Self-Aligning Optical Sight Mount With Varying Radii

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Solution Overview

Problem

Optical devices mounted on rifles often become misaligned due to incorrect securement, worn parts, or insufficient holding forces, leading to excessive forces acting on the device and making aiming difficult.

Innovation Solution

A mounting ring with an inner surface defined by varying radii and a collar with a cylindrical outer surface, allowing for selective alignment and misalignment, providing three discrete points of contact to maintain holding force even when misaligned, thus preventing damage and ensuring proper alignment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a conventional mounting ring with uniform inner surface is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the holding force is insufficient and misalignment occurs during use

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveholding forceVSAvoidmounting ring structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting ring's inner surface is designed with non-uniform radii, creating different geometric characteristics at different locations. Specifically, the inner surface has a first radius at a first location, a second radius at a second location, and a third radius at a third location, where these radii are all different. This local variation in geometry provides enhanced holding force through three discrete contact points while maintaining structural simplicity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The mounting ring utilizes spherical geometry with varying radii on its inner surface to create optimal contact points with the optical device. The curved surfaces with different radii (first, second, and third radii) enable self-alignment and maintain holding force under recoil conditions without requiring complex mechanical fastening mechanisms

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the optical device is improperly aligned, then user error or worn parts cause misalignment, but excessive forces act on the device causing damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexcessive forces on deviceVSAvoidalignment accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting ring's varying radius geometry enables the optical device to self-align during installation. The three discrete contact points created by the non-uniform inner surface automatically guide the optical device into proper alignment, eliminating the need for precise manual adjustment and preventing misalignment-induced damage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The mounting ring design anticipates recoil forces and misalignment tendencies by pre-configuring three contact points with varying radii. This geometry provides built-in alignment correction and force distribution that cushions against the harmful effects of recoil and installation errors before they can damage the optical device

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentUS10415934B2Self-aligning optical sight mount

Publication Date: 2019.09.17 BURRIS CO INC

AI summary

An apparatus includes a mounting ring and a collar. The mounting ring includes an upper ring portion and a lower ring portion secured to the upper ring portion. Each of the upper ring portion and the lower ring portion has an inner ring surface defined by a plurality of radii. The collar is disposed in the mounting ring and includes a substantially cylindrical outer collar surface. The substantially cylindrical outer collar surface is disposed proximate the inner ring surface.