Firearm Bipod Leg Assembly With Unified Cant-Pivot Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bipods for firearms lack the ability to cant and pivot simultaneously without separate controls for each degree of freedom, leading to bulkiness and increased weight, and do not offer a simple means to adjust tension for these features.
Innovation Solution
A bipod leg deployment assembly with a housing, leg assembly, leg deployment pivot axis, and bipod leg deployment button, allowing the leg assembly to rotate between deployed and stowed positions, and featuring a conical frustum-shaped button for locking and unlocking mechanisms to control the leg assembly's movement, integrated with a pivot/cant assembly for firearm stabilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If separate controls are provided for cant and pivot features, then each degree of freedom can be controlled independently, but the device becomes bulky and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines cant and pivot controls into a single integrated mechanism where a single control element can simultaneously or sequentially adjust both degrees of freedom. The leg assembly incorporates a unified locking mechanism that manages both cant angle and pivot rotation without requiring separate control systems, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining independent adjustability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions - it can independently adjust cant angle, independently adjust pivot rotation, and also provide locked positions for both degrees of freedom. This multi-functional single control system eliminates the need for separate dedicated controls for each degree of freedom, reducing complexity and weight.
2Ease of operation
If separate controls are provided for cant and pivot features, then each degree of freedom can be controlled independently, but the device becomes bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates cant and pivot control functions into a single compact mechanism within the leg assembly. The unified control structure occupies less space than separate controls would require, while still providing independent adjustment capability for both degrees of freedom through a shared mechanical interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The control mechanisms for cant and pivot are nested within each other or integrated into the same structural component. The leg assembly housing contains both control functions in a nested arrangement, allowing one control mechanism to be positioned within or alongside the other, thereby minimizing overall volume while maintaining full functionality.
3Reliability
If existing bipod structures are used, then basic support function is provided, but tension adjustment mechanism is complex and not simple
Solution Approach 1:
The tension adjustment mechanism is designed to be self-regulating or self-adjusting. The leg assembly incorporates a tensioning system that automatically maintains appropriate tension through its mechanical design, eliminating the need for complex manual adjustment mechanisms. The structure itself provides the tensioning function through its geometry and material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent simplifies tension adjustment by changing the mechanical parameters of the leg assembly - using spring-loaded components, friction-based locking, or elastic deformation of key structural elements. These parameter-based solutions replace complex multi-component adjustment mechanisms with simpler systems that achieve the same tension control function through fundamental physical principles.
Data Source
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AI summary
This disclosure describes systems, methods, and apparatus for a bipod having pivot and cant functionality built into a unified cant/pivot assembly, housing, and pivot block. Rotation of a locking knob under the housing can gradually increase or decrease friction of the cant and pivoting degrees of freedom. The legs can be stowed approximately 9Cf rotation from a deployed position, and locking and releasing of this rotation is made possible via depression of a button that also acts as a locking detent that directly interacts with and locks or releases the legs for rotation. In the stowed position, the button can be backdriven and thus the legs can be deployed without depressing the button. A pivot block can also be raised and rotated 180° to lock in a given pivot setting.