Propulsion enhancing device and watercraft comprising same

{
  "publication_number": "US11247758B1",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B1",
  "title": "Propulsion enhancing device and watercraft comprising same",
  "abstract": "Embodiments of the present invention are directed to devices adapted to enhance propulsion (i.e., propulsion enhancing devices) of watercraft such as, for example, personal watercraft and the like. To this end, a propulsion enhancing device in accordance with the disclosures made herein may be attached to or integral with (e.g., formed unitarily with a housing thereof) a propulsion unit of a watercraft. The propulsion unit generates a stream of water that provides for propulsion of the watercraft. A propulsion enhancing device in accordance with the disclosures made herein includes internal structures that enhance velocity and/or volumetric attributes of a stream of water generated by the propulsion unit by transforming non rotational flow at the inlet of the propulsion enhancing device to rotational flow at the outlet of the propulsion enhancing device.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A propulsion enhancing device, comprising: a flow expander; a vortex flow generator having therein a plurality of helical flow passages jointly defined by an exterior tubular body of the vortex flow generator, a central tube of the vortex flow generator and adjacent ones of a plurality of flow diverting vanes of the vortex flow generator, wherein an upstream end portion of the exterior tubular body extends from a downstream end portion of the flow expander, wherein each of the flow diverting vanes extends in a helical manner from a first end portion thereof proximate the flow expander to a second end portion thereof proximate a downstream end portion of the exterior tubular body, wherein the exterior tubular body tapers from a largest cross-sectional size adjacent the upstream end portion thereof to a smallest cross-sectional size adjacent the downstream end portion thereof, wherein each of the flow diverting vanes is attached to at least one of the exterior tubular body and the central tube, wherein a downstream end of the central tube is located upstream of the downstream end portion of the exterior tubular body; and a plurality of stabilizer fins each extending outwardly from an exterior surface of the exterior tubular body.",
    "2. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 1 wherein each of the stabilizer fins has a longitudinal axis extending parallel with a centerline reference axis of the exterior tubular body.",
    "3. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 2 wherein each of the stabilizer fins is equally spaced away from each adjacent one of the stabilizer fins.",
    "4. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 2 wherein each of the stabilizer fins extends an entire length of the exterior tubular body.",
    "5. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 1 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes has an interior edge portion exhibiting a uniform effective inside diameter over an entire length thereof.",
    "6. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 1 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes extends along an entire length of the exterior tubular body.",
    "7. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 6 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes has an interior edge portion exhibiting a uniform effective inside diameter over an entire length thereof.",
    "8. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 1 wherein the central tube has a uniform inside diameter over an entire length thereof.",
    "9. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 8 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes has an interior edge portion exhibiting a uniform effective inside diameter over an entire length thereof.",
    "10. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 9 wherein the central tube has a generally uniform wall thickness over the entire length thereof.",
    "11. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 10 wherein: each of the stabilizer fins has a longitudinal axis extending parallel with a centerline reference axis of the exterior tubular body; and each of the stabilizer fins is equally spaced away from each adjacent one of the stabilizer fins.",
    "12. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 1 wherein the central tube has an overall length not greater than half the overall length of the exterior tubular body.",
    "13. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 12 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes extends along an entire length of the exterior tubular body.",
    "14. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 13 wherein a terminal end face of the central tube is spaced away from a terminal end face of the exterior tubular body toward an upstream end portion of the exterior tubular body by not less than a distance equal to the overall length of the central tube.",
    "15. A propulsion enhancing device, comprising: a flow expander; a vortex chamber body in fluid communication with the flow expander for forming a fluid flow path therethrough, wherein an upstream end portion of the vortex chamber body extends from a downstream end portion of the flow expander and wherein a downstream end portion of the vortex chamber body defines a fluid flow outlet of the propulsion enhancing device and wherein the vortex chamber body is a conically tapered tubular body; a plurality of stabilizer fins each extending outwardly from an exterior surface of the vortex chamber body; a plurality of flow diverting vanes within the vortex chamber body extending in a helical manner from a first end portion thereof proximate the flow expander to a second end portion thereof proximate the downstream end portion of the vortex chamber body, wherein one or more of the flow diverting vanes is attached to an interior surface of the vortex chamber body; and a central tube within the vortex chamber body, wherein a downstream end of the central tube is located upstream of the fluid flow outlet of the propulsion device, wherein one or more flow diverting vanes is attached to an exterior surface of the central tube to thereby provide a plurality of fluid flow passages each jointly defined by respective adjacent ones of the flow diverting vanes, the vortex chamber body and the central tube.",
    "16. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 15 wherein: each of the stabilizer fins has a longitudinal axis extending parallel with a centerline reference axis of the vortex chamber body; each of the stabilizer fins is equally spaced away from each adjacent one of the stabilizer fins; and each of the stabilizer fins extends an entire length of the vortex chamber body.",
    "17. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 15 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes has an interior edge portion exhibiting a uniform effective inside diameter over an entire length thereof.",
    "18. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 15 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes extends along an entire length of the vortex chamber body.",
    "19. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 15 wherein: the central tube has a uniform inside diameter over an entire length thereof; each of the flow diverting vanes has an interior edge portion exhibiting a uniform effective inside diameter over an entire length thereof; and the central tube has a generally uniform wall thickness over the entire length thereof.",
    "20. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 19 wherein: each of the stabilizer fins has a longitudinal axis extending parallel with a centerline reference axis of the vortex chamber body; and each of the stabilizer fins is equally spaced away from each adjacent one of the stabilizer fins.",
    "21. The propulsion enhancing device of claim 15 wherein: the central tube has an overall length not greater than half the overall length of the vortex chamber body; each of the flow diverting vanes extends along an entire length of the vortex chamber body; and a terminal end face of the central tube is spaced away from a terminal end face of the vortex chamber body toward an upstream end portion of the vortex chamber body by not less than a distance equal to the overall length of the central tube.",
    "22. A watercraft, comprising: a propulsion unit having a housing defining a water outlet of the propulsion unit; and a propulsion enhancing device including a flow expander, a vortex flow generator and a plurality of stabilizer fins each extending outwardly from an exterior surface of the exterior tubular body, wherein the flow expander and the vortex flow generator are in fluid communication with each other for forming a fluid flow path therethrough, wherein a flow inlet of the flow expander at an upstream end portion thereof is attached to the water outlet of the propulsion unit, wherein an upstream end portion of the vortex flow generator extends from a downstream end portion of the flow expander, wherein a downstream end portion of the vortex flow generator defines a fluid flow outlet of the propulsion enhancing device, wherein the vortex chamber body is a conically tapered tubular body, wherein the vortex flow generator has therein a plurality of helical flow passages jointly defined by an exterior tubular body of the vortex flow generator, a central tube of the vortex flow generator and adjacent ones of a plurality of flow diverting vanes of the vortex flow generator that each extend in a helical manner from a first end portion thereof proximate the flow expander to a second end portion thereof proximate a downstream end portion of the exterior tubular body, wherein each of the flow diverting vanes is attached to at least one of the exterior tubular body and the central tube and wherein a downstream end of the central tube is located upstream of the fluid flow outlet of the propulsion enhancing device.",
    "23. The watercraft of claim 22 wherein: each of the stabilizer fins has a longitudinal axis extending parallel with a centerline reference axis of the exterior tubular body; each of the stabilizer fins is equally spaced away from each adjacent one of the stabilizer fins; and each of the stabilizer fins extends an entire length of the exterior tubular body.",
    "24. The watercraft of claim 22 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes has an interior edge portion exhibiting a uniform effective inside diameter over an entire length thereof.",
    "25. The watercraft of claim 22 wherein each of the flow diverting vanes extends along an entire length of the exterior tubular body.",
    "26. The watercraft of claim 22 wherein: the central tube has a uniform inside diameter over an entire length thereof; each of the flow diverting vanes has an interior edge portion exhibiting a uniform effective inside diameter over an entire length thereof; and the central tube has a generally uniform wall thickness over the entire length thereof.",
    "27. The watercraft of claim 26 wherein: each of the stabilizer fins has a longitudinal axis extending parallel with a centerline reference axis of the exterior tubular body; and each of the stabilizer fins is equally spaced away from each adjacent one of the stabilizer fins.",
    "28. The watercraft of claim 22 wherein: the central tube has an overall length not greater than half the overall length of the exterior tubular body; each of the flow diverting vanes extends along an entire length of the vortex chamber body; and a terminal end face of the central tube is spaced away from a terminal end face of the exterior tubular body toward an upstream end portion of the exterior tubular body by not less than a distance equal to the overall length of the central tube."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The disclosures made herein relate generally to fluid flow modifying devices and, more particularly, to devices adapted to enhance propulsion of watercraft.\n\nWatercraft (e.g., a personal recreational watercraft) that provide for propulsion through creation of one or more streams of water exhibiting high volumetric flow rate are well known. Through use of an engine or motor of a watercraft to drive a pump connected to the engine or motor, inlet water to the pump is acted on by the pump (e.g., an impeller thereof) to create a stream of water that exhibits both relatively high velocity and relatively high volume. Such stream of water exhibiting high volumetric flow rate is delivered into the water body within which the watercraft resides to propel the watercraft in a forward direction. Some watercrafts include a flow diverter that redirects all or a portion of the stream of water in a direction that propels the watercraft in a direction other than the forward direction - e.g., in a rearward direction relative to the forward direction.\n\nVelocity and volumetric attributes of the stream of water largely dictate the overall performance of a watercraft. Examples of such performance include, but are not limited to, acceleration from a standing start, acceleration from one moving speed to a greater moving speed, and an attainable top speed. Thus, devices adapted to improve propulsion of a watercraft by enhancing velocity and/or volumetric attributes of a stream of water created by a propulsion unit of the watercraft would be advantageous, desirable and useful.",
  "cpc": [
    "B63H 1/16",
    "B63H 11/103",
    "B63H 5/16"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B63H 1/16"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Vortex Pipe Systems LLC"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Paul Wayne Schmidt",
    "Avijit Ghosh"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2021-05-07",
  "publication_date": "2022-02-15",
  "grant_date": "2022-02-15",
  "priority_date": "2021-03-24",
  "application_number": "US-202117314385-A",
  "family_id": "80249381",
  "cited_by_count": 11,
  "citations": [
    "US4175640A",
    "US4298089A",
    "US6986689B2",
    "US7267589B2",
    "US7997563B2"
  ]
}