Mounting/adjusting mechanism for vision enhancement system

• US 20060007562A1
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elbit Systems of America LLC (Elbit Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Willey, Charles D., Brillhart, Steven A., Dobbie, Blair R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,193,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/811
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/042 Optical devices night vision goggles G02B23/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0149 characterised by mechanical features G02B27/0176 takes precedence

Abstract

A mounting assembly for a vision enhancement device and associated vision enhancement display, the assembly comprising a display mounted to an arm positionable in front of the user'"'"'s eye, a base member for receiving a cradle for the vision enhancement device and for attaching to a head-mounting platform, and one or more intermediate members for connecting the arm to the cradle. In one embodiment, the mounting system comprises one or more mechanisms for aligning the display optical axis with the vision enhancement device optical axis and with the user'"'"'s line of sight, one or more mechanisms for orienting the vision enhancement device within multiple degrees of freedom without changing the alignment of the display optical axis with the device optical axis, and one or more mechanisms for toggling the display between an in-use position to at least one storage position, and, optionally, between right eye and left eye positions.

Claims

1. A mounting assembly for a vision enhancement device and associated vision enhancement display, the assembly comprising:

a) a display mount for holding the vision enhancement display, the display mount comprising a mechanism for translational adjustment side-to-side, one or more mechanisms for rotational adjustment along substantially horizontal and vertical axes, or a combination thereof;

b) an arm extending from a fixed end to a free end positionable in front of an eye of a user in an in-use position and on which the display mount is mounted, the arm invertible between the in-use position and a non-use position;

c) an indexing joint to which the fixed end of the arm is attached, the indexing joint comprising a first swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between an in-use position and one or more storage positions above or below the in-use position, and a second swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between a plurality of positions including at least a right-eye in-use position and a left-eye in use position;

d) a base member attached to a mounting platform to be worn on the user'"'"'s head, the base member providing an anchorage point for a vision enhancement device cradle that is rotationally adjustable on a vertical axis, a horizontal axis, and an optical axis of the vision enhancement device, the base member translatably adjustable front-to-back on the mounting platform; and

e) an intermediate member for connecting the indexing joint to the device cradle.

29. The mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the vision enhancement device comprises an image intensified video camera for providing night vision.

2. A mounting assembly for a vision enhancement device and associated vision enhancement display, the assembly comprising:

a) a display mount for holding the vision enhancement display;

b) an arm extending from a fixed end to a free end positionable in front of an eye of a user and on which the display mount is mounted;

c) a base member attached to a mounting platform to be worn on the user'"'"'s head, the base member providing an anchorage point for a vision enhancement device cradle that is rotationally adjustable on a vertical axis, a horizontal axis, and an optical axis of the vision enhancement device, the base member translatably adjustable front-to-back on the mounting platform; and

d) one or more intermediate members for connecting the arm to the vision enhancement device cradle.

7. The mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein the base member comprises a friction mechanism for holding the base member and device cradle in a desired position, the friction mechanism releasable via single-handed manipulation of a release mechanism.

8. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the release mechanism comprises a pair of levers adapted to be squeezed together to cause release of the friction mechanism.

9. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the friction mechanism comprises a spring-loaded assembly in which one or more springs hold the base member and device cradle in a desired position until the friction mechanism is released.

10. The mounting assembly of claim 7, comprising a spring-biased ball-in-socket mechanism for providing the rotational adjustment on the vertical axis, the horizontal axis, and the optical axis.

11. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the base member is attached to the mounting platform via a mounting post, the mounting platform comprising a front-to-back slot in which the base member is adapted to travel for front-to-back translatable adjustment, the base member spring-loaded against the mounting platform with a friction mechanism that frictionally holds the base member in place until the friction mechanism is released.

12. The mounting assembly of claim 7, wherein the base member and vision enhancement device cradle comprise:

a mounting post having one free end and one end retained by the mounting platform, and;

a stationary grip adjacent an external surface of the mounting platform comprising a flat body for axially receiving the mounting post and having a first lever extending substantially tangentially from the stationary grip body;

an actuating nut comprising an internally-threaded, cylindrical body coaxial with the mounting post and having a second lever extending substantially tangentially from the actuating nut body;

a torsion spring coaxial with the actuating nut and having a first protruding end aligned adjacent the first lever and a second protruding end aligned adjacent the second lever for biasing the first lever apart from the second lever;

a translation collar axially mounted on the mounting post and nested within the actuating nut, the translation collar comprising a cup having a cylindrical wall with a plurality of slots, the translation collar rotationally fixed with respect to the stationary grip;

a friction cup axially mounted on the mounting post and nested within the translation collar, the friction cup comprising a plurality of externally threaded radial protrusions extending through the slots in the translation collar for mating with the internal threads of the actuating nut for converting rotational movement of the actuating nut into axial movement of the friction cup, the friction cup having a concave internal surface in the shape of a partial sphere;

a wave spring coiled coaxially with the mounting post between the translation collar and the friction cup for axially biasing the translation collar against the stationary grip;

the vision enhancement device cradle having a partially spherical shell for interfacing with the internal surface of the friction cup, the spherical shell having a slot for accepting the mounting post, the slot having a length sufficient to allow rotational adjustment of the cradle along a substantially vertical axis and having a width sufficiently greater than a diameter of the mounting post to allow rotational adjustment along an optical axis of the vision enhancement device; and

a spherical washer axially mounted on the mounting post and having a partially spherical, convex surface for mating with an internal surface of the device cradle, the spherical washer constrained from axial movement toward the free end of the mounting post.

13. The mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein the one or more intermediate members comprise:

an indexing joint to which the fixed end of the arm is attached, the indexing joint comprising a first swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between an in-use position and one or more storage positions above or below the in-use position, and a second swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between a plurality of positions including at least a right-eye in-use position and a left-eye in use position; and

a member for connecting the indexing joint to the device cradle.

14. The mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein the arm is invertible between the in-use position and a non-use position.

15. The mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein the display mount comprises a mechanism for translational adjustment side-to-side, one or more mechanisms for rotational adjustment along substantially horizontal and vertical axes, or a combination thereof.

16. The mounting assembly of claim 15, wherein the one or more intermediate members comprise:

an indexing joint to which the fixed end of the arm is attached, the indexing joint comprising at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between an in-use position and one or more storage positions above or below the in-use position; and

a member for connecting the indexing joint to the device cradle.

17. The mounting assembly of claim 16, wherein the indexing joint further comprises at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between at least a right-eye in-use position and a left-eye in use position.

18. The mounting assembly of claim 15, wherein the arm is invertible between the in-use position and a non-use position.

3. A mounting assembly for a vision enhancement device and associated vision enhancement display, the assembly comprising:

a) a display mount for holding the vision enhancement display;

b) an arm extending from a fixed end to a free end positionable in front of an eye of a user and on which the display mount is mounted;

c) an indexing joint to which the fixed end of the inverting arm is attached, the indexing joint comprising at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between an in-use position and one or more storage positions above or below the in-use position; and

d) one or more intermediate members for connecting the indexing joint to a mounting platform for wearing on the user'"'"'s head.

4. The mounting assembly of claim 3, wherein the indexing joint further comprises at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between at least a right-eye in-use position and a left-eye in use position.

26. The mounting assembly of claim 4, wherein the invertible arm comprises a stressed metal member.

5. A mounting assembly for a vision enhancement device and associated vision enhancement display, the assembly comprising:

a) a display mount for holding the vision enhancement display;

b) an arm extending from a fixed end to a free end positionable in front of an eye of a user in an in-use position and on which the display mount is mounted, the arm invertible between the in-use position and a non-use position;

c) one or more intermediate members for connecting the arm to a mounting platform for wearing on the user'"'"'s head.

24. The mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein the one or more intermediate members comprise:

an indexing joint to which the fixed end of the arm is attached, the indexing joint comprising at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between an in-use position and one or more storage positions above or below the in-use position; and

a member for connecting the indexing joint to the device cradle.

25. The mounting assembly of claim 24, wherein the indexing joint further comprises at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between at least a right-eye in-use position and a left-eye in use position.

27. The mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein the mechanism for translational adjustment side-to-side comprises a translating nut that converts rotation of the nut into translation of the slide.

28. The mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein the mechanisms for fine rotational adjustment along the substantially horizontal and vertical axes comprises a set of at least three adjustable jacking screws.

6. A mounting assembly for a vision enhancement device, the assembly comprising:

a) a display mount for holding a vision enhancement display, the display mount comprising a mechanism for translational adjustment side-to-side, one or more mechanisms for rotational adjustment along substantially horizontal and vertical axes, or a combination thereof;

b) an arm extending from a fixed end to a free end positionable in front of an eye of a user in an in-use position;

c) one or more intermediate members for connecting the arm to a mounting platform for wearing on the user'"'"'s head.

19. The mounting assembly of claim 6, wherein the arm is invertible between the in-use position and a non-use position.

20. The mounting assembly of claim 19, wherein the one or more intermediate members comprise:

an indexing joint to which the fixed end of the arm is attached, the indexing joint comprising at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between an in-use position and one or more storage positions above or below the in-use position; and

a member for connecting the indexing joint to the device cradle.

21. The mounting assembly of claim 20, wherein the indexing joint further comprises at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between at least a right-eye in-use position and a left-eye in use position.

22. The mounting assembly of claim 6, wherein the one or more intermediate members comprise:

an indexing joint to which the fixed end of the arm is attached, the indexing joint comprising at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between an in-use position and one or more storage positions above or below the in-use position; and

a member for connecting the indexing joint to the device cradle.

23. The mounting assembly of claim 22, wherein the indexing joint further comprises at least one swivel having detents adapted to provide adjustment between at least a right-eye in-use position and a left-eye in use position.

30. A mounting assembly for a vision enhancement device and associated vision enhancement display, the assembly comprising:

a) a display mount for holding the vision enhancement display, the display having a display optical axis;

b) an arm extending from a fixed end to a free end positionable in front of a display-viewing eye of a user and on which the display mount is mounted;

c) a base member attached to a mounting platform to be worn on the user'"'"'s head, the base member providing an anchorage point for a vision enhancement device cradle, the vision enhancement device mountable within the cradle and having an optical axis;

d) one or more intermediate members for connecting the arm to the vision enhancement device cradle;

e) one or more mechanisms for aligning the display optical axis with the vision enhancement device optical axis and for aligning the display optical axis with a line of sight through the user'"'"'s display-viewing eye;

f) one or more mechanisms for orienting the vision enhancement device within multiple degrees of freedom without changing the alignment of the display optical axis with the vision enhancement device optical axis; and

g) one or more mechanisms for toggling the display between an in-use position and at least one storage position.

31. The mounting assembly of claim 30, comprising one or more mechanisms for providing adjustment between at least a right-eye in-use position and a left-eye in use position.