Patent Application
20190178605
Various embodiments relate generally to bow hunting.
The art of hunting has been practiced by human kind for countless millennia. Over the ages, humans have hunted different types of prey using different types of weapons. For example, a slingshot is a projectile weapon that may be used to hunt small animals, such as rabbits or squirrels. A spear-thrower (also known as an atlatl) is another type of projectile weapon that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart-throwing, and includes a bearing surface which allows the user to store energy during a spear throw.
A bow and arrow is a ranged weapon that includes an elastic launching device (bow) and a long-shafted projectile (arrow). The bow and arrow has been a particularly effective hunting tool for humans, as it is a moderate-range projectile weapon that can be used while moving or riding on horseback. There are a variety of different types of bow designs that have been developed over the years. Specific types of bow designs include recurve bows, longbows, compound bows, and composite bows.
Apparatus and associated methods relate to a mounting bracket for coupling a sight or other targeting device to a bow. In an illustrative example, the sight may be a thermal or night-vision sight, and an electronic device may optically couple to the sight for displaying a view through the sight on a display screen of the electronic device. The sight may fixedly couple to the mounting bracket via, for example, a Picatinny-style rail/mount. An on-the-fly windage/elevation adjustment mechanism may allow for adjustments, for example, to the windage and/or elevation of the sight coupled to the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket may utilize, for example, a thermal or night-vision sight that may be beneficial for use in low light conditions, such as bow hunting at night.
Various embodiments may achieve one or more advantages. For example, some embodiments may advantageously allow for a user to utilize a thermal/night-vision sight without requiring the user's eye to be proximate to the viewer of the thermal/night-vision sight. A smartphone may align with the viewer of the sight, provide for a large enough screen for a user to view from over a foot away, and be lightweight enough to be supported on a bow without making the bow unwieldy. A canted (downward) sight support section, in some embodiments, may advantageously allow for more accurate bow aiming, due to the downward (parabolic) arc an arrow travels when under the force of gravity. An angle-adjustable sight support section having a pivot point may advantageously allow for a user to adjust the angle the sight support section makes with respect to the rest of the mounting bracket. A unitary construction mounting bracket may advantageously reduce the number of parts needed to mount a sight to a bow, and may experience less wear than a bracket having movable parts that may frictionally engage one another. An on-the-fly windage/elevation adjustment mechanism may advantageously allow for quick, immediate, and toolless adjustments to windage/elevation. A mounting bracket with multiple Picatinny-style rails may advantageously allow for mounting of multiple devices to the mounting bracket. A unique and distinctive apparatus for night hunting with a bow may beneficially integrate a mounting system that enables use of thermal and/or night vision sights mounted to the bow. In some examples, the mounting system may, for example, replace daytime pin sights on a bow with a non-proprietary design. Some design implementations may provide for increased standoff distance, which may advantageously provide for enough space away from a bow to allow for a thermal or night vision sight to be mounted on a mounting bracket. Various examples of a mounting bracket may be formed of a high-strength material (such as aluminum or steel), and may be durable, sturdy, and heavy duty, such that the mount can withstand the vibrations of a bow when the bow is being fired by a user. Various embodiments may enable a user to see farther, with a larger field-of-view (FOV), and provide for a clearer image and increased hot spot detection distance. Some implementations may provide a hunter with all the benefits of a thermal or night vision sight, while giving the user the ability to draw and fire a bow with minimal encumbrance.
The details of various embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
To adjust the windage/elevation of the mounting bracket 110 relative to the bow 105, the user 100 may use an elevation adjustment and/or a windage adjustment mechanism (see, e.g.,
In some embodiments, the sight 115 may be a thermal sight. A thermal sight may be beneficial for use in low light conditions, such as hunting at night. For example, a farmer experiencing a problem with wild hogs may use a thermal sight to pinpoint hogs during non-daylight hours for extermination. A thermal sight may advantageously detect a prey animal in deep cover or hidden by fog. In some examples, the sight 115 may be a night vision sight. A night vision sight may be beneficial for use in low light conditions, such as hunting at night. A night vision sight may advantageously provide for a more natural image versus a thermal sight, and may also be more rugged, cheaper, and lightweight than a thermal sight.
In various embodiments, the sight 115 may be a laser sight. A laser sight may beneficially aid in achieving a more accurate shot with a bow by placing a visual indicator on the target. The laser sight may be a green laser sight, which may provide visual feedback for a user operating the bow 105. The laser sight may be an infrared (IR) laser sight, which may advantageously mark a target with an IR mark that can be seen through a night vision sight. In some examples, more than one sight 115 may be mounted on the mounting bracket 110. For example, a thermal sight, a night vision sight, and a laser sight may all be mounted onto the mounting bracket 110 (see, e.g.,
In various examples, the electronic display device 120 may be a smartphone. A smartphone may advantageously easily couple to the viewer of the sight 115, provide for a large enough screen for a user to view from over a foot's distance away, and be lightweight enough to be supported on a bow without making the bow unwieldy. A smartphone may also execute code that may perform image recognition functions for identifying prey. In some examples, more than one electronic device 120 may be used. For example, a mounting bracket 110 that supports both a thermal sight and a night vision sight may use one electronic device for displaying the view through the thermal sight, and another electronic device for displaying the view through the night vision sight. In some embodiments, the electronic device 120 may be supported by the mounting bracket 110. In various examples, the electronic device 120 may couple to a viewer of the sight 115. In some embodiments, the electronic device 120 may be integrated with the sight 115. The display screen 122 of the electronic device 120 may be on one surface of the electronic device 120, while the camera of the electronic device 120 may be on another (oppositely facing) surface of the electronic device 120.
The mounting bracket 200 includes an electronic display device retainer 225. Loaded/retained in the device retainer 225 is an electronic display device 230 (e.g., a smartphone such as an iPhone®). The position of the device retainer 225 may be adjusted up, down, left, right, forward, and/or backward (see, e.g.,
With regards to
The position adjustment features include an x-axis adjustment dial 260x, a y-axis adjustment dial 260y, and a z-axis adjustment dial 260z located on a back end of the sight support section 215. The x-axis adjustment dial may be used for adjusting a relative x-axis distance between the sight support section 215 and the electronic display device retainer 225. For example, if a user places a second (different) type of display device into the retainer 225, the camera of the second display device may be offset (in the x-direction) from the camera of the first display device, such that camera of the second display device is not aligned with the viewer 255. Accordingly, a user may advantageously turn the x-axis adjustment dial 260x to move the retainer 225 to the left or the right to properly align the camera of the second display device with the viewer 255 of the sight 235. The y-axis adjustment dial 260y may be used for adjusting a relative y-axis distance between the sight support section 215 and the electronic display device retainer 225. For example, if a user mounts a second (different) type of sight onto the bracket 200, the viewer of the second type of sight may be offset forward or backward from the viewer of the first sight, thus bringing the view of the viewer out of focus of the camera 250. Accordingly, a user may advantageously turn the y-axis adjustment dial 260y to move the retainer 225 forward or backward to properly focus the viewer 255 of the sight 235 with the camera of the second display device. The z-axis adjustment dial 260z may be used for adjusting a relative z-axis distance between the sight support section 215 and the electronic display device retainer 225. For example, if a user mounts a second (different) type of sight onto the bracket 200, the viewer of the second type of sight may be higher or lower than the viewer of the first sight. Accordingly, a user may advantageously turn the z-axis adjustment dial 260z to move the retainer 225 up or down to properly align the camera of the second display device with the viewer 255 of the sight 235.
The rotation adjustment features include an x-axis rotation adjustment dial 265x, y-axis rotation adjustment dial 265y, and z-axis rotation adjustment dial 265z located on a back end of the sight support section 215. The rotation adjustment dials 265x, 265y, 265z may allow a user to rotate the retainer 225 about any of the x-axis, the y-axis, or the z-axis. Rotation of the retainer 225 may beneficially enable a user to (1) properly align the camera 250 with the viewer 255, and/or (2) properly set the viewing angle of the display device 230 so the user can effectively view the display 240 of the display device when they are drawing the bow and preparing for a shot.
Coupled with the distal portion 405b and the bridge 410 is a vertical angle adjustment assembly 425. In this exemplary depiction, the vertical angle adjustment assembly 425 includes a vertical angle control knob 425a coupled to a knob shaft 425b. In some examples, turning the vertical angle control knob 425a may rotate the bridge 410 around an x-axis (or axis parallel to the x-axis), and relative to the distal portion 405b. In various embodiments, the knob 425a may be a tightening knob that fixes the bridge 410 in a fixed position relative to the distal portion 405b when the knob is sufficiently tightened, and allows for rotation of the bridge 410 relative to the distal portion 405b when the knob is sufficiently loosened. In various examples, the end of the knob shaft 425b may be fixed to (e.g., integrally formed with or welded to) a proximal end of the bridge 410.
The windage adjustment assembly 520 includes a bridge rack 530 and pinion 535 mechanism. The rack 530 is fixedly coupled to the proximal portion 510a, while the pinion is rotatably coupled to the distal portion 510b. Mechanically coupled to the pinion 535 by means of a shaft 538 (see
The horizontal angle adjustment assembly 525 includes a horizontal angle adjustment knob 550. Mechanically coupled to the knob 550 is a shaft 552 (see
In various examples, an on-the-fly windage/elevation adjustment mechanism may include an elevation adjustment feature and a windage adjustment feature. The elevation and/or windage adjustments may include rotatable gears (e.g., cog, spur gear, bevel gear, worm wheel) that engage a toothed structure to achieve a specific user-desired elevation/windage. In some examples, the elevation and/or windage adjustments may include a rack and pinion mechanism.
In some examples, the on-the-fly windage/elevation adjustment mechanism may an intermediate coupling mount. For example, the on-the-fly windage/elevation adjustment mechanism may be included with the intermediate coupling mount that couples at a proximal end to the bow, and couples at a distal end to the mounting bracket. In some examples, the on-the-fly windage/elevation adjustment mechanism may be integrally formed with the mounting bracket. The on-the-fly windage/elevation adjustment mechanism may advantageously allow for quick, immediate, and toolless adjustments to windage/elevation.
Furthermore, each device retainer 620, 625, 630 may have a different type of coupling mechanism to couple the retainer to the sight mounting portion 615. For example, the retainer 620 may have a pair of snap features 620c configured to mechanically couple with (snap to) complementary snap features 635 of the portion 615. In another example, the retainer 625 may have a pair of holes configured to mechanically couple with (via screws) complementary holes 640 of the portion 615. In yet another example, the retainer 630 may have a permanent magnet 630c configured to magnetically couple with a complementary permanent magnet 640 of the portion 615.
By making the device retainers 620-630 releasable from the portion 615, a user may advantageously pick which retainer to use based on their specific device. Another advantage to making the device retainers 620-630 releasable from the portion 615 is that a user may wish to use the mounting bracket system 600 without a sight or electronic display device. For example, a user may desire to simply hunt using a laser sight mounted on the portion 615 instead of a thermal or night vision sight. In such a scenario, the user may simply detach the retainer from the portion 615 and couple a laser sight to the Picatinny style rail of the portion 615. In this sense, the mounting bracket may be a modular, transformable, and adaptable system, essentially functioning as a “dual-purpose” system that can be customized to fit the particular wants and needs of the user.
A mounting bracket 700 includes a bow coupling portion 705, a laterally extending bridge 710, a longitudinally extending mounting portion 715, and an electronic device retainer 740. The mounting portion 715 includes a Picatinny-style rail 720. Mounted on the rail 720 is a (thermal) sight 725. The sight 725 includes a viewer 730 having a retainer coupling feature (e.g., internal threads 735) along an inner surface of the viewer 730. The retainer 740 is shown as being mechanically coupled (e.g., fixedly) to a proximal end of the mounting portion 715.
The retainer 740 as depicted includes an inner channel (not shown) having dimensions configured to receive a smartphone. The retainer 740 also includes a sight coupling mechanism 745 (e.g., a notched circle having complementary threads 750). The sight coupling mechanism 745 is aligned with a camera viewing aperture (see, e.g.,
Some embodiments may include an exemplary smartphone device coupled to an exemplary sight via an exemplary phone mount, which may be integrated with a retainer of a bot mounting bracket. The sight 725 is configured to couple to the Picatinny-style rail 720. A smartphone (not shown) is operatively/mechanically coupled to the sight 725 via a phone mount 740. In this exemplary embodiment, the sight 500 is a thermal sight configured to detect the heat signatures of surrounding objects. Aligned with the viewer 730 of the sight 725 is the camera of the smartphone. This arrangement allows for the view through the sight 730 to be displayed on the screen of the smartphone. A silhouette of an animal may be seen on the screen of the smartphone because the temperature of the animal is distinguishable from the temperature of the ambient background by the thermal sight.
Various embodiments may relate to a unitary-construction mounting bracket that includes bow coupling section, a lateral extension section, a sight support section, and a Picatinny-style rail. The Picatinny-style rail may be integrally formed with the sight support section. The bow coupling section may include at least one aperture configured to receive a fastener (e.g., bolt, screw, pin) to couple the mounting bracket to a bow or an intermediate coupling member (e.g., on-the-fly windage/elevation adjustment mechanism). In some examples, the height-wise dimension of the bow coupling section may be orthogonal to the width-wise dimension of the extension section and the length-wise dimension of the sight support section. Exemplary dimensions of the mounting bracket may be as follows. The bow coupling section 605 may have the following dimensions: height=1″, width=0.25″, length=1″. The extension section 610 may have the following dimensions: height=0.25″, width=1.844″, length=0.25″. The sight support section 615 may have the following dimensions: height=0.5″, width=0.617″, length=3.75″. The Picatinny-style rail 620 may have the following dimensions: height=0.117″, (max) width=0.835″, length=3.75″. It may be appreciated that the exact dimensions of the mounting bracket 600 may be adjusted or customized to be smaller or larger than the above values. For example, the above values may be adjusted up or down by about 0.01″, 0.05″, 0.1″, 0.5″, 1″, 1.5″, 2″, 3″, 4″, or about 5″ or more.
Although various embodiments have been described with reference to the Figures, other embodiments are possible. For example, an aiming accessory for a bow may include mechanisms for mounting the accessory to the bow, mechanisms for mounting an electronic device to the accessory, and mechanisms for mounting a sight or other device to the accessory. In some examples, a positioning accessory may be at a predetermined orientation relative to the bow. The accessory may include a mounting flange that couples to a dynamic adjustment aiming calibration system. The accessory may include an attachment member that may be, for example, a Picatinny-style rail. The accessory may be a multi-axis, dynamic positioning system that may advantageously adjust the windage/elevation of a sight coupled to a bow. In various examples, an orientation/design of a mounting bracket may be reversed/mirrored for a left-handed bow.
An electronic device may include a camera that may be configured to be in alignment with a viewfinder of an optical accessory (e.g., a thermal or night-vision sight). In some examples, the camera may be a video camera. In various embodiments, the electronic device may be a smartphone (e.g., iPhone or Android smartphone). The electronic device may include software that allows the view through the camera of the electronic device to be displayed on a display screen of the electronic device.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modification may be made. For example, advantageous results may be achieved if the steps of the disclosed techniques were performed in a different sequence, or if components of the disclosed systems were combined in a different manner, or if the components were supplemented with other components. Accordingly, other implementations are contemplated.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/598,350, titled “Attachment Bracket for Mounting a Sight or Other Targeting Device to a Bow for Hunting at Night,” filed by Phillip Evans, on Dec. 13, 2017. This application incorporates the entire contents of the foregoing application(s) herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62598350 | Dec 2017 | US |
