Amphibious Vehicle Deployable Track Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional amphibious vehicles face challenges in transitioning between land and water due to external tracks or wheels that cause drag in water and compromise aesthetic appeal, and are often cumbersome to navigate on slippery or narrow ramps.
Innovation Solution
A watercraft with deployable endless tracks utilizing a four-bar mechanism that actuates between un-deployed and deployed positions, allowing the tracks to extend below the hull for land use while minimizing water drag and maintaining a streamlined appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If external wheels or tracks are used for land navigation, then amphibious capability is achieved, but water drag increases and aesthetic appeal is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The track system is divided into multiple segments that can be independently deployed and retracted. The track assembly includes a hull-mounted portion and deployable track portions that can be extended below the waterline when needed, allowing the vehicle to have tracks only when on land and a streamlined hull when in water.
Solution Approach 2:
The track system is designed to be dynamically deployable and retractable. The track assembly can transition between a retracted state (when in water) and an deployed state (when on land) through mechanical actuation, allowing the vehicle to optimize its hydrodynamic properties in water while maintaining full tracked capability on land.
2Ease of operation
If external wheels or tracks are mounted on the hull, then land mobility is enabled, but the vehicle requires cumbersome ramps or trailers for beaching
Solution Approach 1:
The track assembly serves multiple functions: it provides land mobility when deployed and acts as part of the hull structure when retracted. The same track assembly that enables beaching directly from water also provides sustained land mobility, eliminating the need for separate ramps or trailers.
Solution Approach 2:
The track assembly is nested within or integrated with the hull structure. When retracted, the tracks are stored within compartments or along the hull sides, allowing the vehicle to beach directly without external辅助设备. The tracks can be deployed from this nested position to enable land operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If tracks are extended below the hull for land operation, then amphibious capability is achieved, but aesthetic appeal is compromised when submerged
Solution Approach 1:
The track assembly dynamically changes its configuration based on operational mode. When in water, the tracks are retracted to present a clean, streamlined hull shape that is aesthetically pleasing and hydrodynamically efficient. When transitioning to land, the tracks deploy below the hull to provide the necessary ground contact and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The track system is segmented into deployable portions that can be extended only when needed for land operation. This allows the majority of the hull to maintain its clean, aesthetic appearance when in water, while the segmented track portions can be deployed below the hull when land mobility is required.
Data Source
AI summary
An amphibious vehicle that is capable of being reconfigured to operate both on land and in water is disclosed. The amphibious vehicle includes at least a hull and at least a deployable endless track running on a track assembly. The track assembly may comprise a four bar mechanism having an upper member fixed relative to the hull and a lower member configured to be actuated between an undeployed and a deployed positions, where in a deployed position the upper and lower members of the four bar mechanism are further apart than in an un-deployed position. The endless track is guided by upper guide wheels and lower guide wheels, wherein the upper guide wheels are fixed to the hull and the lower guide wheels are fixed relative to the lower member.