Rail Attachment Mechanism for Weapon Auxiliary Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing auxiliary devices for weapons, such as scopes and illuminators, often fail to maintain boresight due to varying tolerances in rail mounting systems, leading to improper fitting and alignment issues.
Innovation Solution
A rail attachment mechanism featuring an integral clamp member, adjustment cam, and lever arm that securely engages the mounting rail, accommodating a range of production tolerances and wear, ensuring stable positioning of auxiliary devices on weapons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standard rail mounting systems with tolerances are used, then manufacturing cost and ease of manufacture are improved, but alignment precision and boresight maintenance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting mechanism acts as an intermediary between the rail and the auxiliary device, incorporating adjustment features that compensate for rail tolerance variations. The mechanism includes adjustable mounting elements that can be fine-tuned to achieve precise alignment despite variations in the underlying rail dimensions, effectively decoupling the tolerance accumulation from the final alignment accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting mechanism allows for parameter adjustments in mounting position and orientation to compensate for rail tolerance variations. By providing adjustable parameters in the mounting system rather than relying on tight manufacturing tolerances, the design achieves high alignment precision while maintaining ease of manufacture with standard tolerance rails.
2Manufacturing precision
If tight tolerances are applied to rail mounting systems, then alignment precision is improved, but manufacturing cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting mechanism serves as an intermediary that absorbs the complexity of achieving precise alignment, allowing the rail itself to be manufactured with standard tolerances. The adjustment features in the mounting mechanism provide the necessary precision without requiring the entire system to be manufactured with tight tolerances, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting mechanism incorporates dynamic adjustment capabilities that allow the mounting parameters to be varied to achieve precise alignment. This dynamic approach replaces the need for static tight tolerances throughout the entire system, reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining alignment precision.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard tolerance rails are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but boresight maintenance over time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting mechanism acts as an intermediary that maintains stable alignment over time despite rail tolerance variations. The adjustment features allow for compensation of any drift or misalignment that occurs during use, ensuring long-term boresight maintenance without requiring the rail itself to be manufactured with tight tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting mechanism is designed to allow users to perform self-adjustment of alignment parameters to maintain boresight. This self-service capability enables field adjustment and maintenance without requiring specialized tools or expertise, ensuring continued reliability and proper alignment over the service life of the system.
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
The solution effectively secures auxiliary devices to a wider range of weapons and mounting rails, maintaining alignment and accommodating tolerance variations, thereby ensuring consistent boresight and improved performance over time.
Implementation Method 1
a cam member configured to rotate about a cam axis of rotation spaced from the blade axis of rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A rail mounting mechanism for coupling an auxiliary device to a weapon has an eccentric hub and a blade with a lever arm that can be used to overcome tolerances in mounting rails to provide a consistent grasp of the rail.