WO2010026257A1

WO2010026257A1 - A boat with a shiftable roof

Info

Publication number: WO2010026257A1
Application number: PCT/EP2009/061606
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kim Wissing Andersen
Original assignee: Nautica Tender A/S
Priority date: 2008-09-08
Filing date: 2009-09-08
Publication date: 2010-03-11
Also published as: EP2161192A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a watercraft vehicle, such as a tender boat, having a cabin with a moveable roof, shiftably mounted, whereby the cabin becomes easily accessible to the passengers of the boat, The moveable roof is mounted for quick and easy deploying or retracting, thereby providing comfort to the passengers of the vehicle according to weather conditions, as well as more easy embarking and disembarking.

Description

A boat with a shiftable roof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a watercraft vehicle, such as a tender boat, with a cabin that is easily accessible to the passengers of the boat.

Background

Usually, most boats have some kind of shelter to protect the passengers from rain and bad weather in general. For boats with cabins on top of the hull, a roof on the cabin is often suitable; however, in many cases, such a roof is stationary leaving no possibility for shifting the roof for better access for the passengers to the cabin or for sailing with the roof open in good weather. A roof that can be shifted, i.e. retracted or deployed is therefore a great enhancement to the boat. For a specific class of boats, namely tender boats, which main purpose is to service larger ships with transport of passengers and supplies, a roof, which can be easily shifted, has large usability.

Today, many manifestations of moveable roofs are known, one of such is disclosed in US 3,898,947, where the entire roof of the boat can be shifted by rolling means, in such a way that the retracted rolled roof segments hang on each side of the boat, thereby giving the passengers easy access to the cabin.

However, such a movement of the roof can be cumbersome and time consuming, and the rolled roof segments take up the view for the passengers. Moreover, since the roof sections are made of a rollable material, the roof may not be as resistant to harsh weather and generally not as sustainable as a roof made of harder longer lasting material.

Included in the class of moveable roofs on boats are foldable convertible manifestations using pivoting means, see for instance US 2008/0066671 , where the entire roof can be retracted and deployed.

However, the type of foldable roof described in US 2008/0066671 is limited in use compared to a sliding opening roof, which is faster and more easy to use. Moreover, for longer boats with larger numbers of passenger, foldable convertible roofs have little use, since the deploying of such a large foldable convertible roof is strongly subjected to excessive weathering and generally cumbersome to deploy and retract. Summary of the invention

To overcome the mentioned difficulties, it is the object for the invention to provide a watercraft vehicle with a moveable roof that can easily be shifted, substantially in the horizontal direction. By the term, substantially in the horizontal direction, is meant, in the lengthwise direction of the boat, or in the sidewise direction of the boat, or in an angle between the lengthwise direction and the sidewise direction of the boat, and further the direction can have a vertical component, which magnitude is small when the moveable roof is nearly fully deployed.

The object is achieved by a watercraft vehicle comprising a hull and a cabin with a moveable roof that can be shifted, thereby giving the passengers easy access to the cabin of the watercraft vehicle, said cabin comprising front and side members extending the hull of the vehicle and said moveable roof shiftably mounted on a plurality of side and front members, said moveable roof, side members, and front members comprising a plurality of at least partly transparent sections. The moveable roof may comprise a foldable structure, a pivotable structure, a stackable structure and/or guiding means, such as rails, allowing the moveable roof to be moved by a means for retracting or deploying, in a substantially horizontal direction, into at least one housing facility on the vehicle by use of a plurality of chains and wires connecting said moveable roof to at least one driving means, such as an electrical motor, which is connected to controlling means such as a control panel on the vehicle.

In a preferred embodiment, the entire roof of the vehicle or the entire roof of the passenger cabin or the entire roof above the passenger seats is shiftably mounted, which is advantageous since better access for the passengers to the cabin is thereby provided and a more pleasant experience is offered when the vehicle is sailing with open roof in good weather compared to embodiments where only a small part the roof is moveable. In another embodiment, the cabin comprises a rear member in addition to the front and side members and the moveable roof is shiftably mounted on a plurality of side, rear, and front members and adapted for retraction or deployment. In addition, at least one of the rear, front or side members may be adapted for retraction or deployment before, after or along with the retraction or deployment of the moveable roof. A cabin of a boat may comprise a framework having eight framework members and five corresponding rectangular members: A front member, a rear member, first and second side members, and a roof member. The eight framework members are found where the rectangular members meet, e.g. there is a framework member between the first side member and the rear member, another framework member between the roof member and the rear member, etc. In a preferred embodiment of the vehicle, the cabin is without a framework member between the deployed moveable roof and at least one of the rear, front or side members. Thus, an undivided openly accessible area may be formed by a roof area portion and at least one rear, front or side member portion when the moveable roof and/or at least one of the rear, front or side members are/is retracted. By the openly accessible form, the cabin is readily available and easily accessible to embarking passengers, which is advantageous since easy access to e.g. the passenger seats is thereby provided. In a preferred embodiment, the moveable roof is retracted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the rear, front and/or side members are/is retracted. For instance, at least one rear member may be retracted substantially perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the boat while the moveable roof is retracted in a direction substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of the boat. Further, in another embodiment, at least one rear and/or front members may be retracted in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which at least one side member is retracted. For instance, at least one rear member may be retracted in a direction substantially parallel to the crosswise direction of the boat while the at least one side member is retracted in a direction substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of the boat.

In one embodiment, the cabin does not have a rear member and moreover the cabin does not have a framework member between the rear member and the deployed moveable roof, whereby the undivided openly accessible area is formed by a rear area portion and a roof area portion by retracting the moveable roof. Hereby, better access for the passengers to the cabin is provided, since the passengers do not have to avoid such a framework member, which otherwise would be used for separating the rear member from the roof, when accessing the cabin. In another embodiment, the cabin comprises a rear member which is adapted to be moved into at least one housing facility on the vehicle, for instance retracted downwards beneath the deck. Hereby, the undivided openly accessible area is formed by retracting the moveable roof and the rear member, which is advantageous as the passengers embark the vehicle, because the vehicle is thereby easily accessible.

In one embodiment, the means for retracting or deploying comprises folding means and/or pivoting means and/or stacking means. The moveable roof may first be guided by driving means, then folded by folding means, and lastly pivotably moved behind one of the bulkheads by pivoting means. However, many more permutations of guiding, folding, stacking and pivoting are possible. In addition, the moveable roof may comprise a telescopic structure. The moveable roof is therefore not limited to only one type of movement which is advantageous because several types of movement may be necessary, for instance in cases where only a limited amount of space for housing the moveable roof is available on the vehicle.

In a preferred embodiment of the vehicle, which may be a tender boat, the sections of the said moveable roof are articulated or hinged, such as pivotally hinged, i.e. the roof is articulated. In this embodiment, the moveable roof may comprise articulated sections such as sections connected by toggle joints. For instance, the said moveable roof may comprise rails as guiding means and a plurality of planar rectangular elements such as solid elements articulated or hinged together, i.e. the roof is solid. This embodiment allows faster and more easy deployment or retraction of the moveable roof compared to existing solutions. In addition, articulated or hinged sections may have an advantage when used with a curved guiding means, where the articulated or hinged sections may easily follow the curved path defined by the guiding means. In particular, solid articulated or hinged sections may follow such a curved path when the moveable roof is retracted or deployed. In one embodiment, the hinging points substantially follow the curved path. The sections themselves may comprise portions which depart from the curved path. In a preferred embodiment, the moveable roof comprises a plurality of first sections alternately articulated or hinged with a plurality of second sections, whereby particularly the second sections are adapted for engagement with the guiding means. For instance, the second sections alone may comprise wheels for engagement with the guiding means. Further, the first sections may comprise shielding portions which covers a larger area compared to shielding portions of the second sections. In one embodiment, the first sections overlap when the roof is deployed such that the roof is substantially shielded by the first sections alone. A roof comprising first sections alternately articulated or hinged with second sections has an advantage in that the first and second sections may have specialised functions for different purposes. For instance the first sections may shield the second sections from rain and harsh weather, while particularly the second sections may be adapted for engagement with the guiding means.

In a second preferred embodiment of the vehicle, a plurality of the side and front members are moveable and shiftably mounted and comprise a connection to at least one drive means and preferably controlling means, whereby a large advantage is realized over existing inventions, since the vehicle easily can change between a wide open or closed manifestations.

In a third preferred embodiment of the vehicle, there is provided a curved guiding means, such as U-shaped guiding rails or at least partly U-shaped guiding rails, such as curved guiding rails. Further, the guiding means, preferably of mechanical origin, may comprise wires, linear guides, wheels, rollers, bearings, and/or air cushions. Curved guiding means may run from the top of the side members in a direction towards the driver's seat and bend downwards before reaching the driver's seat, following a curve and continuing in a direction away from the driver's seat. In a related embodiment, the direction away from the driver's seat may be substantially parallel to the direction towards the driver's seat. The moveable roof may thereby quickly slide away from the deployed form into a housing so that is not visible from the outside. Preferably, the housing is under the deck of the vehicle. Brief description of the drawings

The invention is disclosed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the watercraft vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 is a top view of the watercraft vehicle in Fig. 1 ,

Figure 3 is an end view of the back end of the watercraft vehicle in Fig. 1 ,

Figure 4 is a cut away cross section view of a preferred embodiment of the moveable roof on the watercraft vehicle,

Figure 5 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the guiding means for the moveable roof on the watercraft vehicle,

Figure 6 is a side view of another preferred embodiment of the vehicle,

Figure 7 is a top view of the watercraft vehicle in Fig. 6,

Figure 8 is a perspective view of rails seen mounted in Fig. 6,

Figure 9 is a perspective cut away view of the watercraft vehicle in Fig. 6 showing rails and cabin with deployed roof,

Figure 10 is a perspective cut away view of the watercraft vehicle in Fig. 6 showing rails and cabin with retracted roof,

Figure 1 1 is a zoom on the side view shown in Fig. 6,

Figure 12 is a top view of the drive means for retracting and deploying the moveable roof, and

Figure 13-15 are perspective views of the rear part of the watercraft vehicle.

Description of a preferred embodiment

With reference to Fig. 1 -5, the moveable roof 3 is shiftably mounted 5 on the side members 2 and front members 4 extending the hull 1 of the vehicle. In a preferred embodiment the watercraft vehicle is a boat, where the moveable roof comprises rails 5 as guiding means, and the said moveable roof comprises wheels 6 running on corresponding tracks 7 by use of a plurality of chains and wires 9 connecting said moveable roof to at least one drive means such as an electrical motor connected to controlling means, for instance a control panel on the vehicle.

In a preferred embodiment, the side and front members comprise a plurality of sections, which can be at least partly transparent. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the moveable roof comprises a plurality of sections, which can be at least partly transparent, such as planar rectangular solid elements 8 hinged together and the said moveable roof is deployed or retracted, preferably in a lengthwise direction, into at least one housing facility on the vehicle, for instance under the deck, behind one of the bulkheads, into or behind the side members.

With reference to Fig. 6-12, the moveable roof 3 is shown mounted on U-shaped rails 5 that run from the top of the side members 2 in a direction towards the driver's seat 10 and bend downwards before reaching the driver's seat, following a curve and continuing in a direction away from the driver's seat. The direction away from the driver's seat is substantially parallel to the direction towards the driver's seat. In another embodiment, the rails may run from the top of the side members and bend downwards before reaching the driver's seat, following a curve and ending in a spiral whereby the space used for storing the moveable roof is more compressed. The moveable roof 3 is retracted or deployed by a drive means which comprises wires 9 connected, through drive wheels 1 1 and a worm gear 12, to an electrical motor 13 which is provided in the lower part of the vehicle.

With reference to Fig. 10 and 1 1 , the wires 9 comprise two closed loops 14, guided by pulleys 15 (only one closed loop shown) where each loop comprises a wire 16 for retracting and a return wire 17 for deploying the moveable roof. Further, cf. Fig. 10, the boat has a separation member 18 for separating the driver's seat from the passenger cabin, and in addition, the separation member 18 abuts the front end section 19 of the moveable roof 3 when the moveable roof is deployed.

With reference to Fig. 13-15, three arrangements are shown, wherein the moveable roof 3 and a rear member 20, such as rear window, are fully deployed, cf. Fig. 13, partly retracted, cf. Fig.

14, and fully retracted; cf. Fig. 15, where the rear member 20 is retracted into a housing beneath the deck. In particular, there is formed an undivided openly accessible area/region when the moveable roof 3 and the rear member 20 are fully retracted, cf. the dashed region of Fig. 15. Thereby, the passengers may easily access the interior of the cabin, e.g. the passenger seats, because the cabin becomes readily available and easily accessible when the moveable roof 3 and the rear member 20 are retracted whereby an undivided openly accessible area is formed.

In another preferred embodiment, a means for retracting or deploying the moveable roof comprises a plurality of rails, wires, cables, chains, hydraulic, pneumatic, magnetic or inductive transfer, racks and spindles, belts, and/or electric, magnetic or hydraulic drive trains.

In another preferred embodiment, the moveable roof comprises a foldable structure, a pivotable structure, a stackable structure and/or guiding means, such that the moveable roof is adapted for movement by a plurality of folding means, pivoting means, stacking means, and drive means. For instance, by use of folding means the surface area of the said moveable roof may be reduced when the roof is retracted into at least one housing facility on the vehicle.

In another preferred embodiment, a plurality of the side and front members are moveable and shiftably mounted and connected to at least one drive means, for instance to give the passengers a better view by retracting the side members.

The invention is described above with reference to some preferred embodiments. However, it is realised that variants to these embodiments may be provided without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims. For instance, the direction of retraction or deployment of the moveable roof can have a vertical component, allowing for the moveable roof to be at least partly shifted in a custom angle with respect to the horizontal plane and further the shifting direction can be not only lengthwise but also sidewise.

Claims

1. A watercraft vehicle comprising a hull and a cabin with a moveable roof that can be shifted thereby giving the passengers easy access to the cabin of the vehicle, said vehicle comprising

a cabin comprising front members and side members which extend the hull of the vehicle,

a moveable roof shiftably mounted on the side members, and

a means for retracting or deploying said moveable roof.

2. A vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the moveable roof is shiftably mounted on a plurality of the side and front members.

3. A vehicle according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the moveable roof comprises a foldable structure.

4. A vehicle according to any of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the moveable roof comprises a pivotable structure.

5. A vehicle according to any of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the moveable roof comprises guiding means.

6. A vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the said guiding means comprises rails.

7. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the entire roof of the passenger cabin is shiftably mounted.

8. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the entire roof of the vehicle is shiftably mounted.

9. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the means of moving the roof comprise a plurality of chains, wires, belts, and/or electric, magnetic or hydraulic drive trains.

10. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the side and front members comprise a plurality of sections.

11 . A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the roof is moved into at least one housing facility on the vehicle.

12. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the roof comprises a plurality of sections.

13. A vehicle according to claim 12, wherein the sections of the said moveable roof are articulated or hinged.

14. A vehicle according to claims 12 or 13, wherein the sections of the said moveable roof are planar rectangular elements.

15. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the roof sections is at least partly transparent.

16. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the moveable roof is shifted in a substantially horizontal direction.

17. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the moveable roof is shifted by means of at least one drive means, such as an electric motor.

18. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of the side and front members are moveable and shiftably mounted.

19. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of moveable side and front members and the moveable roof are shifted by means of at least one drive means.

20. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a plurality of the side and front members is at least partly transparent.

21 . A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle comprises means for controlling the moveable roof.

22. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle comprises means for controlling a plurality of the moveable side and front members.

23. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle is a tender boat.

24. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the moveable roof is solid.

25. A vehicle according to any of the claims 5 to 24, wherein the guiding means are curved, such as U-shaped guiding rails or at least partly U-shaped guiding rails.

26. A vehicle according to any of the claims 5 to 25, wherein the guiding means comprise wires, linear guides, wheels, rollers, bearings, and/or air cushions.

27. A vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein an undivided openly accessible area is formed by a roof area portion and at least one rear, front or side member portion when the moveable roof and/or at least one of the rear, front or side members are/is retracted.