Nippon Kokan Kabushiki Kaisha

Shoichi Sato

Kazuo Nakanishi

Katsunori Kusumoto

Kazuhiko Yoshimi

Hideki Namura

Kazuyuki Shimizu

Shigeru Nagai

Yoichi Endo

Terukazu Doi

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

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Shoichi Sato