Collapsible Paddle with Telescoping Shaft and Foldable Blade
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Solution Overview
Problem
Stand up paddle boards face challenges in storage due to their unique length, making them cumbersome for air travel and less shareable among users, as they are highly specific to the user and activity.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible paddle design featuring a shaft assembly, a handle, and a foldable blade assembly that can be disassembled into a compact storage configuration, allowing for adjustable length and easy storage in a bag, utilizing materials like aluminum, carbon fiber, and PVC, with a snap-fit connection and telescoping mechanism for customizable lengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a paddle is designed with a fixed long shaft and rigid blade for optimal paddling performance, then paddling efficiency is improved, but storage space requirements increase and portability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The paddle shaft is divided into multiple telescoping segments that can slide relative to each other, allowing the paddle to be collapsed into a compact form for storage while maintaining full length during use. The blade is separated into a removable assembly that can be detached from the shaft, enabling independent storage of each component to minimize space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The paddle incorporates dynamic elements including telescoping shaft segments with spring-loaded or friction-based locking mechanisms that allow adjustable length, and a removable blade assembly with quick-connect features. These dynamic features enable the paddle to transition between extended operational configuration and compact storage configuration.
2Productivity
If a paddle is designed with a fixed length optimized for specific user height and activity type, then paddling performance is improved, but adaptability to different users and activities deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The telescoping shaft allows continuous or discrete adjustment of paddle length to match different user heights and activity requirements. The removable blade assembly enables users to swap between different blade types (e.g., larger blades for calm water, smaller blades for windy conditions) to optimize performance for specific conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The paddle system is designed as a universal platform that can serve multiple users and activity types through adjustable shaft length and interchangeable blade options, allowing a single paddle set to replace multiple fixed-configuration paddles.
3Reliability
If a paddle is designed as a single integrated unit for structural strength, then reliability is improved, but ease of storage and sharing deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The paddle is segmented into modular components (shaft segments, handle, blade assembly) connected through robust locking mechanisms. Each segment maintains structural integrity when connected, and the connection points are designed to preserve overall strength while enabling disassembly for storage and sharing.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanisms and connection features are pre-engineered into the components during manufacturing, allowing users to quickly assemble and disassemble the paddle without requiring tools or complex procedures, thus maintaining ease of operation despite the segmented design.
Data Source
AI summary
A paddle for use with watercraft can include a shaft assembly, a handle connected to a first end of the shaft assembly, and a blade assembly including a flexible blade part removably connected at a second end of the shaft assembly, the blade part being foldable when removed from the shaft assembly. In some examples, the blade part is foldable into a rolled-up position when removed from the shaft assembly.