Night vision monocular housing and universal system for using same in various applications

Abstract

A night vision monocular housing for containing an assembly of night vision components within, for releasably attaching the assembled night vision device to a universal rail having a plurality of ribs provided on the rail, including at least one raised portion provided on the surface of the housing, a clamping apparatus provided on a surface of the raised portion having first and second parallel protuberant walls defining a channel for snugly seating the universal rail within, the walls each having an inner surface and an outer surface thereof, wherein the inner surface of at least one wall is generally concave providing a mating surface for seating against an adjacent lateral side of the universal rail, and a biasing means for releasably attaching the clamping apparatus to the universal rail. An adapter for a preexisting night vision monocular device to be releasably attached to a rail surface, and a universal assembly for releasably mounting a novel night vision monocular to a particular application and switching the monocular to other mounted applications more quickly and efficiently, are also disclosed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] I. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to night vision devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a night vision device housing having improved means for mounting to a weapon and to headgear. [0003] II. Description of the Prior Art [0004] Night vision devices are a necessity in today's military and law enforcement applications. Besides allowing movement in low light conditions and even in complete darkness, attempts have been made to employ night vision monoculars on weapons, particularly rifles, in order to more accurately engage targets under these conditions. These attempts have all included the need for special mounts, which fasten to the monocular on one end of the mount, and fasten to the weapon on the other end. The weapon most often has a picatinny rail employed on its top surface, which the mount attaches to using various rail grabbing means known in the art. [0005] Attempts to attach the monocular...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a night vision monocular housing that is prepared by the operator for its particular application more quickly.

[0013] It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a night vision monocular housing that has a provision for quickly assembling two units into a binocular.

[0014] It is an object of the present invention to provide a night vision monocular housing of improved ergonomic shape by providing a centrally located battery compartment away from the periphery of the housing.

Problems solved by technology

This suffers from the obvious need for small screws and bulky screwdrivers that may not only hinder the operative's objective, but also may easily be lost and render the night vision device inoperable in the weapon-mounted application.

This did away with the need for special tools and screws to mount the device to a weapon mount; however, it still requires a weapon mount to attach the device to a universal weapon rail.

These various weapon mounts and dual monocular brackets are an additional piece of equipment which may be lost or damaged in the field, hindering or preventing the ability of the operative to perform their duty, which may also endanger their life in a hostile environment.

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