Multi-directional Spreader Bar Rudder Bird Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing directional spreader bars face structural integrity and stability issues when used on larger and faster fishing boats, which create greater turbulence and wake, limiting their effectiveness in reaching 'clean water' and attracting fish.
Innovation Solution
A multi-directional spreader bar assembly with a specially formed rudder bird assembly, featuring a bird-like body with airfoil shape, diagonal grooves, and a rigid rudder plate attached via a threaded stud and compression spring, allowing for secure and adjustable deployment of lures outside the boat's wake.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If larger and faster fishing boats are used to reach clean water, then the reach to clean water is improved, but the structural integrity and stability of the spreader bar assembly deteriorates due to greater turbulence and wake
Solution Approach 1:
The rudder bird assembly allows dynamic adjustment of the spreader bar's angular position (up to 180 degrees) to optimize positioning in clean water while maintaining structural integrity. The movable rudder plate enables the assembly to adapt to varying boat speeds and turbulence conditions, distributing forces more effectively across the structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rudder bird assembly combines a buoyant body (likely foam or lightweight plastic) with a dense rudder plate (metal) to create a composite structure that provides both flotation and directional stability. This composite design enhances the assembly's ability to withstand turbulent waters while maintaining proper orientation.
2Area of stationary object
If the spreader bar is extended wider to reach clean water, then the visibility and natural setting for fish is improved, but the stability and structural integrity of the assembly deteriorates under high-speed trolling conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The movable rudder plate mechanism allows the spreader bar to dynamically adjust its angular position in response to water forces, maintaining optimal stability while covering a wide area. The rudder can be repositioned to counteract lateral forces from turbulence, preserving assembly stability during high-speed trolling.
Solution Approach 2:
The rudder bird assembly acts as a counterbalancing element that offsets the lateral forces generated by the extended spreader bar in turbulent water. The dense rudder plate provides a stabilizing moment that counteracts the destabilizing effect of the wide lure deployment area.
3Ease of operation
If a fixed angled keel is used to guide the spreader bar laterally, then the directional control is improved, but the adaptability to alternate directions and high-speed conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The rudder plate is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be rotated to different angular positions (including 180 degrees) to guide the spreader bar in alternate directions. This dynamic capability provides both directional control and adaptability to different trolling strategies and speed conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The rudder bird assembly serves multiple functions: it provides directional guidance, stabilizes the assembly in turbulent water, and enables operation in alternate directions. The single assembly design integrates these multiple functions, making the system universally applicable to various trolling conditions and boat types.
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 improved rudder bird assembly enhances structural integrity and stability, enabling effective trolling in 'clean water' regardless of boat speed and size, while being durable, inexpensive, and easy to deploy.
Implementation Method 1
coaxial spring compression with a domed cap nut securing the threaded end of the rudder stem
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-directional spreader bar assembly includes a specially formed rudder bird assembly attached to the center of a spreader bar member for trolling a plurality of lures from a fishing boat in a spread pattern. The rudder bird assembly includes a bird-like longitudinal body having an airfoil shape with fins on either side and a pair of diagonal crossing grooves centrally formed on the bottom of the body with a hole made therethrough that is off-centered from the longitudinal axis of the body and spaced apart from the crossing grooves. A rudder plate welded to a threaded stem is adapted to engage a selected one of the bottom grooves while the threaded stem extends through the off-centered hole and held in place under coaxial spring compression so that the rudder plate and stem may be released and reset into the alternate groove to switch the trolling direction of the assembly.