Lever-Actuated Firearm Accessory Mount With Tool-Free Clamp Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing firearm accessory mounts require tools for adjusting the clamping force, which can be inconvenient and inaccessible for manual adjustment, especially in field conditions.
Innovation Solution
A lever-actuated clamp device with an upwardly facing, manually adjustable clamp force mechanism that allows users to tighten or loosen the clamping force without tools, featuring a large, radiating vane adjustment member for easy grasping and rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a tool-based adjustment mechanism is used for the clamp, then the clamping force can be precisely adjusted, but the ease of operation deteriorates because tools are required for adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment member is designed to be manually operable without requiring external tools. The user can directly grip and rotate the adjustment member with their fingers to adjust the clamping force, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for separate adjustment tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment member features a large diameter and radiating vanes that change the physical parameters of the adjustment interface. This design allows for manual rotation while maintaining adequate thread engagement, effectively balancing precision adjustment capability with manual operability.
2Device complexity
If the adjustment mechanism is placed in a compact configuration, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation worsens because manual access becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment member extends upwardly from the clamp assembly in a vertical dimension, positioning it within easy reach of the user's hand when the firearm is held in a normal shooting position. This dimensional placement ensures excellent manual accessibility without adding horizontal complexity to the clamp structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment member is segmented into radiating vanes that are spaced apart, creating gaps between them. This segmentation allows the user's fingers to easily grip the adjustment member between the vanes, improving manual accessibility while keeping the overall structure relatively simple.
3Device complexity
If the adjustment member is made small for compactness, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation worsens because manual grasping becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment member is designed with a large diameter that is disproportionate to the size of the clamp mechanism itself. This parameter change in the adjustment member's dimensions provides an ergonomically suitable grip size for manual operation, while the radiating vanes further increase the effective gripping surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment member features asymmetric radiating vanes that are positioned to optimize finger placement and rotational leverage. The vanes create an asymmetric grip pattern that naturally guides the user's hand position for effective manual adjustment.
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 tool-free, manual adjustment of the clamping force, improving accessibility and usability, especially in low-light conditions, by providing a visible and easily manipulable adjustment mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
The clamp force is manually adjustable by rotation of an adjustment member that is threaded to an adjustment shaft of an adjustment spindle
Data Source
AI summary
In an accessory mount mechanism being releasably and adjustably assembled to the accessory mount rail of a firearm a lever-actuated clamping mechanism employs an upwardly facing clamping force adjustment member that is manually adjustable by the firearm user without the use of tools of any kind. A locking lever is pivotally mounted to a lateral platform of a mount base by means of an integral spindle shaft that projects upwardly from a cam plate that is fixed to the locking lever. The spindle shaft defines a non-circular section that is engaged by a corresponding non-circular drive receptacle of a drive washer member that is urged upwardly within an insert member of the mount base by a spring member. A manually actuated adjustment member is threaded to the spindle shaft and faces upwardly for ease of visual location and manual rotation by the user of the firearm.