Foam Spring Centering in Inflatable Watercraft Collars

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Solution Overview

Problem

Inflatable stabilizers for watercraft offer comfort and safety but risk loss of buoyancy upon puncture, while foam core stabilizers are unsinkable but less comfortable and prone to damage; they also cannot be deflated for transportation.

Innovation Solution

An inflatable flotation assembly with a foam core and elongate arcuate foam springs that center the foam body within a tubular casing, providing buoyancy and comfort, and allowing for deflation to reduce the watercraft's width for transportation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If an inflatable stabilizer or collar is used, then comfort and impact resistance are improved, but buoyancy reliability deteriorates upon puncture

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovecomfortVSAvoidbuoyancy reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines an inflatable bladder with a foam core inside the same stabilizer structure. The bladder provides comfort and impact resistance when inflated, while the foam core ensures buoyancy reliability even if the bladder is punctured. This merging of two different buoyancy systems resolves the contradiction between comfort and reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If a foam core stabilizer is used, then buoyancy reliability is improved, but comfort and impact resistance deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebuoyancy reliabilityVSAvoidcomfort

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges an inflatable bladder system with a foam core system. The foam core provides reliable buoyancy, while the inflatable bladder adds comfort and impact resistance. The combination allows the stabilizer to exhibit both hardness (foam) and softness (inflated bladder) characteristics simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Adaptability or versatility

If an inflatable stabilizer is used, then adaptability for transportation is improved, but time to inflate deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability for transportationVSAvoidtime to inflate

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The foam core is pre-installed inside the stabilizer structure before use. This preliminary action eliminates the need to inflate the entire stabilizer structure when deploying it - only the bladder needs inflation, which significantly reduces the time required compared to fully inflating a conventional inflatable stabilizer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Reliability

If a foam core stabilizer is used, then resistance to leakage is improved, but resistance to impact damage deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresistance to leakageVSAvoidresistance to impact damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines a foam core (leak-resistant) with an inflatable bladder (impact-resistant). The foam core provides leak resistance by maintaining buoyancy even when the bladder is damaged, while the inflatable bladder provides impact resistance by absorbing impact forces. This merging resolves the contradiction between leakage resistance and impact damage resistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

Combines the comfort and impact resistance of inflatable tubes with the unsinkability of foam core stabilizers, maintaining buoyancy even if the casing is damaged and allowing for easy transportation by deflation.

Implementation Method 1

at least three foam springs spaced around the body portion and extending outwardly to bias against the interior of the tubular casing, to center the foam body portion towards a centered position in the casing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

An inflatable flotation assembly for a watercraft... providing buoyancy and comfort, and allowing for deflation to reduce the watercraft's width for transportation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBuoyancy: Archimedes' Principle (Buoyancy)

Data Source

PatentUS9738357B2Air and foam collar for watercraft

Publication Date: 2017.08.22 HANSEN WILLIAM M

AI summary

A collar assembly for a watercraft includes an elongate tubular casing with a lengthwise sealable opening. A foam core is removably positioned in the tubular casing, and includes a body portion and a plurality of circumferentially spaced foam springs that extend outwardly to engage the tubular casing, to bias the foam core towards a center position in the tubular casing. In some embodiments a body portion of the foam core has a circular cross section, and the foam springs are co-formed with the body portion. In some embodiments the foam core comprises a plurality of longitudinal sections that are enclosed in a membrane having an inflation valve that extends through the tubular casing.