Compact Water Sports Mask With Detachable Frame and Low Internal Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current water sports masks, such as snorkel masks and diving masks, are bulky, uncomfortable, and compromise breath-holding duration due to large internal volumes and weight distribution issues, affecting their miniaturization and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A water sports mask design featuring a waterproof skirt with embedded viewing windows and a detachable frame that ensures watertightness without internal airflow passages, allowing for compact size and easy storage, with the frame being optionally attachable for aesthetic appeal and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the viewing windows are made large to ensure adequate field of vision, then the field of vision is improved, but the mask weight increases and the mask becomes bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional rigid tempered glass viewing windows with flexible transparent films. These films are stretched over a rigid support structure (frame) to maintain structural integrity while significantly reducing weight. The flexible film allows for larger viewing areas without the weight penalty of proportionally larger glass panels, directly resolving the contradiction between field of vision and mask weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The viewing window system uses a composite structure combining a rigid frame (providing structural support and shape) with a flexible transparent film (providing the actual viewing surface). This composite approach allows the frame to be optimized for strength while the film provides the lightweight transparent barrier, achieving large viewing areas with minimal weight increase.
2Strength
If the frame is positioned at the front to provide structural reinforcement and aesthetic appearance, then the structural strength and appearance are improved, but the mask volume increases affecting breath-holding duration
Solution Approach 1:
The mask is divided into distinct functional segments: a rigid frame segment providing structural strength and a flexible skirt segment providing the waterproof seal. The frame is designed as a separate component that can be optimized for strength without contributing to the internal volume that affects breath-holding. This segmentation allows the frame to be positioned at the front for structural support while minimizing its impact on internal mask volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is designed to be detachable from the waterproof skirt, allowing the mask to transition between a structured configuration (with frame for strength and appearance) and a compact configuration (without frame for minimal volume). This dynamic reconfigurability resolves the contradiction by allowing the user to have structural strength when needed while minimizing volume during breath-holding activities.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the frame is made detachable to improve storage convenience and versatility, then the ease of storage and adaptability are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is designed as a universal detachable component that can be removed and replaced with different styles or configurations. The attachment mechanism uses simple engagement features (such as clips, snaps, or friction fits) that require minimal complexity to achieve reliable connection. This universal design allows the same basic mask structure to accommodate multiple frame variations, providing versatility without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A water sports mask is provided, which includes a waterproof skirt, a left viewing window, a right viewing window, a head strap and a frame. Left and right skirt portions of the waterproof skirt define left and right hollow front portions, respectively. The left and right viewing windows are embedded with the left and right hollow front portions, respectively, and each of them has a width ranging from 30 mm to 60 mm, and a height ranging from 20 mm to 50 mm. The frame is detachably installed onto the waterproof skirt along peripheries of the left and right hollow front portions thereof.