Motorized tie-down device
View Patent ↗In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a motorized tie-down device having a housing, a flexible strap having a first end attached to a reel, and a carabiner attached to a second end of the flexible strap. The housing can include a power supply comprising one or more rechargeable batteries, an electric motor coupled to receive power from the power supply, a control to activate the electric motor, the reel, and a worm drive assembly operatively coupled to the electric motor and the reel and configured to transfer rotation from the electric motor to the reel.
1. A motorized tie-down device comprising:
a housing comprising:
a power supply comprising one or more rechargeable batteries;
an electric motor coupled to receive power from the power supply;
a control to activate the electric motor;
a reel;
a hook configured to secure to a support platform;
a thumbscrew configured to be screwed down to prevent the reel from rotating; and
a worm drive assembly operatively coupled to the electric motor and the reel and configured to transfer rotation from the electric motor to the reel;
a flexible strap having a first end attached to the reel; and
a carabiner attached to a second end of the flexible strap.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing has a width less than or equal to 3 inches, a length less than or equal to 15 inches, and a height less than or equal to 4 inches.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the control comprises a push button.
4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the push button is a first push button, the device further comprising a second push button configured to drive the electric motor in an opposite direction relative to that of the first push button.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing is formed from a rigid plastic material.
6. The device of claim 1 comprising a drive shaft having a first end operatively coupled to the electric motor and a second end operatively coupled to the worm drive.
7. The device of claim 6 comprising a bevel gear operatively coupled to the electric motor and to the drive shaft.
8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the hook is movably attached to the housing.
9. The device of claim 8 , wherein a position or orientation of the hook relative to the housing can be adjusted by the user.
10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the hook is attached to a rod or pin defining an axis of rotation for the hook.
11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the reel includes a socket into which a ratchet or other tool can be inserted to manually rotate the reel.
12. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor configured to detect an amount of tension on the flexible strap.
13. The device of claim 12 , wherein an output of the sensor causes the electric motor to automatically start when the amount of tension on the flexible strap falls below a minimum tension threshold.
14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a removable cover configured to protect a portion of the flexible strap.
15. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a radio frequency (RF) receiver configured to receive a command to remotely tighten the flexible strap from a remote RF transmitter.