Boat Loader Light Tube with Buoyant Float
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Solution Overview
Problem
Marine trailers face difficulties in determining the location of the trailer end during the loading and unloading of watercraft, especially in low-light conditions, as existing systems lack effective guidance mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
The boat loader system consists of a primary tube and a light tube with LED elements that extend and retract based on the trailer's submersion in water, providing illumination to guide the watercraft onto the trailer and aiding alignment with the boat ramp, featuring a float for buoyancy and a power connection to the trailer's lighting system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the trailer is backed into the water without visual guidance, then the loading process can proceed, but it becomes difficult to determine where the end of the trailer is located
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses light tubes that emit visible light (different colors for different functions) to mark the trailer end location. The light tubes change the visual appearance of the trailer end from invisible/hard to see to brightly visible, solving the information loss problem about trailer location.
Solution Approach 2:
The light tubes act as intermediaries between the trailer structure and the visual environment. They transfer the position information of the trailer end to the operator's visual system, making the trailer location detectable without directly modifying the trailer frame itself.
2Illumination intensity
If lights are permanently mounted on the trailer, then visibility is always available, but the lights cannot retract when the trailer is on land to maintain a low profile
Solution Approach 1:
The light tubes are designed to be dynamic rather than static. They can extend when needed (during water loading) and retract when not needed (when on land), adapting their state to the operational requirements. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between needing visibility and maintaining a low profile.
Solution Approach 2:
The buoyant force of water acts as a counterweight to gravity, automatically pushing the light tubes upward and outward when the trailer is in water. This eliminates the need for complex mechanical extension mechanisms - the water itself provides the force to extend the lights.
3Illumination intensity
If the light tube extends outward from the primary tube, then the light elements are exposed for guidance, but the light tube must be precisely positioned within the primary tube
Solution Approach 1:
The light tube's positioning is achieved through self-alignment using buoyancy and simple mechanical constraints (channels and tabs) rather than requiring high-precision manufacturing. The water buoyancy automatically centers the light tube, and the simple channel-tab mechanism provides sufficient guidance without demanding tight tolerances.
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 system enhances the ease of loading and unloading by providing clear visual guidance, improving alignment and safety, especially at night, by extending lights as the trailer enters the water and retracting them when exiting, while maintaining visibility as a marker light when on land.
Implementation Method 1
a float attached to the light tube at a second end. The first end of the light tube extends outward from the first end of the primary tube exposing the light elements as the primary tube is submerged in water and retracts into the primary tube as the primary tube is removed from the water
Implementation Method 2
The lighting elements can be light emitting diodes
Data Source
AI summary
Various examples are provided related to boat loaders for trailers. In one example, a boat loader includes a primary tube extending between a first end and a second end and a light tube that can move within the primary tube. The light tube can include light elements extending along a portion of the light tube at a first end and a float attached to the light tube at a second end. The primary tube can be coupled to a trailer at the second end and the first end of the light tube can extend outward from the first end of the primary tube exposing the light elements as the primary tube is submerged in water and can retract into the primary tube as the primary tube is removed from the water.