US-12617501-B2 - Marine data instrument mounting apparatus

Abstract

A marine data instrument mounting apparatus supports various components of a marine data instrument, for example a fishfinder or a chartplotter, on a portable frame for use in different environments. The apparatus has a frame that adjustably supports a display screen of the marine data instrument thereon so that height and/or angle of the screen is adjustable and that also supports a battery for powering the instrument. When the instrument is capable of sonar imaging, a sonar module for communicating sonar signals from a transducer head can also be supported on the frame together with the display unit and battery. A separate transducer mounting assembly suspends the transducer head from a pole in several different modes in cooperation with an indicator at an opposing end of the pole to indicate the selected mode of the transducer head.

Inventors

• Kyle Courteau

Assignees

• Kyle Courteau

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240307

Claims (18)

1. 1 . A marine data instrument mounting apparatus for supporting a display unit of a marine data instrument relative to a battery, in which the display unit includes a housing, a display screen extending laterally across a front face of the housing, and a pair of threaded mounting sockets at laterally opposing sides of the housing, the apparatus comprising: a base frame including a base member forming a bottom of the apparatus and two side walls extending upwardly from the base member at laterally spaced apart locations; and a mounting arrangement arranged to support the battery securely on the frame above the base member and between the side walls; wherein the two side walls of the base frame are spaced apart to receive a portion of housing of the marine data instrument extending laterally between the two side walls; wherein the two side walls include two mounting apertures formed in the two side walls in alignment with one another along a common axis so as to be arranged for alignment with the threaded mounting sockets of the housing; and wherein the two mounting apertures are spaced above the mounting arrangement so as to be arranged to support the display unit on the base frame at least partly above the battery.
2. 2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the display unit includes a perimeter mounting flange at the front face protruding outwardly from a remaining portion of the housing in a direction of the display screen and wherein the mounting apertures are spaced rearwardly from a front edge of the side walls of the frame by a prescribed distance such that the mounting apertures are aligned with the mounting sockets of the display unit when the perimeter mounting flange abuts the front edges of the side walls of the base frame.
3. 3 . The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the front edges of the side walls are sloped upwardly and rearwardly.
4. 4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of mounting brackets supported on the side walls so as to be arranged to support a sonar module of the marine data instrument on the base frame securely on the base frame above the base member and between the side walls.
5. 5 . The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the mounting brackets are located adjacent a rear of the base frame and below the mounting apertures in the frame.
6. 6 . A marine data instrument mounting apparatus for supporting a display unit of a marine data instrument, in which the display unit includes a housing, a display screen extending laterally across a front face of the housing, and a perimeter mounting flange at the front face protruding outwardly from a remaining portion of the housing in a direction of the display screen, the apparatus comprising: a base frame including a base member forming a bottom of the apparatus and two side walls extending upwardly from the base member at laterally spaced apart locations; and a pivot frame including a front wall having a display opening formed therein and two side flanges at opposing ends of the front wall, wherein the side flanges are pivotally coupled to the two side walls of the base frame respectively such that the pivot frame is pivotal relative to the base frame about a pivot axis between a stored position and a working position, wherein the front wall is in an upright orientation in the working position, and wherein the pivot frame protrudes a greater distance from the base member in the working position than in the stored position; wherein the front wall is arranged to support the perimeter mounting flange of the display unit in overlapping configuration with the front wall about a periphery of the display opening while the display opening in the front wall is sized to receive said remaining portion of the housing of the display unit inserted therein.
7. 7 . The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the pivot axis is adjacent to a bottom of the front wall in the working position of the pivot frame.
8. 8 . The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the pivot axis is adjacent to a front of the base frame.
9. 9 . The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the front wall of the pivot frame is substantially parallel to the base member of the base frame in the stored position.
10. 10 . The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising stops preventing displacement of the pivot frame beyond the working position, wherein the front wall of the pivot frame extends upward at a rearward slope in the working position.
11. 11 . The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising a mounting arrangement arranged to support a battery of the marine data instrument securely on the base frame above the base member and between the side walls such that the battery does not interfere with pivotal movement of the display unit with the pivot frame between the stored position and the working position.
12. 12 . The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising: a tray supported rearwardly of the front wall so as to be arranged to receive one or more fishing lures supported thereon; and an ultraviolet light source supported adjacent to the tray so as to be arranged to illuminate said one or more fishing lures supported on the tray.
13. 13 . The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said light source is directed forwardly towards a rear of the front wall in the working position so as to provide backlighting to a portion of the front wall above the display opening in the working position.
14. 14 . A marine data instrument mounting apparatus for supporting a transducer head of a marine data instrument relative to a supporting surface in which the transducer head includes mounting bore, the apparatus comprising: a pole extending longitudinally between a top end and a bottom end of the pole; a mounting frame arranged to support the pole relative to the supporting surface, the mounting frame being rotatable relative to the pole about a longitudinal axis of the pole; and a transducer mounting assembly supported on the bottom end of the pole, the transducer mounting assembly comprising: (i) a mounting body having a longitudinal axis; (ii) a first pivot coupling supporting the mounting body on the bottom end of the pole such that the mounting body is pivotal about a first pivot axis between a first mode in which the longitudinal axis of the mounting body is substantially parallel to the pole and a second mode in which the longitudinal axis of the mounting body is oriented transversely to the pole; and (iii) a second pivot coupling arranged for operative connection to the mounting bore of the transducer head so as to support the transducer head for pivotal movement relative to the mounting body about a second pivot axis oriented perpendicularly to the first pivot axis.
15. 15 . The apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising an indicator supported on the pole in proximity to the top end of the pole, the indicator being pivotal about a longitudinal axis of the pole and being arranged to indicate a direction radially of the pole corresponding to an orientation of the transducer head relative to the pole.
16. 16 . The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the indicator is pivotal between a first mark on the pole corresponding to the first mode and a second mark on the pole corresponding to the second mode, and wherein the indicator is pivotal through a range of 90 degrees between the first mark and the second mark.
17. 17 . The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein one of the marks corresponds to a radial direction of the indicator that is perpendicular to the first pivot axis.
18. 18 . The apparatus according to claim 16 wherein the mounting frame comprises: a collar supported rotatably on the pole and supporting a plurality of mounting flanges thereon to extend radially outwardly from the collar at circumferentially spaced apart locations; a plurality of legs pivotally supported on the mounting flanges on the collar respectively such that each leg is pivotal relative to the respective mounting flange between an extended position extending radially outward from the pole and a folded position extending alongside the pole; wherein each leg includes an inner end adjacent to the collar having a slot formed therein to define two parallel plates (i) receiving the respective mounting flange between the parallel plates and (ii) supporting a pivot shaft extending between the parallel plates to define an axis of rotation of the leg relative to the collar; and wherein the inner end of the slot is formed with a first stop limiting pivotal movement of the leg beyond the extended position and a second stop limiting pivotal movement of the leg beyond the folded position.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a mounting apparatus for supporting components of a marine data instrument thereon such as a chartplotter or fishfinder, and more particularly the present invention relates to a mounting apparatus for supporting a display unit of the marine data instrument and/or supporting a transducer head of the marine data instrument. BACKGROUND In the sport of fishing, it is common to use a marine data instrument such as a fishfinder for sonar imaging of underwater objects or a chartplotter for tracking position relative to maps. In many instances chartplotters can also be optionally configured for sonar imaging too. When equipped for sonar imaging, the marine data instrument uses a transducer head to emit and receive sonar signals that are then used by the computer controller of a display unit of the sonar instrument to generate a sonar image representing various submerged objects such as the contours of the floor of a body of water or the presence of fish within the body of water. Marine instruments equipped for sonar imaging may comprise forward facing sonar or live imaging sonar for example. A typical marine data instrument as described above has a display unit that is arranged to be mounted on a suitable supporting surface of a marine vessel to be readily visible by an operator of the vessel. The display unit would be connected to a power supply of the vessel such as a battery. When equipped for sonar imaging, a separate sonar module is also commonly used to process and/or amplify signals between the display unit and the transducer. The transducer is typically intended to be mounted in a submerged manner by either supporting the transducer on an exterior surface of the vessel that is submerged during use of the vessel, or on a pole-type structure that can be suspended in a partly submerged manner from the vessel. In order to make use of known marine data instruments in a portable manner, for example when ice fishing or when using the instruments on different vessels, it is desirable for the display unit, the sonar module, and the battery to be transported together on a common carrier, while the transducer is mounted on a separate pole structure that can be attached to various vessels or suspended from various structures such as being suspended through an ice fishing hole to submerge the transducer. One known type of carrier for a marine data instrument comprises a rectangular housing intended to enclose the battery and the sonar module therein, with the horizonal upper boundary wall of the housing providing a mounting surface to support the display unit thereon in a conventional manner, for example using a conventional bail mounting bracket. The resulting arrangement is large and cumbersome for a user to transport. Known pole structures for supporting the transducer head of the marine data instrument suspended through an ice fishing hole typically comprise a mounting frame that can span over an ice fishing hole when supported upon the surrounding sheet of ice and a pole suspended from the mounting frame that supports the transducer head thereon. The pole may accommodate mounting the transducer head in more than one orientation. In addition, the poles are commonly rotatably supported on the mounting frame such that the direction of the transducer head can be adjusted by rotating the pole. Once the transducer head has been submerged within the body of water through an ice fishing hole, it is difficult to determine both the orientation of the transducer head relative to the pole, and the angular position transducer head about an axis of the pole as the pole is rotated. The sonar image is very difficult to interpret by the user if the orientation and angular position are not apparent to the user of the marine data instrument. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a marine data instrument mounting apparatus for supporting a display unit of a marine data instrument relative to a battery, in which the display unit includes a housing, a display screen extending laterally across a front face of the housing, and a pair of threaded mounting sockets at laterally opposing sides of the housing, the apparatus comprising: a base frame including a base member forming a bottom of the apparatus and two side walls extending upwardly from the base member at laterally spaced apart locations; anda mounting arrangement arranged to support the battery securely on the frame above the base member and between the side walls;wherein the two side walls of the base frame are spaced apart to receive a portion of housing of the marine data instrument extending laterally between the two side walls;wherein the two side walls include two mounting apertures formed in the two side walls in alignment with one another along a common axis so as to be arranged for alignment with the threaded mounting sockets of the housing; andwherein the two mounting ape