Spherical Head Assembly With Guided 2-Axis Adjustment and Counter-Torque
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spherical head assemblies for optical and electronic devices on tripods face challenges with adjustability, including high force requirements, distortion during adjustment, limited design flexibility, tilting torque issues, and excessive size and cost, particularly when transitioning between two and three degrees of freedom, and the need for separate leveling systems.
Innovation Solution
A spherical head assembly design featuring a housing with a cylindrical cavity and a guiding insert allowing two degrees of freedom adjustment, with a slot for compressive fixing and a counter-torque mechanism, enabling easy transition between two and three degrees of freedom and incorporating a leveling bubble for base plane adjustment without a large housing, using interchangable parts and a counter-torque mechanism to stabilize the device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a slot extends through almost the whole body of the spherical head to allow adjustment, then adjustability is improved, but the sphere size becomes small relative to the housing and high pushing forces are required
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical head body is divided into two halves that can be pressed apart to release the sphere from the slot constraints, allowing adjustment without requiring high continuous pushing forces on the entire sphere
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static fixed sphere to a dynamic adjustable sphere where the two halves of the body can be moved relative to each other to release and reposition the sphere along the slot
2Adaptability or versatility
If the two halves of the spherical head are pressed apart for fixing and release, then adjustability is improved, but the sphere shape becomes distorted and turning smoothness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Dividing the body into two separable halves allows the sphere to maintain its shape while still enabling adjustment through the pressing apart mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The slot acts as an intermediary guide that constrains the sphere's movement path, allowing adjustment while minimizing distortion of the sphere shape during the pressing apart operation
3Ease of manufacture
If the slot is positioned normal to the optical axis for structural simplicity, then manufacturing is easier, but the camera gets lurched in front-rear direction during adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The slot is positioned at a specific angular orientation (45 degrees) rather than normal to the optical axis, creating a localized adjustment path that minimizes camera lurch while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
4Adaptability or versatility
If a large housing is used to accommodate the spherical head and adjustment mechanisms, then adjustability is improved, but size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The housing and spherical head assembly are integrated into a compact unified structure where the adjustment mechanisms are incorporated within the existing form factor, reducing overall size and cost
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic pressing apart mechanism allows the housing to be more compact since the adjustment function is achieved through relative movement of existing components rather than requiring additional space for separate adjustment mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
Spherical head assembly for attaching an optical and/or electronic device to a stander with an adjustability in at least two degrees of freedom, which has a first part that can be releasably connected to the stander and a second part which is provided with a support element for the releasable connection of the device to be held thereby, and one of the two parts is a spherical head (20, 100) that has a body (21, 99) which has at least in part a spherical shape, and the other part comprises a cavity formed as a spherical segment which encircles the spherical head (20, 100) at least in part and is fitted thereto, and comprises an adjusting means for coupling the two parts together and releasing the same coupling, and in the initial position of intended use the held device is adjusted in horizontal or almost horizontal position. In the second part a groove (24, 108) is provided that has a vertical central plane and extends along the largest diameter of the spherical segment, and on the first part a circularly symmetrical stud (25, 103) is provided at a position that corresponds to the vertical diameter of the spherical segment and the stud (25, 103) can be fitted in the groove (24, 108), and in the fitted position the stud (25, 103) allows the displacement of the two parts along the groove (24, 108), and the stud (25, 103) allows the turning of the two coupled spherical fitted segments around the vertical axis of the stud (25, 103) at each of the adjusted positions, and the adjusting means is arranged on that one of the two parts which has the spherically shaped cavity, and when the position of two parts are fixed the adjusting means presses the cavity to the spherical body (21, 99).