Iso-Elastic Camera Support with Dynamic Spring Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing camera stabilizing devices face challenges in maintaining iso-elasticity and smooth operation at extreme angles, often requiring complex and expensive spring designs or restrictive angular travel to prevent unpredictable behavior and 'locking up' at high and low positions.
Innovation Solution
A force-exerting device with a tensioning assembly that allows for adjustable geometric relationships and dynamic alterations of the resilient member's position, enabling consistent lifting force through a combination of pivotable angles, arcuate adjustments, and cam or crankshaft mechanisms, allowing the use of a single spring within the diagonal distance of the support arm.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single spring is used within the diagonal distance of the support arm, then device complexity is reduced, but maintaining iso-elasticity and consistent lifting force throughout the entire angular excursion becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the spring attachment point movable rather than fixed. The spring can slide along the diagonal member, allowing its effective length and attachment geometry to dynamically adjust as the parallelogram arm moves through its angular range. This dynamic adjustment maintains the optimal geometric relationship for iso-elasticity throughout the entire excursion, from horizontal to vertical positions, without requiring a complex multi-spring system.
2Reliability
If the spring rate is increased to achieve iso-elasticity, then lifting force consistency is improved, but the spring length becomes impractically long (up to three times the diagonal)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the length issue by adding a spatial dimension to the spring's attachment. Instead of the spring being constrained to a single fixed point on the diagonal, it is allowed to move along the diagonal member in a second degree of freedom. This dimensional change enables the spring to maintain an optimal effective length for iso-elasticity while its attachment point travels along the diagonal, effectively distributing the required spring rate across a range of positions rather than requiring an excessively long spring.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-loaded and positioned along the diagonal member before the arm begins its excursion. The initial positioning and pre-tensioning of the spring are designed so that as the arm moves through its range of motion, the spring naturally maintains the optimal geometric relationship for iso-elasticity throughout the entire motion, from the horizontal starting position through to the vertical endpoint.
3Reliability
If restrictive angular travel is imposed to prevent locking up, then reliability at extreme angles is improved, but the range of motion is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the spring attachment system to enable reliable operation at extreme angles. By allowing the spring attachment point to move along the diagonal member, the system maintains optimal force geometry even when the parallelogram arm reaches near-vertical or near-horizontal positions. This parameter change eliminates the need to restrict the angular travel range, as the moving attachment point continuously adapts to maintain predictable, frictionless equipoising throughout the full ±80° range of motion.
4Ease of operation
If friction is reduced to achieve smooth operation, then ease of operation is improved, but control over the arm's position becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The moving spring attachment point creates a self-regulating feedback mechanism. As the operator moves the arm to any desired position, the spring automatically adjusts its attachment location along the diagonal to maintain optimal force geometry. This continuous geometric feedback ensures smooth, frictionless operation while simultaneously providing natural position control, as the spring force always acts through the most efficient lever arm for the current arm angle.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides predictable and frictionless equipoising throughout the entire range of motion, extending usable angles to ±80° while minimizing the need for bumpers, thus enhancing the stability and control of camera stabilizing devices.
Implementation Method 1
a resilient member pivotally forming another side of the triangle so as to bias the angle appropriately for the purpose of equipoising the payload
Implementation Method 2
spring powered 'equipoising' parallelogram arms have been used for decades to support and position payloads
Data Source
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AI summary
A force exerting device having a force exerting structure including a load arm as a first side, pivotable about a load pivot, a resilient member attached to the load arm and to a termination point and forming a second side of the force exerting structure. The third side of the structure is formed by a line from the termination point to the load pivot. A first adjustment mechanism moves the termination point to change the length of the third side of the structure. A second adjustment mechanism moves the termination point substantially perpendicular to the first adjustment direction so the termination point location can cross a substantially plumb line passing through the load pivot. A force modification device may be included to dynamically adjust the resilient member termination point position in response to motion of the load arm.