Flexible Aperture for Rifle Scope Light Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rifle scopes and attachments lack a standardized interface, leading to issues with light leakage and image quality, and current solutions using expensive molded rubber parts are costly due to high tooling costs and small production quantities.
Innovation Solution
A flexible aperture with a surface element that can be rolled or wound into a hollow roll, secured by tension cables, which adapts to different diameters and prevents light leakage, made from materials like textile and flexible plastic for thermal invisibility and rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If molded rubber parts are used to create a sealing ring between the riflescope and the attachment, then light leakage is prevented and image quality is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to expensive tooling and setup times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible surface element (thin film) that can be rolled into a hollow roll to form a sealing structure. This flexible film approach replaces expensive molded rubber parts, achieving effective light sealing while significantly reducing manufacturing costs and eliminating the need for expensive tooling and setup times associated with molding processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and configuration of the sealing element by rolling the flexible surface element into a hollow roll shape. This parameter change from a flat film to a three-dimensional hollow structure enables effective sealing at various interfaces without requiring expensive molded parts, thus resolving the contradiction between sealing performance and manufacturing cost
2Reliability
If molded rubber parts are used for sealing, then light leakage is prevented, but production time and setup complexity increase due to tooling requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible surface element can be manually or easily rolled into the required hollow shape without specialized tooling. This eliminates the time-consuming setup processes associated with molded rubber parts, allowing for rapid deployment and adjustment at different riflescope-attachment interfaces while maintaining effective light sealing
3Adaptability or versatility
If a standardized interface is implemented between riflescopes and clip-on devices, then compatibility is improved, but adaptability to existing varied interfaces is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic, adjustable sealing structure where the flexible surface element can be rolled into hollow rolls of varying sizes and shapes. The tension cables can be adjusted to accommodate different diameters and configurations. This dynamic adaptability allows the same basic aperture design to fit various existing interfaces without requiring a standardized interface, thus maintaining versatility while simplifying the device structure
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
The flexible aperture effectively seals the interface between rifle scopes and attachments, preventing light leakage and enhancing image quality while being cost-effective and adaptable to various interfaces, reducing the need for expensive molded parts.
Implementation Method 1
at least two tension cables which in the second state are guided around the hollow roll and hold the hollow roll in the rolled or wound shape
Implementation Method 2
the aperture is made of a material that is thermally undetectable, particularly in the infrared range from 780 nanometers to 1 millimeter
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a flexible aperture (1) for optical devices (50), with a flexible surface element (2) which in a first state (Z1) assumes a flat, planar shape, and in a second state (Z2) is rolled or wound into a hollow roll (3), with at least two tension cables (10, 11, 12) which in the second state (Z2) are guided around the hollow roll (3) and hold the hollow roll (3) in the rolled or wound shape.Furthermore, the invention relates to an optical device comprising a tube body (51) containing an optic (52) and with a first open tube end (53), an attachment device (60) with a device housing (61), wherein an optical passage (62) of the device housing (61) is arranged in front of the open tube end (53), and such a flexible aperture (1) in the second state (Z2), which is rolled or wound around the open tube end (53) of the tube body (51) and the optical passage (62) of the device housing (61), is held in the form of a tube by the tension cables (10, 11, 12), and thus forms an optical tunnel (70) between the open tube end (53) and the optical passage (62).