Source: http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/7300028.html
Timestamp: 2018-03-18 06:16:50
Document Index: 797199444

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 19', 'arts 19', 'arts 19', 'arts 19', 'arts 19', 'arts 19']

Tripod head - Patent # 7300028 - PatentGenius
7300028 Tripod head
Application: 10/838,127
Inventors: Vogt; Philippe (Ch-8038 Zurich, CH)
U.S. Class: 248/181.1; 248/177.1; 248/178.1; 248/179.1; 248/181.2; 248/288.31; 248/288.51; 403/114; 403/122; 403/125; 403/76; 403/90
Field Of Search: 248/177.1; 248/176.2; 248/127; 248/181.1; 248/181.2; 248/176.3; 248/178.1; 403/76; 403/90; 403/114; 403/122; 403/125
U.S Patent Documents: 4974802; 5072907; 5590870; 5782572; 5806821; 6164843; 6352228
Foreign Patent Documents: 0612723; 2203196; 1018869; 2346594; 2799807
1. A tripod head, comprising a housing (1) having connection means (11) at one end thereof for connecting the tripod head to a tripod; an aspherical ball joint (2)displaceably arranged in the housing (1); a bearing element (4) for supporting the ball joint (2) and axially displaceable in the housing (1); and a device (5) for fixing the ball joint (2) in the housing (1) and arranged beneath the bearing element(4), the fixing device (5) having two sliding parts, an adjusting device (36) for engaging the sliding parts for axially displacing the ball joint (2) in the housing (1), and a support (31) located between the bearing element (4) and the sliding partsand having engagement shoulders arranged diametrically opposite each other, wherein the support (31) is formed as an annular body with plane end faces, wherein the two sliding parts (35) are provided with an eccentric contour and engage with the support(31), wherein the adjusting device (36) has an adjusting member (37) which is connected to the sliding parts (35), and an actuating element (38) which is connected to the adjusting member (37) in order to displace the bearing element (4) against the balljoint (2) by a rotating or swiveling movement, and wherein the support (31) has at least one recess (32) engaging with the eccentric contour of at least one sliding part (35) in order to prevent an axial rotating movement of the support (31).
The present invention relates to a tripod head including a cylindrical housing having a connection element at one end for a tripod, a ball joint displaceably arranged in the housing, a bearing element for supporting the ball joint which isaxially displaceable in the housing, and a device for fixing the ball joint and which is arranged below the bearing element.
DE 22 03 196 discloses a tripod head which has a cylindrical housing with a bottom part for fastening to a tripod and with a rotatably arranged upper part, a ball joint which is supported in a housing so as to be freely rotatable and swivelable,and a fixing arrangement with a clamping part for the ball joint, a fixing member, and a set screw for pressing the ball joint against the upper part to achieve a clamping action.
The tripod head is disadvantageous, particularly in large-format cameras, in that the required clamping action cannot be applied to the ball joint when the image carrier or objective carrier is tilted and an optical instrument is not held so asto be free of vibrations, and in that the functional features of rotating and fixing the ball joint are carried out by the fixing arrangement as a whole.
This and other objects of the present invention, which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by providing a tripod head of the type discussed above is which the device for fixing the ball joint in the housing and which is arrangedbeneath the bearing element, includes two sliding parts, an adjusting device for engaging the sliding parts for axially displacing the ball joint in the housing, and a support located between the bearing element and the sliding parts and havingengagement shoulders arranged diametrically opposite each other.
The invention is based on the idea of providing separate means for carrying out the functions of rotating and fixing the ball joint. For this purpose, a bearing element with a sliding surface contacting the outer circumference of the ball jointis arranged in the housing so as to be displaceable and rotatable, and a device for fixing the ball joint with an axially displaceable support for the bearing element and with means in operative connection with the support are provided for displacing thebearing element to achieve a clamping action.
In a preferred embodiment, the fixing device has a support with two projections or shoulders which are provided with a diagonal surface, and the two sliding parts are each provided with a diagonal surface and are arranged so as to be supported ona stationary base, with their diagonal surfaces contacting the diagonal surfaces of the shoulders and so as to be displaceable transverse to one another. The fixing device further includes an adjusting device and an adjusting member which engages withthe sliding parts and with an actuating element for displacing the sliding parts transverse to the shoulders at the support by a rotating movement and for displacing the bearing element against the ball joint in order to achieve the clamping action.
The device for fixing the ball joint can have a support for the bearing element which is constructed as an annular body with plane end faces, at least one member with an eccentric contour and engageable with the support, and an adjusting devicewith an adjusting member which is connected to the one member and to an actuating element which is connected to the adjusting member in order to displace the bearing element against the ball joint. This device has the advantage of a simple andeconomical construction.
The ball joint can have a contour such that the clamping action increases or decreases depending on the swiveling movement. Accordingly, a greater damping is achieved in an advantageous manner so that the center of gravity of the instrumentfastened to the ball joint can lie outside of the circumference of the ball joint during swiveling.
A tripod head according to the present invention substantially comprises a cylindrical housing 1, a ball joint 2 with a member 3 for connecting to an optical instrument which is pivotally and rotatably arranged in the housing 1, a bearing shell 4for the ball joint 2, and a device 5 for fixing the ball joint 2.
Depending on the construction of the tripod head, the ball joint 2 is formed as a symmetric or asymmetric rotational body or a flattened rotational ellipsoid, i.e., having an approximate shape of a globe with a larger diameter in the area of theequator.
The bearing shell 4 is provided with a sliding surface 7 in contact with the circumference of the ball joint 2, and is arranged in the housing 1 so as to be axially displaceable and rotatable. The bearing shell 4 is supported on the device 5 forfixing the ball joint. The bearing shell 4 is made of plastic.
The support 6 is formed as an annular body having a plane support surface for the bearing shell 4 on one front side and two shoulders 13, 14 at the other front side. The shoulders 13, 14 are arranged opposite one another and each has a diagonalsurface 15 (FIG. 2).
The two sliding parts 19, 20 lie on the plate 17 on one side and are provided with a diagonal surface 21 on the other side. The diagonal surfaces 15 at the support 6 and at the sliding parts 19, 20 are inclined in opposite directions by the sameangle of inclination. The support 6 and the sliding parts 19, 20 are arranged with their diagonal surfaces 15, 21 contacting one another so that a radial displacement of the sliding parts 19, 20 causes a displacement of the support 6 in direction of theball joint.
This radial displacement is effected with the adjusting device 25 which comprises a threaded spindle 26 and a turning knob 27. For this purpose, a threaded hole is provided in each of the sliding parts 19, 20 and threaded portions withleft-handed and right-handed threads 28, 29, respectively, are formed at the threaded spindle 26, the sliding parts 19, 20 being screwed onto these threads. The threaded spindle 26 is guided out of the housing 1 on one side and is provided at this endwith the turning knob 27.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the support is formed as an annular body 31 which has a plane supporting surface for the bearing shell 4 on one front side and two recesses 32 which are arranged diametrically opposite one another on the other frontside.
The device 5 for fixing the ball joint 2 has two cam disks 35 with identical contour and an adjusting device 36 with a shaft 37 and a lever 38. The cam disks 35 are mounted on the shaft 37 by means of pins 34 and engage with the recesses 32 inthe support 31. The shaft 37 is mounted in a bearing ring 39 arranged in the housing 1.
The device 5 for fixing the ball joint 2 includes a member 42 having a sleeve 44 with two cams 45 formed at a distance from one another, and an adjusting device 46 having a shaft 47 and a turning knob 48. The sleeve 44 is connected to the shaft47 by two pins 49. A ring 50 is arranged in the housing 1 for orienting the member 42 with respect to the support 41.
FIGS. 9 and 10 show an embodiment in which the support 61 has an L-shaped cross section and has two oppositely located slots 63 in the leg 62 which engage around the shaft 47 of the adjusting device 46 and consequently prevent a rotating movementof the support 61.
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