Two-Stage Dial with Nested Click Mechanism for Compact Imaging Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional imaging devices with upper and lower dials are large in size, necessitating a reduction in size while maintaining independent rotatability and click functionality.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a body case with a vertical through-hole, a substrate, a support portion, and dials that are independently rotatable, featuring a connection and fixing portion for the support to the substrate, and click members that provide tactile feedback, allowing for a compact structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional independent upper and lower dials are used, then independent rotatability is achieved, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the upper dial and lower dial into a single integrated dial structure that shares a common rotation axis. The dial includes both upper and lower operational surfaces that can rotate independently around the same axis, eliminating the need for separate dial assemblies and reducing overall device volume while maintaining independent rotatability for different functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The dial structure employs a nested configuration where the upper dial portion and lower dial portion are concentrically arranged around a shared rotation axis. The click members are nested within grooves in the dial body, and the rotation axis is positioned centrally within the dial structure, allowing compact arrangement of multiple functional elements in a space-efficient manner.
2Volume of moving object
If compact dial structure is implemented, then device size is reduced, but structural stability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The dial structure employs asymmetric design elements to enhance stability. The click members are positioned at specific asymmetric locations within the grooves, and the upper and lower dial portions have different functional configurations. This asymmetric arrangement creates balanced stress distribution and prevents rattling while maintaining compact dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional planar dial design to a three-dimensional structured dial with vertical depth. The click members extend in the vertical direction within grooves, and the dial has distinct upper and lower portions with different functional surfaces. This dimensional expansion provides structural rigidity and stability while keeping the horizontal footprint compact.
3Measurement precision
If click members are added for tactile feedback, then operational precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The click members serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide tactile feedback through clicking sounds, indicate precise rotational positions, and engage with detents to maintain selected settings. The grooves that house the click members also serve as structural features of the dial body. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and keeps the overall structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The click members are designed to automatically engage with detents and provide tactile feedback without requiring additional actuation mechanisms. The spring-loaded design allows the click members to self-adjust and self-engage as the dial rotates, providing precise positioning and feedback passively as part of the rotation mechanism itself, without adding complex control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging device includes a body case formed with a through-hole that extends in a vertical direction, a substrate disposed below the through-hole and fixed to the body case, a support portion disposed inside the through-hole, a lower dial supported to the support portion so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the vertical direction, and an upper dial supported to the support portion so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis independently of the lower dial. The support portion has a connection portion that constitutes a part of an outer periphery of the support portion and that is connected to the body case, and a fixing portion disposed to protrude downward on a side opposite to the connection portion across the rotation axis, wherein the support portion is fixed to the substrate via the fixing portion.