Anti-tilt spring mechanism and tension mounting mechanism for a ball and socket mounting device

1. Anti-tilt spring mechanism and tension mounting mechanism for a ball and socket mounting device ( 1 ), comprising an outer housing ( 15 ), an outer ball shell ( 16 ) disposed in the outer housing and provided with an upstanding guide member ( 18 ) unitary with the outer ball shell which together with the outer ball shell defines a bore ( 19 ) in a bottom portion of the outer ball shell, a socket ( 24 ) within the outer ball shell, a cap ( 17 ) covering a top portion of the outer ball shell, an inner ball ( 5 ) received in the socket, the inner ball having a neck portion ( 10 ), defining an inner cavity ( 6 ), a longitudinal cavity ( 7 ) extends from the bottom of the inner ball and connecting to the inner cavity wherein the longitudinal cavity is bordered by two opposed mounting faces ( 36 , 37 ) defined by bottom of the inner ball, furthermore, the inner ball comprising a tensioning bore ( 8 ) extending from the top of the inner ball and a slit ( 9 ) within the tensioning bore for receiving a positioning pin ( 38 ) of a tensioning bar ( 35 ), and a slide ( 20 ) inside of the inner ball having a bore encompassing the guide member, and a mounting disc ( 2 ) provided with an adjustment screw ( 3 ) and attached to the neck portion ( 10 ) of the inner ball ( 5 ), the slide being situated in the longitudinal cavity and slidably engaged with the opposed mounting faces,

further characterised in that

at least one elastic body is in the inner cavity ( 6 ) of the inner ball ( 5 ) and is in contact with or attached to the guide member ( 18 ) of the outer ball shell ( 16 ) and an interior surface of the inner ball ( 5 ), such that the rotation of the inner ball ( 5 ) is counteracted by the torque produced by the force arising from a deformation of the elastic body effected by the rotation of the inner ball ( 5 ).

2. The anti-tilt spring mechanism and tension mounting mechanism of claim 1

further characterised in that

the elastic body is a dual stem torsion spring ( 21 , 44 ) mounted inside the inner cavity ( 6 ) of the inner ball ( 5 ) such that a first stem ( 23 , 46 ) of the dual stem torsion spring ( 21 , 44 ) is secured in the bore ( 19 ) of the guide member ( 18 ), and a second stem of the dual stem torsion spring is secured in a bore ( 11 ) formed in the neck portion ( 10 ), a spring force of the dual stem torsion spring thereby counterbalancing the tilting force produced by a weight situated on the mounting disc ( 2 ) secured to the inner ball ( 5 ),

that the slit ( 9 ) starts at the bottom portion of the inner ball ( 5 ) and extends to the neck portion ( 10 ) of the inner ball ( 5 ), the slit ( 9 ) dividing the inner ball ( 5 ) into two spatial regions, a larger ball section ( 13 ) and a smaller ball section ( 14 ),

and that the tensioning bore ( 8 ) has a diameter D and an axis t 1 , extends from the neck portion ( 10 ) near the bottom of the inner ball ( 5 ), is formed such that the axis t 1 of the tensioning bore ( 8 ) extends along the slit ( 9 ), and a tensioning bar ( 35 ) is in the tensioning bore ( 8 ) in such a manner that an upper arcuate face ( 43 ) of the tensioning bar contacts the adjustment screw ( 3 ) at a stem portion ( 34 ) thereof.

3. The anti-tilt spring mechanism according to claim 2 , characterised in that the tensioning bar ( 35 ) having a length L comprises a cylindrical portion ( 41 ) having a length L 2 and a diameter D, and a truncated portion ( 42 ) having a length L 1 , with the positioning pin ( 38 ) being disposed on the cylindrical portion ( 41 ), and with the truncated portion ( 42 ) having a tensioning face ( 39 ), two truncated surfaces ( 40 ) set perpendicular to the tensioning face ( 39 ), and an arcuate face ( 43 ), where L 1 :L 2 =4:1-L 1 :L 2 =3:1.

4. The anti-tilt spring mechanism according to claim 2 , characterised in that length of the tensioning bar ( 35 ) is longer than the tensioning bore ( 8 ).

5. The anti-tilt spring mechanism according to claim 2 , characterised in that the axis t 1 of the tensioning bore ( 8 ) lies inside the slit ( 9 ) along the lower ⅓-¼ of the length thereof.

6. The anti-tilt spring mechanism according to claim 1 , characterised in that weight reduction recesses ( 12 ) are formed in the inner ball ( 5 ).

7. The anti-tilt spring mechanism according to claim 1 , characterised in that the inner ball ( 5 ) comprises an inner member ( 5 a ) configured as horizontal-axis body of revolution.

8. The anti-tilt spring mechanism according to claim 1 , characterised in that a socket ( 49 ), secured with an attachment element, is disposed between the outer housing and the outer ball shell.