Hydrofoil control
OwnerClyde B. Jonesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for dynamic support and height control of a boat equipped for power or wind propulsion and adapted to be supported above the water by hydrofoils, including a control hydrofoil and a main hydrofoil pivotally mounted on the boat, the apparatus being constructed and arranged to enable the control hydrofoil to regulate the main hydrofoil's angle of attack. The innovation being that the control hydrofoil is structurally placed in a completely submerged position where it utilizes its load variation dependency upon depth of submergence to automatically seek and maintain the boat at a predetermined height range above the water surface.
Claims13
In a boat having a hull and propulsive means, said hull adated to be supported on a body of water by flotation and supported dynamically above said body of water by hydrofoils, said hull including apparatus for dynamic support and control of the height of said hull above said body of water, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a main hydrofoil having a chord plane, an angle of attack, a leading edge, a trailing edge and a load vector,
- (b) a strut means adapted to structurally support said main hydrofoil,
- (c) a hull attachment means for attaching said strut means to said hull,
- (d) a foil attachment means for attaching said main hydrofoil to said strut means, said strut means projecting from said hull attachment means and placing said main hydrofoil in a submerged position within said body of water,
- (e) a pivot means, associated with said strut means and said main hydrofoil, being constructed and arranged to provide freedom of motion of at least a portion of said main hydrofoil relative to said hull such that said freedom of motion results in a change in said main hydrofoil's angle of attack,
- (f) a control hydrofoil associated with said main hydrofoil by connecting means, said connecting means being constructed and arranged such that when said hull is dynamically supported above said body of water, vertical displacement of the control hydrofoil relative to said hull provides regulation of at least a portion of said main hydrofoil resulting in said chord plane assuming various angles of attack such that displacement of said control hydrofoil toward the hull causes an increase in angle of attack of said main hydrofoil,
- (g) the improvement comprising:
- said pivot means being constructed and arranged at a position aft of said control hydrofoil, at least one main hydrofoil chord length above said main hydrofoil and such that the extension of said load vector passes aft of and within one said main hydrofoil chord length of said pivot means axis when said main hydrofoil is in operating position, whereby a decreasing moment of said load vector about said pivot means axis may be attained with an increasing said angle of attack of said main hydrofoil,
- (h) whereby said control hydrofoil, in cooperation with the main hydrofoil, seeks and maintains said submerged position, while controlling said height of said hull above the body of water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.