Double ball joint and device comprising two such joints

专利摘要:
69630 13 ABSTRACT Disclosed is a joint (400). The joint comprises a first inner part (100) and a secondinner part (100), a middle part (200), a first outer part (300) and a second outerpart (300). The first and second inner parts each comprises a semi-spherical ball(110) with a through hole (130) connected to a non-circular tap (160). The ball hasfour recesses (140) thereon for attachment of wires and for enabling movement ofthe inner part inside the middle part. The middle part (200) comprises twoopposing sides each comprising a half-sphere (210), with a cylindrical portion(220) between them for fitting of the wires. The half-spheres (210) are adapted toaccommodate the first and second inner part (100) respectively. The first andsecond outer parts (300) each comprises a semi-sphere (310) connected to ahollow tap (330), and the semi-sphere (330) is adapted to encompass one side ofthe middle part (200) and one of the inner parts (100). The hollow tap (330) isadapted to house the tap (160) of one of the inner parts (100). The first andsecond outer parts (300) each further comprises four brackets (320) forattachment of ligaments (410). A ligament (410) connecting the first outer part(300) and the second outer part (300) is attached to each of the four brackets(320) of the outer parts (300).
公开号:SE1550880A1
申请号:SE1550880
申请日:2015-06-25
公开日:2016-10-25
发明作者:Johansson Anders
申请人:Orbishaft；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

[1] [0001] The present solution relates to a joint, more specifically a double ball jointwhich may be used in various types of equipment such as cleaning equipment or photographic equipment.
[2] [0002] Various types ofjoints are well known and have been used for varioustypes of application areas for a long time. ln many fields it is desirable to haveequipment with a high freedom of movement, such as in the field of cleaningequipment. ln order to achieve such equipment, the functionality of providing ahigh freedom of movement must be achieved through some means, and today thisis mostly done by moving the entire equipment. lt would be desirable to find abetter and easier way to achieve a high degree of freedom.
[3] [0003] There are available solutions that are aimed at allowing high degrees offreedom, such as disclosed in patent publication GB 2 415 683. However, thereare problems with existing solutions, even though they may provide a good degreeof freedom it is still desirable to achieve even higher degrees of freedom, while stillbeing easy to handle and to manufacture, which is not possible to do in a good way with existing joints and equipment.
[4] [0004] lt is an object of the solution to address at least some of the issuesoutlined above. lt is possible to achieve these objects and others by using jointsand devices as defined in the attached claims.
[5] [0005] According to one aspect, there is provided a joint. The joint comprises afirst inner part and a second inner part, a middle part, a first outer part and asecond outer part. The first and second inner parts each comprises a semi-spherical ball with a through-hole connected to a non-circular tap. The ball hasfour recesses thereon for attachment of wires and for enabling movement of theinner part inside the middle part. The middle part comprises two opposing sideswith integrally formed half-spheres, having a cylindrical portion between them for 69630 2 fitting of the wires. The half-spheres are adapted to accommodate the first andsecond inner part respectively. The first and second outer parts each comprises asemi-sphere connected to a hollow tap. The semi-sphere is adapted to encompassone side of the middle part and one of the inner parts and the hollow tap isadapted to house the tap of one of the inner parts. The first and second outer partseach further comprises four brackets for attachment of ligaments. A ligamentconnecting the first outer part and the second outer part is attached to each of thefour brackets of the outer parts.
[6] [0006] According to optiona| embodiments, each of the inner, outer and middleparts may be integrally formed. According to other optiona| embodiments, theligaments may be attached to one bracket on one side of an outer part, andattached to a bracket on an opposing side of the other outer part.
[7] [0007] According to some optiona| embodiments, the middle part may be adapted to act as a sliding layer for the joint, between the inner and outer parts.
[8] [0008] According to some optiona| embodiments, the ligaments may be madefrom a rigid material which is slightly flexible but not elastic.
[9] [0009] According to some optiona| embodiments, the ball of the first inner partand the ball of the second inner part may be different in size. This may achieve ajoint in which movement in one side of the joint achieves a bigger or smaller movement in the other side of the joint, depending on how the sizes are different.
[10] [00010] By using a joint as described above, it is possible to achieve a highfreedom of movement in the joint, while still being easy and cheap to construct and not requiring any overly complex structural parts.
[11] [00011] According to another aspect, there is provided a device. The devicecomprises two joints according to the present disclosure, disposed on opposingends of a shaft. A handle is connected to each joint.
[12] [00012] According to an optiona| embodiment, the device may comprise wiringconnecting the joints with each other, for achieving a relative movement between 69630 3 the joints when one joint is moved. A device achieving such relative movementmay be beneficial when e.g. reaching areas that are hard to get to or whenwanting to precisely control the orientation of the device.
[13] [00013] Further, by incorporating such joints into equipment it becomes possibleto achieve equipment with better functionality than available today.
[14] [00014] The solution will now be briefly described, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[15] [00015] Fig. 1A shows a joint according to the present solution.
[16] [00016] Fig. 1B shows a sectional view of the joint shown in Fig. 1 according to the present solution, comprising two inner parts, a middle part and two outer parts.
[17] [00017] Fig. 1C shows an end view of the joint shown in Fig. 1A according to the present solution.
[18] [00018] Fig. 1D shows the joint of Fig.1A according to the present solution achieving a 90 degree angle.
[19] [00019] Figs. 2A and 2B show perspective views of the inner part of the jointaccording to the present solution.
[20] [00020] Figs. 3A and 3B show a perspective view and a sectional view, respectively, of the middle part of the joint according to the present solution.
[21] [00021] Figs. 4A and 4B show a perspective view and a top view, respectively, ofthe outer part of the joint according to the present solution.
[22] [00022] Figs. 5A and 5B show a device incorporating two joints according to the present solution.
[23] [00023] Fig. 6 shows the degree of freedom that may be achieved with a deviceaccording to the present solution. 69630 4 Description
[24] [00024] ln the following, a detailed description of the different embodiments of thesolution is disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings. All examplesherein should be seen as part of the general description and are therefore possibleto combine in any way in general terms. Individual features of the variousembodiments and methods may be combined or exchanged unless suchcombination or exchange is clearly contradictory to the overall function of the implementation.
[25] [00025] Shortly described, the present solution relates to a joint, more particularlya joint for achieving a high degree of freedom. Ajoint according to the presentsolution may achieve a 90° angle while still being flexible and fluent in motion. Thepresent solution also presents a device incorporating such joints, for use as e.g.cleaning equipment or photographic equipment. A device incorporating jointsaccording to the present solution may be adapted to reach into areas that aredifficult to reach with current joints and equipment, which is beneficial e.g. whencleaning. This is achieved by the movements on one part of the joint beingmirrored or the same in the other part of the join, and further the movements of awhole joint may be mirrored or the same as anotherjoint incorporated into anequipment comprising two such joints. The solution will now be described more indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[26] [00026] The present solution is focused on a joint 400 comprising three parts; aninner part, a middle part and an outer part. Fig. 1A shows a side view of a jointaccording to the present disclosure, comprising the three parts as well as ligaments 410.
[27] [00027] Fig. 1B shows a sectional view ofjoint according to the presentdisclosure, comprising two inner parts 100, however only one inner part 100 isshown in the figure, a middle part 200 and two outer parts 300. As can be seenfrom the figure, the middle part 200 is in the center of the joint, and on each sidethe joint comprises one inner part 100, housed by one side of the middle part 200,and one outer part 300, which encompasses one side of the outer part 200. The 69630 5 inner parts 100 are in a typical implementation fixed inside the outer parts 300, byfitting taps of the inner parts 100 into the recesses of the outer parts.
[28] [00028] The middle part 200 and the outer parts 300 are movable relative oneanother. The movement of one outer part 300 on one side of the middle part 200 isrelated to the movement of the other outer part 300, i.e. the two sides of the jointmove with dependence on one another such that if one outer part 300 on one sideof the middle part 200 is moved, the other outer part 300 on the other side of themiddle part 200 is also moved. The movement of the outer parts 300 typically hasa pre-determined relationship, and the most common embodiments are to eithermirror the movement of one outer part 300 in the other outer part 300, or toperform the same corresponding movement in one outer part 300 when the otherouter part 300 is moved.
[29] [00029] The two outer parts 300 are interconnected by ligaments 410, as shownin Fig. 1A. The ligaments are typically guided through and fastened by brackets320 of the outer parts, shown in Figs. 4A and 4B. The brackets may be seen asguides and/or fixing points for the ligaments 410. Typically there are four bracketsand four corresponding ligaments connecting each pair of outer parts 300. Theligaments 410 are fastened on opposing sides of the outer parts 300 such that if aligament is fastened on a top part of one outer part 300, the same ligament isfastened on a bottom part of the other outer part 300, as shown in the figures.Likewise, a ligament 410 fastened on the right side of one outer part 300 isfastened on the left side of the other outer part 300. This entails that the ligaments410 are twisted in a helical fashion. The reason for this is that the ligaments fixatethe movements of the outer parts 300 relative one another, which avoidsdamaging the joint by preventing movement which may harm the joint, and alsoenables movement in one part of a joint to be mirrored or the same in the otherpart of the joint. The reason for fixing the ligaments as described, in a helicalfashion from one side of one outer part 300 to the other side of the other outer part300, is that the distances from opposing brackets of outer parts in a joint willalways have the same distance in between them, provided a uniform movement.
[30] [00030] Fig. 1C shows an end view of the joint according to the presentdisclosure, and what is seen in the figure is only the bottom part of an outer part due to the view.
[31] [00031] Fig. 1D shows the angle which may be achieved with a joint according tothe present disclosure, which typically ranges from +90° to -90°.
[32] [00032] Now that the entire joint has been described, the parts will also bedescribed more in detail. Fig. 2A shows a view of an inner part 100 of the joint,comprising a ball shaped portion 110 having a scooped out portion 120 and alongitudinal through-hole 130 therethrough. The size of the ball 110 may be variedin order to achieve different kinds of movements, especially in devicesincorporating at least two joints according to the present disclosure. The size ofthe scooped out portion 120 depends on the size of the whole joint and especiallyon the size of the inner part. The ball 110 is surrounded by four petal-like portions150, which may be seen as protrusions from the ball 110 since the ball 110 andthe petal-like parts 150 typically are integrally formed. Typically, the protrusions150 only protrude by a few millimeters or parts of a millimeter from the ball 110.Furthermore, there are recesses 140 between adjacent petals 150. The recesses140 are adapted for guiding wires, which may be incorporated into a device usingjoints comprising an inner part 100 such as shown in Fig. 2A. The petals 150 aretypically of the same length as the diameter of the ball 110.
[33] [00033] The inner part 100 further comprises a tap 160, preferably integrallyformed with the ball 110, and the petal-like portions 150, the tap 160 beingadapted to fit into an outer part of the joint. The cross-sectional shape of the tap160 is typically non-circular in order to limit or entirely prevent movement of theinner part 100 relative to an outer part, when attached in an outer part, which isdescribed more in detail later in this disclosure. 69630 7
[34] [00034] Fig. 2B shows a slightly different view of an inner part 100 of a jointaccording to the present solution. The exit of the through-hole 130 extendingthrough the ball 110 may be seen in this view. ln some embodiments, the through-hole 130 may be larger in diameter at the bottom part of the inner part 100, buttypically the hole 130 ends right where the scooped out portion 120 begins, andthe hole 130 has the same diameter throughout the tap 160 and the ball 110, while the scooped out portion 120 has a bigger diameter than the hole 130.
[35] [00035] Figs. 3A and 3B show a middle part 200 of the joint according to thepresent disclosure, adapted to house two inner parts 100, one on each side. Themiddle part 200 generally has an hourglass shape, with two opposing hollow semi-spheres 210 interconnected at their bottom parts by a cylindrical portion 220. Thecylindrical portion may also be seen as a passage between the two opposingsemi-spheres. The entire middle part 200 is preferably integrally formed.
[36] [00036] The middle part 200 is adapted to act as a sliding layer between an innerpart 100 and an outer part. The diameter of the cylindrical portion 220 is relevantfor the maneuverability of the joint, if the diameter is too large then the joint maybe prevented from achieving a 90 degree angle, because of the cylindrical portion220 abuts an outer part of the joint. The middle part may preferably be made of asturdy and moldable material such as plastic. Another possible material for themiddle part is aluminum, preferably with a high surface finish.
[37] [00037] Fig. 4A shows an outer part 300 of a joint according to the presentdisclosure. The outer part 300 also comprises a hollow semi-sphere 310,connected to a bottom portion 330, the semi-sphere and the bottom portiontypically being integrally formed. The bottom portions 330 may be seen as ahollow tap, which may be adapted to exactly house a corresponding tap of aninner part. The outer part 300 is adapted to house generally half of a middle part200, namely one of the hollow semi-spheres 210, which in turn houses an innerpart 100. The outer part further comprises brackets 320 for the mounting ofligaments, the ligaments providing stability of the joint and preventing movement 69630 8 that may damage the functionality of the joint. The purpose of the ligaments iselaborated on later in this disclosure.
[38] [00038] Fig. 4B shows a top view of an outer part 300. The brackets 320 aretypically provided mounted with the same circumferentiai distance between them,and there are typically four brackets mounted on each outer part, i.e. the anglebetween two brackets is 90 degrees. Inside the semi-sphere 310 there is alongitudinal through-hole 350, which is inside the bottom part 330 of the outer part,for receiving the tap 150 of an inner part. Further, there may be four holes 340 inthe semi-sphere 310 angularly disposed similarly to the brackets 320, the holes340 being adapted for having a wire therethrough. The outer part may, like themiddle part, also preferably be made out of a sturdy and moldable material, forinstance plastic.
[39] [00039] Looking now at Figs. 5A and 5B, it is shown a device 500 incorporatingtwo joints 400 according to the present disclosure. The device comprises a stem510 having a joint at each end, and attached to each joint on opposing ends of theshaft there is a handle 520. The stem 510 and the handles 520 are attached to theouter part of the respective joint 400. By having the joint as described herein, it ispossible to achieve a 90 degree angle between a handle 520 and the stem 510, i.e. the joint may achieve an angle between -90° and 90°.
[40] [00040] ln some embodiments, there may be wiring 530 inside the stem 510which connects a joint on one end of the stem 510 with a joint on the opposite endof the stem. This wiring 530 may be drawn through the holes in the outer parts,shown in Fig. 4B, and may be adapted to control the movement of the jointsrelative one another. ln some embodiments, movement in one joint may bemirrored in the otherjoint, as shown in Fig. 5A, while in other embodimentsmovement in one joint may entail the same movement in the otherjoint, as shownin Fig. 5B. This means that by moving one of the handles 520, which in turn affectsthe joint 400 it is connected to, the other handle 520 on the opposite end of thestem 510, and its corresponding joint 400, is also moved. Figs. 5A and 5B also 69630 9 show that the wiring is different for achieving a mirrored or same movement in opposing handles 520.
[41] [00041] Typically, there are four wires in a device, place with a mutualcircumferential distance between them, like the brackets of the outer parts. Thewiring 530 may be fastened on brackets acting as fixing points, located on eitherthe joints 400 or the handles 520. The brackets may further comprise means fortightening and loosening the wiring, which may be used to affect the relativemovement of the device when one handle 520 on one side of the stem 510 ismanipulated. Typically, the wiring is used to achieve a relative movement betweenthe handles 520 of the device.
[42] [00042] Fig. 6 shows the degree of freedom that may be accomplished in adevice 500 incorporating two joints 400 according to the present disclosure. Asdescribed above, movement in one handle of a device incorporating two jointsaccording to the present disclosure may be mirrored in the other handle, which isthe case in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6. By moving the first handle downward,the other handle is moved upward, and by having such a device a user mayadvantageously reach any position within the half-sphere illustrated in Fig. 6.Devices having this degree of freedom of movement is advantageous when compared to current devices used in e.g. cleaning and photographic equipment.
[43] [00043] An example of using a device 500 incorporating wiring and two joints 400according to the present disclosure will now be described for illustrative purposes.A user may manipulate a handle 520 on one side of the device 500. Themovement in one side of the joint will entail a corresponding movement in theother side of the joint 400, due to the ligaments fixing the relative movementbetween the two sides of the joint. The wiring inside the stem 510 of the device500 will further transfer the movement in the handle on one side to the handle onthe other side. Depending on how the wiring is drawn, this may be a mirrored or asame corresponding movement. The user can bend the handle between a +90°and -90° angle relative to the stem 510, which achieves a 180 degree movement.Further, the handle 520 may be rotated 360 degrees, which further increases the 69630 10 possible areas that may be reached with a device, as illustrated in Fig. 6. Thismovement may be achieved without having to move the entire device 500 or thestem 510, but only through moving the handles 520. ln some embodiments, thedevice may be fixed in any specific position. This may be accomplished by havingfixing means associated with each handle 520 and/orjoint 400.
[44] [00044] The present solution allows for equipment with better functionality and ahigher freedom of movement than what is currently available today, while stillbeing relatively cheap and easy to construct. One of the advantages of the presentsolution is that the functionality of rotating the end parts of the equipment toachieve a high degree of freedom is mainly located in the joints and can be controlled through the handles, rather than having to move the entire equipment.

权利要求:
Claims (10)
[1] 1. Ajoint (400) comprising: a first inner part (100) and a second inner part (100); a middle part (200); and a first outer part (300) and a second outer part (300); andcharacterized in that the first and second inner parts each comprises a semi-spherical ball (110) with athrough hole (130) connected to a non-circular tap (160), the ball having fourrecesses (140) thereon for attachment of wires and for enabling movement of theinner part inside the middle part, the middle part (200) comprises two opposing sides each comprising a half-sphere(210), with a cylindrical portion (220) between them for fitting of the wires, the half-spheres (210) being adapted to accommodate the first and second inner part (100) respectively, the first and second outer parts (300) each comprises a semi-sphere (310)connected to a hollow tap (330), wherein the semi-sphere (330) is adapted toencompass one side of the middle part (200) and one of the inner parts (100), andthe hollow tap (330) is adapted to house the tap (160) of one of the inner parts(100); the first and second outer parts (300) each further comprises four brackets (320)for attachment of ligaments (410), and a ligament (410) connecting the first outer part (300) and the second outer part(300) is attached to each of the four brackets (320) of the outer parts (300).
[2] 2. The joint according to claim 1, wherein each ligament (410) is attached to abracket at one side of the first outer part and to a bracket on an opposing side ofthe second outer part. 69630 12
[3] 3. The joint according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the brackets on the first and secondouter parts are positioned with essentially the same mutual circumferential distance.
[4] 4. The joint according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inner, middle andouter parts are each integrally formed.
[5] 5. The joint according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the middle part is adapted to act as a sliding layer between the inner parts and the outer parts.
[6] 6. The joint according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ligaments are madefrom a rigid material.
[7] 7. The joint according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ball of the first inner part and the ball of the second inner part have different diameters.
[8] 8. The joint according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the hollow tap of eachouter part is adapted to exactly house the tap of one of the inner parts.
[9] 9. A device comprising two joints according to any of claims 1-8, a shaft (510) anda handle (520) connected to each joint, wherein the joints are disposed atopposing ends of the shaft.
[10] 10. A device according to claim 9, further comprising wiring (530) inside the shaft(510) connecting the joints with each other.

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同族专利:

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公开号 | 公开日

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SE538705C2|2016-10-25|

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WO2016209152A1|2016-12-29|

引用文献:

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DE1425957A1|1964-04-14|1969-03-20|Willy Herold|Self-locking joint|

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EP0201494A4|1984-01-05|1988-08-29|Wallis Frederick A|Adjustable arm.|

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US4928546A|1988-08-17|1990-05-29|Walters David A|Robotic devices|

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CA2314710A1|2000-07-28|2002-01-28|Tenet Medical Engineering Inc.|Releasable lockable joint apparatus|

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GB2415683A|2004-06-08|2006-01-04|Ev Offshore Ltd|Extension arm with moveable mount|

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US7320555B2|2005-10-14|2008-01-22|Sercomm Corporation|Cardan shaft structure with tightness adjustable functions|SE2050045A1|2020-01-21|2021-07-22|Orbishaft Ab|Portable shaft system|

法律状态:
2022-01-25| NUG| Patent has lapsed|

优先权:

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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

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SE1550880A|SE538705C2|2015-06-25|2015-06-25|Double ball joint and device comprising two such joints|SE1550880A| SE538705C2|2015-06-25|2015-06-25|Double ball joint and device comprising two such joints|

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PCT/SE2016/050620| WO2016209152A1|2015-06-25|2016-06-23|Double ball joint and device comprising two such joints|