To browse Academia. Log in with Facebook Log in with Google. Remember me on this computer. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Need an account? Click here to sign up. Download Free PDF. Ivan reyes torres. A short summary of this paper. Download Download PDF. Translate PDF. As engineer. He is now the FSAE an unofficial member technical of FSAE with his director, he is design of the mount knowledgeable and clamp for the of all the actuator.
Ben Aldern is a Johnny Chang is a senior mechanical senior mechanical engineer. The gears can only shift in a sequential order up or down without passing through neutral. Shifts are actuated by the rotation of a lever at the gearbox. Figure 1: Red arrow push is a downshift. The blue arrow indicated a pull, up shift. The gearbox is different for first gear where the driver will have will downshift push to get to first gear and from first gear only pull half to return to neutral Background The old shifting system on the car was actuated by a lever mounted to the left of the driver.
See Figure 1. This lever was attached to a push-pull cable which ran the length of the car to the transmission. When a shift was needed, the driver would remove his or her left hand from the wheel, grab the lever, and push or pull it. Pushing caused an extension of the cable at the shifting spline, causing a downshift. Pulling retracted the cable, making the car up shift.
This was problematic in a few specific ways. The lever also proved to be difficult to actuate at certain critical times. On a Formula SAE competition course with many turns, frequent shifting is required to maximize performance. If a shift was needed during a turn the driver would have to make the turn with one hand on the steering wheel or simply wait until out of the turn and lose time while the engine was in a bad RPM range.
Both situations would lead to a decrease in overall performance. The goal of this project was to install a paddle shifting system to address these issues and eliminate the detriment of the push-pull system to overall performance in a race.
With paddle shifting, the driver would be able to actuate a shift without removing his or her hand from the wheel, increasing control at every point in the race. As well, the amount of force required by the driver to actuate the shift is minimized to reduce the strain of a race. This would ideally lead to faster shift times, a decrease in weight, and reduction in part numbers by removing the long cable.
The system is designed with increased performance, lighter weight, and simplicity as the driving parameters. When finalized, it would allow the driver to actuate a shift almost instantaneously without losing any control of the car. Project Design The new system is designed with the above considerations in mind. On each side of the flexure, a momentary rocker-type switch was installed such that when the flexure was pressed towards the wheel by the driver, the switch would be activated.
The flexures acted as a restoring force, returning to the original position after the driver deformed them to actuate the shift. The ECU then determines which type of shift was called for based on which switch was activated.
The ECU then sends current through a relay to an electric solenoid that actuates the shift. A kayak paddle is used by spacing both hands along the middle region of the paddle handle and then alternatively dipping each blade into a body of water on opposing sides of a kayak. In this manner, each blade alternatively propels the kayak through the water. Safety lighting is well known and widely used in commercial and recreational boating.
Prior art efforts to provide safety lighting for kayaks have focused on providing a lamp that attaches to the outer hull of the kayak or on a lanyard for suspension around the neck of a kayaker.
Deck mounted kayak lights employ miniature white incandescent lamps or light emitting diodes LEDs positioned on the upper end of a stick. The stick is mounted on the upper deck of the kayak, such as with bolts or suction cups. Kenco of Kingston, N. The Kenco deck light is powered by conventional alkaline batteries see www. Old Town Canoe Co.
The Old Town kayak light includes an upwardly extending rod-like base with a light mounted on an upper end thereof see www. Such lights comply with Coast Guard regulations for vessel illumination, but provide limited visibility for several reasons: the lumen output is set low in order to limit battery drain and extend runtime; the desired degree light pattern is often blocked by the kayaker's body or other items stowed on the deck of the boat; the light must be mounted on the boat before launching from the shore or dock; the on-off switch may be difficult to reach once the kayaker is positioned in the kayak e.
Prior art lanyard mounted lights are readily accessible when worn around the neck of the kayaker, but are completely obscured unless viewed from a front or from a frontal side angle. As with deck mounted kayak lights, lanyards are worn relatively close to the surface of the water, which can make them difficult to see in rough water.
LEDs have been used for safety lighting purposes. Each end cap may be reversible or have a plurality of LED carrier sockets facilitating configuration as a flashlight or lamp. The flashlight lamp operates in a flashlight mode when configured with one or more LEDs directing light away from the flashlight lamp. The flashlight lamp operates as a lamp when configured to emit light from within the hollow translucent member. The ski pole includes an elongate and substantially cylindrical shaft which terminates at a first end in a hand grip and at a second end in a spike engaging portion.
First through sixth individual lighting elements are located at longitudinally spaced apart and circumferentially arrayed locations of the ski pole shaft. The lighting elements each include LEDs which are connected in parallel to a microprocessor, the microprocessor being capable of instructing each of the lighting elements to illuminate successively for a selected period of time.
A battery source is incorporated into the ski pole and is capable of powering the microprocessor and the individual lighting elements. An electrical circuit is operatively connected to the LED elements and is contained within a package that is attached to the shoe through the use of Velcro straps.
Radar reflective material is incorporated in the surface of the kayak or other water craft, and also is incorporated in surface areas of water craft accessories, such as cushion, life vest or paddle.
The paddle or other water craft accessory can be oriented to reflect radar waves back to a source, or to do so intermittently in the event that the radar system is programmed to ignore a constant reflective signal. There is thus a need for a kayak paddle safety light having the following characteristics and advantages over the prior art.
It is an object of the invention to provide a kayak paddle having lighted paddle blades for safety purposes. It is another object of the invention to provide a kayak paddle safety light that employs LEDs as a source of lighting, in order to increase durability of the lighting element and prolong battery life.
It is another object of the invention to provide kayak lighting at higher positions relative to the kayak deck than is possible with conventional deck-mounted or lanyard-suspended kayak lights. It is another object of the invention to provide a kayak paddle safety light that provides a natural blinking effect during use. It is another object of the invention to provide a kayak paddle safety light that is readily accessible to an occupant of a kayak, such that the light can be turned on and off without exiting the kayak or obtaining assistance.
It is an object of the invention to provide a kayak safety light incorporating a battery for powering the system, lights on at least the paddles and a switch for turning the lights on and off.
It is another object of the invention to provide a kayak paddle safety light that incorporates a series of selectable lighting patterns, such as continuous dim, continuous bright, blinking, emergency strobing low duty cycle, fast blinking, with high peak current to attract the attention of a nearby vessel , S. In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced.
It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. As shown in FIG.
As shown in the partial cutaway view of FIG. The paddle blades 21 , 22 are positioned on opposing ends of a handle portion 30 , in the manner of a conventional kayak paddle. The handle portion 30 of the kayak paddle of the invention 1 has at least one hollow water-proof interior portion or housing The LEDs 10 are powered by a primary battery electrical energy source 50 and may include an electronic current-limiting drive circuit The battery 50 and drive circuit 80 are positioned inside of the housing A secondary battery electrical energy source not shown may also be provided in order to provide a back-up source of power in the event that the primary battery 50 fails.
The interior housing 34 protects the drive circuit 80 and battery 50 from water, shock and other conditions that would otherwise damage the drive circuit 80 and prevent the LEDs 10 from emitting light. The encapsulated nature of an LED emitter lends itself to integral manufacture of composite blades 21 , 22 and waterproofing needed for marine and other environments. Alternatively, although the LEDs 10 are preferably integrated into the paddle blade, very small size LED emitters can be retrofit on the surface of paddle blades without appreciably disturbing the hydrodynamics of the paddle 2.
In situations where long range visibility is required e. Each LED 10 on the kayak paddle 2 is addressed and operated individually by the micro-controller device. The components of the drive circuit 80 are preferably secured on a circuit board in the conventional manner. As indicated in FIG. In a preferred embodiment, a polypropylene tube 34 houses the batteries The tube 34 keeps water from contacting the battery and the circuit board. The housing tube 34 is designed for durable construction and is configured for easy installation.
The housing tube 34 includes an end cap which is accessible when the paddle 2 is broken down to thereby provide easy access to the batteries 50 for replacement.
The housing tube also serves as a strain relief for the wires entering and leaving the housing to the LEDs 10 and the switch The housing tube 34 preferably installs in the smaller bore side of the separable kayak tubular paddle handle.
The paddle handle 30 is preferably a hollow handle that breaks down for transport of the paddle 2. The use of a hollow break-down handle 30 facilitates access to the battery 50 for ease of battery replacement, while also allowing for water-tight enclosure of wires and circuitry.
A breakdown paddle handle 30 is preferably provided with a wire harness connector on the LED power wires at each of one or more breakdown points. The connectors facilitate paddle breakdown and reassembly.
Each connector preferably includes one male portion and one female portion, with the portions configured to join in a friction fit to thereby selectively reestablish connections between the LED power wires and the LEDs 10 when the paddle handle 30 is reassembled. The connector is selected to meet the wiring requirements of the particular design, e.
The control switch 40 is preferably a push-button or rocker switch so as to increase ease of use during paddling. The control switch 40 can be selected from a variety of currently available switches. The control switch 40 is preferably covered with rubber or plastic to provide or enhance waterproofing.
In a preferred embodiment, the switch 40 is normally open. The switch 40 is operated by momentarily depressing the switch Depressing the switch 40 triggers an interrupt on the micro-controller. This interrupt advances the micro-controller to the next mode of LED operation. Thus, each push of the switch 40 advances to the next standard mode of LED operation. After the micro-controller has advanced through and accessed each of the standard modes of LED operation, the device starts over with the first mode.
SOS and Strobe Modes , and which are therefore not usually warranted during normal operation. In a preferred embodiment of the switch 40 , the special modes are accessed by holding down the switch longer than a pre-set amount of time e. However, there is an OFF mode during which the batteries are conserved. The battery 50 may be of any conventional battery technology such as, for example, lithium ion, nickel-metal-hydride, nickel-cadmium, or alkaline.
The battery 50 may be rechargeable or disposable. The invention 1 solves the problems of prior art kayak safety lighting systems in various ways. As the kayaker alternately dips each paddle blade 21 , 22 into the water, the opposite paddle blade 21 , 22 swings upward to become the highest and most unobstructed point on the kayak During paddling, the blades 21 , 22 are typically lifted well above the upper deck of the kayak , and therefore substantially higher than conventional deck-mounted kayak safety lights.
By constructing the paddle with LEDs 10 adjacent the tip of each blade 21 , 22 , visibility and conspicuity are maximized by avoiding blockage and increasing the height of the light 10 versus conventional hull mounted lights. Prior art kayak lights, whether deck-mounted or suspended from a lanyard, may be completely obscured by waves or by the body of the kayaker, depending on the position of the viewer. Additionally, the motion of the LED light source 10 during paddling draws the attention of a viewer.
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