Rotating Fiber Optic Sculpture With Counter-Rotating LED Sections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing decorative sculptural displays, such as fiber optic illuminated Christmas trees, face limitations in articulation and complexity due to the need for intricate wiring harnesses and motor drive arrangements, restricting the ability to achieve effective counter-rotation and rotation of multiple sections.
Innovation Solution
A motorized base design with a central shaft and gear system allows for counter-rotation of multiple sections, using a novel arrangement of electrical contact systems and fiber optic bundles, where each section has a driven gear engaging a drive gear on the central shaft, and wiper contacts on stationary towers make contact with conductive rings on rotating collars to maintain electrical continuity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a motor driven rotatable color wheel is mounted in the base with fiber optic strands extending through the hollow main stem, then illumination effects are provided at particular locations, but the main stem must have a sufficient diameter to receive a large number of fiber optic strands which terminates at the lower end
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the fiber optic illumination system into separate modular units, with individual illumination sources mounted on each rotating section rather than routing all fibers through a central hollow stem. This segmentation eliminates the need for a large diameter main stem while maintaining illumination effects at multiple locations.
2Illumination intensity
If wiring harnesses are run from distal light locations to the color wheel in the base, then fiber optic lights are illuminated, but the ability to provide articulated design with layers or sections that rotate or counter rotate is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is segmented into independent modules, with each rotating section having its own LED light source and fiber optic bundle. This eliminates the constraint of running wiring harnesses from distal locations to a central color wheel, enabling articulated designs with multiple rotating or counter-rotating sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the mechanical color wheel illumination system with LED light sources mounted on rotating sections. This substitution eliminates the need for complex wiring harnesses and mechanical color wheels, enabling greater design flexibility and articulated motion.
3Ease of manufacture
If a single illumination source is used throughout the tree, then construction is simplified, but individual illumination effects at particular locations cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination system is divided into multiple independent LED sources, each mounted on a separate rotating section. Each section can provide individual illumination effects at particular locations while maintaining relatively simple construction through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses multiple independent illumination sources mounted on rotating sections that can move independently. This dynamic arrangement allows individual illumination effects at particular locations while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular construction.
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 design simplifies the construction and enhances the articulation of decorative objects, allowing for counter-rotation and rotation while maintaining electrical power to LED light sources, resulting in a visually appealing and economical manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
A fiber optic bundle is mounted on at least two of the rotating sections, each fiber optic bundle having a plurality of fiber optic strands which terminate at a LED light source at one extent and at light emitting elements at an opposite extent
Implementation Method 2
The common electrical source includes a series of electrical wiper contacts located on each of the stationary tower sections which make electrical contact with a set of conductive rings mounted on each of the respective rotating collar sections
Data Source
AI summary
A sculpted decorative object, such as a Christmas tree, is shown which has a motor driven vertical drive shaft and three rotating sections. Rotation of the vertical drive shaft and an associated drive gear causes relative rotation of a driven gear and, in turn, a respective rotating section of the object about the axis of the drive shaft. A fiber optic bundle is mounted within each rotating section of the object. Each bundle contains several fiber optic strands which terminate at a LED light source at one end and at a light emitting element at an opposite end. Each LED light source is supplied from a common electrical source by means of a series of wiper contacts and rotatable contact rings carried by respective stationary and rotating portions of the sculpted object.