AUTO-LOCKING ADJUSTMENT DEVICE

• US 20110100152A1
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leupold & Stevens Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leupold & Stevens Incorporated
• Inventors: Huynh, Xuyen
• Granted Patent: US 9,188,408 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/504
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/22 Friction clamps
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/38 Telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance telescopic sights in general G02B; Supports or mountings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/10 Details, e.g. of discs, knobs, wheels or handles G05G1/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20474 Rotatable rod, shaft, or post
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2084 Knob or dial

Abstract

A dial for adjusting an adjustable portion of a device includes an actuator that moves substantially transverse to an axis of rotation to unlock the dial for rotation. When the actuator is released, the dial automatically locks in place.

Claims

1. An auto-locking dial for adjusting a portion of an optical device, comprising:

a fixed portion non-rotatably attached to the optical device;

an engagement surface non-rotatably attached to the fixed portion;

a rotatable portion rotatable about an axis of rotation and rotatably coupled to the fixed portion for rotation with respect to the engagement surface, wherein the rotatable portion includes a mechanical arrangement that rotates with the rotatable portion for driving an adjustment member;

an adjustment member operatively connected to the adjustable portion of the optical device, wherein the adjustment member is operatively connected to the mechanical arrangement such that rotation of the rotatable portion about the axis of rotation causes the adjustment member to adjust the adjustable portion of the optical device;

a locking mechanism carried by the rotatable portion, the locking mechanism including a link moveable along the axis of rotation and an engagement member, wherein the engagement member contacts the engagement surface to prevent rotation of the rotatable portion with respect to the engagement surface when the link is in a lock position, and facilitates rotation of the rotatable portion with respect to the engagement surface when the link is in an unlock position;

a biasing element arranged to bias the link into the lock position; and

an actuator moveably coupled to the rotatable portion, wherein the actuator is configured to (a) move relative to the rotatable portion substantially transverse to the axis of rotation and (b) to engage a portion of the link to cause movement of the link along the axis of rotation toward the unlock position when an external force is applied to move the actuator.

2. The auto-locking dial of claim 1, wherein:

the rotatable portion includes a threaded portion centered on the axis of rotation;

the adjustment member includes a plunger operatively connected to the adjustable portion of the optical device, wherein the plunger is threaded into the threaded portion and is restrained from rotating about the axis of rotation by the optical device such that rotation of the rotatable portion about the axis of rotation causes the plunger to move along the axis of rotation to adjust the adjustable portion of the optical device; and

the optical device includes an optical weapon aiming device having an inner tube and an outer tube, the inner tube having first and second ends positioned in an interior of the outer tube, wherein the adjustable portion of the optical device includes the first or second end of the inner tube, and rotation of the auto-locking dial adjusts one of an elevation setting or a windage setting of the optical weapon aiming device.

3. The auto-locking dial of claim 1, wherein the actuator includes two opposing buttons moveable relative to the rotatable portion and toward each other under the influence of an external force and are biased away from each other.

4. The auto-locking dial of claim 3, further comprising an actuator shaft attached to and extending from each button in a direction substantially transverse to the axis of rotation, wherein:

each actuator shaft includes a sloped surface that engages a sloped surface of the link;

the engagement member moves substantially transverse to the axis of rotation; and

the engagement member facilitates rotation of the rotatable portion by selectively contacting portions of the engagement surface when the link is in the unlock position and the rotatable portion is rotated.

5. The auto-locking dial of claim 3, wherein each button must be depressed radially toward the axis of rotation such that an outer surface of each button is located inward of an outer surface of the rotatable portion to move the link to the unlock position.

6. The auto-locking dial of claim 4, wherein the two actuator shafts are linearly aligned with each other.

7. The auto-locking dial of claim 4, wherein the two actuator shafts are offset from each other.

8. The auto-locking dial of claim 1, further comprising a first portion of a rotation limiting stop attached to the rotatable portion and a second portion of the rotation limiting stop attached to the fixed portion or to the device.

9. An auto-locking dial for adjusting a position of an adjustable portion of an optical device, comprising:

a spindle extending along an axis of rotation, wherein the spindle is rotationally supported by the optical device such that the spindle is rotatable about the axis of rotation and constrained from moving along the axis of rotation;

an adjustment member operatively connected to the adjustable portion of the optical device, wherein the adjustment member is operatively connected to the spindle so that rotation of the spindle about the axis of rotation causes the adjustment mechanism to adjust a position of the adjustable portion of the optical device;

a selectively lockable mechanism operatively coupled to the spindle configured to inhibit rotation of the spindle about the axis of rotation when in a locked position and configured to facilitate rotation of the spindle about the axis of rotation when in an unlocked position; and

an actuator moveably supported by the auto-locking dial between a first position and a second position, wherein the actuator moves substantially transverse to the axis of rotation between the first position and the second position, wherein the actuator engages the selectively lockable mechanism, and wherein the selectively lockable mechanism is in the locked position when the actuator is in the first position and the selectively lockable mechanism is in the unlocked position when the actuator is in the second position;

wherein the auto-locking dial includes a biasing member arranged to move the selectively lockable mechanism to the locked position when no force external to the auto-locking dial is applied to the actuator.

10. The dial of claim 9, further comprising a knob coupled to the spindle for rotation with the spindle;

wherein the actuator is moveably supported by the knob.

11. The dial of claim 10, further comprising a second biasing member supported by the knob and arranged to bias the actuator to the first position.

12. The dial of claim 10, wherein the actuator includes:

a button slidably engaging the knob;

an actuator shaft coupled to the button for movement therewith; and

wherein the actuator shaft extends from the button through the knob to a position proximate the axis of rotation.

13. The dial of claim 10, wherein the selectively lockable mechanism includes:

a linkage coupled to the spindle for rotation therewith such that the linkage is moveable along the axis of rotation between the locked position and the unlocked position;

a locking pin extending from the linkage;

a wedge pin slidably mounted in the spindle; and

a lock ring supported by the device such that the lock ring is not rotatable about the axis of rotation;

wherein the locking pin is configured to inhibit the wedge pin from moving away from the lock ring when the linkage is in the locked position and to facilitate movement of the wedge pin away from the lock ring when the linkage is in the unlocked position and the spindle is rotated about the axis of rotation;

wherein the wedge pin and the lock ring are configured to non-moveably engage each other when the linkage is in the locked position; and

wherein the wedge pin and the lock ring are configured to moveably engage each other when the linkage is in the unlocked position.

14. The dial of claim 13, further comprising a biasing member arranged to bias the wedge pin toward the lock ring, and wherein:

the locking pin includes a circumferential groove into which a portion of the wedge pin enters when the linkage is in the unlocked position and which the wedge pin is prevented from entering when the linkage is in the locked position;

the lock ring includes a surface having regularly spaced apart engagement features disposed thereon; and

the wedge pin is configured to fit into the regularly spaced apart engagement features of the lock ring and to move from one regularly spaced apart engagement feature to another when the linkage is in the unlocked position and the spindle is rotated about the axis of rotation.

15. The dial of claim 13, further comprising a biasing device operatively coupled to the linkage and arranged to bias the linkage to the locked position.

16. The dial of claim 10, wherein the knob is selectively coupled to the spindle for selecting either rotation with the spindle or rotation with respect to the spindle, and further comprising:

an indicator coupled to the knob for rotation therewith, wherein the indicator includes an outer circumference bearing a set of markings.

17. The dial of claim 16, further comprising a set screw selectively coupling the knob to the spindle, wherein the set screw couples the knob to the spindle for rotation therewith in a tightened position, and wherein the set screw couples the knob to the spindle for rotation with respect to the spindle in a loosened position.

18. The dial of claim 10, further comprising a seat attached to the device, wherein the spindle is rotatably connected to the seat.

19. The dial of claim 10, further comprising a rotation limiting adjustment stop having a stop position and a non-stop position, wherein the rotation limiting adjustment stop limits rotation of the spindle to one full rotation when in the stop position.

20. The dial of claim 19, wherein the rotation limiting adjustment stop includes:

a protrusion extending from the knob toward the device;

a pin moveably disposed within a bore of the device between an extended stop position and a retracted non-stop position, wherein the pin in the extended stop position interferes with the protrusion to prevent more than a full revolution of the spindle about the axis of rotation, and wherein the pin in the retracted non-stop position does not interfere with the protrusion to facilitate the spindle rotating about the axis of rotation by more than one full revolution; and

a handle rotatably coupled to the device, wherein the handle includes a cam surface that interacts with the pin, and wherein the cam surface is configured to move the pin between the extended stop position and the retracted non-stop position when the handle is rotated.

21. The dial of claim 19, wherein the rotation limiting adjustment stop includes:

a first portion of a snap-fit feature located on the spindle;

a second portion of the snap-fit feature located on the knob;

a protrusion extending from the knob toward the device; and

a pin disposed within a bore of the device and extending toward the knob;

wherein the knob is moveable along the axis of rotation between the stop position and the non-stop position, wherein the first and second portions of the snap-fit feature do not engage each other and the protrusion extending from the knob interferes with the pin to prevent more than one full rotation of the spindle when the knob is in the stop position, and wherein the first and second portions of the snap-fit feature engage each other and the protrusion extending from the knob does not interfere with the pin when the knob is in the non-stop position.

22. A method for unlocking and rotating a dial, comprising;

grasping between a user'"'"'s thumb and a finger two opposing buttons of the dial in a locked condition;

radially depressing each of the buttons to move them with respect to a knob of the dial toward each other and place the dial in an unlocked condition;

twisting the dial about an axis of rotation while radially depressing each of the buttons to adjust an adjustable portion of an optical device; and

releasing the buttons to automatically place the dial in the locked condition.

23. The method for unlocking and rotating a dial according to claim 22, wherein radially depressing each of the buttons includes radially depressing each button until an outer surface of each button is depressed inward of an outer surface of the knob.

24. The method for unlocking and rotating a dial according to claim 22, further comprising moving a link to an unlock position in response to radially depressing each of the buttons, wherein the link moves substantially transverse to the direction each button moves.