Self-Deploying Sea Anchor with Resilient Support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sea anchors are manually deployed and susceptible to collapse, which can hinder their effectiveness in stabilizing watercraft during emergencies.
Innovation Solution
A self-deploying sea anchor system comprising a textile tube with a resiliently flexible support that automatically expands and deploys from a collapsed shape to an open shape upon inflation of a coupled life raft, using a ring or conic helix wire to generate drag and stabilize the watercraft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional sea anchors are manually deployed, then deployment control is achieved, but deployment reliability is reduced due to susceptibility to collapse and manual intervention requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The sea anchor is designed to self-deploy automatically upon water contact without requiring manual intervention. The resiliently flexible support structure autonomously transitions from a compact stowed configuration to an expanded operational configuration when exposed to water, eliminating the need for manual deployment while ensuring reliable deployment every time the device is deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The sea anchor employs a resiliently flexible support structure that dynamically transitions between stowed and deployed states. The structure is designed to be flexible during storage to minimize space requirements, then automatically expands and stabilizes into its functional conical shape when deployed in water, adapting its form based on operational conditions.
2Extent of automation
If the sea anchor uses a resiliently flexible support structure, then deployment automation is achieved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sea anchor utilizes a resiliently flexible support structure composed of flexible elements that can bend and deform. This flexible structure allows the device to automatically transition from a compact stowed state to an expanded deployed state through elastic deformation, enabling self-deployment without complex mechanical mechanisms, actuators, or control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The resiliently flexible support structure changes its physical parameters (shape, volume, rigidity) in response to environmental conditions. When transitioned from air to water, the structure undergoes parameter changes that trigger automatic deployment, transforming from a compact low-volume configuration to an expanded high-volume configuration that provides effective drag.
3Force
If the sea anchor is designed with a conical shape and multiple rings, then drag generation is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sea anchor's resiliently flexible support structure is divided into multiple discrete rings or segments. These segmented components can be independently manufactured and then assembled together, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining the overall conical shape and drag-generating geometry. The segmentation also allows for easier packaging and deployment control.
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 self-deploying sea anchor effectively stabilizes watercraft by automatically transitioning from a collapsed to an expanded state, enhancing drag generation and reducing manual deployment risks.
Implementation Method 1
The resiliently flexible support, in response to the sea anchor being deployed, may be configured to expand the mouth and retain the mouth open
Implementation Method 2
The conic helix wire extends in a tapered spiral from the ring towards the point of the conical shape of the textile tube
Data Source
AI summary
A sea anchor includes a textile tube and a resiliently flexible support. The textile tube may include a first end and a second end. The first end may have a rim defining a mouth and the second end may be closed. In various embodiments, the resiliently flexible support is coupled to the first end of the textile tube. The resiliently flexible support, in response to the sea anchor being deployed, may be configured to expand the mouth and retain the mouth open. In various embodiments, the textile tube has a conical shape, with the mouth of the first end being a base of the conical shape and the second end being a point of the conical shape. The resiliently flexible support is a ring coupled to the rim of the first end of the textile tube, according to various embodiments.