Night vision goggle mount

• US 5,467,479 A
• Filed: 05/07/1993
• Issued: 11/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Varo, Inc. (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Mattes, Paul B.
• Primary Examiner(s): NERBUN, PETER P
• Application Number:
  US08/058,945
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 2/6.2, 2/6.7, 2/422, 2/10, 2/453, 2/424, 2/6.3, 359/409, 359/815, 250/214 VT
• US Class Current: 2/6.3
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/04 Parts, details or accessories of helmets
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/125 head-mounted

Abstract

A helmet mount (10) for night vision goggles (12) is disclosed that is formed with a rear clamp (24), front clamp (16), a strap (20) disposed between the front and rear clamps (16, 24), and a goggle mounting structure (14). The goggle mounting structure (14) secures the night vision goggles (12) to the helmet mount (10) and allows the goggles (12) to be placed in a stowed position when not in use and a line-of-sight position when a used. Additionally, the goggle mounting structure (14) has power activator (58, 60, 62, 64) that automatically deactivates the power when the goggles are not in use and activates the power when the goggles are in use. The helmet mount (10) has adapters (80, 86) that allow the mount to be used with various types of night vision goggles.

Claims

1. A system for mounting night vision goggles, having a power source to any of a variety of differently sized helmets and for allowing the goggles to rotate between a stowed position and a line-of-sight position, comprising:

a rear clamp for attaching to a back end of the helmet;

a front clamp for attaching to the front end of the helmet;

a flexible strap for coupling the rear and front clamps and for applying tension between them over a top portion of the helmet; and

a goggle mounting structure attached to the front clamp for receiving the goggles.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the goggles contain a magnetic reed switch and wherein said goggle mounting structure further comprises a magnet means attached to the goggle mounting structure for adjusting power supplied to the goggles in accord to the position of the goggles.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said magnet means comprises a first and second magnet.

4. An apparatus for mounting night vision goggles to a helmet comprising:

a rear clamp for attaching to a back end of the helmet;

a front clamp for attaching to the front end of the helmet;

a strap connected to the rear clamp and the front clamp and for extending across a top portion of the helmet for maintaining a force on the front and rear clamps; and

a goggle mount attached to the front clamp for securing the goggles to the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the rear clamp further comprises a tension latch for adjusting the force on the front and back clamps.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the front clamp comprises a front swing clamp and a mounting block.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the night vision goggles further comprise a magnetic reed switch for opening and closing a power switch to the goggles, and wherein the goggle mount comprises:

a mounting block secured to the strap and to the front clamp;

a goggle mount attached to the mounting block for receiving and securing the goggles and for allowing the goggles to rotate between a line-of-sight position and a stowed position; and

a magnetic means attached to the goggle mount for adjusting the magnetic reed switch of the goggles so that the power is supplied when the goggles are in the line-of-sight position and is not supplied when the goggles are in the stowed position.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said magnetic means comprises first and second magnets.

9. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the strap comprises a pliable material.

10. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the strap comprises a nylon strap.

11. An apparatus for mounting night vision goggles to a helmet comprising:

a rear clamp for attaching to a back end of the helmet;

a front clamp for attaching to the front end of the helmet;

a strap connected to the rear clamp and the front clamp and running across a top portion of the helmet for maintaining a force on the front and rear clamps;

a goggle mount attached to the front clamp for securing the goggles to the apparatus;

wherein the front clamp comprises;

a front swing clamp,

and a mounting block; and

wherein the swing clamp comprises a formed metal piece having;

a first plane attached to the goggle mounting structure,

a second plane perpendicular to the first plane for receiving a lip of the helmet,

at least one intermediate section between the first and the second planes, and

a third plane formed at an angle to the second plane for holding the helmet lip on the second plane of the formed metal piece.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first plane is attached to the mounting block with a shoulder screw.

13. An apparatus for mounting night vision goggles that use a reed switch to a helmet comprising:

a rear helmet clamp;

a tension latch attached to the rear clamp;

a first and second front swing clamp;

a mounting block secured to the first and second front swing clamp;

a goggle mount secured to the mounting block for receiving and removably securing the goggles; and

a pliable strap with a first end secured to the tension latch and a second end secured to the mounting block to hold the apparatus to the helmet.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the mounting block further comprises a channel for receiving the second end of the pliable strap.

15. An apparatus for adjusting the power supplied to night vision goggles according to whether the goggles are in a line-of-sight position or in a stowed position, comprising:

a goggle mount for enabling rotation of the goggles between the line-of-sight position in which the goggles are activated and a stowed position in which the goggles are deactivated;

a first magnet attached to the goggle mount having a vertical magnetic orientation with a north pole at the upper most vertical portion of the first magnet; and

a second magnet attached to the goggle mount opposite the first magnet and having a vertical magnetic orientation with a north pole at the lowest vertical portion of the second magnet.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first and second magnet are oriented to be mirror images of one another about a centerline of the goggle mount, yet with oppositely aligned magnetic poles.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first and second magnet are sized to have a length of 0.625 inches, a width of 0.375 inches, and a depth of 0.187 inches.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the first and second magnet are made of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFE).

19. A helmet mount for attaching night vision goggles to a helmet so that a wearer may select between a stowed position for the goggles in which the power to the goggles is not supplied and a line-of-sight position in which the power to the goggles is supplied, comprising:

a rear helmet clamp for gripping the back end of the helmet;

a mounting block;

a goggle mount attached to the mounting block for receiving and securing the goggles and for allowing the goggles to rotate between the line-of-sight position and the stowed position;

a first and second magnet attached to the goggle mount for activating a reed switch incorporated into the goggles so that the power is supplied in the line-of-sight position and not supplied in the stowed position;

a first and second front swing clamp secured to the mounting block for gripping the front end of the helmet;

a tension latch attached to the rear helmet clamp;

a strap of pliable material having a first and a second end, the first end of the strap is secured to the tension latch and the second end is secured to the mounting block; and

the tension latch for maintaining the desired tension in the strap of pliable material.

20. The helmet mount of claim 19 wherein the goggle mount further comprises an adapter for receiving an AN/PVS-7A.

21. The helmet mount of claim 19 wherein the goggle mount further comprises an adapter for receiving an AN/PVS-7B.

22. A method for mounting night vision goggles having an internal power supply to a helmet and for allowing the goggles to flip up to a stowed position or flip down to a line-of-sight position and to have the power automatically on when in the line-of-sight position and automatically off in the stowed position, comprising the steps of:

attaching a rear clamp to a back end of the helmet;

attaching a front clamp to the front end of the helmet;

connecting a strap to the rear clamp and the front clamp;

maintaining a force on the front and back clamps;

attaching a goggle mounting structure to the front clamp for receiving and holding the night vision goggles;

activating the internal power supply when in the line-of-sight position; and

deactivating the internal power supply when in the stowed position.

23. A method for mounting night vision goggles to a helmet comprising the steps of:

attaching a rear clamp to a back end of the helmet;

attaching a front clamp to the front end of the helmet;

passing a flexible strap across a top portion of the helmet;

connecting the flexible strap to the rear clamp and to the front clamp;

creating tension in the strap to hold the rear and front clamps securely to the helmet;

attaching a goggle mounting structure to the front clamp; and

securing the night vision goggles to the goggle mounting structure.

24. A method of manufacturing a night vision goggle helmet mount for securing night vision goggles to a variety of differently sized helmets comprising the steps of:

providing a rear helmet clamp;

securing a tension latch to the rear helmet clamp;

providing a goggle mount;

forming a mounting block with one side for attaching to the goggle mount and one side for resting against a front end of the helmet;

securing rotatable swing clamps to the mounting block for gripping a front end of the helmet;

attaching the goggle mount to the mounting block; and

securing a strap to the mounting block and the tension latch.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of providing a goggle mount comprises providing a goggle mount for attaching the night vision goggles and for allowing the night vision goggles to rotate between a line-of-sight position and a stowed position.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

providing a power activator for controlling a power supply to the goggles according the position of the goggles; and

securing the power activator to the goggle mount.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the step of providing a power activator comprises the steps of:

attaching a first magnet mount to the goggle mount;

attaching a second magnet mount to the goggle mount;

attaching a first magnet to the first magnet mount; and

attaching a second magnet to the second magnet mount.