Underwater diving wing
The buoyancy-compensating diving wing addresses the limitations of traditional weights by generating lift based on swimming speed and flow, providing safe and efficient underwater movement with adjustable geometry and profiles.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- PERDIGON EMILIA
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-01
AI Technical Summary
Traditional scuba diving weights are restrictive, limit movement, pose safety risks, and can be harmful to humans and the environment, making entry and exit from water difficult and dangerous.
A buoyancy-compensating underwater diving wing that generates lift based on swimming speed and water flow, with adjustable geometry and material density, featuring symmetrical or asymmetrical profiles and optional handles and lighting, to maintain depth or assist surfacing.
The wing effectively compensates for buoyancy, enhances safety, and improves hydrodynamic performance, allowing safe and efficient underwater movement.
Smart Images
Figure 00000004_0000
Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Underwater diving wing
[0001] The present invention relates to a device to assist underwater diving by compensating for the diver's buoyancy.
[0002] Scuba diving, whether freediving or using a breathing apparatus, is traditionally performed with weights to compensate for the natural buoyancy of the human body as well as that generated by equipment such as a wetsuit. Weights are restrictive during entry and exit from the water because they are heavy in air. They limit the diver's movement, make it more difficult to maintain a surface position when necessary, and can therefore even be dangerous. They may also be made of materials harmful to humans and the environment.
[0003] The device according to the invention makes it possible to overcome these drawbacks by adding a playful dimension. It is in fact a lifting surface of the board or wing type which produces, with the speed generated by the user swimming in the water, a force which, depending on the angle of incidence between the wing and the flow of the water, pulls the user towards the bottom by compensating for their natural buoyancy, maintains them at a constant depth or helps them rise to the surface. According to specific modes of implementation: • The geometry and surface area of the wing can be varied to generate a variable force depending on the characteristics of the diver and his equipment. • The cross-section of the wing, called the profile, can be optimized to improve hydrodynamic lift and drag performance by respecting, as a non-limiting example, the series of NACA-type profiles developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. • The cross-section of the wing, called the profile, can be symmetrical so that the wing is as efficient during diving as during ascent, or asymmetrical to optimize the wing's efficiency during diving. • The wing can be made solid with a material with a density greater than or equal to that of water to facilitate diving or with a material with a density less than water to allow the wing to float, aid in ascent or rest on the surface and ensure the safety of the user. • The wing can be made hollow, for example, by assembling two shells, to allow the wing to have a density lower than that of water and therefore to float, aiding in surfacing or resting on the surface and ensuring user safety, regardless of the materials used. • One or more handles can be added to facilitate gripping and controlling the wing. These handles can be in the form of cutouts in the wing itself (2a and 2b) or raised modules. • A lighting system can be integrated into the invention to allow for better distinction of the seabed.
[0004] The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention equipped with handles in a perspective view.
[0005] The force F produced by a load-bearing profile is such that F = U² p S V² Cx with p the density of water, S the surface area of the lifting profile, V its speed and Cx the lift coefficient of the profile. As a non-limiting example, for a swimmer with fins moving at 1.5 m / s and a lift coefficient of 0.55 corresponding to a NACA 0006 airfoil (1) at a 5° angle of attack, a surface area of 0.1 m² generates a force of approximately 60 N. This is sufficient to compensate for the natural buoyancy of an adult weighing less than 70 kg. In the embodiment shown in [Fig. 1], the wing is an extrusion of the NACA 0006 airfoil with a specific geometry inspired by mammalian fins, in order to limit induced drag. The invention can be implemented, by way of non-limiting example, in plastic injection molding by manufacturing two half-shells, with or without stiffeners to improve wing rigidity, and assembled together (3). A symmetrical profile allows the use of a single mold to produce both half-shells, thus reducing production costs.
[0006] The device according to the invention is particularly intended for leisure activities, whether it be freediving or diving with a breathing device, underwater tourism, water sports, as well as a swimming aid device due to its ability to float and its hydrodynamics.
Claims
Demands
1. Diving aid device, characterized in that it comprises a wing-type lifting surface, configured to generate a force as a function of the speed of movement of the user in the water and the angle of incidence of the wing relative to the flow of the water, thus compensating for the natural buoyancy of the diver.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the geometry of the wing is variable, the surface of the wing being adjustable according to the physical characteristics of the diver and his equipment.
3. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross-section of the wing, called profile, is optimized to improve hydrodynamic performance, and complies, by way of non-limiting example, with NACA profiles (1).
4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wing profile can be symmetrical or asymmetrical depending on the intended use.
5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wing is made of materials having a density greater than or equal to that of water to facilitate diving, or less than that to float.
6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wing is hollow, to ensure safe buoyancy.
7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wing is made in two parts assembled (3) to facilitate its manufacture.
8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wing has one or more handles to facilitate its transport, use and control.
9. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wing has integrated lighting in order to better discern the environment.