Propeller protection device and propeller

Abstract

The application discloses a propeller protection device and a propeller, which comprises a mounting frame connected with a propeller and a ship body; a protection structure surrounding the propeller, the upper part of the mounting frame penetrating out of the protection structure, the protection structure comprising a front protection cover and a rear protection cover, the front part of the front protection cover being provided with a water inlet grille and the rear part being provided with a clamping part, the front part of the rear protection cover being provided with a buckle part for clamping with the clamping part. The front protection cover and the rear protection cover are connected with each other through the buckle part and the clamping part, which is convenient for dismounting, cleaning and mounting. The water inlet grille can prevent fish or winding objects from entering the vicinity of the propeller, reduce biological hazards and damage of the propeller itself, and limit the movement direction of fluid through the propeller duct composed of the front protection cover and the rear protection cover, thereby reducing the power lag of the propeller.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of underwater propulsion, and more specifically to a propulsion protection device that is easy to disassemble and a propeller propulsion device with the protection device. Background Technology

[0002] Underwater propulsion devices, such as propellers, are easily damaged by collisions with shallow waters or reefs during navigation. Therefore, many propulsion devices with ducted protective structures have been developed. For example, a "propeller protective cover" disclosed in Chinese patent literature (publication number CN103910052B) includes two semi-circular protective sections, with one end of each section connected by bolts. Each semi-circular protective section includes an end support plate, a middle support plate, an end vertical support plate, a semi-circular bottom protective plate, a semi-circular middle protective plate, and a semi-circular top protective plate. Both the end and middle support plates include a vertical support section and an inclined support section. The inclined support section is fixedly connected to the top of the vertical support section. Through the semi-circular bottom, middle, and top protective plates, the device prevents the propeller from colliding with organisms or humans during high-speed rotation without affecting the normal operation of the propeller. It also minimizes the impact of the protective cover on engine horsepower and effectively protects organisms or humans outside the propeller to a certain extent, demonstrating good applicability. However, the protective cover makes the propeller more susceptible to tangling with fishing nets, seaweed, etc., resulting in loss of power and requiring frequent maintenance. Therefore, the removability of the protective cover is crucial for the long-term use of the propeller. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the problem of inconvenient disassembly of propellers with protective structures in the prior art, the present invention provides a propeller with a protective structure that is easy to disassemble and maintain.

[0004] A further objective of this invention is to improve the structural strength of the front protective cover by setting an inlet grille, so that debris that cannot enter the inlet grille can slide away along the lower edge of the arc, and debris that cannot enter the inlet grille can slide away on both sides of the protruding central structure diversion channel, making it less likely for debris to get stuck on the entire front protective cover.

[0005] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: a propeller protection device, comprising: a mounting frame connecting the propeller and the hull; a protective structure surrounding the propeller, the upper part of the mounting frame extending through the protective structure, the protective structure comprising a front protective cover and a rear protective cover, the front part of the front protective cover being provided with a water inlet grille and the rear part being provided with a snap-fit ​​part, and the front part of the rear protective cover being provided with a buckle part for engaging with the snap-fit ​​part.

[0006] The front and rear protective covers are connected to each other by snap-fit ​​and snap-fit ​​parts, making disassembly, cleaning and installation more convenient; the inlet grille can prevent fish or entangled objects from entering the vicinity of the propeller, protecting the propeller while reducing biological hazards and damage to the propeller itself; the front and rear protective covers together form the propeller duct, which restricts the direction of fluid movement and reduces the propeller's power lag.

[0007] Preferably, the latching part includes an "L"-shaped groove on the inner surface of the front protective cover that is concave outward, and the latching part includes a latching strip on the outer surface of the rear protective cover that is protruding outward. The groove includes a guide part that can be slid into the latching strip in the direction of the propeller axis and an engaging part that can be slid into the latching strip in the circumferential direction of the propeller. The length of the engaging part in the circumferential direction of the propeller is less than the length of the latching strip in the circumferential direction of the propeller. During installation, after the latching strip on the rear protective cover is aligned with the corresponding guide part of the front protective cover and slid in to the bottom, the rear protective cover or the front protective cover is rotated so that the latching strip slides into the engaging part, and the rear protective cover and the front protective cover are engaged and axially locked.

[0008] Preferably, a locking device is provided on the side of the guide portion away from the engaging portion. The locking device includes a locking block and an elastic element connected to the locking block at one end and to the front protective cover at the other end. The sum of the length of the locking block along the circumference of the pusher and the length of the locking strip along the circumference of the pusher after it slides into the engaging portion is equal to the length of the guide portion along the circumference of the pusher. During installation, as the locking strip slides into the guide portion, the locking block is pushed out of the groove. When the locking strip slides into the engaging portion, it vacates the groove position originally occupied by the locking block. The locking block returns to its original position under the action of the elastic clamp, locking the locking strip and preventing it from sliding circumferentially, thus achieving circumferential locking. In addition, the elastic force of the elastic element on the locking block when it is locked is in the same direction as the water flow, reducing the risk of the locking block being pushed out of the groove due to water flow impact, causing the front and rear protective covers to separate.

[0009] Preferably, the locking block is provided with a hand lever extending from the front protective cover on its axial outer side. The front protective cover is provided with a through hole at the hand lever that allows the hand lever to move along the propeller axis. When the protective device needs to be removed, sliding the hand lever causes the locking block to be pulled out of the groove, making room for the locking bar to slide in the engaging part, and then slide out from the guide part to complete the disassembly. The disassembly speed is fast.

[0010] Preferably, the bottom of the front protective cover is provided with a sand-proof slope, which is lower in the front and higher in the back. The sand-proof slope is located directly below the propeller. When mud and sand enter from the bottom of the front protective cover, they are lifted along the sand-proof slope and disturbed by the water flow when passing through the propeller. The mud and sand can be washed away with the water flow and will not accumulate at the bottom of the protective device.

[0011] Preferably, the middle part of the inlet grille is connected to the mounting bracket to form a skeleton structure, thereby improving the structural strength of the front protective cover.

[0012] Preferably, a guide plate is provided circumferentially inside the rear protective cover to control the direction of water flow and improve the propulsion efficiency of the thruster.

[0013] Preferably, the mounting part is provided with a reversing rudder, which includes a forward-facing water inlet and a forward-facing water outlet. The water flow pushed out by the propeller is collected from the water inlet and sprayed forward from the water outlet to achieve the purpose of reversing.

[0014] Preferably, the lower part of the mounting section is provided with a collision protection section, the lowest point of which is lower than the lowest point of the propeller, so as to protect the bottom of the propeller from collisions.

[0015] A propeller thruster includes the thruster protection device described in any one of the above claims, wherein the thruster is a propeller.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0017] The front and rear protective covers are connected to each other by snap-fit ​​and snap-fit ​​parts, making disassembly, cleaning and installation more convenient; the inlet grille can prevent fish or entangled objects from entering the vicinity of the propeller, protecting the propeller while reducing biological hazards and damage to the propeller itself; the front and rear protective covers together form the propeller duct, restricting the direction of fluid movement and reducing propeller power lag. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is an exploded three-dimensional schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a front view schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the cross section at point AA;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the reversing steering wheel in Embodiment 1 of the present invention when it is retracted;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the engagement structure of the front and rear protective covers according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 7 This is an exploded three-dimensional schematic diagram of each part of Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 This is a top-view schematic diagram of the reverse steering wheel when it is open according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0026] In the diagram: Mounting bracket 1, anti-collision part 11, front protective cover 2, water inlet grille 21, groove 22, guide part 221, locking part 222, locking block 23, hand lever 231, sand-proof slope 24, rear protective cover 3, locking strip 31, guide plate 32, reversing rudder 4, 5 shaftless propeller. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, further illustrates how this invention is implemented. It must be noted that the terms "circumferential" and "axial" mentioned below are based on the direction of propeller rotation.

[0028] Example 1, as Figure 1-6 As shown, a propeller protection device, applied to a propeller propeller, includes:

[0029] Mounting bracket 1 is used to mount the propeller. The lower part of the mounting bracket 1 is provided with a collision protection part 11 that is lower than the propeller to prevent the propeller from hitting the bottom and colliding.

[0030] The front protective cover 2 surrounds the propeller and is located in front of the propeller. The mounting bracket 1 extends from the upper part of the front protective cover 2 to connect to the hull, and the lower part abuts against the inside of the front protective cover 2. The front part of the front protective cover 2 is provided with a water inlet grille 21 as a water inlet. The entire water inlet adopts a rounded sectional design similar to the bow of the ship, which makes the entire propeller less resistant when turning. The rear part of the front protective cover 2 is provided with a snap-fit ​​part.

[0031] The rear protective cover 3 surrounds the propeller and is located behind the propeller. The front part of the rear protective cover 3 is provided with a buckle for engaging with the snap-fit ​​part.

[0032] When the propeller is working, objects that cannot enter the protective cover will pass through from below due to the water force at the inlet. Objects that can enter are generally smaller than the inlet grille 21, so they can be discharged directly from the rear. If it is a soft, long, strip-shaped object like a rope, it may still get tangled in the propeller. If insufficient power is detected, quickly open the protective cover 3 to remove the tangled object. This can largely prevent the propeller from being damaged by impact, entanglement, or cutting.

[0033] The front protective cover 2 and the rear protective cover 3 are connected to each other by a snap-fit ​​part and a snap-fit ​​part. The snap-fit ​​part includes several "L"-shaped locking strips 31 provided on the outer surface of the rear protective cover 3. The snap-fit ​​part includes an "L"-shaped groove 22 provided on the inner surface of the front protective cover 2. The groove 22 includes a guide part 221 into which the locking strips 31 can slide in the direction of the propeller axis and an engaging part 222 into which the locking strips 31 can slide in the circumferential direction of the propeller. The length of the engaging part 222 in the circumferential direction of the propeller is less than the length of the locking strips 31 in the circumferential direction of the propeller, and the length of the engaging part 222 in the axial direction of the propeller is equal to the length of the locking strips 31 in the circumferential direction of the propeller, so that the locking strips 31 do not move axially after sliding into the engaging part 222. A locking device is provided on the side of one of the guide parts 221 away from the engaging part 222, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the locking device includes a locking block 23 and a spring (not shown in the figure) connected to the locking block 23 at one end and to the rear protective cover 3 at the other end. The sum of the length of the locking block 23 along the propeller circumference and the length of the locking bar 31 along the propeller circumference after it slides into the engaging part 222 is equal to the length of the guide part 221 along the propeller circumference, thus preventing circumferential movement after locking.

[0034] During installation, the retaining strip 31 on the rear protective cover 3 is aligned with the corresponding guide part 221 on the front protective cover 2. After sliding it to the bottom, the locking block 23 is pushed out of the groove 22, freeing up the position of the groove 22 originally occupied by the locking block 23. Then, the rear protective cover 3 or the front protective cover 2 can be rotated so that the retaining strip 31 slides into the engaging part 222. The locking block 23 returns to its original position under the action of the elastic clamp, locking the retaining strip 31 so that it cannot slide circumferentially, thus locking it circumferentially.

[0035] During disassembly, a hand lever 231 is provided on the outside of the locking block 23, which extends through the front protective cover 2. The front protective cover 2 has a through hole at the hand lever 231 that allows the hand lever 231 to move circumferentially along the propeller. Sliding the hand lever 231 causes the locking block 23 to be pulled out of the groove 22, making room for the locking bar 31 to slide circumferentially in the engaging part 222, and then slide out axially from the guide part 221 to complete the disassembly.

[0036] Because the front protective cover 2 and the rear protective cover 3 are set separately, different materials with different effects can be used according to different protection purposes. For example, the front protective cover 2 can use high-strength metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum alloy to cope with high-intensity frontal and side impacts. The rear protective cover 3 is made of materials such as plastic that can be slightly elastically deformed, is lightweight and does not deform plastically, and will not affect the operation of the propeller after being broken by impact.

[0037] The water outlet of the rear protective cover 3 is designed with a tapered opening. This tapered opening makes the outer shell behind the tail cover have an arc shape, which is more conducive to maneuverability such as turning. At the same time, the tapered opening design increases the water pressure at the propeller outlet, thereby increasing the propulsion force.

[0038] The bottom of the front protective cover 2 is provided with a sand-proof slope 24. The sand-proof slope 24 is lower in the front and higher in the back. The sand-proof slope 24 is located directly below the propeller and has a cliff-like shape near the propeller. When mud and sand enter from the bottom of the front protective cover 2, they are lifted along the sand-proof slope 24. When passing through the propeller, they are lifted and disturbed by the water flow, and the mud and sand can be washed away with the water flow and will not accumulate at the bottom of the protective device.

[0039] The middle part of the inlet grille 21 is connected to the mounting bracket 1, forming a skeleton structure and improving the structural strength of the front protective cover 2. For example... Figure 5 The side view of the inlet grille 21 at the front of the front protective cover 2 is arc-shaped and gradually tapers towards the rear from top to bottom, allowing debris that cannot enter the inlet grille 21 to slide away along the lower edge of the arc; such as Figure 8 As shown, the bottom view of the inlet grille 21 has a streamlined shape like the bow of a ship. The center of the inlet grille 21 is the most prominent, which makes it difficult for debris to enter the inlet grille 21 to slide away on both sides of the diversion channel of the protruding central structure. The entire front protective cover 2 is not easy to catch debris.

[0040] Multiple guide vanes 32 are arranged circumferentially inside the rear protective cover 3, such as Figure 6 As shown, each guide plate 3 is parallel to the water flow direction. The guide plate 3 controls the outflow direction of the water and improves the propeller propulsion efficiency.

[0041] The mounting bracket 1 is equipped with a reversing rudder 4, which is fixedly installed on the mounting bracket 1 by adding bolts. The reversing rudder 4 can be retracted when the ship moves forward. Figure 5 As shown. The reverse steering rudder 4 includes a forward-facing water inlet and a forward-facing water outlet. When reversing is required, the reverse steering rudder 4 is activated, as shown... Figure 1 As shown, the water jet propelled by the propeller is collected at the inlet and then sprayed forward from the outlet, achieving the purpose of reversing without the propeller reversing.

[0042] The advantages of this embodiment also include: when the propeller needs to be cleaned, it can be opened and closed in a few seconds without tools, achieving rapid maintenance; the inlet grille 21 makes it difficult for fish or entangled objects to enter the vicinity of the propeller, protecting the propeller while reducing biological hazards and damage to the propeller itself; the front protective cover 2 and the rear protective cover 3 together form the propeller duct, restricting the direction of fluid movement and reducing propeller power lag; it can simultaneously withstand impacts from the side, shallows, reversing, and turning.

[0043] Example 2: A propeller thruster, such as Figure 7 As shown, the device includes the propeller protection device of Embodiment 1, and the propeller is a shaftless propeller 5. The mounting bracket 1 is only set on the upper part of the front protective cover of 2 to connect to the hull. It does not need to penetrate the protective structure, which reduces the installation difficulty.

Claims

1. A thruster protection device, characterized in that, include: Mounting bracket, connecting the propeller and the hull; A protective structure surrounds the propeller, and the upper part of the mounting bracket protrudes from the protective structure. The protective structure includes a front protective cover and a rear protective cover. The front part of the front protective cover is provided with a water inlet grille and the rear part is provided with a snap-fit ​​part. The front part of the rear protective cover is provided with a buckle part for engaging with the snap-fit ​​part. The middle part of the inlet grille is connected to the mounting frame to form a skeleton structure. The side view of the inlet grille is arc-shaped and gradually tapers towards the rear from top to bottom. The bottom view is streamlined like the bow of a ship, with the middle part being the most prominent. The entire inlet grille adopts an arc-shaped cross-section design similar to the bow of a ship. The bottom of the front protective cover is provided with a sand-proof slope. The sand-proof slope is lower in the front and higher in the back. The sand-proof slope is located directly below the propeller and has a cliff-like shape near the propeller. The front protective cover surrounds the propeller and is located in front of the propeller. A guide plate is provided circumferentially inside the rear protective cover. The rear protective cover surrounds the propeller and is located behind the propeller. The outlet of the rear protective cover is designed to be narrowed, which makes the outer shell behind the tail cover have an arc shape.

2. The thruster protection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The latching part includes an "L"-shaped groove on the inner surface of the front protective cover that is recessed outwards. The latching part includes a latching strip on the outer surface of the rear protective cover that protrudes outwards. The groove includes a guide part that can be slid into the latching strip in the direction of the propeller axis and an engaging part that can be slid into the latching strip along the circumference of the propeller. The length of the engaging part along the circumference of the propeller is less than the length of the latching strip along the circumference of the propeller. The front protective cover and the rear protective cover together form the propeller duct.

3. The thruster protection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A locking device is provided on the side of the guide portion away from the engaging portion. The locking device includes a locking block and an elastic element connected to the locking block at one end and to the front protective cover at the other end. The sum of the length of the locking block along the circumference of the pusher and the length of the clip outside the engaging portion along the circumference of the pusher after it slides into the engaging portion is equal to the length of the guide portion along the circumference of the pusher. When the clip slides into the guide portion, the locking block is pushed out of the groove, freeing up the groove position originally occupied by the locking block. When the clip slides into the engaging portion, the locking block returns to its original position under the action of the elastic clamp, locking the clip and preventing it from sliding circumferentially, thus locking it circumferentially. The elastic force of the elastic element on the locking block when it is locked is in the same direction as the water flow.

4. The thruster protection device according to claim 3, characterized in that: A hand lever is provided on the outside of the locking block, which extends through the front protective cover. The front protective cover has a through hole at the hand lever that allows the hand lever to move axially along the pusher. Sliding the hand lever causes the locking block to be pulled out of the groove, making room for the locking bar to slide in the engaging part, and then slide out axially from the guide part.

5. The thruster protection device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that: The mounting bracket is equipped with a reversing rudder, which includes a forward-facing water inlet and a forward-facing water outlet.

6. The thruster protection device according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that: The mounting bracket is provided with a collision protection part at the bottom, and the lowest point of the collision protection part is lower than the lowest point of the thruster.

7. A propeller actuator, characterized in that: It includes the propeller protection device according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the propeller is a propeller.

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