Helmet mounting assembly with break away connection

• US 20060218703A1
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Norotos Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Norotos Incorporated
• Inventors: Prendergast, Jonathon R., Soto, Ronald R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,444,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 2/422
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/04 Parts, details or accessories of helmets
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/125 head-mounted

Abstract

An assembly for mounting a night vision device to a helmet is provided that includes a helmet with a mounting device attached to the helmet, and a mounting assembly carrying a night vision device and having a helmet mounting surface for connection to the mounting device, wherein a break away connector is connected between the mounting device and the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly for establishing a break away connection between the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly and the mounting device.

Claims

1. An assembly for mounting a night vision device to a helmet comprising:

a mounting device attached to the helmet;

a mounting assembly carrying a night vision device and having a helmet mounting surface for connection to the mounting device; and

a break away connector connected between the mounting device and the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly for establishing a break away connection between the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly and the mounting device.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the break away connection between the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly and the mounting device is a magnetic connection.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting device includes a shroud plate mounted on the helmet and a locking plate releasably received by the shroud plate.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the break away connector comprises at least one magnet and the locking plate comprises a magnet attracting material to form said break away connection between the break away connector and the locking plate.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein one of the break away connector and the locking plate comprises at least one alignment member and the other of the break away connector and the locking plate comprises a guidance opening for receiving the at least one alignment member.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the break away connector comprises at least one magnet and the mounting device comprises a shroud plate mounted on the helmet, wherein the shroud plate comprises a magnet attracting material to form said break away connection between the break away connector and the shroud plate.

7. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the break away connector is attached to the locking plate, and a latch plate is attached to the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly, and wherein the break away connector comprises at least one latch that is biased by a biasing member toward a notch in the latch plate when the break away connector is engaged with the latch plate to form said break away connection.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the at least one latch comprises a first ramp surface that is contacted to move the at least one latch against the bias of the biasing member to engage the break away connector with the latch plate, and a second ramp surface that is contacted to move the at least one latch against the bias of the biasing member to disengage the break away connector from the latch plate.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the second ramp surface is steeper than the first ramp surface, such that a force required to disengage the break away connector from the latch plate is greater than a force required to engage the break away connector with the latch plate.

10. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the break away connector comprises a cam, wherein a movement of the cam causes movement in the biasing member to vary a force that the biasing member imparts on the at least one latch.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting device includes a shroud plate mounted on the helmet and a latch plate attached to the shroud plate, and wherein the break away connector is attached to the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly, such that said break away connection is formed between the latch plate and the break away connector.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the break away connector comprises at least one latch that is biased by a biasing member toward a notch in the latch plate when the break away connector is engaged with the latch plate to form said break away connection.

13. The assembly of claim 12, wherein the at least one latch comprises a first ramp surface that is contacted to move the at least one latch against the bias of the biasing member to engage the break away connector with the latch plate, and a second ramp surface that is contacted to move the at least one latch against the bias of the biasing member to disengage the break away connector from the latch plate.

14. An assembly for mounting a night vision device to a helmet comprising:

a shroud plate mounted to the helmet;

a locking plate releasably received by the shroud plate;

a mounting assembly carrying a night vision device; and

a break away connector mounted to the mounting assembly and forming a break away connection with the locking plate.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the break away connector comprises at least one magnet and the locking plate comprises a magnet attracting material to form said break away connection between the break away connector and the locking plate.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein one of the break away connector and the locking plate comprises at least one alignment member and the other of the break away connector and the locking plate comprises a guidance opening for receiving the at least one alignment member.

17. An assembly for mounting a night vision device to a helmet comprising:

a shroud plate mounted to the helmet;

a locking plate releasably received by the shroud plate;

a mounting assembly carrying a night vision device;

a latch plate mounted to the mounting assembly; and

a break away connector mounted to the locking plate and forming a break away connection with the latch plate.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the break away connector comprises a disc having at least one latch that is biased by a biasing member to extend from an outer diameter of the disc, and wherein the latch plate comprises a sidewall defining a circular recess for receiving the disc and a circumferential notch in the sidewall for receiving the at least one latch.

19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the at least one latch comprises a first ramp surface that is contacted to move the at least one latch against the bias of the biasing member to engage the break away connector with the latch plate, and a second ramp surface that is contacted to move the at least one latch against the bias of the biasing member to disengage the break away connector from the latch plate.

20. The assembly of claim 19, wherein the second ramp surface is steeper than the first ramp surface, such that a force required to disengage the break away connector from the latch plate is greater than a force required to engage the break away connector with the latch plate.