Hydrofoil Craft Prone Deck Thrust Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hydrofoil crafts rely on wave velocity for speed, limiting rider control and requiring a license or age restriction for higher thrust, making it difficult to provide a feeling of speed without these qualifications.
Innovation Solution
A hydrofoil craft design featuring a deck with specific placing portions for the rider's body, allowing a prone riding position with adjustable thrust control via thrusters operated by the rider, enhancing speed perception and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a surf board is used that proceeds on waves, then the rider can ride without a license, but the speed of the surf board depends on wave velocity and cannot be easily controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrofoil craft incorporates a variable thrust mechanism through the thruster system that can be adjusted by the rider via the thrust operator. This allows the thrust force to be dynamically changed during operation, enabling speed control independent of wave conditions. The system transitions from passive wave-dependent motion to active thrust-controlled motion.
2Ease of operation
If a vessel with a thruster is used, then the operator can control the speed, but a license and/or age limit is required to operate vessels with thrust equal to or greater than a predetermined value
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrofoil craft is designed with a thrust parameter that is intentionally set below the regulatory threshold requiring licenses or age restrictions. By operating in this parameter range while maintaining effective speed control through the thrust operator, the invention makes the vessel accessible to a broader population without sacrificing operational control capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a low thrust vessel is used to avoid license requirements, then any operator can use it, but the maximum speed is low and it is difficult to provide a feeling of speed
Solution Approach 1:
The hydrofoil craft utilizes a dynamic thrust adjustment system that allows the rider to optimize thrust output for different conditions. Combined with the prone riding position that enhances speed perception, this creates a system that can deliver adequate speed sensation while maintaining thrust levels below regulatory thresholds.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention focuses on enhancing the local quality of speed perception through the prone riding position, where the rider's eye line is near the water surface. This positional arrangement amplifies the sensation of speed even at moderate velocities, compensating for the lower maximum speed of the low-thrust vessel.
4Ease of operation
If the rider sits in a conventional position, then the rider is comfortable, but the eye line is far from the water surface and the feeling of speed is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional sitting position by placing the rider in a prone position on the deck. This inversion positions the rider's upper body and eye line closer to the water surface, fundamentally changing the perspective and enhancing speed perception while maintaining comfort through the specially designed chest and lower-limb placing portions.
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
Enables riders to feel and control speed effectively by adjusting thrust, providing a stable posture and enhanced speed experience without the need for special licenses or age restrictions.
Implementation Method 1
a hydrofoil (3) disposed below the deck (2)
Implementation Method 2
a thruster (6) that generates a thrust
Data Source
AI summary
A hydrofoil craft includes a deck, a hydrofoil disposed below the deck, a thruster that generates a thrust, and a thrust operator. The deck includes a chest placing portion on which a chest of a vessel operator is placed and a lower-limb placing portion that is disposed at a more rearward position than the chest placing portion and on which a lower limb of the vessel operator is placed, and the deck is arranged such that the vessel operator is able to ride on the deck in a prone position. The thrust operator is operated by the vessel operator to adjust the thrust of the thruster.