Abstract:
An adjustable socket assembly adapted to receive a night vision device, the adjustable socket assembly including a body, a branch, and guide means attached to one of the body or the branch, wherein one of the body or the branch is slidably coupled to the guide means and wherein the body is aligned with the branch to form a night vision device receiving area having an adjustable width. The guide means maintains alignment between the body and the branch. The guide means may be, for example, guide pins or retaining screws.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/748,760 filed on Dec. 8, 2005, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention is directed to a width adjustable socket assembly. More specifically, the invention is directed to a socket assembly provided on a headgear mount and is adapted to receive a mounting plate from night vision goggles (NVG).  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     NVG are removably attached to a user&#39;s headgear via a headgear mount. The NVG, in one embodiment, are attached by sliding a dovetail mounting plate or insert on the NVG into a receiving socket on the headgear mount. However, even though a standardized size for dovetail plates is preferred, a variety of dovetail plate sizes are possible due to manufacturing tolerances and different manufacturers. Thus, the dovetail plate fit might range from overly tight to wobbly with the current socket assemblies, the current socket assemblies not being adjustable to accommodate the varyingly-sized dovetail plates.  
         [0004]     An adjustable socket has been developed for goggle horns as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,179, issued on Oct. 1, 2002, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, goggle horns require height or vertical adjustability of the socket. Dovetail plate attachments require that width or horizontal adjustability be incorporated into the socket, a form of adjustability not previously provided and more difficult to contemplate in view of the design of the sockets. As such, there is a need for a socket assembly adapted to receive a dovetail attachment, the socket assembly being width or horizontally adjustable to accommodate various dovetail attachment sizes.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     An adjustable socket assembly adapted to receive a night vision device is provided, the adjustable socket assembly including a body, a branch, and guide means attached to either the body or the branch, wherein either the body or the branch is slidably coupled to the guide means. The body is aligned with the branch to form a night vision device receiving area having an adjustable width and the guide means maintains alignment between the body and the branch. The guide means may be, for example, a plurality of guide pins or plurality of screws. The adjustable socket assembly may further include a retaining means inserted through either the body or the branch and may be attached to either the body or the branch. The retaining means, such as a retaining screw, prevent decoupling of the body and the branch from the guide means. A rail and a rail track may be included on either the body or the branch, respectively, such that when the rail track is coupled with the rail, the rail prevents the component containing the rail from decoupling from the guide means. The adjustable socket assembly may also include a coil spring inserted between the retaining member and either the body or the branch to bias the body and the branch, respectively, toward the branch or the body, respectively.  
         [0006]     Another embodiment of adjustable socket assembly adapted to receive a night vision device is provided including a flexible frame adapted to expand when a night vision device is coupled to the adjustable socket assembly and a branch and a body attached to the frame, the branch and the body aligned to form a width adjustable night vision device receiving area. The night vision device receiving area is adapted to securely accommodate night vision devices of varying widths.  
         [0007]     An adjustable insert to allow a night vision device to be coupled to a headgear mount is provided, the adjustable insert including a branch having a first rail, a body having a second rail, and guide means attached to either the body or the branch. At least one coil spring is inserted between the body and the branch to bias the branch away from the body and either the body or the branch is slidably coupled to the guide means. The guide means may be a plurality of guide pins. A retaining means, such as a retaining screw, may be inserted through either the branch or the body and attached to either the branch or the body to prevent the branch or the body from decoupling from the guide means. The adjustable insert may be, for example, dovetail shaped, but is not limited thereto. The adjustable insert may be attached to a height adjustable adaptor for goggle horns, by for example, an attachment screw. A roll pin may be inserted into the adjustable insert and the height adjustable adaptor, wherein the roll pin prevents rotation of the adjustable insert with respect the height adjustable adaptor.  
         [0008]     A horizontally adjustable assembly for attaching night vision goggles to a headgear mount for night vision goggles is provided including a first member, a second member, and guide means attached to either the first member or the second member. Either the first member or the second member may be slidably attached to the guide means, and the guide means, such as a plurality of guide pins, maintain alignment between the first member and the second member. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIGS. 1A-1C  are an exploded view and perspective views, respectively, of one exemplary embodiment of an adjustable dovetail socket assembly of the present invention.  
         [0010]      FIGS. 2A-2C  are an exploded view and perspective views, respectively, of another exemplary embodiment of an adjustable dovetail socket assembly of the present invention.  
         [0011]      FIGS. 3A-3C  are an exploded view and perspective views, respectively, of yet another exemplary embodiment of an adjustable dovetail socket assembly of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIGS. 4A-4C  are an exploded view and perspective views, respectively, of still another exemplary embodiment of an adjustable dovetail socket assembly of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIGS. 5A-5C  are an exploded view and perspective views, respectively, of yet another exemplary embodiment of an adjustable dovetail socket assembly of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are an exploded view and a perspective view, respectively, of an adjustable dovetail insert of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are an exploded view and a perspective view, respectively, of a split adaptor having an adjustable dovetail insert. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1A-1C , an exemplary embodiment of a width or horizontally adjustable spring-loaded dovetail socket assembly  10  is shown. The adjustable socket assembly will self adjust to individual goggle systems and accommodate accumulated tolerances from different manufacturers and compensate for wear on mating surfaces, eliminating wobble between the helmet mount and the NVG. The adjustable socket assembly  10  includes a body  12  and side portion or a branch  14  matable with the body. The socket assembly  10  includes a dovetail receiving area  16  which is adapted to receive a dovetail insert (not shown) located on a pair of NVG. More specifically, the NVG receiving area  16  may include a lock (not shown) which snaps into a recess on the dovetail insert to secure the dovetail insert in the NVG receiving area. Additionally, the socket assembly  10  includes a pair of dovetail rails  18  which allow the socket assembly to be coupled with an NVG headgear mount, such as the headgear mount described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/473,495, filed on Jun. 23, 2006, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0017]     Referring to  FIG. 1A , the body  12  and the branch  14  are coupleable by two guide pins  20 . The guide pins  20  are attached to the body  12  at respective body guide pin holes  22  located on an interior lateral surface of the body. The length of the guide pins  20  may vary depending on the amount of adjustability desired for the socket assembly  10 , but in one exemplary embodiment, the guide pins extend about 0.2 inch from the side of the body  12 . The branch  14  has corresponding branch guide pin holes  24  on an interior lateral side, the branch guide pin holes adapted to receive the guide pins  20  from the body  12 . When the guide pins  20  are inserted into the branch guide pin holes  24 , thus combining the body  12  and the branch  14  into the adjustable socket assembly  10 , the guide pins maintain alignment between the body and the branch. The  14  branch is slidable along the guide pins  20  with respect to the body. In this configuration, by sliding the branch  14  along the guide pins  20 , a gap  11  ( FIG. 1B ) may be created between the body  12  and the branch  14 , thus allowing for the size of the NVG receiving area  16  to be adjustable to securely accommodate dovetail inserts of various sizes. The size of the gap  11  may be dictated, among other things, by the length of the guide pins  20 . In one exemplary embodiment, a maximum gap between the body  12  and the branch  14  of about 0.030 inch may be created. However, the size of the gap is not limited thereto, and as will be understood by one skilled in the art, wider gaps may be created.  
         [0018]     To maintain the attachment between the body  12  and the branch  14 , a retaining screw  26  may be inserted through a branch retaining hole  32  and threaded into a body threaded hole  34  adapted to receiving the retaining screw. A head  27  of the screw prevents the branch  14  from sliding off an end of the guide pins  20 , thus preventing complete separation of the branch from the body  12 . The limit of the width of the gap  11  may be determined by the depth to which the retaining screw  26  is threaded into the body threaded hole  34 . For example, the farther the screw is threaded into the body threaded hole  34 , the narrower the gap  11  between the body  12  and the branch  14  can be at its widest extent. A coil spring  28  may be inserted between the head of the retaining screw  26  and a side of the branch  14  to pre-load the socket assembly. Thus, when a dovetail insert is inserted into the NVG receiving area  16 , the coil spring  28  biases the branch  14  against the dovetail insert to allow the socket assembly  10  to securely retain the dovetail insert. In an alternate embodiment, belville washers  30  may be placed between the branch side and the head of the retaining screw  26  to pre-load the socket assembly.  
         [0019]     An alternate embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1C . More specifically, as shown by the broken line in  FIG. 1C , a separated side of the socket assembly  10  may be separated from the remainder of the socket assembly not by a vertical plane cutting though the entire assembly, but by a vertical plane extending up from the bottom of the assembly to a point about ⅔ of the way through the assembly and below its top surface and then by a horizontal plane extending out thorough the sidewall of the assembly (along the broken line shown in  FIG. 1C ). Thus, in this alternative configuration, the top surface of the assembly remains unbroken so it can interact with other parts of the helmet mount, such as along the dovetail rails  18 , without any concerns of misalignment between the two pieces of the socket assembly. The lower, separate piece does not affect the top surface and, yet, provides horizontal adjustability for the socket in the bottom surface. This configuration may also be applied to any one of the other embodiments described below with respect to  FIGS. 2-5 .  
         [0020]     In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in  FIGS. 2A-2C , an adjustable socket assembly  35  includes a first socket portion  36  and a second socket portion  38 , the second socket portion being matable with the first socket portion. The adjustable socket assembly  35  also includes a frame  40  adapted to fit around three sides of the adjustable socket assembly  35 . The frame  40  includes four rail pins  42  which extend from interior lateral surfaces of the frame. The rail pins  42  are adapted to be inserted into corresponding socket rail pin holes  50 , thus allowing the first and second socket portions  36 ,  38  to be attached to the frame  40 . When the first and second socket portions  36 ,  38  are attached to the frame  40 , a dovetail-shaped NVG receiving area  39  is formed. The frame  40  is relatively flexible, allowing a gap  37  to be created between the first portion  36  and the second portion  38  when, for instance, a dovetail insert is slid into the NVG receiving area  39 . Thus the NVG receiving area is adjustable to receive variously sized dovetail inserts. In one exemplary embodiment, the frame  40  is flexible enough to allow a gap of about 0.030 inch between the first and second socket portions  36 ,  38 . However, the size of the gap is not limited thereto, and the flexibility of the frame may allow for larger or smaller maximum gap widths. The frame may be made from spring steel, stainless or a nylon material, but the composition of the frame is not limited thereto.  
         [0021]     A retaining screw  44  may be inserted through a frame retaining hole  54  and into a socket threaded hole  52  in each respective socket portion  36 ,  38  to maintain the attachment between each socket portion and the frame  40 . A coil spring  46  may be inserted over the retaining screw  44  between a side of each socket portion  36 ,  38  and the frame  40  or belville washers  48  placed over the retaining screw to pre-load the socket assembly  35 , biasing the socket portions away from the frame when a dovetail insert is inserted into the of NVG receiving area  39 .  
         [0022]     Yet another exemplary embodiment of an adjustable socket assembly  60  of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 3A-3C . Similarly to the adjustable socket assembly  10  described above with respect to  FIGS. 1A-1C , the adjustable socket assembly  60  includes a body  62  and a branch  64  matable with the body. However, in this embodiment the body  62  includes a substantially T-shaped rail  66  extending from an interior sidewall. The rail  66  is slidably connectable to a track  68  located on an interior sidewall of the branch  64 . The branch slides onto the rail to more securely hold the body and branch together. Guide pins  70  are inserted through the branch after the branch is attached to the body to provide for adjustability. Referring to  FIGS. 3B and 3C , the adjustable socket assembly also includes an NVG receiving area  65  as described above.  
         [0023]     Referring now to  FIG. 3B , when the body  62  and the branch  64  are mated, a dovetail-shaped NVG receiving area  65  is formed. The rail-track system which maintains a connection between the body and the branch may be dimensioned to allow a gap  63  to be created between the body and branch, thus allowing for an adjustable NVG receiving area  65 . Specifically, the depth of the track  68  may be designed such that when the rail  66  is inserted along the track, the width of the rail does not occupy the entire space provided by the track, allowing the rail to move laterally within the track and create the gap  63  between the body  62  and the branch  64 . The height of the rail  66  and the depth of the track  68  may vary depending on the amount of separability desired between the body  62  and the branch  64 . In one exemplary embodiment, the body  62  and the branch  64  are separable by about 0.3 inch but the gap width is not limited thereto. The guide pins  70  located along the same interior sidewall of the body  62  as the rail  66  serve to ensure that the branch  64  will remain aligned with the body when they are separated.  
         [0024]     Referring again to  FIG. 3A , a retaining screw  72  is insertable through a branch retaining hole  78  and into a body threaded hole (not shown) to maintain a secure connection between the body  62  and the branch  64 . As described above, the width of the gap  63  may be determined by the depth to which the retaining screw  72  is threaded into the body threaded hole as well as by the depth of the rail  66  and the track  68 . For example, the farther the screw is threaded into the body threaded hole, the narrower the maximum gap  63  between the body  62  and the branch  64 , regardless of the depth of the rail  66  or the track  68 . Additionally, the retaining screw  72  may be threaded into the body threaded hole such that there is no gap between the body  62  and the branch  64 . A coil spring  74  may be inserted between the head of the retaining screw  72  and a side of the branch  64  to pre-load the socket assembly and bias the branch away from the retaining screw head when, for example, a dovetail insert is inserted into the NVG receiving area  65 . In an alternate embodiment, belville washers  76  may be placed between the branch side and the head of the retaining screw  72 .  
         [0025]     In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIGS. 4A-4C , an adjustable socket assembly  80  includes a body  82  and a branch  84  matable with the body, similar to the body and the branch described above with respect to  FIGS. 1A-1C . However, in this embodiment the body  82  includes a track  86  adapted to receive a rail  88  on the branch  84 . The rail and track maintain alignment between the body and the branch during adjustment movement.  
         [0026]     The adjustable socket assembly  80  also includes three retaining screws  90  which serve to attach the branch  84  to the body  82  while allowing a gap  83  to be created between the branch and the body, as shown in  FIG. 4B . More specifically, each retaining screw  90  is insertable through a respective branch retaining hole  96  and is threadable into a body threaded hole  98 . The amount of separation between the body  82  and the branch  84  is determined by how far the retaining screws  90  are threaded into the body threaded holes  98 . The further the retaining screws  90  are threaded into the body threaded holes  98 , the less maximum separation between the body  82  and the branch  84 . Having three retaining screws  90  increases the likelihood that when all three retaining screws  90  are threaded to the same depth, the branch  84  and the body  82  will remain aligned. Although the present embodiment is described with respect to three retaining screws, the present invention is not limited thereto and the number of retaining screws used may vary.  
         [0027]     In one exemplary embodiment, belville washers  92  may be placed between a head of each screw  90  and the body  82  to pre-load the socket assembly. Thus, when a dovetail insert is inserted into the NVG receiving area  85 , the socket assembly  80  will securely retain the dovetail insert. In an alternate embodiment, a coil spring  94  may be used to pre-load the socket assembly.  
         [0028]     In yet another alternate embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIGS. 5A-5C , an adjustable socket assembly  100  includes a body  102  and a branch  104  matable with the body, similar to the body and the branch described above with respect to  FIGS. 4A-4C . In this embodiment, the body  102  includes a track  106  adapted to receive an insert  108 , the insert being locatable between the body and the branch  104 . The insert is T-shaped with the wider head of the T located outside of track  106 . Retaining screws  114  may be inserted through respective insert holes  110  and threaded into threaded body holes  112  to attach the insert  108  to the body. Belville washers  116  may be inserted over the screw threads to pre-load the socket assembly. Alternatively, coil springs  118  may be inserted over the screw threads to pre-load the socket assembly.  
         [0029]     The branch  104  includes a recess  124  adapted to receive the wider head of the insert to connect the branch to the body  102 . More specifically, to couple the branch  104  to the body  102 , the recess  124  may slide over the wider head of the insert  108  such that lips  125  on the recess engage the head. The retaining screws  114  may be threaded to a depth to allow a gap  113  ( FIG. 5B ) to be created between the branch  104  and the body  102 , and more specifically, between the insert  108  and the body. The gap  113  allows the adjustable socket assembly  100  to accommodate different dovetail sizes securely. Although the width of the gap  113  may vary depending on screw depth, in one exemplary embodiment, the maximum width of the gap is about 0.030 inch. A locating pin  120  may be inserted through locating pin holes  122 ,  123 ,  125  in the branch, insert and body, respectively. The locating pin serves to ensure that the branch  104  will remain aligned with the body  102  when there is separation between the body and the branch. In the present embodiment, since the branch  104  is inserted over the internal insert  108 , the socket assembly has smooth exterior sidewalls.  
         [0030]     As shown in  FIGS. 6A-6B , an exemplary embodiment of an adjustable dovetail insert  126  is shown. The adjustable dovetail insert  126  may be used with a fixed socket assembly or an adjustable socket assembly, such as the adjustable socket assemblies described herein. Providing an adjustable dovetail insert  126  allows the insert to compensate for size differences in NVG receiving areas on various socket assemblies, and for the insert to be securely fixed within such NVG receiving areas. The adjustable dovetail  126  includes a body  128  and a branch  130 , the branch being matable with the body. The body  128  and the branch  130  are adapted to be adjustable such that a gap  146  created between adjacent interior sidewalls of the body and the branch may vary when the branch is attached to the body. More specifically, retaining screws  134  are insertable through respective branch retaining holes  138  and into body threaded holes  142  (FIG.  7 A) to attach the body  128  to the branch  130 . A retaining screw head  135  prevents the branch  130  from completely separating from the body. However, depending on the depth to which the retaining screws  134  are threaded, the branch  130  is slidable along the screws allowing the gap  146  to be created. In one exemplary embodiment, the maximum width of the gap is about 0.030 inch.  
         [0031]     Guide pins  132  insertable into guide pin holes  148 ,  150  on the branch and body, respectively, serve to maintain alignment between the branch and the body separated by the gap  146 . A coil spring  136  may be inserted over each retaining screw  134  to bias the branch  130  away from the body  128  and to maintain the gap  146 . When the adjustable dovetail insert  126  is inserted into an NVG receiving area, the coil springs  136  allow the insert to conform to the size of the receiving area and maintain a secure fit within the receiving area.  
         [0032]     As shown in  FIGS. 7A-7B , the adjustable dovetail insert  126  is attachable to a vertically adjustable adaptor  152  for goggle horns. The adjustable dovetail insert  126  includes an attachment hole  140  through which an attachment screw  144  is insertable to secure the adjustable dovetail insert  126  to the adaptor  152 . A cylindrical or roll pin  145  may be inserted into a hole  147  extending through the body of the insert and down into a cylindrical recess  149  located in the top surface of the adapter. The hole and recess are offset to one side of the attachment screw and are dimensioned to securely receive pin  145 . Once in place, the pin helps prevent rotation of the insert relative to the adaptor. Having the adjustable dovetail insert  126  attached to the adaptor  152  allows NVG having a goggle horn to be attached to a headgear mount adapted to receive a dovetail. As such, the adaptor  152  is adapted for use with a greater number of headgear mounts.  
         [0033]     While various embodiments of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concept herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.