Hinged Guide for Kayak Strap Tensioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle-top carriers for transporting elongate articles like kayaks and canoes often result in entangled or loosened retaining straps during loading and transport, leading to shifting, damage, or safety hazards due to the inability to accurately pre-position and maintain tension in the straps.
Innovation Solution
A hinged guide with a strap retention head and gripper system that maintains the height of retaining straps constant, allowing for secure attachment and tensioning without slack, using a mounting plate and hinge mechanism to rotate the strap retention head and apply frictional force for stable positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If retaining straps are wrapped around kayaks between roof-mounted supports and load bars, then the craft can be secured to the vehicle, but the straps may become entangled with the roof rack or trapped under previously loaded kayaks during the loading process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing pre-positioned retaining straps that are already correctly placed on the roof rack structure before loading begins. The straps are preliminarily arranged to pass through guides and around load bars in their final operational positions, eliminating the need to thread and adjust straps during the loading process. This preliminary preparation prevents entanglement and trapping issues while maintaining secure attachment.
2Reliability
If tension is applied to entangled or trapped retaining straps to secure the craft, then the craft appears to be secured, but during transit the straps may become untangled or loosened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guides as intermediary elements that mediate between the retaining straps and the roof rack structure. These guides constrain the straps to follow precise paths, preventing them from becoming entangled with the roof rack or trapped under kayaks. The guides maintain proper strap geometry and tension distribution throughout transit, ensuring continuous secure attachment without strap loosening or entanglement.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple kayaks are loaded onto the vehicle, then more equipment can be transported, but the difficulty of loading and securing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning retaining straps and guides on the roof rack structure before any kayaks are loaded. The straps are preliminarily arranged to pass through guides and around load bars in their final operational positions, eliminating the need to thread and adjust straps during the loading process. This preliminary preparation enables multiple kayaks to be loaded efficiently without increasing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The guides serve as intermediary elements that simplify the loading of multiple kayaks by providing pre-defined strap paths. Each guide ensures proper strap positioning and tension distribution, making it straightforward to secure multiple kayaks in sequence without increasing loading complexity.
4Device complexity
If conventional rack structures are used, then the design is simple, but the retaining straps cannot be accurately pre-positioned and maintained in tension
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guides as intermediary elements that provide precise geometric constraints for retaining strap positioning. The guides define exact paths for the straps to follow, ensuring accurate placement relative to the roof rack structure and load bars. This intermediary mechanism achieves high positioning precision while adding minimal structural complexity to the overall rack design.
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 solution ensures secure and stable transport of elongate objects by maintaining strap tension and preventing entanglement, reducing the risk of damage to the watercraft, vehicle, and ensuring safety by maintaining strap position and tension during loading and transport.
Implementation Method 1
The lean support includes a gripper or set device that exemplarily applies a frictional force by tightening the gripper to set and maintain the required angle and restrict movement of a lean support relative to a load bar.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and arrangement for providing a load carrying apparatus for securing an elongate article, such as a canoe of kayak, to a vehicle generally includes a plurality of load bars, a guide pivotally secured to each of the load bars, an aperture disposed along a length of each guide, and at least one retaining strap threadably received by each aperture. The at least one retaining strap is disposed about the elongate article and is secured to the load bars such that the elongate article may be secured between the retaining strap and the guide. In a preferred aspect, the retaining strap is disposed through the aperture, about the elongate article, about the load bars, and is secured to itself under a tensioning force.