Foldable Soft Box Speed Ring Hinge Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional soft boxes for photography are difficult to collapse and store due to separate construction and require repeated fastening and releasing of fixing bolts, leading to low durability and increased likelihood of part loss, which hampers portability and convenience.
Innovation Solution
An easily foldable soft box design featuring a speed ring with a hinge structure that allows the front part to fold in half, equipped with radiating ribs that maintain the diffuser's shape and facilitate easy folding and unfolding, enabling the device to be collapsed for portability and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the soft box is constructed separately from a tension bar, then the functionality and photographic effects are enhanced, but the soft box cannot be collapsed and portability is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the soft box construction with the tension bar into a single integrated structure. The soft box is formed by bending the tension bar into a U-shape and attaching the soft box material between the arms, eliminating the need for separate construction and enabling collapse while maintaining functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the soft box into modular components that can be independently attached and detached. The soft box material is separated from the tension bar structure, allowing the tension bar to be collapsed while the soft box can be quickly attached or removed as needed.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a fixing bolt is held in place by a key slot, then the structure of the soft box is maintained, but repeated fastening and releasing leads to low durability due to abrasion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fixing bolt and key slot mechanism from the soft box structure. Instead of using a bolt that can wear and lose durability, the design uses a simpler attachment method where the soft box material is secured through elastic bands or clips that can be easily fastened and removed without causing abrasion damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the durable but wear-prone fixing bolt with disposable or easily replaceable attachment mechanisms. The elastic bands or clips used to secure the soft box material can be replaced if worn, eliminating the need for high-durability fastening components that are prone to abrasion failure.
3Ease of operation
If the fixing bolt is released, then the soft box can be collapsed, but the possibility of loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the fixing bolt from the system entirely, replacing it with a retention mechanism that cannot be accidentally lost. The elastic bands or clips are designed to remain attached to the tension bar structure, eliminating the risk of losing a separate fixing bolt component while still enabling easy collapse.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the retention mechanism with the tension bar structure itself. The elastic bands are attached directly to the tension bar arms, and the soft box material is secured through these integrated components, ensuring that nothing can be lost during the collapse process while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an easily foldable soft box, a lighting device that softens and spread light over a wide area, that comes with a diffuser (diffusing cover) that can fold easily with one touch, making it easy to collapse (and expand) the device. The easily foldable soft box comprises: a speed ring having the shape of a ring that allows a light-producing device to be mounted at an opening in the center, whose front part is configured to fold in half or unfold; a plurality of ribs attached to the front part, that are arranged in a radiating pattern around the speed ring when the front part is unfolded, and that are gathered together as the ribs arranged within one range overlap the ribs arranged within another range when the front part is folded in half; and a diffuser that unfolds like an umbrella to diffuse light produced by the light-producing device when the ribs are arranged in a radiating pattern, and that is folded by the ribs when the front part is folded.