JPH08121687A - Tripod opening/closing mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide tripod opening/closing mechanism which can open/close legs in a single operation so as to improve the operability with a leap by providing a rotatable locking lever and the like. CONSTITUTION: Each of three link parts 2 provided at the peripheral surface of a base is fitted into the upper end groove part 4 of a leg body 3 and journalled through a supporting shaft 5 so as to link the leg body 3 closably with the base. In such tripod opening/closing mechanism, a locking part 6 formed of plural step parts 7, 7 around the supporting shaft 5 is formed on the end part peripheral surface of each link part 2. A locking lever 8 is journalled to the groove part 4 of each leg body and rotatably provided so that a contact part 12 at the tip of the locking lever 8 faces the locking part 6 of the link part 2 and that an operating part 13 at the rear end protrudes outward. A spring body is mounted on the locking lever 8 so as to make the contact part 12 lockable in the detachable state to the step part 7 of the locking part 6.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for a tripod that supports various devices such as a camera, and can be opened and closed at a predetermined angle by pivotally supporting three legs on a base. Regarding the opening / closing mechanism of a tripod.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a tripod is one in which three legs are pivotally attached to a base on which a platform is mounted, and each leg can be freely opened and closed.
There are various conventional opening / closing mechanisms for such tripods. However, when it is desired to adjust the angle of each leg individually for various uses, for example, a protrusion is provided on either the base or each leg. By providing a stopper on the other side, which is locked to the projection, and by locking this stopper to the projection,
The leg opening and closing movements were regulated to adjust the opening and closing angle.

[0003]

However, in the conventional tripod opening / closing mechanism as described above, for example, when the leg is opened, the stopper is pulled outward and separated from the projection, and the stopper is opened after the leg is opened. It is necessary to push it inward and lock it again with the predetermined projection to fix the leg. Also, when closing the leg, the same operation as when opening it is required, so when opening and closing multiple legs It required movement and was extremely laborious to operate.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the problems in the conventional tripod opening / closing mechanism, the present invention includes three linking portions provided on the peripheral surface of the base for connecting the upper ends of the legs. By storing it in the groove and supporting it through the support shaft,
In a tripod opening / closing mechanism in which the legs are openably and closably linked to each other, a locking portion composed of a plurality of stepped portions centering on the spindle is formed on an end peripheral surface of each linking portion. Tena,
A locking lever is pivotally supported in the groove of each leg, the abutting portion of the tip of the locking lever faces the locking portion of the linking portion, and the operation portion at the rear end is rotatable so as to project outward. A spring is attached to the locking lever, and the abutting portion at the tip of the spring is releasably locked to the stepped portion of the locking portion. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect of the present invention, the locking lever has a substantially T-shaped side surface, and a substantially intermediate portion thereof serves as a shaft supporting portion, and the shaft supporting portion. Both end portions that rotate around the center are used as the contact portion or the operation portion.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a tripod opening / closing mechanism of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 is an overall perspective view of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. In each of these drawings, according to the present embodiment, each of the three linking portions 2 and 2 provided on the peripheral surface of the base 1 is housed in the groove portion 4 at the upper end of the leg body 3 and is pivotally supported via the support shaft 5. Thus, the leg 3 is linked to the base 1 so as to be openable and closable.

Each of the linking portions 2 is a member having a short rod shape, and is provided with three in conformity with the three legs 3 arranged around the base 1, and the base 1 is radially arranged around the base 1. It is located at. On the other hand, each leg 3 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and its upper end is housed in a leg portion 3A having a rectangular short rod shape, as shown in FIG. The leg portion 3A is formed with the groove portion 4 which is opened upward. The link portion 2 is fitted above the groove portion 4 and the support shaft 5 penetrating the link portion 2 is provided on the side. Each leg 3 is openably and closably linked to the base 1 through the leg head 3A by inserting the leg head 3A. In this embodiment, each leg 3 is openably and closably linked to the base 1 via the leg head 3A, but the groove 4 is directly formed at the upper end of each leg 3, Even if each leg 3 is linked to the base 1 without the leg head 3A, the same effect is obtained. These base 1, each linking part 2,
The legs 3 and the leg head 3A are made of a light metal such as aluminum or a hard resin.

The spindle 5 is provided on the peripheral surface of the end of each of the link portions 2.
The locking portion 6 is formed of a plurality of step portions 7, 7 centered on the center. That is, each of the linking portions 2 has a curved outer surface at the outer end thereof with the support shaft 5 as the center, and a plurality of step portions 7, 7 are formed substantially along the curved peripheral surface. I am doing it. The plurality of stepped portions 7, 7 are projected in the radial direction of the support shaft 5, and the surfaces along the radial direction are formed on the leg body 3.
It is formed so as to be directed to the side, and the protruding height from the support shaft 5 is set to be higher on the upper side.

A locking lever 8 is pivotally supported in the groove portion 4 of the leg head portion 3A of each leg body 3. The locking lever 8 has a substantially T-shaped side surface, and a substantially intermediate portion extending toward the groove portion 4 serves as a shaft supporting portion 11 and the shaft supporting portion 1
Both end portions that rotate around 1 are used as the contact portion 12 or the operation portion 13, are fitted into the groove portion 4, and are axially supported by the shaft support portion 11 via the lever shaft 10.
Thus, the side shape of the locking lever 8 is substantially T-shaped, the middle portion is the shaft support portion 11, and both end portions that rotate around the shaft support portion 11 are the contact portion 12 or the operation portion 13. Therefore, by pressing the operation portion 13, the contact portion 12 can be largely rotated around the shaft support portion 11 as a fulcrum, and the operation of the operation portion 13 can be simplified and the operability can be further improved. .

The locking lever 8 has an abutting portion 1 at its tip.
2 is rotatably provided so that the locking portion 6 of the linking portion 2 is exposed and the operation portion 13 at the rear end projects outward. That is, when the locking lever 8 rotates about the shaft supporting portion 11, the contact portion 12 moves on a circular orbit centered on the shaft supporting portion 11 and the linking portion 2 located on the circular orbit. It rotates toward the locking portion 6 of the
On the side of the support shaft 5 of A, the contact surface of the contact portion 12 is brought into contact with the contact surface of the step portion 7 of the locking portion 6. In addition, the operation portion 13 that faces the contact portion 12 with the shaft support portion 11 interposed therebetween is
It is rotatable about the lever shaft 10 while always protruding outward from the groove 4 of the leg head 3A. In this way, the locking lever 8 is connected to the groove 4 of the leg head 3A of each leg 3.
The operation portion 13 of the locking lever 8 can be positioned inside the thumb when the upper portion of each leg body 3 is grasped by pivotally supporting the operation portion 13 on the outside and projecting the operation portion 13 outward. Since the stop lever 8 can be operated, the operability can be further improved. A detent portion 14 is provided at the rear of the locking lever 8 so as to project toward the leg head 3A side. By making the detent portion 14 abuttable on the side surface of the leg head 3A, The rotation operation of the locking lever 8 can be freely regulated. Further, when the detent portion 14 abuts in this manner, the abutting portion 1
2 is located at the top of the locking portion 6,
The locking lever 8 is prevented from being rotated more than necessary.

A spring body 9 is mounted on the locking lever 8 so that its abutting portion 12 can be engaged with and disengageably engaged with the stepped portion 7 of the engaging portion 6. That is, the lever shaft 10, which is a support shaft of the locking lever 8, is provided with a spring body 9 which is a winding spring, and the spring body 9 causes the locking lever 8 to move to the step portion 7 of the locking portion 6. The contact portion 12 is biased in the locking direction and is constantly pressed against the stepped portion 7. Further, by rotating the locking lever 8 against the urging force of the spring body 9, the abutting portion 12 thereof is moved away from the step portion 7 and can be engaged and disengaged. The spring body 9 may be formed of a leaf spring or a hard rubber in addition to the winding spring, and similar effects can be obtained as long as the biasing force to the locking portion 6 can be applied to the locking lever 8. .

Next, the opening / closing operation of the tripod in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows the most commonly used open-leg state, in which the contact portion 12 of the locking lever 8 is the lowermost step side of the plurality of step portions 7 of the locking portion 6. It contacts the stepped portion 7 and is locked. In this state, by pressing the operation portion 13 of the locking lever 8, the locking lever 8 rotates about the lever shaft 10, and the contact portion 12 is moved away from the step portion 7. The engagement / disengagement state is maintained. While maintaining this state, each leg body 3 is opened outward, and when each leg body 3 reaches an arbitrary position, the pressing of the locking lever 8 to the operation portion 13 is stopped, so that this engagement The stop lever 8 is automatically rotated by the urging force of the spring body 9, and the contact portion 12 of the locking lever 8 contacts and locks with the step portion 7 on the upper side of the locking portion 6 so that each leg body 3 can be fixed, and the legs can be in the most opened state as shown in FIG. That is, the locking portion 6
The locking lever 8 disengaged from the legs can be automatically locked to the locking portion 6 by the force of the spring body 9 only by releasing the legs 3 when the legs 3 reach arbitrary positions. 3 can be opened with one touch, and the operability of the tripod can be dramatically improved.

On the other hand, in the state in which the legs are most opened as shown in FIG. 4, the levers 3 are pushed inward without touching the latch levers 8 to push the levers 8 inward.
The abutting portion 12 of each of the step portions 7 resists the biasing force of the spring body 9.
Sliding down one by one, the abutting portion 12 is automatically abutted and locked to the lowermost step 7 of the locking portion 6, and the most commonly used open leg state shown in FIG. 3 is obtained. can do. Further, in this state, if each leg 3 is further pushed inward, the contact portion 12 of the locking lever 8 slides on the end peripheral surface of the linking portion 2 on which the step portion 7 is not provided. The legs 3 can be closed until the legs 3 become substantially vertical, and the legs 3 can be folded. That is, each leg 3
The locking lever 8 to close the step portion 7 of the locking portion 6
The locked state can be automatically released by sliding down the top one by one, and each leg 3 can be closed without any special operation, thus improving the operability.

[0013]

As described above, according to the present invention, the engaging portion formed of a plurality of stepped portions centering on the support shaft is formed on the peripheral surface of the end of each linking portion, and the engaging portion is engaged with the groove portion of each leg. Support the stop lever,
The abutting part at the tip faces the locking part of the linking part, and the operating part at the rear end is provided rotatably outwardly in a protruding manner. Since the contact part can be engaged and disengaged with the step part of the locking part, the spring body can be simply released by releasing the locking lever that is engaged and disengaged from the locking part when the leg is at an arbitrary position. The force can be automatically locked to the locking portion, and each leg can be opened with one touch, and the operability of the tripod can be dramatically improved.

Further, according to the present invention, the engaging portion is formed on the peripheral surface of the end portion of each linking portion, the engaging lever is pivotally supported in the groove portion of each leg, and the abutting portion at the tip thereof is the linking portion. The locking lever is provided with a spring body mounted on the locking lever, and the abutting portion of the operating portion at the rear end is provided so as to project outward. Since it can be engaged and disengaged with the locking part, the locking state can be automatically released simply by closing each leg inward so that the locking lever slides down on the stepped part of the locking part automatically. It is possible to close each leg without performing a manual operation and improve operability.

Further, according to the present invention, the locking lever is pivotally supported in the groove of the upper end portion of each leg and the operating portion thereof is formed to project outward so that the upper portion of each leg is locked. The operating portion of the lever can be located inside the thumb, the locking lever can be easily operated, and the operability can be further improved.

Still further, according to the present invention, the side surface of the locking lever is substantially T-shaped, the substantially middle portion is a shaft supporting portion, and both end portions which rotate around the shaft supporting portion are abutting portions or operating portions. In such a case, by pressing the operation portion, the contact portion can be largely rotated around the pivotal support portion as a fulcrum, and the operation of the operation portion can be simplified to further improve the operability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a main part in a state in which each leg is most opened.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Base 2 Linkage 3 Leg 3A Leg 4 Groove 5 Support shaft 6 Locking part 7 Step 8 Locking lever 9 Spring body 10 Lever shaft 11 Shaft support 12 Abutment 13 Operation part 14 Rotation stop

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. The leg body is opened and closed on the base by fitting each of the three linking portions provided on the peripheral surface of the base into a groove at the upper end of the leg and pivotally supporting the leg through the support shaft. In a tripod opening / closing mechanism that is freely linked, a locking portion including a plurality of stepped portions centering on the spindle is formed on an end peripheral surface of each linking portion, and a groove portion of each leg is formed. The locking lever is rotatably provided such that the abutment portion at its tip faces the locking portion of the linking portion and the operation portion at the rear end projects outward. A tripod opening / closing mechanism, characterized in that a spring body is attached to and a contact portion of the spring body is engageably and disengageably engageable with a step portion of the engagement portion. 2. The locking lever has a substantially T-shaped side surface, and a substantially intermediate portion thereof serves as a shaft support portion, and
The tripod opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein both end portions that rotate around the shaft support portion serve as the contact portion or the operation portion.