Night Vision Aperture Dial With Ball Detent for Overexposure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Night vision instruments are vulnerable to overexposure from excessive radiation, which can damage sensors and obscure images, particularly during critical operations, and existing focus caps lack rapid, repeatable, and secure adjustment mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
An accessory with a diaphragm, housing, and dial mechanism that allows rapid, secure, and repeatable adjustment of aperture settings using a ball detent and revolute joint to mitigate overexposure and improve focus, featuring a threadable engagement for secure mounting and a shielding assembly for protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a focus cap is used to improve focus by reducing aperture area, then image focus is improved, but the adjustment mechanism lacks rapidity and repeatability
Solution Approach 1:
The dial mechanism transforms static aperture settings into dynamic, rapidly adjustable positions. The user can quickly rotate the dial between predetermined aperture settings (e.g., fully open, intermediate, closed) without manual manipulation of complex mechanisms, achieving both precision and speed in aperture adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The aperture adjustment is segmented into predetermined discrete positions rather than continuous manual adjustment. The dial divides the aperture control into specific, repeatable settings that can be quickly selected, providing both precision (exact aperture positions) and ease of operation (rapid selection).
2Measurement precision
If the aperture is reduced to improve focus, then image quality improves, but sensor vulnerability to overexposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The diaphragm mechanism is pre-configured to automatically reduce aperture area when activated, preventing overexposure before it occurs. The predetermined aperture positions include closed or reduced settings that can be quickly engaged to protect the sensor from excessive radiation during critical operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The diaphragm converts the potential harm of overexposure into a beneficial protective mechanism. By reducing aperture area, it limits radiation exposure to safe levels while maintaining image quality, effectively using the aperture reduction as a protective measure rather than merely a focus adjustment tool.
3Reliability
If a secure adjustment mechanism is implemented using ball detent and revolute joint, then adjustment repeatability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ball detent and revolute joint mechanism is self-locking and self-retaining. Once the dial is rotated to a predetermined position, the ball detent automatically engages with the revolute joint to lock the aperture setting without requiring additional locking actions or complex control systems, achieving high reliability with minimal added complexity.
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 rapid and precise adjustment of radiation entry to prevent sensor damage and improve focus, while providing dust and water resistance, secure attachment, and protection from debris, especially in demanding situations.
Implementation Method 1
causing a ball detent extending between the dial and the housing to be received in a groove to frictionally engage the dial with the housing
Data Source
AI summary
An accessory for a night vision instrument, a system comprising the accessory and the night vision instrument, and a method for mitigating overexposure of the night vision instrument to radiation are disclosed. A housing of the accessory holds a diaphragm, actuatably coupled to a dial, in front of an outermost lens of the night vision instrument. The housing and the dial are coupled to each other via a revolute joint to restrain their movement relative to each other along an aperture axis while allowing rotation of the dial to actuate the diaphragm. A ball detent extends between housing and dial surfaces extending around the aperture axis and axially over each other to cause engagement between. The ball detent is receivable in a groove by rotation of the dial to selectively actuate the diaphragm to a predetermined aperture.