HK1250973B - Water sports device - Google Patents

Description

water sports equipment

The invention relates to water sports equipment.

As is well known in the prior art, water sports equipment, for example, takes the form of a surfboard, as shown in DE 202011 051071.9. Such a surfboard comprises a rigid body with a jet drive incorporated into the tail. The jet drive is controlled by remote control. Surfboards are heavy and bulky, making them difficult to transport.

WO2013/036536A2 discloses not only an inflatable rubber boat with a drive unit, but also a surfboard having an optionally insertable drive unit or an underwater surface unit terminating at the underwater surface in the middle of the surfboard. Disadvantageously, such an inflatable surfboard is difficult to control, and the jet drive located in the middle of the surfboard is inefficient because incoming water must be deflected back below the water surface.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a surfboard which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages.

This object is achieved by the above-mentioned water sports equipment having the features of claim 1 .

The present invention utilizes the concept of dividing an inflatable water sports device into two parts: an inflatable main component and a drive component, wherein the drive component has an electric drive and forms or at least co-forms the tail of the water sports device. This makes it easier to transport the water sports device.

The water sports vehicle is particularly well controllable and has a high efficiency due to the configuration of the drive element as the tail of the water sports vehicle.

Advantageously, the main body component and the drive element are releasably connected to one another, i.e., the drive element can be inserted into the inflatable main body component and can also be released from the main body component again and inserted into another main body component having a suitable receptacle. This advantageously makes it possible to combine an expensive drive element with a plurality of significantly cheaper main body components.

According to the present invention, the water sports equipment comprises an inflatable main body member having a longitudinal direction and inflatable arms at a tail end, the inflatable arms being spaced apart from each other and oriented along the longitudinal direction, with accommodation portions having an inner contour formed therebetween.

The water sports equipment also includes a driving member, which has a footrest surface and an underwater surface, and the driving member is formed with complementary outer contours on two longitudinal side portions spaced apart from each other, and the driving member can be inserted into the accommodating portion from the tail end, and the inner contour and the complementary outer contour are connected to each other, and the position of the driving member inserted into the accommodating portion is fixed in the direction of the footrest surface (i.e. upward) and in the direction of the underwater surface (i.e. downward) and laterally (i.e. starboard and port).

The connection can comprise a positive connection or a clamping connection. After insertion, the drive member is fixed in the receptacle, deviating from the insertion direction, without further means. The connection can also be a pure clamping connection, which is additionally fixed relative to the insertion direction.

Movement relative to the insertion direction is inhibited after insertion by at least one fastening device. To this end, at least one fastening device is provided for the drive member in the housing, the fastening device being openable and closable at the tail end of the drive member and the arm, and preventing the drive member from slipping out of the tail end of the housing.

The shape of the inner or outer profile can be very diverse. It only needs to be considered that the two profiles are locked and/or additionally clamped to each other to prevent the drive member from sliding sideways and upward and downward, and to keep the drive member in place.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main body component is made of an air-drawn (Drop Stitch) material. The air-drawn material is made by an air-drawn method, in which two or more plastic fabric nets, preferably denier polyester fabric nets, are overlapped. The two plastic fabric nets are separated by many, i.e. thousands, of interconnected polyester threads. At this time, the two fabric nets are kept at a certain distance from each other so that the space between the fabric nets filled with polyester threads can be filled with compressed air later. The polyester threads are sewn to the two fabric nets on both sides, for example, with the aid of an air-drawn sewing machine. The two fabric nets sewn to each other form a bracket, which gives the main body component mechanical strength in the inflated state.

The two interconnected fabric webs are cut into the desired shape. The upper and lower fabric webs are coated with laminated and glued PVC layers, preferably three layers. The sides are overlapped, glued and pressed with tape to form an airtight main body component.

The inflatable wire drawing method is capable of manufacturing an inflatable body member having excellent mechanical strength properties that withstand high tensile and compressive loads as well as heavy loads.

The inflatable brushed shell of the inflatable body member is airtight and highly stable in deformation when inflated, allowing a surfer to stand on the body member and surf while maintaining the inflatable body member's shape. The body member is filled with high pressure. This filling can be accomplished using a compressor, which can be powered by a battery built into the surfboard.

A main body made of air-filled brushed material is advantageously low-noise because the main body dampens the impact of waves and the sound generated by the driver. The main body also experiences minimal vibration during operation because the air-filled brushed material reduces vibration. Since the main body easily deforms, shock from waves and the like is effectively absorbed. Furthermore, compared to conventional surfboards, the softer main body causes less damage when the surfboard collides with the surfer during a fall.

Preferably, the tread surface of the drive member is aligned with the tread surface of the inflatable body member so that a total common tread surface is formed by the body member and the drive member. For this reason, the drive member should be insertable into the recess in a form-closed manner without gap formation.

Advantageously, the underwater surface of the drive member is also aligned with the underwater surface of the inflatable body member so that a smooth underwater surface is formed over the entire longitudinal extent of the surfboard, which underwater surface promotes the gliding of the surfboard.

According to the present invention, the inflatable main body member has inflatable arms spaced apart from each other at the trailing end and oriented in the longitudinal direction, an accommodation portion being formed therebetween, and the inflatable arms are respectively formed into a convex shape at their mutually facing inner sides in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

The water sports device further comprises a drive element which fits positively into the receptacle and is concavely formed on two longitudinal sides spaced apart from one another, so that the concave longitudinal sides at least partially surround the convex arm in a positively closed manner.

At least one openable and closable fastening device for the drive member in the receptacle is provided at the drive member and the trailing end of the arm, thereby facilitating the replacement of the drive member.

Forming the housing as two inflatable arms that are convex in cross-section on the inside makes it possible to dispense with a guide rail structure or a box-shaped housing or other fastening means inside the housing. Due to its concave design, the drive member can be easily inserted into the housing from the rear side and is arranged in the groove in a fixed position.

Preferably, the concave longitudinal side of the drive member surrounds the arm by at least one third, preferably more than one third, so that the drive member cannot slide out of the accommodation upwards (ie on the footrest surface side) or downwards (ie on the water surface side).

Preferably, the inner side of the accommodating portion is formed into a U-shape and is concave along the entire U-shape, preferably fan-shaped, preferably semicircular, and the outer side of the driving member is also formed into a concave shape, preferably semicircular, along the contact surface with a groove that is U-shaped in a horizontal cross-section between the footrest surface and the underwater surface, so that when the main body member is firmly inflated, the concave U-shaped recess of the driving member is closed in shape with the convex U-shaped protrusion of the groove of the main body member.

According to the invention, fastening means for the drive member in the receptacle are provided not only on the drive member but also on the preferably trailing end of the arm. The fastening means can have a variety of designs and can involve snap-on closures, clip closures, etc., respectively provided in the arm and positioned around the arm arranged on the drive member. It is also conceivable to provide an elastic band with a thickened end on each arm and to provide a fork on the trailing side of the drive member, into which the thickened end can be inserted, wherein the thickened end engages behind the fork and pulls the drive member into the recess under tension.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drive member includes a jet drive having a rechargeable battery, i.e., an accumulator. In particular, in this embodiment of the invention, it is also preferred that the drive member be formed in the form of two longitudinally consecutively arranged chambers that can be detached from each other, wherein each chamber is watertight. At least the electrical components are encapsulated to prevent contact with water. The accumulator is preferably provided in the chamber arranged on the head side, and the jet drive is preferably provided in the chamber on the tail side. The two chambers are preferably pluggable to each other via mechanical and electrical connectors, and by a fastening device that applies force in the direction of the head of the water sports equipment, the separating surfaces of the two chambers are pressed against each other and thus held non-slidably relative to each other by the mechanical fastening device. Of course, other retaining devices such as threaded joints are not required, so that the drive member can be easily disassembled. In particular, after the jet drive chamber is disconnected, the battery chamber can be removed and replaced by a new battery chamber with a fully charged energy accumulator, so that the water sports device can be kept in continuous operation, wherein the battery chamber can be alternately charged during operation of the water sports device and can be replaced by a fully charged battery after the battery in operation is discharged.

The invention is described with reference to an embodiment shown in four figures, in which:

FIG1 shows an inflatable surfboard according to the invention with a receptacle for a drive member according to the invention,

FIG2 shows a one-piece drive member according to the invention,

FIG3 shows a two-piece drive member according to the invention,

FIG4 shows a surfboard according to the present invention.

FIG1 shows an inflatable body member 1 of a surfboard according to the present invention. The body member 1 has a longitudinal direction L extending from the tail of the body member 1 to the head of the body member 1. A groove 2 is provided at the tail of the body member 1. The body member 1 has an underwater surface 3 and a footrest surface 4, which forms part of the surface above the water. The surfer stands on the footrest surface 4 with his feet while surfing or the surfer kneels on the footrest surface 4. An eyelet 6 for a cable is provided at the head of the body member 1, and the surfer can hold the cable with one hand while surfing. The surfer holds a controller (not shown) for the drive member 7 according to FIG2 or FIG3 with his other hand. The drive member 7 has a jet drive and a battery.

The speed of the surfboard can be varied using a controller, which for this purpose has, for example, a pistol grip. Turns are initiated by the surfer's weight shift on the surfboard.

The main body member 1 is constructed from an air-filled, brushed material. This term refers to a breathable fabric with stabilized longitudinal yarns. A groove 2 at the rear of the main body member 1 opens against the direction of travel, which is generally oriented in the longitudinal direction L. That is, the groove 2 is essentially U-shaped. The groove 2 has arms 8a, 8b extending transversely to the longitudinal direction L and having a generally circular cross-section. These arms are circular in cross-section throughout their entire longitudinal extent. The two arms 8a, 8b, oriented in the longitudinal direction L, form the two legs of the U-shaped groove.

The U-shaped bottom of the groove 2 is formed by a semicircular flange 9 in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L. Therefore, the inner side of the U-shaped groove 2 is bent inward along the entire U-shaped inner side of the groove, that is, it is formed into a convex shape.

The main body member 1 is shown in FIG1 in an inflated state, but the drive member 7 is not inserted into the inflated main body member 1. In FIG1 , the main body member 1 is about 1 to 4 meters long and 0.7 to 1 meter wide. The main body member 1 can be inflated with air and the air can be exhausted from the main body member again.

FIG2 shows a drive member 7, whose outer dimensions precisely match the inner dimensions of the recess 2 of the main body member 1 and can be inserted into the recess 2 in a form-fitting manner. The drive member 7 comprises a jet drive (not shown) that can be powered by a battery. Fins may be provided on the underwater surface 3 of the drive member 7.

The jet drive has a water inlet (not shown) on the underwater surface 3 of the drive member 7 and a water outlet at the rear of the drive member 7. A propeller is provided in the water channel connecting the inlet and outlet. A nozzle is provided at the outlet, through which water splashes backward against the direction of travel, thereby providing propulsion for the surfboard. A surfer standing on the surfboard can use a handheld controller in the drive member 7 inserted into the main body member 1 to change the speed or feed rate and initiate and execute turns by weight shifting. The position of the nozzle can also be controlled using a controller, similarly to the position of the fins. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case.

The drive member 7 fits into the recess 2 in a form-fitting manner, wherein the lateral outer walls 10a, 10b and the head-side outer wall 11 arranged between the underwater surface 3 and the footrest surface 4 of the drive member 7 are also together formed in a U-shape and are formed concavely in a U-shaped rotation, so that the drive member 7 can be pushed into the recess 2 of the main body member 1 from the rear in the longitudinal direction L and form a form-fitting connection with the main body member 1. The inflatable main body member 1 has such strength that, due to the concave lateral outer walls 10a, 10b partially surrounding the associated arms 8a, 8b and the head-side outer wall 11 partially surrounding the flange 9, the drive member 7 can be held very stably in the main body member 1.

To prevent the drive member 7 from slipping out of the groove 2 at the caudal end, two securing means are provided in the form of rubber bands 12a, 12b. These are respectively fixed on the inside to the caudal end of one of the arms 8a, 8b and each have a thickened portion at their free end. Forks 13a, 13b, provided at the caudal end of the drive member, cooperate with the rubber bands 12a, 12b. The thickened portion of the rubber bands 12a, 12b engages behind the forks 13a, 13b.

Fig. 3 shows the drive member 7 according to Fig. 2 inserted into the body member 1. The rubber bands 12a, 12b press the drive member 7 against the body member 1 in the longitudinal direction L and hold it firmly thereon.

In a second embodiment of the drive member 7 , the drive member 7 is designed as a double chamber. In both embodiments according to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , the drive member 7 is watertight, ie the electrical system of the jet drive is encapsulated and sealed against the ingress of water.

In the embodiment shown in FIG3 , the jet drive is arranged in the trailing chamber 14a, while the battery is provided in the leading chamber 14b. The same reference numerals denote the same features as in FIG2 . A connector 15 is provided between the two chambers 14a, 14b, which may also provide an electrical connection. When the dual-chamber drive member 7 is inserted into the groove 2, the force applied to the drive member 7 by the two rubber bands 12a, 12b in the longitudinal direction L causes the two chambers 14a, 14b to press against each other, establishing a mechanical and electrical connection or contact, thereby securely holding the two chambers 14a, 14b in the groove 2. The separation surface between the battery chamber 14b and the jet drive chamber 14a can be flat and have both a mechanical and electrical connection. However, other separation surfaces, such as a concave/convex interlocking structure, or other closed-form connections, are also possible.

FIG4 shows a surfboard according to the present invention having a main body member 1 and a drive member 7 , the main body member being made of an inflatable brushed material, the footrest surface 4 of the surfboard being formed flat by the footrest surface 4 of the drive member 7 and the footrest surface of the main body member 1 .

Description of reference numerals:

1 Main components

2 grooves

3 Underwater surface

4 Pedal surface

6 eyelets

7 Driving components

8a Arm

8b Arm

9 flange

10a Lateral outer wall

10b Lateral outer wall

11. Lateral wall of head

12a Rubber belt

12b Rubber belt

13a Fork

13b Fork

14a Caudal chamber

14b Cephalad chamber

15 connector

L Longitudinal direction

Claims (10)

1. A surfboard, comprising: An inflatable main body component (1) has a longitudinal direction (L) and inflatable arms (8a, 8b) at the tail end, the inflatable arms being spaced apart from each other and oriented along the longitudinal direction (L), and a receiving portion (2) with an inner contour is formed between the inflatable arms. A drive member (7) having a foot pedal surface (4) and an underwater surface (3), the drive member (7) having complementary outer contours (10a, 10b, 11) formed on two spaced-apart longitudinal sides (10a, 10b) and a head, and the drive member (7) being insertable from the tail end into the receiving portion (2), wherein the inner contours and the complementary outer contours (10a, 10b, 11) are interconnected, and the position of the drive member (7) inserted into the receiving portion (2) is fixed in the direction of the foot pedal surface (4) and the underwater surface (3) and laterally; and At least one fastening device (12a, 12b, 13a, 13b) for the drive member (7) in the receiving part (2), the fastening device being disposed at the tail end of the drive member (7) and the arm (8a, 8b) and being capable of being opened and closed, the fastening device (12a, 12b, 13a, 13b) preventing the drive member (7) from sliding out from the tail side of the receiving part (2). 2. The surfboard according to claim 1, wherein the connection forms a closed connection. 3. The surfboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two arms (8a, 8b) are convex on their facing inner sides in a cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (L), and The drive member (7) is formed as concave on the two longitudinally spaced-apart sides (10a, 10b) such that the concave longitudinally spaced sides (10a, 10b) partially surround the convex arms (8a, 8b) in a closed manner. 4. The surfboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two arms (8a, 8b) are convex in their facing inner portions in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (L) along their entire extension in the longitudinal direction (L). 5. The surfboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two arms (8a, 8b) are circular in their cross-section. 6. The surfboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the longitudinal sides (10a, 10b) surround the arm (8a, 8b) in cross-section with at least one-third of its circumference. 7. The surfboard according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive component (7) comprises a jet driver and a rechargeable battery. 8. The surfboard according to claim 7, characterized in that the drive member (7) has at least two chambers (14a, 14b) that can be separated from each other and a separation plane extending transversely to the longitudinal direction (L), the fastening device (12a, 12b, 13a, 13b) applies force in the longitudinal direction (L) when closed, and the two chambers (14a, 14b) press against each other. 9. The surfboard according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one fastening device (12a, 12b, 13a, 13b) is arranged on each arm (8a, 8b). 10. The surfboard according to claim 9, characterized in that the at least one fastening device has an elastic rubber band (12a, 12b) with a thickened end arranged on the longitudinal side and a fork (13a, 13b) arranged on the drive member (7), the fork (13a, 13b) being capable of engaging behind the thickened end.