Tripod Single-Handle Leg Locking for Faster Setup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tripods for shooting equipment require significant time and physical effort to set up due to the need for manual unlocking and locking of telescopic sections, which hampers speed and convenience, especially in fast-paced applications like event photography or videography on rough terrain.
Innovation Solution
A tripod design featuring telescopic legs with integrated locking mechanisms that can be controlled by a single handle, allowing for independent positioning and locking of each leg, facilitating quick adjustment and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If manual locking mechanisms are used for each telescopic section, then the tripod structure is simple, but the setup time and physical effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines three separate locking mechanisms into a single integrated locking system. The locking bar engages with all three legs simultaneously through a unified structure, allowing one operator to lock or unlock all legs with a single action rather than manipulating three separate mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The single locking bar serves multiple functions: it locks all three telescopic legs simultaneously, provides structural support, and enables rapid deployment. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate locking components for each leg, reducing both time and complexity.
2Ease of operation
If separate locking mechanisms are used for each leg, then each leg can be adjusted independently, but the operation becomes time-consuming and physically demanding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the operation of three separate locking actions into a single unified action. The locking bar is designed to engage with all three legs simultaneously, allowing the operator to secure the entire tripod structure with one motion, greatly improving ease of operation and reducing adjustment time.
3Ease of operation
If a single locking mechanism controls all three legs, then the operation is simplified, but the structural complexity of the locking system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking bar is segmented into three distinct engagement points, one for each leg. Each segment can independently engage with its corresponding leg's locking surface, allowing the single locking bar to control all three legs simultaneously while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that is easier to manufacture and assemble than three separate mechanisms.
4Reliability
If manual locking of each section is required, then the tripod is reliable, but the speed of deployment decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines three locking functions into a single reliable mechanism. The locking bar simultaneously secures all three legs, ensuring that the tripod is stable and reliable while enabling rapid deployment. The unified design maintains reliability by ensuring all legs are locked together, preventing any single leg from becoming unstable.
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
Enables rapid and convenient deployment and adjustment of the tripod, reducing setup time and physical effort while ensuring stability and reliability for mounted equipment.
Implementation Method 1
a spring located between the supports on a sleeve connected to the rod
Implementation Method 2
The lower end of the lower section is secured to the support heel on one side by a threaded coupling and, on the other side, by a threaded connection, a support rod is attached
Implementation Method 3
a collet having a pass-through axial opening and two opposite inner conical surfaces, with a rod in the axial opening also provided with two opposite outer conical surfaces
Implementation Method 4
two opposite inner conical surfaces, with a rod in the axial opening also provided with two opposite outer conical surfaces
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3b
AI summary
This invention relates to a tripod for shooting equipment that will find application both in the shooting industry and for personal purposes, and in particular for the installation of video or photographic equipment, a camera or other optical instrument. The tripod (1) has three adjacent telescopic legs (3) with identical locking mechanisms connected to the handle (5) located above the central support element (2). The handle (5) actuates the locking mechanisms simultaneously and independently of one another, whereby the legs (3) can be telescopically adjusted from the free state to the locked position in the desired position when unfolding or folding the tripod (1). Locking mechanisms provide stability when loading the tripod (1). The telescopic legs (3) of the tripod (1) are pivotally connected to the central support element (2), so the different angles of the legs (3) do not affect the effective operation of the locking mechanisms.