Helmet mounting assembly with break away connection

• US 7,444,683 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2005
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Norotos Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Norotos Incorporated
• Inventors: Prendergast, Jonathon R., Soto, Ronald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): WORRELL JR, LARRY D
• Application Number:
  US11/099,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20060218703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 2/62, 2/63, 2/64, 2/65, 2/66, 2/67, 242/2, 242/4, 359/815, 359/816, 224/181, 224/183
• US Class Current: 2/6.2
• 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 magnetic break away connection between the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly and the mounting device, wherein one of the break away connector and the helmet mounting surface is a magnet and the other of the break away connector and the helmet mounting surface is magnet attracting material.

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

a mounting device attached to the helmet;

wherein the mounting device includes a shroud plate mounted on the helmet and a locking plate releasably received by the shroud plate;

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.

3. The assembly of claim 2, 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.

4. The assembly of claim 3, 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.

5. The assembly of claim 2, 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.

6. The assembly of claim 5, 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.

7. The assembly of claim 6, 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.

8. The assembly of claim 5, 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.

9. 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;

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.

10. The assembly of claim 9, 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.

11. The assembly of claim 10, 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.

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

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.

13. The assembly of claim 12 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.

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;

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;

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.

15. The assembly of claim 14 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.

16. The assembly of claim 15, 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.

17. 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 magnetic break away connection between the helmet mounting surface of the mounting assembly and the mounting device;

wherein the break away connector comprises at least one magnet and the mounting device comprises a shroud plate mounted on the helmet; and

wherein the shroud plate comprises a magnet attracting material to form said break away connection between the break away connector and the shroud plate.