Devices and Systems for Providing a Retractable Unit Within a Watercraft Hull

Example embodiments of the present invention generally relate to watercrafts and, more particularly to, devices and systems for mounting a retractable unit (e.g., a transducer) within a hull of a watercraft.

A hull of a watercraft generally defines a deadrise, which is an angle formed between the horizontal and the hull of the watercraft. Transducers are sometimes installed in through-hole configurations in hulls of watercrafts, and to account for high deadrise angles, transducer elements are often tilted. To accommodate for such tilting, current solutions either (i) require a large structure housing with the tilted transducer to be mounted to protrude below the hull or (ii) require the transducer to be installed using an even larger housing that would account for the needed spacing for the sonar beam width being projected at the desired angle (i.e., there would be extra space within the housing that is purely provided to allow the beam to exit without hitting the hull of the watercraft). Notably, if a large structure housing is mounted to protrude below the hull, such a large structure housing is prone to damage, such as from underwater objects. On the other hand, to form the even larger housing in the hull (to account for the angle) would require a very large diameter hole to be drilled into the hull of the watercraft (and having a large hole in the hull is not desirable).

Improvements in the foregoing are desired.

Example embodiments provide various devices and systems for mounting a transducer or other unit within a hull of a watercraft. The devices and systems disclosed herein are configured to enable a transducer or other unit to move with a retractable portion that extends out from and retracts back into a housing that is mounted within a hull of a watercraft. This is useful at least because, e.g., various tilt angles of a transducer element can be achieved, without obstructing the acoustic beams emitted therefrom when the transducer is in the extended position, within a housing having a diameter that is reasonable in comparison to the diameter of the transducer. Moreover, the devices and systems are also useful in protecting the transducer and other elements from impact and/or from hazards beneath the watercraft such as rocks or other debris.

In some embodiments, a device may include a housing with a base and at least one wall that together define an interior volume. The device may also include a biasing mechanism and a retractable portion. The retractable portion may be disposed at least partially within the interior volume of the housing and may be connected to the biasing mechanism. The retractable portion may include an acoustic element within an acoustic fluid. In some embodiments, the acoustic element may be tilted, and in some further embodiments, the acoustic element may be self-aligning such that it tilts according to a gravitational force. The retractable portion may be biased to an extended position from a retracted position. That is, when the retractable portion is in the extended position, the acoustic element may be at least partially positioned outside of the hull of the watercraft and aimed in a facing direction to capture sonar return data corresponding to a portion of an underwater environment, and when the retractable portion is in the retracted position, the acoustic element may be positioned fully inside the hull of the watercraft so as to protect the device from external elements.

The devices and systems disclosed herein are designed to maintain an angular coverage of a transducer mounted on or within a watercraft without requiring the housing within which the transducer is mounted to have a diameter that is greater than a certain value relative to the diameter of the transducer and without subjecting the transducer to damage from underwater objects. That is, with the devices and systems of the present disclosure, a housing with a diameter that is only slightly larger than a transducer can be used to mount the transducer within a hull of a watercraft while still achieving unobstructed views when the transducer is tilted to various angles and while protecting the transducer and related elements.

In an example embodiment, a device for mounting a transducer within a hull of a watercraft is provided. The device includes a housing that includes a base and at least one wall, and the base and the at least one wall define an interior volume. The device also includes a biasing mechanism and a retractable portion disposed at least partially within the interior volume and connected to the biasing mechanism. The retractable portion includes an acoustic element and an acoustic fluid. The retractable portion is biased to a first position from a second position, and, when the retractable portion is in the first position, the acoustic element is at least partially positioned outside of the hull of the watercraft and aimed in a facing direction to capture sonar return data corresponding to a portion of an underwater environment. When the retractable portion is in the second position, the acoustic element is positioned fully inside the hull of the watercraft so as to protect the device from external elements.

In some embodiments, the first position may be configured such that the acoustic element can emit an angled acoustic beam that is unobstructed by the device.

In some embodiments, the retractable portion may be movable from the first position to the second position in response to an external force exerted on a wall of the retractable portion, the external force being larger than a force exerted by the biasing mechanism.

In some embodiments, the retractable portion may be movable from the second position to the first position in response to a force exerted by the biasing mechanism.

In some embodiments, the acoustic element may be tiltable.

In some embodiments, the acoustic element may be tiltable to an angle of up to 60 degrees from a horizontal axis.

In some embodiments, the acoustic element may be freely pivotable about a pivot axis such that an orientation of the acoustic element is subject to a force of gravity, and the retractable portion and the pivot axis may be configured such that an emitting face of the acoustic element points in a direction that is parallel to the force of gravity when the device is tilted.

In some embodiments, the device may further include a locking mechanism that selectively maintains the retractable portion in the second position.

In some embodiments, the locking mechanism may be a latch.

In some embodiments, an outer wall of the retractable portion may be rounded.

In some embodiments, cables within the interior volume of the housing may be offset from a vertical axis of the retractable portion such that when the retractable portion is in the second position, the cables do not experience tension.

In some embodiments, an outer diameter of the device may be less than or equal to 60 millimeters.

In some embodiments, the biasing mechanism may be a spring.

In some embodiments, the housing may be comprised of a non-plastic material.

In some embodiments, the device may further include a damper.

In some embodiments, the housing may include a fluid.

In some embodiments, the fluid may be castor oil.

In some embodiments, the biasing mechanism may include a fluid that compresses when the retractable portion is in the second position and exerts a force in response to being compressed that biases the retractable portion toward moving to the first position.

In another example embodiment, a device for mounting a unit within a hull of a watercraft is provided. The device includes a housing that includes a base and at least one wall, and the base and the at least one wall define an interior volume. The device also includes a biasing mechanism and a retractable portion disposed at least partially within the interior volume and connected to the biasing mechanism. The retractable portion includes the unit and an acoustic fluid. The retractable portion is biased to a first position from a second position, and, when the retractable portion is in the first position, the unit is at least partially positioned outside of the hull of the watercraft and aimed in a facing direction to capture data corresponding to a portion of an underwater environment. When the retractable portion is in the second position, the unit is positioned fully inside the hull of the watercraft so as to protect the device from external elements.

In another example embodiment, a system for mounting a transducer within a hull of a watercraft is provided. The system includes the watercraft, the watercraft including a hull, and a housing disposed within the hull. The housing includes a base and at least one wall, and the base and the at least one wall define an interior volume. The system also includes a biasing mechanism and a retractable portion disposed at least partially within the interior volume and connected to the biasing mechanism. The retractable portion includes an acoustic element and an acoustic fluid. The retractable portion is biased to a first position from a second position, and, when the retractable portion is in the first position, the acoustic element is at least partially positioned outside of the hull of the watercraft and aimed in a facing direction to capture sonar return data corresponding to a portion of an underwater environment. When the retractable portion is in the second position, the acoustic element is positioned fully inside the hull of the watercraft so as to protect the device from external elements.

Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all example embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described and pictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to the scope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

As depicted in, a watercraft(e.g., a vessel) configured to traverse a marine environment, e.g., body of water, may have one or more sonar transducers mounted within the hull, such as the device. As illustrated, the sonar transducer is positioned below the top surfaceof the body of water. The devicemay include a sonar transducer that emits a beamin an angled and downward direction with respect to the watercraft (despite the hullin which the deviceis mounted being angled). The watercraftmay be a surface watercraft, a submersible watercraft, or any other implementation known to those skilled in the art.

Depending on the configuration, the watercraftmay include a main propulsion motor, such as an outboard or inboard motor. Additionally, the watercraftmay include a trolling motorconfigured to propel the watercraftor maintain a position. The motorand/or the trolling motormay be steerable using a steering wheel, or in some embodiments, the watercraftmay have an autopilot navigation assembly that is operable to steer the motorand/or the trolling motor, when engaged. The autopilot navigation assembly may be connected to or within a marine electronic device, or it may be located anywhere else on the watercraft. Alternatively, it may be located remotely, or in other embodiments, the watercraftmay not have an autopilot navigation assembly at all.

The watercraftmay also include one or more marine electronic devices, such as may be utilized by a user to interact with, view, or otherwise control various aspects of the watercraft and its various marine systems described herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the marine electronic deviceis positioned proximate the helm (e.g., steering wheel) of the watercraft– although other places on the watercraftare contemplated. Likewise, additionally or alternatively, a user’s mobile device may include functionality of a marine electronic device.

shows a cross-sectional view of a devicewith a retractable portionin an extended position with respect to a housingof the device. The deviceis configured to be able to be mounted within a hull of a watercraft (e.g., the hullof the watercraftin). The housingof the deviceincludes a baseand a wall, the wallextending out from the base. In some embodiments, the housingmay be comprised of a non-plastic material, but in other embodiments, the housingmay be comprised of any other type of material. An outer portion of the wallmay include threads 206 for mounting in the hull of the watercraft, but it should be appreciated that threadsare optional. The baseand the walldefine an interior volumethat may comprise a fluid such as castor oil (or any other fluid).

The devicealso includes a biasing mechanismdisposed within the interior volumeof the housing. The biasing mechanismis connected to the baseand the retractable portionin a way that causes the retractable portionto remain in the extended state when there is an absence of external forces above a certain threshold being exerted on the retractable portion. The biasing mechanismmay be a spring in some embodiments, or in other embodiments, the biasing mechanismmay be any other type of biasing mechanism. For example, in some embodiments, the biasing mechanismmay include a fluid that compresses when the retractable portionis in a retracted position (e.g., as shown and described with respect to) and exerts a force in response to being compressed that biases the retractable portiontoward moving to the extended position (e.g., as shown in).

The retractable portionis disposed at least partially within the interior volumeand is connected to the biasing mechanism. The retractable portionincludes an acoustic elementand an acoustic fluid, and the retractable portionis biased to an extended position from a retracted position. That is, when the retractable portionis in the extended position, the acoustic elementis at least partially positioned outside of the hull of the watercraft and aimed in a facing direction to capture sonar return data corresponding to a portion of an underwater environment, and, when the retractable portionis in the retracted position, the acoustic elementis positioned fully inside the hull of the watercraft so as to protect the devicefrom external elements. This enables the deviceto protect the acoustic transducerand its other components when it, e.g., encounters obstacles. As shown in, the retractable portionmay have an outer wallthat is rounded or otherwise shaped to overcome obstacles and/or forces. For example, the rounded outer wallshown inencourages the retractable portionto move from the extended state to the retracted state when, e.g., it encounters a force from an external object (e.g., as will be shown and described with respect to).

The housingof the devicemay further include a flangethat extends out from the housingin order to, e.g., keep the devicebetter mounted within a hull of a watercraft. The devicemay also include a lipbetween the housingand the retractable portionthat keeps the retractable portionfrom becoming detached from the device. It should be appreciated that, although the embodiment shown inincludes the flangeand the lip, that other configurations for keeping the devicemounted within a hull of a watercraft and keeping the retractable portionfrom becoming detached are also contemplated within the scope of this disclosure.

One or more cable(s)may be disposed within the interior volumeof the housing. Such cable(s)may serve to connect elements within the retractable portionto, e.g., a marine electronic device (or any other type of device). As shown, the cable(s)within the interior volumeof the housingare offset from a vertical axis VA of the retractable portionsuch that, when the retractable portionis in the retracted position, the cable(s)do not experience tension. It should be appreciated that, although the cable(s)are offset in, in other embodiments, the cable(s)may not be offset. For example, other measures may be taken within the scope of this disclosure to ensure that the cable(s)do not experience tension and/or tangling when the retractable portionis in the retracted position. It should also be appreciated that, although the cable(s)are included in the embodiment shown in, that in other embodiments, a wireless connection may be made such that the cable(s)are not necessary.

In some embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in, the acoustic elementmay be tilted and/or tiltable. For example, in, the acoustic elementhas a longitudinal axis LA that is tilted at an angle A from horizontal axis HA. In some embodiments, for example, the angle A may be up to 60 degrees, or in other embodiments, the angle A may be any other size. In some embodiments, the acoustic elementmay be mounted within the retractable portionsuch that it is always positioned at a certain angle A with respect to the horizontal axis HA. In other embodiments, however, the acoustic elementmay be mounted differently. For example, the acoustic elementmay configured to be freely pivotable about a pivot axis such that an orientation of the acoustic elementis subject to a force of gravity, and the retractable portionand the pivot axis may be configured such that an emitting face of the acoustic elementpoints in a facing direction FD that is parallel to the force of gravity when the deviceis tilted. That is, the acoustic elementmay be mounted within the retractable portionin such a way so that the facing direction FD of the acoustic elementis parallel with the force of gravity. This may enable a same deviceto be installable within hulls having different deadrise angles without the angle A of the acoustic elementhaving to be manually altered. That is, the freely pivotable feature that may be optionally included may enable the acoustic elementto be self-aligning. The following reference, which is related to mounting a transducer within a watercraft hull, is incorporated herein by reference: US Application Number 18/358,988.

It should be appreciated that, although the retractable portioninincludes an acoustic elementand acoustic fluid, in other embodiments, the retractable portionmay additionally or alternatively include any other unit. For example, in some embodiments, the retractable portionmay include a camera or sensor unit instead of or in addition to the acoustic element. Other types of units are also contemplated within the scope of this disclosure.

shows a cross-sectional view of the deviceofwith the retractable portionin the retracted position, andshows a cross-sectional view of the devicewith the retractable portionin the extended position. As shown in, when the retractable portionis in the retracted position, an angled acoustic beamemitted by the acoustic elementis obstructed by the device. As shown in, when the retractable portionis in the extended position, an angled acoustic beamemitted by the acoustic elementis not obstructed by the device. This enables the deviceto emit beams such as the angled acoustic beam, in an unobstructed manner, without increasing the outer diameter of the device. For example, in some embodiments, the outer diameter of the devicemay be less than or equal to 60 millimeters.

As will be shown and described in more detail with respect to, the retractable portionis movable from the extended position to the retracted position in response to an external force exerted on a wall (e.g., the outer wall) of the retractable portion, the external force being larger than a force exerted by the biasing mechanism. Relatedly, the retractable portionis movable from the retracted position to the extended position in response to a force exerted by the biasing mechanism.

In some embodiments, the devicemay further include a locking mechanism that selectively maintains the retractable portionin the retracted position. This may be useful in specific scenarios. For example, a user may use the locking mechanism to maintain the retractable portionof the devicein the retracted position when the watercraft in which the deviceis mounted is being trailered so as to prevent unwarranted damage to the device. As another example, a locking mechanism such as a latch or a twist lock feature may be enabled when the deviceis simply not in use. Other locking mechanisms and methods are also contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. Further, in some embodiments, the devicemay not have a locking feature at all.

In some embodiments, the devicemay further include a damper and/or a damping feature that controls the speed with which and/or the manner in which the retractable portiontransitions between the retracted position and the extended position (and vice versa). For example, a damping feature may be accomplished via a fluid with a certain viscosity being disposed within the interior volume. Additionally or alternatively, a damper may be placed within the interior volumeto further control the movement of the retractable portion. Other dampers and/or damping features are also contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. Further, in some embodiments, the devicemay not include a damper and/or a damping feature at all.

show a watercraftwith a devicehaving a housingand a retractable portion(collectively,, and). In, the watercraftis approaching a rock, and the retractable portionis in an extended position. In this extended position, the deviceis able to emit angled acoustic beams into the underwater environment without experiencing obstruction from other parts of the device, as shown and described above with respect to. As shown in, when the rounded outer wall of the retractable portionencounters the rock, the retractable portionretracts from the extended position to a retracted position within the housingso that the devicecan more smoothly pass over the rockwith the watercraft. This transition from the extended position to the retracted position occurs as a response to an external force exerted by the rockonto a wall of the retractable portion, the external force by the rockbeing larger than a force exerted by a biasing mechanism within the device. When this transition occurs, the devicemay pause or otherwise alter its capture of data to account for the obstacle being overcome. As shown in, when the external force from the rockon the retractable portionceases, the retractable portionexpands from the retracted position to the extended position with respect to the housingso that the devicecan continue emitting angled acoustic beams that are unobstructed by the device. Such movement from the retracted position to the extended position is in response to a force exerted by the biasing mechanism within the device.

It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the expansion and/or retraction of the retractable portionmay be accomplished without any use of a motor. However, in some other embodiments, a motor may be incorporated within the expansion and/or retraction feature(s) of the device.

shows a block diagram of an example systemof various embodiments described herein. The illustrated systemincludes a marine electronic deviceand a transducer assembly, although other systems and devices may be included in various example systems described herein. For example, as described herein, the systemmay include, additionally or alternatively to the transducer assembly, a different type of unit such as a camera assembly, a sensor assembly, or any other type of assembly. In this regard, the systemmay include any number of different systems, modules, or components; each of which may comprise any device or means embodied in either hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software configured to perform one or more corresponding functions described herein.

The marine electronic devicemay include a processor, a memory, a user interface, a display, one or more sensors (e.g., position sensor, other sensors, etc.), and a communication interface. One or more of the components of the marine electronic devicemay be located within a housing or could be separated into multiple different housings (e.g., be remotely located).

The processormay be any means configured to execute various programmed operations or instructions stored in a memory device (e.g., memory) such as a device or circuitry operating in accordance with software or otherwise embodied in hardware or a combination of hardware and software (e.g. a processor operating under software control or the processor embodied as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or field programmable gate array (FPGA) specifically configured to perform the operations described herein, or a combination thereof) thereby configuring the device or circuitry to perform the corresponding functions of the processoras described herein. In this regard, the processormay be configured to analyze electrical signals communicated thereto to provide or receive sonar data, sensor data, location data, and/or additional environmental data. For example, the processormay be configured to receive sonar return data, generate sonar image data, and generate one or more sonar images based on the sonar image data.

In some embodiments, the processormay be further configured to implement sonar signal processing, such as in the form of a sonar signal processor (although in some embodiments, portions of the processoror the sonar signal processor could be located within the transducer assembly). In some embodiments, the processormay be configured to perform enhancement features to improve the display characteristics or data or images, collect or process additional data, such as time, temperature, GPS information, waypoint designations, or others, or may filter extraneous data to better analyze the collected data. It may further implement notices and alarms, such as those determined or adjusted by a user, to reflect depth, presence of fish, proximity of other vehicles, e.g., watercraft, etc.

In an example embodiment, the memorymay include one or more non-transitory storage or memory devices such as, for example, volatile and/or non-volatile memory that may be either fixed or removable. The memorymay be configured to store instructions, computer program code, marine data, such as sonar data, chart data, location/position data, and other data associated with the navigation system in a non-transitory computer readable medium for use, such as by the processor for enabling the marine electronic deviceto carry out various functions in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the memorycould be configured to buffer input data for processing by the processor. Additionally, or alternatively, the memorycould be configured to store instructions for execution by the processor.

The communication interfacemay be configured to enable connection to external systems (e.g., an external network). In this manner, the marine electronic devicemay retrieve stored data from a remote devicevia the external networkin addition to or as an alternative to the onboard memory. Additionally or alternatively, the marine electronic device may transmit or receive data, such as sonar signals, sonar returns, sonar image data or the like to or from a transducer assembly. In some embodiments, the marine electronic devicemay also be configured to communicate with other devices or systems (such as through the external networkor through other communication networks, such as described herein). For example, the marine electronic devicemay communicate with a propulsion system of the watercraft (e.g., for autopilot control); a remote device (e.g., a user’s mobile device, a handheld remote, etc.); or other system.