Background Art In general, a barge refers to a small vessel, which carries cargo inside of ports, inland seas, lakes, rivers, and canals, usually constructed to haul bulk construction materials and equipment to and from the deep sea.

The barge is used when transporting cargo between two points and berthing alongside the mother vessel to load and unload the cargo in case large vessels are unable to berth at the pier, and it is constructed to move either by being towed by a tugboat or by being pushed by a push boat.

As described above, the barge is un-powered and moved either by a tugboat or a push boat, resulting in the very low operational efficiency and the low speed, and its operating days are few and unstable due to the influence

of coastal weather changes, drastically reducing the efficiency of the operation.

Due to the problems described above, some barges are equipped with their own engine room for self-propulsion, but installing the bridge, cabin, engine room in the stern prevents the barge from berthing with its stern at the pier, which is a characteristic of the barge. As a result, loading and unloading bulk cargo or special cargo becomes similar to that of other cargo vessels, failing to address operational inconveniences and, in turn, resulting in efficiency degradation.

Locating the cabin and engine room in the stern, as in foregoing paragraph, compromises the safety of vessel traffic and cargo transport.

In addition, installing various equipments and facilities in the stem and top of the deck reduces the load capacity on the deck and interferes with loading and unloading.

Disclosure of the Invention Thus, the present invention is designed to solve the existing problems described above, with the objective of providing a self-running barge, which will be able to move on its own with only simple structures and, at

the same time, provide easy berthing of a stern and appropriate trimming of its hull.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide the self-running barge, which can adjust its height when berthing with both sides of the hull and three sides of the stern.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide the self-running barge that can appropriately regulate any listing of the fore and aft of the hull.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide the self-running barge that can keep the balance of the hull appropriately when the cargo is loaded.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide the self-running barge that accommodates loading of cargo on top of the hull while maximizing the cargo load at the same time.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide the self-running barge that allows the crew to move around readily, even after cargo is loaded.

In order to accomplish the objectives, the present invention is designed to have an engine room installed with an engine and propeller in the lower section of the stern of the hull for the purpose of self propulsion, to install a bridge and cabin in the stem of the hull corresponding with the engine room so as to allow the

hull to trim itself while berthing with its stern, and to install a cargo hold deck on top of the hull.

Also, the present invention is designed to have multiple level control tanks in order to adjust the height of the hull when berthing, by changing the draft. Level control tanks are designed to allow water to flood in and out of the lower side of the deck.

The present invention also is designed to install a pair of exhaust funnels on both sides of the deck to discharge the exhaust fumes from the engine room.

The present invention also is designed to have multiple trim control tanks in both stem and stern of the hull to adjust the fore and aft list of the hull.

The present invention also is designed to have level control tanks in the lower sect ion of the deck, and multiple water ballast tanks on one side of the engine room to allow the hull to trim itself when cargo is loaded onto the deck.

The present invention also is designed to have a driving unit to drive the exhaust funnels down and out below the deck.

The present invention also is designed to have the engine of the engine room and exhaust funnels in the space below the bridge and cabin.

The present invention also is designed to provide

internal gangways below the deck, between the bridge and cabin and engine room, to facilitate the movement of crew even after the cargo is loaded on the deck.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of the self-running barge in the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic front view of the self-running barge in the present invention; Figure 3 is a enlarged view of section A in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a schematic plane view of the self-running barge in the present invention; Figure 5 is a front view of the important section, illustrating the berthing in the self-running barge; and Figure 6 is a schematic front view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention The following paragraphs describe a desirable embodiment of the present invention in detail for each of the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the self-running barge according to the present invention.

The present invention will be described with reference to Figure 1.

The self-running barge includes a hull 10, an engine room 20 installed at the lower section of the aft of the hull 10, a bridge and cabin 30 installed at the fore of the hull 10 opposite to the engine room 20, and a cargo hold 40 provided by a deck 41 on the top of the hull 10 at a region except for the bridge and cabin 30.

And, an engine 21 is installed in the engine room 20. A propeller 12 operated by the engine 21 is installed at the lower section of the stern. A pair of funnels 23 protrude upward on both sides of the deck 41 to discharge exhaust fumes from the engine 21.

Locating the engine room 20 in the lower section of the stern and installing bridge and cabin 30 in the stem allow the barge to approach a pier with both sides of the hull and three sides of the stern. As a result, operational efficiency increases while allowing self-trimming, thereby eliminating or minimizing the need for ballast used to trim.

Also, the engine room 20 allows the barge to run by itself, making the operation more efficient and safer, thereby increasing convenience when berthing and when loading and unloading.

In addition, the funnels 23 are installed on both

sides of the deck 41 and designed to be downwardly movable into the engine room 20 in the lower section of the deck 41. As a result, it is easy to load and unload cargo on the deck 41 and the load capacity of the cargo hold 40 increases significantly.

Therefore, the present barge is designed to increase operational efficiency with self-running, to make it easy to load and unload cargo from the stern and both sides of the hull, and maximize the load capacity.

Figure 2 is a front view illustrating the barge according to the present invention. The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 2.

The self-running barge is designed to have multiple level control tanks 50 under the deck 41; to have trim control tanks 60 at the both ends of the hull 10 under the deck 41; and to have water ballast tanks 70 between the level control tanks 50 and the engine room 20.

The level control tanks 50 suck and drain water, allowing the entire hull 10 to go up and down in the water, thereby enabling the regulation of the height of the hull 10 when berthing.

And, the trim control tanks 60 allow the hull 10 to trim itself fore and aft by regulating listing of the fore and aft of the hull 10.

In addition, the water ballast tanks 70 keep balance of the hull 10 properly, as the cargo is loaded on the deck 41, while increasing the power of restitution by lowering the center of gravity of the hull 10.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view illustrating section A of Figure 2 according to the present invention. The present invention will be described with reference to Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a more detailed and enlarged illustration of the funnels 23 of the self-running barge.

The funnels 23 installed to project above the deck 41 are designed to slide downward and to be inserted into the lower section of the deck 41 by a driving unit 24.

The ability of the funnels 23 to slide down and to be inserted below the deck by the driving unit 24 makes it easier for the cargo to be loaded onto and unloaded from the deck 41. Therefore, the load capacity of the deck 41 increases markedly.

It is desirable for the funnels 23 to move below the deck 41 depending on the intention of the self-running barge user, increasing the utilization efficiency of the deck 41. It is also desirable for the driving unit adapted to bring down the funnels 23 to be a hydraulic system.

Figure 4 is a schematic plane view illustrating the self-running barge according to the present invention.

The present invention will be described with reference to Figure 4.

Also, the self-running barge is designed to have two internal gangways 42 below the deck 41, between the engine room 20 and the bridge and cabin 30.

The internal gangways 42 facilitate the crew to move in the engine room 20, and the bridge and cabin 30 when cargo is loaded on the deck 41.

And, due to the internal gangways 42, any other paths on the deck 41 do not need, resulting in increased load capacity on the deck 41.

Figure 5 is a front view of the important section illustrating the berthed self-running barge according to the present invention. The present invention will be described with reference to Figure 5.

Figure 5 shows the self-running barge with its stern berthed in a pier 2.

The self-running barge is designed to enable berthing with both sides and three sides of the stern.

When the stern of the self-running barge is berthed to the pier 2, the pier 2 and the deck 41 of the barge may not be flush each other, causing inconvenience of loading and unloading. In such case, the level control tanks (not shown) allow the self-running barge to go up and down in the water by either sucking or draining water,

bringing the pier 2 and the deck 41 to be flush with each other.

Loading and unloading of cargo onto the deck 41 becomes considerably easier when the pier 2 and the deck 41 are flush with each other as described above.

And when projecting funnels 23 get in the way loading onto and unloading cargo from the deck 41, the problem is addressed by moving the funnels 23 down into the lower section of the deck 41.

In addition, when the self-running barge is berthed with its stern to the pier as described above, cranes, trucks, and other heavy equipments as well as cargo trucks can be loaded directly onto the deck 41 through the stern.

As a result, it is more simple and trouble-free to load and unload cargos.

Thus, the self-running barge is constructed to enable berthing with its three sides including the stern, and level control when berthing to make the loading and unloading easier.

Figure 6 is a schematic front view illustrating another embodiment according to the present invention.

The present invention will be described with reference to Figure 6.

The self-running barge is designed to install an engine room 20 in the lower section of a hull 10 at the

front area of the hull 10, that is, near the stem of the hull 10, and a bridge and cabin 30 above the engine room 20.

The engine room 20 is designed to have an engine 21 and funnels 23 installed below the bridge and cabin 30.

A propeller 22 mounted to the stern is connected with the engine 21 by a shaft.

Also, it becomes so much easier to berth with three sides of the hull 10, that is, both sides and the stern, allowing direct loading of cargo and equipment readily through the stern.

This design is desirable for small and medium-sized barges because the propeller 22 and engine 21 are connected by a long shaft.

Industrial Applicability As described above, the present invention is of simple structure and yet allows self-running while making it easy to berth with the stern and for a hull to trim itself.

It is easy to build, provides easy operation of a barge, accommodates direct loading and unloading of cargo and equipment, and minimizes ballast used to trim the hull, thereby bringing enhanced operation and reduction of the weight of the hull.

In addition, the present invention allows regulation of level when berthing with three sides, the stern and both sides of the hull, facilitates operations by eliminating interference with loading and unloading of cargo and equipment, and thereby reduces work hours.

Also, the present invention allows the trim of the fore and aft of the hull appropriately, adjusting any imbalance of the hull caused by the engine room, and the bridge and cabin, thereby increasing the stability of the hull, loaded cargo, and equipment.

Also, the present invention allows the hull to trim itself as the cargo is loaded, thereby enhancing the stability of the hull and safety of the cargo and equipment transportation.

Also, the present invention accommodates the loading

of cargo onto a deck of the hull while allowing the maximum cargoload, therebymaximizingtheutilizationandloading capacity of the hull.

Also, the present invention allows the crew to move around even after the cargo is loaded. The loaded cargo and equipment's interference with movement is eliminated completely, removing beforehand the need for a ramp leading up to the top of the hull, which interferes with cargo loading and reduces the loading capacity.