Firearm Trigger Protrusions Enhance Tactile Sensitivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with diminished touch sensation, due to conditions like peripheral neuropathy or inexperience, face challenges in safely and accurately operating firearms due to reduced sensitivity to the trigger's location and pressure, leading to potential unintentional discharge.
Innovation Solution
A firearm trigger with a plurality of spaced-apart protrusions, ranging from 1 mm to 5 mm in diameter and 1 mm to 4 mm in height, arranged in elongated arrays to stimulate both superficial and deeper skin receptors, enhancing sensory feedback for improved tactile perception.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional smooth trigger surface is used, then the trigger is simple in design and easy to manufacture, but individuals with diminished touch sensation cannot safely and accurately operate the firearm due to reduced sensitivity to trigger location and pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The trigger surface is modified with protrusions at specific locations where tactile sensation is needed, rather than changing the entire trigger structure. The protrusions are concentrated on the forward actuation surface where the finger contacts the trigger, providing enhanced sensory feedback exactly where required while keeping the rest of the trigger simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The forward actuation surface is segmented into multiple discrete protrusions rather than a continuous smooth surface. This segmentation creates distinct tactile contact points that stimulate sensory receptors more effectively, allowing individuals with diminished touch sensation to better perceive trigger location and pressure.
2Measurement precision
If protrusions are added to the trigger surface to enhance sensory feedback, then tactile sensitivity is significantly improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions have specific dimensional parameters (height of 0.5-2 mm, diameter of 1-5 mm, spacing of 2-10 mm) that can be adjusted based on the degree of sensory neuropathy. These parameter ranges provide optimized tactile feedback while considering manufacturing capabilities, allowing customization for different user needs without excessive complexity.
3Loss of information
If the protrusions are made larger to stimulate deeper skin receptors, then sensory feedback from Pacinian corpuscles is maximized, but the trigger surface becomes more complex and may affect grip
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusions extend in the vertical dimension (0.5-2 mm height) from the trigger surface, creating a three-dimensional tactile interface. This vertical dimension allows stimulation of deeper Pacinian corpuscles while maintaining appropriate horizontal spacing (2-10 mm) to avoid excessive surface complexity and preserve normal grip characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
A firearm trigger has a trigger body, the trigger body having an elongated forward actuation surface, the forward actuation surface including a plurality of spaced-apart protrusions, and the protrusions being arranged in an elongated array. The protrusions may be convex hemispheres. The protrusions may be round. The protrusions may be positively curved surfaces. The protrusions may be surfaces of revolution. The protrusions may be spaced apart from each other by portions of the forward actuation surface. The protrusions may be arranged in a pair of rows each extending along the length of the forward actuation surface. The forward actuation surface may include opposed edge portions, and each row may be proximate to a respective one of the edge portions. Each row may contain at least three protrusions. Each row may contain at most six protrusions.