Helmet mount for night vision goggles

• US 8,087,100 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elbit Systems of America LLC (Elbit Systems Limited)
• Original Assignee: ITT Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc. (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Aguero, Raymond, Neff, Todd, Garris, William Eric, Holmes, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): HARMON, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US11/944,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20090133179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,499 Days
• Field of Search: 245/5, 241/0, 242/2, 242/6, 245/3, 359/409
• US Class Current: 2/422
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/042 Optical devices night vision goggles G02B23/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/125 head-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A helmet mount for night vision apparatus wherein night vision goggles can be coupled and uncoupled to its power pack without the use of tools and wherein the power pack can be coupled and uncoupled to a helmet without the use of tools. When an aviator wearing a helmet with night vision apparatus so mounted, is ejected from his aircraft both the goggles and the power pack are released from the helmet.

Claims

1. A night vision apparatus:

said apparatus including a helmet mount, a night vision goggle intensifying low level light into a visible image and a power pack providing electric power operating the goggle;

said helmet mount including a support band having an inner surface configured to seat on the front surface of a helmet and adapted to be fixed thereto, and a first pair of spaced apart ears extending from the outer surface of the support band in a generally forward direction, each ear containing a socket on the surface facing the adjacent surface of the other ear;

said power pack including a spring loaded plunger assembly that cooperates with the sockets to releasably couple and uncouple the power pack to and from the support band; and

said power pack including a power mount assembly for coupling and uncoupling the night vision goggle to the power pack, said power mount assembly comprising a receptacle having a second pair of spaced apart ears extending in a generally forward direction, each of such second pair of ears containing a socket on their adjacent surfaces, and

a spring loaded plunger assembly carried by said night vision goggle that cooperates with said sockets on said second pair of ears to releasably couple and uncouple said night vision goggle to and from said receptacle.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the spring loaded plunger assembly uncouples from the sockets under a predetermined g-force.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said spring loaded plunger assembly includes a pair of spring loaded plungers carried by said power pack and extending laterally therefrom, each plunger having a size and shape to seat in said sockets.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein each socket communicates with a groove extending radially from the socket to the outer edge of the ear.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said grooves taper from a larger dimension adjacent the outer edge of the ear to a smaller dimension adjacent the socket.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein the bottom surface of the grooves form a ramp that compresses the plungers as the plungers slide from the outer edge of the ear to the socket.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said grooves taper from a larger to a smaller dimension with the larger dimension being adjacent the outer edge of the ear and the smaller dimension being adjacent the socket;

and

wherein the bottom surface of the grooves form a ramp that compresses the plungers as the plungers slide from the outer edge of the ear to the socket.

8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein each socket on said second pair of ears communicates with a groove extending radially from the socket to the outer edge of the ear.

9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 8 wherein said grooves on said support band extend in a generally forward direction and wherein the grooves on said second pair of ears extend at an angle thereto whereby the axis of the grooves on the second pair of ears intersects the axis of the grooves on the support band.

10. A support for supporting night vision apparatus on a helmet, said support comprising:

a support band having an inner surface configured to seat on the front surface of a helmet and adapted to be fixed thereto;

said support band having a front surface with a pair of spaced apart first ears extending from the front surface of said band;

the adjacent face of each first ear containing a socket;

a power pack including a spring loaded plunger assembly that cooperates with the sockets of the first ears to releasably couple and uncouple the power pack to and from the support band;

the power pack having a pair of spaced apart second ears extending in a forward direction;

each second ear containing a socket; and

the night vision apparatus including a spring loaded plunger assembly that cooperates with the sockets of the second ears to releasably couple and uncouple the night vision apparatus to and from the power pack.

11. A support in accordance with claim 10 wherein a groove extends radially from each socket to an outer edge of a respective ear, said grooves taper from a larger dimension adjacent the outer edge to a smaller dimension adjacent the socket.

12. A support in accordance with claim 11 wherein the bottom surface of each groove forms a ramp.

13. A support in accordance with claim 11 wherein said grooves taper from a larger dimension adjacent the outer edge of the respective ear to a smaller dimension adjacent the each socket and wherein the bottom surface of said grooves form each groove forms a ramp.