Submersible vehicle having safety shaft

Abstract

Proposed is a vehicle (10) having a crew space and a drive unit. The vehicle (10) is designed to be submersible. The drive unit requires air for operation, which it takes from the crew space. Furthermore, a hatch (50) is provided which forms the entrance of the vehicle (10) to the crew space. According to the invention, an interface (40) is provided by means of which a main shaft (20) can be connected in a watertight manner to the hatch (50). Furthermore, a flange (60) is arranged on the vehicle (10), by means of which a safety shaft (30) can be connected in a watertight manner. Both shafts (20, 30) are used to supply air to the crew space in the vehicle (10).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a submersible vehicle with a safety shaft. Such vehicles are often designed as amphibious vehicles and are used in both civilian and security applications. However, vehicles suitable for underwater travel also exist, particularly in the military sector.

[0002] Such a vehicle is equipped with at least one crew compartment and at least one propulsion unit. The crew compartment is the space occupied by the crew, particularly during submerged operations, and the propulsion unit provides the vehicle's propulsion.

[0003] To ensure the vehicle's operational capability, openings are provided on the vehicle to allow air to enter. These openings are designed to be closable.

[0004] Such a vehicle is known, for example, from DE 977850 C. This discloses a vehicle suitable for underwater travel, with corresponding openings provided in the vehicle that enable such underwater travel.

[0005] Such vehicles are often used to cross natural obstacles, such as bodies of water. Therefore, creating a way to cross watercourses such as rivers and / or streams without the use of aids such as temporary bridges, rafts, etc. is particularly important.

[0006] In order to ensure the supply of air during underwater travel, it is known to attach a pipe to the vehicle which protrudes at least partially from the water during underwater travel and thus ensures the supply of air to the vehicle. Such a pipe is already known, for example, from DE 6 908 637 U. Such an air supply is necessary to supply not only the crew compartment and thus the vehicle occupants with breathing air, but also the drive unit located in the vehicle. It is also conceivable that other units for operating the vehicle must be supplied with air. For this purpose, the vehicle is divided into several areas which are to receive such an air supply. One of these areas is the aforementioned crew compartment, another the aforementioned area for the drive unit. Further areas can be provided, for example, for additional units.

[0007] In the known underwater vehicles with an attached tube, this is not only required for the air supply, but also as a living space for at least one crew member to operate the vehicle. The disadvantage of this is that the crew member's presence in the tube limits the possible air flow that can be supplied to the vehicle through the tube.

[0008] Such a limited supply of outside air also poses a safety risk for the vehicle's crew. Not only does it limit the supply of breathable air, but the air consumption at the units can also create a negative pressure in the vehicle. This always occurs when the units require more air than the air supply in the pipe allows. Such a negative pressure poses a safety risk for the vehicle's crew.

[0009] To solve this problem, it is also known to use a second pipe, as previously disclosed, for example, in DE 10 2017 103 720 A1. This discloses two pipes for air supply, with one pipe being used specifically for supplying air to the drive unit.

[0010] A disadvantage of this type of submersible vehicle is that it has two separate intake ports, which require additional assembly effort. Furthermore, the additional air supply cannot be made available to the crew.

[0011] DE 10 2017 100 168 A1 shows a device for exchanging air between two rooms that are rotatably mounted relative to each other.

[0012] A device for air conditioning and ventilation of a vehicle tower is described in WO 2015 / 082802 A1.

[0013] DE 66 08 279 U shows a snorkel for vehicles made of a flexible skin with stiffening rings and with a diameter that increases towards the top.

[0014] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a submersible vehicle that provides a sufficient air supply for the crew and the vehicle without requiring increased assembly effort. Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to minimize the risk of negative pressure in the vehicle and to ensure a constant, sufficient air supply. This object is achieved by the features of the main claim.

[0015] Accordingly, a vehicle is proposed that has a crew compartment and a drive unit. For this purpose, the vehicle is preferably divided into several sections, of which the crew compartment represents one section and the drive unit represents another.

[0016] The vehicle according to the invention is also designed to be submersible, thus enabling underwater travel. Furthermore, the vehicle according to the invention is designed such that the propulsion unit draws air for operation from the air supplied to the crew compartment.

[0017] Access to the vehicle and the crew compartment in the vehicle according to the invention is ensured via a hatch, which is preferably located on the roof of the vehicle.

[0018] The vehicle according to the invention further comprises an interface by means of which a main shaft can be watertightly connected to the hatch. For this purpose, an interface is provided in the area of ​​the hatch circumference, to which the main shaft can be attached. Possible attachment options for the main shaft include screw connections or a bayonet-type closure.

[0019] A flange is also provided, which is mounted on the vehicle. This flange allows a safety shaft to be connected to the vehicle in a watertight manner. The safety shaft can also be attached to the flange using screw connections and / or a bayonet lock.

[0020] The flange is located adjacent to the interface. This arrangement offers the advantage that air can be supplied via the main shaft and the safety shaft together through the interface to the vehicle and thus to the crew compartment. However, it is also conceivable to locate the flange in a separate area of ​​the vehicle from the interface, preferably on the roof.

[0021] The main shaft is preferably designed to have a cross-section that corresponds to the diameter of the hatch. This shifts the hatch opening toward the top of the vehicle, so that during underwater travel, the main shaft protrudes above the water while the vehicle is submerged.

[0022] Such a cross-section still allows a crew member to be inside the main shaft. This is necessary, for example, to ensure vehicle guidance.

[0023] The safety shaft is preferably designed to have a smaller cross-section than the main shaft. The safety shaft must only be suitable for supplying air to the power units and the crew compartment. It does not need to accommodate personnel. Accordingly, the cross-section can be selected to be smaller than that of the main shaft.

[0024] To allow a person to stand in the main shaft, it is designed to extend vertically from the top of the vehicle. The main shaft has no kinks or bends. Preferably, the main shaft is designed to be telescopic so that it can be retracted when not in use. This design allows for space-saving storage of the main shaft when not in use.

[0025] The safety shaft, on the other hand, can be designed to be flexible in certain areas and, depending on requirements, can be provided with kinks or bends. For this purpose, the safety shaft can be designed to be at least partially flexible.

[0026] According to the invention, the main shaft and safety shaft can now be used to supply air to the crew area. This air supply also allows other areas of the vehicle, such as the drive unit, to be supplied with air. The additional use of the safety shaft also ensures that people in the main shaft cannot create harmful negative pressures in the vehicle, which would otherwise be caused by bottlenecks in the main shaft. These bottlenecks are compensated for by the air supply via the safety shaft.

[0027] For air flow inside the vehicle, flaps are provided that can control the air supply to individual areas of the vehicle. For this purpose, the flaps are designed to be closable, allowing individual areas to be supplied with air through the flaps or blocking the air supply. Preferably, the flaps are designed to be hydraulically controlled, and in particular, controlled via a central control system to ensure the most convenient air circulation in the vehicle.

[0028] In order to make the assembly of the main shaft and the safety shaft watertight, seals are preferably arranged at the interface and on the flange to prevent water ingress.

[0029] Further features are shown in the attached drawings. They show: Figure 1: Detailed view of the interface on the hatch of the vehicle Figure 2: Side view of an assembled main shaft and safety shaft Figure 3: Detailed view of the flange Figure 4: Detailed view of interface and flange Figure 5: Side view of main and safety shaft Figure 6: Perspective view of a vehicle according to the invention with assembled shafts.

[0030] Figure 1 shows a detailed view of an interface 40 according to the invention. Such an interface is arranged on a hatch 50 on a vehicle 10 according to the invention. The hatch 50 is located on the roof of the vehicle 10.

[0031] The hatch 50 has an interface 40 arranged on its outer circumference. A main shaft 20 is attached to this interface 40 to extend the hole of the hatch 50 toward the top of the vehicle 10.

[0032] The interface 40 is designed such that, when the main shaft 20 is mounted, it is attached to the hatch 50 in a watertight manner. For this purpose, the interface 40 can have seals. The main shaft 20 is designed as a straight tube to accommodate a person if necessary. This is helpful for guiding the vehicle 10 during submerged operations. For this purpose, the main shaft is designed without bends or kinks. In a special embodiment, however, the main shaft 20 can be designed telescopically so that it can be retracted when not in use.

[0033] A flange 60 is arranged at the interface 40 for attaching a safety shaft 30. The safety shaft 30 can also be attached via screw connections or a bayonet-type connection. Preferably, the flange 60 can also have a seal.

[0034] Flange 60 is located at interface 40 so that air can be supplied to the vehicle through the main shaft 20 as well as the safety shaft 30 via interface 40 and hatch 50. The air thus supplied is then available to the crew compartment, as well as to the vehicle's components, since these draw their air from the crew compartment.

[0035] Figure 2 shows a side view of the mounted main shaft 20 and safety shaft 30 on a vehicle 10. In contrast to the main shaft 20, the safety shaft 30 can be designed to be flexible, at least in some areas, to adapt to the requirements and conditions of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the safety shaft 30 should not be designed in such a way that a person could be present inside it. Accordingly, the safety shaft 30 can have bends and kinks.

[0036] Means for stabilizing the main shaft 20 on the vehicle roof may be provided. In the case of Figure 2 These means are shown as holding lines.

[0037] Figure 3 shows flange 60 in detail. The safety shaft 30 is attached to the interface 40 via the flange 60. This allows both air supplies to be fed to the vehicle together. It is important that the flange 50 is positioned below the position where a person can be in the main shaft 20.

[0038] Such a flange 50 can also be arranged away from the interface 40, but in this case the air from the safety shaft 30 is also supplied to the crew compartment. Figure 4This again shows the flange located at the interface 40. This also shows the fastening of the main shaft 20 to the interface by means of screw connections. The safety shaft 30, on the other hand, is attached to the flange by hooks. Alternatively, the safety shaft 30 can also be attached to the flange by screwing, a bayonet-type lock, or clipping.

[0039] Figure 5 shows the main shaft 20 and the safety shaft 30 from a side view. It is clearly visible that the main shaft 20 rises vertically from the vehicle, whereas the safety shaft 30 has bends and thus flexible zones.

[0040] Also in Figure 5The telescopic design of the main shaft 20 can be seen. The main shaft has five different segments that taper away from the vehicle. This allows the segments to be telescoped into each other when not in use.

[0041] Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the vehicle 10 according to the invention. The main shaft 20 is connected to the hatch 50 of the vehicle 10 via an interface 40. Furthermore, the safety shaft 30 is connected to the interface 40 via a flange 50, so that both air supplies can be supplied to the vehicle and thus to the crew compartment via the two shafts 20, 30. The air in the crew compartment is used as breathing air for the crew and as operating air for the units located in the vehicle 10, e.g., the drive unit.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned features. Rather, further embodiments are conceivable. For example, the safety shaft could be made of plastic or rubber. The main shaft could be made of metal or other hard materials. The vehicle could include additional hatches, including a dedicated diving hatch. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0043] 10Vehicle 20Main shaft 30Safety shaft 40Interface 50Hatch 60Flange

Claims

1. Vehicle (10) with a crew compartment and a drive unit, wherein the vehicle (10) is designed to be submersible, wherein the drive unit takes air from the crew compartment for operation, with a hatch (50) which forms the access of the vehicle (10) to the crew compartment, wherein an interface (40) is present, by means of which a main shaft (20) can be connected to the hatch (50) in a watertight manner, characterized in that a flange (60) is arranged on the vehicle (10), by means of which a safety shaft (30) can be connected in a watertight manner, and wherein the flange (60) is arranged at the interface (40).

2. Vehicle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the flange (60) is arranged on an upper side of the vehicle (10).

3. Vehicle (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the main shaft (20) has a cross-section which corresponds to the diameter of the hatch (50).

4. Vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the safety shaft (30) has a smaller cross-section than the main shaft (20).

5. Vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the main shaft (20) is configured in a telescopic manner.

6. Vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the safety shaft (30) is designed to be flexible at least in some areas.

7. Vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the vehicle (10) is subdivided into individual sections.

8. Vehicle (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that flaps are provided which can control the air supply via the main shaft (20) and the safety shaft (30) into the individual sections.

9. Vehicle (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that the flaps can be controlled hydraulically.

10. Vehicle (10) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that a central control system is provided for the flaps.

11. Vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that seals are arranged at the interface (40) and the flange (60) to ensure watertightness.

12. Vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the main shaft (20) and / or the safety shaft (30) can be attached to the interface (40) or the flange (60), respectively, via screw connections or a bayonet connection.

13. Vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the vehicle (10) is an armored military vehicle.

14. Vehicle (10) according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that further units are arranged in the vehicle (10), which also draw air from the crew compartment for operation.

Images