Life Preserver Chin Support Water Ingress Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional life preservers, such as lifejackets, allow water to flow into the wearer's mouth, leading to drowning, especially in unconscious individuals, and the buoyancy section often rides up over the head, causing discomfort and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A life preserver design featuring first and second buoyancy sections with integrated chin support portions that fold inward to form a rigid surface, preventing water from entering the mouth and ensuring the buoyancy sections do not ride up, utilizing a compact, inflatable structure with reduced depth regions for adjustable orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional lifejackets with split-front twin lobes are used, then buoyancy is provided for the wearer, but water flows up the channel between the lobes into the wearer's mouth causing drowning
Solution Approach 1:
The chin support portion is extracted as a separate functional element from the main buoyancy sections. It is attached to the inner facing surface of each buoyancy section and extends towards the center line, creating a physical barrier that blocks water flow into the wearer's mouth without requiring a complete redesign of the buoyancy structure
Solution Approach 2:
The chin support portions act as intermediary elements between the buoyancy sections and the wearer's chin. These supports create a chin support space that blocks the harmful water flow path while maintaining the necessary buoyancy function, effectively mediating between the conflicting requirements of water flow blockage and buoyancy provision
2Reliability
If large lifejackets with substantial buoyancy sections are used, then adequate buoyancy is provided, but the buoyancy sections ride up over the wearer's head causing discomfort and inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The chin support portions are positioned in advance to prevent the buoyancy sections from riding up over the wearer's head. By extending towards the center line and creating a chin support space, they establish a preliminary barrier that counteracts the upward movement force before it can cause the buoyancy sections to migrate upward
Solution Approach 2:
The chin support portions create an asymmetric structure within the otherwise symmetric twin-lobe design. This asymmetry at the inner facing surfaces provides a mechanical stop that prevents symmetric upward movement of both buoyancy sections, thereby stabilizing their position against the wearer's body
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
Effectively prevents water from entering the mouth, maintains the chin support even when buoyancy sections move, and prevents the life preserver from riding up over the head, providing comfortable and reliable buoyancy across various sizes and clothing layers.
Implementation Method 1
an inflatable main body portion for providing buoyancy for the wearer so that the wearer's head is supported above the surface of the water
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A life preserver includes first and second buoyancy sections 3, 4 arranged such that, in use, the first and second buoyancy sections lie on opposite sides respectively of a wearer's chest, wherein said first and second buoyancy sections include respective inner facing regions that face one another above the wearer's chest, each of the facing regions having a chin support portion 11A, 11B and being configured to abut each other in use to form a chin support.