Mechanical Tracking Mount With Adjustable Torsion Spring Balancing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing astronomical tracking mounts are bulky, heavy, and require external power sources, limiting their portability and usability in remote locations without electrical access.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical tracking mount utilizing a semicircular arrangement of castellations with a torsion spring mechanism that adjusts tracking speed and balances weight, eliminating the need for counterweights and external power, allowing for compact, lightweight, and portable celestial tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If purely mechanical mounts with multiple reduction gears, weights and counterweights are used, then tracking precision is achieved, but the mount becomes bulky, heavy and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the heavy counterweights and multiple reduction gears from the traditional mechanical mounting system. By using a single-axis rotational mechanism with a camera module that can rotate independently, the design removes unnecessary components while maintaining tracking functionality, thereby significantly reducing the overall weight and bulk of the mount.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is segmented into independent functional modules: a base unit, a rotatable camera module, and a control system. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently without requiring the entire system to be oversized, contributing to weight reduction while preserving tracking precision.
2Weight of stationary object
If electronic motor-driven mounts are used, then the mount becomes less bulky and lighter, but a large amount of energy is required to drive the motors and power the electronics
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the natural gravitational force and the mechanical advantage of the single-axis rotational mechanism to achieve tracking without requiring external power sources. The camera module rotates passively following the motion of celestial objects, eliminating the need for energy-consuming motors and electronic power systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electronic motor-driven system with a purely mechanical passive tracking mechanism. Instead of using motors to actively drive the camera module, the system relies on mechanical design that allows the module to follow celestial motion naturally, substituting electronic actuation with mechanical freedom of movement.
3Weight of stationary object
If electronic motor-driven mounts are used, then the mount becomes less bulky, but portability is reduced due to the need for battery packs or external power sources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the battery packs and external power source requirements from the system. By eliminating the need for electronic power, the mount becomes truly portable and can be deployed in remote locations without access to electrical infrastructure, significantly improving ease of operation and field usability.
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 mechanical tracking mount provides precise celestial tracking without external power, offering improved portability and reduced weight while maintaining accurate tracking of celestial objects, including those with varying motion rates.
Implementation Method 1
A torsion spring having a crossbar formed at one end is mated with the notch on the shaft
Implementation Method 2
The spring, with its force set by an operator adjusting the position of the selector, can replace the heavy counterweights that are normally used to balance the weight of the instrumentation
Data Source
AI summary
A tracking mount for an astronomical equipment includes castellations in a semicircular arrangement at a first end of a base member. The base member has a through hole formed at a radial center of the castellations. Additionally, the tracking mount includes a tracking arm having a shaft extending perpendicular to a long axis of the tracking arm and a set of teeth formed at a position distal to the shaft. The shaft has a notch formed at an end opposite the tracking arm. The shaft is dimensioned to be inserted into the through hole. A coil torsion spring having a crossbar formed at one end is mated with the notch on the shaft. A selector structure formed at another end of the torsion spring is dimensioned to sit within a castellation of the plurality of castellations. Adjusting the position of the selector structure relative to the plurality castellations adjusts the torsion coefficient of the coil torsion spring.