Retractable Sunshade Firearm Sight Glare Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional reflector sights lack environmental protection from rain and dust, suffer from lens glare, and existing sunshade solutions are bulky, difficult to install, and obstruct the user's field of view, leading to inaccurate aiming and reduced situational awareness.
Innovation Solution
A firearm sight with a clamp for secure attachment, a movable shade that can be extended or retracted to cover the lens assembly, using grooves and ball detents for secure positioning, allowing quick deployment and retraction to manage glare and environmental conditions without compromising the user's view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a sunshade is added to protect the lens from glare and environmental elements, then protection from glare and rain is improved, but the device becomes bulkier and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The sunshade is divided into multiple segments or sections that can move independently along the sight body. This segmentation allows the shade to be stored compactly within the housing when retracted, while still providing full coverage when extended, thus reducing the need for excessive structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sunshade transitions from a static cover to a dynamic component that can be moved between retracted and extended positions. This dynamic capability allows the shade to adapt to different shooting conditions, providing protection only when needed, thereby avoiding the permanent bulk and complexity of a fixed cover design.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a sunshade is installed to block glare, then lens glare is reduced, but the user's field of view is obstructed causing tunnel vision
Solution Approach 1:
The sunshade is designed as a movable component that can be quickly retracted when situational awareness is needed and extended when glare protection is required. This dynamic positioning allows the user to switch between protection mode and awareness mode, eliminating the permanent field of view obstruction caused by fixed covers.
Solution Approach 2:
The sunshade is used periodically rather than continuously - extended during bright lighting conditions to block glare, and retracted during low light or when situational awareness is prioritized. This periodic deployment pattern ensures glare protection is provided only when necessary, maintaining situational awareness during other periods.
3Ease of manufacture
If a press fit or snap-on connection is used for the sunshade, then installation is simple, but the cover easily falls off and gets lost
Solution Approach 1:
The sunshade is nested within the sight housing when in the retracted position, with the housing serving as a retaining structure. This nesting arrangement eliminates the need for separate attachment mechanisms while ensuring the shade cannot fall off, as it is physically contained within the housing boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of relying on lateral retention methods (press fit or snap-on connections that can fail), the design uses vertical containment - the sunshade moves along the length of the sight body within the housing, and the housing structure prevents it from falling off in any direction, adding a dimensional constraint to retention.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the sunshade is designed to remain on the sight at all times, then continuous protection is provided, but tunnel vision effect obstructs the user's field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The sunshade transitions from a static, permanently mounted cover to a dynamic component that can be moved between retracted and extended positions along the sight body. This allows the user to deploy the shade for protection when needed and retract it to eliminate tunnel vision, providing both continuous availability and operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The position parameter of the sunshade is changed dynamically - when extended, it provides maximum glare protection; when retracted, it minimizes field of view obstruction. This parameter change allows the system to adapt to different operational requirements, balancing protection and awareness needs.
Data Source
AI summary
A firearm sight comprises a sight body including a clamp at its lower extent for removably securing the sight to a portion of a firearm. An upwardly facing surface is disposed on the sight body above the clamp and a housing projects above the upwardly facing portion, the housing containing a lens assembly. A shade is carried by the sight body, the shade movable along the sight body from a retracted position in which the shell is at least partially contained by the housing, and an extended position in which the shell extends over the upwardly facing surface.