Retractable Boat Rail With Locking Spindles for Safer Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rail systems on watercrafts, such as railings or barriers, can obstruct access to different areas of the boat, particularly when users need to move between seats and platforms, limiting mobility and convenience during recreational activities.
Innovation Solution
A retractable rail apparatus with stanchions and spindles that can transition between raised and lowered positions, allowing for adjustable access to various areas of the watercraft, featuring a locking mechanism to secure the position and enhance user mobility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If railings or barriers are located around the perimeter of the boat to enclose usable areas, then safety and boundary definition are improved, but access to different areas is obstructed and user mobility is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The rail apparatus is designed with movable spindles that can transition between extended and retracted positions within the stanchion structure. This dynamic configuration allows the railing to adapt between providing safety enclosure and enabling access, resolving the contradiction between safety and accessibility by making the barrier flexible rather than fixed
Solution Approach 2:
The rail system is divided into separate components: stanchions with hollow interior portions and spindles that can move independently. This segmentation allows the spindle to be retracted into the stanchion when access is needed and extended when safety enclosure is required, enabling the system to fulfill both safety and accessibility functions
2Reliability
If spindles are extended to provide rail protection, then safety enclosure is improved, but access to areas behind the rail is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to extend when safety enclosure is needed and retract when mobility is required. This dynamic characteristic enables the rail system to provide safety enclosure at times while not obstructing access at other times
Solution Approach 2:
The spindle nests within the hollow interior portion of the stanchion when retracted, similar to nested dolls. This nesting mechanism allows the spindle to be stored within the stanchion structure, minimizing obstruction to access while maintaining the safety enclosure function when the spindle is extended
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 retractable rail system provides enhanced accessibility and convenience by allowing users to easily transition between seating areas and platforms, improving user mobility and flexibility during watercraft operations.
Implementation Method 1
The locking features can include a pin coupled to a spring. The spring can be configured to urge the pin into the first position.
Data Source
AI summary
A device can include two or more stanchions each including a hollow interior portion. A device can include two or more spindles, each of the two or more spindles movably arranged within respective ones of the hollow interior portion, the two or more spindles can each including an end portion. A device can include a bar coupled with and extending between the end portion of two adjacent spindles of the two or more spindles. Each of the two or more spindles can be configured to transition between at least a first position including at least a portion of each of the two or more spindles can be received in a respective one of the hollow interior portion and a second position including at least a portion of each of the two or more spindles that can be configured to extend from a respective two or more stanchions further than in the first position.