Nippon Kokan Kabushiki Kaisha

Hideki Namura

Satoshi Hoshino

Kazuo Nakanishi

Takashi Watari

Kazuyuki Shimizu

Kazuhiko Yoshimi

Katsunori Kusumoto

Yoichi Endo

Terukazu Doi

Shoichi Sato

Shigeru Nagai

Morio Inoue

A rigid marine sail comprises a vertical mast secured onto a deck of a ship; at least one pivot shaft provided substantially in parallel with the mast; a left sail portion and a right sail portion pivotally secured respectively to the left side and the right side of the mast in parallel therewith through the at least one pivot shaft; and at least one drive mechanism for symmetrically pivoting the left sail portion and the right sail portion relative to the mast around the pivot shaft between a deployed position and a folded position. Each of the drive mechanisms include a set of a cylinder and a piston rod secured horizontally to the mast; a pair of L-shaped first levers, each of the first levers horizontally engaging at an end thereof with an end of the piston rod, the pair of first levers being bilaterally arranged symmetrically relative to a vertical plane which passes through the vertical axis of the mast and is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ship, the pair of first levers being symmetrically pivotable around respective fulcrums thereof; and a pair of second levers, each of the second levers horizontally engaging at an end thereof with the other end of each of the pair of first levers, and the pair of second levers engaging at the other ends thereof respectively with the left sail portion and the right sail portion.

Rigid marine sail

A method of controlling the speed of a ship equipped with a controllable pitch propeller at a predetermined value. A desired horsepower corresponding to a desired ship speed is obtained in accordance with the actual horsepower, the detected ship speed value and the preset ship speed value, and the rpm of the main engine is controlled in accordance with the desired rpm obtained in accordance with an engine loading function generator for minimum fuel consumption obtained in accordance with predetermined engine loading function generator for optimum propeller efficiency and a designed load characteristic function and the desired horsepower. A desired fuel rack position is obtained in accordance with the desired rpm and the desired horsepower and the desired fuel rack position is compared with the actual fuel rack position so as to control the blade angle of the propeller. By thus controlling the main engine rpm and the propeller blade angle, it is possible to maintain the speed of the ship at the value preset in accordance with the running schedule for all the changes in the running conditions and it is also possible to ensure the minimum fuel consumption for the preset ship speed.

Constant ship speed control method

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Hideki Namura