Locking assembly, tripod head and support device

Abstract

Provided is a locking assembly, used for locking a tripod head (100) on a tripod, the tripod head (100) comprising a screw rod (11); the locking assembly (20) comprises a handle body (30), a gear (40) and an engagement assembly; the upper end portion of the handle body (30) is provided with a recessed accommodation hole (31); the gear (40) has a plurality of first meshing teeth (41) which are circumferentially distributed and are adapted to external threads of the screw rod (11); the engagement assembly is rotatably arranged on the handle body (30), and the engagement assembly is selectively meshed with and connected to the gear (40), the gear (40) partially extending into the accommodation hole (31). After the engagement assembly and the gear (40) are disengaged for unlocking of the locking assembly (20), the external threads of the screw rod (11) drive the gear (40) to rotate when the screw rod (11) extends into the accommodation hole (31); after the screw rod (11) extends to a preset position, the external threads of the screw rod (11) are engaged with the gear (40) when the engagement assembly and the gear (40) are meshed for locking, so as to limit sliding of the screw rod (11) relative to the inner hole wall of the accommodation hole (31). Thus, locking and unlocking operations are convenient and rapid, saving time and effort, thereby improving user experience.

Description

Locking assembly, pan / tilt and support device Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of photographic equipment, and in particular to a locking assembly, a pan head and a supporting device. Background Art

[0002] Cameras, mobile phones, action cameras, monitors, and other photographic equipment are widely used for filming. To improve the shooting effect, the photographic equipment can be mounted on a tripod. Currently, to meet the need for adjusting the shooting angle, as shown in Figure 1, the gimbal can be selectively rotated relative to the tripod mount. However, existing gimbals include a gimbal base and a locking assembly, which is threadedly connected to the base's screw. After adjusting the angle of the photographic equipment, the locking assembly needs to be rotated multiple times to secure the gimbal base to the tripod mount. This operation is laborious and time-consuming, resulting in a poor user experience.

[0003] Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a locking assembly, aiming to solve the technical problem that the locking operation is complicated and cannot be performed with one hand.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A locking assembly for locking a pan head to a mounting base of a tripod, the pan head including a screw that passes through the mounting base, the locking assembly being locked with the screw, characterized in that the locking assembly includes a handle body, a gear, and a clamping assembly, the upper end of the handle body being recessed with a receiving hole, the gear having a plurality of circumferentially distributed first teeth adapted to the external thread of the screw, the clamping assembly being rotatably mounted on the handle body and selectively meshingly connected with the gear, the gear portion extending into the receiving hole;

[0007] Among them, after the locking assembly is separated from the gear and unlocked, the external thread of the screw drives the gear to rotate when the screw extends into the accommodating hole; when the locking assembly is engaged and locked with the gear, the external thread of the screw engages with the gear to limit the screw from sliding relative to the inner wall of the accommodating hole.

[0008] In some embodiments, the engaging assembly includes an engaging member and at least one elastic member, the engaging member is provided with a second tooth adapted to the first tooth of the gear, and the elastic member applies a force to the engaging member to engage with the gear;

[0009] Wherein, after the engaging member is actuated, the engaging member is separated from the gear, and after the engaging member is released, the elastic member drives the engaging member to return to its original position.

[0010] In some embodiments, the locking assembly also includes a shaft, the locking part includes a locking section and a top section, the locking section is provided with the second tooth, and the connection area between the locking section and the top section is provided with a shaft, the locking part is rotatably arranged on the handle body through the shaft, the elastic part is held between the top section and the handle body, and the gear and the elastic part are distributed on the same side of the locking part.

[0011] In some embodiments, the elastic member is a compression spring.

[0012] In some embodiments, the handle body is concavely provided with a receiving groove, the shaft is mounted on the inner wall of the receiving groove, and the elastic member is supported between the inner side surface of the abutting section and the inner wall of the receiving groove, and the outer side surface of the abutting section is exposed outside the receiving groove;

[0013] When the outer side surface of the abutting section is pressed inward, the second tooth is separated from the first tooth, and after the abutting section is released, the elastic member drives the engaging member to reset.

[0014] In some embodiments, the handle body includes a hand-held portion and a supporting member connected to the hand-held portion. When the locking assembly is engaged and locked with the gear, the supporting member can press against the lower end of the mounting seat to fix it on the mounting seat, or the supporting member releases the lower end of the mounting seat so that the screw can rotate relative to the mounting seat.

[0015] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the handheld portion has a silicone layer.

[0016] The present invention also proposes a gimbal, which includes a gimbal seat and the locking assembly as described above, wherein the gimbal seat has a screw fixedly connected to the gimbal seat, the gimbal seat is located at the upper end of the mounting seat, the locking assembly is located at the lower end of the mounting seat, and the gimbal seat can selectively rotate relative to the mounting seat.

[0017] The present invention also proposes a supporting device, which includes a mounting base and a pan-tilt head as described above, wherein the pan-tilt head base has a first bowl-shaped portion, the mounting base includes a second bowl-shaped portion, the second bowl-shaped portion is configured with a first bowl-shaped groove, the first bowl-shaped portion is accommodated in the first bowl-shaped groove, and the locking assembly includes a top holding member, the top holding member is configured with a second bowl-shaped groove, and the second bowl-shaped groove accommodates the second bowl-shaped portion.

[0018] In some embodiments, the mounting base is rotatably connected to the legs.

[0019] After the locking assembly of the present invention is separated from the gear and unlocked by the snap assembly, the external thread of the screw drives the gear to rotate when the screw is extended into the accommodating hole; after the screw is extended into the preset position, the snap assembly engages with the gear and when locked, the external thread of the screw engages with the gear to limit the screw from sliding relative to the inner wall of the accommodating hole. The locking and unlocking operations are convenient and fast, saving time and effort, and improving user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] FIG1 is a reference picture of a conventional pan / tilt head mounted on a tripod;

[0021] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a locking assembly in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a locking assembly and a pan / tilt stand in combination in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a locking assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of a locking assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of the mounting base of the tripod in FIG1 .

[0026] Explanation of Figure Numbers

[0027] PTZ 100;

[0028] Screw 11; first bowl-shaped portion 12;

[0029] Locking assembly 20;

[0030] Handle body 30; receiving hole 31; top holding member 32; second bowl-shaped groove 321; receiving groove 33;

[0031] Gear 40; tooth 41;

[0032] Engaging member 51; second tooth 511; abutting section 512;

[0033] Mounting seat 200 ; first bowl-shaped groove 201 ; second bowl-shaped portion 202 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In the present invention, the terms "disposed," "provided with," and "connected" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral structures; mechanical connections or electrical connections; and direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0035] The terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as limiting the present application.

[0036] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. Throughout the description of this application, "plurality" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0037] Furthermore, some of the above terms may be used to express other meanings besides indicating a position or location. For example, the term "on" may also be used to indicate a dependency or connection in certain circumstances. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in the present invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0038] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0039] An embodiment of the present invention provides a supporting device, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, such as a tripod, a monopod, or other supporting devices. Taking a tripod and a camera as an example below, the supporting device is used to support a camera or other photographic equipment for shooting. The photographic equipment of this embodiment can be a mobile phone, a video camera, a sports camera, a camera, a monitor, etc. The following description will take the photographic equipment as an example of a camera.

[0040] The support device includes a mounting base 200 and a pan head 100. The mounting base 200 is rotatably connected to the legs. The pan head 100 includes a pan head seat and a locking assembly 20. The pan head seat can directly lock the camera to the pan head seat via screws, or it can be installed on the pan head seat via other brackets or photographic accessories, such as a cage, a damping pan head, etc. The locking assembly 20 is used to lock the pan head seat to the mounting base 200 of the tripod. The mounting base 200 has through holes running through the top and bottom. The pan head seat has a screw 11. The pan head seat is located at the upper end of the mounting base 200, and the screw 11 passes through the through hole. The locking assembly 20 is located at the lower end of the mounting base 200.

[0041] When the locking assembly 20 locks the pan-tilt seat on the mounting base 200, the mounting base 200 cannot rotate relative to the pan-tilt seat, that is, the upper end of the mounting base 200 abuts against the lower end of the pan-tilt seat, and the lower end of the mounting base 200 abuts against the upper end of the locking assembly 20; when there is an upper and lower movable space or gap between the locking assembly 20 and the pan-tilt seat and the mounting base 200, the pan-tilt seat can be rotated relative to the mounting base 200 when moved, thereby adjusting the camera shooting angle, and the operation is simple and convenient.

[0042] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, in order to facilitate the rotation of the gimbal seat relative to the mounting base 200, the gimbal seat has a first bowl-shaped portion 12, the mounting base 200 includes a second bowl-shaped portion 202, the second bowl-shaped portion 202 is configured with a first bowl-shaped groove 201, the first bowl-shaped portion 12 is accommodated in the first bowl-shaped groove 201, the locking assembly 20 includes a top holding member 32, the top holding member 32 is configured with a second bowl-shaped groove 321, the second bowl-shaped groove 321 is accommodated in the second bowl-shaped portion 202, when the gimbal seat rotates relative to the mounting base 200, the first bowl-shaped portion 12 rotates in the first bowl-shaped groove 201, and at the same time, the second bowl-shaped portion 202 rotates in the second bowl-shaped groove 321. After adjusting the preset position, the locking assembly 20 cooperates with the screw 11 to lock the gimbal seat and the mounting base 200 relative to each other.

[0043] In order to quickly and conveniently lock the pan-tilt mount and the mounting base 200 relative to each other, the locking assembly 20 can be implemented in a variety of ways, such as in one embodiment:

[0044] [Corrected 15.08.2024 in accordance with Rule 91] Referring to Figures 2, 5, and 6, the locking assembly 20 includes a handle body 30, a gear 40, and a snap assembly. The handle body 30 facilitates a user's gripping and operation of the locking assembly 20. A receiving hole 31 is recessed into the upper end of the handle body 30. The gear 40 has a plurality of circumferentially distributed first teeth 41 adapted to the external threads of the screw 11. The snap assembly is rotatably mounted on the handle body 30 and selectively engages with the gear 40. The gear 40 partially extends into the receiving hole 31.

[0045] Among them, after assembly, the locking assembly is engaged and locked with the gear 40. After the locking assembly is actuated to separate and unlock the gear 40, the external thread of the screw 11 drives the gear 40 to rotate when the screw 11 extends into the accommodating hole 31; when the locking assembly is engaged and locked with the gear 40, the external thread of the screw 11 is engaged with the gear 40 to limit the screw 11 from sliding relative to the inner wall of the accommodating hole 31, and the screw 11 cannot be pulled inward or outward. The locking and unlocking operations are convenient and fast, saving time and effort, and improving user experience.

[0046] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5, the locking assembly includes a locking member 51 and an elastic member (not marked). The locking member 51 is provided with a second tooth 511 adapted to the first tooth 41 of the gear 40. The elastic member applies a force to the locking member 51 to engage with the gear 40. After the locking member 51 is actuated, the locking member 51 is separated from the gear 40. After the locking member 51 is released, the elastic member drives the locking member 51 to reset. The structure is simple and compact, and it is convenient for production and installation.

[0047] The elastic member may be a compression spring, which may be arranged transversely. The engaging member 51 may be located on the outer side of the gear 40. The engaging member 51 may be actuated directly by hand, for example, by extending one end of the engaging member 51 outward from the handle body 30 and manually pressing the engaging member 51 away from the gear 40. The details are as follows:

[0048] The engaging assembly also includes a shaft. The engaging member 51 includes an engaging section (not shown) and an abutting section 512. The engaging section is provided with a second tooth 511. The connecting area between the engaging section and the abutting section 512 is provided with a shaft. The engaging member 51 is rotatably mounted on the handle body 30 via the shaft. The elastic member is supported between the abutting section 512 and the handle body 30, and the gear 40 and the elastic member are located on the same side of the engaging member 51. When the user presses inward on the abutting section 512, the second tooth 511 separates from the first tooth 41. When the abutting section is released, the elastic member drives the engaging member to reset.

[0049] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5, the handle body 30 is recessed with a receiving groove 33, an axis rod is installed on the inner wall of the receiving groove 33, and an elastic member is supported between the inner side surface of the top section 512 and the inner wall of the receiving groove 33, and the outer side surface of the top section 512 is exposed on the outside of the receiving groove 33 for pressing operation.

[0050] In some embodiments, the handle body 30 includes a hand-held portion and a top holding member 32 rotatably connected to the hand-held portion. When the locking assembly is engaged and locked with the gear 40, the top holding member 32 can press against the lower end of the mounting base 200 to be fixed on the mounting base 200, or the top holding member 32 releases the lower end of the mounting base 200 so that the screw 11 can rotate relative to the mounting base 200.

[0051] In some embodiments, in order to improve the user's grip, the outer surface of the handle body 30 may be a silicone layer or a sponge layer.

[0052] In summary, when the gimbal 100 is installed on the mounting base 200 of the tripod, when the user presses the top section 512 inward, the engaging section rotates outward, so that the second tooth 511 is separated from the first tooth 41. When the free end of the screw 11 of the gimbal seat passes through the through hole of the mounting base 200 and extends into the accommodating hole 31 of the handle body 30, the external thread of the screw 11 engages with the first tooth 41 of the gear 40 to drive the gear 40 to rotate. After the screw 11 is extended into the preset position, the top section 512 is released. After the elastic member pushes the top section 512 to reset, the second tooth 511 of the engaging section engages with the first tooth 41 of the gear 40 again, so that the screw 11 is engaged and locked with the gear 40.

[0053] The specific structure of the locking assembly refers to the above embodiments. Since this photographic equipment adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it at least has all the technical effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0054] The above is only a specific implementation method of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A locking assembly for locking a pan head on a mounting base of a tripod, wherein the pan head comprises a screw rod, the screw rod passes through the mounting base, and the locking assembly is locked with the screw rod, characterized in that: The locking assembly includes a handle body, a gear and a clamping assembly. The upper end of the handle body is concavely provided with a receiving hole. The gear has a plurality of first teeth distributed circumferentially and adapted to the external thread of the screw. The clamping assembly is rotatably mounted on the handle body and selectively meshes with the gear. The gear partially extends into the receiving hole. Among them, after the engaging assembly is separated and unlocked from the gear, the external thread of the screw drives the gear to rotate when the screw extends into the accommodating hole; when the engaging assembly is meshed and locked with the gear, the external thread of the screw engages with the gear to limit the screw from sliding relative to the inner wall of the accommodating hole.

2. The locking assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping assembly comprises a clamping member and an elastic member, wherein the clamping member is provided with a second tooth adapted to the first tooth of the gear, and the elastic member applies a force to the clamping member to mesh with the gear; Wherein, after the engaging member is actuated, the engaging member is separated from the gear, and after the engaging member is released, the elastic member drives the engaging member to return to its original position.

3. The locking assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The engaging assembly also includes a shaft rod, the engaging part includes a engaging section and a top section, the engaging section is provided with the second tooth, the connecting area of ​​the engaging section and the top section is provided with a shaft rod, the engaging part is rotatably arranged on the handle body through the shaft rod, the elastic part is supported between the top section and the handle body, and the gear and the elastic part are distributed on the same side of the engaging part.

4. The locking assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic member is a compression spring.

5. The locking assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The handle body is concavely provided with a receiving groove, the inner wall of the receiving groove is provided with the shaft rod, and the elastic member is supported between the inner side surface of the abutting section and the inner wall of the receiving groove, and the outer side surface of the abutting section is exposed outside the receiving groove; When the outer side surface of the abutting section is pressed inward, the second tooth is separated from the first tooth, and after the abutting section is released, the elastic member drives the engaging member to return to its original position.

6. The locking assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The handle body includes a hand-held portion and a supporting member connected to the hand-held portion. When the locking assembly is meshed and locked with the gear, the supporting member can abut against the lower end of the mounting seat to be fixed on the mounting seat, or the supporting member releases the lower end of the mounting seat so that the screw can rotate relative to the mounting seat.

7. The locking assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer surface of the handheld part is provided with a silicone layer.

8. A pan / tilt head, characterized in that: The gimbal includes a gimbal seat and a locking assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, the gimbal seat has a screw fixedly connected to the gimbal seat, the gimbal seat is located at the upper end of the mounting seat, the locking assembly is located at the lower end of the mounting seat, and the gimbal seat can selectively rotate relative to the mounting seat.

9. A supporting device, characterized in that: The supporting device includes a mounting base and a gimbal as claimed in claim 8, wherein the gimbal base has a first bowl-shaped portion, the mounting base includes a second bowl-shaped portion, the second bowl-shaped portion is configured with a first bowl-shaped groove, the first bowl-shaped portion is accommodated in the first bowl-shaped groove, and the locking assembly includes a top holding member, the top holding member is configured with a second bowl-shaped groove, and the second bowl-shaped groove accommodates the second bowl-shaped portion.

10. The supporting device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The outer periphery of the mounting seat is rotatably connected to the supporting legs.

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