Swivel assembly with braking for watersports equipment

Abstract

A swivel assembly includes a bracket for securing the swivel assembly to a wakeboard rack or watersports equipment rack, a hub assembly mounted to the bracket, the hub assembly including a spindle housed within the hub assembly, the spindle being rotatable about a central axis, a braking mechanism within the hub assembly, the braking mechanism comprising a permanent magnet brake, wherein the permanent magnet brake is configured to engage to stop rotation of the spindle by applying magnetic force from one or more permanent magnets and be released by applying an opposing electromagnetic force that counteracts the permanent magnet force, allowing free rotation of the spindle and a bore mounting.

1 . A swivel assembly for use with a wakeboard rack or other watersports equipment, comprising:
 a bracket for securing the swivel assembly to a wakeboard rack or watersports equipment rack;   a hub assembly mounted to the bracket, the hub assembly comprising:
 a spindle housed within the hub assembly, the spindle being rotatable about a central axis; 
 a braking mechanism within the hub assembly, the braking mechanism comprising a permanent magnet brake, wherein the permanent magnet brake is configured to:
 engage to stop rotation of the spindle by applying magnetic force from one or more permanent magnets and be released by applying an opposing electromagnetic force that counteracts the magnetic force from the one or more permanent magnets, allowing free rotation of the spindle; 
 
   a bore mounting wherein the braking mechanism is concentrically mounted around the spindle, allowing for even distribution of braking force around the spindle;   a battery electrically connected to the braking mechanism;   a switch operable to apply power from the battery to the braking mechanism, wherein:
 when power is applied via the switch, the electromagnetic force releases the brake and allows the spindle to rotate; and 
   when power is interrupted, the permanent magnet brake engages and prevents rotation of the spindle, thereby providing a pinless locking mechanism.   
     
     
         2 . The swivel assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the spindle has a square cross-section. 
     
     
         3 . The swivel assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the assembly further comprises a spring mechanism configured to swivel the spindle to predefined positions upon release of the brake. 
     
     
         4 . The swivel assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the spring mechanism is configured to return the spindle to a neutral position after the brake is released. 
     
     
         5 . The swivel assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a sensor positioned on the wakeboard rack, the sensor being configured to detect an approaching obstacle and, upon detection, trigger one or more of:
 an alarm; and   automatic activation of the braking mechanism to prevent further swivel movement.   
     
     
         6 . The swivel assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the sensor is configured to trigger automatic rotation of the spindle to a safe position upon detection of an approaching obstacle. 
     
     
         7 . The swivel assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor capable of detecting objects within a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         8 . The swivel assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the braking mechanism is configured to automatically engage in event of a power failure from the battery, thereby preventing unintentional movement of the wakeboard rack. 
     
     
         9 . The swivel assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the hub assembly provides a pinless swivel mechanism, eliminating need for mechanical pin engagement to lock the wakeboard rack in place. 
     
     
         10 . The swivel assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the switch is manually operable to allow a user to control engagement and release of the braking mechanism based on desired rotation of the spindle. 
     
     
         11 . A watercraft comprising the swivel assembly of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         12 . A swivel assembly for use with a wakeboard rack or other watersports equipment, comprising:
 a bracket for securing the swivel assembly to a wakeboard rack or watersports equipment rack;   a hub assembly mounted to the bracket, the hub assembly comprising:   a spindle housed within the hub assembly, the spindle being rotatable about a central axis; and   a braking mechanism within the hub assembly; and   a switch, wherein the switch is manually operable to allow a user to control engagement and/or release of the braking mechanism.   
     
     
         13 . The swivel assembly of  claim 12  wherein the braking mechanism comprises a permanent magnet brake, wherein the permanent magnet brake is configured to engage to stop rotation of the spindle by applying magnetic force from one or more permanent magnets. 
     
     
         14 . A system comprising a watersports equipment rack operatively connected to the swivel assembly of  claim 12 . 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  further comprising a spring mechanism operatively connected to the swivel assembly. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the spring mechanism is operatively connected to an actuator. 
     
     
         17 . The swivel assembly of  claim 12  wherein the braking mechanism comprises an electromagnet operatively connected to a battery when the switch is engaged. 
     
     
         18 . The swivel assembly of  claim 17  further comprising a solar interface operatively connected to the battery. 
     
     
         19 . A swivel assembly for watersports equipment on a watercraft, comprising:
 a bracket configured to secure the swivel assembly to a wakeboard rack or watersports equipment rack;   a hub assembly secured to the bracket, the hub assembly including a housing base and a cover cap;   a spindle housed within the hub assembly and rotatable about a central axis;   roller bearings positioned between the spindle and the hub assembly to facilitate smooth rotation;   a permanent magnet brake bore-mounted concentrically around the spindle within the hub assembly, wherein the permanent magnet brake provides magnetic holding force when no electrical power is applied and releases when electrical current counteracts the magnetic holding force;   a battery housed within the hub assembly and electrically connected to the permanent magnet brake;   a push button switch mounted directly on the hub assembly and operable to apply power from the battery to release the permanent magnet brake; and   a shaft lock mechanism having a lower holding torque than the permanent magnet brake, whereby the shaft lock mechanism provides breakaway protection by disengaging before the permanent magnet brake under impact forces.   
     
     
         20 . The swivel assembly of  claim 19 , wherein the permanent magnet brake is configured with a magnetic holding force of sufficient magnitude to secure the spindle against rotational forces up to a first predetermined torque threshold, and wherein the shaft lock mechanism is configured with a mechanical holding torque lower than the magnetic holding force of the permanent magnet brake, such that application of rotational force exceeding the mechanical holding torque of the shaft lock mechanism causes the shaft lock mechanism to disengage before the permanent magnet brake releases.