Patent Publication Number: US-2023150629-A1

Title: Collapsible Underwater Motive Device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to underwater motive devices, and more particularly relates to an underwater motive device that can be folded into a compact configuration for storage and transportation, and which incorporates a waterproof motor. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Underwater motive devices have been known for the last several decades. Most of those earlier devices were metal. As a result, the underwater motive devices were large and bulky. The early underwater motive devices were also expensive and heavy. Thus, the only effective market was professional divers because of both the cost and strength required to handle the unit under water. 
     Recent underwater motive devices have been made to be smaller and lighter, and more convenient for use. Recent improvements in underwater motive devices have also related to the safety of operation, including a slight delay in starting to prevent inadvertent operation. In addition, sealed chambers have been introduced to keep water out of the battery and motor compartments. 
     However, for small motive devices, providing an integral housing complete with sealing of the battery and motor compartment has proved difficult for users to easily access the battery and motor compartment. The only alternative to a strong seal was unacceptable as a weaker seal would cause the taking of the device to depth to result in cyclical pressure leakage. Where the device is used in salt water, even the slightest leakage can be disastrous. In addition, the presence of salt in any water that leaks inside can erode the metal wires, the housing and the magnet. 
     Waterproofing the motor is especially important, so there is a need for a waterproof motor that can be used with an underwater motive devices. 
     In addition, there still remains a need for an underwater motive device which is lightweight and compact. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an underwater motive device that can be folded or collapsed into a compact configuration for storage and transportation. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a waterproof motor that can be used with an underwater motive device. 
     In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, there is provided a sea scooter that has a main housing, a left arm pivotably attached to the left side of the main housing, a right arm pivotably attached to the right side of the main housing, a left barrel secured to the left arm, a right barrel secured to the right arm, a first locking assembly that locks the left arm against the left side of the main housing, and a second locking assembly that locks the right arm against the right side of the main housing. Each barrel has a fan and a motor for propelling the sea scooter through water. The left and right arms are locked by the first and second locking assemblies into a folded configuration against the left and right sides of the main housing when the sea scooter is not in use, and the left and right arms are pivoted away from the left and right sides of the main housing in a use configuration when the sea scooter is in use in the water. 
     The present invention also provides a motor that is sand-proof and water-proof. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an underwater motive device according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in a deployed configuration. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the underwater motive device of  FIG.  1    shown in the folded configuration. 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded front perspective view of a portion of one barrel of the underwater motive device of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  4    is a top front perspective view of the barrel of  FIG.  3    shown partially assembled. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective front view of a locking assembly that can be used with the underwater motive device of  FIG.  1   . 
         FIG.  6    is exploded perspective view of the locking assembly of  FIG.  5   . 
         FIG.  7    is an exploded perspective of the lock and the latch of the locking assembly of  FIGS.  5  and  6   . 
         FIG.  8    illustrates how the hook is secured to an arm, 
         FIG.  9    illustrates how the buckle is secured to the main housing. 
         FIGS.  10 A,  11 A,  12 A,  13 A,  14 A and  15 A  are perspective views illustrating the operation of the locking assembly of  FIG.  5   . 
         FIGS.  10 B,  11 B,  12 B,  13 B,  14 B and  15 B  are top sectional views illustrating the operation of the locking assembly of  FIG.  5   . 
         FIG.  100    is a different perspective view of the locking assembly of  FIG.  5   . 
         FIG.  10 D  is a cut-away view of  FIG.  100   . 
         FIG.  16    is an exploded perspective view of a waterproof motor according to one embodiment of the present embodiment. 
         FIG.  17    is a cross-sectional view of the motor of  FIG.  16   . 
         FIG.  18    is a cross-sectional view of the skeleton seal of the motor of  FIG.  16   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
     The present invention provides an underwater motive device that can be folded or collapsed into a compact configuration for storage and transportation. The underwater motive device can be a sea scooter  10 . Referring first to  FIGS.  1 - 4   , the sea scooter  10  has a main housing  12 , a first (left) arm  14  that pivotably couples a first barrel  16  to one side of the main housing  12 , and a second (right) arm  18  that pivotably couples a second barrel  20  to the other side of the main housing  12 . A locking assembly  22  (see  FIG.  2   , and shown in greater detail in  FIGS.  5 - 9   ) functions to lock the arms  14 ,  18  against the main housing  12  in the folded configuration shown in  FIG.  2   , and to release the arms  14 ,  18  so that the arms can be pivoted to the deployed configuration shown in  FIG.  1   . 
     The main housing  12  houses or retains the PCB (printed circuit board), the battery (not shown), and other electronics that power and control the underwater motive device  10 . Switches (not shown) can be provided on the either the main housing  12  and/or the arms  14 ,  18  for turning the power supply on or off, and for controlling the operation of the underwater motive device  10 . The structure and operation of these components are well-known to a person skilled in the art and shall not be shown or described in greater detail herein. The main housing  12  has an external left cavity  24  provided along the left side thereof for receiving an inner end of the first arm  14 , and an external right cavity  26  provided along the right side thereof for receiving an inner end of the second arm  18 . The inner end of each arm  14 ,  18  has a pivot shaft  28  (see  FIGS.  3  and  4   ) that is pivotably secured inside the respective cavity  24 ,  26 , and facilitates the manual pivoting of the arms  14 ,  18  between the two configurations. The left and right sides of the main housing  12  can be slightly curved, the front end  30  of the main housing  12  can be generally rounded, and the rear end  32  can be either straight or curved so that the overall configuration for the main housing  12  can be generally streamlined for better hydrodynamic effect as it travels through the water. 
     The arms  14  and  18  can be identical, each arm  14 ,  18  can be configured to have a joint  34  which retains the pivot shaft  28 , two handle bars  36  and  38  which extend from the joint  34 , and each bar  36  and  38  having an outer end that is connected to the respective barrel  16  and  20 . Each bar  38  can be hollow or define an internal bore so that cables can extend therethrough from the main housing  12  to the barrel  16  and  20 . For example, cables  42  can be used to connect the PCB and the motor  80 , while another cable  44  can be used to connect the PCB with a magnetic sensor  46  that is secured inside the barrel  16 ,  20 . The magnetic sensor  46  functions to detect whether the front cover  52  of a barrel  16 ,  20  is removed. In this regard, a magnet (not shown) is fixed in a same axis of the magnetic sensor  46  in the front cover  52 , and once the front cover  52  is removed, then the PCB will function to turn off the motors  80  in the barrels  16 ,  20 . This is a safety feature to avoid the high-speed turning propeller  84  from cutting fingers without the protection of the front cover  52 . In addition, another safety feature is provided with the PCB of the underwater motive device functioning to detect the operating current to identify whether the barrels  16  and  20  are outside water, and shutting off the motors  80  if the barrels  16 ,  20  are outside water. 
     The arms  14  and  18  also function as handles for a user to grip the underwater motive device  10  when travelling in the water. 
     The barrels  16  and  20  can be identical, and each barrel  16  and  20  has a generally cylindrical housing  50 , with a front cover  52  and a rear cover  54  that are secured to opposite ends of the cylindrical housing  50  via screws  56 . The cylindrical housing  50  has an annular channel  58  that surrounds an internal bore  60 . The annular channel  58  functions as a buoyancy chamber, and is closed at the front end  62  of the cylindrical housing  50  but opened at the rear end  64  of the cylindrical housing  50 . A plurality of screw posts or fixing shafts  66  extend longitudinally inside the annular channel  58 , and are spaced-apart from each other. A fixing ledge  70  extends from the inner wall inside the bore  60  to support the motor  80 . The ledge  70  has a mounting platform  72  that is adapted to receive and secure the motor  80  (via screws  78 ) at a longitudinally centered position inside the bore  60 . 
     An annular foam piece  74  is adapted to be received inside the annular channel  58 . The foam piece  74  provides buoyancy, and can have grooves  76  for receiving the fixing shafts  66  so as to secure the foam piece  74  inside the annular channel  58 . 
     The motor  80  can be any conventional motor, or the waterproof motor  80  described in greater detail hereinbelow in connection with  FIGS.  16 - 18   . A propeller or fan  84  can be threadably secured to the motor shaft  82  which extends from the motor  80  through an opening in the mounting platform  72 , with a nut  86  used to secure the fan  84  to the motor shaft  82 . A drive pin  85  connects the motor shaft  82  to the motor  80  to drive the motor shaft  82  and propeller  84  to turn and stop. A magnet  88  is secured on the front cover  52 . The magnet  88  in each barrel  16  and  20  attracts the other magnet  88  to keep the two barrels  16  and  20  folded against each other in the folded configuration shown in  FIG.  2   . Instead of magnets  88 , other securement mechanisms can also be used, such as hooks and straps. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2  and  5 - 9   , a locking assembly  22  functions to lock each of the arms  14 ,  18  against the main housing  12 . The arms  14  and  18  can be pivoted to assume one of two configurations, a folded configuration shown in  FIG.  2   , and to a deployed configuration shown in  FIG.  1   . The locking assembly  22  includes a hook  90  and a buckle  92 . The hook  90  is adapted to be secured to the joint  34  and moves with the arm  14  or  18 . The buckle  92  is secured to the left side or the right side of the main housing  12 , and does not move with the arm  14  or  18 . The hook  90  has a plate with a curved or overturned side  94  that forms the hook shape to function as a catch  94 , and two mounting holes  96  that receive screws  98  that secure the plate to the joint  34 . See  FIG.  8   . 
     The buckle  92  itself has a latch  100  and a lock lever  102  that operate to engage and disengage the hook  90 . The latch  100  has a latch body or box  104 , a compression spring  106  retained inside the box  104 , and a U-shaped pin bracket  108  that is inserted inside the box  104 . The two arms  112  of the U-shaped pin bracket  108  extend out through the front end of the box  104 , and a latch pin  110  is secured through openings at the two free ends of the arms  112 . A pair of aligned opposing openings  114  are provided in the top and bottom sides of the box  104 . 
     The lock lever  102  has a side plate  118  that has two opposite (top and bottom) flanges  116 , with an opening  120  in each flange  116 . The lock lever  102  also includes a handle latch  122  that has a handle plate  124  with two opposite (top and bottom) wings  126  extending therefrom. Each wing  126  has three openings, a first opening  128  closest to the free end of each wing  126 , a third opening  132  closest to the handle plate  124 , and a second middle opening  130  between the other two openings  128  and  132 . The lock lever  102  further includes a lock piece  134  that is generally rectangular in configuration with a transverse flange  136  that functions as a safety lock. A torsion spring  138  is retained inside the rectangular lock piece  134  by a lock pivot pin  140 . The lock piece  134  is abutted against the inner edge  144  of the handle plate  124  with the flange  136  abutting against the inner edge  144  and extending transverse to the handle plate  124 , and with the lock piece  134  positioned inside the latch  122  and between the wings  126  (see  FIG.  13 A ). The lock pivot pin  140  extends through the openings  132  and the interior of the rectangular lock piece  134 , and through the torsion spring  138 , to retain the lock piece  134  against the handle plate  124 . Lock bolts  150  extend through the openings  120  (in the flanges  116 ) and the openings  128  (of the wings  126 ) to pivotably secure the side plate  118  to the handle latch  122 . Finally, a latch pivot pin  152  extends through the openings  114  in the box and the openings  130  in the wings  126 , to pivotably secure the box  104  to the latch  122 . This is best shown in  FIG.  7   . 
     Referring to  FIG.  9   , the side plate  118  is secured to the main body  12  via screws  160  that extend through openings  162  in the side plate  118 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , when fully assembled, the box  104  sits inside a space defined by the side plate  118  and the wings  126 . The spring  106  functions to bias the latch pin  110  to normally pull the catch  94  of the hook  90  to maintain the locking assembly  22  in the locked position. In addition, the latch  122  can pivot separately versus both the side plate  118  (via the lock bolts  150 ) and the box  104  (via the latch pivot pin  152 ). 
       FIGS.  10 A- 15 B  illustrate the operation of the locking assembly  22  with respect to the arm  14 . The other arm  18  can be locked and released in the same manner with the other locking assembly  22 . Starting with  FIGS.  10 A- 10 D , these two FIGS. show the arm  14  opened in a deployed (for use) configuration of  FIG.  1   , with the hook  90  locked by the latch pin  110 , and an end  166  of the torsion spring  138  normally biased to engage a hook  168  on the side plate  118 . When it is desired to fold the arm  14 , the first step is to press and release the safety lock (i.e., the end  166  engaging the hook  168 ), where user can push the flange  136  towards the hook  90  against the normal bias of the spring  166 , which also causes the lock piece  134  to pivot about the latch pivot pin  140  so that the lock piece  134  can be disengaged from the hook  168 . See  FIGS.  11 A and  11 B , which show the safety lock released. 
     The next step is to pull the latch  122 . As shown in  FIGS.  12 A and  12 B , the handle plate  124  can be pull or pivoted outwardly away from the main body  12  in a manner such that (i) the latch  122  pivots with respect to both the box  104  (via the latch pivot pin  152 ) and the side plate  118  (via the lock bolts  150 ), and (ii) the box  104  pivots with respect to both the side plate  118  (via the lock bolts  150 ) and the latch  122  (via the latch pivot pin  152 ). As shown in  FIG.  12 B , the arms  112  also pivot with respect to the hook  90  about the pivot defined by the latch pin  110 . 
     The next step is to release the lock (i.e., the latch pin  110 ) from the hook  90 . Referring to  FIGS.  13 A and  13 B , when the handle plate  124  of the latch  122  is pulled to be transverse with the main housing  12 , the latch pin  110  is disengaged from the overturned side  94  of the hook  90 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS.  14 A and  14 B , the entire buckle  92  can now be pulled backwards and pivoted towards the side plate  118  in a manner such that (i) the latch  122  pivots with respect to both the box  104  (via the latch pivot pin  152 ) and the side plate  118  (via the lock bolts  150 ), and (ii) the box  104  pivots with respect to both the side plate  118  (via the lock bolts  150 ) and the latch  122  (via the latch pivot pin  152 ). At this time, the arm  14  can be folded towards the other arm  18 .  FIGS.  15 A and  15 B  show the maximum extent to which the box  104  can be pivoted. 
     The two arms  14  and  18  can be folded together so that the two barrels  16  and  20  can be brought together and held together by the magnets  88  in the folded configuration, as shown in  FIG.  2   . This folded configuration allows the sea scooter  10  to assume a compact and small configuration that is convenient for storage and transportation. 
     When it is desired to unfold the arms  14  and  18  for use of the sea scooter  10 , the locking assembly  22  can be unlocked by pushing the flange  136  again to disengage the lock piece  134  from the hook  168 . The arm  14  can be unfolded and then the buckle  92  pivoted so that the latch pin  110  is moved towards the hook  90  and engages the hook  90  to reach the deployed configuration shown in  FIGS.  10 A and  10 B . 
       FIGS.  16  and  17    illustrate a waterproof motor  80  that can be used in connection with the sea scooter  10  of the present invention, or with other devices that are operated underwater. The motor  80  is designed to be both water-proof and sand-proof. In particular, the motor  80  provides a novel skeleton seal  206  and a motor sealing case that provide the requisite tight seal need to keep sand and water out of the motor  80 . 
     The motor  80  has a group of stationary components and a group of rotary components that are adapted to rotate together. The stationary components include a sealing case  202 , a stator  204 , the skeleton seal  206  and a front cap  208 . The stator  204  has a circular platform  212  which has external threads  214  provided along the annular outer lip of the platform  212 . Stator teeth  210  extend from the platform  212 . The skeleton seal  206  is positioned at the top of the stator  204 . 
     The rotary components include a rotor case  220 , rotor magnets  222 , a bottom bracket  224 , a top bracket  226 , a motor shaft base  228 , the motor shaft  82 , a pair of center bearings  230 ,  232 , a front bearing  234 , a washer  236  and a C-clip  238 . Part of the bearings  230 ,  232  and  234  are stationary and part of the bearings  230 ,  232  and  234  will rotate with the rotary components. The rotor case  220  is retained inside the sealing case  202  and encircles the stator  204 . The motor shaft  82  is carried on the motor shaft base  228 , and extends through the bearings  230 ,  232 ,  234 , the stator  204 , the washer  236 , the C-clip  238 , the skeleton seal  206  and the front cap  208 . The rotor magnets  222 , the bottom bracket  224 , and the top bracket  226  are retained inside the rotor case  220 . 
     The upper lip of the sealing case  202  is adapted to form a glue connection  240  with the external threads  214  provided along the annular outer lip of the platform  212  to form a motor sealing case. The glue connection  240  provides a tight seal that is both water-proof and sand-proof. In a conventional brushless motor without the sealing case  202 , water and sand can enter through a gap defined between the upper lip  242  and the bottom annular lip of the platform  212 . The glue connection  240  forms a sealed chamber with the sealing case  202  to prevent water and sand from entering. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  18   , the skeleton seal  206  (also known as a reinforced seal) has three parts: a sealing part  250 , a reinforced metal frame  252 , and a self-tightening coil spring  254 . The sealing part  250  has an annular outer body  260 , and an annular inner lip  268 . The annular inner lip  268  includes an outer dust/sand primary lip seal  262  that faces the front cap  208 , a main lip seal  264  that extends inwardly into the channel  270  defined by the inner lip  268 , and a spring retaining lip  266  that defines a groove for retaining the coil spring  254 . The outer body  260  can be made of rubber. The motor shaft  82  is adapted to extend through the channel  270 , and the lip seals  262  and  264  provide another tight seal that is both water-proof and sand-proof. 
     The inner diameter of the inner lip  268  is made to be smaller than the diameter of the motor shaft  82  and provides a certain amount of interference. The pressure of this interference fitting and the contraction force of the coil spring  254  seal the motor shaft  82  by a radial tightening force. This radial tightening force, after a period of operation, will quickly decrease or even disappear, so the coil spring  254  can compensate the radial tightening force to keep the motor shaft  82  tightly sealed. The reinforced metal frame  252  is seated inside the outer body  260 , provides the necessary strength for the sealing part  250  and prevents water from entering into the sealed containment of the motor  80 . 
     Thus, the present invention provides a sea scooter  10  that can be folded to minimize its overall size. The present invention also provides a waterproof motor  80  that is effective in preventing water from entering the interior. 
     While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.