Folding Watercraft Carrier Pull Handle for Low-Noise Upright Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing watercraft carriers on vehicles lack an efficient mechanism for easily transitioning between storage and use positions, leading to increased wind resistance and noise during transportation.
Innovation Solution
A watercraft carrier design featuring a base with an outboard pull handle that releases a rotating upright mechanism, allowing it to pivot from a closed to an open position, facilitated by a locking mechanism operated within a hub, which reduces profile and noise when in use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the upright is locked in a closed position to reduce wind resistance and noise, then vehicle performance is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in accessing the unlocking mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
A cable or linkage system acts as an intermediary to transmit the unlocking force from the accessible handle at the outboard end to the locking mechanism at the distal end, enabling easy operation while maintaining the aerodynamic closed position
Solution Approach 2:
The handle is positioned at the outboard end (one dimension) while the locking mechanism is at the distal end (another dimension), allowing the user to access the control from a convenient location while the functional element remains in its optimized position for reducing wind resistance
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the upright is locked in a closed position to reduce profile, then wind resistance is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in transitioning to open position
Solution Approach 1:
The cable or linkage system serves as a mediator that transmits the user's pulling force on the handle to the locking mechanism, enabling easy transition from closed to open position while maintaining the low-profile closed configuration during transport
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static locked position to a dynamic state where the handle can be pulled to activate the unlocking mechanism, allowing the upright to rotate between closed and open positions as needed
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 mechanism simplifies access to the unlocking mechanism, reduces wind resistance and noise, and allows for easy transition between storage and use positions, enhancing user convenience and vehicle performance.
Implementation Method 1
In some embodiments, a spring can bias the handle in a distal direction opposite the outboard direction
Implementation Method 2
In some embodiments, displacing the handle in the outboard direction can displace the wedge in the outboard direction. In some embodiments, displacing the wedge in the outboard direction can displace a first block in a direction perpendicular to the outboard direction
Data Source
AI summary
A watercraft carrier includes a base, a hub, an upright, and an actuator. The base includes an outboard end, a distal end, and an upper surface. The hub is disposed at the distal end of the base. The upright is coupled to the hub and configured to rotate with respect to the base. The actuator is configured to release the upright from a locked configuration such that the upright can rotate from a first position to a second position. Displacing the actuator in an outboard direction releases the upright from the locked configuration.