Fishing Lure Reflective Surface for Sonar Detection and Weedlessness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fishing lures often provide insignificant or minimal sonar returns, especially when constructed from less dense materials, and rotating blades increase drag and affect weedlessness, making them difficult to detect on forward-facing sonar and impairing flash performance.
Innovation Solution
A fishing lure with a reflective surface, featuring a flat surface on the lure body and a statically affixed metal blade, designed to enhance sonar reflectivity and visual flash without altering retrieve characteristics or weedlessness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If rotating blades are added to provide flash, then visual attraction is improved, but drag increases and retrieve characteristics change
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using rotating blades to create flash, the patent inverts the approach by using a stationary reflective surface that passively reflects light and sonar waves. The flash effect is achieved through reflection rather than rotation, eliminating the drag caused by moving parts while maintaining visual attraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical rotating blade system with a stationary reflective surface. The mechanical rotation required for traditional blade flash is substituted with optical reflection principles, where the reflective surface passively creates flash effects through light and sonar wave reflection without mechanical movement.
2Illumination intensity
If rotating blades are added to provide flash, then visual attraction is improved, but weedlessness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by making the flash-generating component stationary rather than rotating. The reflective surface remains fixed to the lure body, preventing it from catching on weeds and debris while still providing effective flash through light and sonar reflection.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical rotating blade system is replaced with a stationary reflective surface. This substitution eliminates the mechanical interaction between rotating parts and aquatic vegetation, maintaining weedlessness while achieving the desired flash effect through optical and acoustic reflection.
3Adaptability or versatility
If lures are constructed from less dense materials, then popularity and versatility are improved, but sonar return decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding a specific reflective surface component to the lure body. This localized reflective element enhances sonar return in the specific area where it is attached, allowing the rest of the lure to remain made of less dense, popular materials while achieving improved sonar detection through the localized reflective property.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent effectively creates a composite structure by combining less dense lure body materials with a reflective surface component. This composite approach allows the lure to maintain the versatility and popularity of plastic or less dense materials while the reflective surface component provides the necessary sonar return enhancement.
4Ease of operation
If sonar transducer alignment is made less critical, then ease of operation is improved, but detection reliability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the reflective surface to create a consistent visual and sonar signature that enhances lure detectability regardless of transducer alignment. The reflective properties ensure that the lure maintains a detectable signal across a wider range of angles, effectively making the system less sensitive to alignment variations.
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 lure provides improved sonar returns and visual flash, enhancing detection on forward-facing sonar and maintaining lure performance, while maintaining the lure's natural retrieve characteristics and weedlessness.
Implementation Method 1
a surface reflective of sonar, light, or both
Implementation Method 2
a surface reflective of sonar, light, or both
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of an improved fishing lure comprises a fishing lure body having an approximately flat surface on the top side or bottom side of the body and a blade statically affixed to the approximately flat surface. The lure body may include a recess having a wall and a base, wherein the approximately flat surface is at the base of the recess, and wherein around a portion of the perimeter of the recess at least one lip extends inward from the wall of the recess. The blade is preferably disposed in the recess and below the at least one lip. In some embodiments, the approximately flat surface has a float angle between about 30 degrees and about 90 degrees relative to horizontal, and more preferably between about 35 degrees and about 45 degrees relative to horizontal.