Multi-purpose Truncated Pyramidal Cone for Smartphone Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sports training equipment, such as tripods, are cumbersome and inflexible for capturing photo finish times and biometric data, as they do not allow for optimal camera positioning or easy adjustment for different light conditions and smartphone sizes.
Innovation Solution
A multi-purpose cone with a 102.5° sloping side is used to stabilize a smartphone, allowing adjustable camera angles and heights using removable ledges and gecko tape, while also serving as a base for hurdle gates and obstacle courses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional tripod is used to mount a smartphone, then the smartphone can be stabilized for capturing photo finish times, but the equipment becomes cumbersome and inflexible for adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The cone incorporates removable ledges at different heights that can be selectively positioned and secured to the cone body using hooks and holes. This dynamic reconfiguration allows the smartphone to be mounted at various heights and angles depending on lighting conditions and camera positioning requirements, transforming the static tripod into an adaptable support structure that maintains stability while enabling flexible adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure is divided into discrete components: the cone body, removable ledges, hooks, and holes. This segmentation allows individual components to be independently positioned and reconfigured, enabling the system to adapt to different smartphone sizes, camera angles, and lighting conditions while maintaining overall structural stability for reliable photo finish capture
2Measurement precision
If the camera is positioned at ground level for optimal photo finish capture, then the timing accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cone serves multiple functions: it provides ground-level positioning for accurate photo finish capture, acts as a stable base through its weighted structure, offers adjustable mounting surfaces via removable ledges, and can be reconfigured for different smartphone sizes. This multi-functionality achieves precise ground-level timing without requiring complex specialized mounting equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The cone's weighted base and geometric shape provide inherent stability and self-leveling properties, eliminating the need for complex external stabilization mechanisms. The removable ledges with hooks and holes allow the structure to self-adjust to different smartphone configurations, reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision
3Adaptability or versatility
If removable ledges are added to adjust camera height, then the adaptability for different light conditions is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The removable ledges can be dynamically repositioned along the cone body by inserting hooks into different holes at various heights. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the camera to be positioned optimally for different lighting conditions and angles without requiring a completely different mounting system, achieving high adaptability with a relatively simple hole-and-hook mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is segmented into the cone body, removable ledges, hooks, and pre-positioned holes. This segmentation allows each component to be independently manufactured and assembled, simplifying the overall complexity while enabling flexible reconfiguration for different camera heights and lighting conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-purpose truncated triangular pyramidal shaped cone is used as a sports field marker having a multi-sided shape with sides sloping at approximately 102.5° upward for the support of a smartphone with camera(s) leaning against a side to provide a stable view and record a timed finish of an athlete crossing a finish line of a race. The smartphone is secured to a side of the cone by an intermediate clamp holder having tapered resilient plugs pressed into receiving holes in the cone side. In an alternate use, plural cones are used to hold ends of a horizontal hurdle bar. This bar is raised higher by stacking identical hollow cones forming a stack with a long pole extending through a hole in a flat top surface of a top truncated cone. The pole is secured along a vertical axis of the cone stack by set screws converging along their axes from holes on each side of the pyramidal cone. A bowed cradle is mounted atop the pole to hold the horizontal hurdle bar.