Expanding End Adapter for Secure Rotatable Mount Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mount systems for accessories like fishing rods and outrigger poles on boats fail to securely attach these items during violent vertical and lateral boat movements, leading to accessories falling into the water or becoming tripping hazards on deck.
Innovation Solution
An end adapter with an expanding portion that radially expands to secure accessories to mounts, allowing for rotational positioning and restricting axial movement, using wedges and a shank portion to compress and expand the adapter for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cord (leash) is used to attach the fishing rod to a fixed point on the boat, then the fishing rod can be secured, but the cord takes up additional room on the boat and becomes a tripping hazard
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful cord from the system by replacing it with a direct mechanical connection. The expanding portion of the adapter creates a rigid bond between the accessory and mount, eliminating the need for a flexible cord that protrudes into the boat interior and creates tripping hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The expanding portion acts as an intermediary mechanism between the accessory and the mount. Instead of using a cord as the connecting medium, the expanding portion directly transfers loads between the accessory and mount through radial expansion, providing secure attachment without the harmful effects of a cord.
2Reliability
If a pin is inserted through apertures in the mount and accessory to prevent axial displacement, then axial movement is restricted, but the apertures must be precisely aligned for installation
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transforms the static alignment requirement into a dynamic self-adjusting mechanism. The expanding portion can radially expand to accommodate slight misalignments and automatically adjusts to the mounting surface geometry, eliminating the need for precise pre-alignment of apertures while still effectively restricting axial movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the connection interface. Instead of requiring fixed, precisely aligned apertures, the expanding portion dynamically changes its radial dimensions to match the mount interface, providing both ease of installation and reliable axial restriction.
3Reliability
If the accessory is designed to lock into a specific position in the mount, then secure attachment is achieved, but rotational movement cannot be optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the attachment system dynamic by allowing rotational adjustment before final locking. The expanding portion can be rotated to optimize the position of the accessory relative to the mount, and only after optimal positioning is achieved does the expansion lock the accessory in place, providing both adaptability and secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary rotational positioning before the final securing action. The user can freely rotate the accessory to the desired orientation while the expanding portion is not yet engaged, then activates expansion to lock the accessory in the optimized position, combining adaptability with reliability.
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 end adapter provides a secure and adjustable attachment method that prevents accessories from falling or becoming hazards, allowing for optimized rotational positioning and stable attachment to various mount sizes, enhancing safety and usability.
Implementation Method 1
an expanding portion disposed between the first and second wedges which is adapted to expand in a radial direction to couple to the mount when compressed by the first and second wedges in an axial direction
Implementation Method 2
an expanding portion disposed between the first and second wedges which is adapted to expand in a radial direction to couple to the mount when compressed by the first and second wedges in an axial direction
Data Source
AI summary
An end adapter including first and second wedges and an expanding portion. The end adapter is capable of releasably coupling an accessory, for example outrigger poles, fishing rods, shade poles, etc., to a mount. The expanding portion can be axially compressed, which causes radial expansion, to retain the end adapter and the accessory in the mount.