JP2002154481A - Underwater dome boat - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To provide an underwater dome boat that can be moved and installed for use in underwater facilities. SOLUTION: A dome part (A) formed by a skeleton of a structural material (2) and a shell material (4) having a transparent window is provided with a water communication passage part.
(B) is provided, which is provided with a buoyancy adjusting means (9) to enable levitation and settling and movement. Also, when submerging a submersible dome boat in waters of different depths, the vertical shaft part (5) can move up and down freely, and the floating deck (12) and the lifting means (7)
Mechanism (1) that positions the opening (16) leading to the water above the water surface.
The provision of (5, 16a, 16b) prevents water from entering the inside of the vertical shaft from the opening.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an underwater dome boat that can be moved and installed to provide an underwater space, for example, an underwater dome boat intended for use in an underwater amusement facility.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in order to enjoy the underwater scenery in the natural world, diving and other special skills have to be personally acquired for diving, or a relatively small size such as an underwater observation tower for sightseeing or a sightseeing diving boat has been used. Of the facilities were used. However, learning diving skills requires time and effort, and requires special equipment, so that it is not easy for anyone to work on. On the other hand, the use of facilities such as the underwater observatory tower makes it easy for anyone to enjoy the underwater scenery, but since it is a small facility, tourists are trapped in a very narrow space and feel a sense of oppression, In order to enjoy the scenery, the underwater observation was conducted through a viewing window of less than 1 m. As a result, the feeling of opening was not obtained and the enjoyment was reduced by half.

[0003] In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent No. 2589233 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
-371676), there is an invention of "undersea dome and its construction method". The underwater dome according to the present invention provides an underwater resort facility that allows a wide space and a wide field of view to be obtained while wearing clothes, using no special tools, and securing freedom of action. The undersea dome according to the present invention secures a dome shape with a structural material such as a steel frame on a concrete foundation, and arranges a transparent plate such as a transparent acrylic plate or a tempered glass between the structural materials. A dome that covers the whole ceiling and side walls is formed, and the concrete foundation has a balanced structure that is suitable for sinking and sinking the concrete of the dome floor portion, or the dome floor surface The dome is provided with buoyancy removing means by placing a drain material below, or placing a permanent anchor connected to the dome under the floor of the dome under the ground, or a combination thereof. Is installed on the seabed, and the inside of the dome and the ground are connected by a tunnel.

There are various other inventions for forming a dome space underwater. In any case, a facility for forming a dome space is fixed to the sea floor or the like, and a passage such as a tunnel is passed through the tunnel from the ground to connect to the dome. It was to enter and exit.

[0005]

In the case where the dome facility is fixed and installed in the water as described above, if the dome is damaged or deteriorates and the dome needs to be repaired, the repair work must be performed in the water. It had to be done and the work was dangerous and difficult.

[0006] The underwater dome facility is intended to be used for watching underwater conditions such as swimming of natural fish. When used for such purpose, when the surrounding environment changes and the transparency of water becomes low, or when fish stop collecting, the purpose cannot be sufficiently fulfilled.
Also, when the popularity of the dome facilities in the installation area declines and it becomes impossible to attract enough customers, there is a risk that the property value of the facilities will decrease sharply because they can not move, and hesitate to construct the facilities and to motivate investment. It was causing damage. Furthermore, uplift and the like have occurred on the sea floor at the installation site due to crustal deformation, etc., and if this could not be dealt with, the facility had to be abandoned and the use thereof had to be abandoned.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve these problems, of the present invention, a dome-shaped skeleton is formed by a structural material (2), and at least a ceiling portion between the structural materials is provided. A dome portion (A) having a shell material (4) having a transparent window provided therein to secure a space therein; and a water-tight water passage portion (B) connected to the dome portion and maintaining airtightness which leads to the water when the dome portion is laid down. ), And the dome portion is provided with buoyancy adjusting means (9).

First, by forming the skeleton with the structural material (2), the underwater dome boat can withstand a high water pressure applied when the underwater dome boat is laid on the seabed or lake bottom. In addition, by having a dome shape, a wide space can be secured inside the dome portion (A), and the dome portion (A) is high in water pressure applied from all directions due to the nature of the dome structure without providing a pillar member or the like inside. Pressure resistance can be provided. Here, a shell material (4) having a transparent window such as a transparent acrylic plate or a tempered glass is arranged at least on a ceiling portion, desirably a side portion and a bottom portion between structural materials, and a joint portion between adjacent shell materials is provided. To prevent water from entering the dome. Thus, for example, visitors can enjoy the underwater scenery from inside the dome, and at the same time, can use amenities such as restaurants and lounges installed inside the dome.

[0009] A person communicates with the dome using a water communication passage (B) which is connected to the dome and communicates with the water when the dome is sunk. The water communication passage portion is formed of, for example, a hollow cylindrical structure that maintains airtightness, and has a passage that communicates with water inside.

In addition, the dome portion is provided with a buoyancy adjusting means (9) such as a ballast tank so that the underwater dome boat can float and sink, and the floated underwater dome boat can be towed by a large vessel or the like to dry dock. By entering the port, maintenance such as inspection, repair, and cleaning on the ground can be performed safely and easily.

Further, as described in claim 2,
It is also desirable to provide a self-propelled underwater dome boat by providing the underwater dome boat with propulsion means (10). Propulsion means (1
Provision of 0) enables self-propelling without being towed by a large vessel or the like, which is convenient because it can be easily moved to a dry dock or the like.

Here, as described in claim 3,
A vertical shaft portion (5) of the underwater dome boat, wherein the water communication passage portion extends vertically and has elevating means (7) inside.
And a horizontal passage portion (6) communicating the lower end of the vertical shaft portion and the dome portion. The vertical shaft portion surrounds the vertical shaft portion and is vertically movable with respect to the vertical shaft portion having a hollow portion therein. A floating deck (12) is provided, and the floating deck is provided with a cylindrical shaft outer cylinder (15) which is kept airtight with a vertical shaft portion, and the shaft outer cylinder and the vertical shaft portion have a floating body. It is also preferable that the underwater dome communicates with the surface of the water by providing a structure in which an opening (16) is provided from the deck to the lifting means.

The underwater dome boat is sunk in a normal stationary state while leaving a part of the water communication passage above the water surface, and is not in communication with the land. Therefore, the underwater dome user gets on the underwater dome boat from a part of the vertical shaft protruding above the water surface by using water transportation such as a ship. In view of this, a floating deck (12) is provided on the vertical shaft portion (5) for landing on and off a ship or the like, and a cylindrical shaft outer cylinder (airtight) is provided between the floating deck and the vertical shaft portion. 15), and the shaft outer cylinder and the vertical shaft portion are provided with openings (16) communicating with the lifting / lowering means (7) from above the floating body deck, so that the floating body deck is always positioned at the water surface level and can be connected to a ship or the like. In addition to making it easy to get on and off the floating deck, the user can easily use the elevating means from above the floating deck through the opening.

That is, the floating deck moves up and down within a certain range according to the ebb and flow of the tide and the depth of the place where the underwater dome boat is sunk, but the opening passing through the floating deck and the lifting means is provided with a vertical shaft. By providing the portion and the shaft outer cylinder so as to penetrate, the user can transfer to the elevating means from above the floating deck regardless of the vertical movement of the floating deck. Since airtightness is maintained between the vertical shaft portion and the shaft outer cylinder, water does not enter the inside of the vertical shaft portion from the opening.

[0015] Further, as described in claim 4,
A vertical shaft portion (5) of the underwater dome boat, wherein the water communication passage portion extends vertically and has elevating means (7) inside.
And a horizontal passage portion (6) communicating the lower end of the vertical shaft portion and the dome portion. The vertical shaft portion surrounds the vertical shaft portion and is vertically movable with respect to the vertical shaft portion having a hollow portion therein. A floating port deck (12) is provided, and a communication port (21) communicating with the elevating means is provided in a vertical shaft portion above the floating body deck, and a step means is provided between the communication port and the floating body deck. By adopting the structure including (22), it is also preferable to connect the communication port on the floating body deck.

In the same manner as described above, a floating deck (12) movable up and down with respect to the vertical shaft is provided so as to surround the vertical shaft (5) having a water communication passage therein, and a communication port (21) is provided at the floating deck. Of the Floating Deck, the stairs connecting the Floating Deck and the stairs, etc., make the Floating Deck up and down in accordance with the ebb and flow of the tide and the water depth of the place where the underwater dome boat is sunk. In addition, since the communication port is located a considerable distance above the water surface, water can be prevented from entering the vertical shaft from the communication port.

[0017]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are given to common parts in each drawing, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first embodiment of an underwater dome boat according to the present invention, showing a state where the underwater dome boat according to the present invention is sunk on the seabed. In this figure, A indicates a dome portion, and B indicates a water communication passage portion. In this figure, the left part of the dome part and the lower part of the water communication passage are shown in a perspective view. Here, the underwater dome boat 1
Is submerged in a shallow sea with a depth of about 20m from the water surface to the sea floor.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the underwater dome boat 1 of the present invention taken along line X-X.
It is sectional drawing. Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The dome portion A has a skeleton formed of a structural material 2 made of steel, and a shell material 4 having a transparent window made of an acrylic plate is disposed between the structural materials 2 over the entire surface of the dome 3. The joint between the transparent plates 4 adjacent to each other on the structural material 2 is subjected to a water stopping process by pouring a caulking agent, so that seawater does not enter the dome 3.

The water communication passage section B comprises a cylindrical vertical shaft section 5 extending in the vertical direction, and a horizontal passage section 6 communicating the side wall at the lower end of the vertical shaft section 5 with the dome section A.
It is airtight so that seawater does not enter from outside. Inside the vertical shaft 5, there are provided elevating means 7 composed of an elevator, ducts for maintaining air permeability over the sea surface, piping for water supply and drainage, cables for power supply, and auxiliary facilities 8 such as Z-shaped stairs.

At the bottom of the dome 3 and the vertical shaft 5, there is provided a buoyancy adjusting means 9 comprising a ballast tank 9a provided with a pump facility for adjusting the buoyancy of the dome portion A and the water communication passage portion B. The seawater is supplied to and drained from the ballast tank 9a by a pump, and the buoyancy of the seawater is adjusted so that the underwater dome boat 1 can float and sink.

The underwater dome boat 1 is provided with propulsion means 10. The propulsion means 10 lifts the underwater dome boat
It consists of a lifting thruster that assists in settling and a propulsion thruster used for horizontal movement. The thruster is provided with a screw driven by a motor, and by controlling the power of the thruster by a computer, the underwater dome boat 1 can be self-propelled without being towed by a separate vessel or the like. That is, after the underwater dome boat 1 is brought into a neutral state (floating state) in water by the buoyancy adjusting means 9, the propulsion thruster applies the propulsive force to the underwater dome boat 1 so that the dome boat 1 can proceed and turn. In addition to the buoyancy adjustment by the buoyancy adjusting means 9, the motive force of the elevating thruster provides a propulsive force in the levitation direction, so that the underwater dome 1 can be quickly levitated and carefully laid down and landed. It is desirable that the thruster is provided so as not to protrude from the underwater dome boat in order to avoid contact with obstacles during traveling and turning. Also, the thruster motor drive power source is the underwater dome boat 1.
The power supply equipment for driving the motor provided in the above may be used, or a power supply boat or the like may be used as necessary.

At the bottom of the underwater dome boat 1, there is provided a landing leg 11 for stabilizing the boat on the seabed. It is desirable that the seabed on which the underwater dome boat 1 is laid is flat and strong, but even if there is some undulation,
The underwater dome boat 1 can be sunk horizontally by providing the expansion and contraction means 11a in 1 and extending and contracting the legs. In addition, the landing leg 11 has a foot portion 11b having a larger cross-sectional area than the leg at the lowermost end thereof in order to prevent the landing leg 11 from being buried by the weight of the boat.

The vertical shaft portion is provided with an annular floating deck 12 which surrounds the vertical shaft portion 5 and is vertically movable with respect to the vertical shaft portion 5 having a hollow portion therein. An airtight cylindrical shaft outer tube 15 is provided between the shaft outer tube 15 and the vertical shaft portion 5.
An opening 16 is provided from 2 to the inside of the vertical shaft portion 5. The floating body deck 12 has a hollow part (not shown) formed of an air chamber therein, and is in a state of floating on the sea surface around the vertical shaft part 5. Visitors can use the water transport 17 such as a ship to access the floating deck 12 located at sea level.
Get on. In addition, 13 is a safety fence, and 14 is a traffic control / observation section.

When the water depth changes due to the movement of the underwater dome 1 or the ebb and flow of the tide, the shaft outer cylinder 21 has a certain range with respect to the vertical shaft portion 5 due to the buoyancy of the floating deck 12, that is, the range of α shown in the figure. To move up and down. The shaft outer cylinder 15 has an entrance 16 at the upper surface of the floating deck 12.
The vertical shaft portion 5 has an elongated hole 16b at a position in a range corresponding to an entrance 16a that moves up and down as the floating deck 12 moves up and down. Therefore, even if the floating deck moves up and down within the range of α, the floating deck 12 can enter the inside of the vertical shaft portion 5 through the opening 16 from above.

Here, the lifting means 7 is provided in the vertical shaft portion 5 where the opening portion 16 is located. Lifting means 7
There is an elevator or the like, and the elevator can be stopped according to the position of the opening 16 by computer control. Note that a spiral or Z-shaped staircase can be used instead of the elevator. It is also possible to provide a plurality of openings 16 and use the elevator and the stairs together. The entrance 16a may be provided with a door as required.

Further, the vertical shaft portion 5 is provided with a guide shoe (not shown) for moving the shaft outer cylinder in the vertical direction. Further, since the airtightness is maintained between the vertical shaft portion 5 and the shaft outer cylinder 15, water does not enter the inside of the vertical shaft from the elongated hole due to the vertical movement of the shaft outer cylinder.

FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing a second embodiment of the underwater dome boat of the present invention. The configuration relating to the dome portion and the horizontal passage portion of the underwater dome boat 20 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the underwater dome boat 1 of the above-described first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The vertical shaft portion 5 above the floating deck 12
Has a communication port 21 communicating with the inside of the vertical shaft portion. As described above, the vertical shaft portion 5 has an elevating means 7 composed of an elevator as described above, and the visitor rides on the elevating means 7 to move to the dome portion 3 located on the sea floor.

As shown in FIG. 3, since the communication port 21 is located above the floating deck 12 by β, the step means 22 composed of stairs for allowing the communication port 21 and the floating deck 12 to move back and forth. Is provided. Since the communication port 21 is located above the floating deck 12 by β and the two are connected by the step means 22, the underwater dome 20 is connected.
Even if the floating deck 12 moves up and down due to the sinking place or the tide, the seawater can be prevented from entering the vertical shaft portion 5 from the communication port 21 within a certain range (range of β). can do.

The stairs which are the step means 22 from the floating body deck 12 enter and exit the stairs with handrails in a spiral manner around the outer wall of the vertical shaft portion 5 so as to surround the same. It is assumed that the handrail of the stairs at the same height as the deck 12 is partially removed and the stairs are moved in and out of the stairs. Instead of providing the step means 22, it is also possible to use a powered external lift provided on the outer wall of the vertical shaft portion 5 to move between the floating deck 12 and the communication port 21.

[0033]

As described above, according to the underwater dome boat of the present invention, since the dome has a water communication passage portion connected to the water and it is not necessary to construct a communication tunnel from the land to the dome, Underwater dome boats can be moved and installed. For example, if the environment around the dome changes and its popularity as an amusement facility in the installation area declines, or if the seabed at the installation site rises due to crustal deformation, etc. Property value can be maintained. In addition, even when the dome or the like is damaged or deteriorated, the dome or the like can be repaired by a dock on land.

Further, by providing a mechanism for positioning an opening or a communication port from the floating deck to the elevating means inside the vertical shaft portion above the water surface, the submerged dome boat is submerged in a place where the tide is different and the water depth is different. In this case, it is possible to cope with a change in the water depth to some extent, and it is possible to increase the degree of freedom of the place where the underwater dome boat is placed.

As described above, according to the underwater dome boat of the present invention, a beautiful underwater scene extending from the inside of an open dome to the whole sky while wearing clothes without requiring any special skills or equipment for the visitors. It is possible to provide an attractive and movable and sunk multipurpose underwater space that can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first embodiment of an underwater dome boat of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line XX of the underwater dome boat shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a second embodiment of the underwater dome boat of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A Dome part B Water-borne passage part 1 Underwater dome boat 2 Structural material 3 Dome 4 Shell material 5 Vertical shaft part 6 Horizontal passage part 7 Elevating means 8 Ancillary equipment 9 Buoyancy adjusting means 9a Ballast tank 10 Propulsion means 11 Flooring leg 11a Means 11b Foot 12 Floating deck 13 Safety fence 14 Control / observation part 15 Shaft outer cylinder 16 Opening 16a Entry / exit 16b Slot 17 Water transport means 20 Underwater dome boat 21 Contact port 22 Step means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B63H 25/42 B63H 25/42 A E02D 29/09 E02D 29/06

Claims (4)

[Claims] A dome (A) in which a dome-shaped skeleton is formed of a structural material (2), and a shell material (4) having a transparent window is arranged at least on a ceiling between the structural materials and a space is secured inside. ), And a water-sealed water passage (B) connected to the dome portion and kept above the water when the dome portion is sunk, wherein the dome portion has buoyancy adjusting means (9). Underwater dome boat. 2. The dome boat according to claim 1, wherein the underwater dome boat is provided with a propulsion means (10) capable of running on its own. 3. The vertical shaft portion (5), wherein the water communication passage portion extends vertically and has elevating means (7) inside.
And a horizontal passage portion (6) communicating the lower end of the vertical shaft portion and the dome portion. The vertical shaft portion surrounds the vertical shaft portion and is vertically movable with respect to the vertical shaft portion having a hollow portion inside. A floating shaft deck (12), and the floating deck is provided with a cylindrical shaft outer cylinder (15) that is kept airtight between the floating shaft deck and the vertical shaft portion, and the shaft outer cylinder and the vertical shaft portion are provided. The underwater dome boat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an opening (16) communicating with the lifting / lowering means from above the floating deck is provided in the boat. 4. The vertical shaft portion (5), wherein the water communication passage portion extends vertically and has elevating means (7) inside.
And a horizontal passage portion (6) communicating the lower end of the vertical shaft portion and the dome portion. The vertical shaft portion surrounds the vertical shaft portion and is vertically movable with respect to the vertical shaft portion having a hollow portion inside. A floating port deck (12) is provided, and a communication port (21) communicating with the elevating means is provided in a vertical shaft portion above the floating body deck, and a step means is provided between the communication port and the floating body deck. (2
3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
An underwater dome boat according to item 1.