Snow Vehicle Ski With Pivot Point Below Lift Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snow vehicle skis face challenges in navigating obstacles and maintaining stability on uneven snow surfaces due to their design, which often results in inadequate responsiveness and control.
Innovation Solution
The ski design features a spindle with a pivot point positioned below the lift surface, a central runner extending along the ski body's length, and side runners for increased stability and control, allowing for better engagement with the snow and responsive handling of obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the ski is designed with a large surface area to support the vehicle on snow, then the vehicle stability is improved, but the ski becomes less responsive when encountering obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The ski is divided into distinct functional components: a large surface area body for stability, and separate articulating elements (spindle, pivot point, blade) for responsiveness. This segmentation allows the ski to maintain overall stability while enabling localized movement to navigate obstacles effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The ski incorporates dynamic elements including an articulating blade connected via a spindle to a pivot point, allowing the ski to adapt its configuration in response to terrain variations. This dynamic capability enables the ski to transition from a stable platform to an active obstacle-overcoming mechanism as needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the ski is designed to be articulating to overcome obstacles, then the obstacle navigation capability is improved, but the control precision is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot point serves as an intermediary element between the articulating blade and the main ski body. This intermediary provides a defined rotation center that enables controlled articulation while maintaining predictable steering response, thus preserving control precision despite the articulating design.
Solution Approach 2:
The ski design allows for controlled changes in articulation parameters (blade angle, spindle position) to navigate obstacles while maintaining optimal steering geometry. By carefully managing these parameter changes, the system achieves obstacle navigation capability without sacrificing control precision.
3Device complexity
If the pivot point is positioned above the lift surface, then the ski structure is simpler, but the moment arm is reduced resulting in less responsive movement
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot point is positioned in the vertical dimension below the lift surface rather than above it. This dimensional repositioning increases the moment arm length, creating greater leverage for responsive ski movement while maintaining structural integrity through the hollow cavity integration.
4Ease of operation
If the central runner extends downward from the lift surface, then the lateral control is improved, but the ski body complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The central runner is merged with the hollow cavity structure of the ski body, eliminating the need for separate complex mounting structures. This integration provides the necessary lateral control through the downward-extending runner while keeping the overall ski body design relatively simple and manufacturable.
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
This design enhances the ski's ability to navigate obstacles and maintain stability by providing a greater moment arm for responsive movement and improved lateral control, allowing the ski to ride more effectively on snow surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
This design enhances the ski's ability to navigate obstacles and maintain stability by providing a greater moment arm for responsive movement
Implementation Method 2
The lower surface comprises a lift surface and a central runner
Implementation Method 3
one or more blades or runners to provide some control over the direction of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A ski for a snow vehicle has a ski body having an upper surface and a lower surface. The lower surface has a lift surface and a central runner. The central runner extends along a length of the ski body. The central runner depends from the ski body below the lift surfaces. There is a spindle with a first end and a second end. A ski attachment attaches the first end of the spindle to the ski body. The ski attachment has a pivot point that is positioned below a portion of the lift surface and in line with the central runner.