Powered Clamping Assembly for Battery-Free Camera Expansion Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clamping assemblies in camera stabilizers cannot supply power to function expansion modules, leading to increased weight and reduced grip experience due to separate battery modules, and increased load on support arms, resulting in a shorter service life.
Innovation Solution
A clamping assembly with guide pillars that retract and extend from a main shell, forming power supply contacts on clamping blocks, and connected to a main control board to provide power to external modules, eliminating the need for separate batteries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate battery modules are arranged in function expansion modules to enable them to operate independently, then the function expansion modules can operate without power supply from the clamping assembly, but the overall weight of the function expansion modules increases greatly, leading to poor grip experience of users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the power supply function into the clamping assembly by integrating a battery module and control board into the main shell. The guide pillars serve dual functions as both mechanical guides and power supply contacts, eliminating the need for separate battery modules in each function expansion module. This consolidation reduces overall weight while maintaining operational capability through centralized power distribution.
2Reliability
If separate battery modules are arranged in function expansion modules, then the function expansion modules can operate independently, but the load borne by the support arm increases, leading to a shorter service life of the camera stabilizer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates all power supply components into a single battery module within the clamping assembly, which is supported by the support arm. This centralized approach distributes the total weight more efficiently compared to multiple separate battery modules, reducing the cumulative load stress on the support arm and extending the service life of the camera stabilizer while maintaining independent operation capability through electronic control.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the clamping assembly is designed with guide pillars that can retract and extend, then the guide pillars can form power supply contacts with clamping blocks, but the structural complexity of the clamping assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the guide pillars multi-functional by designing them to serve both as mechanical guides for the clamping blocks and as power supply contacts. The guide pillars contain conductive elements that extend outward to form electrical contacts with corresponding contacts on the clamping blocks, enabling power transmission while maintaining their primary guiding function. This eliminates the need for separate power supply mechanisms, reducing overall structural complexity despite the added adaptability.
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
Optimizes weight distribution and user experience by supplying power to function expansion modules through the clamping assembly, reducing the need for separate batteries and alleviating load on support arms, thereby extending the service life of the camera stabilizer.
Implementation Method 1
guide pillars electrically connected to the main control board... power supply contacts being formed on surfaces of the clamping blocks by means of the guide pillars
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a clamping assembly and a handheld auxiliary photographic device using the clamping assembly. The clamping assembly comprises a main shell and clamping blocks, wherein a main control board and at least one group of guide pillars electrically connected to the main control board are arranged in the main shell, and the guide pillars are able to retract into and stretch out of one end surface of the main shell; and at least two clamping blocks are respectively arranged at two ends of the main shell to form a clamping area and are correspondingly connected to the guide pillars stretching out of the main shell at the same end. The guide pillars, as conducting structures, work together with power supply contacts formed on surfaces of the clamping blocks to supply power to external function expansion modules to drive the function expansion modules.