Hydrofoil ship

Abstract

The invention provides a hydrofoil ship which comprises a ship body and a front wing assembly, the front wing assembly comprises a front mast and a front wing body fixedly arranged at one end of the front mast, the other end of the front mast is rotationally connected with the ship body, and the rotational connection position of the front mast and the ship body is located between a prow of the hydrofoil ship and the gravity center of the hydrofoil ship; the front wing body has an unfolding position and a folding position, when the front wing body is located at the unfolding position, the front wing assembly is swept back and provides main lift force for supporting the ship body to leave the water surface, and when the front wing body is folded, the front wing body rotates forwards until the front wing body is exposed out of the water surface, stable lift force can be provided, and meanwhile the hydrofoil ship is more convenient to control; and the folded hydrofoils are exposed out of the water surface to prevent marine organisms from growing, and the folded hydrofoils do not occupy the internal space of the ship body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of water vehicles, and in particular, to a hydrofoil vessel. Background Art

[0002] A hydrofoil vessel is a vehicle that sails on the water surface through a hydrofoil system. When the speed increases, the hydrofoil generates lift in the water. When it exceeds a critical point, the lift generated by the hydrofoil lifts the hull through the mast and out of the water, thereby achieving lower energy consumption and smoother navigation.

[0003] Since the hydrofoil system is immersed in water, on the one hand, in order to adapt to the needs of driving and anchoring in shallow water areas, the hydrofoil ship usually has the function and mechanism of folding the hydrofoil system; on the other hand, especially in seawater, if the hydrofoil system is immersed in seawater for a long time, marine organisms such as shellfish will be produced on the surface of the hydrofoil, transmission mechanism, etc., which will greatly damage the fluid performance of the hydrofoil system and even jam the transmission structure, thereby causing the hydrofoil system to fail. Therefore, when not driving for a long time, the hydrofoil system needs to be out of the water.

[0004] In the prior art, a U.S. patent application with publication number US2023033965A1 proposes a folding mechanism for the hydrofoil system of a hydrofoil boat, in which the front hydrofoil is folded by lifting the front mast in the vertical direction, thereby storing the front hydrofoil in a groove lowered by the hull. Similarly, the rear mast is lifted vertically and the rear hydrofoil is folded to the bottom of the stern.

[0005] The existing technology still has the following problems: on the one hand, the hydrofoil is stored at the bottom of the hull and is still likely to come into contact with seawater. If the ship stays on the sea surface for a long time, shellfish and other organisms may still grow on the bottom of the hull and the surface of the hydrofoil; on the other hand, the internal space of the hull needs to be sacrificed to realize the storage space of the hydrofoil at the bottom of the ship.

[0006] In view of this, those skilled in the art need to make improvements to the current hydrofoil vessels to overcome the above-mentioned defects. Summary of the invention

[0007] The main purpose of the present application is to provide a hydrofoil boat, which can not only provide stable lift, but also make the hydrofoil boat more convenient to control. Moreover, after the hydrofoil is folded, it will be exposed above the water surface to prevent the growth of marine organisms, and the folded hydrofoil will not occupy the internal space of the hull.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, in a first aspect, the present application provides a hydrofoil craft, comprising a hull and a cane assembly, wherein the cane assembly comprises a foremast, a cane body fixedly arranged at one end of the foremast, and the other end of the foremast is rotatably connected to the hull, and the rotatable connection between the two is located between the bow of the hydrofoil craft and its center of gravity; the cane body has a deployed position and a folded position, when it is in the deployed position, the cane assembly is swept back and provides a main lift to support the hull to leave the water surface, and when it is folded, the cane body rotates forward until it emerges from the water surface.

[0009] Optionally, when the front wing body is in the deployed position, an extension line of the main lift vector is close to the center of gravity of the hydrofoil craft.

[0010] Optionally, the foremast includes a left foremast and a right foremast, and the left foremast and the right foremast are rotatably arranged on both sides of the hull, respectively.

[0011] Optionally, a limiting structure is provided between the hull and the foremast.

[0012] Optionally, the limiting structure includes a limiting portion provided on the ship body, and when the front wing body is in the unfolded position, the front mast conflicts with the limiting portion.

[0013] Optionally, the front wing body is an integral structure.

[0014] Optionally, a left aileron and a right aileron are rotatably provided at both ends of the front wing body, respectively, and the rotation axis lines of the left aileron and the right aileron extend along the length direction of the front wing body.

[0015] Optionally, it also includes a rear wing assembly arranged at the rear of the hull for adjusting the pitch angle.

[0016] Optionally, the rear wing assembly includes a rear mast arranged at the rear of the hull, and a rear wing body at least partially rotatably connected to the rear mast, and a rotation axis of the rear wing body and the rear mast is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear mast.

[0017] Optionally, a vertical lifting mechanism and a flipping mechanism are respectively provided between the rear mast and the hull.

[0018] The hydrofoil boat provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art: firstly, when the front wing is unfolded, the main lift is provided, and the main lift position is close to the center of gravity position, thereby improving stability, and can also effectively balance the pitch balance, thereby reducing the pitch instability phenomenon caused by the change of the center of gravity or other factors during the driving of the hydrofoil boat; secondly, when the front wing is folded, it folds forward, thereby not occupying the space of the hull for folding; finally, the hydrofoil is exposed above the water surface in the folded state, thereby avoiding the adverse effects caused by the growth of marine organisms. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawings constituting a part of this application are used to provide a further understanding of this application, so that other features, purposes and advantages of this application become more obvious. The schematic embodiment drawings and their descriptions of this application are used to explain this application and do not constitute an improper limitation on this application. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 This invention illustrates Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 2 This invention illustrates Figure 2 .

[0022] Among them: 1. Ship body, 2. Left front mast, 3. Right front mast, 4. Front wing body, 5. Left aileron, 6. Right aileron, 7. Rear mast; 8. Rear wing body; 9. Propulsion mechanism; 10. Limiting part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0024] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequential order. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described here. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0025] In the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "middle", "vertical", "horizontal", "lateral", "longitudinal" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. These terms are mainly used to better describe the present application and its embodiments, and are not used to limit the indicated devices, elements or components to have a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0026] In addition, some of the above terms may be used to express other meanings in addition to indicating orientation or positional relationship. For example, the term "on" may also be used to express a certain dependency or connection relationship in some cases. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of these terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0027] In addition, the term "plurality" shall mean two or more.

[0028] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0029] Embodiment 1:

[0030] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, a hydrofoil craft comprises a hull 1 and a cane assembly, wherein the cane assembly comprises a foremast, a cane body 4 fixedly arranged at one end of the foremast, one end of the foremast is rotatably connected to the hull 1, and the rotatable connection between the two is located between the bow of the hull 1 and its center of gravity; the cane body 4 has an extended position and a retracted position, when it is in the extended position, the foremast is swept back, and the main lift is provided by the cane body 4, and when it is retracted, the cane rotates toward the front of the hull 1 until the cane body 4 leaves the water.

[0031] It should be noted that the above-mentioned front, rear and other positional relationships are based on the moving state of the hydrofoil vessel, where the moving direction is forward and the backward direction is rear.

[0032] The aforementioned front wing assembly is swept back, which means that the angle between the axis of the front mast and the horizontal plane where the axis of the hull 1 is located is less than 90 degrees, that is, the sweep angle is less than 90°.

[0033] Since the rotating connection between the two is located between the bow of the hydrofoil craft and its center of gravity, and the cane assembly is swept back, in the unfolded state, the position of the cane assembly, that is, the position providing the main lift, is just close to the center of gravity of the hydrofoil craft. The main lift can basically keep the hull 1 in a basically balanced state and lift the hull 1 out of the water. Further preferably, when the cane body 4 is in the unfolded position, the cane body 4 intersects with the plumb line where the center of gravity of the hydrofoil craft is located. Therefore, the optimal state is that the position providing the main lift is just on the plumb line where the center of gravity is located.

[0034] Preferably, in the present embodiment, in order to avoid interference when the forewing is folded, the foremast includes a left foremast 2 and a right foremast 3, and the left foremast 2 and the right foremast 3 are respectively rotatably arranged on both sides of the hull 1. In this way, when the forewing is converted from an deployed state to a folded state, the left foremast 2 and the right foremast 3 respectively rotate forward relative to the hull 1 with their rotational connection with the hull 1 as the axis until the forewing body 4 leaves the water surface and stays in front of the bow, that is, at the folded position of the forewing. Not only can the forewing be switched from the swept deployed state to the folded state, but it also does not need to occupy the space of the hull 1 for folding. In addition, the hydrofoil is completely exposed above the water surface when folded, thereby avoiding the growth of marine life.

[0035] Preferably in the present embodiment, the left front mast 2 and the right front mast 3 are respectively fixedly connected to the two ends of the forewing body 4, and the forewing body 4 is an integral structure, whereby the left front mast 2, the right front mast 3, the forewing body 4 and the hull 1 form a closed integral structure, which can effectively avoid the occurrence of vibration. If the left front mast 2 and the right front mast 3 are respectively connected to independent left and right forewings, not only vibration will occur during driving, but also when moored, the left and right forewings will be lifted to the left and right sides of the hull, which will affect the people or cargo getting on and off the hydrofoil ship from the left and right sides. The front hydrofoil provided in the present embodiment is folded to the front edge of the hull and will not hinder the operation of getting on and off the ship.

[0036] In order to ensure that when the fore-wing assembly is deployed, the fore-wing assembly can support the hull 1 to leave the water surface in a basically balanced manner when the fore-mast is swept back, a limiting structure is provided between the hull 1 and the fore-mast. Specifically, the hull 1 is provided with a rigid limiting portion 10 near the connection between the left fore-mast 2 and the right fore-mast 3, and the limiting portion 10 can limit the left fore-mast 2 and the right fore-mast 3 from rotating backward in the deployed state. In order to ensure stability, the rigid limiting portion 10 is a wider limiting portion 10, that is, in the deployed state, the wider limiting portion 10 forms a line contact or a surface contact with the left fore-mast 2 and the right fore-mast 3 instead of a point contact. Preferably, the wider limiting portion 10 can be integrally formed with the hull 1, and can have a limiting function for the left fore-mast 2 and the right fore-mast 3 while taking into account the requirements of fluid performance and aesthetic appearance.

[0037] It should be further explained that, in the unfolded state, the forewing body 4 is subjected to the vertical upward main lift and backward resistance of the water. Since the main lift is much greater than the resistance, the resultant force of the main lift and the resistance can be regarded as being perpendicular to the forewing body 4 and upward and equal to the main lift. Since the foremast is swept back, the main lift can be decomposed into an upward supporting force along the axis of the foremast and a main lift torque perpendicular to the axis of the foremast. The connection between the foremast and the hull 1 has a foremast rotating shaft arranged transversely along the hull 1. The main lift torque will generate a main lift torque to cause the foremast to rotate backward relative to the hull 1 along the foremast rotating shaft. According to the principles of mechanics, when the foremast is swept back, the basic balance of the hydrofoil craft as a whole is achieved through the main lift. On the one hand, the extension line of the main lift vector should be near the center of gravity of the hydrofoil craft. On the other hand, a rigid structural relationship should be formed between the hull 1, the foremast and the fore-wing body 4 in the deployed position. In other words, the foremast should be in a state of force balance, which means that a balancing torque that offsets the main lift torque needs to be applied to the foremast. The balancing torque is achieved by applying a balancing torque in the opposite direction of rotation to the foremast shaft, or by applying a balancing torque in the opposite direction of rotation to the foremast, including achieving the balancing torque by limiting the rotation of the foremast shaft or by a rigid limiting portion that limits the rotation of the foremast.

[0038] Preferably, in order to make it easier to control the hydrofoil craft, it also includes a rear wing assembly arranged at the rear of the hull 1 for adjusting the pitch angle, so that the front hydrofoil provides the main lift, and the rear hydrofoil is mainly responsible for adjusting the pitch angle of the hydrofoil craft during travel. Specifically, the rear wing assembly includes a rear mast 7 arranged at the rear of the hull 1, and a rear wing body 8 that is at least partially rotatably connected to the rear mast 7, the rotation axis of the rear wing body 8 and the rear mast 7 is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear mast 7, and a vertical lifting mechanism and a flipping mechanism are respectively arranged between the rear mast 7 and the hull 1. In addition, the rear wing assembly also includes a propulsion mechanism 9, which preferably adopts a propeller propulsion method. The rear mast 7 extends downward perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the hull axis in the unfolded state; when the rear hydrofoil is folded, the rear mast 7 is first lifted vertically out of the water by the vertical lifting mechanism, and then dumped by the flipping mechanism. Alternatively, other known rear hydrofoil folding solutions in the prior art may be used. It should be noted that the specific structures of the vertical lifting mechanism and the flipping mechanism are not the design highlights of the present application, and the specific structures will not be described in detail here.

[0039] Embodiment 2:

[0040] The difference from the first embodiment is that the cantilever assembly can also perform the roll control of the hydrofoil craft. Specifically, the two ends of the cantilever body 4 are respectively rotatably provided with a left aileron 5 and a right aileron 6, and the rotation axis of the left aileron 5 and the right aileron 6 extends along the length direction of the cantilever body 4. The left aileron 5 and the right aileron 6 deflect up and down relative to the cantilever body 4 along the rotation axis of the aileron, thereby realizing the roll control of the hydrofoil craft.

[0041] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A hydrofoil boat, comprising a boat body and a front wing assembly, wherein the front wing assembly comprises a front mast and a front wing body fixedly arranged at one end of the front mast, characterized in that: The other end of the front mast is rotatably connected to the hull, and the rotatable connection between the two is located between the bow of the hydrofoil craft and its center of gravity; the front wing body has an extended position and a folded position. When it is in the extended position, the front wing assembly is swept back and provides a main lift to support the hull out of the water. When it is folded, the front wing body rotates forward until it emerges from the water.

2. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the front wing body is in the deployed position, the extension line of the main lift vector is close to the center of gravity of the hydrofoil craft.

3. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The foremast comprises a left foremast and a right foremast, and the left foremast and the right foremast are rotatably arranged on both sides of the ship body respectively.

4. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 1, characterized in that: A limiting structure is arranged between the hull and the front mast.

5. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 4, characterized in that: The limiting structure comprises a limiting portion arranged on the ship body, and when the front wing body is in the unfolded position, the front mast conflicts with the limiting portion.

6. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front wing body is an integral structure.

7. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that: The two ends of the front wing body are respectively rotatably provided with a left aileron and a right aileron, and the rotation axis lines of the left aileron and the right aileron extend along the length direction of the front wing body.

8. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a rear wing assembly which is arranged at the rear of the ship body and is used to adjust the pitch angle.

9. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 8, characterized in that: The rear wing assembly includes a rear mast arranged at the rear of the ship body, and a rear wing body at least partially rotatably connected to the rear mast, wherein the rotation axis of the rear wing body and the rear mast is perpendicular to the length direction of the rear mast.

10. A hydrofoil craft according to claim 8, characterized in that: A vertical lifting mechanism and a flipping mechanism are respectively arranged between the rear mast and the ship body.

Images