Buoyant Streamer with Light Source for Automatic Water Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current emergency locating devices for persons stranded at sea lack automatic deployment, continuous operation, nighttime visibility, and affordability, making it difficult to locate individuals during both day and night, especially from great distances and altitudes.
Innovation Solution
A water-activated, elongate, buoyant streamer with integrated light sources and buoyant support struts that deploys automatically upon immersion, providing a continuous visual signal visible from both aerial and water-based directions, and can be compactly stored in a water-soluble pouch for easy deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If traditional emergency locating devices are used, then they can be simple and inexpensive, but they lack automatic deployment and continuous operation capability
Solution Approach 1:
The device is pre-assembled with all components (streamer, light source, buoyant support struts, and water-soluble pouch) packaged together in a compact configuration. Upon immersion in water, the pouch automatically dissolves and releases the pre-assembled components, which then automatically deploy without requiring user intervention or complex mechanical deployment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
A water-soluble pouch serves as an intermediary container that facilitates automatic deployment. The pouch is designed to dissolve upon contact with water, automatically releasing the streamer and light source components. This eliminates the need for complex mechanical release mechanisms while achieving automatic deployment functionality.
2Illumination intensity
If traditional locating devices are used, then they can be simple in structure, but they cannot provide continuous nighttime visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates a light source that operates continuously throughout the night without interruption. The light source is powered by a battery that is designed to last for the entire night, ensuring continuous visibility and signaling without requiring manual intervention or complex control systems to maintain continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The light source is automatically activated upon deployment in water without requiring manual switching or control. The device self-regulates its operation, with the light source turning on automatically when the water-soluble pouch dissolves and releases the components. This eliminates the need for user intervention while ensuring continuous nighttime visibility.
3Area of moving object
If traditional devices are used, then they can be inexpensive to produce, but they do not provide sufficient visual target size for aerial or water-based rescue
Solution Approach 1:
The visual signal is divided into multiple segments: a long streamer element that unfolds to create an extended visual target, multiple buoyant support struts that distribute and maintain the streamer's position, and a light source that provides additional visual detection. This segmentation allows the device to create a large visual target area while keeping individual components simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a two-dimensional flat streamer to a three-dimensional structure when deployed in water. The streamer unfolds and is supported by buoyant struts, creating a volumetric visual target that is visible from both aerial and water-based perspectives. This dimensional transformation increases the visual target size without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
4Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If traditional locating devices are used, then they can be simple in design, but they cannot be detected from great altitudes and distances
Solution Approach 1:
The device combines multiple signaling functions into a single integrated system: the streamer provides a large visual target area, the buoyant support struts maintain the streamer's position and orientation, and the light source provides active illumination. This merging of functions creates a comprehensive signaling system that enhances detectability from great distances without requiring multiple separate devices or complex control mechanisms.
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
Increases the chances of successful rescue by providing a distinct visual target that is visible day and night, enhancing visibility from various orientations and distances, thus improving rescue efficiency and accessibility for both commercial and military users.
Implementation Method 1
at least three buoyant support struts are secured to the sheet and disposed across the longitudinal axis of the sheet such that the sheet is divided into a plurality of sections
Implementation Method 2
A buoyant light source is disposed on the sheet to provide nighttime visibility to the sheet
Data Source
AI summary
A visual locating device comprises an elongate, inherently buoyant, flexible sheet for floating on the surface of a body of water that has a longitudinal axis. At least three buoyant support struts are secured to the sheet and disposed across the longitudinal axis of the sheet such that the sheet is divided into a plurality of sections defined between respective pairs of struts. A light source is disposed on the sheet to provide nighttime visibility to the sheet. A pouch, which receives the sheet when stowed, is configured to release the sheet when immersed in water. The sheet is at least z-folded inside the pouch.