Moving Light Yoke Handles for Weight Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
The handling and setup of moving lights, which become larger and heavier, often result in damage and improper installation due to inadequate logistics and handling methods, requiring multiple people and causing awkwardness during transportation and mounting.
Innovation Solution
Coupling handles to the yoke of a moving light at both the bottom and top, positioning them below and above the center of gravity respectively, with the handles being molded into the yoke surface to prevent extension beyond its outer surface and provide a secure, rounded grip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If lights become physically larger, then they can cover more area and provide better illumination, but they become heavier and more awkward to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The light fixture is divided into separate modular components: the head unit, the yoke structure, and the handle assembly. This segmentation allows the heavy light head to be separated from the handling mechanisms, with the yoke and handles designed as distinct load-bearing elements that distribute weight during transport and installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The yoke structure serves as an intermediary between the heavy light head and the handlers. It provides a robust mounting structure with integrated handles that act as leverage points, allowing multiple people to distribute the weight and maneuver the light fixture more easily despite its increased size and weight.
2Reliability
If lights are handled by multiple different people during transportation, then they can be moved more safely, but the logistics become more complex and damage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle assembly is designed as a universal handling interface that can be used by multiple people for various operations including transport, positioning, and installation. The standardized handle locations on the yoke provide consistent grip points that different handlers can use without requiring specialized equipment or procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The handles are pre-integrated into the yoke structure during manufacturing, creating ready-to-use attachment points before the light reaches the venue. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for on-site assembly of handling mechanisms and ensures consistent handling procedures can be followed by different people.
3Ease of operation
If handles are positioned at extreme points of the yoke, then leverage for lifting and moving is maximized, but the handles must be securely integrated to prevent failure
Solution Approach 1:
The handles are merged with the yoke structure through integral forming or secure attachment, creating a unified component that distributes stress across the entire yoke. This combining of the handle and yoke into a single load-bearing system maximizes leverage while ensuring the integration strength is sufficient to handle the maximum weight of the light fixture.
Solution Approach 2:
The handles feature rounded, curved surfaces that conform to hand geometry, providing comfortable grip and natural leverage points. The curved design distributes contact pressure across the hand rather than concentrating it at single points, improving ergonomics while the handle geometry is optimized for maximum mechanical advantage during lifting and positioning.
Data Source
AI summary
A lamp assembly, that has a fixed base, and a yoke which is controlled to move relative to the base to cause a panning motion. The yoke holds a lamp head. The yoke has a bottom portion and a top portion. A lamp head, which includes a light source therein, is coupled to said bottom portion of the yoke. The lamp head moves to form a tilting motion, thereby allowing both pan and tilt. The yoke includes handles thereon, including a first handle on a bottom most portion of said yoke, and a second handle on a top most portion of said yoke. One embodiment has the handles integrated into the yoke, e.g., molded to or recessed into the yoke.