WO1993010390A1 - Hand-held support for a sighting means - Google Patents
Hand-held support for a sighting means Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1993010390A1 WO1993010390A1 PCT/GB1992/002100 GB9202100W WO9310390A1 WO 1993010390 A1 WO1993010390 A1 WO 1993010390A1 GB 9202100 W GB9202100 W GB 9202100W WO 9310390 A1 WO9310390 A1 WO 9310390A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- hand
- user
- held support
- mounting means
- sighting
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B23/00—Telescopes, e.g. binoculars; Periscopes; Instruments for viewing the inside of hollow bodies; Viewfinders; Optical aiming or sighting devices
- G02B23/16—Housings; Caps; Mountings; Supports, e.g. with counterweight
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M11/00—Stands or trestles as supports for apparatus or articles placed thereon Stands for scientific apparatus such as gravitational force meters
- F16M11/20—Undercarriages with or without wheels
- F16M11/22—Undercarriages with or without wheels with approximately constant height, e.g. with constant length of column or of legs
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16M—FRAMES, CASINGS OR BEDS OF ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS, NOT SPECIFIC TO ENGINES, MACHINES OR APPARATUS PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; SUPPORTS
- F16M13/00—Other supports for positioning apparatus or articles; Means for steadying hand-held apparatus or articles
- F16M13/04—Other supports for positioning apparatus or articles; Means for steadying hand-held apparatus or articles for supporting on, or holding steady relative to, a person, e.g. by chains, e.g. rifle butt or pistol grip supports, supports attached to the chest or head
Definitions
- This invention relates to a hand-held support for a sighting means and in particular for a sighting means which forms part of an optical apparatus or which is alligned with an optical apparatus additionally supported on the hand-held support.
- Hand-held supports for optical apparatuses which include a sighting means are known which aim to reduce the level of fatigue felt by the user of the apparatus when the user holds the apparatus at eye level for long periods of time.
- One such support is described in UK Patent No 2,173.016 and comprises mounting means on which the optical apparatus is supported, two arms that extend downwards from the mounting means each arm having a handle at the end of the arm distant from the mounting means and a neck strap the ends of which are connected to respective handles. In use a user holds the handles at waist level and the entire weight of the apparatus is taken by the neck strap.
- Such supports also aim to improve the steadiness with which the optical apparatus can be held at eye level.
- a hand-held support for a sighting means that can be successfully used to hold a sighting means at eye level for a long period of time with increased steadiness.
- a hand-held support for a sighting means with an eyepiece comprising a mounting means upon which the sighting means is rigidly supported, a p'air of handles which extend from the mounting means in a predominantly downwards direction, restraining means extending rearwardly from the mounting means and adapted in use to extend around the upper part of a user's body to restrain the mounting means against forward motion in such a manner that when forwards and upwards pressure is applied to the handles by the user's hands to lift the sighting means to eye level the support pivots about the point or region of contact between the user and the restraining means to urge the eyepiece of the sighting means against the user's eye.
- the stability with which the sighting means can be held can be increased substantially.
- the mounting means pivots about the one or more articulations as well as the point or region of contact between the user and the restraining means to urge the eyepiece against the user's eye.
- the one or more articulations allows the support to be positioned so that in use the downwardly extending handles are in a position which gives the user the option of resting his/her upper arms against his/her body. Therefore the support according to the present invention can be held rigidly with respect to the user because the upper arms can be braced against the user's body and the lower arms can to a certain extent be braced against the handles because of the restraining means. This arrangement also transfers much of the weight of the support and the sighting means to the user's body away from the arms, thus reducing fatigue.
- a further advantage of the present invention is that it is easily portable because the restraining means can allow the support to hang against the user's chest or to be tucked under one of the user's arms when it is not in use.
- the restraining means comprises a flexible neck strap and the articulations are formed by the attachment of the two ends of the neck strap to the mounting means so that the mounting means is pivotable about an axis which goes through the points of attachment between the said two ends and the mounting means.
- the neck strap is adjustable so that the length of the neck strap can be altered to fit each user, ie. so that the eyepiece of the sighting means will come to rest over the user's eye when the support is in a stable position that feels comfortable to the user.
- the sighting means may be part of an optical apparatus, for example, the sighting means of a camera or a video camera and so the optical apparatus is mounted on the mounting means.
- the hand-held support may have an optical apparatus mounted on the mounting means in addition to a sighting means, with the optical axes of the optical apparatus and the sighting means substantially alligned.
- the sighting means may have one eyepiece or two eyepieces, ie. one for each eye.
- the sighting means and if appropriate the optical apparatus are operated by controls located on at least one of the handles so that the user can maintain a stable grip on the sighting means and/or apparatus whilst operating it.
- the eye-piece of the sighting means has a surround which is resilient in the direction of the line of sight so that the position of the eye can be adjusted to the required eye relief by the pressure exerted by the user's eye socket against the surround when the handles are pushed forwards by the user.
- the surround is made from a cylinder of an elastically deformable material configured as a concertina.
- Figure 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of the hand-held support according to the present invention on which a sighting means is mounted.
- Figure 2 is a side-view of a user holding a sighting means mounted on a support similar to the one shown in Figure 1 at eye level.
- Figure 3 s a front view of a second embodiment of a hand-held support according to the present invention on which a camera is mounted.
- the hand-held support shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a platform 2 and a pair of handles 4 which extend vertically downwards from opposite ends of the platform 2.
- the length of the platform 2 is such that the handles 4 are a shoulder width apart.
- a sighting means 6 is mounted securely on the platform 2.
- the sighting means 6 could be replaced by other types of optical apparatuses which incorporate eyepieces, for example, cameras, video cameras, telescopes, binoculars or thermal imagers.
- Control buttons 8 for operating the sighting means 6 are located on the handles 4.
- the eye-piece 10 of the sighting means 6 has a surround made of a concertina of an elastically deformable material which is resilient in the direction of the line of sight of the sighting means 6 but does not tend to droop.
- An eye pad 11 which is designed to fit comfortably over a user's eye is located at the end of the eye-piece 10 distant from the sighting means 6.
- the ends of an adjustable strap 12 are attached to opposite ends of the platform 2 with pins 14 so that the support is pivotable about an axis 16 when it is in use.
- the length of the strap 12 can be adjusted, for example, by using the buckle 13 (see Figure 3)-
- the hand-held support In use, the hand-held support is lifted up to eye level from a position where it rests against the user's chest by the user pushing the handles away from him/herself in a forwards and upwards direction (as indicated by the arrow 18) with the neck strap 12 being tight around his/her neck.
- the platform 2 and thus the whole support pivots about the back of the user's neck (arrow 24) and the horizontal axis 16 (arrow 26) and the eyepad 11 moves towards the user's eye.
- the support continues to pivot until the eyepad 11 comes to rest over the user's eye and the surround of the eyepiece 10 deforms until the user's eye is located at the required eye relief.
- the user holds the support in this position while using the sighting means 6.
- the hand-held support shown therein has a sighting means 6 and a camera 22 rigidly mounted side-by-side with their optical axes alligned.
- the eye-piece of 10 the sighting means 6 extends from the sighting means upwards at a small angle to the horizontal.
- the support shown in Figure 3 acts in the same way as the support shown in Figure 1.
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP92923435A EP0613539A1 (en) | 1991-11-21 | 1992-11-13 | Hand-held support for a sighting means |
GB9409727A GB2275789B (en) | 1991-11-21 | 1992-11-13 | Hand-held support for a sighting means |
JP5503906A JPH07503779A (en) | 1991-11-21 | 1992-11-13 | Handheld support for viewing means |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB9124710.6 | 1991-11-21 | ||
GB919124710A GB9124710D0 (en) | 1991-11-21 | 1991-11-21 | Hand-held support for a sighting means |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1993010390A1 true WO1993010390A1 (en) | 1993-05-27 |
Family
ID=10704972
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB1992/002100 WO1993010390A1 (en) | 1991-11-21 | 1992-11-13 | Hand-held support for a sighting means |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0613539A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPH07503779A (en) |
GB (2) | GB9124710D0 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1993010390A1 (en) |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1525097A (en) * | 1976-08-27 | 1978-09-20 | Rollei Werke Franke Heidecke | Camera attachment |
DE2925414A1 (en) * | 1979-06-23 | 1981-01-15 | Reiner Moll | Shoulder support for cine camera - has joint between neck stirrup and forward grip, permitting angular and length adjustment |
US4272177A (en) * | 1980-05-27 | 1981-06-09 | Ottenheimer Charles J | Multiple camera mounting bracket |
GB2089522A (en) * | 1980-12-06 | 1982-06-23 | British Aerospace | Cameras |
GB2173016A (en) * | 1985-03-21 | 1986-10-01 | Kenneth Richard Nicholls | Support for hand-held optical apparatus |
US4698857A (en) * | 1986-06-09 | 1987-10-13 | Varo, Inc. | Light secure eyecup for use with night vision goggles |
DE8907277U1 (en) * | 1989-06-14 | 1989-07-27 | Hitze, Werner, 3000 Hannover, De |
-
1991
- 1991-11-21 GB GB919124710A patent/GB9124710D0/en active Pending
-
1992
- 1992-11-13 EP EP92923435A patent/EP0613539A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1992-11-13 GB GB9409727A patent/GB2275789B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1992-11-13 WO PCT/GB1992/002100 patent/WO1993010390A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1992-11-13 JP JP5503906A patent/JPH07503779A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1525097A (en) * | 1976-08-27 | 1978-09-20 | Rollei Werke Franke Heidecke | Camera attachment |
DE2925414A1 (en) * | 1979-06-23 | 1981-01-15 | Reiner Moll | Shoulder support for cine camera - has joint between neck stirrup and forward grip, permitting angular and length adjustment |
US4272177A (en) * | 1980-05-27 | 1981-06-09 | Ottenheimer Charles J | Multiple camera mounting bracket |
GB2089522A (en) * | 1980-12-06 | 1982-06-23 | British Aerospace | Cameras |
GB2173016A (en) * | 1985-03-21 | 1986-10-01 | Kenneth Richard Nicholls | Support for hand-held optical apparatus |
US4698857A (en) * | 1986-06-09 | 1987-10-13 | Varo, Inc. | Light secure eyecup for use with night vision goggles |
DE8907277U1 (en) * | 1989-06-14 | 1989-07-27 | Hitze, Werner, 3000 Hannover, De |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB2275789A (en) | 1994-09-07 |
JPH07503779A (en) | 1995-04-20 |
GB9409727D0 (en) | 1994-07-06 |
EP0613539A1 (en) | 1994-09-07 |
GB9124710D0 (en) | 1992-01-15 |
GB2275789B (en) | 1995-06-28 |
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