Sailboat provided with a transit part for the sharpening and hoisting of said sail

Abstract

The invention relates to a ship provided with a mast (2), with a sail (4) and a halyard for hoisting it, - this sail (4) being provided with carriages shaped to be able to be moved along said mast (2); - said mast (2) being provided with a guide member (20), said guide carriages being shaped to cooperate with said guide member (20), characterized in that: - said sail (4) is made up of rigid panels (5), articulated two by two;- said mast (2) is equipped with a transit piece (7) positioned at the end of said guide member (20), which has a flared lower part and is open at its opposite ends, - so that when hoisting the sail (4), each carriage (6) is received in said transit piece (7) and is guided along the latter to emerge from it through its upper opening and come to cooperate with said guide member (20), while when it is lowered, each carriage (6) disengages from said guide member (20), is received in the transit piece (7), moves along the latter, then escapes therefrom following the movement of the part of the sail (4) to which it is secured.;

Description

GENERAL TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention lies in the general field of sailing vessels.

[0002] It relates more particularly to a vessel provided with a deck and a mast, which is equipped with a sail with a halyard for hoisting said sail, this sail comprising at least three sides, namely two longitudinal sides, constituting a "luff" and a "leech", as well as a lower transverse side or "outboard", and this sail being provided, along said luff, with a plurality of carriages.

[0003] This mast is provided with a longitudinal guide member, said carriages being shaped to cooperate with this member with the possibility of sliding during the operations of lowering and hoisting said sail. STATE OF THE ART

[0004] According to the prior art, sails are known which are suitable for the operation of a merchant or passenger vessel, that is to say a sail capable of being used intensively (even on vessels with very high righting torque), whatever the weather conditions encountered, while maximizing the return on investment of the rigging and the sail.

[0005] Thus, for example, WO 2018 / 095860 describes a sail 4 which is schematically represented in figure 1 attached.

[0006] It is shown in the hoisted position, in place on a mast 2 fitted with a boom 420, which equips deck 3 of a ship 1.

[0007] Ship 1 is not shown in detail. In any case, it could be a passenger ship, a cargo ship, a fishing vessel, a pleasure sailing boat, a yacht, etc.

[0008] In this illustrated embodiment, the sail has the shape of a quadrilateral which fits into a right triangle. More precisely, this sail has two longitudinal sides 40 and 41 which are respectively called in terms of the trade "luff" and "leech", a lower transverse side called "outlet" 42 attached to the boom 420, as well as an upper transverse side 43.

[0009] In an embodiment not shown, the sail may fit within a rectangle such as that defined by the dotted lines R, or within a right triangle such as that delimited by the mixed lines T, these lines being visible in the aforementioned figure.

[0010] This sail is made up of a set of 5 panels.

[0011] To the figure 1 , we are dealing with ten panels 5 but this number could be different, that is to say lower or higher.

[0012] In the stowed position of the sail, the various panels 5 which constitute it are alternately superimposed on each other in the lower part of the mast, in a "zigzag" or "accordion" arrangement. Thus, the sail is in a way folded on itself.

[0013] To the figure 2 is shown, in accordance with the aforementioned prior art, a single panel 5 of the sail. However, the following applies to the other panels of the sail. This panel is integral with a carriage-forming member 6, which is arranged to slide along a guide rail 20 which runs vertically along a surface of the mast 2. The figure 3 allows us to better understand this configuration.

[0014] In a particular embodiment and as illustrated in figure 4 , to allow the sail to be hoisted or brought back into the stowed position, each panel 5 is provided along its longitudinal edge 50 closest to the luff 40 with a guide rail 500 in which is arranged a sliding carriage 6' called "panel carriage", this carriage 6' being shaped to move freely along the rail while having a movement limited by the opposite ends of this rail 500. This rail extends for example only over a part of the edge 50.

[0015] Thanks to these means, the hoisting and lowering maneuvers, which use a halyard, of the sail are facilitated.

[0016] However, the fact that each carriage 6 of each panel 5 remains integral with the guide rail 20 during the entire maneuver, including when the sail is completely lowered, imposes kinematic constraints. In addition, significant friction is observed, which generates risks of blocking during maneuvers of the sail. Similarly, the fact that each panel is provided with a guide rail significantly increases the manufacturing cost of these panels. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention aims to solve the technical problems stated above.

[0018] In other words, it aims to offer a sailing vessel whose hoisting and lowering maneuvers, although carried out with guide trolleys, are easy to carry out, while drastically reducing friction, using simple technical means.

[0019] Thus, the present invention relates to a vessel provided with a deck, a mast and a boom or balestron, said mast being equipped with a sail with a halyard for hoisting said sail, said sail comprising at least three sides, namely two longitudinal sides, constituting a "luff" and a "leech", as well as a lower transverse side or "border", this sail being provided, along said luff, with a plurality of projecting carriages shaped to be able to be moved along said mast; said mast being provided longitudinally with a guide member (20), said guide carriages being shaped to cooperate with said guide member with the possibility of sliding during the operations of lowering and hoisting said sail, characterized in that: said sail is made up of rigid panels, hinged two by two; said mast is equipped with a transit piece positioned at the lower end of said guide member, this transit piece having a lower part flared towards the base of said mast and being open at its upper and lower ends, so that when hoisting said sail with said halyard, each carriage of said sail is automatically received in said transit piece by its lower opening and is gradually guided along it to emerge from it through its upper opening and come to cooperate with said guide member, while when it is lowered, each carriage automatically and gradually disengages from said guide member, is received in the transit piece, moves along it, then escapes from it through its lower opening, following the movement of the part of the sail to which it is secured.

[0020] Thanks to these characteristics, both during the folding (lowering) and during the unfolding (hoisting) of the sail, only a part of the aforementioned carriages cooperates with the guide member, while the others are separated from it, which considerably reduces the friction observed according to the prior art.

[0021] Furthermore, the "exit" and "entry" movements of the trolleys are easily carried out thanks to the transit part, without the risk of one of the trolleys being incorrectly positioned at the exit or entry of the mast.

[0022] In addition, this transition piece allows you to do away with the panel rail described above, thus reducing the manufacturing cost of the sail.

[0023] According to other advantageous and non-limiting characteristics of the invention, taken individually or according to a technically compatible combination of at least two of them: said guide member consists of a rail which is at least partially projecting from the surface of said mast, or of a groove which runs along said mast; it comprises, on said boom or said balestron, means for retaining said sail in the lowered position, which consist of a gutter, a cradle, or a set of sideboards; each panel is provided with a carriage, the mutual spacing between two carriages being constant; said transit piece comprises a non-flared upper part which is located in the extension of said flared lower part and the distance h which separates the junction zone of these two parts from the top of the stack of the sail in the lowered position is greater than 0.5 times the distance which separates two neighboring carriages of the sail in the hoisted position;each carriage comprises a first part secured to said sail, as well as a second part shaped to cooperate with said guide member in the hoisted position of said sail, these two parts are connected by a ball joint or by a pivoting connection around at least two axes of rotation; said first part comprises a disc-shaped element, while said second part comprises a solid body whose base has a vertically oriented groove, this groove having a profile complementary to that of said guide member, as well as two symmetrical wings; the upper opening of said transit part opens onto a channel whose facing edges have the form of symmetrical profiles whose spacing is equal, apart from the clearance, to the width of the solid body of said carriage, profiles which have a cutout at their base, the shape of which is complementary to that of the wings of said body;the lower opening of said transit piece has a width greater than one sixth of the distance between two carriages when the sail is hoisted. the lowest point of said transit piece is distant from said boom or said balestron by a distance greater than the thickness of said sail in the fully lowered position. ; DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0024] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear from the description which will now be given, with reference to the appended drawings, which represent, for informational but non-limiting purposes, a possible embodiment.

[0025] On these drawings: there figure 1 is, as already specified, a very schematic front view of a sail formed from articulated panels, as described in more detail in WO 2018 / 095860; figure 2 is a front view of just one of these panels, on which a guide carriage which equips it is also visible; figure 3 is a perspective and enlarged view of the part of the panel provided with said carriage, as well as the guide rail with which it cooperates; figure 4 is a partial front view of two panels equipped with a pair of guide carriages; the figure 5 is a very simplified perspective diagram of a part of the sail and a transit piece placed in the lower part of the ship's mast, this diagram being intended to illustrate the principle underlying the invention; figure 6 is an enlarged view of the right part of the figure 5 ; there figure 7 is a perspective view of the mast, sail and balestron of a vessel in accordance with the present invention; figure 8 is an enlarged view of the part marked with a circle at the figure 7 ; there figure 9 is an enlarged view of the part marked with a circle at the figure 8 , showing more specifically the transit part of the sail; the figure 10 is a view substantially similar to the figure 7 , except that the sail is represented in the lowered position; the figure 11 is an enlarged view of the part marked with a circle at the figure 10 ; there figure 12 is a perspective view of a trolley which equips the sail; the figure 13 is a view analogous to the figure 9 , but enlarged, neither the cart nor a panel being represented there; the figure 14 is a first detailed view of said transit part; the figure 15 is a second detailed view of said transit part; figure 16 is a third detailed view of said transit part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The following description is made in connection with a ship 1 whose sail 4 is made up of articulated panels 5, as described for example in the aforementioned international application. Reference may be made to this application for further details on the articulation means arranged between two neighboring panels.

[0027] We can refer to the figures 5 et 6 attached to explain the principle underlying the present invention.

[0028] In these figures, only three panels 5 of the sail 4 are shown, which is in the process of being folded, that is to say lowered. The lower panel 5 is positioned flat on a boom or balestron not shown, while the other two panels undergo a downward movement along the mast, so that they can be folded in turn onto the aforementioned lower panel 5.

[0029] For the sake of simplification, the ship's mast has not been shown, and only the vertically oriented guide rail 20 with which it is fitted can be seen.

[0030] In this example, the rail 20 projects above a surface of the mast. In another configuration, this rail could be positioned in a groove running the entire length of the mast. In yet another configuration, there could be a simple groove that extends the entire length of this mast, instead of an actual rail.

[0031] In any event, these different embodiments constitute a guide member for the guide carriage 6 which equips each of the panels 5.

[0032] On these figures 5 et 6 , the guide carriage 6 has been represented only in the symbolic form of a rod, this simply for illustrative reasons. Each panel 5 is provided with such a guide carriage along its vertical edge which constitutes with the other panels, the luff 40 of the sail 4.

[0033] Preferably, the trolleys are equidistant from each other.

[0034] As can be seen in these figures, a transit piece 7 is arranged at the lower end of the rail 20, which has the overall shape of an inverted funnel. Here again, this is a purely symbolic representation made for explanatory purposes only. A particular shape of this transit piece will be described later in the description.

[0035] The principle underlying the invention lies in the fact that if it is intended to lower the sail 4, each of the carriages 6 associated with a panel 5 of the sail will be made to slide along the rail 20 until it is positioned at the open upper entrance of the transit part 7.

[0036] The carriage 6 then definitively leaves the rail 20 and engages in the transit part 7 to exit through its open lower end.

[0037] The associated panel 5, thus released but still held by the halyard, can thus be positioned on the previous panel 5 which is already lowered.

[0038] Conversely, that is to say when the sail 4 is hoisted by means of a halyard not shown, the panels 5 are moved in turn from bottom to top towards the lower opening of the transit piece 7 and their carriage 6 is gradually moved towards its converging upper end, then transferred onto the rail 20 with which it is brought to cooperate.

[0039] A particular mode of resolution of the invention and now described with reference to figures 7 à 16 annexed.

[0040] To figures 7 et 8 , the sail 4 of the ship is shown in a partially lowered position. Thus, the lowest panels 5 of the sail are already folded over each other and stored on the upper surface 422 of the balestron 42.

[0041] In order to retain these panels 5 on the balestron 42, and ultimately, all of the panels of the sail when the latter is completely lowered, the upper surface 422 comprises retention means which here consist of a set of side panels 421, which are distributed in pairs according to a mutual spacing compatible with the dimensions of the panels 5.

[0042] In other embodiments not shown, it could be a cradle, a gutter or any other similar retaining means.

[0043] To the figure 9 , we can more precisely distinguish a possible embodiment of the carriage 6, as well as the upper part of an embodiment of the transit part 7.

[0044] THE figures 10 et 11 are similar to figures 7 et 8 , except that all of the panels 5 of the sail are lowered, with the exception of the upper panel referenced 5 Sup. Under these conditions, this upper panel remains in a vertical position, with its carriage 6 cooperating with the rail 20 of the mast 2.

[0045] To the figure 12 a possible embodiment of the carriage 6 is shown.

[0046] This carriage comprises a first part 60 secured to the associated panel 5, as well as a second part 61 intended to cooperate with the rail 20 of the mast 2 in the hoisted position of the sail 4.

[0047] These two parts are connected by a 62 ball joint which allows great freedom of movement in relation to each other.

[0048] More specifically, the first part 60 comprises a base 602 for attachment to a panel 5, which is attached in the direction of the ball joint 62 to a disc-shaped element 601. The function of this element 601 will be explained later in the description.

[0049] The second part 61 comprises a solid body 610 whose base 611, which is opposite the ball joint 62, has a groove 612 of vertical orientation, this groove having a profile complementary to that of the rail 20 which will be described later in the description.

[0050] The aforementioned ball joint can advantageously be replaced by a pivoting connection around at least two axes of rotation.

[0051] Finally, on either side of the base 611 extend two symmetrical wings 613. These wings 613 have the same orientation as the groove 612 and project from the solid body 610.

[0052] The particular shape of rail 20 is particularly visible at the figure 15 . This comprises a base 200 from which a foot 201 extends vertically and is surmounted by a transverse bar 202, which gives this rail a "T" shaped profile. The aforementioned groove 612 which the carriage 6 comprises is therefore shaped to cooperate with this rail, by sliding along it.

[0053] As is particularly visible in the figure 13 , the transit part 7 essentially comprises a bottom 70 and two symmetrical and downwardly diverging wings 71 and 72. It comprises a non-flared upper part (with parallel edges) 73 as well as a flared lower part 74. Its upper opening is referenced 75, while its lower opening is referenced 76.

[0054] This part 7 is fixed to the mast 2 by its bottom 70 in such a way that the lower end of the rail 20 is partially engaged in the upper opening 75.

[0055] The opening 75 opens onto a channel 730 whose facing edges have the shape of symmetrical profiles 731. Their spacing is equal, apart from the clearance, to the width of the body 610 of the carriage 6. They have a cutout 732 at their base, the shape of which is complementary to that of the wings 613 of the body 610.

[0056] In this way, when the carriage 6 is moved in the downward direction, it partially engages in the cutouts 732 via the wings 613, while it has not yet completely left the rail 20.

[0057] The aforementioned profiles 731 have a height such that they each provide an upper face 733 forming a slide. This height is chosen in such a way that when the carriage 6 is in the position indicated above, the disc-shaped element 601 extends above and preferably at a distance from these upper faces 733.

[0058] Thus, it is possible to operate a smooth transition of the carriage 9 from the rail 6 to the transit part 7 and vice versa.

[0059] The 731 profiles gradually stop to die at the entrance to the flared lower part. In addition and as shown in the figure 16 , the cutouts 732 extend towards the flared part by an opening 733 with an upward slope, which is interrupted at the same time as the end of the profiles 731.

[0060] Thus, as the carriage 6 moves along the unflared upper part of the part 7, the panel has a latitude of movement that it did not have until now. It can then be freely folded over the other panels which are already collapsed.

[0061] During the reverse movement, namely when hoisting the sail 4, the movement of the halyard causes the progressive raising of each of the panels 5.

[0062] In doing so, the carriage 6 of a panel comes to be positioned at the open lower end of the transit piece 7. The wings 71 and 72 form converging restraining means which guide the carriage 6 towards the non-flared upper part 73. It should be noted that in the embodiment described here, the wings 71 and 72 have a curved shape. However, they could have a straight shape.

[0063] The disc-shaped element 601 slides or rolls along one of the wings 71 or 72 to bring the carriage 6 to the entrance of the channel 730, then the body 610 engages in this channel 730. The disc-shaped element 601 of the carriage 6 extends above and preferably at a distance from the upper faces 733 while the element 613 of the carriage 6 slides along the surface 734 of the profiles 731 so that the carriage 6 can partially engage in the cutouts 732 by the wings 613.

[0064] While continuing this movement, the carriage 6 gradually arrives at the entrance of the rail 20 and the transition onto it takes place smoothly by cooperation of the groove 612 with this rail.

[0065] This significantly limits the friction observed with the technical means according to the prior art. In addition, the fact that the panels are no longer secured to the rail in the lowered position makes maneuvers easier.

[0066] Advantageously, the lowest point of the transit piece 7 is distant from the balestron 42 by a distance greater than the thickness of said sail 4 in the fully lowered position. However, this point can be placed higher or lower, provided that at least one carriage 6 remains engaged in the transit piece or the guide rail, without this interfering with the operation of the assembly.

[0067] Also advantageously and for optimal operation, the opening of the lower part 76 of the transit piece 7 has a width greater than one sixth of the distance between two carriages 6 when the sail 4 is hoisted.

[0068] Always advantageously and as shown in the figure 11 , the distance h which separates the junction zone of these two upper non-flared parts 73 and lower flared parts 74 from the top of the stack of the sail 4 in the lowered position is greater than 0.5 times the distance which separates two neighboring carriages 6 from the sail 4 in the hoisted position. This contributes to better positioning of the sail 4 with respect to the transit piece 7, with a view to its hoisting.

[0069] Throughout this application, what has been described in relation to a balestron also applies to a boom and vice versa.

Claims

1. A vessel (1) provided with a deck (3), with a mast (2) and with a boom (420) or with a sprit, said mast (2) being equipped with a sail (4) with a halyard for hoisting said sail (4), - said sail including at least three sides, namely two longitudinal sides, constituting a "luff" (40) and a "leech" (41), as well as a lower transverse side or "foot" (42), this sail (4) being provided, along said luff, with a plurality of protruding dollies (6) formed to be able to be moved along said mast (2); - said mast (2) being provided longitudinally with a guide member (20), said guide dollies (6) being formed to cooperate with said guide member (20) with the possibility of sliding during lowering and hoisting operations of said sail (4), characterized in that: - said sail (4) consists of rigid panels (5), articulated two by two; - said mast (2) is equipped with a transit part (7) positioned at the lower end of said guide member (20), this transit part (7) having a flared lower portion (74) in the direction of the base of said mast (2) and being open at its upper and lower ends, - so that during the hoisting of said sail (4) with said halyard, each dolly (6) of said sail (4) is automatically received in said transit part (7) by its lower opening (76) and is progressively guided along it to leave it through its upper opening (75) and cooperate with said guide member (20), while during its lowering, each dolly (6) is automatically and progressively disengaged from said guide member (20), is received in said transit part (7), moves along it, then escapes from it by its lower opening by following the movement of the portion of the sail (4) with which it is integral.

2. The vessel (1) according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that said guide member (20) consists of a rail which protrudes at least partially from the surface of said mast (2), or of a channel which runs along said mast (2).

3. The vessel (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that it includes, on said boom or said sprit (420), means for retaining and containing said sail (4) in the lowered position, which consist of a gutter, a cradle, or a set of side walls (421).

4. The vessel (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by the fact that each panel (5) is provided with a dolly (6), the mutual spacing between two dollies (6) being constant.

5. The vessel (1) according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that said transit part (7) includes a non-flared upper portion (73) which is located in the continuation of said flared lower portion (74) and that the distance h which separates the junction zone of these two portions (73, 74) from the peak of the sail (4) stack in the lowered position is greater than 0.5 times the mutual spacing between two adjacent dollies (6) of the sail (4) in the hoisted position.

6. The vessel (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that each dolly (6) includes a first portion (60) integral with said sail (4), as well as a second portion (61) formed to cooperate with said guide member (20) in the hoisted position of said sail (4), these two portions being connected by a ball joint (62) or by a connection pivoting around at least two rotation axes.

7. The vessel (1) according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that said first portion (60) includes a disc-shaped element (601), while the second portion (61) includes a massive body (610), the base (611) of which has a vertically-oriented groove (612), this groove having a profile complementary to that of said guide member (20), as well as two symmetrical fins (613).

8. The vessel (1) according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that the upper opening (75) of said transit party (7) opens on a channel (730) the facing edges of which have the shape of symmetrical profiled sections (731) the spacing of which is equal, within the clearance, to the width of the massive body (610) of said dolly (6), profiled sections which have a cutaway (732) at their base, the shape of which is complementary to that of the fins (613) of said massive body (610).

9. The vessel (1) according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that the lower opening (76) of said transit part (7) has a width greater than a sixth of the mutual spacing between two dollies (6) when the sail (4) is hoisted.

10. The vessel (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that the lowest point of said transit part (7) is distant from said boom (420) or from said sprit by a distance greater than the thickness of said sail (4) in the completely lowered position.

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