Articulated Shooting Support for Stable Leveling on Uneven Terrain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shooting supports, such as bipods and tripods, struggle to maintain stability on uneven terrain, leading to unpredictable canting and difficulty in setting up a stable shooting position for hunters and photographers.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a hinge body with articulation in a primary hinge plane and additional movement capabilities, allowing for greater positioning flexibility and compensation for uneven terrain through independent articulation of support legs and use of resiliently flexible materials or ball joints, enabling stable setup on varied ground surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a freely hinged support is used, then the support can adapt to uneven terrain, but the support becomes difficult to control and level
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge body incorporates resiliently flexible material that allows parameter changes in the articulation angles and positions. This flexibility enables the support to adapt to uneven terrain while maintaining controllability, as the material can deform to accommodate ground variations without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The resiliently flexible hinge body provides self-leveling capability through its inherent elastic properties. When placed on uneven terrain, the flexible material automatically deforms to distribute the support structure, reducing the need for manual adjustment and making the support easier to control while maintaining adaptability.
2Ease of operation
If a geared hinge construction is used, then the opening and closing process is straightforward, but the support cannot accommodate uneven ground
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge body is constructed with resiliently flexible material that allows dynamic parameter changes in articulation angles and positions. This replaces the fixed geometric constraints of geared hinges with flexible, adaptive parameters that can accommodate uneven terrain while maintaining ease of operation through the material's natural elasticity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge body uses resiliently flexible material as a flexible structural element instead of rigid geared mechanisms. This flexible construction allows the support to conform to uneven ground surfaces while maintaining straightforward operation, as the material naturally flexes and returns without requiring complex mechanical adjustments.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple support legs are used, then the stability is improved, but the support becomes more difficult to level on uneven terrain
Solution Approach 1:
The resiliently flexible hinge bodies in multiple support legs allow independent parameter changes at each joint. This enables each leg to adapt its angle and position separately to accommodate uneven terrain while maintaining overall structural stability, as the flexible material absorbs ground variations without compromising the support's rigid framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure divides the leveling function into segmented, independent hinge bodies at each leg joint. Each hinge body with resiliently flexible material can independently adjust to ground variations, allowing the multi-legged support to maintain stability while adapting to uneven terrain through distributed, localized adjustments rather than requiring centralized leveling mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances the ability to establish a stable shooting position in diverse environments by allowing for compensatory movements and adjustments, improving accuracy and ease of use in wilderness settings.
Implementation Method 1
the hinge body being formed from a resiliently flexible material
Data Source
AI summary
A shooting support 10 for supporting a firearm 12 is provided. The shooting support 10 comprises two support legs 14, a hinge body 16 interconnecting the two support legs 12, and a support device 18 mounted or mountable on the hinge body 16. The hinge body 16 is articulable in a primary hinge plane to permit a pivoting motion between the two support legs 12 in said primary hinge plane, and the hinge body 16 is further articulable to permit additional movement thereof relative to the two support legs 14.