Transom Transducer Mounting Bracket

Abstract

For use on a boat having a vertical transom, a transducer assembly characterized by a flat-bottomed underwater block-like head having an upstanding sleeve providing a sheath for the lower end portion of an insulated wire which is operatively connected with said head, and novel means for mounting said transducer. The mounting means comprises a transom-supported adapter cleat and a bracket. The cleat is joined to the transom by fastening screws. The complemental bracket is L-shaped in edge elevation. The short vertical leg of the bracket is normally flush and united with the lower end of the cleat through the medium of a spring hinge. The long horizontal leg has an elongated slot in which the sleeve is insertably adjustably and retentively mounted. The sleeve-supported transducer is capable of swinging up and out of the way clear of damaging obstructions.

Description

This invention relates to underwater depth designating transducer assemblies and novel pressure responsive means by way of which a transducer assembly can be advantageously mounted on the vertical exterior surface of the transom of a boat and which when in its normal underwater locale serves its depth designating purposes and which when striking an obstruction yields and swings rearwardly and upwardly to a self-protecting out-of-the-way position.

Many and varying types of adapters and mountings have been devised for supportively locating different types of transducers on boats and other mobile supports. Then, too, certain prior art adaptations are known to embody yieldable mounts of one type or another with a view toward minimizing shock and damage to sensitive transducers. The herein disclosed concept has to do with structurally and functionally novel transducer mounting means which is such in design and capability that it will minimize the likelihood of damage to the normally submerged transducer.

For background purposes the reader may refer to the electroacoustical transducer for boat hulls disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,287 issued to Gerard W. Renner. It will be noted that the transducer in Renner is mounted below the bottom of the boat and is subject to displacement and damage. As further exemplary of the state of the art to which the invention relates attention can be accorded the Donald O. Nelson U.S. Pat. No. 2,646,950 which has to do with an underwater-transducer assembly for mounting on a watercraft.

A significant purpose of the concept hereinafter revealed is to provide novel means for bracketing and mounting the transducer assembly in such a manner that the transducer proper is normally suspended in a horizontal plane with its bottom slightly below the plane of the bottom of the boat and to so construct the hinging and mounting means that the transducer assembly is susceptible of swinging rearwardly and upwardly to a safeguarding and out-of-the-way position when it collides with what might otherwise constitute a transducer damaging obstruction.

More specifically, the instant concept is characterized by bracket means one part of which is designated as a cleat and which is provided with attaching and adjusting fasteners, and the component or complemental part of which takes the form of a simple L-shaped bracket, that is, bracket which has a short leg which is hingedly joined to a lower end of the adapter cleat, the long leg having an elongated slot in which a median portion of the sleeve component of the transducer assembly is adapted to be keyed and clamped in a given properly adjusted position.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing a rear end elevation of a boat, more particularly the aforementioned transom and showing, what is more significant, the transducer assembly, the cable or wire leading therefrom into the boat and the novel compensating and safeguarding means whereby the transducer is mounted on the transom at the desired place.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the rear end of the boat and illustrating the transducer assembly in the up-out-of-the-way safeguarding position.

FIG. 3 is a rear end elevation, that is, a view observing the structural arrangement depicted in FIG. 1 but on a slightly enlarged scale; and

FIG. 4 is a view with parts in section and elevation taken approximately on the plane of the central vertical section line 4--4 of FIG. 4 looking in the direction of the indicating arrows.

The mobile support herein illustrated comprises a fishing boat or the like denoted by the numeral 6. The significant component is the vertical transom 8 the exterior surface of which is denoted at 10. The bottom of the boat is designated at 12 and the block-like transducer 14 of the transducer assembly 16 is designed and adapted so that the bottom surface 18 thereof will travel under water in a plane just below the plane of the bottom 12 of the boat. The top side of the body or head of the transducer is denoted at 20. The top surface is provided adjacent one end with a screw threaded socket 22 to accommodate the screw threaded lower end 24 of an externally screw threaded perpendicular or upstanding sleeve 26. This sleeve provides a sheath or jacket for the lower end portion 28 of the insulated wire or cable, as shown in FIG. 4. The other end portion of the cable is shown disappearing over the upper edge of the transom as at 30 in FIG. 1 where, in actual practice, it is connected with appropriate tell-tale means (not shown). With further reference to FIG. 4 it will be seen that the median portion of the sleeve is provided with a lower assembling and clamping nut 32 and a complemental upper assembling and clamping nut 34, the latter having washers 36 and 38 aligned and cooperable therewith. The bracketing and mounting means is so constructed that it will adjustably accommodate the over-all transducer assembly 16.

Whereas the mounting means could well be referred to as a spring-loaded or two-part hinge embodying hingedly joined leaves it is desired here to differentiate the parts as comprising a flat leaf-type cleat, that is an adapter cleat 40 which is fittingly placed against the exterior surface 42. This cleat is provided with spaced parallel vertically elongated slots 44 to accommodate screw threaded headed attaching and adjusting fasteners 46 cooperating with a third or intervening screw threaded fastener 48. These several threaded fasteners serve to mount the cleat properly in place on the surface 42. The lower end portion 50 of the cleat is provided with a pair of spaced parallel outstanding ears 52.

The L-shaped complemental bracket is denoted at 54 aNd comprises a long leg 56 having a slot 58 to accommodate and retain the nut-equipped sleeve 26. The short leg 60 is normally flush with the cleat and abuts the transom and is provided with a pair of spaced ears 62 which are aligned and cooperable with the ears 52 in a manner to accommodate the pintle or pin 63. This pin is headed as shown in FIG. 3 and a coil spring 64 surrounds the pin between the ears and has its end portions abutting the cleat and leg 60 in the manner shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The normal traveling positions of the assembly 16 and mounting means is as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. When an obstruction is encountered the hinge means comes into play and the spring-loaded transducer swings to an up out-of-the-way safety position, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use on the exterior vertical surface of the transom of a boat, mounting means for a transducer assembly characterized by a block-like flat-bottomed head, an externally screw threaded nut-equipped sleeve having a lower end operatively joined to and rising perpendicularly from a top surface of said head and sheathing a conducting cable operatively oriented with said head, said mounting means comprising: a slotted cleat, attaching and adjusting fasteners for said cleat, and a complemental L-shaped bracket one leg of which is hingedly joined to and normally abuts a lower end of said cleat, the other leg of said bracket having an elongated slot in which a median portion of said sleeve is adapted to be fitted and clamped in a given serviceable position.

2. The structure defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said cleat is provided at a lower end with a first pair of ears, said bracket having a second pair of ears which are oriented and coordinated with said first pair of ears, and a hinge pin piercing and hingedly uniting the respective pairs of ears and hingedly and cooperatively joining said bracket to said cleat.

3. The structure defined in and according to claim 2, and a tensioned coil spring interposed between the ears of said first pair of ears, surrounding said pin and having one free end engaging a predetermined surface of said cleat and its other free end engaging a predetermined surface of said bracket.

4. In combination, a boat having a vertical transom, attaching and retaining means for an underwater transducer assembly comprising a vertically elongated rigid cleat having a flat surface adapted to be superimposed upon and secured to a predetermined surface of said transom, said cleat having a lower end provided with opposed spaced parallel ears, said ears having coplanar lower marginal edges flush with a cooperating lower marginal edge of said cleat, the body portion of said cleat being provided with a pair of spaced parallel elongated slots, said slots adapted to accommodatingly receive and position screw-threaded headed fasteners in a manner permitting the cleat to be vertically adjusted and secured in a given position, an adapter bracket, said adapter bracket being substantially L-shaped and embodying a short forward leg and a complemental long leg, said short leg having an edge normally abutting the coacting lower marginal edge of said cleat, said short leg having end portions provided with laterally directed ears which are oriented and coordinated with the ears of said first-named pair of ears, and a long leg, said long leg being provided with an elongated slot, an assembling hinge pin piercing and hingedly uniting the respectively cooperable ears and hingedly joining said adapter bracket to said cleat, and an underwater transducer assembly provided with an upstanding screw-threaded nut-equipped sleeve, the nut-equipped median portion of said sleeve being passed through said slot in a manner that the nuts on said sleeve are clampingly associated with coacting surface portions of said long leg.

5. The combination defined in and according to claim 4 and a tensioned coil spring interposed between the ears of the first-named pair of ears, surrounding said hinge pin and having one free end engaging a predetermined surface of said cleat and its other free end engaging a predetermined surface of the short leg of said adapter bracket.