JP2014043150A - Propulsion unit for water floating body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light-weight and simple propulsion (auxiliary) unit that reduces burdens and time of puddling by being incorporated or attached to a water floating body such as a surfboard and is used as assistance of the puddling in take-off.SOLUTION: In a water floating body 100 such as a surfboard, a propulsion unit 30 comprising a pressure container and an ejection control mechanism is engaged into an empty space 20 provided on the upper surface or the lower surface of the surfboard. Compressed gas or mixture of water and the compressed gas is ejected from an ejection hole 10 by operating an operation lever 25.

Description

  The present invention relates to a propulsion (auxiliary) unit that can be built in or attached to a surfboard, bodyboard, windsurfboard, or other floating body, and a floating body including this unit.

  Usually, to ride a wave with a surfboard, use both arms to scratch the water (called paddling) and then move away from the beach and then follow the wave with paddling to ride the wave. Then, paddling according to the speed of the wave, the surfboard is pushed by the wave and starts to speed up, and then it is possible to stand up (called take-off) and surf in the standing position. For this reason, the current situation is that paddling must be performed for a long time and powerfully before take-off. However, take-off is not easy, and paddling is very exhausting, so it is a heavy burden for relatively older surfers and beginners, and even more intermediate surfers who want to immerse in the sea for a long time and enjoy surfing. It is not easy for surfers of intermediate level and above to win a good wave in a congested sea, and it is difficult to take off a large wave or a wave that digs up, so you can enjoy surfing easily even under these conditions. It is desirable to be able to do things. And paddling itself is not particularly fun, so if you can reduce the burden and time of paddling as much as possible, and easily adjust the speed of paddling, the timing of take-off will be faster, so much physical strength will not be consumed much You will be able to ride the waves.

  Therefore, a surfboard provided with a fixed propulsion device has also been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 (Publication No. 1-95499) discloses a surfboard with an engine mounted laterally and propelled by driving a jet pump screw or impeller mounted at the rear of the surfboard. However, in this device, since the engine and the screw are housed in the plate-shaped surfboard, the whole is increased in size and weight, and the original function of the surfboard is impaired. In addition, the price is expensive. In addition, obtaining a thrust by a mechanical method, whether electric or fueled, is not compatible with surfing, a sport in nature.

Published Utility Model 1-95499

  The present invention makes it possible to increase the speed of paddling by being incorporated in or attached to a floating body such as a surfboard. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lightweight and simple propulsion (auxiliary) unit as a paddling assist at the time of take-off while reducing the burden and time in paddling.

The present inventors inject a compressed gas (typically compressed air) or a mixture of water (including seawater, as will be described later) and a compressed gas, particularly from the bottom, on a floating body such as a surfboard. As a result, it was found that unexpectedly large propulsive force or propulsion auxiliary force can be obtained, and the present invention has been completed. That is, the present invention provides the following units.
[1] A propulsion unit built in or attached to a floating body, characterized by holding and injecting compressed gas or a mixture of water and compressed gas.
[2] The propulsion unit according to [1], including a pressure vessel and an ejection control mechanism.
[3] The propulsion unit according to [2], wherein the pressure vessel is a PET vessel.
[4] The propulsion unit according to [1] to [3], wherein the floating body includes a press-fitting unit suitable for press-fitting a compressed gas or a mixture of water and compressed gas on the water.
[5] The press-fitting means includes a pump means for pressurization, and a handle that is embedded in the floating body when not in use and is pulled out during use to apply a manual pressure drive force to the pump means. The propulsion unit according to any one of [1] to [4].
[6] The propulsion unit according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the floating body is a surfboard, a bodyboard, or a windsurfboard.
[7] The propulsion unit according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the floating body is a life jacket.
[8] A pressure vessel, a fluid injection hole, an ejection control mechanism, a pump unit for pressurization, a handle for applying a pressure driving force by human power to the pump unit, an air intake port, and a seawater intake port. The propulsion unit according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein the propulsion unit is embedded or included in the floating body during use and can be taken out or removed from the floating body during maintenance.
[9] A floating body including the propulsion unit according to any one of [1] to [8].

  By using this as an auxiliary means when a floating body such as a surfboard is used, the present inventors can greatly reduce the burden on the user and easily take off.

The perspective view which showed the propulsion unit installation site | part in a floating body. It is a perspective view which shows the pressure vessel of a propulsion unit. It is the top view (A) and bottom view (B) which show an example of arrangement | positioning of the fluid intake in a surfboard, and an injection hole. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of an injection hole. It is the bottom view or top view which shows an example of arrangement | positioning of the propulsion unit in a surfboard. It is a top view which shows an example of the press-fit apparatus in a surfboard.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION The form for implementing this invention is demonstrated below based on an accompanying drawing.
The propulsion unit of the present invention is a propulsion unit for being built in or attached to a floating body, and is characterized by holding and injecting compressed gas or a mixture of water and compressed gas (hereinafter also referred to as “pressure fluid”). To do.

  In addition, the water described in this application does not mean only pure water, but also the water in the environment where a floating body is used. For example, for boards used at sea, seawater is also meant. The gas described in the present application is typically air, but may be another gas such as carbon dioxide or a mixture of the gas and air. Furthermore, the term “fluid” means water, gas and mixtures thereof in the above sense.

  More specifically, the propulsion unit of the present invention includes a container for holding a pressure fluid (hereinafter also referred to as “pressure vessel”), and an operating means for controlling the injection of the pressure fluid held in the pressure vessel (spouting) Control mechanism).

  The pressure vessel has a structure and shape suitable for being built in or attached to a floating body. For example, as a structure suitable for being built in a surfboard, the entire space inside the surfboard can be used, but typically, as shown in FIG. 1, the inner space corresponding to the central part abcd of the surfboard 100 or the rear part befc. Is available. The external installation is not realistic with respect to the surfboard in terms of increase in operability and resistance, but other external floating bodies can be externally installed according to the shape. The following mainly describes the built-in form.

  As described above, the pressure vessel is provided in the inner space corresponding to the central part abcd of the surfboard 100 or the rear part befc. Although it is also included in the present invention that these internal spaces themselves are used as pressure vessels, generally a structure in which a generally flat rectangular parallelepiped or a plurality of rectangular parallelepipeds or cylinders according to the thickness of the surfboard is combined is preferable.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the pressure vessel 1 is a collection of cylindrical vessels B. Here, a structure in which three containers B are connected is shown, but the number of aggregates is arbitrary except for a dimensional limit. In general, when the thickness of the surfboard is t and the width corresponding to ad or bc in FIG. 1 is d, the diameter of the container B is a maximum t ′ (size obtained by subtracting the thickness of the board from t). B can be an aggregate of at most d / t ′.

Container B has an inlet I suitable for injecting compressed gas or a mixture of water and compressed gas and an outlet O suitable for releasing it. Inlet I and outlet O may be combined, or may be provided in another part of the container. Further, the container B preferably requires a lid 2 that allows fluid to flow between the inside and outside of the container only during press-fitting or discharging.

The structure of the lid body 2 uses an ordinary mechanism commonly used in such a pressure fluid sealed container. For example, when the lid body 2 is pushed into the container B, the inside of the lid body 2 is formed from the container B. In this structure, the pipe 3 protruding to the left is in communication with a structure (for example, a pipe) 4 directly connected to the inlet I and a structure (for example, a pipe) 5 directly connected to the outlet O, thereby enabling a flow between them.

However, these structures can be variously modified. For example, the path of container B to lid 2 to inlet I and the path of container B to lid 2 to outlet O can be distributed separately. It is also preferable to provide an appropriate valve for these. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the pressure fluid from leaking from the outlet O when gas or a mixture of gas and water is fed into the inlet I 2. Alternatively, the lid 2 may have a simpler valve structure.

  Preferably, the pressure vessel (or its constituent container when it is an aggregate) is formed of a synthetic resin having high water resistance and pressure resistance such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In general, PET bottles are used in containers for pressurized beverages such as carbonated drinks, and the pressure-resistant structure in such containers can also be used in the present invention. For example, the bottom of the container B has a simple hemispherical shape in FIG. 2, but this may be replaced with a pressure-resistant structure used in a PET bottle. However, in the present invention, the pressure vessel can be formed of a material other than a PET bottle as long as the weight is not excessive and strength can be ensured. For example, a metal container may be used.

  In the case where the pressure vessel is an assembly, its constituent vessel (container B in FIG. 2) may be fluidly connected by the connecting pipe 6, or simply connected structurally, and the fluid enters and exits from each container B. It may be done independently.

  In the case of the surfboard, the jet is performed backward at any place on the lower surface. Typically, it is preferably provided in the front as much as possible in the portion in contact with the water or the water surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, a plurality of ejection holes 10 are provided on the lower surface of the surfboard. The interval and number of the ejection holes 10 and the diameter of the holes can be variously designed. Generally, the number is about 1 to 30, preferably 1 to 10, and more preferably about 2 to 4 ejection holes. Is provided. If the number of holes is too large, it will be difficult to sufficiently eject each hole. In the figure, one row has a uniform size, but a plurality of rows may be used, and the size may be changed.

  The ejection hole 10 is connected to an outlet O in the surfboard (upper side in the figure). The ejection hole 10 may be a simple hole or a nozzle structure provided with a restriction, but basically has a structure inclined toward the rear. If the ejection hole 10 is in direct contact with seawater, the ejection direction may not be determined. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the ejection hole 10 has a concave structure 12 that is inclined rearward. It is preferable to open the hole, tube or nozzle 14 connected to the rear side and inject the pressure fluid. In addition, as long as the effects of the present invention are exhibited, a method in which water is entrained and ejected when the pressure fluid is ejected is also included in the present invention.

  An opening / closing means is provided between the outlet O and the ejection hole 10 and its operation lever (for example, 25 in FIG. 5) and buttons are provided at a place where the user can easily operate such as the surface and side surface of the surfboard. These members are connected by an appropriate pipe or the like. For example, the outlet O may be directly connected to the ejection hole 10.

  The opening / closing means can be designed in various ways according to the discharge structure of the lid body. For example, when the pressure fluid is released to the outlet O by pushing the lid body 2, Electrically designed cages are available. When the lid 2 has a simple valve structure (for example, a solenoid valve), the switch is provided on the surface or side of the surfboard. It should be noted that the propulsion (auxiliary) unit of the present invention is assumed to be used together with paddling, and in this respect, the operation lever and button may be provided within the reach of the paddling on the bottom surface of the surfboard.

  The ejection may be performed once, but it is preferable that the ejection can be performed a plurality of times as long as the pressure in the pressure vessel does not decrease. For this reason, for example, when the pressure vessel is an assembly, the constituent vessel (container B in FIG. 2) may be divided into a plurality of groups and ejected from each group. Alternatively, a structure may be adopted in which a pressure fluid is generated by placing a volume-expandable medicine in a pressure vessel in a state of being isolated and breaking an isolation wall by an operation.

  As described above, the pressure vessel can be incorporated at an arbitrary position in the surfboard. In general, since a surfboard performs FRP formation on a foamed polystyrene mold, in order to incorporate such a container inside the surfboard, it can be formed by providing a space for a pressure vessel in the foamed polystyrene mold in advance. A part having a door function may be provided on the upper surface or the lower surface side of the surfboard, and such a pressure vessel may be taken out or incorporated by opening the door. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to provide a void 20 on the upper surface or the lower surface of the surfboard, and to fit the pressure vessel unit 30 therein. In FIG. 5, only the pressure vessel unit is removable, but as described later, the pressure vessel and other entire mechanisms according to the present application may be housed in the unit. In any case, when used as a board, it is possible to minimize the occurrence of irregularities on the board surface and adverse effects on the balance during use so as not to adversely affect the operability of the board.

  The pressure fluid is preferably filled into the pressure vessel by pressing the pressure fluid from the pressure vessel inlet into the surfboard on the sea. Thereby, the surfer can use the function of the present invention repeatedly without returning to the land. As shown in FIG. 6, as a means for press-fitting the pressure fluid, a generally Y-shaped recess 40 is provided on the upper surface of the board, and a pump pressurizing mechanism for press-fitting by reciprocating motion is connected thereto. Here, the pump pressurizing mechanism refers to any mechanism that applies pressure by reciprocating motion or rotating motion. The pump means is built in the board, preferably in the unit.

  The pump pressurization mechanism typically has a pump unit that is driven by human power and a handle that is embedded in the floating body when not in use and is pulled out during use to apply a driving force for pressurization by the pump unit.

  In FIG. 6, an inflator 50 is shown. In this case, the air pump 50 includes a handle 52, a stand part 54, and a base part 56. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the air pump 50 is fitted in the recess. In use, the whole is raised from the upper surface of the board by holding the handle 52 and is positioned in a direction such as perpendicular or oblique to the upper surface of the board. The stand portion 54 is, for example, a bellows-like or telescope-like extending portion. When the handle 52 is pulled, the stand portion 54 extends, and when the handle 52 is pushed, the stand portion 54 shrinks. Therefore, by providing an empty tube and a valve inside, gas or the like can be injected by reciprocating motion in the same manner as general airing.

  The base 56 includes, for example, the above-described valve and is provided so as to be connected to the pressure vessel inlet. This allows the surfer to fill the pressurized fluid using an inflator while straddling the board at sea. That is, even after the pressure fluid is ejected, the paddling auxiliary function can be realized repeatedly without returning to the land.

Alternatively, the stand portion 54 may be a fixed length member, and gas or the like may be press-fitted by swinging the handle 52 around the surfboard with the base portion 56 as a base point.
At this time, a seawater inlet is provided separately from the gas inlet or also as a gas inlet. FIG. 3 shows a mode in which the gas inlet 16 is provided on the front side (FIG. 3A) of the board and the seawater inlet 18 is provided on the bottom side (FIG. 3B). But these inflow ports may be provided in a side surface and are not limited to the position of a figure.

  Further, the structure of the air pump 50 can be variously modified. For example, the empty tube and the valve are enclosed in a board or other member (not shown), the stand portion 54 is substantially fixed length, and the push and pull of the handle 52 acts on the empty tube (not shown). Then, an air filling operation may be performed. At this time, the reciprocating motion may be in any direction vertical, oblique, or substantially horizontal with respect to the upper surface of the board.

  Note that the above-mentioned type of air filling is an example of a pump pressurizing mechanism, and for example, a mechanism for performing press-fitting by providing a location on a button on a board surface and repeating the operation of pushing it in is also possible. In addition, it is good also as providing a turntable and a roller and press-fitting by the rotation. A method for injecting a gas by such an operation itself is well known to those skilled in the art.

Or you may press-fit gas etc. using the up-and-down motion at the time of the stop at the sea.
Basically, the filling of the pressure fluid at sea is preferably performed using human or natural force as described above, but the present invention does not exclude the possibility of other methods. For example, compressed gas such as carbon dioxide gas may be sent from a cylinder, or it is used in a structure where pressure fluid is generated by placing a volume-expandable drug in a pressure vessel in a state of being isolated and breaking the isolation wall by operation. It is also possible to replenish a new drug except for the drug.

  If the pressure vessel can be removed from the surfboard (floating surface), replace the pressure vessel itself and remove it from the surfboard. The pressure fluid may be pressed into the pressure vessel.

  In addition, as described above, the pressure vessel, the ejection control mechanism, the fluid intake port, and the pump pressurization mechanism (including the handle when the handle is provided) are preferably housed entirely in the unit. In this case, the pressure vessel may be exchanged together with the entire repair and maintenance.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated centering on the use in a surfboard, this invention can be utilized also for other floating bodies, for example, a body board, a windsurf board, a life jacket, etc.

  The propulsion (auxiliary) unit of the present invention can be attached to floating objects such as surfboards, bodyboards, and windsurfboards at low cost, and can be widely used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Pressure vessel, 2 ... Lid body, 6 ... Connection pipe, 10 ... Injection hole, 20 ... Empty space for propulsion unit installation,
25 ... Operating lever, 30 ... Propulsion unit, 100 ... Surfboard which is a floating body, 50 ... Pneumatic, 60 ... Fin

Claims (9)

A propulsion unit for holding or injecting compressed gas or a mixture of water and compressed gas in a floating body, characterized by holding and injecting. The propulsion unit according to claim 1, comprising a pressure vessel and an ejection control mechanism. The propulsion unit according to claim 2, wherein the pressure vessel is a PET vessel. The propulsion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the floating body includes press-fitting means suitable for press-fitting compressed gas or a mixture of water and compressed gas on the water. The press-fitting means includes a pump means for pressurization, and a handle that is embedded in a floating body when not in use and is pulled out during use to apply a pressure driving force to the pump means by human power. The propulsion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The propulsion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the floating body is a surfboard, a bodyboard, a windsurfboard, or the like. The propulsion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the floating body is a life jacket. A pressure vessel, a fluid injection hole, a jet control mechanism, a pump means for pressurization, a handle for applying a pressure driving force to the pump means by hand, an air inlet and a seawater intake, The propulsion unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is sometimes embedded or enclosed in a floating body and can be taken out or removed from the floating body during maintenance. A floating body provided with the propulsion unit according to claim 1.