Inflatable Life Raft with Weight Inserts and Automatic Carrier
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inflatable life rafts are difficult to deflate, store, and transport, and lack rapid deployment capabilities, making them unsuitable for recreational and emergency use, especially when only one floatation device is available for multiple people, and they do not provide adequate life-saving accessories or ease of tossing to individuals in distress.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable life raft assembly with a deployable and inflatable design, featuring a storage carrier that automatically opens as the raft inflates, equipped with weight inserts for throwability, and a tether for user attachment, allowing for easy storage, transportation, and rapid deployment in both deflated and inflated states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the life raft is made bulky to provide sufficient floatation capacity for multiple people, then the floatation capability is improved, but the ease of storage and transportation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The life raft is divided into multiple inflatable chambers that can be compactly folded together in a backpack when deflated, yet expand to provide sufficient floatation capacity for multiple people when inflated. This segmentation allows the same structure to meet both storage convenience and floatation reliability requirements.
2Loss of time
If the life raft is designed for rapid deployment, then the response time in emergency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The life raft is pre-packaged in a backpack with all necessary components (raft material, inflation valve, and compressed gas cylinder) already in position. The compressed gas cylinder is pre-connected to the inflation valve, so that simply triggering the valve initiates immediate inflation without requiring complex assembly or preparation steps during the emergency.
Solution Approach 2:
A compressed gas cylinder is used to provide rapid inflation of the life raft through pneumatic pressure. When the inflation valve is activated, compressed gas is quickly released into the chambers, causing the raft to inflate rapidly without requiring manual pumping or complex mechanical inflation mechanisms.
3Weight of moving object
If the life raft is made lightweight for easy carrying, then the ease of transportation is improved, but the throwability to individuals in distress deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Weight inserts are strategically placed in specific locations on the life raft to improve throwability without significantly increasing the overall weight for carrying. The localized addition of weight allows the raft to be tossed accurately to individuals in distress while remaining light enough for easy transportation when deflated.
4Ease of operation
If the life raft includes integrated storage carrier for compact storage, then the ease of storage is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The storage carrier (backpack) is integrally formed with or permanently attached to the life raft, merging the storage function with the floatation device itself. This integration eliminates the need for separate storage containers while providing compact backpack-style storage when the raft is deflated, and automatic opening of the carrier when the raft inflates.
Data Source
AI summary
An inflatable life raft assembly is disclosed, including a deployable and inflatable life raft that a user can voluntarily and repeatedly deploy from a storage carrier, inflate for use, and fold back into the container after use. The carrier is integrally formed with or permanently attached to the inflatable life raft. A compressed gas cylinder can assist the user in inflating the life raft. The storage carrier can automatically open when the life raft inflates, by pressure exerted from within the carrier by the expanding life raft. The inflatable life raft includes weight inserts to render the life raft assembly throwable, both when the life raft is folded and stored in the carrier, and when the life raft is deployed and inflated, greatly assisting a user in tossing or throwing the life raft to a person in need of a floating aid.