# US 2018/0320813 A1 · Spherical Head Assembly for Attaching an Optical and/or Electronic Device to a Stander > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0320813 A1 - Document ID: US20180320813A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/773,068 - Filed: 2016-11-08 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-09 - Inventors: Balazs KARMAN; Laszlo NOVAK - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180320813A1 ## CPC - F16M 11/14: with ball-joint (ball-jointed hinges F16C11/06 {; adjustable mountings employing universal joints for lighting devices F21V21/26 - F21V21/30}) - F16C 11/0604: {Construction of the male part} - F16C 11/106: {for ball joints} - G03B 17/561: {Support related camera accessories} - F16M 2200/022: by friction - F16M 2200/024: by positive interaction, e.g. male-female connections - F16M 2200/041: for balancing rotational movement of the head - F16M: FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS - F16C: SHAFTS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; BEARINGS - G03B: APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OR FOR PROJECTING OR VIEWING THEM; APPARATUS OR ARRANGEMENTS EMPLOYING ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR (optical parts of such apparatus G02B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; apparatus for processing exposed photographic materials G03D) ## Abstract Spherical head assembly for attaching an optical and/or electronic device to a stander with an adjustability in at least two degrees of freedom, which has a first part that can be releasably connected to the stander and a second part which is provided with a support element for the releasable connection of the device to be held thereby, and one of the two parts is a spherical head (20, 100) that has a body (21, 99) which has at least in part a spherical shape, and the other part comprises a cavity formed as a spherical segment which encircles the spherical head (20, 100) at least in part and is fitted thereto, and comprises an adjusting means for coupling the two parts together and releasing the same coupling, and in the initial position of intended use the held device is adjusted in horizontal or almost horizontal position. In the second part a groove (24, 108) is provided that has a vertical central plane and extends along the largest diameter of the spherical segment, and on the first part a circularly symmetrical stud (25, 103) is provided at a position that corresponds to the vertical diameter of the spherical segment and the stud (25, 103) can be fitted in the groove (24, 108), and in the fitted position the stud (25, 103) allows the displacement of the two parts along the groove (24, 108), and the stud (25, 103) allows the turning of the two coupled spherical fitted segments around the vertical axis of the stud (25, 103) at each of the adjusted positions, and the adjusting means is arranged on that one of the two parts which has the spherically shaped cavity, and when the position of two parts are fixed the adjusting means presses the cavity to the spherical body (21, 99). ## Claims ### Claim 1 Spherical head assembly for attaching an optical and/or electronic device to a stander with an adjustability in at least two degrees of freedom, having an initial position of intended use in which the device is adjusted to take a horizontal or almost horizontal position, wherein the spherical head assembly has a first part which can be connected and fixed to the stander in a releasable way and a second part which is provided with a support element for the releasable connection and holding of the device, and one of the two parts comprises a spherical head (20, 100) that has a body (21, 99) which has at least in part a spherical segment, and the other part comprises a cavity formed as a spherical segment which encircles the spherical head (20, 100) at least in part and is fitted thereto, and the spherical head assembly comprises an adjusting means for coupling the two parts together and releasing the same coupling, wherein that one of the first and second parts which comprises the spherical cavity is coupled in a non-adjustable way to the cavity; and that has a vertical central plane in said initial position that extends along the largest diameter of the associated spherical segment, and a circularly symmetrical stud (25, 103) having an axis is provided on the first part at a position that corresponds to the vertical diameter of the groove (24, 108) and the stud (25, 103) can be fitted in the groove (24, 108), and in the fitted position the stud (25, 103) allows and guides the relative displacement of the two parts along the groove (24, 108), and the stud (25, 103) allows the turning of the two coupled spherical fitted segments around the axis of the stud (25, 103) at each displaced positions of the two parts, and the adjusting means is arranged on that one of the two parts which comprises the spherically shaped cavity, and the adjusting means presses the form fitting cavity and the spherical body (21, 99) to each other for fixing the position of the two parts in any required adjusted position without causing deformation to the spherical segment of the body (21, 99). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the stud (25, 103) is fixed in a releasable way from the groove (24, 108), and in the released position the two parts can be moved relative to each other with three degrees of freedom. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the stud (25, 103) can be moved in axial direction against the biasing force of a spring (4) and can be disengaged from the region of the groove (24) under the effect of a predetermined force. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the stud (25) is coupled to a disengagement device which can be moved in one of two positions by a button (34) that extends out of the assembly and can be moved by hand, in a first position the stud (25) is inserted in the groove (24) and in the other position the stud (25) is moved out of the space of the groove (24). ### Claim 5 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4) The spherical head assembly as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that for the at least partial compensation of the tilting torque that arises under the effect of the supported device when being tilted, a flexible biasing means is provided between the first and the second parts which provides a biasing force that increases with the increase of the relative angular position between the stud (25, 103) and the groove (24, 108). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that that the spherical shaped body (21) has an internal cavity (35), and the biasing means comprises a spring (39, 49) placed at least in part in the internal cavity (35). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1, 2) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first part is a housing (10) that has a cylindrical cavity (11) open from the top and has a vertical axis, and a guiding insert (18) is fitted that has a cylindrical mantle surface and the spherical cavity is made in the interior of the guiding insert (18), and the stud (25) has an axis (12) lying in the axis of the cylindrical cavity (11) and coupled to the housing (10), and the second part is a spherical head (20) that has a spherical body (21) connected to a neck (22) smaller than the cylindrical cavity (11) and extends out from the cylindrical cavity (11) and the support element holding the supported device is arranged at the end of the neck (22). ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that a slot (14) is provided in the wall of the housing (10), and the adjusting means comprises a threaded bolt (16) and an adjusting head (15) cooperating with the bolt (16) that squeeze the parts of the housing (10) separated by the slot (14). ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that in the spherical body (21) two grooves (24a, 24b) are provided that have respective vertical central planes that close and angle with each other and the grooves (24a, 24b) meet and cross each other at the lower end of the vertical axis of the body (21), and in the initial position of the spherical head (20) the stud (25) can be fitted in either one of the grooves (24a, 24b). ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that in the interior of the housing (10) directly under the guiding insert (18) a guiding cup (65) is arranged that has an intermediate region with a spherical shape and has a rim (68) that abuts at the interior of the housing (10) and has an opening in the centre, and a biasing element (66) is coupled to the outer side of the cup (65) which is opposite to the side facing towards the spherical head (20), and a connection surface of the biasing element (66) is pressed to the intermediate spherical region and can be slid along that surface, and the guiding stud (70) and the biasing element (66) constitute a rigid unit, and a pressing means is provided that can be adjusted from the outside and can press the biasing element (66) in any momentary position to the guiding cup (65) and the guiding cup (65) to the housing (10), but it does not affect the possibility of the movement of the spherical head (20) with respect to the housing (10). ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the groove (24) extends deep in the interior of the body of the spherical head (20) and on the section of the guiding stud (70) the is projecting in the groove (24) an elongated sleeve (71) supported by a spring (72) is provided, and in the interior of the spherical head (20) in the extension of the axis of the stud (70) a bore is provided, and an adjusting rod (76) is projecting in this bore, and the rod (76) has an outer end that extends slightly out of the neck (22) of the spherical head (20), and the internal end of the rod (76) is designed as a spherical head (78) that can be fitted in a opening of the sleeve (71), and in a pressed state of the adjusting rod (76) it gets in a linear connection with the sleeve (71), and in the spring biased basic state the spherical head (78) makes it possible that the axis of the sleeve (71) and the axis of the adjusting rod (76) can take any angular position within a given range, and on a portion of the spherical head (20) that extends out of the housing (10) a leveling bubble (80) is arranged that facilitates labeling. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first part is constituted by a base (101) connected to the spherical head (100) and this comprises the releasable connection to the stander and the guiding stud (103) extends out from the upper end of the body (99) of the spherical head (100) which is opposite to the base (101), and the second part is a bracket (105) that partially encircles the body (99) of the spherical head (100), and the inner surface of the bracket (105) is designed as a spherical cavity segment that includes the equator of the sphere and that fits to the body (99), and the groove (108) is arranged in the interior of the bracket (105), and the adjusting means is a pressing structure that presses the bracket (105) to the body (99) of the spherical head (100) positioned therein. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the bracket (105) is surrounded by a support member (110) that is attached and fixed thereto from the outside, and the connection to the optical and/or electronic device that should be held is provided on the top of the support member (110), and the adjusting means is a button (118) of a bolt that is arranged at a side of the support member (110) that presses the encircled spherical head (100) from the outside. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12, 13) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 12 or 13, characterized in that at both sides of the guiding stud (103) respective springs (122, 123) are arranged in the groove (108) and the ends of the springs (122, 123) are supported by the respective ends of the groove (108) which serve to at least partially compensate the torque that arises when the held device gets tilted. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12, 13, 14) The spherical head assembly as claimed in any of the claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the spherical head (100) is composed of two parts, of which the outer part is a spherical shell (124) that holds the stud (103) guided in the groove (108) at the top and has an inner spherical cavity, and the second part is a slotted inner sphere (125) which is arranged and guided directly or through a guiding insert (126) in the interior of the spherical shell (124) and connected to the base (101), and a pressing member preferably and adjusting bolt (129) is provided between the slotted portions of the inner sphere (125). ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The spherical head assembly as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that at a visible outside portion of the spherical shell (124) a cut is provided which is open from the top and a labeling bubble (131) is arranged in the cut.