US20150360761A1

US20150360761A1 - Propulsion and steering device installed below sea level of outside of right and left shipwall in a ship

Info

Publication number: US20150360761A1
Application number: US14/645,431
Authority: US
Inventors: Gyung Jin Song; Young Sick Song; Won Gi Song; Won Chan Song; Jung Sik Song; In Jung Song; Je Wan Chae; Heon Chae
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2014-06-12
Filing date: 2015-03-12
Publication date: 2015-12-17
Also published as: GB201501771D0; CN105292420A; KR101451849B1; PH12015000044A1; DE102015104089A1

Abstract

There is provided a propulsion and steering device installed below a sea level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship. The device includes a manifold that is installed at a bottom of a hull in a longitudinal direction, and drains water introduced into a bow toward a stern; a propulsion unit that has a lower end rotatably connected to an end of the manifold close to the stern within a 360-degree range, and is provided to laterally discharge water; and a steering unit that is rotatably coupled to an end of the propulsion unit close to the stern, and rotates the propulsion unit in an arbitrary direction by a rotational force exerted from an outside.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2014-0071634 filed on Jun. 12, 2014, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a propulsion and steering device installed below a water level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship with which it is possible to allow a warship or all ships to move forward and to change its direction by rapidly discharging sea water introduced through a bow in the warship or all ships. More particularly, the present invention relates to a propulsion and steering device installed below a water level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship with which it is possible to increase convenience and stability when a ship is switched to an environment-friendly warship or ship or when the ship comes alongside the pier by reducing the discharge amount of carbon dioxide due to big fuel savings while increasing maneuverability of the warship and the ship, and it is possible to be applied to all ships such as a warship, a ship, an old ship, a fishing boat and an oil tanker that have been currently sail and other kinds of ships due to low cost and easy repair.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a hull of a ship or a warship is classified into an oared vessel or a sailing ship (wind power), a steam ship (mechanical power using coal or oil as fuel), and a nuclear ship (mechanical power using nuclear fuel) according to a kind of a power for moving the hull. The term of the steamship has been currently used as meaning all power-driven vessels propelled by the mechanical power regardless of the kind of the ship. However, the term of the steam ship refers to a ship having a reciprocating engine or a steam turbine that is operated by a steam power in a narrow sense, and a motor ship having a gasoline engine, a suction gas engine, a hot bulb engine, or a diesel engine is distinguished from the steam ship.
In addition to the steam ship and the motor ship, there is an electric propulsion ship. There are a diesel electric propulsion ship and a turbine electric propulsion ship according to a kind of a generator. The nuclear ship is a steam ship that produces steam using nuclear fuel and rotates a steam turbine by the produced steam. A gas turbine that uses a high-temperature and high-pressure gas instead of the steam has not been widely used except for some high-speed special ships. In terms of a propeller, a paddle steamer having a water turbine has been used in the beginning of the steam ship, but a screw propeller ship has been primarily used in recent years.
In general, a screw having three blades is used in a small ship, and a screw having four blades is used in a general ship. However, a propeller having five blades with high efficiency is primarily used in a large single-propeller ship. There are four kinds of ships of single-propeller ship, a two-propeller ship, a three-propeller ship and a four-propeller ship according to the number of propeller shafts. In the past, one ship has one propeller shaft as a general rule, but one ship may have two propeller shafts. There is a small ship of a controllable pitch propeller ship in which the rotation of the propulsion device is set in one direction and an angle of the blade is changed to change a pitch of the propeller, so that the ship is moved forward or backward or the ship is stopped.
Meanwhile, a screw propeller refers to a propeller having three to seven blades in general. In this case, spiral surfaces of the propeller blades push out water, and the ship is moved forward by a propulsive force generated by a reaction of the water. As a typical propulsion and steering device of the hull, there are propulsion devices such as a fixed pitch propeller (FPP) as a single propeller, a controllable pitch propeller (CPP), a counter-rotating propeller (CRP) as a compound propeller, a tandem propeller.
The aforementioned screw propeller which is a traditional propulsion device of the hull has been developed to meet the recent demands for higher speed and larger size of the hull. However, vibration and noise may occur due to cavitation caused by the higher speed of the hull. Here, the cavitation is a phenomenon occurring when a propeller having a high load is configured to have a rotation speed exceeding a predetermined threshold number of rotations. In general, the cavitation refers to a phenomenon in which a pressure is decreased at a certain temperature and bubbles filled with vapor or air are visualized and grown.
When the typical propeller which is a general propulsion device of the hull has a high load, it is highly likely to cause the cavitation, so that a reduction in propulsion efficiency, and vibration and noise of the hull may be caused. Furthermore, the sailing of the hull may be encumbered due to the damage caused by bending and erosion of the propeller blade. In addition, since the maintenance of the hull is performed in a stop state in order to perform the maintenance of the propulsion device, work efficiency in the maintenance may be degraded.
In addition, the propeller propulsion device has a limit on a speed of about 35 knots. When the speed is equal to or greater than 35 knots, since the vibration and noise are increased, the hull is not operated at such a speed except for an emergency situation.
Accordingly, since the cavitation occurs in a warship and a ship such as a high-speed ship, a fire boat, a rescue ship, a look-up ship or a patrol craft that requires high speed and maneuverability in an emergency situation, it may be difficult for the hull to exhibit its own function. Further, when an object that is likely to collide with the hull approaches in a moving direction, it may be difficult for the existing propeller hull to quickly turn or suddenly stop. When a large warship or ship is anchored at the dock, since a turning radius of the large ship is very greater than that of the small ship, the large ship needs to be anchored at the dock by receiving help from a ship (guide ship) having a relatively small turning radius.
In order to solve such problems, the invention related to an improved ship propulsion device has been registered through Korean Registered Patent No. 10-0956719.
However, this ship propulsion device poses a problem in that since a screw propeller is supported within a guide pipe by a bearing, a load acting on the guide pipe is increased, and thus structural stability of the guide pipe is largely degraded. That is, one end of the guide pipe provided to change the direction of the ship and to obtain the propulsive force is coupled to a steering pipe that is movably coupled to a bottom of the ship, and thus the guide pipe is suspended from the steering pipe. Since the screw propeller and a third shaft are attached by a bearing within the guide pipe, the load acting on the guide pipe is increased. Accordingly, a connection part between the guide pipe and the steering pipe may be easily deformed or damaged to cause a structural defect, and a fatigue load may be accumulated on the guide pipe for a long time to largely worsen structural stability.
In order to solve such problems, the invention related to an improved ship propulsion device has been registered through Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1067343.
However, in the ship propulsion device having such a configuration, since the rotation of the guide pipe is restricted, the screw propeller needs to be reversely rotated in order to move the ship backward. For this reason, a separate gear changing unit is needed, and thus a configuration of the ship may become complicated. As a result, it may be difficult to perform the maintenance of the ship, and it may be difficult to economically manufacture the ship.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in order to solve such problems in the related art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a propulsion and steering device installed below a water level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship with which it is possible to increase convenience and stability when a ship is switched to an environment-friendly warship or ship or when the ship comes alongside the pier by reducing the discharge amount of carbon dioxide due to big fuel savings while increasing maneuverability of the warship and the ship, and it is possible to be applied to all ships such as a warship, a ship, an old ship, a fishing boat and an oil tanker that have been currently sail and other kinds of ships due to low cost and easy repair.
It is an object of the present invention to also provide a propulsion and steering device installed below a water level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship with which it is possible to achieve very low noise, very small vibration and very low fuel consumption by sucking sea water in the bow by rotation of a screw propeller, introducing the sea water in the bow toward the screw propeller by the movement of the ship forward, and disposing a main pipe of the manifold at an outside of the ship to strongly come close in contact with the outside.
It is an object of the present invention to also provide a propulsion and steering device installed below a water level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship with which it is possible to minimize friction of the water due to water supply, and it is possible to achieve very low noise, very small vibration and very low fuel consumption by allowing a diameter of the main pipe of the manifold to be greater than a diameter of a water intake of the bow.
It is an object of the present invention to also provide a propulsion and steering device installed below a water level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship with which it is possible to prevent cavitation when the screw propeller serving as a propulsion unit of a stern is strongly operated.
It is an object of the present invention to also provide a propulsion and steering device installed below a water level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship with which since the ship can be operated at a high speed, it is possible to significantly contribute to national security when the propulsion and steering device is applied to the warship, and it is possible to obtain great economic results when the propulsion and steering device is applied to a merchant vessel.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a propulsion and steering device installed below a sea level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship. The device includes a manifold that is installed at a bottom of a hull in a longitudinal direction, and drains water introduced into a bow toward a stern; a propulsion unit that has a lower end rotatably connected to an end of the manifold close to the stern within a 360-degree range, and is provided to laterally discharge water; and a steering unit that is rotatably coupled to an end of the propulsion unit close to the stern, and rotates the propulsion unit in an arbitrary direction by a rotational force exerted from an outside. The manifold includes a main pipe that is disposed in a lower central line close to the bow of the hull, and is open toward the bow of the hull to form a water inlet; a left branch pipe that is branched from the main pipe, and is disposed below a water level along an outside of a left ship wall of the hull toward the stern of the hull; a right branch pipe that is branched from the main pipe, and is disposed below the water level along an outside of a right ship wall of the hull toward the stern of the hull; and a plurality of direction changing units that is connected to the right and left branch pipes to be arranged below the water level along the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and discharges sea water introduced into the right and left branch pipes to change a direction of the hull.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to increase convenience and stability when a ship is switched to an environment-friendly warship or ship or the ship comes alongside the pier by reducing the discharge amount of carbon dioxide due to big fuel savings while increasing maneuverability of the warship and the ship. Further, the propulsion and steering device of the present invention is applicable to all ships such as a warship, a ship, an old ship, a fishing boat, and an oil tanker that have been currently sail and other kinds of ships due to low cost and easy repair.
In the propulsion and steering device of the present invention, it is possible to achieve very low noise, very small vibration and very low fuel consumption by sucking sea water in the bow by rotation of the screw propeller, introducing the sea water in the bow toward the screw propeller by the movement of the ship forward, and disposing the main pipe of the manifold at the outside of the ship to strongly come close in contact with the outside.
In the propulsion and steering device of the present invention, since the diameter of the main pipe of the manifold is greater than the diameter of the water intake of the bow, friction of the water due to the water supply is minimized, so that it is possible to achieve very low noise, very small vibration and very low fuel consumption.
In the propulsion and steering device of the present invention, when the screw propeller serving as the propulsion unit of the stern is strongly operated, since a wide and strong suction force is generated on a rear surface to largely disturb and suppress the movement of the warship or the ship forward, the speed of the ship is reduced, and fuel consumption is increased. In this case, when the speed of the warship or the ship is operated at a speed of about 35 knots or more, since cavitation occurs, it may be difficult to operate the warship or the ship due to a great deal of noise and vibration and high fuel consumption. The propulsion and steering device of the present invention is to solve such problems of the conventional warship or ship, and, thus, it is possible to prevent the cavitation by the propulsion and steering device.
In the propulsion and steering device of the present invention, since the ship can be operated at a high speed of about 35 knots or more, when the propulsion and steering device is applied to the warship, it is possible to significantly contribute to national security, and when the propulsion and steering device is applied to a merchant vessel, the merchant vessel can be operated all over the world at a higher speed than that in the past, so that it is possible to obtain great economic results in a short period of time.
Since the propulsion and steering device of the present invention is exposed to the outside, it is possible to quickly find a failed part, and since it is very easy to repair the failed part, the propulsion and steering device is efficient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view illustrating a bottom of a hull provided with a propulsion and steering device according to the present invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are plane views illustrating a structure of a combination pipe disposed between a manifold and a propulsion unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a detailed plan view illustrating a direction changing unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the hull illustrating an arrangement of direction changing units and warning sensors of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view illustrating the propulsion unit and a steering unit of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a detailed plan view illustrating the propulsion unit and the steering unit of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
The terms “module” and “unit” used for components in the following description are merely used to easily draft the present specification, and the terms “module” and “unit” may be interchangeably used.
Further, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the embodiments.
Although the terms used in the present specification are selected from widely used terms in consideration of their functions in the present invention, the terms used herein may be variable depending on intention of a person skilled in the art, practices or appearance of a new technology. In addition, in special cases, the terms mentioned herein may be selected by the applicant at his or her discretion, the detailed meanings of which are described in relevant parts of the description herein. Accordingly, the terms used herein should be understood not simply by the actual terms used but by the meaning lying within and the description disclosed herein.
FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view illustrating a bottom of a hull provided with a propulsion and steering device according to the present invention.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the propulsion and steering device according to the present invention may include a manifold 10 that is provided at a bottom of a hull in a longitudinal direction, and drains water introduced to a bow 1 toward a stern 2; a propulsion unit 20 that has a lower end connected to an end of the manifold 10 close to the stern 2 to be freely rotated within a 360-degree range, and is provided to laterally discharge water; and a steering unit 130 that is rotatably coupled to an end of the propulsion unit 20 close to the stern 2, and rotates the propulsion unit 20 in an arbitrary direction by a rotational force exerted from an outside.
Here, the manifold 10 may include a main pipe 11 that is disposed in a lower central line 210 of the bow 1 of the hull, and is open toward the bow 1 of the hull to form a water inlet a; a left branch pipe 11 a that is branched from the main pipe 11, and is disposed below a water level 200 along an outside of a left ship wall of the hull toward the stern 2 of the hull; a right branch pipe 11 b that is branched from the main pipe 11, and is disposed below the water level 200 along an outside of a right ship wall of the hull toward the stern 2 of the hull; and a plurality of direction changing units 113 that is connected to the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a to be arranged below the water level 200 along the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and discharges see water introduced into the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a to change a direction of the hull.
In this case, the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a may come in contact with the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and may be arranged adjacent to the sea level 200.
The right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a may be combined at an end of the hull close to the stern 2 by a combination pipe 230 to be respectively connected to the propulsion unit 20. In this case, separate valves V11 and V12 are preferably provided at the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a positioned at a front end of the combination pipe 230, as illustrated in FIG. 1.
Here, the combination pipe 230 may include a connection pipe that connects the left branch pipe 11 a and the right branch pipe 11 b, and the connection pipe may be a curved-line pipe that is bent toward the outside of the stern 2 of the hull with a predetermined curvature.
In this case, the connection pipe that connects the left branch pipe 11 a and the right branch pipe 11 b may be fixed to the stern 2 of the hull by a predetermined fastening unit.
In some cases, the combination pipe 230 may include a first connection pipe connected to the left branch pipe 11 a, and a second connection pipe connected to the right branch pipe 11 b, and the first connection pipe and the second connection pipe may be a straight-line pipe having a Y shape in which the first and second connection pipes are combined at a predetermined angle.
In this case, the first and second connection pipes may be fixed to the stern 2 of the hull by a predetermined fastening unit.
A screw propeller that generates a propulsive force by being rotated by a driving force received from a predetermined engine may be provided between the combination pipe 230 and the propulsion unit 20.
The plurality of direction changing units 113 may come in contact with the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and may be arranged adjacent to the water level 200.
The plurality of direction changing units 113 may be arranged in a line along the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a at a predetermined distance.
Here, the direction changing unit 113 may include a valve that opens or closes sea water within the right or left branch pipe 11 b or 11 a, a screw propeller that discharges the sea water by opening or closing the valve, and an adjustment unit that is rotatably moved along a rotational shaft in order to adjust a discharge direction of the sea water discharged through the valve and the screw propeller 6. The valves V11 and V12 are provided at the right and left branch pipes 11 a and 11 b positioned at the front end of the combination pipe 230, and the sea water introduced into the bow is transferred toward the stern by the rotation of the screw propeller 6 at a water intake of the bow. Accordingly, it is possible to discharge the sea water through the direction changing units 113.
A plurality of warning sensors may be arranged at the left branch pipe 11 a, the right branch pipe 11 b and the direction changing units 113 to detect objects approaching from an outer periphery.
Here, the plurality of warning sensors may be arranged along the left branch pipe 11 a, the right branch pipe 11 b and the direction changing units 113 at a predetermined distance, and may be arranged along the central line 210 on the bottommost surface of the hull at a predetermined distance.
The propulsion unit 20 may include a housing that has an upper end inserted into the inside or the outside of the end of the manifold 10 close to the stern 2 to be rotatably coupled; a discharge pipe that has one end connected to a side surface of the housing, and discharges introduced water through a water outlet that extends so as to be relatively lower than the manifold 10; and a rotation supporting plate that supports a bottom of the housing such that the housing is not moved downward while being rotated and has one end coupled to the stern to be fixed. That is, a circular protrusion is formed such that a lower housing can be freely rotated at a bottom of an upper housing that is not rotated, and, thus, the lower housing can be rotatably provided at the upper housing without being separated.
The steering unit 130 may include a steering shaft that is vertically disposed to the hull, a steering gear that is provided at an end of the steering shaft to be rotated in a predetermined direction, and a propulsion gear that is provided on an outer surface of the propulsion unit 20 to mesh with the steering gear.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are plan views illustrating a structure of the combination pipe disposed between the propulsion unit and the manifold of FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a may be combined at an end of the hull close to the stern 2 by the combination pipe 230 to be connected to the propulsion unit 20.
Here, the combination pipe 230 may include a connection pipe 232 that connects the left branch pipe 11 a and the right branch pipe 11 b, as illustrated in FIG. 2, and the connection pipe 232 may be a curved-line pipe that is bent toward the outside of the stern 2 of the ship with a predetermined curvature R.
In this case, the connection pipe 232 that connects the left branch pipe 11 a and the right branch pipe 11 b may be fixed to the stern 2 of the hull by a predetermined fastening unit 220.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the combination pipe 230 may include a first connection pipe 232 a connected to the left branch pipe 11 a, and a second connection pipe 232 b connected to the right branch pipe 11 b, and the first connection pipe 232 a and the second connection pipe 232 b may be a straight-line pipe having a Y shape in which the first and second connection pipes are combination at a predetermined angle.
In this case, the first and second connection pipes 232 a and 232 b may be fixed to the stern 2 of the hull by the predetermined fastening unit 220.
As described above, since the combination pipe 230 is fixed to the stern 2 of the hull by the predetermined fastening unit 220, the hull provided with the propulsion and steering device of the present invention can stably obtain a strong propulsive force.
A structure in which the combination pipe 230 is the straight-line pipe of FIG. 3 can generate a propulsive force stronger than that in a structure in which the combination pipe is the curved-line pipe of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a detailed plan view illustrating the direction changing unit of FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the plurality of direction changing units 113 may come in contact with the outsides of the ship walls of the ship, and may be arranged adjacent to the water level.
The plurality of direction changing units 113 may be arranged in a line along the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a at a predetermined distance.
Here, the direction changing unit 113 may include a valve 113 a that opens or closes sea water within the right or left branch pipe 11 b or 11 a, a screw propeller 113 b that discharges the sea water to the outside by opening or closing the valve 113 a, and an adjustment unit 113 d that is rotatably moved along a rotational shaft 113 c in order to adjust a discharge direction of the seawater discharged through the valve 113 a and the screw propeller 113 b.
Accordingly, the direction changing unit 113 adjusts the adjustment unit 113 d to control the discharge direction of the sea water, so that the moving direction of the hull can be adjusted.
That is, for a moving-forward state, a moving-forward direction and changing of a direction of the hull, and start and stop of the hull, the direction changing unit 113 may selectively perform an operation of rotating the sea water in a right or left direction, an operation of pushing the sea water in a forward or rearward, and an operation of stopping the sea water depending on a position and a direction of the adjustment unit 113 d having a discharge opening.
FIG. 5 is a front view of the hull illustrating an arrangement of the direction changing units and the warning sensors of FIG. 1.
As illustrating in FIG. 5, the plurality of direction changing units 113 is connected to the right and left branch pipe 11 b and 11 a disposed below the water level 200 along the outsides of the right and left ship walls of the hull toward the stern 20 of the hull to be arranged below the sea level 200 along the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and discharges the sea water introduced into the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a to turn a direction of the hull.
That is, the plurality of direction changing units 113 may come in contact with the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and may be arranged adjacent to the sea level 200.
Here, the direction changing unit 113 can discharge the sea water to the outside by using the valve 113 a that opens or closes the sea water within the right and left branch pipes 11 b and 11 a, and can adjust the discharge direction of the sea water discharged through the valve 113 a by using the adjustment unit (not shown).
A plurality of warning sensors 240 is arranged at the left branch pipe 11 a, the right branch pipe 11 b and the direction changing unit 113 to detect objects approaching from an outer periphery.
Here, the plurality of warning sensors 240 may be arranged along the left branch pipe 11 a, the right branch pipe 11 b and the direction changing units 113 at a predetermined distance, and may be arranged along a central line of a bottommost surface 211 of the hull at a determined distance.
The propulsion and steering device according to the present invention is exposed to the outside of the hull, but can detect the objects approaching from the outer periphery through the plurality of warning sensors 240 to be prevented from being damaged due to a collision with the external objects.
FIG. 6 is a detailed cross-sectional view illustrating the propulsion unit and the steering unit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a detailed plan view illustrating the propulsion unit and the steering unit of FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the propulsion unit 20 may include a lower housing 22 that has an upper end inserted into the inside or the outside of the end of the manifold close to the stern to be rotatably coupled, an dischargeion pipe 21 that has one end connected to the side surface of the lower housing 22 and discharges introduced water through a water outlet b that extends so as to be relatively lower than the manifold, and a rotation supporting plate that has one end coupled to the stern to be fixed such that the lower housing 22 is not moved downward while being rotated. That is, the circular protrusion is formed to allow the lower housing to be freely rotated at the bottom of the upper housing that is not rotated, so that the lower housing can be rotatably provided without being separated from the upper housing.
That is, the lower end of the propulsion unit 20 may be rotatably connected to the end of the manifold positioned at the stern of the hull by 360 degrees to receive water, and may be provided to laterally discharge the received water.
The propulsion unit 20 may primarily include the lower housing 22 that is rotatably connected to the manifold, the discharge pipe 21 that is integrally provided at the side surface of the lower housing 22 and has the water outlet b formed to discharge the received water, and the rotation supporting plate that allows the lower housing 22 to be freely rotated without being separated from the bottom of the upper housing.
The lower housing 22 has a cylindrical shape, and an upper end of the lower housing is partially inserted into one end of the manifold to be rotatably supported.
In this case, the lower housing 22 is preferably provided to be rotated while the lower housing is prevented from being separated from the manifold. A flange whose diameter is expanded is formed at an upper end of the lower housing 22, and a through hole having a diameter smaller than that of the flange is formed in the manifold to be prevented from being separated from the lower housing. The flange and the lower housing 22 maybe joined through welding after being coupled to each other through screwing.
The discharge pipe 21 is an element that is connected to one side of the lower housing 22 to receive water and discharges the received water through the water outlet b on one side, and is a tub-shaped member that is disposed in parallel to the manifold.
The discharge pipe 21 is interlocked with the rotation of the lower housing 22 by being integrally provided at the lower housing 22 to integrally have a rotational displacement.
In some cases, a bottom edge of the upper housing and a top edge of the lower housing 22 engage with each other without being separated from each other, so that it is possible to prevent the upper housing and the lower housing from being moved horizontally or vertically.
In the propulsion unit 20 having the configuration described above, the lower housing 22 receives water passing through the branch pipes of the manifold, and the water that has passed through the lower housing 22 passes through the discharge pipe 21 connected to the one side and is then discharged to the outside. Accordingly, the propulsion force of the hull is generated through the discharge action of the water.
The steering unit 130 may include a steering shaft 131 that is vertically disposed to the hull, a steering gear 133 that is provided at an end of the steering shaft to be rotated in a predetermined direction, and a propulsion gear that is provided on an outer surface of the propulsion unit 20 to mesh with the steering gear 133.
The steering unit 130 may include the propulsion gear formed on the outer surface of the propulsion unit 20, and the steering shaft 131 that meshes with the propulsion gear to transfer the rotational force.
The propulsion gear is a gear that is formed on an outer surface of the lower housing 22 among the elements of the propulsion unit 20, and meshes with the steering gear 133.
The steering shaft 131 is a shaft element that receives a steering force, and is vertically disposed to the hull. The steering gear 133 that meshes with the propulsion gear to transfer the rotational force maybe integrally provided at the (lower) end of the steering shaft.
In the steering unit 30 having the configuration described above, when the steering shaft 131 is rotated in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction in order to adjust the direction of the ship, the steering gear 133 integrally provided at the steering shaft 131 is interlocked with the propulsion gear that meshes with the steering gear to rotate the propulsion gear. Thus, the discharge pipe 21 and the lower housing 22 integrally provided with the propulsion gear are rotated to adjust the propulsion direction.
As described above, the operation of changing the direction of the hull by the propulsion unit 20 having the configuration described above is performed such that when the steering shaft 131 that receives the steering force is rotated in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction, the propulsion that meshes with the steering gear 133 of the steering shaft 131 is interlocked with the steering gear to be rotated in the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction.
Accordingly, since the propulsion unit 20 provided with the propulsion gear on the outer surface is rotated in the clockwise or counterclockwise direction, the ship is propelled and the direction of the ship is changed by a discharge pressure of the water discharged after passing through the discharge pipe 21 of the propulsion unit 20.
When the discharge pipe 21 of the propulsion unit 20 receiving a rotation operational force from the steering shaft 131 is disposed to face the bow with the hull as its reference, since high-pressure water discharged through the discharge pipe 21 is discharged toward the bow of the ship, the hull is moved rearward.
According to the propulsion and steering device of the present invention having the aforementioned configuration, it is possible to increase convenience and stability when a ship is switched to an environment-friendly warship or ship or when the ship comes alongside the pier by reducing the discharge amount of carbon dioxide due to big fuel savings while increasing maneuverability of a warship and a ship. Further, since the propulsion and steering device cuts costs and is easily repaired, the propulsion and steering device of the present invention is applicable to all ships such as a warship, a ship, an old ship, a fishing boat, and an oil tanker that have been currently sail and other kinds of ships.
The propulsion and steering device of the present invention has very low noise, very small vibration and very low fuel consumption by sucking the sea water in the bow by the rotation of the screw propeller, introducing the sea water in the bow toward the screw propeller by the movement of the ship forward, and disposing the main pipe of the manifold at the outside of the ship to strongly come close in contact with the outside.
In the propulsion and steering device of the present invention, since the diameter of the main pipe of the manifold is greater than the diameter of the water intake of the bow, friction of the water due to the water supply is minimized, so that it is possible to achieve very low noise, very small vibration and very low fuel consumption.
When the screw propeller serving as the propulsion unit of the stern is strongly operated, since a wide and strong suction force is generated on a rear surface to largely disturb and suppress the movement of the warship or the ship forward, the speed of the ship is reduced, and fuel consumption is increased. In this case, when the speed of the warship or the ship is operated at a speed of about 35 knots or more, since cavitation occurs, it may be difficult to operate the warship or the ship due to a great deal of noise and vibration and high fuel consumption. The propulsion and steering device of the present invention is to solve such problems, and it is possible to prevent the cavitation by the propulsion and steering device.
In the propulsion and steering device of the present invention, since the ship can be operated at a high speed of about 35 knots or more, when the propulsion and steering device is applied to the warship, it is possible to significantly contribute to national security, and when the propulsion and steering device is applied to a merchant vessel, the merchant vessel can be operated all over the world at a higher speed than that in the past, so that it is possible to obtain great economic results in a short period of time.
Since the propulsion and steering device of the present invention is exposed to the outside, it is possible to quickly find a failed part, and since it is very easy to repair the failed part, the propulsion and steering device is efficient.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, the present invention is not limited by the described particular embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the modifications should not be understood separately from the technical spirit and prospect of the present invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A propulsion and steering device installed below a sea level of outsides of right and left ship walls in a ship, the device comprising:

a manifold that is installed at a bottom of a hull in a longitudinal direction, and drains water introduced into a bow toward a stern;

a propulsion unit that has a lower end rotatably connected to an end of the manifold close to the stern within a predetermined range, and is provided to laterally discharge water; and

a steering unit that is rotatably coupled to an end of the propulsion unit close to the stern, and rotates the propulsion unit in an arbitrary direction by a rotational force exerted from an outside,

wherein the manifold includes:

a main pipe that is disposed in a lower central line close to the bow of the hull, and is open toward the bow of the hull to form a water inlet;

a left branch pipe that is branched from the main pipe, and is disposed below a water level along an outside of a left ship wall of the hull toward the stern of the hull;

a right branch pipe that is branched from the main pipe, and is disposed below the water level along an outside of a right ship wall of the hull toward the stern of the hull; and

a plurality of direction changing units that is connected to the right and left branch pipes to be arranged below the water level along the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and discharges sea water introduced into the right and left branch pipes to change a direction of the hull.

2. The propulsion and steering device of claim 1, wherein the right and left branch pipes come in contact with the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and are arranged adjacent to the water level.

3. The propulsion and steering device of claim 1, wherein the right and left branch pipes are combined at an end of the hull close to the stern by a combination pipe, and are connected to the propulsion unit.

4. The propulsion and steering device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of direction changing units come in contact with the outsides of the ship walls of the hull, and is arranged adjacent to the water level.

5. The propulsion and steering device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of direction changing units is arranged in a line at a predetermined distance along the right and left branch pipes.

6. The propulsion and steering device of claim 1,

wherein the direction changing unit includes:

a valve that opens or closes sea water within the right and left branch pipes;

a screw propeller that discharges the sea water by opening or closing the valve; and

an adjustment unit that is rotatably moved along a rotational shaft to adjust a discharge direction of the sea water discharged through the valve and the screw propeller.

7. The propulsion and steering device of claim 1, wherein a plurality of warning sensors is arranged at the left branch pipe, the right branch pipe and the direction changing units to detect objects approaching from an outer periphery.

8. The propulsion and steering device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of warning sensors is arranged along the left branch pipe, the right branch pipe and the direction changing units at a predetermined distance, and is arranged along a central line on a bottommost surface of the hull at a predetermined distance.

9. The propulsion and steering device of claim 1,

wherein the propulsion unit includes:

a housing that has an upper end inserted into an inside or an outside of an end of the manifold close to the stern to be rotatably coupled;

an dischargeion pipe that has one end connected to a side surface of the housing, and discharges the introduced water through a water outlet which extends so as to be relatively lower than the manifold; and

a rotation supporting plate that supports a bottom of the housing such that the housing is not moved downward while being rotated, and has one end fixed to the stern.

10. The propulsion and steering device of claim 1,

wherein the steering unit includes:

a steering shaft that is vertically disposed to the hull;

a steering gear that is provided at an end of the steering shaft, and is rotated in a predetermined direction; and

a propulsion gear that is provided on an outer surface of the steering unit to mesh with the steering gear.