JPS63116973A - Hovercraft - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a vertical shock due to waves effectively absorbable, by forming an endless shirt into a bellows gathering structure to make at least the outer circumferential side elastic in vertical directions. CONSTITUTION:At the time of navigation, waves brings about a large shock against a boat hull 1, but at the same time air pressure in an air chamber 41 of a shirt comes too much against excessive pressure of air to be affected to the hull bottom, pushing a piston 16 upward against a coil spring 17, and it is exhausted out of a side exhaust port 11 in a moment by way of an exhaust port 15 an exhaust duct 10 of a neumatic cylinder 14 from a bottom exhaust port 13. Simultaneously gathers 33 and 34 at both inner and outer circumferential sides of the skirt are some what contacted upward, making a distance between a slipper 35 and a water surface somewhat larger, thus the shock is eased. In addition these gathers 33 and 34 are protected from suspended solids by hinge protector metal fittings 36 and 37, and the slipper 35 and the protector metal fitting 37 are protected by guard balls 42. Thus, the shock due to waves is effectively absorbable and, what is more, any damage to the shirt is preventable.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention has an endless skirt around the periphery of the hull, and pumps high-pressure air into a space on the bottom side of the hull surrounded by the skirt. The purpose of this project is to significantly reduce the design defects that plague hovercraft, as well as impact and noise while running, and to improve the safety and functionality of the hovercraft.

(Prior Art) Hovercrafts fly at high speed with their hulls floating above the water or ground surface, so they have recently attracted attention as a means of high-speed transportation, especially on the sea or lake.
In particular, in addition to playing a role in the seaside leisure industry, rivers,
Various investigations and management of lakes, wetlands, deserts, etc. It can also be used as a means of monitoring and rescue at ski resorts and golf courses, as well as water accidents caused by typhoons and heavy rain, and falls in water in lakes whose surfaces are partially frozen. It is clear that it will not be accepted as a means of rescue in the future.

However, in reality, it has not been widely used both inside and outside Japan, except in some areas where it is used as a means of passenger transportation. The known hovercraft has an endless fabric skirt around the periphery of the hull, and the hull floats by pumping high-pressure air into a space on the bottom side of the hull surrounded by the skirt. This is because there is room for improvement in terms of transportation costs, safety, and ride comfort.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In other words, the above-mentioned known hovercraft not only has an ugly posture when landing on land, but also has a constant skirt length, so when traveling on the sea, it is difficult to avoid bumps on the sea surface caused by waves. As a result, the hull of the boat receives a series of large shocks, making it far inferior to airplanes, ships, and automobiles in terms of ride comfort.

In addition, the above skirt is made of a material that resembles a single layer of awning sheet cloth, and has a structure that inflates it into a balloon shape by pumping high-pressure air, so it can avoid obstacles and protrusions during flight. Needless to say, it is extremely dangerous unless extreme care is taken, as it can easily be damaged if it collides or comes into contact with rocks, etc. while berthed.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention is an undeveloped product of various studies in order to solve the problems of the above-mentioned conventional technology. Specifically, it has an endless skirt on the periphery that expands and contracts downward, and air is pumped into the space on the bottom side of the hull surrounded by the skirt. The present invention relates to a hovercraft, in which the endless skirt is small (in particular, the outer circumferential side surface thereof has a bellows-like geared structure so as to expand and contract in the vertical direction) in a floating boat.

The specific contents of the present invention will be explained below based on an illustrated embodiment. Reference numeral 1 denotes a boat with a bottom.

2 is a hood, E-R is an engine room surrounded by the hood 2, 10 is an exhaust duct, 14 is a pneumatic cylinder, 1
8 is the engine, 19 is the propeller, 28 is the engine, 29
31 is a propeller, 31 is a boat leg, 33 is an outer gearer, 34 is an inner gearer, and 35 is a slipper 141 airtightly bridged between the lower ends of the inner and outer gearers described above, which indicates a bag-shaped air chamber.

The hull 1 is made of high-strength hard synthetic resin materials such as F, R, and P (Fiberline Horses Plastics), and has a rising part 1a that rises diagonally upward from the bottom and a rising part 1a that extends outward from its upper end. The above rise is connected to the engine room E-R surrounded by the side deck 5 extending horizontally, the side plate 6 hanging downward from the end of the side deck 5, and the hood 2 provided at the front of the hull 1. It is constituted by a duct 4 formed by a cover 1b which is provided in parallel to the rear part of the hull at a certain interval between the duct 4 and the part 1a.

The hood 2 covers the front of the pilot's seat of the hull 1, has an air intake 3, has an engine mounted in the center below it, and has a power transmission means 18a such as a belt.
A propeller 19 is fixed rotatably to the left and right via the
It is designed to rotate.

The exhaust duct 10 is formed in a portion surrounded by the above-mentioned rising portion 1a, the side deck 5, the side plate 6, and the bottom plate 9 that is airtightly attached to the side deck 5 at a constant interval. The face plate 9 is provided with a plurality of bottom exhaust holes 13 along its length, and a pneumatic cylinder 14 is provided in line with the bottom exhaust holes 13.
is provided for each bottom exhaust hole 13.

The pneumatic cylinder 14 has a through hole on the lower side that communicates with the bottom exhaust hole 13, and a piston 16 that is always urged downward by a coil spring 17 is loosely fitted inside, and an exhaust hole is provided on the side surface of the cylinder 14. 15 are drilled.

In the figure, reference numeral 11 indicates approximately the center of the side plate 6, and the side exhaust holes 7a, 7b, 7c, and 7d, which are bored at equal intervals in the longitudinal direction of the hull 1, are the side exhaust holes. Widening injection ports 8a, 8 provided adjacent to both ends of the 11th group
b, 8c, and 8d are the same injection lowers a to 7d for width closing.
A turning injection port is provided at a position further outside of the duct 4, and a plurality of holes are provided along the length of the rising portion 1a below the mounting position of the bottom plate 9 to communicate with the inside of the duct 4. Hail the air vents. Each of the side exhaust holes 11 and the turning injection ports 8a to 8d for the width closing injection lowers a to 7dS are provided with sliding shutters that can be remotely operated from the ti vertical seats, although not particularly shown.

The engine 28 is installed at the center of the rear part of the hull 1.
The propeller 29 is connected to the propeller 29 installed at the upper part of the engine 29 via a suitable power transmission means such as a belt.

An endless skirt provided on the peripheral edge of the hull 1 so as to be extendable and retractable downwards has an outer gear 33 whose upper end is fixed to the side plate 6, and an outer gear 33 whose upper end is fixed to the bottom mounting portion 32 of the hull 1 in an airtight manner. The inner gearr 34 fixed to A bag-shaped air chamber 41 is constituted by a slipper 35 airtightly bridged between the lower ends of the inner and outer gears.

Both the outer gearer 33 and the inner gearer 34 are made of a relatively hard elastic material, and as shown in each figure, a mountain portion 33b is formed along each fold that is continuous and parallel to the length direction of the hull 1.
, 34a and the troughs 33a, 34b in a bellows-like configuration, and under normal conditions, the slipper 35 is contracted to the extent that it is located above the lower end of the boat leg 31, and the engine 1
The skirt is configured to extend downward when the air blowing starts with the start-up of step 8.

Preferably, hinge protection fittings 36 and 37 are attached to each of the peaks 33b and 34a of the outer gears 33 and the inner gears 34, respectively, and are continuous in the length direction of the hull 1.

More preferably, a pulling rod 38 with a spring interposed therebetween is interposed between the trough 33a of the outer gear 33 and the rising portion 1a of the hull 1 or the trough 34b of the inner gear 34 using strong adhesive or the like. By doing so, even when the open space chamber 41 expands, the skirt will not shift its shape at all.

Further, between the bottom plate 9 and the slipper 35, a flexible, non-stretchable belt 39 is provided with a length corresponding to the maximum elongation of the skirt.
If a plurality of skirts are fixed at appropriate intervals along the length of the hull 1, the shape retention of the skirt will be further improved.

Further, in the figure, reference numeral 40 indicates an air supply port provided at a plurality of locations along the length direction of the inner gears 34, and reference numeral 42 indicates a guard ball protruding from the bottom side of the slipper 35.

In addition, 20 is a pilot's seat, 21 is a control handle, 22a is an injection lower a for biasing, 7b is an operating lever, 22b is an injection lower c for biasing, 7d is an operating lever, 23a is a turning injection port 8
The operation levers a and ad, 23b are the turning injection ports 8b, 8
30 indicates the vertical stabilizer.

(Function) In the configuration of the above-described embodiment, when the engine 18 is started and the propeller 19 is rotated, air is sucked from the air intake port 3 of the hood 2 and enters the engine room E-R, and then flows into the ducts on both sides. 4 into the air chamber 41 of the skirt from the ventilation hole 12, and when the air chamber 41 gradually expands, both the outer circumference side gears 33 and the inner circumference side gears 34 extend downward.

At this time, the brewing rod 38 restricts the distance between the inner and outer gears, and the belt 39 acts to restrict the skirt from stretching beyond a certain level, so that shape retention is maintained.

In such a state, when the output of the engine 18 is further increased, the excess air in the air chamber 41 is removed from the inner gearr 3.
When the air pressure that is ejected toward the bottom of the hull 1 from the air inlet 40 provided in the hull 1 and sent into the area surrounded by the bottom of the hull 1 and the skirt rises above a certain level, buoyancy is generated in the hull. The robot floats to the surface of the water or the ground according to the output of the engine 18 described above.

Further, when the engine 28 provided at the rear of the boat 1 is caused to orbit and the propeller 29 is rotated, the boat 1 moves forward according to the amount of output of the engine 28 .

Furthermore, if it is necessary to change the direction of the hull 1 when moving forward, the angle of the vertical tail fin 30 can be changed freely by operating the handle 21.

In addition, when it is necessary to bias the hull 1, such as when berthing, operate the operating lever 22a in the state shown in Fig. 3 to close the biasing injection lowers a and 7b via the wires 242 and 26a. When the shutter (not shown) in the air chamber 41 is opened, the pressurized air in the air chamber 41 is ejected from the injection lowers a and 7b toward the side surface of the hull 1, and as a result is biased to the left in the direction of travel.

After returning the operating lever 22a to its original position, operate the operating lever 22b to connect the wires 24b and 26b.
Shutters that close off the biasing injection lowers c and 7d (
(not shown) is opened, the pressurized air in the air chamber 41 is ejected from the injection lowers c and 7d in the side direction of the hull 1, and as a result is biased to the right side in the direction of travel.

Furthermore, when turning the hull 1, a turning injection port 8a,
8c remains closed, the operating lever 23a
When the shutters (not shown) blocking the turning injection ports 8a and 8d are simultaneously opened via the wires 25a and 27b, the pressurized air in the air chamber 41 is released from the turning injection ports 8d to the hull. As a result of the jet being ejected in the side direction of the hull 1, the hull 1 turns counterclockwise (left turn) in Fig. 3.
do.

Furthermore, while the control lever 23a is returned to its original position and the turning injection ports 13a and 3d remain closed, the control lever 23b is operated to close the turning injection ports 8b and 80 via the wire 273.25b. shutter (
(not shown) are opened at the same time, the pressurized air in the air chamber 41 is ejected from the turning injection ports 3b and 3c toward the side of the hull 1. As a result, the hull 1 turns clockwise (turns right) in FIG. ) can be done.

Furthermore, waves that occur on the sea surface or on a lake cause a relatively large impact on the hull when the hull is flying, but in this case, the skirt protects against the excessive air pressure exerted on the bottom of the hull. At the same time, the air pressure in the air chamber 41 becomes excessive, and the piston 16 is pushed upward against the elastic force of the coil spring 17 from the bottom exhaust hole 13. As a result, the excessive air pressure is released from the exhaust hole 15 of the pneumatic cylinder 14. The air is almost instantaneously exhausted into the exhaust duct 10 and from the side exhaust hole 11, and the gears 33 and 34 on the inner and outer circumferential sides are slightly contracted upward, making the distance between the slipper 35 and the sea or lake surface slightly wider. As a result, the skirt itself acts as a shock absorber, significantly warming the impact.

Furthermore, the hinge protection fittings 36 and 37 prevent damage to the gears from collisions with various floating objects on the sea surface or lake during flight, and when landing on the ground, the guard ball 42 protects the slipper 35 and the protection fittings from wear and tear. It acts to prevent

And upon landing, engine 28. When the gears 18 and 18 are stopped, the air pressure in the air chamber 41 decreases, and the outer gears 33 and the inner gears 34 simultaneously contract upward, causing the boat legs 31° to touch the ground and support the hull. Gears 33, 34 and slippers 35 on the inner and outer circumferential sides
The skirt is neatly folded so as to be positioned above the boat legs 31 (see FIG. 1).

In the above embodiment, both the outer circumferential side and the inner circumferential side constituting the skirt have a bellows-like geared structure, but the structure is not necessarily limited to this, and only the outer circumferential side may have a bellows-like geared structure.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention not only significantly improves the design of the hovercraft, but also significantly improves the design of the hovercraft because at least the outer peripheral side surface of the skirt has a bellows-like gear structure so as to be able to expand and contract in the vertical direction. Not only can it absorb wave resistance, but it can also instantly release the shocking overpressure caused by the pneumatic cylinder to the outside.As a result, it can overcome the up and down movement caused by waves, which was the biggest challenge for conventional hovercraft. It can effectively buffer the directional impact,
Furthermore, the hinge protection fittings can reliably prevent damage to the skirt in the event of a collision with floating objects at sea or on a lake, ensuring safe driving.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a hovercraft incorporating an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the skirt inflated from the state shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the device. FIG. 4 is an end view cut along the line A-A in FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is an enlarged partially cut end view taken along line B--B in FIG. 2.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a boat that has an endless skirt that expands and contracts downward at the peripheral edge, and that floats by pumping air into a space on the bottom side of the hull surrounded by the skirt, the endless skirt has at least A hovercraft characterized by a bellows-like gathered structure that allows the outer peripheral side surface to expand and contract in the vertical direction.