Ships – Submersible device
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-06
2001-11-27
Avila, Stephen (Department: 3617)
Ships
Submersible device
C114S331000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321676
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an underwater craft for recreational touring in an aquatic environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various forms of underwater craft are known. The known craft utilize various forms of ballast techniques and apparatus in order to adjust buoyancy, various forms of operator and passenger compartments various forms of stabilization systems. One such underwater craft is described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,309 and others examples are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,577,583, 4,721,055 and 4,938,164.
It is also known to provide compartments where passengers, operators or live cargo are situated, and various forms of hatches and sealing devices for preventing water intrusion are used. For example, one form of hatch and sealing structure uses a rotatable knob and hingedly operated hatch of entry and exit from a compartment. In typical sealing structures, multiple latching points are used. A typical seal is an O-ring seal. One deficiency of the known hatches and sealing devices is complexity of manufacture and components.
A further disadvantage is the complexity of known sealing structures. It is understood that pressure increases as the distance below the surface of a body of water increases. A disadvantage of known seals is that a single sealing system is used to accomplish low and high pressure sealing. In such known sealing systems, a seal is created which is effective at both low pressure depths and high pressure depths, making it necessary to provide additional latching apparatus to provide sufficient localized sealing pressures at low pressure depths. At low pressures, known high pressure seals, such as O-ring seals, force the sealing surfaces to separate between the latching and hinge points, compromising the functionality of the seal. Multiple latch points have been used in such seals, although they suffer the disadvantage of increased manufacturing complexity, increased maintenance difficulty and increased operational complexity.
There also is a need to provide stability and buoyancy of an underwater craft at the surface, such as while loading and unloading passengers. The underwater craft described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,309 describes a surface buoyancy system having buoyancy chambers that can be filled with water to decrease buoyancy such as when submerging or that can be evacuated to increase buoyancy and stability at the surface. A disadvantage is that the buoyancy chambers increase the cross-sectional area of the craft.
There also are various forms of operator stations for underwater craft. A typical operator station is located in the same compartment as the passenger or cargo compartment or in a subcompartment of the passenger or cargo compartment. A disadvantage of the known operator compartments is that passengers share the same space as the operator. Another disadvantage is that the operator cannot travel outside the vehicle or in a separated compartment from the passengers. A further disadvantage is that the passengers have diminished privacy.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a passenger or cargo entry and sealing system that provides increased manufacturing efficiency and a seal against water intrusion.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a surface buoyancy supplementing system that has a reduced cross-sectional area for underwater operation but also provides stability and buoyancy for loading and unloading passengers.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a passenger compartment that is separated from an operator's station and provides increased privacy for passengers.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an operator's station outside the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention alleviates to a great extent the disadvantages of the known underwater craft by providing an underwater craft which provides supplemental surface stabilization using expandable buoyancy chambers, such as for loading or unloading the craft or operating at the surface, a sealable passenger or cargo chamber also providing buoyancy for the vehicle, and an external operator station preferably separated from the sealable passenger or cargo chamber and which optionally is enclosed in a sealed chamber contributing to the buoyancy of the craft.
Any form of buoyancy control system may be provided as long as the vehicle can be submerged when desired. A vertical thrust system may be provided, countering the upward buoyancy of the craft, thereby enabling the craft to submerge. In order to raise the craft, such as from a submerged position to a surfaced position, the downward thrust is reduced to a level that is insufficient to counter the positive buoyancy of the craft. The craft can include a vertical thruster cut-off system which can be activated when a passenger or operator at the external station leaves the craft, either purposefully or by accident, causing the positive buoyancy of the craft to cause it to rise to the surface.
The chambers in the craft can be sealed using a dual or multi-seal system. In the sealing system, annular seals for operation at varying pressure are provided. It is preferred that the outermost seal be the lowest pressure seal, although other arrangements may be provided. With respect to the passenger chamber, the chamber preferably is a generally clear sphere separated into an upper canopy portion and a lower portion mounted to the structure of the craft. A two point attachment system is used to attach the canopy to the lower mounted portion. This includes a rotation enabling mechanism, such as a hinge or any other suitable rotating connector. Also included is a releasable latching mechanism.
The buoyancy control system also optionally includes a supplemental buoyancy system. These can include inflatable soft chambers, which when inflated supplement the buoyancy of the craft. No ballast water must be carried with the vessel when submerged, minimizing the underwater mass of the vessel and promoting maneuverability.
Each of the above-described features of the present invention can be combined with each other in any fashion, including combining each of the features together in a single watercraft. The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1579109 (1926-03-01), Haseley
patent: 1864471 (1932-06-01), Rademacher
patent: 3257982 (1966-06-01), Meldrum
patent: 3403915 (1968-10-01), Roberts
patent: 3452696 (1969-07-01), Moreland
patent: 3520263 (1970-07-01), Berry et al.
patent: 3713412 (1973-01-01), Ianuzzi
patent: 3987742 (1976-10-01), Boisrayon et al.
patent: 4577583 (1986-03-01), Green, II
patent: 4721055 (1988-01-01), Pado
patent: 4938164 (1990-07-01), Onofri
patent: 5704309 (1998-01-01), Kohnen
Kohnen William
Sheard Ian
Avila Stephen
Baker & McKenzie
SEAmagine Hydrospace Corporation
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