Boat Interface Shielding Electrical Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boat-mounted interfaces for electronic devices, such as fish finders, result in exposed and vulnerable electrical connections due to large, permanent holes drilled for power cords and connections, which are prone to water, dirt, and damage, and do not efficiently manage the routing of flexible elements like electrical wires.
Innovation Solution
A boat-mounted interface with a C-shaped body and projecting portion, featuring multiple openings to guide and protect the bend of flexible elements, allowing them to run through the interface while being secured with pin connectors, thus shielding the connections from the environment and optimizing space on the boat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a large hole is drilled in the boat for the power cord and electrical connections, then the electrical connections can be made, but the hole is exposed to water, dirt, and fish parts causing vulnerability and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an interface component as an intermediary element between the boat's electrical system and the external environment. This interface includes a body with multiple openings that guides and protects the flexible element (power cord) while allowing electrical connections. The interface acts as a mediator that shields the vulnerable electrical connections from water, dirt, and fish parts by providing a structured pathway through its openings, thus resolving the contradiction between enabling electrical connections and protecting them from harmful environmental factors.
2Ease of operation
If holes are drilled for the mount and power cord, then the electronic device can be mounted, but the holes are permanent and reduce the boat's aesthetics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single interface component: mounting holes for the electronic device, openings for power cord routing, and aesthetic coverage for all drilled holes. The interface body is designed to cover the mount holes and power cord hole simultaneously, merging these separate openings into a unified structure that maintains boat aesthetics while enabling both device mounting and electrical connections.
3Reliability
If the flexible element is routed through the boat, then electrical connections are established, but the routing is exposed and creates safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the flexible element (power cord) is routed through a series of openings within the interface body. The interface body itself is nested within the boat structure, and the flexible element is nested within the interface's opening pathway. This nested arrangement protects the flexible element by embedding it within the interface structure rather than leaving it exposed on the boat surface, thus reducing safety hazards while maintaining electrical connectivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An interface between the gunwale or other surface of a boat and a tool such as a electronic device such as a fish finder. The interface is tucked under the mount of the electronic device and includes an opening running radially from the interior of the interface to and beyond an outer diametrical portion of the mount such that a power cord and/or other electrical connections can run from a power source in an inner portion of the boat, then to a central portion of the interface, then to the portion of the interface disposed beyond the outer diametrical portion of the mount, and then to the electrical device.