Car carrier equipped with rigid sails

Abstract

The present invention provides a car carrier equipped with a rigid sail with a wing cross-section that can be moved vertically, thereby minimizing the impact of the rigid sail's installation on stability and ensuring no impact on vehicle loading space. [Solution] The vessel comprises a local overhang extending outward from the side of the hull at the side of the full-length strength deck below the upper deck and at the side of the parallel section of the hull's center, a rigid sail with an airfoil section disposed at the local overhang and capable of moving up and down between an upward operating position and a downward retracted position, a first drive device that rotates the rigid sail with an airfoil section around its vertical axis, and a second drive device that drives the rigid sail with an airfoil section up and down.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to an automobile carrier equipped with a rigid sail.

Background Art

[0002] The applicant of the present application proposed a sailing ship equipped with a wing-section rigid sail that can move up and down on the upper deck in Patent Document 1. The sailing ship has been put into practical use as a bulk cargo ship. The wing-section rigid sail that can move up and down has a large height even in the lower retracted position. Therefore, in a bulk cargo ship, ore carrier, liquefied natural gas carrier, oil tanker, etc. with a deep draft and a low center of gravity, installing the wing-section rigid sail on the upper deck does not have a significant impact on the restoring force. However, in an automobile carrier with a shallow draft and a high center of gravity, installing the wing-section rigid sail on the upper deck may have a significant impact on the restoring force. As a solution to the above problem, Patent Document 2 proposes forming a recess on the ship side and disposing a rigid sail that can move up and down in the recess. When a recess is formed on the ship side, the recess protrudes into the cabin, so the vehicle loading space is reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] [Figure 1] This is an external perspective view of a car carrier equipped with a rigid sail according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a structural diagram of a car carrier equipped with a rigid sail according to an embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a central cross-sectional view, (b) is a top view of the rigid sail in the upper operational position, and (c) is a top view of the rigid sail in the lower retracted position. On the port side of (a) is a cross-sectional view of the rigid sail in the operational position, more specifically a cross-sectional view along the cutting line BB of (b). On the starboard side of (a) is a cross-sectional view of the rigid sail in the retracted position, more specifically a cross-sectional view along the cutting line CC of (c). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the car carrier 1 has a local overhang 5 that extends outward from the vertically extending side 4 of the central parallel section of the hull, located on the side of the full-length strength deck 3 below the upper deck 2. A first mast 6, which is rotatable around its vertical axis, and a first drive unit 7 of a rack and pinion mechanism that rotates the first mast 6 around its vertical axis, are attached to the local overhang 5. A second mast 8 is inserted into the first mast 6 so as not to rotate relative to the first mast 6 around its vertical axis, but so as to be movable relative to the first mast 6 vertically. A second drive unit 9 of a rack and pinion mechanism that drives the second mast 8 vertically relative to the first mast 6 is provided. A rigid sail 10 with a wing section is attached to the second mast 8.

[0008] The operation of car carrier 1 will be explained. During sailing in good weather, the second drive unit 9 operates, and the airfoil rigid sail 10 moves from the downward retracted position shown by the dashed line in Figure 1 and on the starboard side of Figure 2(a) and in Figure 2(c) to the upward operating position shown by the solid line in Figure 1 and on the port side of Figure 2(a) and in Figure 2(b). Next, the first drive unit 7 operates, causing the first mast 6 to rotate, and the second mast 8, which cannot rotate relative to the first mast 6, to rotate, positioning the airfoil rigid sail 10 at the optimal angle to the wind, as shown on the port side of Figure 2(a) and in Figure 2(b). The lower edge of the airfoil rigid sail 10 is above the roof of the exhaust fan room 11 on the side of the upper deck 2 and does not interfere with the exhaust fan 11. During rough seas, the first drive unit 7 operates, causing the first mast 6 to rotate, and the second mast 8, which cannot rotate relative to the first mast 6, also rotates, extending the airfoil rigid sail 10 parallel to the hull 4 as shown in Figure 2(c). Next, the second drive unit 9 operates, lowering the airfoil rigid sail 10 to the retracted position shown by the dashed line in Figure 1 and on the starboard side in Figure 2(a). The airfoil rigid sail 10 descends to the retracted position without interfering with the hull 4 and comes close to the hull 4. At the retracted position, the top of the airfoil rigid sail 10 is at approximately the same height as the roof of the exhaust fan room 11. In the car carrier 1, the rigid sail 10 can be retracted downwards and brought close to the side of the hull during rough weather, thereby suppressing the impact of the rigid sail 10 on the ship's stability. When the rigid sail 10 is in the refuge position due to rough weather, the top of the rigid sail 10 is at approximately the same height as the roof of the exhaust fan room 11 located on the upper deck 1, so the effect of the rigid sail 10 on the ship's stability is almost eliminated. The first mast 6, second mast 8, first drive unit 7, second drive unit 9, and airfoil rigid sail 10 are positioned on the outer sides of the hull 4, so they do not affect the vehicle loading space. Since the local overhang 5 is located on the side of the full-length strength deck 3, it can adequately withstand the weight of the first mast 6, second mast 8, first drive unit 7, second drive unit 9, and airfoil rigid sail 10, as well as the load from the wind. Furthermore, as can be seen from Figure 2, the full-length strength deck 3 is located at a sufficiently high position above the cargo handling quay Q, so even if the local overhang 5 extends over the cargo handling quay Q during cargo handling, no problems will arise.

[0009] In the above embodiment, the airfoil rigid sail 10 was a single-stage structure, but it may also be a retractable multi-stage structure. The number of masts can be increased by adding a third mast, a fourth mast, and so on in a nested manner, and an up-and-down drive device can be installed between each stage of mast, with an airfoil rigid sail attached to each of the additional masts. In the above embodiment, the first drive unit 7 and the second drive unit 9 are provided as a rack and pinion mechanism, but any other drive mechanism may be used. A wing-section rigid sail structure including a local overhang 5, a first mast 6, a first drive unit 7, a second mast 8, a second drive unit 9, and a wing-section rigid sail 10 may be manufactured and retrofitted to the side of an existing car carrier below the upper deck. This allows an existing car carrier to be converted into a car carrier with a wing-section rigid sail while minimizing the impact on stability. [Industrial applicability]

[0010] This invention is widely applicable to car carriers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0011] 1 Automobile carrier 2 Upper deck 3 Continuous strength deck 4 Side shell 5 Local projection part 6 First mast 7 First driving device 8 Second mast 9 Second driving device 10 Airfoil rigid sail 11 Exhaust fan room Q Cargo handling quay

Claims

1. A car carrier comprising: a local overhang extending outward from the side of the hull at the side of the full-length strength deck below the upper deck and at the side of the central parallel section of the hull; a rigid sail with an airfoil section disposed at the local overhang and capable of moving up and down between an upper operational position and a lower retracted position; a first drive device for rotating the rigid sail with an airfoil section around its vertical axis; and a second drive device for driving the rigid sail with an airfoil section up and down, wherein the rigid sail with an airfoil section in the lower retracted position is exposed to the external environment.

2. A wing-section rigid sail structure comprising a local overhang, a wing-section rigid sail disposed on the local overhang and movable up and down between an upper operating position and a lower retracted position, a first drive device for rotationally driving the wing-section rigid sail around a vertical axis, and a second drive device for vertically driving the wing-section rigid sail, wherein the structure is retrofitted to the side of an existing car carrier below the upper deck, and the wing-section rigid sail in the lower retracted position is exposed to the external environment.

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