Ships – Submersible device – Diver assistance device
Patent
1998-03-09
1999-03-09
Avila, Stephen
Ships
Submersible device
Diver assistance device
440 6, B63C 1146
Patent
active
058786872
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a 371 of PCT/DE96/00568, filed Apr. 1, 1996.
PRIOR ART
The invention is based on a motorized watercraft. Motor-driven watercraft belong to the group of motor-driven water craft in which the person steering the water craft is pulled on or under the surface of the water with the aid of the watercraft. The watercraft serves as a means of moving the swimmer and diver forward and is also known as a wet-diving boat, since the swimmer or diver is not seated in an extra cabin or on the craft but rather is in direct contact with the water.
In a known motorized watercraft (German Utility Model DE-GM 90 05 333), a cylindrical main body is provided, in which the battery and other control parts are disposed and on whose stern an annular body is disposed, in which both the motor and the propeller are disposed. This contrivance can be used both to propel an inflatable boat and a single person; not only in the case of direct drive, the flow of water generated by the annular body impacts upon the person to be transported.
In another known "watercraft for bathers" (German Patent DE 880 565), the bather is dragged in the wake of the watercraft. Steering of the watercraft by the bather is possible only with difficulty, especially since the bather is fully exposed to the resistance of the water, and in addition the water flow generated by the drive device impacts upon the bather.
By comparison, a known motorized watercraft of this generic type (U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,034) has a flat platform on which the person lies on his stomach. The drive device, located in a flow bell, is disposed on the underside of the platform. The person steering the device is exposed to the full flow of the wake during diving trips.
In another known underwater craft (French Patent Disclosure FR 1 584 195), the diver again lies on his stomach on the device. To protect him here at least a little against the flow of the wake, a transparent guard bell can be mounted on the device that protects the head of the diver from the flow. Drive units are releasably disposed on the underside of the platform.
In another known float body for underwater sport (German Patent Disclosure DE 30 06 613), the underwater drive unit is disposed, protected against the flow of the wake, on the underside of the float body. In this device as well, while diving, the bather in contrast to the drive unit is fully exposed to the flow of the wake.
It is true that in some known watercraft of another generic type (U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,584), for propulsion on the surface of the water only, the drive unit is disposed in the hull of the watercraft, and the drive propeller is located in a flow channel disposed in the hull. With these so-called waterbikes, diving is not possible.
THE INVENTION AND ITS ADVANTAGES
The motorized watercraft of the invention has the advantage over the prior art that the flow of water aspirated by the propeller is carried largely in laminar fashion through the propeller flow channel disposed in the hull. Through the flow channel, the water flow generated by the propeller is then carried in such a way that on the one hand it does not strike the body of the person and on the other is guided slightly downward, thus making depth control of the watercraft simpler.
Another advantage of the invention is that the motor and the control units are disposed above the flow channel in the hull, which provides a favorable distribution of weight, so that the person lying at least partially on the motorized watercraft can easily steer the watercraft, since the drive flow extends eccentrically to the center of gravity, so that the body weight of the person can more easily be employed for steering.
Another advantage of the invention is that by means of the hydrodynamic configuration disposed on the bow of the hull, in combination with the flow channel disposed in the hull, the flow of the wake is largely made to bypass the person steering the watercraft during diving trips.
In an advantageous feature of the invention, the electric motor is disposed in the hull
REFERENCES:
patent: 4864959 (1989-09-01), Takamizawa et al.
patent: 4996938 (1991-03-01), Cameron et al.
patent: 5568783 (1996-10-01), Ditchfield
Avila Stephen
Greigg Edwin E.
Greigg Ronald E.
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