US20200277024A1

US20200277024A1 - Advanced Hydrofoil Apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20200277024A1
Application number: US16/289,992
Authority: US
Inventors: JonMichael Harmon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-03-01
Filing date: 2019-03-01
Publication date: 2020-09-03

Abstract

Hydrofoils are a device that is used to decrease the resistance of a water traveling apparatus. It does this by creating lift on its wings which pushes the apparatus off the surface of the water, to reduce friction. My patent pertains to hydrofoils that are attached onto boards for various water sports. These board sports include, but aren't limited to, surfing, stand up paddling, kitesurfing, kiteboarding, wakeboarding, wake surfing, and windsurfing.

Description

03/02/18
To conserve or even increase velocity a rider can pump the hydrofoil through the water in a sinusoidal like path. In this motion the hydrofoil pushes water backwards, thus propelling the apparatus forward. A way to enhance a hydrofoil's propulsion when pumped is by having its fuselage be flexible, and preferably elastic as well. In the pumping motion of the hydrofoil the front wing starts the motion and the fuselage, and back wing follow its path. A hydrofoil with a flexible fuselage would be more able to make a sinusoidal path following the front wing, thus making it more efficient. However, not all the fuselage should be flexible. The fuselages' flexibility should only be between where the mast connects to the fuselage, to where the back wing connects to the fuselage. If the fuselage is flexible between where the front wing connects to the fuselage to where the mast connects to the fuselage it will cause the front wing to angle the wrong way when pumped. As a result, it will create additional resistance that will slow down the hydrofoil and the rider. The fuselage should not bend up and down like a bird's wings, rather it should make a whip like motion with the back wing, much like how dolphins move their tale.
03/12/18
Another design that can help the hydrofoil create more propulsion when pumped is a downward sloping curve in the fuselage and or the back tail. This design gives more leverage to the rider for pumping.
7/19/18
A flexible tail wing or flexible part trailing the tail wing can be used to create propulsion on a hydrofoil much like how a swim flipper propels a swimmer.
8/27/18
Hydrofoil wings are made with the front wing creating upward lift and the back wing creating downward lift. This increase lifting leverage but makes it hard to keep the foil from coming out of the water when riding fast. An uplifting front and back wing on foil would create lift without angling the foil to come out of the water. This would be a great foil for high speed riders.
A hydrofoil could have a fuselage that has a greater height than width. This will make the fuselage its strongest with least amount of volume. Smaller volume is critical in hydrodynamics. To take advantage of this design the top and bottom of the fuselage can be rounded or pointed. This design also reduces resistance when the rider pumps.
To make a hydrofoil easily attach and detach from a board one or more clamps can be used. At the top of the mast an attachment plate fits together with the track that is built into the board. A clamp system can be used in securely attaching the attachment plate to the track.
9/30/18
In order to make a hydrofoil for board sports more stable for beginner riders the hydrofoil apparatus can have more than one mast. This increase in stability will allow for more advanced and less stable wings to be used and allow for improved performance.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a hydrofoil for a board sport. 100 is the front wing. 101 is the fuselage. 101 a is the top portion of the fuselage and 101 b is the bottom portion as referred to in claim 3. 102 is the back wing. 103 is the mast.
FIG. 2 shows two cross sectional cuts of the fuselage. 101 c is a fuselage where the top and bottom portion have a pointed shape. 101 d is a fuselage where the top and bottom portion have a rounded shape.
FIG. 3 shows a hydrofoil with a downward curving fuselage (101 e).
FIG. 4 shows the clamp system of attachment which connects the hydrofoil to the board. 105 is the attachment apparatus which is connected to the mast and rest of hydrofoil. It fits into the track (108) which is built into the board (107). 106 is the clamp mechanism that hooks around 105 and clamps it to the board to create a simple hydrofoil to board attachment system.

Claims

1. A hydrofoil with a fuselage that is flexible from where the mast attaches, down to where it attaches to the tail. So that the fuselage can make a sinusoidal like motion through the water to generate speed.

2. Downward sloping fuselage or tail on hydrofoil.

3. A hydrofoil with a flexible back wing; where said wing's flexibility is along the general axis of the forward moving path of the hydrofoil, (which is parallel with the fuselage) or a flexible part trailing the tail wing with the same general axis of flexibility.

4. A hydrofoil meant for board sports that has both the front and back wing create lift.

5. A hydrofoil fuselage where the top (101 a) or bottom (101 b) portions of the fuselage are in a pointed shape, or in a rounded shape where the surface area between 101 a and 101 b has a lesser curve.

6. A clamp system that secures the hydrofoil to the board.

7. A hydrofoil meant for board sports that has more than one mast.