Patent Application
20190308699
The present disclosure relates to life raft systems and methods, and more particularly, to self-orienting life raft systems and methods.
Life rafts may be difficult to orient in the proper configuration during inflation for various reasons, such as adverse weather conditions or incorrect pre-positioning of the life raft in the water. Conventional life raft designs that attempt to remedy this problem tend to be heavy, bulky, and expensive.
A self-orienting raft system may comprise a base comprising a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a first tube wall coupled to the first side of the base, a charged cylinder coupled to a second side of the base, and an anchor coupled to a second side of the base wherein the charged cylinder and the anchor are coupled to the second side of the base proximate to a geometric center of the base when the self-orienting raft system is in an inflated configuration.
In various embodiments, the self-orienting raft system may further comprise a plurality of inflation tubes coupled to a central chamber and the first tube wall. The central chamber, the plurality of inflation tubes, the first tube wall, and a second tube coupled to the first tube wail may be in fluid communication. The charged cylinder and the anchor may be coupled to the self-orienting raft system proximate to a first end when the self-orienting raft system is in a folded configuration. The second side may be configured to interface with a water surface in an inflated configuration. The anchor may be a sea anchor configured to sink prior to inflation of the self-orienting raft system. The self-orienting raft system may further comprise a canopy comprising at least one canopy arm coupled to and in fluid communication with a top surface of the second tube wall. The first tube wall may comprise a bottom surface and a top surface and the second tube wall comprises a bottom surface and a top surface, the top surface of the first tube wall being coupled to and in fluid communication with the bottom surface of the second tube wall. The first tube wall and the second tube wall may define a perimeter of the first side of the base. The first tube wall, the second tube wall, and the first side of the base may form a passenger compartment. The anchor may be coupled to the self-orienting raft system using anchor cord. A length of the anchor cord may be less than half a diameter of the base of the self-orienting raft system in the inflated configuration.
A raft pack may comprise a raft body, a charged cylinder coupled to the raft body, and an anchor coupled to the raft body, wherein the anchor is coupled proximate to a geometric center of the raft body when the raft body is in an inflated configuration.
In various embodiments, the anchor may be coupled proximate to a first end of the raft body when the raft body is in a folded configuration. The raft body may comprise a base comprising a first side and a second side opposite the first side, a first tube wall comprising a bottom surface and a top surface, a second tube wall comprising a bottom surface and a top surface, and a plurality of inflation tubes coupled to the base and the first tube wall. The first tube wall, the second tube wall, and the plurality of inflation tubes may be in fluid communication. The anchor may be configured to sink prior to inflation of the raft body. The raft body may further comprise a canopy comprising at least one canopy arm coupled to and in fluid communication with the top surface of the second tube wall.
A method for deploying a raft may comprise releasing, by pulling an activation cord, an anchor, sinking, by filing with water, the anchor coupled proximate to a first end of the raft, stabilizing, by the anchor and by a charged cylinder coupled proximate to the first end, the raft in a folded configuration, and inflating, by the charged cylinder, the raft into an inflated configuration from the folded configuration.
In various embodiments, the anchor may be coupled proximate to a geometric center of the raft in the inflated configuration.
The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, the following description and drawings are intended to be exemplary in nature and non-limiting.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in, and constitute a part of, this specification, illustrate various embodiments, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
The detailed description of various embodiments herein makes reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various embodiments by way of illustration. While these various embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, it should be understood that other embodiments may be realized and that logical, chemical, electrical, and mechanical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the detailed description herein is presented for purposes of illustration only and not of limitation.
For example, the steps recited in any of the method or process descriptions may be executed in any order and are not necessarily limited to the order presented. Furthermore, any reference to singular includes plural embodiments, and any reference to more than one component or step may include a singular embodiment or step. Also, any reference to attached, fixed, connected, or the like may include permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full, and/or any other possible attachment option. Additionally, any reference to without contact (or similar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimal contact.
For example, in the context of the present disclosure, methods, systems, and articles may find particular use in connection with life raft systems. However, various aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be adapted for performance in a variety of other systems. As such, numerous applications of the present disclosure may be realized.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure may result in a life raft capable of self-righting into a desired position, without regard to the manner in which it is deployed.
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Moving from left to right as indicated by the arrows, self-orienting raft 100 may begin in packed configuration 200. Self-orienting raft 100 may be folded and placed in packed configuration 200 in order to limit space required to store and transport self-orienting raft 100 prior to deployment. In response to an emergency, self-orienting raft 100 may be activated by pulling an activation cord or from forces resulting from impact of self-orienting raft 100 with a water surface. Upon activation, anchor 122 may be released from packed configuration 200 and fill with water and begin to sink. Self-orienting raft 100 may extend from packed configuration 200 to first intermediate configuration 210, then to folded configuration 220 due to elastic forces in self-orienting raft 100. In folded configuration 220, charged cylinder 120 and anchor 122 may be positioned proximate to first end 134 of self orienting raft 100. The weight of charged cylinder 120 may provide a downward (toward the water surface) force on first end 134 of self-orienting raft 100, thereby preventing excessive “bobbing” of first end 134 in the water. Anchor 122, now completely filled with water and at a maximum depth, may further provide drag forces to ensure first end 134 does not lift from the water surface during inflation.
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Referring now to FIG, 4, self-orienting raft 100 is illustrated in second intermediate configuration 230 from a perspective view, in accordance with various embodiments. Self-orienting raft 100 may comprise a length from first end 134 to second end 136, denoted “L1”, L1 may be approximately half an overall diameter of base 102 when self-orienting raft 100 is in an inflated configuration. Anchor cord 124 may comprise a length, denoted “L2.” In various embodiments, L1 and L2 may be configured such that L1 is greater than or equal to L2. Such a configuration helps to ensure that self-orienting raft 100 opens in the intended configuration by ensuring that anchor 122 provides sufficient drag to first end 134 as self-orienting raft 100 transitions from folded configuration 220 to inflated configuration 250.
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Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described herein with regard to specific embodiments. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is accordingly to he limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular s not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” is used in the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. Different cross-hatching is used throughout the figures to denote different parts but not necessarily to denote the same or different materials.
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are provided herein. In the detailed description herein, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “various embodiments”, etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. After reading the description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure in alternative embodiments.
Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
