WO2003035186A1

WO2003035186A1 - Muscle powered propulsion devices for swimmer

Info

Publication number: WO2003035186A1
Application number: PCT/LT2002/000006
Authority: WO
Inventors: Remigijus Dainys
Original assignee: Remigijus Dainys
Priority date: 2001-10-23
Filing date: 2002-10-22
Publication date: 2003-05-01
Also published as: LT2001107A; EA200400577A1; LT5042B; EA006644B1

Abstract

The invention is intended for swimming techniques using muscular force. It incorporates shoulder and thigh propulsion devices. The thigh muscle powered propulsion device for forward movement has two or one paddle(s) (9 or 19) attached to paddle arm(s) (8 or 18) kinematically connected via intermediate parts to thigh levers (3), which are integrally connected to the frame (1). The shoulder muscle powered propulsion device, which supplies steering through lateral movements of the upper arm(s) and braking through the raising of the shoulder-upper arm(s), can be used separately from the thigh propulsion device. In it, each shoulder lever (24) is connected in an integral (kinematical or fixed) manner to the fin blades (45 and 46) via an upper arm sleeve (28), fin guide (33), slider (37), fin axle (34), and fin levers (35 and 36) and to the frame (1) via ball joints (29 and 31) and other parts.

Description

Muscle Powered Propulsion Devices for Swimmer

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention is intended for swimming techniques using muscular force.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION An individual propulsion device for swimmer, which has a frame, a belt for attaching the frame to the body, and pedals attached to the frame, to which pedals power is transmitted using the feet, is known (French patent no 2094638, B63H 16/14). A sports swimming device, which has an inflatable swimming body with a paddle, which is attached to this body and is connected to pedals, is also known (German patent DE 44 10 674 Al, B63H 16/18). And an inflatable "beach fish", which is driven by a paddle with hard pedals fastened to it, is known (French patent no 2164535, B63H 16/00).

The deficiency of all these devices is that the paddles are not attached directly to the swimmer's body, they do not form any direct kinematical connections with it or an integral mechanism, and they do not allow the strongest muscles, i.e. those of the thigh, to be used effectively for the direct movements of the paddles.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purpose of this invention is to expand the possibilities of a swimming person in every possible way, allowing him/her to swim quickly, manoeuvre freely, and dive while in the water, and to bring his/her possibilities closer to those of agilely swimming aquatic animals.

This purpose is achievable through the use of two muscle powered propulsion/steering devices: a thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device (primary), which is intended for fast and effective forward movement, and a shoulder propulsion steering device (secondary) designed to control the direction one is swimming and for stopping. The swimmer's primary muscle powered propulsion steering device incorporates the motor, powered by the thigh muscles, which is set forth in USSR Inventor's Certificate no 945491 of 23 July 1982, which was issued to R. Dainys, the creator of this invention, which includes a frame for the muscle powered motor, thigh levers, as well as body and thigh fastenings, which are used for the primary propulsion/steering devise. One or two brackets are attached to the frame of the primary muscle powered propulsion/steering device, to which brackets are attached, via one or two joints, one or two paddle arms with one or two paddles respectively securely fastened to these. The paddle arms are directly kinematically connected through joints to the thigh levers.

The qualitatively new possibilities for a swimmer's manoeuvrability, which this invention provides, are assured in principle by the use of a new (secondary) shoulder muscle powered propulsion/steering device to perform effective steering and stopping with shoulder fins. The secondary muscle powered propulsion/steering device has a shoulder lever, the lower part of which is attached with elastic fastenings to the upper arm, the back edges of the upper parts of which are attached to the frame of the primary muscle powered propulsion steering device, and the front edges of the upper parts of which are attached to one another by a single elastic fastening across the chest. To the shoulder levers are attached the upper arm sliding sleeves, which directly transmit the various movements of the upper arm to the fin guides. Ball joints, which are connected to adjustable linkage with freely moving ball joints at its other ends, are attached to the primary muscle powered engine's frame. To the socket of each of the latter freely moving ball joints is attached a fin guide, which, together with the upper arm sleeve mentioned above, comprises a kinematical sliding pair, which assembly ensures the direct transmission of the upper arm movements, which are made by the shoulder-arm muscles, to the fins. The fins consist of two symmetrical blades, which fold up to lie flat against one another and are joined by a common axle, which is peφendicular to the fin guide and solidly attached, like the fin guide, to the socket of the ball joint. The fin blades, which lie flat against one another, can easily convert from a steering device to a hydrodynamic brake after the blades are spread apart in opposite directions thanks to the push given to the slider and the two fin levers by the upper arm sleeves. When the slider is acted upon by the upwards movement of the shoulder, it compresses the elastic spacer, which, after the shoulder drops down again, returns the fin blades to the folded position where they once more perform their steering functions.

The shoulder muscle powered propulsion steering device can be used separately from the thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device by integrally attaching an electromechanical or other aquatic propulsion device.

The direct kinematical connections between the thighs and paddle(s) unlock broad possibilities of using the precise, powerful, and explosive movements of the thighs to achieve a large driving force for swimming. These connections allow the paddles to be set at any angled desired by stopping the movement of the thighs, by which it is possible to use them as a rudder to make sudden turns and changes in direction while swimming. These sudden turns and manoeuvres can be enhanced by using all the steering and braking possibilities of the fins when the fins are set in the various turning and/or braking positions by the fairly powerful muscles of the shoulder and upper rib cage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In Fig. 1, the first variant of the swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device, which has two paddles and a shoulder muscle powered propulsion/steering device, is shown;

In Fig. 2, the bottom view, as indicated by arrow A, of the propulsion/steering device shown in Fig. 1 and cross section B-B of the left fin are shown;

In Fig. 3, the second variant of the swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device with a single paddle, where the right foot is extended and the left is bent, together with the shoulder muscle powered propulsion/steering device, where the left upper arm and its fin have been brought forward 30°, is shown;

In Fig. 4, the bottom view, as indicated by arrow C, of the muscle powered propulsion steering device shown in Fig. 3 is shown;

In Fig. 5, the second variant of the swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device, where both of the swimmer's legs are bent and the paddle arm has moved α degrees from its initial position, together with the shoulder muscle powered propulsion steering device, where the fin blades of the left fin are spread and acting as a hydrodynamic brake, is shown;

In Fig. 6, cross section D-D of the left fin of the shoulder muscle powered propulsion/steering device is shown in the outspread position for hydrodynamic braking action;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The first variant of the swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device has a frame 1 (as described in USSR Inventor's Certificate no 945491) with a body fastenings 2, two thigh levers 3 with thigh fastenings A, and two axles 5 connecting the frame 1 to the thigh levers 3. To the frame 1 are attached two brackets 6, to which via axial joints 7 are connected two paddle arms 8, to which are attached two paddles 9. Each of the two thigh levers 3 is connected, via an axial joint 10, to the linkage 11, which is kinematically connected, via axial joints 12, to a paddle arm 8. A variant of the swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion device with one paddle can be manufactured where the paddle moves up and down like a dolphin's tail by attaching axle 17 parallel to the frame 1 so that the paddle arm 18 and paddle 19 move peφendicularly to the frame 1. The second variant of the swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device also has a frame 1 (as described in USSR Inventor's Certificate no 945491) with body fastenings 2, two thigh levers 3 with thigh fastenings 4, and two axles 5, which connect the frame 1 to the thigh levers 3. To the frame 1 is attached a bracket 13, to which is attached a block with an arc-shaped channel 14, the circle centre of which arc, after adjustment, lies in the axis of the pair of thigh axles 5. The block with an arc-shaped channel 14 is connected to an arc-shaped cantilever arm 15, forming a kinematical pair. The extension of this arm has been designed to perform as a cantilever 16 and is parallel in its initial position to frame 1. The cantilever 16 is connected via an axial joint 17 to a paddle arm 18, to which a paddle 19 and two brackets 20 are attached. The end of each of the two brackets 20 are connected, via a cardan joint 21, a cardan linkage 22, and a cardan joint 23, to a right and left thigh levers 3 respectively.

Each side of the secondary shoulder muscle powered propulsion/steering device has a shoulder lever 24, an upper arm fastening 25, an elastic shoulder fastening 26, and a chest fastening 27. An upper arm sleeve 28 is securely fastened to the shoulder lever 24. A ball joint 29, which is attached to the upper part of frame 1, is connected via adjustable linkage 30 to another ball joint 31. To the socket 32 of the ball joint 31 is securely attached a fin guide 33, to which is attached a fin axle 34, which is peφendicular to the fin guide 33, which axle 34 then connects to fin levers 35 and 36. The fin guide 33 forms a kinematical pair together with the upper arm sleeve 28 and a slider 37, which latter runs up against an elastic spacer 38. The slider 37 is kinematically connected via axial joints 39 and 40, linkage 41 and 42, and axial joints 43 and 44 to the fin levers 35 and 36. The fin blades 45 and 46, which are made from a resilient elastic material, are attached to the fin levers 35 and 36. A headrest 47 is attached to the upper end of the frame 1.

The swimmer moves the pair of paddles 9 or the single paddle 19 by moving his/her thighs. In the first variant of the swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device, the thigh movements are transmitted, via the thigh levers 3, linkage 11, and paddle arms 8, to the paddles 9. The directions, in which the paddles 9 move, completely coincide with the directions of the thigh movements. Both thighs can be moved in the same direction (bringing them up or extending them) or they can be moved in opposite directions (bringing one up while extending the other). In the second variant of the swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion steering device, the movements of the thighs are transmitted via the cardan linkage 22, brackets 20, and paddle arm 18, to the paddle 19. The thighs can only be moved in opposite directions: extending the left thigh and bringing up the right one moves the paddle to the left while extending the right thigh and bringing up the left moves the paddle 19 to the right. With the shoulder muscle powered propulsion steering device, the swimmer performs steering movements with the fins by moving the upper arm and/or shoulder. The shoulder lever 24, which is tightly attached to the shoulder and upper arm by fastenings 25, 26, and

27, then transmits completely identical movements to the fins via the upper arm sleeves

28, which are attached to it. The swimmer can stop his/her movement through the water by raising one or both shoulders. By moving them upwards, the shoulder levers 24, which are tightly attached to the upper arm and shoulder, cause the upper arm sleeves 28 to push on the sliders 37 and thus, via joints 39 and 40, linkage 41 and 42, and axles 43 and 44, to rotate the fin levers 35 and 36 and fin blades 45 and 46 to the outspread position, turning the fins into hydrodynamic brakes. The braking power completely depends on the degree the fin blades are spread and how fast they are raised, in other words, on how high and fast the shoulders are raised. In the initial position, a gap of 2-3 cm must be left between the edge of the upper arm sleeve 28 and the edge of the slider 37, which is achieved by regulating the length of the linkage 30. This gap allows all the lateral, forward, and backward movements of the upper arm and shoulder to be freely made and thus the most diverse movements for the controlling the swimmer's direction. Raising one or both shoulders 2.5-3.5 cm allows the swimmer to slow his/her movement through the water while still steering while raising the shoulders 4 cm or more only allows the swimmer to brake. The shoulder muscle powered propulsion/steering device creates conditions for the swimmer to propel him/her forward through the water by moving the upper arms back and forth beside his/her body. In this case, the fins will "flap" in exactly the same way as a penguin's flippers when it is swimming. The swimmer can also move in the following directions: a) straight back (in the direction of his/her feet) by moving his/her upper arms (arms) after raising them over his/her head; b) down (in the direction of his/her chest) by moving his/her upper arms (arms) after pulling them back; c) up (in the direction of his/her back) by moving his/her upper arms (arms) after extending them straight out in front of his/her chest. Paddles 9 and 19 are manufactured from a resilient, elastic material. Their resilience is the least at the very end of the paddles. Therefore, when performing lateral movements, they bend and thereby achieve a direct conversion of the power of the thigh muscles into forward driving power for swimming entirely like the flippers or tails of dolphins and fish. The muscle powered propulsion steering devices for swimmers can be effectively used in sports, leisure activities, and underwater investigation work, and are extraordinarily effective in rescuing drowning people and other similar underwater work.

Claims

1. A swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device, having a frame and including a muscle powered motor with one or two paddles kinematically attached to it, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that to the frame (1) are directly attached either brackets (6), which are attached to joints (7), or a bracket (13), which is kinematically connected to a joint (17); the joints (7) are connected to paddle arms (8) and thus to paddles (9) or the joint (17) is connected to a paddle arm (18) and thus to a paddle (19); the paddle arms (8) are kinematically attached, via joints (10 and 12) and linkage (11), to the thigh levers (3) or the paddle arm (18) is kinematically connected to the thigh levers (3) via an intermediate link.

2. The swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that if one paddle is used, the joint (17), which is securely attached to an arc-shaped cantilever arm (15), is kinematically connected to a block with an arc-shaped channel (14), which is securely connected to a bracket (13) while the paddle arm (18) is kinematically connected to the thigh levers (3) via securely connected brackets (20), cardan linkage (22), and cardan joints (21 and 23), which have no less than two degrees of turning movement.

3. The swimmer's thigh muscle powered propulsion/steering device according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that a headrest (47) is attached to the frame (1).

4. The swimmer's shoulder muscle powered propulsion/steering device having a frame, c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that to the upper edges of the frame (1), via ball joints

(29), adjustable linkage (30), and ball joints (31), are kinetically attached the socket (32) of each ball joint (31), to which is securely attached a fin guide (33) and a fin axle (34), which is peφendicular to the fin guide and which axle is kinematically connected to fin levers (35 and 36), to which fin blades (45 and 46) are securely attached while the fin guides (33) are kinematically connected to the upper arm sleeves (28), which are securely attached to shoulder levers (24), which are solidly attached by upper arm fastenings (25) to the upper arms, by shoulder fastenings (26) to the frame (1), and by chest fastenings (27) to one another at the centres of the shoulder joints, thereby ensuring the direct transmission of the lateral controlling movements of the upper arms via a kinematical chain to the fin blades (45 and 46); the fin guides (33) are kinematically connected to a slider (37) and an elastic spacer (38), which pushes against the slider; the slider (37), via joints (39, 40, 43, and 44) and linkage (41 and 42), is kinematically connected to the fin levers (35 and 36), being thereby designed to ensure that the fin blades (45 and 46) lie down against one another from the push of the elastic spacer (38) and that the fin blades

(45 and 46) spread out from the push of the shoulder levers (24) and the upper arm sleeves (28) when the shoulders are raised and the elastic spacers (38) are compressed.