Mountable Light Forward Access Cover for Battery Changes In Place
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mountable lights, particularly those with aiming lasers, require inconvenient battery replacement procedures that can misalign the laser, and there is a need for a design that allows battery access without removing the light from the firearm, ensuring alignment and safety.
Innovation Solution
A mountable light with a clamping arrangement and a pivotable access cover that allows battery replacement while mounted, featuring a light head assembly that serves as an access cover, pivotably connected to the light body, and a latch for secure closure, enabling easy access to the battery compartment without disturbing the laser alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the access cover is located at the rearward end of the mountable light, then the light can be securely mounted to the object, but the battery replacement requires removing the light from the object which causes inconvenience and potential misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The mountable light is divided into separate functional modules: the light body containing the battery compartment with forward-end access, and the mounting mechanism. This segmentation allows battery replacement without affecting the mounting status, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery compartment access is extracted from the rearward end and relocated to the forward end of the light body. This extraction allows users to access and replace batteries without removing the light from the mounted position, eliminating the time loss associated with removal and remounting while maintaining secure mounting.
2Length of moving object
If the mountable light is made smaller to reduce weight and improve compatibility, then it can be mounted closer to the firearm body, but the battery capacity and light output power are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The light body is designed with a dynamic expandable structure that allows it to be compact during mounting (reducing length for better compatibility) while expanding when the access cover is opened (providing sufficient space for battery installation and maintaining power capacity). This dynamic design resolves the contradiction between size and power.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery compartment is designed to extend in the forward direction when accessed, utilizing the longitudinal dimension of the light body. This dimensional approach allows the light to maintain a compact profile when mounted while providing adequate internal volume for power sources, effectively resolving the size-power tradeoff.
3Ease of operation
If the light is removed from the firearm for battery replacement, then the batteries can be accessed, but the laser aiming alignment may become misaligned requiring substantial time to realign
Solution Approach 1:
The light body is segmented into a fixed mounting portion and a movable access cover portion. The forward-end access cover can be opened and closed without disturbing the mounted light body, allowing battery replacement while maintaining laser alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery access function is extracted from the mounting interface and relocated to the forward end of the light body. This allows independent access to batteries without affecting the mounted position or laser alignment, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and manufacturing precision.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a threaded forward part is used for battery access, then the light source can be replaced, but this design does not work for multiple batteries placed side-by-side
Solution Approach 1:
The battery compartment is segmented into multiple independent slots arranged side-by-side within the light body, accessible through the forward end. This segmentation allows flexible configuration of multiple batteries while maintaining ease of access through the cover mechanism, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The forward end access cover design serves multiple functions: it provides access to single or multiple batteries arranged in different configurations, maintains structural integrity, and preserves optical alignment. This multi-functionality resolves the limitation of threaded designs by accommodating various battery configurations while maintaining ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A mountable light may comprise: a light body having a clamping arrangement on a side thereof for clamping the mountable light to an object, having one or more actuators thereon, and having a compartment for receiving a source of electrical power, a source of light electrically coupled to the one or more actuators and the source of electrical power; the compartment having an opening and a compartment cover that covers the opening; the source of electrical power comprising at least two batteries positioned side-by-side within the compartment; wherein the compartment cover may be released and the at least two batteries removed from the compartment through the opening when the mountable light is clamped to the object by the clamping arrangement. The object may be, e.g., a firearm or another object or device.