Patent Application
20070275612
This invention relates to mechanism for transferring the weight of an outboard engine from a boat yet the engine still functions to push the boat forward. This helps that any boat or ship which uses this mechanism needs not carry load of the engine whose weight is mostly the heaviest component of a boat. This is a revolution of using an engine to drive a boat or ship forward. Thus, boat can move efficiently and fuel utilization can be minimized.
Especially, when this mechanism is installed in a ‘Smart Flying Boat’ of Mongkol Jesadanont et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,665), it would help reducing the size of the flaps mounted to the boat and allow flying of the boat above water surface more rapidly and efficiently.
A mechanism is invented for transferring weight of an outboard engine from a boat or a ship to be loaded onto water surface through a ski structure while the boat is moving very fast or flying above water surface and while the engine still pushes the boat forward. Boat needs not carry the entire weight of the engine since all the engine weight is transferred to water through the ski structure. The mechanism comprises mainly of two parts, first part is to be fixed to the boat and second part to be fixed to an engine where the second part connected to the first part by a connecting component controllable in such a manner that the second part can either move freely vertically or fixed tightly relative to first part and while first part is stationary to the boat. There is ski structure at the lower end of second part to help carrying weight of engine and to pass the load onto the water surface when moving at high speed.
This invented mechanism for transferring entire weight of an engine from a boat or ship is to be used only with engine of outboard type.
All types of engine, either outboard engine or inboard engine currently used must be first modified before assembling to this mechanism invented.
There are three kinds of engine to be modified:
The difference between engine 42 and engine 25 and 35 is that engines 25 and 35 use gasoline thus is of high and very high speed, however, they are of low power and lighter weight what available is not greater than 300 horsepower (hp) and not greater than 300 kilogram. These two types of engine are for vessels of smaller size with lighter load yet with high or very high speed, i.e. over 50 knots or 90 km/hr. At this high velocity, flaps installed to a boat would help lifting a boat of lighter weight, perhaps, not greater than one ton to fly above the water surface more easily.
Engine 42 which is modified from inboard engine 40, however, is of diesel type with low speed. Its speed is normally not greater than 3,500 rpm but of greater power, for instance, 5,000 hp with weight of approximately 5000 kilograms or 5 tons. This type of engine is good for vessels of big or very big size with very heavy load. Its speed is quite slow i.e. not greater than 35 knots or 65 km/hr. For this type of vessel, there is no need to install flap as no matter how high the speed is, the vessel can not be lifted above the water surface. Yet, using the presently invented mechanism would help that boat would bear less weight of engine than it really needs to do.
The modified engines according to 1-3, when being installed to the presently invented mechanism it has to be in the type of outboard engine such that it can be moved vertically upward and downward during operation.
Steps of assembling are as follows:
Mechanism 52 of the present invention as shown in
1. Part I: to be mounted to rear part of a boat. This part is stationary and composed of 2 rectangular metal tubes 54 preferably stainless steel, 2 steel plates 108, a thick steel plate 60, a thick steel plate 62, first hydraulic 92 and second hydraulic 110. The weight of part I all is carried by the boat at its stem through steel plates 108.
2. Part II: for mounting of engine thereto. This part can move vertically upward and downward relative to part I and is composed of two rectangular steel shafts 56 and all the other components fixed to the two steel shafts. Total weight of this part II will be carried by the boat if there is hydraulic fluid and pressure in hydraulic 92. On the other hand, if there is no hydraulic fluid or pressure in hydraulic 92, the boat will not carry the weight of part II. In other word, the boat carries part II through hydraulic 92 only when there is hydraulic fluid and pressure in the hydraulic.
As shown in
The upper part of modified engine is mounted to this steel plate 58.
Thick steel plate 60 connects the upper part of the two rectangular metal tube 54, while thick steel plate 62 connects their lower ends.
The lower ends of the two shafts 56 are connected through steel rod 64 whose two ends 66 extended sidewise of shaft 56 pass through cavities 70 of thick steel plates 68 to allow free rotation of steel plates 68 about ends 66.
Ski 80 made of light durable material is mounted to the lower ends of steel plates 68.
Switch 82 is mounted to front curving end of ski 80.
Switch 84 is mounted to rear straight end of ski 80.
Switch 85 is mounted to lowest point under boat hull at its rear end.
Switches 82, 84 and 85 function when they are immersed under the water to turn on light bulbs 121, 122 and 123, respectively, on the control panel 120 as shown in
Rings 86 are fixed at posterior ends both sides of ski 80.
Rings 88 are fixed at outer lower ends of both rectangular shafts 56 just above steel plates 68.
When shafts 56 move upwards, rings 88 may move into groove 90 of tubes 54.
Hydraulic 92 locates between steel plates 60 and 62 by being hung from mid point of plate 60 through hook 94.
Hook 96 at the end of stem 98 of hydraulic 92 holds steel rod 64 at its midpoint where stem 98 passes through cavity 63 of steel plate 62.
Ski 80 is pushed or pulled to turn to a desired angle by hydraulics 102 connecting between rings 86 located sidewise at the posterior of the ski and rings 88 at rectangular steel shafts 56 just above steel plate 68.
Steel plates 104 are mounted upright at the rear end of boat 50 on each side.
Steel rod 106 connects two steel plates 108.
Each steel plate 108 is mounted to rectangular metal tube 54 on each side and can turn pivotally around rod 106 which has its ends pass through cavities 107 of steel plates 104.
Hydraulic 110 connects to the deck at position 112 where ring 116 at the end of its stem 114 mounted to cavity 61 of steel plate 60.
When the boat driver presses a switch to pump hydraulic fluid into the hydraulic. This causes varying of the length of stem 114 which is under control of hydraulic 110 to extend to a particular length as desired.
This hydraulic 92 is key element in the present invention. It functions to transfer total weight of engine from boat. When there is fluid in hydraulic 92, there will be pressure within hydraulic which causes the hydraulic to connect part II tightly to part I. In this situation, boat carries total weight of engine and mechanism 52 through stem 98 where hook 96 of part I holds weight of part II and engine and where steel plates 108 is the part that carries mechanism 52 and total weight of engine. Thus, the boat carries total weight of the engine. That is, part II is connected to part I at the point hook 96 holds rod 64 when there is fluid and pressure in hydraulic 92. Once there is no fluid in hydraulic 92, part II is then disconnected from part I.
That is, if there is no fluid and pressure in the hydraulic 92, stem 98 and hook 96 can not hold part II of mechanism 52 to part I. The two rectangular steel shafts 56 thus slide vertically and freely up and down inside the rectangular metal tubes 54. In this situation, the total weight of engine together with part II of mechanism 52 is not held by the boat. While ski 80 is moving fast on water surface, the engine load is on the ski and water surface takes all the load of engine weight on the ski. This is just like a man is skiing on water surface as in
Therefore, when there is hydraulic fluid in hydraulic 92, part I and part II are connected to each other through hook 96 of part I to the midpoint of rod 64 of part II. When there is no fluid, they are disconnected from each other.
Mechanism 52 is thus composed of two main components. The first part or part I is installed stationary and tightly to the rear of the boat. The second part or part II is connected to the first part through a connecting component in the manner that second part can either be held tightly to first part or second part moves vertically and freely relative to first part. This is achieved by having a connecting component, preferably, a hydraulic, whose function can be controlled instantaneously. While there is hydraulic fluid and pressure in hydraulic cylinder, second part is held tightly and stationary to first part. But when fluid is exhausted from the hydraulic cylinder, there is then no force thus allowing second part to move freely up and down vertically relative to first part. In such latter situation, rectangular steel shafts of second part move freely up and down inside rectangular metal tubes of first part. The total weight of engine is then loaded onto the ski structure of second part and while boat is moving fast engine weight is thus loaded to water surface that boat needs not carry the engine weight any further. Engine still continuously pushes the boat forward.
If engine 25, 35 or 42 is installed to steel plate 58, while boat is not moving, let hydraulic 92 lift engine to a level that lower side of ski 80 touches water surface. Hydraulic 102 moves ski that switch 84 just slightly immerses under water surface.
Light bulb 122 at control panel 120 as in
In this situation, propeller unit 24, tube 32 and propeller 39 which are underneath ski 80, also slightly immerse under water surface.
If, as in
While accelerating the speed of engine 42, hydraulic 102 is simultaneously controlled that ski 80 gradually lifts its front up. At this velocity, a switch is pressed to allow flow of all the hydraulic fluid out from hydraulic 92 to be kept in hydraulic fluid tank.
At this point, pressure inside hydraulic 92 equals zero, i.e. hydraulic 92 is powerless and can not carry the weight of engine loaded on the ski any longer. Yet ski 80 is still moving with good speed on water surface at all time with supporting from water underneath ski. Part II is free from part I and thus total engine weight is transferred from being carried by boat to be loaded onto ski and thus is carried by water underneath. Boat is then moving forward with no load of engine to carry, yet the engine 42 which is mounted to steel 58 is capable of pushing the boat to move forward horizontally at all time.
According to
When boat is moving forward at high speed, it is lifted up further or lowered down slightly due to aerodynamic effect of wind against its front. All the flaps can be controlled to move to a desirable angle together with speed of the boat to have the boat move smoothly at an appropriate level above the water surface.
Since no need any further for boat to carry weight of the engine, if a water jet engine is modified to an outboard engine type, while boat is flying above water surface, the speed might be too high to cause turning of the boat upside down and causes accident. In such situation, flaps 170 must be turned pivotally up to have the wind presses the anterior of boat slightly down to prevent turning of the boat upside down.
If flaps 172 is moved pivotally up, the wind will press the rear end of boat down thus lifting up the front of the boat. This will help lifting up the boat to get above water surface more easily.
Hydraulic 110 is the part to adjust angle of rectangular metal tubes 54 and thus engine is also tilted. An experienced driver would adjust the engine to an appropriate angle at a different speed or different level above the water surface to get the best power of the propeller in each situation of driving.
Hydraulic 110 itself, if stem 114 is extended, mechanism 52 will be pressed tighter to the stern of boat 50. If stem 114 is shortened, mechanism 52 is moved to lie down onto the deck as in
How high is bottom of the boat above water surface is known if switches are installed at different levels along a vertical rod 149 which is mounted to underneath of the boat as shown in
At a height>0-0.5 meter, switches 154, 152 and 150 immerse under water, light bulbs 160, 158 and 156 would light up, respectively;
At a height 0.5-<1 meter, switches 154 and 152 immerse under water, light bulbs 160 and 158 would light up;
At a height 1-<1.5 meter, switch 154 immersedunder water, light bulb 160 would light up.
Any electronics or any systems such as sonar system capable of indicating the level of the bottom of boat above water level can also be used.
This mechanism invented in the present invention is a mechanism to transfer the total weight of the engine from the boat to be carried by the ski which was loaded to the stream of water moving underneath the ski. The boat needs not carry to move the engine forward. On the contrary, total weight of engine is transferred to the ski and loaded onto the water. The engine whose propeller rotates under the water surface would drive the boat forward at all time. The engine can be mounted to any other appropriate position that makes it function efficiently. In each boat, this mechanism can be used as many units as desired.
In addition, there is yet another advantage of using as outboard engine, i.e. a boat using inboard engine installed the engine in the boat and not at its stern as when the outboard engine is used. Upon outburst of a fire, mostly occur in an engine room which is very difficult to put out and if there is explosion, then the damage would be greater than when an outboard engine is used. The chance that an outboard engine catches fire is scarce and if a fire occurs then it is much easier to put out as the engine is installed outside the boat hull.
It will be understood that modifications can be made in the above description without departing from the scope of this invention by one of ordinary skill in the art. It is accordingly intended that all matter contained in the above description be interpreted as descriptive and illustrative rather than in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention as described herein, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.
