Boat Trailer Roller Assembly with Flexible Belt
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing boat loading and unloading systems face challenges such as slow operation, water exposure damaging components, and incompatibility with various hull designs, particularly due to the reliance on winch systems and complex power transmission, which are inefficient and prone to corrosion.
Innovation Solution
A boat support frame loading and unloading apparatus featuring roller assemblies with a flexible belt contact surface and a drive mechanism, including a tension rotor and guide rollers, allows for efficient and quick loading/unloading of boats by rotating the belt to engage with the hull, while protecting components from water and accommodating different hull shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If winch based retrieval systems are used to load boats onto trailers, then the loading operation can be performed, but the operation is slow (taking five or more minutes) and requires precise alignment between the boat and trailer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional winch-based mechanical retrieval system with a powered roller system that uses direct mechanical contact and friction to propel the boat onto the trailer. This substitution eliminates the need for complex winch mechanisms, rope alignment, and precise positioning, thereby significantly improving loading speed and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the problematic alignment requirement and slow winching operation from the system by introducing powered rollers that actively push the boat onto the trailer. The boat is propelled by the rotating rollers rather than being pulled by a winch, eliminating the need for precise alignment between the boat bow and the winch rope attachment point.
2Productivity
If the trailer is partially submerged for winch based loading operations, then the boat can be loaded, but the trailer frame and components are exposed to water and saltwater which causes corrosion and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The powered roller system extracts the need for trailer submersion from the loading process. The rollers are positioned on the trailer deck above the water line, allowing the boat to be propelled onto the trailer without the trailer frame and components being exposed to corrosive saltwater, thereby protecting the metal components while maintaining loading capability.
3Ease of repair
If powered roller systems with motors mounted to the outside end of each roller are used, then the motors are accessible for maintenance, but the upper sections of the hull may impact against the powered roller drive motor depending on hull chine shape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the drive motor inside the hollow interior cavity of the powered roller itself, creating a nested configuration where the motor is housed within the roller structure. This internal mounting protects the motor from external hull impacts while maintaining accessibility through the roller's interior, eliminating the conflict between accessibility and protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a replaceable roller assembly design where the entire roller (including the internal motor) can be removed and replaced as a unit. This approach treats the roller-motor assembly as a modular component that can be easily swapped out if damaged, reducing maintenance complexity and cost compared to protecting individual motors from impact.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a soft deformable covering material is placed over the trailer rollers to protect hulls from lifting strakes, then some protection is provided, but the material compresses under point loads and hull damage can still occur
Solution Approach 1:
The powered roller system extracts and eliminates the need for soft deformable covering materials by using the powered rollers themselves as the primary contact point with the hull. The rollers are designed to accommodate lifting strakes and other hull features without requiring additional protective layers, providing direct mechanical protection through the roller structure rather than through compressible covering materials.
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 apparatus enables fast, reliable, and water-resistant boat handling, capable of accommodating a range of boat sizes and designs without damaging the hull, reducing operational time and component wear, and providing flexible operational characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible belt is free to move over the at least one roller element with the at least one roller element being rotated by the at least one drive mechanism to rotate the flexible belt
Data Source
Figure 1a
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AI summary
In one aspect the invention provides a boat support frame loading and unloading apparatus configured to draw a boat on to and off a boat support frame. This boat support frame has a loading end and a terminal end opposite to the loading end. The apparatus provided includes at least one roller assembly mounted to the support frame adjacent to the loading end of the support frame, said at least one roller assembly incorporating at least one roller element. The apparatus also includes at least one drive mechanism configured to rotate one or more roller elements to draw a boat onto and off the support frame through the loading end of the support frame. The roller assembly also includes a hull contact surface formed by a flexible belt which has a circumference greater than the circumference of the said at least one roller element incorporated into the roller assembly.