Adjustable Paddle Telescopic Shaft Friction Lock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable length paddles for watercraft often have mechanisms that protrude or require holes, compromising the structural integrity and user experience, as they either obstruct hand movement or are complex to operate.
Innovation Solution
A paddle design featuring a telescopic shaft with a built-in adjustable mechanism within the palm grip, utilizing a cable and deformable plug to apply tension and create friction for length adjustment without external protrusions or holes, ensuring a smooth and unencumbered shaft surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an external adjustment mechanism is used, then length adjustability is achieved, but the shaft surface becomes encumbered and hand movement is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is nested within the shaft structure itself. The shaft contains internal components including a deformable plug and cable system that are housed inside the shaft walls, allowing the mechanism to be contained within the shaft rather than protruding externally. This nesting approach maintains a smooth shaft surface while providing full adjustment functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanism is extracted from the traditional external position and relocated to the interior of the shaft. By removing the mechanism from the exterior surface and placing it inside the shaft hollow space, the design eliminates external protrusions that would interfere with hand movement while preserving the adjustment capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If holes are drilled in the shaft for adjustment mechanism, then adjustability is enabled, but structural integrity is weakened
Solution Approach 1:
All adjustment components including the deformable plug, cable, and lever mechanism are nested within the existing shaft hollow structure. No additional holes are drilled through the shaft walls; instead, the mechanism utilizes the internal volume of the shaft, thereby maintaining the shaft's structural integrity while enabling full adjustment functionality.
3Ease of operation
If a simple adjustment mechanism is used, then ease of operation is improved, but the mechanism may protrude or require external components
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is merged with the shaft structure itself. The deformable plug, cable, and lever are integrated into the shaft's internal geometry, creating a unified design where the adjustment system and shaft become a single integrated component rather than separate attached parts. This merging simplifies the overall device while maintaining operational ease.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy and intuitive length adjustment while maintaining the structural integrity of the shaft, allowing for seamless paddling and accommodating different user sizes and conditions without compromising the paddle's durability.
Implementation Method 1
a cable secured to the lever and configured to transmit force to a deformable plug positioned at a distal end of the upper shaft portion, wherein tension applied to the cable by the lever compresses the plug to frictionally engage the lower shaft portion
Implementation Method 2
tension applied to the cable by the lever compresses the plug to frictionally engage the lower shaft portion
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure is directed to a paddle for a watercraft having an adjustable shaft with upper and lower telescoping shaft portions. A lever in the palm grip applies tension to a cable to compress a plug at the end of the upper shaft portion to frictionally engage the lower shaft portion.