Ball-Bearing Quick Release Connector for Low-Vibration Microphone Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional quick release connectors for microphones and sound equipment are not effective in minimizing vibrations, leading to unwanted noise and feedback during attachment and detachment, and do not provide a sufficient vibration-free connection.
Innovation Solution
A quick release connector with a plurality of ball bearings engaging a smooth, non-grooved shaft, which minimizes lateral displacement and transmits forces from multiple directions, reducing vibrations and providing a precise press fit connection, and includes rotational alignment members and apertures to prevent rotation and further reduce vibrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional quick release connectors are used, then microphones can be swapped out, but vibrations occur leading to unwanted noise and feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into two separate components: a receiving member with ball bearings and a releasable member with a shaft. This segmentation allows for a precise press fit connection that minimizes vibrations while maintaining quick release capability. The balls engage with the shaft at multiple points, distributing forces and reducing lateral displacement that causes vibrations.
Solution Approach 2:
Ball bearings are used instead of traditional grooved shaft designs. The spherical balls engage with the shaft, providing point contact that reduces lateral displacement and minimizes vibrations. The curved surface of the balls allows for smooth engagement and disengagement while maintaining a secure connection.
2Reliability
If conventional microphone holders are used, then microphones can be held, but sufficient vibration-free connection is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The connector separates the holding function into multiple ball bearings that engage with the shaft independently. Each ball provides a point of contact that distributes mechanical forces, reducing vibrations while maintaining secure holding. This segmented approach allows the connection to be both stable and vibration-free.
Solution Approach 2:
The design changes the contact parameter from continuous grooved contact to discrete ball contact points. This parameter change reduces the surface area for vibration transmission while maintaining adequate holding force through multiple engagement points, achieving a vibration-free connection.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If smooth non-grooved shaft with ball bearings is used, then vibrations are minimized, but rotational alignment is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft is designed with an asymmetric hexagonal cross-section instead of a circular one. This asymmetric shape provides inherent rotational alignment, ensuring that the balls engage with specific flat surfaces of the shaft. This eliminates the need for additional alignment mechanisms while maintaining vibration reduction benefits of the smooth shaft design.
Solution Approach 2:
Ball bearings are used to engage with the hexagonal shaft, providing point contact that minimizes lateral displacement and vibrations. The spherical balls work in conjunction with the hexagonal shaft geometry to achieve both vibration reduction and rotational alignment through the interaction of the curved ball surfaces with the flat hexagonal faces.
Data Source
AI summary
A quick release connector is provided that uses a plurality of the ball bearings to engage shaft of a releasable member. The use of multiple ball bearings along different faces of a shaft of a releasable member minimizes vibrations and provides an improved quick release connector adapted for use with microphones, boom arms, ball joints and similar structures used with sound recording or photography equipment.