Firearm Light Accessory Iris Brightness Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Firearm lights often produce glare and degrade night vision, making it difficult to see into dark areas and can be distracting or disruptive in hunting or combat situations, as they are either too bright or not dimmable enough to avoid detection.
Innovation Solution
A firearm light accessory featuring a see-through lens cover with a spring-assisted hinge, a transparent colored disk, and an iris mechanism with a lever to adjust the aperture, allowing for controlled brightness of the light beam, either colored or white, to reduce visibility and preserve night vision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the light intensity is increased to illuminate dark areas effectively, then visibility is improved, but night vision is degraded and detection risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic brightness control system that allows the light beam intensity to be adjusted in real-time. The iris diaphragm mechanism enables continuous variation of aperture size, dynamically controlling the amount of light emitted. This resolves the contradiction by allowing the user to optimize brightness for illumination while minimizing night vision degradation through controlled aperture adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of light intensity through mechanical aperture control. By adjusting the iris diaphragm, the effective area through which light passes is modified, directly changing the beam intensity parameter. This enables the system to adapt between high intensity for illumination and low intensity for stealth, resolving the contradiction between visibility and night vision preservation.
2Reliability
If the light intensity is increased to detect threats or disorient adversaries, then security effectiveness is improved, but detection by game or adversaries increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic aperture control allows the firearm light to switch between stealth mode (narrow aperture, low intensity) for avoiding detection and combat mode (wide aperture, high intensity) for threat detection and disorientation. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction by enabling the system to provide security effectiveness only when necessary while minimizing detection risk during approach or surveillance phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables periodic or intermittent use of high-intensity light rather than continuous emission. Users can alternate between low-intensity illumination for stealth and brief bursts of high-intensity light for threat assessment or disorientation. This periodic action pattern resolves the contradiction by limiting exposure time while maintaining security effectiveness when needed.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a colored filter is used to reduce visibility to game and adversaries, then stealth is improved, but brightness control capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the brightness control function from the color filtering function. The iris diaphragm handles brightness control independently, while colored filters (when used) only affect color, not intensity. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing colored filters to provide stealth through color selection while the separate aperture mechanism maintains full brightness control capability, enabling both stealth and adaptability simultaneously.
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
Enables users to adjust the light beam's intensity to minimize glare and preserve night vision, reducing the likelihood of detection by game or adversaries, while allowing for quick switching to a brighter white beam for disorienting threats.
Implementation Method 1
a see-through lens cover (100) having a spring-assisted hinge
Implementation Method 2
an iris (12) like one in a microscope or camera, with a lever (14) to adjust its aperture
Data Source
AI summary
A firearm light accessory with one or more embodiments enabling its user to control brightness of the colored beam or white beam of the firearm light. It comprises three items: a see-through lens cover with its base (18) attached to its cap (10) by a spring-assisted hinge, iris (12), and transparent colored disk (20). The cap is closed for the colored beam and opened for the white beam. Iris adjusting lever (14) protrudes through lens cover base (18). The lever position determines the amount of light passing through the accessory, so as to control brightness. The accessory can be produced with minimal equipment and materials by a person having ordinary skill in the art. Costs of production compared to the prices of colored filter devices not having brightness-control ability indicate commercial feasibility. Benefits include reducing glare, preserving the user's night vision, and reducing the user's risk of detection, thereby to assist hunters and to protect persons in combat or similar danger.