DEVICE FOR PROTECTING A BOAT HULL COMPRISING AN INFLATABLE FENDER ELEMENT

Abstract

A fender element which is inflatable and includes a flexible, waterproof shell which, in a deflated state, forms a bag which is housed inside a box and an external face of which delimits a chamber with the box. In the deflated state, the bag is suitable for being deployed outside the box by passing through a slot-shaped opening of the box and turning inside out by air being blown under pressure into said chamber and for being inflated outside the box to form an elongate permanent fender. In the inflated state, the shell is suitable for being deflated and retracted inside the box by forced extraction of the air contained in said chamber.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a device for protecting a boat hull against impacts, including an inflatable fender element, as well as to the method for installing this protection device on a boat and a boat equipped with this device.

PRIOR ART

When a boat is moored along a pontoon or a quay, to avoid damaging the hull, it is customary to install devices for protecting the hull against impacts, at different points along the hull.

A first known type of protection device includes a fender element in the form of a semi-rigid vertical tube, kept suspended by a rope tied, for example, to the rail of the boat. These tubes, initially stowed in the boat, must be positioned manually during docking and then stowed during travel by sea or by river. This handling is tedious and dangerous, and these tubes are also very bulky when they are not being used.

A second type of protection device is known, which makes it possible to overcome these disadvantages, and which is described for example in French patent application FR 2 916 733. This device comprises a fender element, which is connected to an inflation/deflation means and which, in the deflated state, is housed in a box attached to the deck of the boat. This device comprises a translational maneuvering means suitable for moving the inflatable fender element, in the deflated state, between an internal position inside the box and an external position outside the box. The inflation of this fender element is carried out once the latter has been positioned outside the box, and this fender element is deflated before being returned into the box. Once inflated, the fender element forms a vertical tube.

This second known type of protection device has several drawbacks. On the one hand, the translational maneuvering means complicates the production of this device and may, in a detrimental manner, be subject to mechanical faults. On the other hand, to protect the hull of a boat against impacts, it is in practice necessary to use a sufficient number of protection devices, by distributing them along the hull, with separations between fender elements that are significant in practice. In practice, when they are too large, these separations between the fender elements reduce the effectiveness of the protection of the hull against impacts. This drawback can be limited by increasing the number of fender elements, so as to reduce the spaces between the fender elements, but this increases, in a detrimental manner, the cost of implementing the protection.

A third type of protection device is known, which is described for example in European patent application EP 0 987 176 and which consists in forming, in the wall of the hull of the boat, a housing in which an inflatable fender element can be housed. Each inflatable fender element is connected to a pneumatic circuit, which on the one hand makes it possible to inflate the spherical fender element, by air blowing directly into the fender element and so as to deploy the fender element out of its housing, and which on the other hand makes it possible to deflate the fender element, making it possible to retract the fender element entirely into its housing.

This third type of protection device advantageously makes it possible to simplify the operations of positioning and stowing the fender element by avoiding tedious handling and can be managed remotely, but however has the same disadvantage as the second type of protection device as regards the separation between the fender elements.

A fourth type of device for protecting a boat hull is known, which is described for example in German patent application DE 195 48 836 A1 and which includes a box comprising an oblong opening and a fender element. This fender element includes a shell that can be inflated to form a “concertina” cushion. In the deflated state, this shell is housed inside the box. This shell is inflated to form a “concertina” cushion by blowing air directly into the shell.

This solution can advantageously be implemented regardless of the orientation of the oblong opening, and especially with oblong openings that can be oriented horizontally or vertically. However, the oblong opening must be wide enough to allow the inflatable tube to pass through when it is inflated and to allow the concertina tube to retract inside the box when it is deflated. Thus, even if the oblong opening is longer than it is wide, the width of this opening must still be considerable, which leads to mechanically weakening the hull of the boat and harms the aesthetics of the boat.

Furthermore, the implementation of this concertina-shaped inflated cushion affects the robustness of this technical solution due to the shear forces to which this cushion is subjected.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally aims to provide a novel technical solution for protecting the hull of a boat against impacts, by means of an inflatable fender element.

More particularly, the invention aims to provide a novel device for protecting the hull of a boat against impacts, which includes an inflatable fender element, that makes it possible to simplify the operations of positioning and removing the fender element and to avoid tedious handling.

More particularly, the invention relates to a novel device for protecting the hull of a boat against impacts, which includes an inflatable fender element, that can be adapted to any type of boat.

More particularly, compared to the aforementioned solution described in German patent application DE 195 48 836 A1, the invention relates to a novel device for protecting the hull of a boat against impacts which, comparably to the solution of German patent application DE 195 48 836 A1, can be implemented regardless of the orientation, especially vertical or horizontal, of the opening of the box, but which, unlike the solution of German patent application DE 195 48 836 A1, weakens the hull of the boat less and can advantageously be implemented with a narrow slot-shaped opening and is robust.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The first subject matter of the invention is thus a device for protecting a boat hull that has the following technical features. This device for protecting a boat hull includes a box that comprises a slot-shaped opening, and a fender element that is inflatable and attached to the box; the fender element includes a flexible, waterproof shell which, in the deflated state, forms a bag that is housed inside the box, the external face of which delimits a chamber with the box, which is connected to or is suitable for being connected to inflation/deflation means; in the deflated state, said bag being suitable on the one hand for being deployed outside the box by passing through the slot-shaped opening and turning inside out by air being blown under pressure into said chamber, and for being inflated outside the box to form an elongate tube which extends lengthwise parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, so that after deployment and inflation of said shell outside the box, said external face of the deflated bag forms the internal face of said inflated tube; in the inflated state, said shell is suitable for being deflated and retracted inside the box, passing through the slot-shaped opening by forced extraction of the air contained in said chamber.

In the device of the invention, the elongate tube that extends lengthwise facing the slot-shaped opening advantageously has a diameter greater than the width of the slot-shaped opening of the box, and more particularly a diameter that can be considerably greater than the width of the slot-shaped opening of the box. It is thus possible to implement a slot-shaped opening, which can advantageously be very narrow, while allowing the implementation of an elongate tube which, in the inflated state, has a diameter that is large enough to ensure effective and robust protection against impacts.

Several protection devices of the invention can advantageously be implemented on one boat, being distributed along the length of the boat with a small, or even non-existent, separation between the elongate tubes.

Optionally according to the invention, the protection device of the invention may also include the optional technical features below, taken in isolation or in combination:

• • The inflated tube forms a straight cylinder;
  • the length (L₂) of said tube in the inflated state is greater than the length (L₁) of the slot-shaped opening; preferably, when the shell retracts in the deflated state into the box, passing through the slot-shaped opening, its two ends fold up; conversely, during the inflation of the shell of the fender element, when the shell exits the box, it unfolds preferably at its ends by the pressure of the air, and an inflated tube having a length that is greater than the length of the slot-shaped opening is thus advantageously obtained.
  • The interior volume of the box serving as a housing for the fender element in the deflated state extends lengthwise, in the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, over a length (L) less than the length (L₂) of said tube.
  • the slot-shaped opening defines an opening plane (P); the interior volume of the box serving as a housing for the fender element in the deflated state has a height (H), which is measured parallel to this plane (P) of the slot-shaped opening and in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, and a width (d), which is measured perpendicular to this plane (P) of the slot-shaped opening; said height of the box is greater than the diameter of said tube in the inflated state and said width of the box is less than the diameter of said tube in the inflated state.
  • Once deflated and retracted inside the box, the fender element in the deflated state occupies almost the entire interior volume of the box.
  • The part of the box which is facing the slot-shaped opening has a concave, curved internal face on the inside of the box.
  • the tube in the inflated state conceals the slot-shaped through-opening over the entire length of said through-opening.
  • the flexible, waterproof shell of the fender element is attached to the box on the perimeter of the slot-shaped opening, preferably with a seal over the entire perimeter of the slot-shaped opening.
  • It includes means for blocking the slot-shaped opening of the box, which are movable between a blocked position, wherein the opening is blocked, and an open position, wherein the slot-shaped opening is completely unobstructed and allows the passage of the fender element.
  • The blocking means include a sliding hatch.
  • It includes elastic return means, which are drawn tight during the inflation of the fender element and which exert a pulling force on the fender element, which contributes to retracting the fender element inside the box during the deflation of the fender element.

The invention also relates to a method for installing at least one aforementioned protection device on a boat, during which a slot-shaped through-opening is made in a wall of the hull of the boat, and the box of the protection device is attached to the inside of the hull, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of said box facing said through-opening in the wall of the hull and to allow the shell of the fender element of the protection device to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.

More particularly, the slot-shaped through-opening can be horizontal. Thus, the protection device of the invention can advantageously be installed on a boat, such that its elongate tube is oriented horizontally, which makes it possible to horizontally increase the area of the zone of the hull that is protected against impacts, and as a consequence makes it possible advantageously to reduce the number of devices.

The slot-shaped through-opening may not be horizontal, and be for example vertical.

In a more particular alternative implementation, in order to equip the boat with at least two aforementioned protection devices, at least two slot-shaped through-openings are made in a wall of the hull of the boat, preferably forming horizontal slots, which are aligned and separated from each other. For each of these openings, the box of a protection device is attached to the inside of the hull, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device facing said corresponding through-opening in the wall of the hull and to allow the shell of each fender element to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.

Preferably, but not necessarily the separation between two through-openings in the wall of the hull is provided such that the shells of the fender elements are capable of being inflated outside the hull, while being aligned end-to-end, with no space between the shells of the fender elements.

The invention further relates to a boat including a hull wall in which at least one slot-shaped through-opening is made. The boat is equipped with at least one aforementioned protection device. The box of the device is attached to the inside of the hull, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device facing said through-opening in the wall of the hull and to allow the shell of the fender element of the protection device to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.

Optionally according to the invention, the boat may also include the optional technical features below, taken in isolation or in combination:

• • The wall of the hull comprises at least two slot-shaped through-openings, preferably forming horizontal slots, which are aligned and separated from each other, said boat being equipped, for each through-opening, with one aforementioned protection device; the box of each protection device is attached to the inside of the hull, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device facing said corresponding through-opening in the wall of the hull and to allow each fender element to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.
  • The separation between two through-openings in the wall of the hull is provided such that the fender elements are capable of being inflated outside the hull, being aligned end-to-end, with no space between the fender elements.
  • The length (L₃) of the through-opening in the wall of the hull is greater than or equal to the length (L₁) of the opening of the box.
  • the length (L₃) of the through-opening in the wall of the hull (2) is less than the length (L₂) of the fender element of the protection device, in the inflated state.
  • The width (d₃) of the through-opening in the wall of the hull is less than the width (d₁) of the opening of the box of the protection device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be well understood in the light of the detailed description below, given by way of non-limiting and non-exhaustive example, in connection with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an example of a protection device of the invention wherein the fender element is deflated and retracted inside the box of the device, and the slot-shaped opening of the box is blocked by a hatch.

FIG. 2 depicts the protection device of FIG. 1 when the box is connected to inflation/deflation means.

FIG. 3 is an isometric cross sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 in the cross sectional plane III-III.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the protection device wherein the slot-shaped opening of the box is not blocked, and the fender element is deployed and inflated outside the box to form a cylindrical tube.

FIG. 5 is an isometric cross sectional view of the device of FIG. 4 in the cross sectional plane V-V.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a wall portion of the hull of a boat equipped with a protection device of the invention, the fender element being deflated and retracted inside the box of the device, and the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device being blocked by a hatch.

FIG. 7 is an isometric cross sectional view of the wall of the hull and of the protection device of FIG. 6 in the cross sectional plane VII-VII.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a wall portion of the hull of a boat equipped with a protection device of the invention, the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device not being blocked, and the fender element being deployed and inflated outside the hull of the boat to form a horizontal cylindrical tube.

FIG. 9 is an isometric cross sectional view of the wall of the hull and of the protection device of FIG. 8 in the cross sectional plane IX-IX.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a wall portion of the hull of a boat equipped with two protection devices of the invention, the slot-shaped openings of the boxes of the protection devices being blocked and the fender elements being deflated and retracted inside the boxes.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a wall portion of the hull of a boat equipped with two protection devices of the invention, the slot-shaped openings of the boxes of the protection devices being blocked, and the fender elements being deployed and inflated outside the hull of the boat, to form horizontal cylindrical tubes and positioned end-to-end, with no separation between the tubes.

FIG. 12 is a schematic front view of another variant of the wall portion of the hull of a boat equipped with a protection device of the invention, the fender element being deflated and retracted inside the box of the device, and the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device being vertical and blocked by a hatch.

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of the wall of the hull and of the protection device of FIG. 12, in the cross sectional plane XIII-XIII, the fender element deflated and retracted inside the box not being depicted.

FIG. 14 is a front view of the wall portion of the boat hull and of the protection device of FIG. 12, when the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device is not blocked and the fender element is deployed and inflated outside the hull of the boat to form a vertical cylindrical tube.

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of the wall of the hull and of the protection device of FIG. 14 in the cross sectional plane XV-XV.

FIG. 16 is a cross sectional view of another variant of a wall portion of the hull of a boat equipped with a protection device of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a protection device 1 includes a box 10, which has a rectilinear slot-shaped opening 101, of length L₁, and width d₁, and an inflatable fender element 11.

This slot-shaped opening 101 defines an opening plane P (FIG. 3).

When the protection device 1 is mounted on the wall of the hull of a boat, its box 10 is preferably oriented such that the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening 101 is oriented horizontally, the plane P of the slot-shaped opening 101 being capable of being vertical or tilted slightly with respect to the vertical.

More particularly, in the particular example illustrated, the box 10 is substantially parallelepipedal and delimits an interior volume that serves as a housing for the fender element 11 in the deflated state. This interior volume has a length L (FIG. 1), measured in the direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, a height H (FIG. 3), which is measured parallel to the plane P of the slot-shaped opening 101 and in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening 101, and a width d (FIG. 3), which is measured perpendicular to this plane P of the slot-shaped opening 101

More particularly, this box 10 includes a front wall 100a, a rear wall 100c, a bottom wall 100b, an upper wall 100d, and two side walls 100e. These walls delimit an internal volume wherein the fender element 11 can be housed when it is deflated (FIG. 3).

The slot-shaped opening 101 is provided on the front face of the box 10, preferably in the upper part of this box 10a. More particularly, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, this slot-shaped opening 101 extends widthwise (d₁) between the upper wall 100d and the upper edge of the front wall 100a and lengthwise (L₁) between the two side walls 100e.

The inflatable fender element 11 includes a flexible, waterproof shell 110, of reduced thickness, which is attached to the box 10 on the perimeter of the opening 10 by any appropriate attachment means.

This shell 110 is, for example, made of a coated fabric, for example having a thickness of the order of one millimeter.

This shell 110 and the internal faces of the walls 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e of the box 10 delimit a sealed inflation/deflation chamber 12.

Preferably, the attachment of the shell 110 to the perimeter of the opening 101 is carried out with a seal between the box 10 and the shell 110 over the entire perimeter of the slot-shaped opening 101, in order to prevent air from leaking into the chamber 12 during the inflation/deflation of the fender element 11.

More particularly, the upper edge of the front wall 100a of the box 10 and the front edge of the upper wall 100d are folded outwards, so as to form two projections 102 on the front face of the box 10, for the attachment of the shell 110 of the fender element 11.

The shell 110 of the inflatable fender element 11 is attached to its two front projections 102, by any appropriate attachment means.

This attachment of the shell 110 may, for example, be carried out by means of an attachment frame (not shown in the figures), which is attached to the two projections 102, by screws, bolts, or rivets, and which clamps a folded edge 110a of the shell 110 against the front projections 102 and the front edges of the two side walls 100e, in a sealed manner over the entire perimeter of the opening 101 of the box 10.

The inflation/deflation chamber 12 (FIG. 3) is intended to be overpressurized or placed under negative pressure, in order to allow the deployment and the inflation, respectively, of the fender element 11 outside the box 10, to form a protective tube 11′, that is elongate and preferably cylindrical (configuration of FIGS. 4 and 5), or the deflation and the retraction of the fender element 11 inside the box 10 (configuration of FIGS. 1 to 3).

In the deflated state (FIG. 3), the fender element 11 is housed entirely inside the box 10 (except only in the particular example illustrated, of its edge 110a folded for attachment to the box).

More particularly, referring to FIG. 3, the shell 110 of the fender element 11 forms, in the deflated state, a deflated bag 11″, which is housed inside the box 10, the external face 110a of which delimits, with the internal face of the walls 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e of the box 10, said inflation/deflation chamber 12, which is suitable for being deployed outside the box by turning inside out and passing through the slot-shaped opening 101 (FIG. 3→FIG. 5), when the chamber 12 is overpressurized. After said shell 110 has been deployed and inflated outside the box 10 (FIG. 5), said external face 110a of the bag 11″ thus forms the internal face of said tube 11′.

Referring to FIG. 1, the box 10 includes two tubular connectors 103, which communicate with said internal chamber 12, through the lower wall 100b of the box.

The number of tubular connectors 103 and their position on the box 10 has no limiting effect on the invention. In another variant, it is possible to provide a single tubular connector, for example centered on this lower wall 100b. In another variant, it is possible to provide more than two tubular connectors 103, and/or one or more tubular connectors 103 can be positioned at the rear wall 100c of the box 10 and/or at either one of its side walls 100d.

Referring to FIG. 2, the tubular connectors 103 are used to connect the inflation/deflation chamber 12 to inflation/deflation means 14, by means of flexible pipes 13.

The inflation/deflation means 14 include, for example, an air compressor 140, optionally with a compressed air reserve, associated with a vacuum pump 141, as well as a distributor for connecting the protection device 1, either to the compressor for inflating the fender element 11, or to the vacuum pump for deflating the fender element 11.

These inflation/deflation means 14 are advantageously housed in another box attached to the deck of the boat. These inflation/deflation means 14 can be connected to several other protection devices 1, so as to also be capable of being used for simultaneously or sequentially inflating all the fender elements 11 of these protection devices or for simultaneously or sequentially deflating all the fender elements 11 of these protection devices 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, to inflate the fender element 11, the compressor 140 is connected to the inflation/deflation chamber 12, and the compressor 140 is started up so as to blow pressurized air A into the chamber 12, which makes it possible to overpressurize the chamber 12. This overpressure causes the shell 110 of the fender element 11 to be deployed outside the box, by passing it through the slot-shaped opening 101, and then causes the shell 110 of the fender element 11 to inflate so as to form, outside the box 100, the cylindrical tube 11′ (FIG. 5).

This tube 11′ extends lengthwise parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening 101 (FIG. 4) and has, in the inflated state, a length L₂ and a diameter d₂ which is greater than the width of the slot-shaped opening 101 of the box 10.

The air pressure applied to the chamber 12 during inflation must of course be sufficient to cause the fender element 11 to exit by passing it through the narrow slot-shaped opening 101, and to inflate said fender element 11 outside the box 10 and form said tube 11′.

When the tube 11′ is inflated, the compressor 140 is stopped and the supply circuit of the chamber 12 is tightly closed, for example by means of a solenoid valve, so as to maintain the pressure inside the chamber 12, which makes it possible to maintain the tube 11′ in the inflated state.

In the context of the invention, the shell 110 of the fender element 11 may not be elastically deformable, so that inflating the fender element 11 results in an increase in the volume of this fender element 11, without any elastic deformation of the shell.

The shell 110 of the fender element 11 may also have a certain elasticity, so that inflating the fender element 11 may in this case lead to an increase in the volume of this fender element 11, with a greater or lesser elastic deformation of the shell 110.

Conversely, in order to deflate the tube 11′ of FIGS. 4 and 5, the vacuum pump 141 is connected to the inflation/deflation chamber 12, and the vacuum pump 141 is started up so as to apply negative pressure to the internal inflation/deflation chamber 12, which makes it possible to extract by suction, in a forced manner, the air contained in this chamber 12, and automatically causes the deflation and suction of the fender element 11. The latter deforms and automatically retracts inside the box 10, passing through the slot-shaped opening 101, until the final configuration of FIG. 3, wherein the fender element 11 is completely deflated.

Preferably, the shell 110 of the fender element 11 has a length greater than the length of the slot-shaped opening 101 of the box. When this shell 110 retracts in the deflated state inside the box 10, passing through the slot-shaped opening 101, its two ends fold up. Conversely, when the fender element 11 is inflated, as the shell 110 is exiting the box, it is unfolded at its ends by the air pressure. Thus, a tube 11′ of which the length L₂ (FIG. 2) is greater than the length L₁ of the opening 101 is advantageously obtained.

All these inflation or deflation operations may preferably be controlled automatically by means of an electronic control circuit, implemented for example by means of a programmable logic controller or the like.

The negative pressure applied to the internal chamber 12 is preferably sufficient by itself to deflate and cause the fender element 11 to retract inside the box 10.

In another alternative embodiment, it may be advantageous to provide elastic return means, which are drawn tight during the inflation of the fender element 11, without preventing the inflation of this fender element 11, and which by being drawn tight exert, on the fender element 11, a pulling force which contributes to retracting the fender element 11 inside the box during the deflation of the fender element 11.

These elastic return means include, for example, one or more elastic tensioners that are positioned in the box 10 and connect the fender element 11 to the box 10.

When the protection device 1 is attached to a wall of the hull of a boat, it is preferable for the box 10 to occupy as little space as possible, at least in the horizontal direction and transversely to this wall. For this reason, in the preferred exemplary embodiment of the attached figures, the width d of the box 10 is advantageously less than the height H of the box 10.

More particularly, in order to limit the bulk of the box 10, the width d of the box 10 is less than the diameter d₂ of the tube 11′ and the height H of the box 10 is greater than the diameter d₂ of the tube 11′. As a result, the fender element 11, once deflated and retracted inside the box 10, forms a narrow bag 11″ (FIG. 3) with a width smaller than the diameter d₂ of the tube 11′ and a height greater than the diameter d₂ of the tube 11′.

Preferably also, the length L of the box 10 (FIG. 1) is less than the length L₂ of said tube 11′ in the inflated state (FIG. 4).

Preferably, in order to reduce the bulk of the box 10, this bag 11″ occupies almost the entire interior volume of the box 10.

Preferably, referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, the part 100f of the box 10 that is located facing the slot-shaped opening 101 has, on the inside of the box 10, a concave, curved internal face 100g, in particular with a profile forming an arc of circle. This curved, concave internal face 100g enables better guiding of the fender element 11 and thus facilitates the exit of the fender element 11 from the box 10 and the insertion of the fender element 11 into the box 10.

Preferentially, but optionally, in the particular embodiment illustrated in the figures, the protection device 1 includes a hatch 15, which is movable between a blocked position (FIGS. 1 and 3) wherein it blocks the slot-shaped opening 101, when the fender element 11 is housed in the deflated state inside the box 10, and an open position (FIG. 5), wherein the slot-shaped opening 101 is totally unobstructed and allows the fender element 11 to exit.

This hatch 15 is preferably a sliding hatch.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, in order to translatably guide the sliding hatch 15, the box 10 may for example be equipped with two guide rails 16a, 16b, separated vertically, and including a rectilinear front portion, which extends on the front face of the box 10, a rectilinear rear part which extends on the rear face of the box 10, and at least one curved connecting portion, forming an arc of circle, which connects the rectilinear front and rear portions, so as to form a U-shaped guide path. The sliding hatch 15 is, in this case for example, a flexible strip positioned and translatably guided in the guide rails 16a and 16b.

The device 1 includes, for example (FIG. 3), a rotary drive roller 17, which can be actuated by an electric motor (not shown) and which allows the hatch 15 to be translatably driven in one direction or the other.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, in order to equip a boat with a protection device 1, a rectilinear slot-shaped through-opening 21 (FIG. 6), of length L₃ and width d₃, is made beforehand in a wall 20 of the hull 2 of the boat.

The longitudinal axis of this through-opening 21 is oriented horizontally and, for example, parallel to the longitudinal front/rear axis of the hull of the boat.

This operation is quite simple and quick to carry out.

Then, the box 10 of the protection device 1 is attached to the inside of the hull 2, so as (FIG. 7) to position the slot-shaped opening 101 of said box 10 facing said through-opening 21 in the wall 20 of the hull 2, and to allow the fender element 11 of the protection device to be deployed through the wall of the hull 2 and outside the hull 2 (FIGS. 8 and 9). The plane P of the opening 101 can be more or less vertical.

More particularly, referring to FIG. 7, the front wall 100a of the box 10 is positioned near the internal face 20a of the wall 20 of the hull 2, so that the two slot-shaped openings 101 and 21 are sufficiently close to each other.

Preferably, the width d₃ of the opening 21 in the wall 20 of the hull 2 may advantageously be less than or equal to the width d₁ of the opening 101 of the box 1.

Preferably, the length L₃ of this opening 21 in the wall 20 of the hull 2 is slightly greater than or equal to the length L₁ of the opening 101 of the box 1.

In order to implement the protection of the hull 2 of the boat when the boat is for example docked, it suffices firstly to command the movement of the hatch 15 into its open position of FIG. 5, and secondly to command the inflation/deflation means 14, as previously described, in order to deploy the fender element outside the hull 2 of the boat by passing it through the two openings 101 and 21, and to inflate the fender element 11, in order to form said elongate tube 11′. By inflating, this elongate tube 11′ is positioned against the external face 20b of the wall 20 of the shell, being oriented horizontally (FIGS. 8 and 9).

Conversely, to remove the protection of the hull of the boat, it is sufficient to command the inflation/deflation means 14, as previously described, in order to deflate the tube 11′ and to retract it inside the box (FIG. 7) by passing it through the two openings 101 and 21, and then to command the movement of the hatch 15 in order to block the opening 101 of the box 10 (FIG. 7).

When the opening 101 of the box 10 is blocked by the hatch 15, the opening 21 of the hull 2 is also blocked by this hatch 15 and only the hatch is visible from outside the hull 2, which especially makes the assembly aesthetically pleasing.

The tube 11′ in the inflated state advantageously makes it possible, by virtue of its elongate shape and its horizontal orientation, to protect the hull 2 of the boat against impacts over a considerable horizontal length corresponding to the aforementioned length L₃ of the tube 11′.

Additionally, the slot-shaped opening 21 in the wall 20 of the hull 2 can advantageously be very narrow (reduced width d₃), which makes it discreet and especially makes it possible not to damage the aesthetics of the boat, while allowing the implementation of a tube 11′ which, in the inflated state, has a diameter (d₂) greater than the width d₃ of the slot-shaped opening 21, and in particular a diameter (d₂) large enough to provide effective impact protection.

By way of illustrative and non-limiting example of the invention, it is possible, for example, to implement an opening 21 with a width d₃ that can be between 30 mm and 50 mm, and a tube 11′ which, in the inflated state, has a diameter (d₂) greater than 150 mm, for example of the order of 200 mm.

Preferably, as illustrated in the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the length L₃ of the through-opening 21 in the wall 20 of the hull 2 is less than the length L₂ of the tube 11′, so that the two ends 21a of the through-opening 21 are set back with respect to the two end faces 11a of the tube 11′ in the inflated state.

On the one hand, this advantageously allows the tube 11′ to conceal, over its entire length, the through-opening 21 in the wall 20 of the hull 2.

On the other hand, and especially, as appears more clearly in FIGS. 9 and 10, this advantageously makes it possible to make, in the hull, several through-openings 21 aligned horizontally and separated from each other, while making it possible to implement a plurality of protective tubes 11′ (one tube 11′ per through-opening 21) which can advantageously be close to one another, and can preferably even be end-to-end, with no separation between two tubes 11′.

The invention is not limited to the implementation of a horizontal slot-shaped opening 21 and a protective tube 11 or 11′ which is horizontal once inflated, but can also be implemented, as shown in the variant of FIGS. 12 to 15 or in the variant of FIG. 16, with a slot-shaped opening 21 that is not horizontal, and is for example vertical and with a protective tube 11′ which, once inflated, is not horizontal, and is for example vertical.

More generally, for the implementation of the invention, the slot-shaped opening 21 and the inflated tube 11′ may have any orientation, not necessarily horizontal or vertical, and may for example, and in a non-limiting manner, be at 45° with respect to the vertical in the plane of FIG. 12 or 14.

Claims

1. A device for protecting a boat hull, the device comprising: a box that comprises a slot-shaped opening; anda fender element that is inflatable from a deflated state to an inflated state and is attached to the box, wherein the fender element includes: a flexible, waterproof shell which, in the deflated state, forms a bag that is housed inside the box, the shell having an external face which delimits a chamber with the box, which is connected to or is suitable for being connected to an inflation/deflation device, wherein, in the deflated state, said bag is suitable for being deployed outside the box by passing through the slot-shaped opening and turning inside out, by air being blown under pressure into said chamber, and for being inflated outside the box to form an elongate tube which extends lengthwise parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, so that after deployment and inflation of said shell outside the box (10), said external face of the deflated bag forms an internal face of said inflated tube, and wherein, in the inflated state, said shell is suitable for being deflated and retracted inside the box, passing through the slot-shaped opening by forced extraction of the air contained in said chamber.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein a length of said tube in the inflated state is greater than a length of the slot-shaped opening.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein an interior volume of the box serves as a housing for the fender element in the deflated state and extends lengthwise, in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, over a length less than a length of said tube.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the slot-shaped opening defines an opening plane, wherein an interior volume of the box serves as a housing for the fender element in the deflated state and has a height, which is measured parallel to the opening plane of the slot-shaped opening and in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, and a width, which is measured perpendicular to the opening plane of the slot-shaped opening, and wherein said height is greater than a diameter of said inflated tube, and said width is less than the diameter of said inflated tube.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein when deflated and retracted inside the box, the fender element in the deflated state occupies almost an entire interior volume of the box.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein a part of the box that is located facing the slot-shaped opening has, on the inside of the box, a concave, curved internal face.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the tube in the inflated state conceals the slot-shaped opening over an entire length of said slot-shaped opening.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible, waterproof shell of the fender element is attached to the box on a perimeter of the slot-shaped opening.

9. The device according to claim 1, including a blocking element for blocking the slot-shaped opening of the box, which is movable between a blocked position, in which the opening is blocked, and an open position, in which the slot-shaped opening is completely unobstructed and allows passage of the fender element.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the blocking element includes a sliding hatch.

11. The device according to claim 1, including an elastic return, which is drawn tight during inflation of the fender element and which exerts a pulling force on the fender element, which contributes to retracting the fender element inside the box during deflation of the fender element.

12. A method for installing on a boat at least one protection device, which comprises: a box that comprises a slot-shaped opening; anda fender element that is inflatable from a deflated state to an inflated state and is attached to the box, wherein the fender element includes:a flexible, waterproof shell which, in the deflated state, forms a bag that is housed inside the box, the shell having an external face which delimits a chamber with the box, which is connected to or is suitable for being connected to an inflation/deflation device, wherein, in the deflated state, said bag is suitable for being deployed outside the box by passing through the slot-shaped opening and turning inside out, by air being blown under pressure into said chamber, and for being inflated outside the box to form an elongate tube which extends lengthwise parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot-shaped opening, so that after deployment and inflation of said shell outside the box (10), said external face of the deflated bag forms an internal face of said inflated tube, and wherein, in the inflated state, said shell is suitable for being deflated and retracted inside the box, passing through the slot-shaped opening by forced extraction of the air contained in said chamber;wherein the method comprises:making, during which a slot-shaped through-opening in a wall of a hull of the boat; andattaching the box of the protection device to an inside of the hull, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of said box facing said through-opening in the wall of the hull and to allow the shell of the fender element of the protection device to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the slot-shaped through-opening is horizontal.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the slot-shaped through-opening is not horizontal.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one protection device comprises at least two protection devices and at least two through-openings are made in the wall of the hull of the boat, which are aligned and separated from each other, and for each of these openings, the box of a respective one of the at least two protection devices is attached to the inside of the hull, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device facing said corresponding through-opening in the wall of the hull, and to allow the shell of each fender element to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein a separation between two through-openings in the wall of the hull is provided such that the shells of the fender elements are capable of being inflated outside the hull, while being aligned end-to-end, with no space between the shells of the fender elements.

17. A boat comprising: a wall of a hull, in which at least one slot-shaped through-opening is made; andat least one protection device according to claim 1, the box of the at least one protection device being attached to an inside of the hull, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device facing said through-opening in the wall of the hull, and to allow the shell of the fender element of the protection device to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.

18. The boat according to claim 17, wherein the slot-shaped through-opening is horizontal.

19. The boat according to claim 17, wherein the slot-shaped through-opening is not horizontal.

20. The boat according to claim 17, wherein the at least one protection device comprises at least two protection devices and the wall of the hull comprises at least two slot-shaped through-openings, which are aligned and separated from each other, the box of each protection device being attached to the inside of the shell, so as to position the slot-shaped opening of the box of the protection device facing a corresponding one of the at least two slot-shaped through-openings in the wall of the hull, and to allow the shell of each fender element to be deployed through the wall of the hull and outside the hull.

21. The boat according to claim 20, wherein a separation between the at least two through-openings in the wall of the hull is provided such that the fender elements are capable of being inflated outside the hull, while being aligned end-to-end, with no space between the fender elements.

22. The boat according to claim 17, wherein a length of the through-opening in the wall of the hull is greater than or equal to a length of the opening of the box.

23. The boat according to claim 17, wherein a length of the through-opening in the wall of the hull is less than a length of the fender element of the protection device, in the inflated state.

24. The boat according to claim 17, wherein a width of the through-opening in the wall of the hull is less than a width of the opening of the box of the protection device.