Reflex Sight Optical Element Mounting for Robustness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern reflex sights for firearms are delicate and require a light source and power supply, limiting their robustness and practicality for use.
Innovation Solution
A reflex sight design featuring a housing with a receptacle for an optical element, including a collimating mirror reflector and a projector, which projects a virtual reticle onto the reflector, enhancing durability and functionality by allowing adjustable positioning and easy replacement of the optical element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If modern reflex sights use delicate optical elements requiring light sources and power supplies, then target acquisition speed and depth perception are improved, but robustness and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies this principle by making the optical element (reflector with reticle) a simple, replaceable component that can be easily swapped out. The reflector is designed as a discrete optical element that can be removed and replaced without complex tools or procedures, effectively treating it as a consumable or easily replaceable part rather than a permanent, maintenance-free component. This resolves the contradiction by accepting that the optical element may fail or become damaged, but the system remains reliable because replacement is simple and quick.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the reflex sight into distinct modular components: the housing, the optical element (reflector), the reticle, and the mounting system. The optical element is separated from the housing and can be independently removed and replaced. This segmentation allows the delicate optical components to be protected within the housing while enabling easy replacement if damaged, thus maintaining both performance and reliability.
2Productivity
If reflex sights use delicate optical elements, then target acquisition speed is improved, but ease of repair and maintenance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The optical element is segmented as a separate, removable component from the housing. The reflector is designed with mounting features that allow it to be independently accessed and replaced. The housing includes a receptacle that securely holds the optical element but allows for easy removal, enabling field replacement without specialized tools or expertise.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical element is designed as a simple, inexpensive component that can be easily replaced rather than repaired. The reflector and reticle assembly is made as a discrete unit that can be swapped out quickly, treating it more like a consumable item than a complex optical system requiring professional maintenance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If reflex sights require light sources and power supplies, then virtual reticle functionality is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a simple reflector that creates a virtual reticle by reflecting light from the reticle markings onto the target. Instead of using complex electronic displays, LEDs, or powered optical systems, the invention employs a passive optical element that replicates the reticle function through reflection. This copying approach achieves virtual reticle functionality without requiring power sources or electronic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical element is designed to function without external power sources. The reflector passively reflects ambient light or light from the firearm's muzzle flash to create the visible reticle image. The system serves itself by utilizing available light sources rather than requiring dedicated power supplies, batteries, or electronic control systems.
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 provides a robust, user-friendly reflex sight with improved durability and functionality, enabling faster target acquisition and depth perception without the need for a dedicated light source, while allowing for easy adjustment and replacement of optical components.
Implementation Method 1
An optical element, including a reflector, is attached to a base. The base is received within the receptacle such that the reflector intersects the line of sight.
Implementation Method 2
the reflector comprises a collimating mirror. A projector, located within the housing, projects an image onto the reflector.
Data Source
AI summary
A reflex sight for a firearm has an optical element received within a receptacle of a housing. The housing is mounted on the firearm. Shoulders extending from a base of the optical element engage corresponding shoulders extending from the housing into the receptacle to position the optical element so that it intersects a line of sight parallel to but offset from the firing axis of the firearm. The optical element includes a collimating reflector which produces a virtual reticle visible when viewed along the line of sight when aiming the firearm. The optical element is captured within the receptacle between the firearm or a plate and the shoulders of the housing.