Ball Pickup Device with Parallel Rods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball pickup devices are either overly complex and expensive or prone to wear and tear, leading to excessive ball squeezing and inefficient collection, with a short service life and increased user burden.
Innovation Solution
A ball pickup device featuring a ball collector with parallel transverse rods forming ball inlets and a pull rod system, where the transverse rods move to accommodate balls without excessive pressure, combined with a detachable supporting rod and rotating mechanism for ease of use and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an elastic net opening is used as the ball inlet port, then the device is simple in structure and convenient in use, but the net wears and tears, breaks, and deteriorates in tightness, causing balls to drop out easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the elastic net opening from the ball inlet port and replaces it with a rigid frame structure. The ball inlet port is formed by the space between parallel rods, eliminating the net component that causes wear and tear while maintaining the simple and convenient operation of the original design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the flexible elastic net with a rigid rod structure. The parallel rods with spaces between them provide the ball inlet function without requiring a flexible membrane, thus eliminating the tightness deterioration problem while maintaining operational convenience
2Productivity
If conventional ball pickup devices are used, then balls can be collected, but balls are excessively squeezed due to structural design, causing damage to the surface or main body of the ball
Solution Approach 1:
The ball collector is divided into multiple parallel rods with spaces between them, creating multiple ball inlets. This segmented structure allows balls to pass through individual spaces without being compressed by a closed net structure, thereby collecting balls while preventing surface damage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates different structural zones: the parallel rods provide open spaces for ball passage where no compression occurs, while the frame structure provides support. This local differentiation ensures balls are collected without excessive squeezing that would damage their surface
3Ease of operation
If an automated ball pickup system is used, then the device is user-friendly and performs all steps automatically, but the structure becomes complicated and the device is not economically available
Solution Approach 1:
The ball collector is designed to be manually operated by simply lifting and positioning it over balls. The simple frame structure with parallel rods allows users to easily pick up balls without complex automated mechanisms, achieving user-friendliness while maintaining structural simplicity and economic availability
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a ball collector with parallel rods is used, then balls can be picked up effortlessly without excessive pressure, but the structure requires precise positioning to ensure proper ball inlet spacing
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple parallel rods are combined into a single frame structure where the rods are evenly spaced. This merging approach allows the entire assembly to be manufactured as one unit with predetermined rod positions, reducing the need for precise field positioning while maintaining the protective spacing between rods
Data Source
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AI summary
A ball pickup device is provided, comprising a ball collector and a pull rod connected to the ball connector. The ball collector is provided with ball inlets and a ball outlet. The ball inlets are formed in the bottom of the ball collector and are formed by a plurality of transverse rods arranged at the bottom of the ball collector in parallel at intervals. One ball inlet is formed by the interval between every two adjacent transverse rods, and the interval between every two adjacent transverse rods is smaller than the diameter of a ball. One end of each transverse rod is fixedly connected to one side of the frame at the bottom of the ball collector, the other end of each transverse rod is a movable end and located in the corresponding receding groove, and the largest receding interval of each movable end is larger than the diameter of a ball. When a ball is pressed, the movable ends of the transverse rods move along the receding gooves to recede under the pressure of the ball, and the ball enters the ball collector through one ball inlet; after the portion with the largest cross section diameter, connected to the corresponding transverse rods, of the ball enters the ball inlet, the movable ends of the transverse rods move along the receding grooves to gradually return. The ball pickup device is simple in structure and convenient to see.