Modular Target Stand With Cross Lap Joint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing portable firearm targets are cumbersome, heavy, and difficult to set up and transport, limiting outdoor firearm training due to their lack of portability, durability, and versatility.
Innovation Solution
A portable target stand system comprising a pair of legs with receiver slots and a torso or adapter member with leg slots, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly without mechanical fasteners, using steel or metallic materials for durability and featuring a cross lap joint for stability, enabling easy transport and setup in various terrains.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If steel targets are used to absorb repeated bullet impacts and provide audible confirmation, then target durability and reliability are improved, but the target becomes cumbersome to carry, heavy, and difficult to set up
Solution Approach 1:
The target system is divided into separate modular components: steel target members that can be detached from the stand, individual legs that can be separated, and interchangeable target inserts. This segmentation allows the heavy steel components to be transported separately and assembled quickly at the shooting location, resolving the contradiction between durability and ease of transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The stand is designed with universal features including interchangeable target members (steel targets, paper targets, swing targets), adjustable leg configurations for different terrains, and multiple mounting options. This multi-functionality allows a single stand to serve various training purposes while maintaining portability, addressing both durability and ease of operation requirements.
2Reliability
If steel targets are used to absorb repeated bullet impacts, then target reliability is improved, but the target becomes heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The steel target components are designed as separate, removable inserts that can be detached from the stand. This allows the heavy steel elements to be transported in manageable portions and replaced as needed, reducing the overall weight burden during transport while maintaining durability during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows interchangeable target members including disposable paper targets and reusable steel targets. Users can select appropriate target types based on training needs, using lighter, less durable materials when full durability is not required, thus reducing transport weight while maintaining reliability when needed.
3Ease of operation
If portable targets are made easy to transport and assemble, then ease of operation is improved, but the target may lack durability to withstand bullet impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The target system separates the portable stand structure from the durable steel target inserts. The stand provides ease of transport and assembly through its modular, lightweight construction, while the steel inserts provide bullet impact durability. This segmentation allows each component to optimize for its primary function without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines different materials with complementary properties: lightweight metals or alloys for the stand structure providing portability, and hardened steel for the target inserts providing durability. This composite approach integrates the advantages of different materials to simultaneously achieve ease of operation and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable target stand system includes a pair of legs, wherein each leg has a body with a front edge and a receiver slot positionally alignable with each other. The system also includes a member having a plate that has a pair of leg slots that slidably receives one of the leg bodies. Each receiver slot slidably receives the member and a cross lap joint is formed between each leg slot and a corresponding one of the receiver slots provided by each leg. The member may consist of a torso target member, a swinger target member, a paper adapter member, or a dummy adapter member.