Patent Publication Number: US-2022214605-A1

Title: Video camera handle and stop switch assembly

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of photographic equipment, and more particularly to a video camera handle and its stop switch assembly. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Video camera bracket in the prior art is commonly provided with a handle which provides the cameraman convenience for carrying. The handle is usually mounted with an external device, a card slot for cooperating with the external device is arranged in a top surface of the handle, and a movable stopper is arranged in the card slot. When the external device is installed in the card slot, the stopper protrudes from the card slot, which can prevent the external device from slipping out of the card slot. Before the external device being installed in the card slot, and at the time the external device being detached from the card slot, the stopper needs to be hidden into the card slot. In an existing stopper, an operating rod fixed with the stopper is protruded from a side of the handle, the stopper can be driven to move down and hide into the card slot by pressing the operating rod downward. Once the operating rod is released, the stopper will protrude from the card slot under an elastic force of a spring. Such an operation is laborious, which brings inconvenience to the users when using the stopper. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides a video camera handle which is easy to be operated. 
     The present disclosure also provides a stop switch assembly used for the video camera handle. 
     The present disclosure provides a stop switch assembly. The stop switch assembly includes a movable block, a pressing portion, a driving rod, a driving pin, and an elastic member. The movable block comprises a first pair of opposite side surfaces and a second pair of opposite side surfaces, a hole is defined in the movable block which passes through the first pair of opposite side surfaces, and an inclined slot is defined in the movable block which passes through the second pair of opposite side surfaces. The pressing portion is movably arranged at one end of the hole and the driving rod is movably arranged at the other end of the hole, and the pressing portion and the driving rod are connected by driving. The driving pin is inserted in the driving rod, and a head of the driving pin is movably arranged in the inclined slot. The elastic member is arranged between the pressing portion and the movable block or between the driving rod and the movable block, for applying an elastic bias to the pressing portion or the driving rod to allow the pressing portion being away from the movable block. When the pressing part is pressed, the driving pin slides in the inclined slot and drives the movable block to move between a first position and a second position. 
     In some embodiments, a lower end of the inclined slot is arranged at a side of the movable block closing to the pressing portion, an upper end of the inclined slot is arranged at a side of the movable block closing to the driving rod, the upper end of the inclined slot is higher than the lower end of the inclined slot in a height direction of the movable block, and the height direction of the movable block is perpendicular to a pressing direction of the pressing portion. 
     In some embodiments, the card slot may be a cold shoe interface. 
     In some embodiments, the driving pin drives the movable block to move between the first position and the second position by pushing a bottom surface or an upper surface of the inclined slot, the driving pin is located at the lower end of the inclined slot when the movable block is at the first position, and the drive pin is located at the upper end of the inclined slot when the movable block is at the second position. 
     In some embodiments, the stop switch assembly further comprises a connecting member having a first connecting end detached connected with the pressing portion and a second connecting end detached connected with the driving rod. 
     In some embodiments, a connecting groove is defined in a side of the pressing portion facing the driving rod, the elastic member is sleeved on the connecting member with one end of the elastic member accommodated in the connecting groove and abutted against the bottom wall of the connecting groove and the other end of the elastic member abutted against a side wall of which defines the hole of the movable block towards the pressing portion, a first connecting hole is defined which passes through the bottom wall of the connecting groove, and the first connecting end is threaded connected in the first connecting hole. 
     In some embodiments, one end of the driving rod facing the pressing portion is defined with a second connection hole, the second connecting end is threaded connected in the second connecting hole, a pin hole is defined in a side of the driving rod closing to the second connecting hole, the pin is inserted in the pin hole, and the pin hole communicates with the second connecting hole. 
     In some embodiments, the size of the hole is larger than the size of the driving rod in a height direction of the movable block to allow the movable block to move relative to the driving rod in the height direction. 
     The present disclosure also provides a video camera handle including a handle portion and a mounting portion connected with the handle portion. The mounting portion is configured to mount the video camera handle to a video camera, and a card slot is defined at a joint of the handle portion and the mounting portion for connecting an external video device. A receiving groove is defined at the joint of the handle portion and the mounting portion to communicate with the card slot, and the stop switch assembly described above is received in the receiving groove. 
     In some embodiments, the mounting portion is connected to one end of the handle portion. 
     In some embodiments, the card slot is defined in a top surface of the handle portion adjacent to the mounting portion, a through hole is defined in the card slot to communicate with the card slot and the receiving groove, and the movable block is movably arranged in the receiving groove. When the movable block is located at the first position, the top of the movable block protrudes from the through hole to prevent the external video device from escaping from the card slot, and when the movable block is located at the second position, the top of the movable block hides in the through hole or the receiving groove to allow the external video device assembling in or disassembling from the card slot. 
     In some embodiments, the card slot is “U” shaped and comprises an open end, and the through hole is defined at the open end of the “U” shape card slot. 
     In some embodiments, the mounting portion comprises opposite first end surface and second end surface, the first end surface is defined with a first groove, the second end surface is defined with a second groove, the bottom wall of the first groove is defined with a first through hole, and the bottom wall of the second groove is defined with a second through hole, the pressing portion is movably arranged in the first groove, the driving rod passes through the second through hole and is movably arranged in the second groove, and the connecting member passes through the first through hole to connect with the driving rod. 
     In some embodiments, one end of the driving rod away from the pressing portion is provided with an enlarged stop portion, when the movable block is at the first position, the pressing portion is away from the first groove to allow the head of the pressing portion protrudes out of the first groove to be pressed, and the stop portion abuts on the wall of the second groove; when the movable block is located at the second position, an end of the pressing portion facing the driving rod locates closing to the bottom wall of the first groove or abuts against the bottom wall of the first groove, and the stop portion of the driving rod is away from the second groove. 
     In some embodiments, a plurality of connecting hole are defined in a top surface of the handle portion for connecting external devices. 
     In some embodiments, a bottom surface of the handle portion is arranged with wavy or screw thread concave-convex structures for facilitating the hold by users. 
     In some embodiments, the mounting portion comprises a connecting end configured for connecting with the handle portion, an extending section extending downward from the connecting end and away from the handle portion, a bending section bent inward from the end of the extending section, and a distal end connected to the end of the bending section and facing to the handle portion. The connecting end is obliquely defined relative to the handle, the distal end is provided with a connecting structure for connecting the video camera handle to a bracket of a video camera, and the extending section is defined with a connecting hole for connecting external devices. 
     In some embodiments, the end of the handle portion away from the mounting portion is further defined with another card slot for connecting an external device. 
     To sum up, the stop switch assembly provided by the present disclosure includes the movable block, the pressing portion, the driving rod, the driving pin, the connecting member, and the elastic member. The movable block is movably arranged in the receiving groove, the movable block is defined with a hole and an inclined slot, and the pressing portion and the driving rod are respectively arranged at one of the both ends of the hole and are connected by the connecting member. The driving pin is inserted in the driving rod with its head located in the inclined slot, and the elastic member abuts between the pressing portion and the movable block. In a normal state, the movable block is located at the first position, the top of the movable block protrudes from the card slot of the handle so as to achieve a stop effect. When the pressing portion is pressed, the driving rod is driven by the pressing portion through the connecting member to move along the pressing direction, allowing the driving pin pushing the wall of the inclined slot during a moving of the driving pin along with the driving rod, making the movable block move to the second position where the movable block can hide in the card slot. The stop switch assembly of the present disclosure is an ingenious design, has stronger practicability, can be disassembled and assembled, and is particularly convenient to be operated. The stop switch assembly can be switched by just pressing the pressing portion, which is extremely labor-saving, so that brings great convenience to users when using the stop switch assembly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a video camera handle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross sectional view of  FIG. 1  taken along line A-A according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a stop switch assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a stop switch assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of a stop switch assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiment of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the detailed structures described herein below or in the accompanying drawings. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be interpreted as limiting. As used herein, “include”, “contain”, “have” and similar expressions are meant to encompass the items listed thereafter, their equivalents, and other additional items. In particular, when describing “a certain member”, the present disclosure does not limit the number of the member to one, and “a certain member” may also include a plurality of members. 
     Please referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , the present disclosure provides an stop switch assembly  10  which can be applied to a video camera handle  12 . In some other embodiments, the stop switch assembly  10  can also be applied to other photographic accessories or mechanical parts, such as a camera frame. The video camera handle  12  includes a handle portion  14  and a mounting portion  16  connected to the bottom or one end of the handle portion  14 . In an exemplary embodiment, the mounting portion  16  is connected to one end of the handle portion  14 . In some instances, the mounting portion  16  can also be connected to the bottom of the handle portion  14 . The mounting portion  16  is configured to mount the video camera handle  12  on a video camera through a connecting structure. For example, the video camera handle  12  can be mounted to the video camera by fixing the bottom of the mounting portion  16  on a bracket of the video camera though a connecting screw  17 . The handle portion  14  is configured to be carried by users so as to change shooting angles of video cameras by lifting the handle portion  14 . The mounting portion  16  includes a connecting end  162  for connecting with the handle portion  14 , an extending section  164  extending downward from the connecting end  162 , a bending section  166  bent inward from the end of the extending section  164 , and a distal end  168  connected to the end of the bending section  166  and facing to the handle portion  14 . In an exemplary embodiment, the connecting end  162  is obliquely connected with the handle portion  14 , and a bending angle is formed between the handle portion  14  and the mounting portion  16 . The handle portion  14  and the mounting portion  16  as a whole form a substantially L-shaped structure, with the distal end  168  being parallel and facing to the handle portion  14 . The connecting screw  17  may be arranged on the distal end  168 , and the extending section  164  may be defined with a connecting hole, such as, an Alecon 167, for connecting external devices. The handle portion  14  and the mounting portion  16  can be integrally formed, or can be separate parts and be assembled together. In an exemplary embodiment, the handle portion  14  and the mounting portion  16  are integrally formed. 
     A card slot  20  is defined in a top surface of the handle portion  14  closing to the connecting end  162 . The card slot  20  is configured for connecting an external device. For example, the external device may be latched in the card slot  20 . An end of the handle portion  14  away from the mounting portion  16  is defined with another card slot  21  which is configured for connecting other external devices. The card slot  20  or  21  may be a cold shoe interface. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the connecting end  162  is defined with an receiving groove  22  at a position corresponding to the card slot  20 , and the stop switch assembly  10  is movably installed in the receiving groove  22 . It should be understood that no matter how the mounting portion  16  is connected to the handle portion  14 , the card slot  20  should be arranged corresponding to the arranging of the stop switch assembly  10  to achieve a mutual cooperation between the two. A top surface of the handle portion  14  is defined with a plurality of connecting holes  142 , such as threaded holes, for connecting external devices. The size of the connecting holes can be set according to the needs of use. For example, the diameter of the adjacent connecting holes can be the same or different. A bottom surface of the handle portion  14  is wavily arranged for users to hold. In an exemplary embodiment, the handle portion  14  includes two parts, with a main body  144  as a first part and a grip part  146  connected with the main body  144  as a second part. The main body  144  can be made of metal material and fixedly connected with the mounting portion  16  or integrally formed with the mounting portion  16 . The grip part  146  can be made of wood or other non-metal materials, and a side of the grip part  146  away from the main body  144  is arranged with wavy or screw thread concave-convex structures to facilitate the holding by users. 
     Please referring to  FIG. 2  to  FIG. 5 , the stop switch assembly  10  includes a movable block  24 , a pressing portion  26 , a driving rod  28 , a driving pin  30 , and an elastic member  32 . The movable block  24  is movably arranged in the receiving groove  22 , that is, the movable block  24  can move up and down in the receiving groove  22 . In an exemplary embodiment, the movable block  24  is substantially a cuboid structure having a first pair of opposite side surfaces  24   a  along a length direction of the movable block  24 , a second pair of opposite side surfaces  24   b  along a width direction of the movable block  24 , and a third pair of opposite top surface  24   c  and bottom surface. The side surfaces  24   a  are arc-shaped surfaces which protrude outward, and the side surfaces  24   b  are flat surfaces. In some other embodiments, the movable block  24  may have a different shape, and the shape of the movable block  24  is not limited here. 
     The pressing portion  26  and the driving rod  28  are movably installed in the movable block  24 . A hole  34  is defined in the movable block  24  which passes through the first pair of opposite side surfaces  24   a , and an inclined slot  36  is defined in the the movable block  24  which passes through the second pair of opposite side surfaces  24   b . In an exemplary embodiment, an inclining direction of the inclined slot  36  is along with the length direction of the movable block  24 , and the hole  34  communicates with the inclined slot  36 . The pressing portion  26  is movably arranged at one end of the hole  34 , and the driving rod  28  is movably arranged at the other end of the hole  34 . A driving pin  30  is inserted in the driving rod  28 , and a head  30   a  of the driving pin  30  can move in the inclined slot  36 . An elastic member  32 , such as a spring  32 , is elastically abutted between the pressing portion  26  and the movable block  24 , so as can apply an elastic bias to the pressing portion  26  to keep the pressing portion  26  away from the movable block  24 , so that when the pressing portion  26  is pressed, the driving pin  30  may slide in the inclined slot  36  to drive the movable block  24  to move between a first position and a second position. In a height direction of the movable block  24 , the size of the hole  34  is larger than the size of the driving rod  28  so that the movable block  24  can move relative to the driving rod  28  in the height direction of the movable block  24 . 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the inclined slot  36  is a straight slot, and has an inclining direction extending from the top surface  24   c  of the movable block  24  toward the bottom surface. An upper end of the inclined slot  36  is arranged at a side of the movable block  24  closing to the driving rod  28 , and a lower end of the inclined slot  36  is arranged at a side of the movable block  24  closing to the pressing portion  26 . When the movable block  24  is located at the first position, the driving pin  30  is located at the lower end of the inclined slot  36 , and when the movable block  24  is located at the second position, the driving pin  30  is located at or near the upper end of the inclined slot  36 . In case the pressing portion  26  is pressed, the pressing portion  26  moves towards the movable block  24  and drive the driving rod  28  to move along an axial direction of the driving rod  28  or the pressing portion  26 , and simultaneously the driving pin  30  moves along with the driving rod  28 . In an exemplary embodiment, the axial direction is also the extending direction of the receiving groove  22 , and also the width direction of the handle portion  14 . At this time, the bottom wall of the inclined slot  36  acts as a driving surface that interacts with the head  30   a  of the driving pin  30  where the head  30   a  pushes the driving surface during its moving along with the driving pin  30 , so as to drive the movable block  24  moving from the first position to the second position, namely, to drive the movable block  24  moving downward. The spring  32  is squeezed by the pressing portion  26  during the movement of the pressing portion  26 , and will automatically return to its initial position under an elastic bias of the spring  32  when the pressing to the pressing portion  26  is released at the time the movable block  24  arrives at the second position. After the pressing portion  26  is released, the pressing portion  26  also returns to its initial position, and the driving pin  30  is driven to return from the upper end of the inclined slot  36  to the lower end of the inclined slot  36 , during which the driving pin  30  pushes the top wall of the inclined slot  36  so as to drive the movable block  24  moving upward to return the first position from the second position. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the upper end of the inclined slot  36  extends to define an open  38  passing through one of the first pair of side surfaces  24   a  closing to the driving rod  28 . 
     In the embodiments described above, the inclined slot  36  is a straight slot, and inclines a predetermined angle relative to the pressing direction of the pressing portion  26 . In some other embodiments, the inclined slot  36  can also be set as other shapes, such as arc-shaped, as long as it can cooperate with the driving pin  30  to drive the movable block  24  moving between the first position and the second position during the driving pin  30  moves along with the pressing portion  26 . The shape of the inclined slot  36  is not limited here. 
     The pressing portion  26  is connected with the driving rod  28 . Specifically, the stop switch assembly  10  further includes a connecting member  40 , and the connecting member  40  has opposite first connecting end  40   a  and second connecting end  40   b . The first connecting end  40   a  is detachably connected to the pressing portion  26 , such as by threaded connection, and the second connecting end  40   b  is detachably connected to the driving rod  28 , such as by threaded connection. 
     Please referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 5 , a connecting groove  42  is defined in a side of the pressing portion  26  facing the driving rod  28 , a first connecting hole  44  is defined in the pressing portion  26  which passes through the groove wall of the connecting groove  42  and the other side of the pressing portion  26 , and an inner wall of the first connecting hole  44  is provided with internal threads. One end of the driving rod  28  facing the pressing portion  26  is defined with a second connection hole  46 , and an inner wall of the second connection hole  46  is provided with internal threads. Correspondingly, the first connecting end  40   a  and the second connecting end  40   b  of the connecting member  40  are provided with external threads. The first connecting end  40   a  is threaded connected in the first connection hole  44 , and the second connecting end  40   b  is threaded connected in the second connecting hole  46 . The spring  32  is sleeved on the connecting member  40 , one end of the spring  32  facing the pressing portion  26  is accommodated in the connecting groove  42  and abuts against the groove wall of the connecting groove  42 , and the other end of the spring  32  abuts against the side wall of which defines the hole  34  of the movable block  24 . During a movement of the movable block  24  between the first position and the second position, a side wall of the receiving groove  22  will give a restriction to the movable block  24  to avoid a movement of the movable block  24  towards the pressing direction of the pressing portion  26 , therefore, when the pressing portion  26  is pressed, the spring  32  will not move along with the pressing direction of the pressing portion  26  and is compressed when the pressing portion  26  is pressed. 
     The driving pin  30  is inserted in the driving rod  28 . In some instances, a pin hole  48  is defined in the driving rod  28  at a location closing to the second connecting hole  46 , and the driving pin  30  is inserted in the pin hole  48  with the head  30   a  of the driving pin  30  protruding out of the pin hole  48  and received in the inclined slot  36 . In an exemplary embodiment, the pin hole  48  communicates with the second connecting hole  46 , so that the second connecting end  40   b  of the connecting member  40  can abut against the driving pin  30 . It should be understood that, since the inclined slot  36  passes through the second pair of opposite side surfaces  24   b  of the movable block  24 , both the head and tail of the driving pin  30  can be exposed from the pin hole  48  to respectively push the wall of the inclined slot  36  during a movement of the movable block  24  between the first position and the second position. Of course, it is also workable for either the head or the tail of the driving pin  30  exposing from the pin hole  48  to match with the wall of the inclined slot  36 , and in such case, the inclined slot  36  can only pass through one of the two side surfaces  24   b.    
     It should be understood that the above-mentioned threaded connection between the pressing portion  26  and the driving rod  28  by the connecting member  40  is illustrative, which is not limited here. In some other embodiments, the pressing portion  26  and the driving rod  28  can have other connecting relationship. For example, the first connecting end  40   a  of the connecting member  40  can be fixedly connected with the pressing portion  26 , such as by welding, gluing, or clasping; or the second connecting end  40   b  of the connecting member  40  can be fixedly connected with the driving rod  28 . 
     Please referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a through hole  50  is defined at a location corresponding to the movable block  24  to communicate the card slot  20  and the receiving groove  22 , and a top  52  of the movable block  24  is movably arranged in the through hole  50 . When the movable block  24  is located at the first position, the top  52  of the movable block  24  protrudes out of the through hole  50  to form a stopper for the card slot  20 , which can prevent the camera installed in the card slot  20  from detaching from the card slot  20 ; when the movable block  24  is located at the second position, the top  52  of the movable block  24  is hidden into the through hole  50  and is accommodated in the receiving groove  22 , at this time, the camera can be installed into the card slot  20  or be detached from the card slot  20 . In an exemplary embodiment, the card slot  20  is U-shaped and includes an open end, and the through hole  50  is defined at the open end. 
     In some instances, the connecting end  162  of the mounting portion  16  has opposite first end surface  162   a  and second end surface  162   b , the pressing portion  26  is located at the side of the first end surface  162   a , and the driving rod  28  is located at the side of the second end surface  162   b . The first end surface  162   a  is defined with a first groove  54 , the second end surface  162   b  is defined with a second groove  56 , the bottom wall of the first groove  54  is defined with a first through hole  54   a , and the bottom wall of the second groove  56  is defined with a second through hole  56   a . The pressing portion  26  is movably arranged in the first groove  54 , the connecting member  40  passes through the first through hole  54   a , and the driving rod  28  passes through the second through hole  56   a  and is movably arranged in the second groove  56 . One end of the driving rod  28  away from the pressing portion  26  is provided with an enlarged stop portion  28   a , when the movable block  24  is at the first position, the pressing portion  26  is away from the first groove  54  so that its head protrudes out of the first groove  54  for users to press, and the stop portion  28   a  abuts on the wall of the second groove  56  to prevent the pressing portion  26  from escaping from the first groove  54 . At this time, the driving rod  28  abuts against the bottom wall of the hole  34  of the movable block  24 , to provide a limitation to the movable block  24  in a vertical direction to prevent the movable block  24  from escaping from the receiving groove  22 . When the movable block  24  is at the second position, the end of the pressing portion  26  facing the driving rod  28  abuts against the bottom wall of the first groove  54 , the stop portion  28   a  of the driving rod  28  is away from the second groove  56 , and the bottom of the movable block  24  abuts on the bottom of the receiving groove  22 . In some other embodiments, when the movable block  24  is at the second position, the end of the pressing portion  26  facing the driving rod  28  may be located close to the bottom wall of the first groove  54 , and the bottom of the movable block  24  may be located close to the bottom of the receiving groove  22 . 
     The above-mentioned orientation expression such as “upper”, “lower”, and “vertical” are referred to the placement positions shown in the Figures which is for the convenience of description. It is understood that when the placement positions are changed, the orientation expression can be adjusted accordingly. 
     The stop switch assembly provided by the present disclosure includes the movable block, the pressing portion, the driving rod, the driving pin, the connecting member, and the elastic member. The movable block is movably arranged in the receiving groove, the movable block is defined with a hole and an inclined slot, and the pressing portion and the driving rod are respectively arranged at one of the both ends of the hole and are connected by the connecting member. The driving pin is inserted in the driving rod with its head located in the inclined slot, and the elastic member abuts between the pressing portion and the movable block. In a normal state, the movable block is located at the first position, the top of the movable block protrudes from the card slot of the handle so as to achieve a stop effect. When the pressing portion is pressed, the driving rod is driven by the pressing portion through the connecting member to move along the pressing direction, allowing the driving pin pushing the wall of the inclined slot during a moving of the driving pin along with the driving rod, making the movable block move to the second position where the movable block can hide in the card slot. The stop switch assembly of the present disclosure is an ingenious design, has stronger practicability, can be disassembled and assembled, and is particularly convenient to be operated. The stop switch assembly can be switched by just pressing the pressing portion, which is extremely labor-saving, so that brings great convenience to users when using the stop switch assembly. 
     It is to be understood, however, that the concepts described herein may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit and characteristics thereof. The embodiments disclosed are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure is to be determined by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. Any changes that come within the literal meaning and equivalency of the claims should fall within the scope of the claims.