Extendable Trailer Mount with Motorized Drive Train
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional trailer mount systems are limited in their practical usefulness, especially when loading and unloading vehicles or cargo on uneven surfaces or in water, requiring manual vehicle maneuvering which can be problematic with limited assistance or steep inclines, and are not suitable for areas without dedicated boat ramps.
Innovation Solution
An extendable trailer mount system with a self-contained drive train mechanism, including threaded and non-threaded drive trains, electrical motors, and interlinked cylinders, allowing for controlled extension and retraction of the trailer mount, enabling safe and efficient positioning of vehicles near or in water without manual maneuvering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional stationary trailer mount is used, then the structure is simple and stable, but the vehicle must be manually maneuvered into position which becomes problematic with limited assistance or steep inclines
Solution Approach 1:
The trailer mount system transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one with extendable and retractable components. The mount can change its length and position automatically through motorized actuators, allowing it to adapt to different loading scenarios without requiring manual vehicle maneuvering.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates self-service capabilities through automated control mechanisms. The trailer mount can extend and retract autonomously or under remote control, eliminating the need for manual intervention and assistance during vehicle loading and unloading operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle enters the water to position the trailer mount, then loading can occur directly in water, but the vehicle may become stuck
Solution Approach 1:
The trailer mount system uses dynamic extension and retraction capabilities to reach into water bodies without requiring the vehicle to enter the water. The mount can extend forward to position trailers in water while the vehicle remains on stable ground, eliminating the risk of becoming stuck.
3Length of moving object
If a longer trailer mount is used to reach further, then vehicles can be positioned at a safe distance from water, but the structural strength must resist increased weight and torsional forces
Solution Approach 1:
The trailer mount is divided into multiple modular sections that can extend and retract independently. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain strength by only extending the necessary portions while keeping other sections compact, reducing overall weight and torsional stress on the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The extendable trailer mount uses a nested configuration where telescoping sections are housed within each other when retracted. This nesting principle allows the mount to achieve significant extension length while maintaining a compact retracted form factor, reducing the structural load when not in use.
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 extendable trailer mount system allows for safe and efficient loading and unloading of vehicles near or in water, resisting weight and torsional forces, and can be controlled remotely, overcoming the limitations of traditional systems by providing a comprehensive solution for maneuvering trailers in challenging environments.
Implementation Method 1
an electrical motor drawing power from the vehicle itself
Implementation Method 2
a threaded drive shaft, again, responsive to a driver. This drive may generate rotational movement of the drive shaft which is threaded into a drive shaft coupler
Implementation Method 3
an extendable cylinder as discussed below. Rotational movement of the drive shaft may cause the drive shaft coupler and associated guide cylinder to traverse the length of the drive shaft which in turn, similar to a mechanical ram, exerts an extension or retraction force on an extendable cylinder
Data Source
AI summary
The inventive technology relates to methods and apparatus for an improved self-contained extendable trailer mount that may be independently used, and/or retrofitted to existing vehicle mount/hitch systems.