Archery bows and, in particular, compound bows utilize many parts to transfer energy to a projectile. In conventional designs, these parts include a bowstring, flexible limbs, and a cam assembly (including cables and pulleys). The archery bow also includes a bow riser, which integrates these parts together into a structure that provides mechanical advantage to an archer that draws back on the bowstring to prepare for a shot. The mechanical advantage stores significant amounts of energy to deliver the projectile at higher speeds.
This energy generates significant loading on the bow riser during operation of the archery bow. It is important, therefore, that the bow riser exhibit mechanical properties (e.g., stiffness) to reduce deflection of the bow riser to ensure repeatable and accurate delivery of the projectile. These properties can also prevent riser fatigue and other operational problems that can cause failure of the bow riser, thereby leading to potential hazardous operational issues.
Attempts to strengthen the bow riser can lead to several disadvantages. Adding materials to the riser by making it thicker or wider causes relatively high weight. Heavy risers can result in fatigue experienced by archers. Heavy risers, leading to high weight bows, can also hinder archers in aiming due the difficulty in holding the high weight bows.
Also, when an archer purchases a bow and later learns that it has inadequate riser strength, the bow may be unusable. This can result in complete loss in use of such a bow even though only the riser portion of the bow is inadequate.
The foregoing background describes some, but not necessarily all, of the problems, disadvantages and shortcomings related to bow risers.
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to archery equipment with particular discussion about construction of a bow riser for use on an archery bow. This disclosure suggests improvements that can impart strength to the bow riser. In one embodiment, the archery bow incorporates stiffening members that couple with the riser. Examples of the stiffening members can have mechanical properties that enhance, for example, the stiffness of the bow riser without interfering with overall operation of the archery bow to launch a projectile.
In an embodiment, a riser includes a front configured to face in a forward direction toward a target and a rear located opposite of the front, the rear configured to face in a rearward direction away from the target. The riser also includes a first stiffener mount and a second stiffener mount. The riser assembly additionally includes a riser stiffener. The riser stiffener includes a first coupler configured to couple to the first stiffener mount and a second coupler configured to couple to the second stiffener mount. When the riser stiffener is coupled to the riser before the riser is subject to a bow draw force, the riser stiffener exerts a riser force acting in the forward direction on the riser. Additionally, when the riser is subject to the bow draw force the riser force at least partially counteracts the bow draw force to reduce bending in the riser.
In another embodiment, a riser assembly for a bow includes a riser including a riser frame. The riser frame includes a front surface configured to face toward a target, a back surface configured to face away from the target in a rearward direction, and at least two side surfaces. The front, back, and side surfaces define a longitudinal opening. The riser assembly additionally includes a stiffener positioned within the longitudinal opening, the stiffener being coupled to the riser frame.
In a further embodiment, an archery bow includes a riser. The riser includes a riser section having a first end, a second end, and a riser body extending between the first and second ends. The riser body includes a front configured to face toward a target and a rear configured to face in a rearward direction away from the target. The archery bow also includes a stiffener member configured to be coupled to the riser section. The stiffener member is configured to reduce bending of the riser in the rearward direction.
Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Brief Description of the Drawings and Detailed Description.
In an embodiment, the riser 108 additionally includes a first riser section or upper riser section 107 and a second riser section or lower riser section 109. While the riser 108 is described here as having two sections, it is to be understood that a riser can have additional sections. On either section 107, 109 of the riser 108, the archery bow 106 includes a limb element (e.g., a first limb element 116 and a second limb element 118) that supports a cam assembly 120. Examples of the cam assembly 120 can include one or more cam members (e.g., a first cam member 122 and a second cam member 124) that couple with the limb elements 116, 118. As also shown in
The stiffener assembly 100 is configured to prevent, minimize, reduce or decrease the rearward deflection or bending of the riser 108 during the archer's rearward draw of the archery bow 106. This configuration can couple the stiffener members 102, 104 with the riser 108 in positions that afford appropriate mechanical stiffness and/or other mechanical properties. During operation, the stiffener members 102, 104 counteract bending, flexing, torsion, and like forces that result from the archer's rearward draw on the bowstrings 128. The positions for the members 102, 104 may, for example, correspond to known weak points in the riser 108; weak points are often found proximate the handle, arrow shelf, and “sight” window, as well as other locations at which the configuration or construction of the riser 108 results in less than favorable material properties, such as material thickness, and/or geometry, such as chamfers, small radii, etc., that leave the riser 108 susceptible to failures. In one implementation, the stiffener assembly 100 operates to alleviate strain, as well as stresses and vibration, at these locations that can propagate through the riser 108, while maintaining certain cost, weight, and/or aesthetic properties to ease the use of the archery bow 106.
Construction of the stiffener members 102, 104 can facilitate the operative characteristics of the stiffener assembly 100. Construction of the stiffener members can include a body that comprises stiff, light-weight materials, for example, metals, such as aluminum, alloys, and composites, such as carbon fiber, although this disclosure contemplates the listing of materials to include any materials that may exhibit mechanical properties that comport with the mechanical advantages contemplated herein. The body of the stiffener member 102, 104 can utilize geometry that fits onto and/or fully and/or partially within the riser 108. For example,
In another example,
Referring to
In an example, the mounting members 332, 334 may be integral (or monolithic) with the structure of the riser section 308. However, this disclosure contemplates configurations in which the mounting members 332, 334 are separate pieces that assemble to the riser 308. As noted above, the archery bow 306 may include fasteners and/or adhesives and/or bonding agents to secure the stiffener member 304 in position at the mounting members 336, 338. In another example, the stiffener member 304 is integral with the structure of the riser section 308.
In an example illustrated in
In an embodiment illustrated in
As described above, implementations of the various embodiments can also serve to “preload” the bow riser. These implementations may, for example, leverage the mechanical stiffness and/or other mechanical properties of the stiffener members to influence the bow riser in a particular configuration and/or orientation, e.g., a slight twist, bend, etc. The influence may allow the bow riser to be tuned to suit a set of operative characteristics for the end user.
It should be appreciated that the stiffening members, when configured to be removeably attached to the bow riser, can provide opportunities for the use of bows that have riser weaknesses. For example, an archer may install one or more stiffening members as after-market accessories to improve the strength of a previously purchased bow.
Additional embodiments include any one of the embodiments described above, where one or more of its components, functionalities or structures is interchanged with, replaced by or augmented by one or more of the components, functionalities or structures of a different embodiment described above.
It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.
Although several embodiments of the disclosure have been disclosed in the foregoing specification, it is understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure will come to mind to which the disclosure pertains, having the benefit of the teaching presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. It is thus understood that the disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein above, and that many modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims which follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the present disclosure, nor the claims which follow.
This application is a non-provisional of, and claims the benefit and priority of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/011,611, filed on Jun. 13, 2014. The entire contents of such application are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62011611 | Jun 2014 | US |