JP2007168536A - Underwater scooter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an underwater scooter preventing water from entering into an internal combustion engine from an intake pipe, even if water accumulated in an air chamber connected to a snorkel is waved according to inclination and vibration of the underwater scooter. <P>SOLUTION: This underwater scooter 10 is provided with at least the air chamber 12e, the snorkel 16 connected to the air chamber 12e and an engine (internal combustion engine) E arranged on a lower side in a gravity direction of the air chamber 12e to sail on the water or in the water by driving a propeller 14 by the engine E. The intake pipe 40 of the engine E is opened in the air chamber 12e. A water repellent means (a water repellent mesh cap 72) is provided at an opening end of the intake pipe 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an underwater scooter that navigates on or under water, more specifically near the water surface.

Conventionally, an underwater scooter or an aqua scooter that is operated by a pilot (diver) and navigates near the water surface has been proposed. This underwater scooter is equipped with a two-cycle internal combustion engine that is disposed at the bottom of a buoyancy body (tank) and drives a propeller. It is comprised so that it may navigate and hold | grip a handle (for example, refer nonpatent literature 1). In the underwater scooter described in Non-Patent Document 1, a snorkel is attached to the front center position of the buoyancy body so as to ensure the air required by the internal combustion engine.
“Norimonoland Aqua Scooter”, [on line], [searched on November 16, 2005], Internet <URL: http://www.norimonoland.com/aqua>

  In the underwater scooter described in Non-Patent Document 1, the snorkel may be submerged accidentally. Therefore, when water enters, it is stored in an air chamber connected to the snorkel, where it is blocked so as not to enter the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine from the intake pipe. However, even in such a case, there is a possibility that water stored in the air chamber may swell according to the inclination or vibration of the underwater scooter and enter the internal combustion engine from the intake pipe.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and even if water stored in an air chamber connected to the snorkel ripples according to the inclination or vibration of the underwater scooter, An object of the present invention is to provide an underwater scooter that prevents entry into an engine combustion chamber or the like.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the underwater scooter according to claim 1, an air chamber, a snorkel connected to the air chamber, and an internal combustion engine disposed below in the gravity direction of the air chamber In an underwater scooter that travels on or under water by driving a propeller in the internal combustion engine, the intake pipe of the internal combustion engine is opened inside the air chamber, and water repellent means is provided at the opening end of the intake pipe It was comprised so that it might provide.

  In the underwater scooter according to claim 2, the water repellent means is constituted by a cap made of water repellent mesh.

  In the underwater scooter according to claim 1, since the intake pipe of the internal combustion engine is opened inside the air chamber and the water repellent means is provided at the opening end of the intake pipe, the air chamber connected to the snorkel Even if the water stored in the water swells according to the inclination and vibration of the underwater scooter, the water can be effectively separated by the water repellent means, so that the stored water can flow from the intake pipe to the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, etc. Intrusion into the inside can be effectively prevented.

  In the underwater scooter according to the second aspect, since the water repellent means is constituted by a cap made of water repellent mesh, the configuration is simple and inexpensive.

  The best mode for carrying out the underwater scooter according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 is a side perspective sectional view of the underwater scooter according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of the underwater scooter shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a driver (diver) in the underwater scooter shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory top view of the state shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from above.

  1 to 4, reference numeral 10 denotes an underwater scooter. The underwater scooter 10 includes at least a buoyant body 12 and an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as “engine”) E disposed below in the direction of gravity of the buoyancy body 12 as shown in the drawing, and the propeller 14 is driven by the engine E. As shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the pilot (diver) is placed on the buoyant body 12 on the stomach and crushed on the water or in the water, specifically, slightly submerged from the water surface Ws, and near the water surface Ws.

  The buoyancy body 12 is formed of a tank having an area that is ½ or more of the total length of the underwater scooter 10 and is formed hollow. The buoyancy body 12 is manufactured from a lightweight material such as a resin material. A fuel filler port 12a is disposed at one side of the buoyancy body 12 in the vicinity of the left and right ends (toward the navigation direction), specifically, at the right end. The fuel filler opening 12a is opened and closed by a cap 12a1.

  A snorkel 16 (not shown in FIG. 4) is connected to the other in the vicinity of the left and right ends of the buoyancy body 12. The snorkel 16 is formed of a single cylinder (pipe) that is bent halfway and has an L-shape as a whole, and the shorter cylindrical portion 16a is inserted into the left side surface of the buoyancy body 12 through a cap 16b. While being airtightly inserted into the interior, as shown in FIG. 1, the longer cylindrical portion 16c is configured to protrude upward. As shown in FIG. 3, the cylindrical portion 16 c is set to a length that protrudes from the water surface Ws by a predetermined distance even in a subsidence position that is assumed based on a planned operator's weight and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the inside of the buoyancy body 12 is roughly divided into two chambers by partition walls 12b and 12c. That is, in the buoyancy body 12, a fuel chamber 12 d for storing gasoline fuel to be supplied to the engine E is formed in the vicinity of the arrangement position of the fuel filler opening 12 a, that is, below the fuel filler opening 12 a. An air chamber 12e for storing air to be supplied to the engine E is formed in the vicinity, that is, on the side where the cylindrical portion 16a is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fuel chamber 12d is a key-like space extending from one side (upper side in the figure) to the other side (lower side in the figure) when viewed from above. The air chamber 12e consists of the remaining part, that is, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped part. As shown in FIG. 3, in the buoyancy body 12, the remaining surface excluding the arrangement position of the fuel filler opening 12 a and the connection position of the snorkel 16 is formed substantially flat. In addition, since the snorkel 16 protrudes from the side, the surface of the buoyancy body 12 is formed so that the remaining portion excluding only the arrangement position of the fuel filler opening 12a is substantially flat.

  The engine E is a spark ignition type single cylinder gasoline engine having a displacement of 35 cc in four cycles. The crankshaft 20 is coaxial with the propeller shaft 22 connected to the propeller 14, and the cylinder head 24 is cranked. In other words, the shaft 20 is placed upside down so as to be lower than the shaft 20 in the direction of gravity.

  The engine E includes a cylinder block 26 that is formed integrally with the cylinder head 24 and a crankcase 30 that is joined to the end face thereof. A single piston 32 (FIG. 2) is accommodated inside the cylinder block 26 so as to be movable up and down, and a number of cooling fins are formed on the outer periphery thereof as shown in the drawing. A crankshaft 20 connected to the piston 32 via a connecting rod is rotatably accommodated in a crank chamber inside the crankcase 30.

  The cylinder head 24 accommodates a valve operating system 34 such as a rocker arm that drives an intake / exhaust valve (not shown), and an ignition plug 36. The intake pipe 40 of the engine E (more precisely, the intake pipe 40a connected to the intake pipe 40) is airtightly connected to the air chamber 12e of the buoyancy body 12, and the air supplied through the intake pipe 40a is a diaphragm type. The carburetor 42 is mixed with gasoline fuel pumped from the fuel chamber 12d according to the pulsation of the crank chamber, and the resulting air-fuel mixture is supplied to the combustion chamber and ignited by the spark plug 36 and burned.

  The exhaust gas generated by the combustion flows through the muffler 44 through the exhaust pipe 46 and is discharged into the water. As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust pipe 46 is curved at the rear end, and is opened at a position directly below the propeller shaft 22.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 50 denotes a recoil starter. The engine E is started when the recoil starter 50 is pulled by the operator. As shown in the figure, the engine E is disposed while being exposed in water. However, since the intake pipe 40a of the intake pipe 40 is airtightly connected to the air chamber 12e of the buoyant body 12, the engine E is airtight in the water. As long as fuel is supplied from the fuel chamber 12d, the rotation continues.

  The member indicated by the reference numeral 52 includes a slinger driven by the crankshaft 20 and contains oil supply means for supplying oil (lubricating oil) in a mist state. The position of the cylinder head 24 in the direction of gravity is accommodated. Regardless, it is supplied with oil and rotates. The details of the oil supply means are described in detail in the patent publication (Japanese Patent No. 3111402) previously proposed by the present applicant, so that further explanation is omitted.

  The connection between the engine E and the propeller 14 will be described. The crankshaft 20 is connected to the drive shaft 56 via the centrifugal clutch 54. The centrifugal clutch 54 is driven while surrounding the clutch shoe 54a, a clutch shoe 54a that is pivotally supported at the end of the crankshaft 20, and a clutch spring (not shown) that biases the clutch shoe 54a in the diameter-reducing direction. The clutch drum 54 b is fixed to the shaft 56.

  When the crankshaft 20 rotates at a predetermined rotational speed or more, the clutch shoe 54a expands in diameter and is pressed against the inside of the clutch drum 54b, and the rotation of the crankshaft 20 is transmitted to the drive shaft 56.

  The drive shaft 56 is connected to the propeller shaft 22 via a planetary gear (reduction gear mechanism) 60. That is, the rotation of the drive shaft 56 is decelerated and transmitted to the ring gear 60c via the sun gear 60a and the planetary pinion 60b. Since the ring gear 60c is fixed to the propeller shaft 22, the rotation of the ring gear 60c is transmitted to the propeller shaft 22 as it is, and the propeller 14 fixed to the rear end of the propeller shaft 22 is rotated.

  A duct 62 is attached around the propeller 14 to prevent a driver or the like from contacting the propeller 14. The duct 62 includes a conical cone 62a, a cylinder 62b, and fins 62c that connect them at three locations in the radial direction. The conical cone 62a is fixed to the engine E by being bolted to the case of the planetary gear 60. .

  A rectifying plate 64 is bolted and attached to the rear of the duct 62. The rectifying plate 64 is formed of a cylinder similar to the cylinder 62a of the duct 62, but has a tapered shape, that is, a shape whose diameter is reduced in the rear.

  The rotation speed of the engine E, in other words, the navigation speed of the underwater scooter is adjusted by the throttle lever 66. That is, a grip-like throttle lever 66 extending downward from above is provided on the left side of the front surface of the engine E. As shown in FIG. 2, the throttle lever 66 is configured to be rotatable in the horizontal direction, and the rotation of the throttle lever 66 is arranged near the carburetor 42 via a cable 66a (partially shown). (Not shown) to open and close the throttle valve to increase or decrease the navigation speed of the underwater scooter 10.

  Returning to the description of the buoyancy body 12, the buoyancy body 12 is fixed to the crankcase 30 of the engine E via a stay 68 or the like. Handles 70 are attached to both sides of the front surface of the engine E. The left and right handles 70 extend downward, then bend and extend rearward to reach the vicinity of the duct 62.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the operator becomes hungry, grasps the handle 70 with the right hand, grasps the handle 70 and the throttle lever 66 with the left hand, puts the upper body on the buoyant body 12, and The underwater scooter 10 is operated so as to navigate near the water surface Ws by adjusting the navigation speed.

  The air chamber 12e connected to the snorkel 16 of the buoyancy body 12 is opened with an intake pipe 40a connected to the intake pipe 40 of the engine E, and sucks air in the air chamber 12e. The snorkel 16 may be submerged accidentally. Therefore, when the water W enters the buoyancy body 12, the water W is stored in the air chamber 12 e, where it is blocked and does not enter the engine E from the intake pipe 40. However, even in such a case, the water W stored in the air chamber 12e undulates according to the inclination and vibration of the submersible scooter 10, and the intake pipe 40a and the intake pipe 40 enter the combustion chamber of the engine E. There is a risk of intrusion.

  Considering this point, in the underwater scooter 10 according to this embodiment, a water repellent mesh is formed at the opening end of the intake pipe 40a connected to the intake pipe 40 of the engine E that opens inside the air chamber 12e. A cap (water repellent means) 72 is provided. The cap 72 is made of a water-repellent mesh material such as nylon or Teflon (registered trademark), and is configured to cover the open end of the intake pipe 40a.

  Therefore, even if the water level of the water W stored in the air chamber 12e exceeds the open end of the intake pipe 40a due to a wave according to the inclination or vibration of the underwater scooter 10, it is repelled by the cap 72. That is, since the water W and air can be effectively separated by the cap 72, it is possible to effectively prevent the accumulated water W from entering the inside of the combustion chamber of the engine E from the intake pipe 40a and the intake pipe 40. Can do. Further, since the cap 72 is made of a water-repellent mesh material such as nylon or Teflon, the structure is simple and inexpensive.

  In the underwater scooter according to this embodiment, a four-cycle engine is mounted as the engine E. The crankshaft 20 is coaxial with the propeller shaft 22 of the propeller 14 while the cylinder head 24 is the crankshaft. Since the cylinder head 20 is arranged so as to be lower in the direction of gravity than the cylinder 20, the arrangement from the buoyancy body 12 to the PTO shaft (crankshaft 20) of the engine E (in the direction of gravity) as compared with the arrangement in which the cylinder head 20 faces upward. The height, that is, the overall height from the buoyancy body 12 to the main body of the underwater scooter 10 around the propeller shaft 22 can be suppressed, and thus the size of the underwater scooter 10 and the increase in front projection area can also be suppressed. Can do. As a result, an increase in water resistance can be suppressed, and a decrease in navigation speed or a deterioration in fuel efficiency can be avoided as much as possible.

  Further, since the cylinder head 24 is positioned below, in other words, at the bottom of the underwater scooter 10, it is easy to remove and install the spark plug 36 (or its cap) disposed in the vicinity thereof or to maintain the valve train 34. Become.

  Further, since the engine E is configured to include the diaphragm carburetor 42 and oil supply means (accommodated in the member 52) made of slinger driven by the crankshaft 20, the position of the cylinder head 24 in the direction of gravity is determined. It can be driven regardless.

  In addition, since the buoyancy body 12 is configured to form a fuel chamber 12d for storing fuel to be supplied to the engine E and an air chamber 12e for storing air to be supplied to the engine E, the buoyancy body 12 is formed. The required buoyancy can be obtained, and the configuration of the underwater scooter can be made compact.

  Further, since the fuel chamber 12d is formed in the vicinity of the arrangement position of the fuel supply port 12a and the air chamber 12e is formed in the vicinity of the connection position of the snorkel 16, the fuel chamber 12d is disposed between the fuel supply port 12a and the fuel chamber 12d. Connection is simplified and piping is not required.

  In addition, the fuel filler opening 12a is arranged on one side near the left and right ends of the buoyancy body 12, and the snorkel 16 is connected to the other side, specifically, the longitudinal direction (direction of navigation) centerline of the buoyancy body 12 The fuel filler port 12a is disposed near the left and right ends orthogonal to (indicated by 12f in FIG. 2), more specifically at one of the positions offset from the longitudinal center line 12f, and the snorkel 16 is connected to the other side. Since it is configured, the pilot is not restricted in posture on the buoyancy body 12, and can move the body freely, and the posture when riding on a stomach is also not restricted, For example, it is possible to take a posture in which the face is seen from the front of the underwater scooter 10 and peeks into the water.

  Further, the buoyancy body 12 is configured such that the remaining surface excluding the arrangement position of the fuel filler opening 12a and the connection position of the snorkel 16 is formed to be substantially flat, so that the operator has a posture on the buoyancy body 12. You can move your body more freely without any further restrictions.

  In addition, an intake pipe 40a connected to the intake pipe 40 of the engine E is opened inside the air chamber 12e, and a water repellent mesh cap (water repellent means) 72 is provided at the opening end of the intake pipe 40a. Therefore, even if the water W stored in the air chamber 12e connected to the snorkel 16 undulates according to the inclination or vibration of the underwater scooter 10, the water W can be effectively separated by the cap 72, so that the water W is stored. Water W can be effectively prevented from entering the inside of the combustion chamber of the engine E from the intake pipe 40. Further, since the water repellent means is constituted by the cap 72 made of water repellent mesh, the configuration is simple and inexpensive.

  As described above, this embodiment includes at least the air chamber 12e, the snorkel 16 connected to the air chamber, and the engine (internal combustion engine) E disposed below in the gravity direction of the air chamber. In an underwater scooter 10 that drives a propeller 14 by an internal combustion engine (E) and sails on or under water, an intake pipe 40 of the engine (internal combustion engine) E is opened inside the air chamber 12e, and the intake pipe 40 Water repellent means (cap 72 made of water repellent mesh) is provided at the opening end.

1 is a side perspective sectional view of an underwater scooter according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is II-II transparent sectional drawing of the underwater scooter shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory side view showing a state in which a driver (diver) gets on the underwater scooter shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory top view of the state shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from above.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Underwater scooter, 12 Buoyant body, 12a Fuel filling port, 12d Fuel chamber, 12e Air chamber, 14 propeller, 16 snorkel, E Internal combustion engine (engine), 20 Crankshaft, 22 Propeller shaft, 24 Cylinder head, 42 Diaphragm type vaporization 72, cap made of water repellent mesh (water repellent means)

Claims (2)

  An underwater scooter comprising at least an air chamber, a snorkel connected to the air chamber, and an internal combustion engine disposed below in the direction of gravity of the air chamber, and driving a propeller with the internal combustion engine to navigate on or under water The underwater scooter is characterized in that an intake pipe of the internal combustion engine is opened inside the air chamber, and water repellent means is provided at an opening end of the intake pipe.   The underwater scooter according to claim 1, wherein the water repellent means comprises a cap made of water repellent mesh.

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