Personal Watercraft Seat Assembly With Locking Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional personal watercraft suspension systems are complex and expensive to manufacture, and they cannot be modified after production, limiting rider options and increasing manufacturing costs for varying rider preferences.
Innovation Solution
A seat assembly for personal watercraft that includes a base, a damper, a straddle seat, and a locking assembly, allowing for selective connection and disconnection from the watercraft, enabling riders to choose between suspension and non-suspension configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional suspension systems are installed in personal watercraft, then shock absorption is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension system is segmented into a separate base assembly that can be independently manufactured and then attached to the personal watercraft. This base assembly contains the damper and mounting mechanisms, allowing the suspension functionality to be isolated from the main hull structure, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining shock absorption capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The base assembly is designed with movable components including a damper mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of suspension characteristics. The base can be attached and detached from the hull, and the damper provides adjustable damping forces, enabling the system to adapt to different riding conditions while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
2Reliability
If conventional suspension systems are manufactured, then shock absorption is provided, but modification after manufacture becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the suspension system into an independent base assembly with standardized mounting interfaces, the design enables easy removal and replacement of the entire base unit or individual components like the damper. This modular segmentation allows customers to modify or replace suspension components after manufacture without affecting the hull structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The base assembly is designed with universal mounting features that can accommodate different damper types and configurations. The standardized interface allows the same base assembly to work with various suspension specifications, enabling post-manufacture modifications to cater to different rider preferences while maintaining the same attachment mechanism.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple types of personal watercraft are manufactured to cater to different riders, then rider preferences are met, but manufacturing and assembling costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The base assembly is designed as a universal component that can be attached to various hull types and configurations. The standardized mounting interface and adjustable damper mechanisms allow a single base assembly design to accommodate different rider preferences and watercraft models, eliminating the need to manufacture separate versions of the entire personal watercraft for different suspension requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the suspension system into a separate, standardized base assembly, the design enables a single base unit to be produced and then adapted to different applications through component replacement rather than manufacturing entirely different watercraft versions. This reduces tooling costs, assembly complexity, and overall manufacturing expenses while maintaining versatility.
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 seat assembly provides a cost-effective and flexible solution for personal watercraft, allowing riders to choose their preferred riding characteristics and reducing manufacturing complexity and costs by enabling toolless connection and disconnection.
Implementation Method 1
The damper is connected to the base. The straddle seat is operatively connected to the damper, the damper permitting movement of the straddle seat relative to the base.
Implementation Method 2
the seat assembly further includes a coil spring connected to the damper, the damper extending inside the coil spring.
Data Source
AI summary
A seat assembly for a personal watercraft includes a base configured for selectively connecting to a deck of the personal watercraft, a damper connected to the base, a straddle seat that is operatively connected to the damper, which permits movement of the straddle seat relative to the base, and a locking assembly movable between locked and unlocked configurations. With the base being connected to the deck and the locking assembly being in the locked configuration, the base is locked to the deck. With the base being connected to the deck and the locking assembly being in the unlocked configuration, the base is removable from the deck. A system for assembling a personal watercraft of a family of personal watercraft including at least a first personal watercraft and a second personal watercraft is also disclosed.