Optical Option Attachment Ring Eliminating Protrusions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical option attachment rings with protruding ends can get caught or hit peripheral objects, and their small fixing screws make tightening difficult, leading to instability and ease of detachment.
Innovation Solution
An optical option attachment ring design featuring a ring body with a clamping ring and an elastic member, such as a leaf spring, that projects inward to engage with a groove in the lens barrel, eliminating protrusions and using a larger clamping ring diameter for easier tightening, along with a rotation regulating projection to ensure secure fitting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the one end and the other end are slanted to enable engagement with the groove, then the attachment security is improved, but the cylindrical contour is deteriorated (projections are created)
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement function is extracted from the ring body's ends and transferred to a separate elastic member (curved portion). This allows the ring body to maintain a smooth cylindrical contour while the elastic member provides the necessary engagement with the groove through its deformable structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic member acts as an intermediary between the ring body and the groove. It transmits the engagement function without requiring the ring body itself to have protruding ends, thus preserving the cylindrical contour while ensuring secure attachment.
2Volume of moving object
If the fixing screw diameter is small to reduce device size, then the device compactness is improved, but the ease of operation is deteriorated (difficult to tighten)
Solution Approach 1:
The tightening function is extracted from the small fixing screw and transferred to a larger-diameter clamping ring. This allows the fastening operation to be performed on a larger, more accessible component while the actual fixation is achieved through the elastic member's engagement with the groove.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the fixing screw large for ease of tightening, the invention inverts the approach by using a large-diameter clamping ring for easy operation while achieving secure fixation through the elastic member's deformation and engagement mechanism.
3Reliability
If the one end and the other end protrude from the cylindrical contour, then the engagement with the groove is enabled, but the harmful factors are increased (caught on or hit peripheral objects)
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement function is extracted from the ring body's protruding ends and assigned to a separate elastic member. This allows the ring body to maintain a smooth cylindrical contour that does not interfere with peripheral objects, while the elastic member provides the necessary engagement capability through its deformable structure.
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
The design provides a cylindrical contour matching the lens barrel with no projections, ensuring secure attachment and easy installation/removal, while the larger clamping ring diameter facilitates tighter fixation without the need for multiple screw turns.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic member arranged between the ring body and the clamping ring... to elastically deform the elastic member to cause at least a part of the elastic member to project further inwards than the inner peripheral surface of the ring body and to be positioned in a groove formed in the lens barrel
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
There is provided an optical option attachment ring (10) which has the same substantially cylindrical contour as a lens barrel (50) and no projection and includes a ring body (20) into which a lens barrel (50) is inserted, a clamping ring (30) rotatably fastened on the periphery of the ring body (20), an elastic member (40) arranged between the ring body (20) and the clamping ring (30) and an abutting portion (34) which is provided on the clamping ring (30) and abuts on the elastic member (40) according to the rotational position of the clamping ring (30) to elastically deform the elastic member (40) to cause at least a part of the elastic member (40) to project further inwards than the inner peripheral surface (22) of the ring body (20) and to be positioned in a groove formed in the lens barrel (50).