Marine Flotation Device with Automatic Water-Activated Inflator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing marine vessels lack an effective, easily deployable, and non-hull-modification-required flotation device that can assist in righting a capsized vessel and provide additional buoyancy, making it difficult for passengers to access safety gear and reducing the risk of hypothermia during emergencies.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained flotation device with an inflatable bladder, automatic or manual inflator, retention straps, and a backup inflator, which can be mounted to various locations on a vessel, providing incremental buoyancy and assistance in rolling the vessel upright, and can be used as a personal flotation device or life raft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a life raft is used to provide flotation and safety, then survival capability is improved, but device complexity and storage difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flotation device is divided into separate modular components: an inflatable bladder, inflator mechanism, retention straps, and mounting hardware. This segmentation allows the system to be stored in a compact state while providing full flotation capability when deployed, resolving the contradiction between survival capability and storage difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
The retention straps and mounting mechanisms are integrated into or alongside the bladder structure, allowing components to be nested or combined in a space-efficient manner during storage, while maintaining full functionality when activated.
2Device complexity
If a personal flotation device (PFD) is stored under a seat cushion or in a cabin, then device complexity is reduced, but accessibility and response time deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The flotation device is pre-mounted on the vessel's exterior surface in readily accessible locations, positioned in advance for immediate deployment. This preliminary positioning eliminates the time required to locate and retrieve PFDs from storage compartments during emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting mechanism serves as an intermediary between the bladder and the vessel, providing a secure yet quickly deployable connection that bridges the gap between permanent installation and immediate accessibility.
3Reliability
If flotation devices are integrated into the vessel, then buoyancy and safety are improved, but device complexity and mounting requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting mechanism is designed with universal adaptability to accommodate various vessel types and surface configurations. The retention straps and mounting hardware can be applied to different materials and geometries without requiring vessel-specific modifications, resolving the contradiction between integrated buoyancy and mounting complexity.
4Ease of operation
If an automatic inflator is used, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The automatic inflator is designed to activate through simple environmental triggers such as water contact or pressure changes, allowing the device to inflate itself without requiring complex manual operations. The inflator mechanism automatically detects the emergency condition and initiates inflation, providing ease of operation while keeping the activation process simple.
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
The flotation device increases the vessel's buoyancy, assists in righting a capsized vessel, and allows passengers to access safety gear, reducing the risk of hypothermia and improving survival chances during emergencies.
Implementation Method 1
a bladder, of least one inflator coupled to the bladder
Implementation Method 2
at least one cartridge of compressed gas coupled to the inflator
Data Source
AI summary
A self-contained emergency flotation device, the flotation device, with attached reflective material that is manual and/or automatic inflatable which is permanently, semi-permanently or temporarily mounted to a pleasure vessel, boat, canoe, kayak or personal watercraft, the vessel. The flotation device provides additional flotation, incremental buoyancy to the vessel. The flotation device includes one or more reusable flotation bladder, one or more inflators coupled to the bladder(s), one or more cartridges of compressed gas coupled to the inflator(s), one or more retention straps, a mounting mechanism, at least one backup inflator, one or more rollover strap is provided. The inflator activates to inflate one or more inflatable bladders when the flotation device is immersed in water. The flotation device remains attached to the vessel of which it is fastened. However, the temporary mounted flotation device can be reattached before and/or after inflation to assist the vessel's flotation. The rollover strap attached to the flotation device provides a hand grab(s) that can be used to roll the vessel to an upright position or used by the passenger(s) to stay with the vessel when in the water. As an integral part of the vessel, the flotation device is ready for deployment which converts a vessel into a suitable life raft type device.