LED Gun Sight Illumination and Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gun sights, particularly those using tritium, face issues with degradation over time, variable light emission, and complex installation processes, making them unreliable and difficult for users to set up accurately in low or variable lighting conditions.
Innovation Solution
A gun sight system featuring a substrate with LEDs and a potentiometer, mounted on a gun slide, allowing for adjustable brightness based on ambient light and enabling user-friendly installation without professional tools, with LEDs of different colors for improved alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If tritium sights are used to provide illumination in low light conditions, then visibility of sights is improved, but the light source degrades over time due to radioactive decay and phosphor degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of light generation from radioactive decay to LED electroluminescence. LEDs provide stable, controllable illumination without the degradation issues of tritium. The brightness can be adjusted via current control, and the lifespan extends beyond 100,000 hours compared to tritium's 14-year half-life.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical/nuclear system (tritium radioactive decay exciting phosphor) with an electrical system (LED electroluminescence). This substitution eliminates the inherent degradation mechanism of radioactive decay and phosphor breakdown, providing a more reliable long-term light source.
2Illumination intensity
If tritium sights are installed to enable night use, then low light visibility is improved, but installation complexity increases requiring professional tools and expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The sight system is segmented into modular components: the sight assembly with integrated LED, the battery compartment, and the mounting mechanism. This modular design allows users to install each component separately using standard tools, eliminating the need for specialized sight pushers and professional gunsmithing expertise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the illumination system for end-user self-service installation. The LED modules are pre-assembled with mounting hardware and can be directly installed by consumers without requiring professional tools or expertise, making the system accessible to average users.
3Ease of manufacture
If single-color phosphorescent compounds are used in sights, then manufacturing is simplified, but alignment precision deteriorates due to lack of color differentiation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different colors to different sight components: green LEDs for the front sight and red LEDs for the rear sight. This local differentiation of color quality enables users to easily distinguish and align the front and rear sights, improving alignment precision while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes color differentiation between front and rear sight LEDs to aid alignment. The contrasting colors (green and red) create visual distinction that helps users achieve precise sight alignment, directly addressing the measurement precision issue while keeping manufacturing straightforward.
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
Provides consistent and reliable illumination in low light conditions, simplifies installation, and ensures accurate sight alignment, enhancing user safety and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
A gun sight system featuring a substrate with LEDs
Implementation Method 2
A gun sight system featuring a substrate with LEDs and a potentiometer, mounted on a gun slide, allowing for adjustable brightness
Data Source
AI summary
A gun sight system including a housing, comprised of a top housing layer and a bottom housing layer. The housing includes a front end and a rear end configured to adhere to the front and rear of the top surface of a gun slide. A central portion of the housing is configured to be perpendicular to the front top and rear top sections. Within the housing is a front and rear circuit board, including at least one battery mount, at least one switch, and a front LED and a rear LED. The housing has a window to allow light from the LED to shine into a window on a front and rear gun sight. A light pipe within each gun sight allows the light to be seen by the gun's user.