The present disclosure is directed to a multi-axis bow sight that decouples bow cant from operation of the elevation and windage adjustments.
The elevation assembly 22 permits the shooter to raise and lower the bezel 24 relative to the bow sight 20 along vertical axis 26 to compensate for distance. Windage assembly 32 permits the shooter to move the bezel 24 along horizontal axis 34 to compensate for wind conditions. The operation of the elevation and windage assemblies 2232, however, is dependent on the bow 28 being held vertical, as illustrated in
Human physiology is such that when the arm muscles are in a relaxed state the shooters has a natural tendency to hold a bow at an angled or canted position. Alternatively, the shooter may have a preferred angle or cant for holding the bow. As used herein, “bow cant” refers to a shooter's natural and/or preferred angle for holding a bow relative to vertical. Right-handed shooters cant or angle the bow 28 to the left and left-handed shooters cant the bow 28 to the right. The degree of cant varies between shooters, but is generally in the range of about 20 degrees.
The Gibbs '112 patent discloses a bow cant adjustment that permits the bezel 24 to be rotated level relative to the shooter as illustrated in
The present disclosure is directed to a bow sight that permits the bow to be held at to the shooter's natural or preferred bow cant, while maintaining a micro-adjustable elevation assembly in a vertical configuration and the windage assembly in a horizontal configuration. Compensation for the shooter's bow cant is performed with a micro-adjust mechanism that smoothly and precisely rotates the bezel, elevation assembly, and windage assembly relative to the bow.
One embodiment is directed to a bow sight that decouples the shooter's bow cant from elevation and windage adjustments. The bow sight includes a segmented support assembly with a proximal portion, and intermediate portion, and a distal portion. The proximal portion is adapted to attach to the bow. The intermediate portion is rotatably attached to the proximal portion and rotates around a Y-axis relative to the proximal portion. The distal portion is pivotally attached to the intermediate portion and pivots around a Z-axis relative to the intermediate portion. A first micro-adjust controls the rotational position around the Y-axis of the intermediate portion relative to the proximal portion. A second micro-adjust controls the pivotal position around the Z-axis of the distal portion around the intermediate portion. An adjustable elevation assembly and an adjustable windage assembly are attached to the distal portion. A bezel assembly is attached to the elevation assembly and the windage assembly. The elevation adjustment is adapted to move the bezel assembly along a substantially vertical axis and the windage adjustment is adapted to move the bezel assembly along a substantially horizontal axis while the bow is held at a bow cant greater than zero. The elevation and windage assembly optionally including a windage micro-adjust and an elevation micro-adjust.
The first micro-adjust preferably provides an adjustment of +/−15 degrees relative to horizontal. The first micro-adjusts preferably include a threaded traveler engaged with the lead screw where the lead screw is parallel to the X-axis. The lead screw is located offset from an axis of a pivot pin attaching the intermediate portion to the proximal portion. The second micro-adjust includes a lead screw located offset from an axis of a pivot pin attaching the distal portion to the intermediate portion. A adjustment knob is preferably provided for each of the lead screws.
In one embodiment, a plurality of detents are located on the lead screw. A member is biases into engagement with the detents to provide feedback to the shooter during adjustment. Set screws are preferably provided to secure the first and second micro-adjusts after the adjustments have been made.
In another embodiment, the elevation and windage assembly includes an adjustable windage assembly attached to the distal portion and an adjustable elevation attached to the windage assembly. The bezel assembly is attached to the elevation assembly. Indicia are preferably provided as an indication of a degree of rotation of the intermediate portion relative to the proximal portion.
In one embodiment, the bezel includes an opening that extends toward a sight point located in the bezel opening. A light assembly is provided that engages with the opening and transmits light onto the sight pin or aiming indicia located in the bezel opening.
A level assembly is optionally engaged with a curved surface on the bezel. Set screws on the bezel are provided to calibrate the level assembly along the curved surface.
The present disclosure is also directed to a bow sight that decouples the shooter's bow cant from windage adjustments. The segmented support assembly includes a proximal portion and a distal portion. The proximal portion is adapted to attach to the bow. The distal portion is rotatably attached to the proximal portion and rotates around the Y-axis relative to the proximal portion. A micro-adjust controls the rotational position around the Y-axis of the distal portion relative to the proximal portion. A windage assembly is attached to the distal portion. A bezel assembly is attached to the windage assembly. The windage adjustment moves the bezel assembly along a substantially horizontal axis while the bow is held at a bow cant greater than zero. In one embodiment, the windage assembly includes a windage micro-adjust. An adjustable elevation assembly is optionally interposed between the distal portion and the windage assembly.
The present disclosure is also directed to a bow sight that decouples the shooter's bow cant from elevation adjustments. The segmented support assembly includes a proximal portion and a distal portion. The proximal portion is adapted to attach to the bow. The distal portion is rotatably attached to the proximal portion and rotates around the Y-axis relative to the proximal portion. A micro-adjust controls the rotational position around the Y-axis of the distal portion relative to the proximal portion. An elevation assembly is attached to the distal portion. A bezel assembly is attached to the elevation assembly. The elevation assembly moves the bezel assembly along a substantially vertical axis while the bow is held at a bow cant greater than zero. In one embodiment, an adjustable windage assembly interposed between the distal portion and the elevation assembly.
The present disclosure is also directed to a method of adjusting a bow sight for a shooter's bow cant. The method includes attaching a proximal portion of a segmented support assembly to the bow. The shooter holds the bow at the shooter's bow cant. A micro-adjust is operated to rotate a distal portion of the segmented support assembly around a Y-axis on the proximal portion until a bezel is substantially horizontal. An elevation assembly attached to the distal portion is operated to move the bezel assembly along a substantially vertical axis while the bow is held at the shooter's bow cant. The micro-adjust decouples the shooter's bow cant from operation of the elevation assembly.
In one embodiment, the present method includes operating a windage micro-adjust on a windage assembly interposed between the distal portion and the elevation assembly.
Rotational position of the intermediate portion 58 relative to the proximal portion 56 is controlled by micro-adjust assembly 64 illustrated in
As used herein, “micro-adjust” refers to an assembly including a threaded traveler engaged with threads of a precision lead screw to precisely control the relative position of two components. For example, the threads can have a pitch of about 0.5 millimeters (50.8 threads per inch), with a sensitivity of less than about 2 micrometers. A setscrew preferably locks the micro-adjust in the desired position.
Turning back to
Threaded traveler 102 is rotatably attached to distal portion 90 in cavity 104 by polymeric washers 70. Lead screw 106 extends through holes 108 in the intermediate portion 58 and engages with the threads in the traveler 102. Since the cavity 104 is located offset from the Z-axis 96, rotation of knob 110 displaces the traveler 102 left or right, resulting in rotational movement 94 of the distal portion 90 relative to the intermediate portion 58 (see e.g.,
Windage assembly 118 illustrated in
Ball bearing 132 located in recess 133 in windage block 120 is preferably biased by spring 134 against detents on knob 128. Pins 136 extend through holes 138 in the distal portion 90 to stabilize movement of the windage block 120 along the X-axis 130.
As best illustrated in
Bezel assembly 164 is attached to the bezel traveler 156 by fastener 166. In the illustrated embodiment, the bezel assembly 164 includes bezel bracket 165 attached to bezel 172 by fastener 167. By loosening the fastener 167, the bezel 172 can be rotated in directions 169 around axis 171 that is parallel to Y-axis 130 (see also,
As illustrated in
Set screw 200 (see
Since this adjustment is specific to the particular shooter, once the adjustment is completed the set screw 200 is tightened to secure the micro-adjust 64. Because the interface between the proximal portion 56 and intermediate portion 58 is located closest to the bow, the windage assembly 118 and elevation assembly 150 both rotate around the Y-axis 54 in direction 190 with the bezel 172. As a result, subsequent adjustment of the elevation assembly 150 causes the bezel 172 and sight pin 174 to travel along a vertical axis 196. Similarly, adjustments of the windage assembly 118 causes the bezel 172 to travel along a horizontal axis 198.
Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges which may independently be included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the disclosure, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either both of those included limits are also included in the disclosure.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which these inventions belong. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in the practice or testing of the present inventions, the preferred methods and materials are now described. All patents and publications mentioned herein, including those cited in the Background of the application, are hereby incorporated by reference to disclose and described the methods and/or materials in connection with which the publications are cited.
The publications discussed herein are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the present inventions are not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention. Further, the dates of publication provided may be different from the actual publication dates which may need to be independently confirmed.
Other embodiments of the invention are possible. Although the description above contains much specificity, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. It is also contemplated that various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. It should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at least some of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above.
Thus the scope of this invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art, and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in which reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.” All structural, chemical, and functional equivalents to the elements of the above-described preferred embodiment that are known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the present claims. Moreover, it is not necessary for a device or method to address each and every problem sought to be solved by the present invention, for it to be encompassed by the present claims. Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited in the claims.
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