vehicle 100 has the first expansion unit 10 and the second expansion unit 10. The buoyancy received by the expansion unit 20 causes it to rise to the water surface 150. The vehicle 100 in the first embodiment is a self-propelled passenger car.

The first expansion unit 10 is the rear seat expansion unit 10a fixed to the internal region 50 side of the floor 30 in front of the rear seat 101a, and the passenger seat expansion unit 10 fixed to the internal region 50 side of the floor 30 in front of the passenger seat 101b. It has a unit 10b and a driver's seat expansion unit 10c fixed to the internal region 50 side of the floor 30 in front of the driver's seat 101c.

The rear seat expansion unit 10a has a fixing portion 17 and an expansion bag 16 as shown in FIG. The inflatable bag 16 is fixed to the floor 30 via the fixing portion 17 in a folded state. Further, it is connected to the cylinder 11a via the release valve 12a. By operating the operation unit 15 to open the release valve 12a, the gas filled in the cylinder 11a in a compressed state is supplied to the expansion bag 16. As a result, the expansion bag 16 expands. It is preferable that the expansion bag 16 is not bulky when folded and has high airtightness so that the gas filled therein does not leak when expanded. For example, a cloth coated with a silicone resin using nylon 66, which is the same material as an airbag, as a woven cloth is preferable.

The gas filled in the cylinder 11a is preferably a nonflammable gas having low toxicity, for example, nitrogen gas or carbon dioxide gas.

The release valve 12a is a solenoid valve that opens when energized by the operation of the operation unit 15.

Since the passenger seat expansion unit 10b and the driver seat expansion unit 10c have almost the same configuration as the rear seat expansion unit 10a, the description thereof will be omitted.

The second expansion unit 20 is fixed to the outer region 60 side of the floor 30. It is preferable that the second expansion unit 20 has a thickness that does not hinder the vehicle 100 when traveling on a public road, for example, a minimum ground clearance of 9 cm or more. Regardless of this, when traveling on uneven public roads, it is preferable to secure a further ground clearance.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second expansion unit 20 has a fixing portion 23, an expansion portion 24, and a protection portion 25. Further, the fixing portion 23, the expanding portion 24, and the protecting portion 25 cooperate to define the expanding space 24a which is a closed space.

As shown in FIG. 4, the fixing portion 23 is a plate-shaped member having a strip-shaped annular member 23a having a rectangular outer shape and a cross-linking member 23b bridged to the annular member 23a, and is on the outer region 60 side of the floor 30. It is fixed to. The rectangular space defined by the annular member 23a and the cross-linking member 23b is closed by the closing film 23c. The obstruction film 23c is a thin film-like sheet.

The expansion portion 24 is housed in the gap 27 between the fixing portion 23 and the protection portion 25 in a state of being folded in an accordion shape. The gap 27 is kept constant over the entire range by the spacer 26. The six spacers 26 are arranged on the outer peripheral portions of the fixing portion 23 and the protecting portion 25 in a state where one end is fixed to the fixing portion 23 and the other end is in contact with the protecting portion 25. In the first embodiment, the spacer 26 is in contact with the protective portion 25, but may be in a state of being adhered so as to be separated by a predetermined force.

The protection portion 25 is a plate-shaped member and is for protecting the expansion portion 24. As a result, even if the vehicle 100 comes into contact with the road surface due to the unevenness of the road surface during traveling, damage to the expanded portion can be avoided. The protective member is preferably lightweight and has excellent strength. For example, an FRP plate is preferable.

When the expansion portion 24 is housed in the gap 27 between the fixing portion 23 and the protection portion 25, the expansion space 24a is in a pressure state lower than that of the external region 60. As a result, the gap 27 can be maintained at a constant interval.

The second expansion unit 20 is connected to the cylinder 21 via the release valve 22. The cylinder 21 is housed in a state of being detachably fixed to the trunk 51 of the vehicle 100. By operating the operation unit 15 to open the release valve 22, urethane foam is supplied from the cylinder 21 to the expansion space 24a via the six intakes 28. By arranging the intake port 28 on the outer periphery of the second expansion unit 20 at a substantially uniform distance, the expansion portion 24 expands evenly. Since the expansion space 24a is filled with urethane foam, even if a drifting object collides with the expansion portion 24 and the expansion portion 24 is partially damaged, the second expansion unit 20 does not shrink and has a predetermined buoyancy. Can be kept.

The release valve 22 is a solenoid valve that opens when energized by the operation of the operation unit 15.

The operation unit 15 has switches 15a, 15b, and 15c. By operating the switch 15a, the rear seat expansion unit 10a and the passenger seat expansion unit 10b are expanded. Further, by operating the switch 15b, the driver's seat expansion unit 10c expands. Further, by operating the switch 15c, the second expansion unit 20 expands.

Taking evacuation by vehicle when a tsunami strikes as an example, the operation procedure of the operation unit 15 will be described.

When a tsunami is expected to hit, drive the vehicle 100 and evacuate to a hill. At this time, if there are people with disabilities, they will be guided to the vehicle 100. During the evacuation, when traffic congestion occurs and it is predicted that the tsunami will reach the height of the wheels 40, the switch 15a is operated to inflate the rear seat expansion unit 10a and the passenger seat expansion unit 10b. In this state, continue the operation and continue the evacuation to the hill.

When the water level rises and it is determined that driving is difficult, the vehicle 100 is stopped, and at the same time, the switch 15b is operated to inflate the driver's seat expansion unit 10c. In this state, the passenger puts his / her foot on the seat and waits for the water level to drop. When the water level drops, the door is opened to escape to the external region 60.

When the water level rises further, the switch 15c is operated to inflate the second expansion unit 20. The buoyancy acting on the first expansion unit 10 and the second expansion unit 20 causes the vehicle 100 to ascend to the water surface 150. Wait for the water level to drop in this state. Even if a drifting object washed away by the tsunami collides with the vehicle 100, the safety of the passenger can be ensured by the vehicle 100 withstanding the collision. Since the first expansion unit 10 arranged in the internal region 50 is protected by the vehicle 100, the drifting objects do not directly collide with each other and are not damaged. Since the second expansion unit 20 arranged in the outer region 60 is filled with urethane foam in the expansion space 24a, even if a drifting object directly collides with the expansion unit 24 and the expansion portion 24 is damaged, the expansion unit 20 is maintained in an expanded state. Can be done.

When the first expansion unit 10 and the second expansion unit 20 are expanded, the vehicle 100 reaches a height at which the seat 102a of the rear seat 101a, the seat 102b of the passenger seat 101b, and the seat 102c of the driver seat 101c are not flooded. Ascend. As a result, by staying in the internal region 50 while sitting on the seat portions 102a, 102b, 102c, it is possible to evacuate without getting the clothes wet.

The second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

The same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in the first embodiment, and the reference numerals are given in the 200 series for different configurations. Further, since the first embodiment and the second embodiment include the same configuration, the description of the same portion will be omitted, and the differences will be mainly described.

The vehicle 200 is levitated to the water surface 150 by the buoyancy received by the buoyancy device 201. Specifically, when the second expansion unit 220 provided in the external region 60 expands, the vehicle 200 floats on the water surface 150 due to the buoyancy received by the second expansion unit 220.

The vehicle 200 in the second embodiment is a mobile home towed by a towing vehicle. In the vehicle 200, the four corners of the vehicle 200 are supported by the gantry 230 with the wheels 240 in contact with the ground 250. That is, the vehicle 200 is supported by both the wheels 240 and the gantry 230.

In order to prevent the vehicle 200 from being tilted due to the deformation of the ground 250, the gantry 230 is preferably placed on a concrete plate.

The house 235 (riding part), which is a living space, is detachably fixed to the chassis 210. A bed 260 is arranged in the house 235. In addition, water, gas, and electricity are drawn in, and it is fully functional as a house. As a result, the current vacant lot can be used flexibly and effectively.

The chassis 210 is a so-called ladder frame in which members of a square cylinder are assembled in a ladder shape, and has a hitch member 270 for traction. Further, the uniaxial type wheel 240 is rotatably fixed.

In the chassis 210, a rectangular filling space 210a is defined in a plan view. Here, the filling space 210a means a space defined by a virtual surface in which the upper surface and the lower surface of the chassis 210 are horizontally extended, and a ladder-shaped ladder frame. The filling space 210a is filled with urethane foam. Since urethane foam has a lower density than water, the vehicle 200 can be levitated by buoyancy when the chassis 210 is located below the water surface 150. Further, since the heat insulating performance is excellent, the temperature change inside the house 235 can be suppressed.

The second expansion unit 220 is fixed to the lower end of the chassis 210 and has a fixing portion 223, an expansion portion 224, and a protection portion 225. Since the fixing portion 223, the expanding portion 224, and the protecting portion 225 are substantially the same as the fixing portion 23, the expanding portion 24, and the protecting portion 25 in the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

The operation unit (not shown) has one switch (not shown) for inflating the second expansion unit 220.

Taking evacuation when a tsunami strikes as an example, the ascent of the vehicle 200 to the water surface 150 will be described.

The vehicle 200 remains placed on the ground 250 most of the time and is used as a living space. It can be used for various purposes such as children's study room, study, away, camping, etc. When moving the installation location, the installation location can be moved by connecting a towing vehicle to the hitch member 270 and towing it.

When a tsunami strikes and a part of the chassis 210 is flooded, the operation unit is operated to inflate the second expansion unit 220 toward the ground 250. When the water level rises further, the vehicle 200 rises to the water surface 150 due to the buoyancy acting on the second expansion unit 220 and the filling space 210a.

When the second expansion unit 220 expands, it is preferable that the vehicle 200 can ascend to a height at which the upper surface of the bed 260 is located above the water surface 150. As a result, by staying inside while sitting on the upper surface of the bed 260, it is possible to evacuate without getting the clothes wet.

The levitation device according to the present invention not only evacuates when a tsunami strikes, but also when the water level suddenly rises during a flood or accidentally invades a place where the water level is deep and is trapped inside the vehicle to move. Even if it is not in a state, it can be evacuated by floating the vehicle, so it has great industrial applicability.

1: Floating device
10: 1st expansion unit 20, 220: 2nd expansion unit 11a, 21: Cylinder 50: Internal area 60: External area 100, 200: Vehicle 210: Chassis 210a: Filling space 235: House (riding part)

The invention for solving the above-mentioned problems includes an expansion unit attached to the floor of the vehicle and a cylinder for inflating the expansion unit. By operating the cylinder to inflate the expansion unit, the floor is flooded when the vehicle is flooded. The seat portion disposed above the floor is a vehicle floating device characterized in that it is located above the water surface, and the expansion unit includes a first expansion unit fixed to the internal region side of the floor and a floor. It has a second expansion unit that is fixed to the external region side and can expand in a direction away from the floor while facing the floor, and the first expansion unit includes a rear seat expansion unit, a passenger seat expansion unit, and an operation. The seat expansion unit is included, and the rear seat expansion unit and the passenger seat expansion unit, the driver's seat expansion unit, and the second expansion unit can be independently expanded by manual operation .

According to this configuration, even if the vehicle is about to be flooded due to a tsunami, flood, etc. while driving or riding the vehicle, the expansion unit can be expanded to stay inside the vehicle. You can avoid disasters without getting your clothes wet. For example, people who are lame and difficult to evacuate can avoid disasters such as floods by staying in the car. Further, since the expansion unit is fixed to the floor where a wide fixing range can be secured, the expansion unit can be firmly fixed.
According to this configuration, since the expansion unit has a first expansion unit fixed to the internal region side of the floor, it is possible to suppress the amount of water infiltrating into the internal region. This allows the internal region to remain buoyant.
According to this configuration, since the expansion unit has a second expansion unit that is fixed to the outer region side of the floor and can expand in a direction away from the floor while facing the floor, the second expansion unit is placed on the floor. It can be firmly fixed and the expansion scale can be increased. The entire second expansion unit is flooded when the floor is flooded. Maximum buoyancy can be obtained by inflating the second expansion unit.

Claims (5)

An expansion unit that can be mounted on the floor of the vehicle,
A cylinder for inflating the expansion unit is provided.
A vehicle floating device characterized in that, when the vehicle is flooded by operating the cylinder to inflate the expansion unit, the seat portion disposed above the floor is located above the water surface. The vehicle floating device according to claim 1, wherein the expansion unit has a first expansion unit fixed to the internal region side of the floor. Claim 1 or 2, wherein the expansion unit has a second expansion unit that is fixed to the outer region side of the floor and can expand in a direction away from the floor while facing the floor. The vehicle floating device described. The vehicle floating device according to claim 3, wherein the second expansion unit expands by being filled with urethane foam supplied from the cylinder. The vehicle water surface according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the floor has a chassis that supports a riding portion, and the filling space defined by the chassis is filled with urethane foam. Floating device.

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