Patent Application
20160194056
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ship technology and more particularly, to a ship structure of the ship hull comprises left and right garboard strakes, left and right side strakes, connection strips joining the left and right garboard strakes and the side strakes, a floor plate horizontally connected between the left and right side strakes above the left and right garboard strakes, lower and upper stretcher plates connected between the left and right side strakes above the floor plate, wherein the left and right garboard strakes, side strakes and lower and upper stretcher plates are inflatable fabric plate members each defining therein an independent air chamber.
2. Description of the Related Art
The hull of a ship may be made using steel, wood, glass fiber or rubber. Steel is commonly selected for making a hull for a big scale ship. Wood and glass fiber may be selected for making a hull for a small or medium scale ship. However, a ship made using steel, wood or glass fiber has the drawbacks of heavy weight and high cost. Further, a steel, wooden or glass fiber ship is not collapsible. Using rubber can make an inflatable boat.
Conventional inflatable rubber boards simply define therein one single air chamber. When the air chamber leaks, the inflatable boat will sink soon. Further, the bottom shell of a conventional inflatable boat is a flat shell, not facilitating breaking waves. In consequence, the speed of a conventional inflatable boat is limited. Further, a conventional inflatable boat may turn over easily when sailing at a high speed. Further, the drive unit for use in a conventional inflatable board is a fuel injection engine for driving a propeller directly. A fuel injection engine consumes much fuel oil during operation. It cannot be used to store compressed gas for inflating the inflatable boat.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a ship structure, which uses a collapsible ship hull that defines therein multiple independent air chambers separately inflatable.
To achieve this and other objects of the present invention, a ship structure comprises a ship hull. The ship hull comprises left and right garboard strakes arranged at a bottom side, left and right side strakes symmetrically arranged at opposing left and right sides, a plurality of connection strips joining the left and right garboard strakes and the side strakes, a floor plate horizontally connected between the left and right side strakes and suspending above the left and right garboard strakes, a lower stretcher plate and an upper stretcher plate connected between the left and right side strakes and suspending above the floor plate at different elevations. The left and right garboard strakes, the side strakes and the lower and upper stretcher plates are inflatable fabric plate members each comprising two cover layers peripherally sealed, an air chamber surrounded by the peripherally sealed cover layers, and a plurality of fiber strips evenly distributed in the air chamber and connected between the two cover layers.
Further, the left and right garboard strakes are joined together, forming a bottom shell of the ship hull. The bottom shell has a substantially V-shaped front part for breaking the waves and a flat rear part for floating on water.
The ship structure further comprises a portable box arranged at a rear side o f the ship hull, a drive unit steering control motor mounted at a mount outside the portable box, a rotary wheel supported on the mount of the portable box and rotatable by the drive unit steering control motor, a drive unit supported on the rotary wheel, a propeller suspending outside the ship hull and rotatable by the drive unit to propel the ship hull on water. The drive unit comprises a cowling cowl, a fuel injection engine mounted inside the cowling cowl, a control unit, an air compressor operable by the fuel injection engine subject to the control of the control unit, and a pneumatic motor rotatable by the air compressor. Further, the ship hull is equipped with a plurality of high pressure gas cylinders that are accommodated in between the left and right garboard strakes and the floor plate for storing the high pressure gas produced by the air compressor and inflating the air chambers of the left and right garboard strakes, side strakes and lower and upper stretcher plates. The drive unit further comprises a first valve connected between the pneumatic motor and the air compressor for the input of the high pressure gas produced by the air compressor into the pneumatic motor subject to the control of the control unit, and a second valve connected between the pneumatic motor and the high pressure gas cylinders and controlled by the control unit to let the high pressure gas produced by the air compressor be stored in the high pressure gas cylinders.
Referring to
The left and right garboard strakes 1, the side strakes 2, the upper stretcher plate 3 and the lower stretcher plate 4 are inflatable fabric plate members each comprising two cover layers 11;21;31;41 peripherally sealed, an air chamber 12;22;32;42 surrounded by the peripherally sealed cover layers 11;21;31;41, and a plurality of fiber strips 6 evenly distributed in the air chamber 12;22;32;42 and connected between the two cover layers 11;21;31;41 to reinforce the structural strength (see
The ship structure further comprises a portable box 7 arranged at the tail (stern) of the ship hull thereof, a drive unit steering control motor 72 mounted at a mount 71 outside the portable box 7, a rotary wheel 73 rotatable by the drive unit steering control motor 72, a drive unit 8 supported on the rotary wheel 73, a propeller 74 suspending below the mount 71 outside of the ship hull of the ship structure and rotatable by the drive unit 8. The drive unit 8 comprises a cowling cowl 81, a fuel injection engine 82, a control unit 83, an air compressor 84, and a pneumatic motor 85. When starting the fuel injection engine 82, the air compressor 84 will be driven to produce high pressure gas for driving the pneumatic motor 85 to rotate the propeller 74, thereby propelling the ship forwards. Further, a first valve 851 is connected between the pneumatic motor 85 and the air compressor 84 for the input of the high pressure gas produced by the air compressor 84 into the pneumatic motor 85 subject to the control of the control unit 83; a second valve 861 is connected between the pneumatic motor 85 and the high pressure gas cylinders 86 in between the left and right garboard strakes 1 and the floor plate 43 and controlled by the control unit 83 to let the high pressure gas produced by the air compressor 84 be stored in the high pressure gas cylinders 86. Further, if the air pressure of each of the air chambers 12;22;32;42 is insufficient, the respective one of the air chambers 12;22;32;42 can be inflated with the high pressure gas cylinders 86, assuring a high level of sailing safety (see
In conclusion, the invention provides a ship structure, which is inflatable and strong, facilitating steering control. The ship structure defines therein multiple independent air chambers separately inflatable. Therefore, the ship structure does not sink even one of the multiple independent air chambers leaks. Further, high pressure air cylinders are provided in the bottom side inside of the ship structure and can be used to inflate each of the multiple independent air chambers.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
