Foldable Firearm Sight With Leaf Spring Biasing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Firearm sight mechanisms face challenges in design related to size, robustness, functionality, stowability, customization, and easy installation, particularly with the increasing need for compact and durable back-up iron sights that can complement complex or vulnerable primary optical sights.
Innovation Solution
A foldable firearm sight assembly utilizing a base attached to a firearm rail with a sight arm rotationally coupled to the base and a leaf spring providing biasing force, allowing the sight arm to be locked in stowed and deployed positions through a tooth and aperture configuration, and can be easily unlocked by depressing the leaf spring end.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional fixed iron sight is used, then the sight is robust and simple, but it increases bulk and weight on the firearm
Solution Approach 1:
The sight arm is made rotatable relative to the base, allowing it to transition between deployed and stowed positions. This dynamic configuration enables the sight to provide robust iron sighting when needed while minimizing bulk when not in use, directly resolving the contradiction between sight robustness and firearm bulk
Solution Approach 2:
The sight assembly is divided into separable components: a base that attaches to the firearm rail and a sight arm that can be rotated into position. This segmentation allows the sight to be compact when stowed while maintaining full functionality when deployed, addressing both robustness and bulk concerns
2Weight of moving object
If a foldable sight mechanism is used, then the bulk is reduced, but the complexity of the locking mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The leaf spring automatically engages the tooth on the sight arm with an aperture in the base when the sight arm is rotated to the deployed position, providing self-locking functionality. This eliminates the need for complex manual locking mechanisms while maintaining the foldable compact design
Solution Approach 2:
A leaf spring acts as an intermediary element between the sight arm and the base, providing a simple yet effective locking mechanism through its elastic deformation and engagement with a tooth-aperture interface, thereby reducing overall mechanism complexity
3Ease of operation
If the leaf spring extends beyond the sight arm for manual depression, then the unlocking ease is improved, but the overall length of the assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The leaf spring is designed as a thin, flexible component that extends minimally beyond the sight arm, providing sufficient leverage for manual depression to unlock the sight while maintaining a compact overall assembly length. The flexibility of the thin film structure allows it to provide the necessary mechanical advantage without adding significant length
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 solution provides a compact, lightweight, and customizable back-up sight that reduces bulk on the firearm, minimizes sighting errors, and allows for easy installation on various firearm rails, while maintaining robustness and durability.
Implementation Method 1
a leaf spring positioned between the base and the sight arm; wherein the leaf spring provides a biasing force to the sight arm in a direction substantially away from the base
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable firearm sight assembly including a leaf spring is disclosed. The disclosed assembly may include a base, a sight arm, and a leaf spring. The base of the sight assembly may be configured to attach to a firearm rail using, for example, a clamp bracket and a clamp bolt. The sight arm may be rotationally coupled to the base, and the leaf spring may be positioned between the base and the sight arm. When installed in the sight assembly, the leaf spring may be deflected and may apply a biasing force to the sight arm, causing the sight arm to favor either a deployed or stowed (undeployed) position. The sight arm may be lockable in stowed and/or deployed positions using a tooth and aperture configuration. In such lockable cases, the arm may be unlocked/released by manually depressing an end of leaf spring.