JPS5943360B2 - sail expansion device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for expanding and retracting a sail, which is necessary when a ship navigates using wind power.

In recent years, with the depletion of petroleum resources, sail devices that utilize wind energy have been seriously considered as a means of saving energy on ships.

Mechanically, this sail system has been mechanized and automated to eliminate the need for many human hands to operate the sails, and it also functions as a wing, using the generated lift to propel the ship. In this case, in order to increase its function as a wing, the sail should have an irregular cross-sectional shape, be a so-called hard sail that is not easily deformed by wind force, and have a high vertical and horizontal structure. is desirable.

As a result of the above, the sail system becomes a large structure with a height considerably higher than the radar top on the bridge, and when a ship equipped with the sail system described above sails, especially when entering or exiting port, there are cases where air draft is limited by bridges etc. Therefore, unless some kind of expansion and retraction system is provided, the routes that can be sailed are often limited.

On the other hand, conventional methods of expanding and retracting sails, such as the dynaship type, simply change the sail area or cross-sectional shape of the sail, and only focus on changing the force and moment generated by the sail. At the same time, it was not intended to provide flexibility for the route by changing the height of the sail system.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to solve the problem that the conventional method for expanding and retracting sail devices is unable to reduce the height of the sail itself even when the sail is retracted, and therefore, there is a risk that the sailing routes that can be used are limited. This feature has been improved to reduce the height of the entire sail system when retracting the sails, making it possible to navigate routes with air drafts such as bridges, and ensuring good visibility from the bridge at that time, making maintenance easier onboard. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sail expansion/retraction device that can improve maintainability.

That is, the present invention is characterized in that a leading edge sail and an auxiliary sail are provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction so that they can be opened and closed, and
A main sail having an airfoil-shaped cross section is provided with a rectangular notch starting from one end in the longitudinal direction and starting at the other end, and is rotated vertically to the top of the support pile via a hinge at the end of the notch. When the main sail is rotated and the sail is unfolded, the support stakes fit into the notches of the main sail, and the surface of the main sail and the surface of the support stakes are integrated and are flush with each other. It is in the sail expansion and retraction device.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of essential parts of a sail device for explaining a sail expansion and retraction device in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 shows the sail in its extended state, and Figure 2 shows its sail in its furled state.

In the figure, 1 is the main sail, which has a shape and structure suitable for a sail, and 2 is a support pile that is a safe member for the main sail. Supports rotation.

Note that the main sail 1 has a cutout to accommodate the support pile 2, and when the sail is unfurled, the surface of the main sail 1 and the sail surface formed on the support pile 2 are integrated and become flat.

In addition, in this embodiment, the hinge 3 is used as the rotation device for the expanding and retracting sail.
A method is shown in which a 1/4 arc-shaped rack 4 attached to a rack is driven by a pinion 5 attached to a hydraulic or electric motor 6, but hydraulic torque, hinge,
Any method such as attaching a cylinder or wire and winding it up with a winch is fine.

In addition, considering the general weight of the sail structure and the weight of the part cut out by the support pile, the installation position of the hinge 3 should be from 1/2 to the upper 3/4 position of the sail from a counterweight balance. On the other hand, from the point of view of making the height of the sail sufficiently low when the sail is retracted, it is desirable to keep the sail height from 1/2 to the lower 1/4 position.

In this case, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the rotating device or add a counterweight (ballast) under the sail.

Further, when the main sail 1 is in an unfurled state, the side opposite to the hinge 3 is locked to the support stake 2 by a lashing mechanism 12.

On the other hand, the entire sail is attached to the hull (not shown) via the mast 1 and its support mechanism 8, and the journey to select the optimum sail angle for the wind is carried out by using the gear 9 attached to the sail. This is done by a hydraulic or electric motor 11 via a small gear 10.

In the sail-folding state, the lashing of the lashing mechanism 12 is released, and the above-mentioned expanding and retracting sail rotating device is operated to rotate the main sail 1 by about 90 degrees to bring it to a horizontal state.

In this state, it is desirable that the tip of the main sail 1 be supported and secured by a pedestal (not shown) attached to the hull.

Next, FIGS. 3 to 4 show operational examples of the present invention,
Figure 3 shows the sails using wind power as indicated by arrow W, Figure 4 shows the sails traveling before hoisting, and Figure 5 shows the sails hoisting. There is.

First, in Figure 3, 1 is the main sail, 2 is the support pile,
In the figure, the leading edge sail 13 on the port side and the auxiliary sail 14 on the starboard side are deployed in order to efficiently utilize the wind blowing from the forward starboard side as indicated by the arrow W in the direction of travel of the ship indicated by the arrow F.

This leading edge sail 13 serves to energize the boundary layer flow of the sail and retard separation, and the auxiliary sail 14 generates a large maximum lift.

Additionally, there is a sail end plate 15 at the top end to reduce the guiding effect generated by the sail.

In addition, for wind blowing from the direction opposite to that shown in the figure, a leading edge sail 13' and an auxiliary sail 14' are also provided on the opposite side.

Note that in the direction of the wind indicated by arrow W in FIG. 3, these are housed and constitute a part of the surface of the main sail 1.

The entire sail is attached to the hull by a mast 1 via bearings, and a travel device 11 performs travel in accordance with the wind direction.

Figure 4 shows that prior to sail retraction, all the leading edge sails 13° 13' and auxiliary sails 14, 14' were stored in the main sail 1, and the sail surface was moved toward the support mount 18 shown in Figure 5. In this state, this travel is performed by the travel device 17.

In Figure 5, the sail is in the retracted state, and the sail is supported not only by the support piles 2 but also by the support frame 18, and is secured at this point.

On the other hand, when sailing, release the lashings on the support pedestal 18,
This is the reverse of the above operation.

In addition, in order to reduce the power for expanding and retracting the sail of the rotating device for expanding and retracting sails, which is composed of the 1/4 arc-shaped rack 4 attached to the hinge 3, the motor 6, the pinion, etc. in the above embodiment, it is necessary to A ballast tank can be installed within the structure of 1 to enable the injection of seawater or the like.

In the sail expansion and contraction device of the present invention explained in the above embodiment,
Support pile 2 extending to near the center in the height direction inside the main sail 1
is provided as a fixed shaft, and the main sail 1 is attached to the top of this fixed shaft so as to be able to rotate approximately 90 degrees, but this fixed shaft can be used to adjust the sail chord length to change the angle of attack of the main sail 1 depending on the sail structure and other factors. It may be the same as the triumphal pivot shaft attached 1/4 from the leading edge.

Further, when retracting the sail, the main sail 1 is rotated so as to be horizontal, and its top is fixed on a support pedestal 8 built on the deck, and when the sail is unfolding, the reverse operation is performed.

As explained above, in the sail expansion and contraction device of the present invention, the main sail 1
Since leading edge sails 13.13' and auxiliary sails 14.14' are provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction so as to be openable and closable, wind power can be utilized efficiently.

Furthermore, since the main sail 1 has an airfoil-shaped cross section, the generated lift can be used for propulsion of the ship.

Furthermore, since the main sail 1 is rotatable via the hinge 3 provided at the top of the support pile 2, the sail can be easily expanded and contracted, and the height of the entire sail system can be reduced when the sail is retracted. .

Furthermore, when the sail is unfurled, the support pile 2 fits into the notch of the main sail 1, and the surface of the main sail 1 and the surface of the support pile 2 are integrated and flush, so the wind is distributed evenly over the surface. This makes it possible to make even more effective use of the wind.

Therefore, if the sail expansion and retraction device of the present invention is adopted in a ship, it becomes possible to sail on routes where air draft is limited, increasing the practical value of ships equipped with the sail device, and also increasing the practical value of ships equipped with the sail device. It is possible to ensure sufficient safety even in

Furthermore, by appropriately selecting the hinge position where the main sail rotates, it will not affect the visibility necessary for navigation at all, and by selecting the hinge position at the center of gravity and pressure center of the sail system, the sail can be expanded and retracted. The power required for this can be minimized.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are perspective views of the main parts of the sail expansion and retraction device according to the embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 1 showing the sail in its expanded state, and FIG. 2 showing its sail in its contracted state. Figures 3, 4 and 5
The figure shows an example of the operation of the sail expansion and retraction device in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows the state in which wind power is used, Figure 4 shows the sail in the extended state, and Figure 5 shows the sail in the retracted state. It shows. 1...Main sail, 2...Support pile, 3...
...Hinge, 4...1/4 arc-shaped rack, 5
...Pinion, 6...Motor, 8...
...Support mechanism, 18...Support frame.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A leading edge sail 13.13' and an auxiliary sail 14.14' are provided on both sides in the longitudinal direction so that they can be opened and closed, and a rectangular notch is provided from one end in the longitudinal direction to the other end with the one end as the starting end. When the main sail 1, which has an airfoil-shaped cross section, is connected to the top of the support pile 2 via the hinge 3 at the end of the notch so as to be able to rotate in the vertical direction, and the main sail 1 is rotated to unfold the sail. A sail expansion/retraction device characterized in that the support stake 2 is fitted into the cutout portion of the main sail 1 so that the surface of the main sail 1 and the surface of the support stake 2 are integrated and flush.