Nested Camera Tripod Head for Compact Packing and Fast Locking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional camera tripods lack compactness, ease of use, and efficient packing due to separate controls and protrusions, making them cumbersome for transport and storage.
Innovation Solution
A close-pack, high-aspect-ratio camera tripod with a hub, legs, and a head featuring telescopic segments, concentric control rings, and a spherical end that allows for rapid adjustment and locking of camera orientation, enabling compact storage and easy transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional tripod designs are used, then the tripod provides basic camera support, but the tripod lacks compactness and requires significant storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The tripod head is designed with nested telescopic segments that collapse into each other, allowing the head to reduce to a compact size for storage while maintaining full functionality when deployed. The control rings are positioned concentrically to nest within the head structure during collapse.
Solution Approach 2:
The tripod head is divided into multiple telescopic segments that can independently adjust and collapse, enabling compact storage while maintaining operational flexibility. The segmentation allows each component to be optimized for both compactness and ease of use.
2Ease of operation
If conventional tripod controls are used, then the tripod provides basic adjustment functionality, but the controls are not easily accessible and require extensive hand movement
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple control functions are merged into concentric control rings that can be operated with minimal hand movement. The control rings are positioned on the head where they are easily accessible, combining pan, tilt, and other adjustment functions into a compact control interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The control rings are pre-positioned on the head in accessible locations, allowing users to make adjustments without reaching or manipulating distant controls. The concentric design allows multiple adjustments to be made in sequence without repositioning the hand.
3Volume of moving object
If the tripod head is made compact for storage, then storage space is reduced, but the head must still support heavy camera equipment when deployed
Solution Approach 1:
The tripod head uses telescopic segments that can dynamically adjust their configuration - collapsing to minimal volume for storage and extending to provide structural strength when deployed. The segments are engineered to maintain load-bearing capacity in the extended configuration while achieving compactness when retracted.
Data Source
AI summary
A tripod includes: a hub defining a set of leg mounts; a set of legs configured to telescopically extend from the hub and couple to the set of leg mounts; a center column including a spherical end; and a head pivotably coupled to the spherical end. The head further includes: a base section; a camera platform arranged over the base section; a set of flanges extending below the base section and extending around the spherical end; a hat arranged over the spherical end; a pivot control ring arranged about the base section, configured to drive the hat into the spherical end to fix the head on the spherical end responsive to rotation in a first direction about the base section, and configured to retract the hat from the spherical end to unlock the head from the spherical end responsive to rotation in a second direction about the base section.