JP4711418B2 - Underwater scooter - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an underwater scooter that navigates on or under water, more specifically near the water surface.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an underwater scooter or an aqua scooter that has an internal combustion engine that is attached below a buoyant body (tank) and drives a propeller and that is steered by a pilot (diver) and navigates near the water surface has been proposed (for example, non-patent Reference 1).
“Norimonoland Aqua Scooter”, [on line], [Search January 16, 2006], Internet <URL: http://www.norimonoland.com/aqua>

  In this type of underwater scooter, the operator puts the upper body on the buoyant body while gripping the left and right handles (sits on the stomach), and controls the lower body under water, but the In addition, since the jet water flow from the propeller is received in the lower body, there is a disadvantage that fatigue of hands and arms increases with time. In addition, it is necessary to hold the handle with both hands, and if one hand is released, it becomes difficult to go straight.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide an underwater scooter that reduces the fatigue of the operator.

In order to solve the above-described problem, according to claim 1, at least a buoyancy body and an internal combustion engine attached below the buoyancy body are provided, and the propeller is driven by the internal combustion engine to travel on or under water. The underwater scooter includes an elbow grip that receives an elbow when the operator rides on the buoyant body and grips the left and right handles with both hands, and the elbow grip is elastically deformed in response to the pressure of the elbow. The grip is made of any one of a grip made of a material and a grip formed with a recess that at least partially accommodates the elbow .

In the water scooter according to claim 1, when the operator buoyancy body is gripped with both hands right and left handles riding tummy provided with a elbow grip receiving the elbow, the elbow grip, the pressing of the elbow The driver is supported by the underwater scooter with the upper body, hands and elbows because it is configured to be either a grip made of a material that elastically deforms accordingly, or a grip with a recess that at least partially accommodates the elbow. Therefore, the driver's fatigue can be reduced. That is, since the load acting on the pilot due to the water pressure received during navigation is distributed by the grip of the handle and the elbow grip, fatigue of hands and arms can be reduced. Furthermore, since the upper body can be held on the buoyant body with only the elbow grip, straightness can be maintained even if one hand is removed from the handle, and the maneuvering is facilitated accordingly. In addition, the upper body can be better held on the buoyancy body, and even if the elbow is kept in contact with the elbow grip for a long time, there is no pain.

  The best mode for carrying out the underwater scooter according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 is a side perspective sectional view of an underwater scooter according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of the underwater scooter shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. ) Is a side view for explanation, and FIG. 4 is a top view for explanation of the state shown in FIG.

  1 to 4, reference numeral 10 denotes an underwater scooter. As shown in the drawing, the underwater scooter 10 includes at least a buoyant body 12 and an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as “engine”) E disposed below in the direction of gravity of the buoyant body 12, and drives the propeller 14 with the engine E. As shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the pilot (diver) is placed on the buoyant body 12 on the stomach and crushed on the water or in the water, specifically, slightly submerged from the water surface Ws, and near the water surface Ws.

The buoyancy body 12 is composed of a tank having an area that is 1/2 or more of the entire underwater scooter 10 in a top view and formed hollow. The buoyancy body 12 is manufactured from a lightweight material such as a resin material. A fuel filler port 12a is disposed at one side of the buoyancy body 12 in the vicinity of the left and right ends (toward the navigation direction), specifically, at the right end. The fuel filler opening 12a is opened and closed by a cap 12a1.

  A snorkel 16 is connected to the other of the buoyancy body 12 near the left and right ends. The snorkel 16 is formed of a single cylinder (pipe) that is bent halfway and exhibits an L-shape as a whole, and a cylindrical portion 16a on the base end side is a cap (fixing means) from a hole drilled in the left side surface of the buoyancy body 12. ) 16b is inserted into the inside of the buoyancy body 12 in an airtight manner, and as shown in FIG. 1, the distal end side cylindrical portion 16c protrudes upward, more precisely, upward in the direction of gravity during use. Composed. As shown in FIG. 3, the distal end side cylindrical portion 16 c is set to a length that protrudes from the water surface Ws by a predetermined distance even in a subsidence position that is assumed from the expected weight of the operator.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the buoyancy body 12 is roughly divided into two chambers by partition walls 12b and 12c. That is, in the buoyancy body 12, a fuel chamber 12 d for storing gasoline fuel to be supplied to the engine E is formed in the vicinity of the arrangement position of the fuel filler opening 12 a, that is, below the fuel filler opening 12 a. An air chamber 12e for storing air to be supplied to the engine E is formed in the vicinity, that is, on the side where the cylindrical portion 16a on the base end side is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel chamber 12d is a key-like space extending from one side (upper side in the figure) to the other side (lower side in the figure) when viewed from above. The air chamber 12e consists of the remaining part, that is, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped part. As shown in FIG. 3, in the buoyancy body 12, the remaining surface excluding the arrangement position of the fuel filler opening 12 a and the connection position of the snorkel 16 is formed substantially flat. In addition, since the snorkel 16 protrudes from the side, the surface of the buoyancy body 12 is formed so that the remaining portion excluding only the arrangement position of the fuel filler opening 12a is substantially flat.

  The engine E is a spark ignition type single cylinder gasoline engine having a displacement of 35 cc in four cycles. The crankshaft 20 is coaxial with the propeller shaft 22 connected to the propeller 14, and the cylinder head 24 is cranked. In other words, the shaft 20 is placed upside down so as to be lower than the shaft 20 in the direction of gravity.

The engine E includes a cylinder block 26 that is formed integrally with the cylinder head 24 and a crankcase 30 that is joined to the end face thereof. Inside the cylinder block 26 with one of the piston 32 (FIG. 2) is vertically movably housed, on its outer periphery a number of cooling fan as shown in Fig formed. A crankshaft 20 connected to the piston 32 via a connecting rod is rotatably accommodated in a crank chamber inside the crankcase 30.

  The cylinder head 24 accommodates a valve operating system 34 such as a rocker arm that drives an intake / exhaust valve (not shown), and an ignition plug 36. The intake pipe 40 of the engine E (more precisely, the intake pipe 40a connected to the intake pipe 40) is airtightly connected to the air chamber 12e of the buoyancy body 12, and the air supplied through the intake pipe 40a is a diaphragm type. The carburetor 42 is mixed with gasoline fuel pumped from the fuel chamber 12d according to the pulsation of the crank chamber, and the resulting air-fuel mixture is supplied to the combustion chamber and ignited by the spark plug 36 and burned.

  The exhaust gas generated by the combustion flows through the muffler 44 through the exhaust pipe 46 and is discharged into the water. As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust pipe 46 is curved at the rear end, and is opened at a position directly below the propeller shaft 22.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 50 denotes a recoil starter. The engine E is started when the recoil starter 50 is pulled through a recoil grip (not shown) by the operator. As shown in the figure, the engine E is disposed while exposed in water, but the intake pipe 40a of the intake pipe 40 is airtightly connected to the air chamber 12e of the buoyancy body 12 communicating with the snorkel 16. Is kept airtight in water and continues to rotate as long as fuel is supplied from the fuel chamber 12d.

  A slinger or the like that supplies oil (lubricating oil) in a mist state is accommodated in the member denoted by reference numeral 52, and the engine E is supplied with oil regardless of the position of the cylinder head 24 in the direction of gravity. Rotate. The details of the engine E are described in detail in the patent publication (Japanese Patent No. 3111402) previously proposed by the present applicant, and thus further explanation is omitted.

  The connection between the engine E and the propeller 14 will be described. The crankshaft 20 is connected to the drive shaft 56 via the centrifugal clutch 54. The centrifugal clutch 54 is driven while surrounding the clutch shoe 54a, a clutch shoe 54a that is pivotally supported at the end of the crankshaft 20, and a clutch spring (not shown) that biases the clutch shoe 54a in the diameter-reducing direction. The clutch drum 54 b is fixed to the shaft 56.

  When the crankshaft 20 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed or more, the clutch shoe 54a expands in diameter and is pressed against the inside of the clutch drum 54b, and the rotation of the crankshaft 20 is transmitted to the drive shaft 56.

  The drive shaft 56 is connected to the propeller shaft 22 via a planetary gear (reduction gear mechanism) 60. That is, the rotation of the drive shaft 56 is decelerated and transmitted to the ring gear 60c via the sun gear 60a and the planetary pinion 60b. Since the ring gear 60c is fixed to the propeller shaft 22, the rotation of the ring gear 60c is transmitted to the propeller shaft 22 as it is, and the propeller 14 fixed to the rear end of the propeller shaft 22 is rotated.

  A duct 62 is attached around the propeller 14 to prevent a driver or the like from contacting the propeller 14. The duct 62 includes a conical cone 62a, a cylinder 62b, and fins 62c that connect them at three locations in the radial direction. The conical cone 62a is fixed to the engine E by being bolted to the case of the planetary gear 60. .

  A rectifying plate 64 is bolted and attached to the rear of the duct 62. The rectifying plate 64 is formed of a cylinder similar to the cylinder 62b of the duct 62, but has a tapered shape, that is, a shape whose diameter is reduced in the rear.

  The rotation speed of the engine E, in other words, the navigation speed of the underwater scooter is adjusted by the throttle lever 66. That is, a grip-like throttle lever 66 extending downward from above is provided on the left side of the front surface of the engine E. As shown in FIG. 2, the throttle lever 66 is configured to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, and the rotation of the throttle lever 66 is arranged near the carburetor 42 via a cable 66a (partially shown). (Not shown) to open and close the throttle valve to increase or decrease the navigation speed of the underwater scooter 10.

  Returning to the description of the buoyancy body 12, the buoyancy body 12 is fixed to the crankcase 30 of the engine E via a stay 68 or the like. Handles 70 are attached to both sides of the front surface of the engine E. The left and right handles 70 extend downward, then bend and extend rearward to reach the vicinity of the duct 62.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the operator becomes hungry, grasps the handle 70 with the right hand, grasps the handle 70 and the throttle lever 66 with the left hand, puts the upper body on the buoyant body 12, and The underwater scooter 10 is operated so as to navigate near the water surface Ws by adjusting the navigation speed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an intake pipe 40a connected to the intake pipe 40 of the engine E is opened in the air chamber 12e connected to the snorkel 16 of the buoyancy body 12, and the air in the air chamber 12e is sucked. A cap 72 made of a water-repellent mesh is provided at the opening end of the intake pipe 40a, and the water W accumulated in the air chamber 12e swells according to the inclination and vibration of the underwater scooter 10, and the intake pipe 40a Even if it exceeds the open end, it is prevented from entering the combustion chamber of the engine E.

  Here, the characteristics of the underwater scooter 10 according to this embodiment will be described.

  As mentioned at the beginning, in this type of underwater scooter, the operator puts the upper body on the buoyant body while gripping the left and right handles (sits on the stomach), and controls the lower body under water. However, since the upper body receives water pressure and the lower body receives the jet water flow from the propeller, there is an inconvenience that fatigue of hands and arms increases with time. In addition, it is necessary to hold the handle with both hands, and if one hand is released, it becomes difficult to go straight.

  In view of this, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, on the left and right sides of the duct 62 (left and right sides of the duct 62 when the underwater scooter 10 sails underwater), the buoyant body 12 is hungry. When riding and gripping the left and right handles 70 with both hands, the elbow grips 80 for receiving (or supporting) the elbows of the left and right arms of the operator are provided.

  2 and 4, the elbow grip 80 is made of an L-shaped member as viewed from above, and the bottom surface is fixed to the duct 62 by appropriate means, and the grip piece 80a projects vertically from the bottom surface. Configured. The elbow grip 80 is manufactured from a material such as rubber or resin that is elastically deformed according to the pressure of the elbow, more specifically, according to the pressing force from the elbow of the operator.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the elbow grip 80 is good also as a grip which drills the recessed part 80a1 in the grip piece 80a, and accommodates a driver | operator's elbow there. The elbow grip 80 shown in FIG. 5 is also preferably made of a material such as rubber or resin that is elastically deformed in accordance with the pressing force from the operator's elbow.

The underwater scooter 10 according to this embodiment includes at least a buoyancy body 12 and an engine (internal combustion engine) E attached below the buoyancy body. The propeller 14 is driven by the engine (internal combustion engine) E. together in water scooter 10 sailing on water or underwater, when operator to the buoyant body 12 to grip the left and right handle 70 riding tummy with both hands, comprising an elbow grip 80 for receiving the elbow Te, the elbow grip 80 Is configured such that it is either a grip made of a material that is elastically deformed in response to the pressure of the elbow, or a grip formed with a recess 80a1 that at least partially accommodates the elbow as shown in FIG. .

  As a result, since the pilot is supported by the underwater scooter 10 with the upper body, hands and elbows, the driver's fatigue can be reduced. That is, since the load acting on the pilot due to the water pressure received during navigation is distributed by the grip of the handle 70 and the elbow grip 80, fatigue of the hands and arms can be reduced. Furthermore, since the upper body can be held on the buoyant body 12 with only the elbow grip 80, straightness can be maintained even if one hand is separated from the handle 70, and the maneuvering is facilitated accordingly.

In addition to the above noted effect, the upper body with a can better hold on the buoyant body, even by prolonged contact of the elbow elbow grip 80, not subject to pain.

  In the above description, the elbow grip is L-shaped when viewed from above. However, the shape is not limited to this, and any other shape such as a box shape may be used as long as it can support the operator's elbow.

It is side surface sectional drawing of the underwater scooter which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is II-II transparent sectional drawing of the underwater scooter shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory side view showing a state in which a driver (diver) gets on the underwater scooter shown in FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the state shown in FIG. 3 from upper direction. It is explanatory drawing which shows the modification of the elbow grip shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  10 underwater scooter, 12 buoyant body, 12d fuel chamber, 12e air chamber, 14 propeller, 16 snorkel, 70 handle, 80 elbow grip, 80a grip piece, 80a1 recess, E internal combustion engine (engine)

Claims (1)

In an underwater scooter that includes at least a buoyant body and an internal combustion engine that is attached below the buoyant body, and that drives a propeller with the internal combustion engine to sail on or underwater, when gripping the handles with both hands, Rutotomoni comprises an elbow grip receiving the elbow, the elbow grip, a grip composed of a material that elastically deforms in response to the pressing of the elbow, a recess at least partially accommodating the elbow An underwater scooter characterized by being one of the formed grips .

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