Flip-up mount for night vision system

A flip-up mount for supporting a night vision system from a helmet worn by an operator, said flip up mount comprising:

• a carriage configured to slidably receive into engagement and to supportingly couple with a coupling device provided on the night vision system, and to thereby support and secure the system thereto;
• a pivotal armature carrying said carriage and extending from a pivot axis defined by a shaft, said armature pivoting between a first operational position enabling an operator to use the system, and a second stowed position;
• and
• an anchor including means for securing said shaft which defines said pivot axis to the helmet worn by the operator of the system;
• wherein said pivot axis is further defined cooperatively by a brace having a shaft, a sleeve integral to said armature and rotatable about said shaft, and a spring biased locking device securing said sleeve in a selected one of said first and second positions.

A flip-up mount for supporting a night vision device, said flip-up mount comprising:

• a support brace portion, said support brace portion including means for securing to a face mask worn on an operator's head for movement therewith, said support brace portion further including a pair of laterally spaced apart arms;
• a shaft member extending between said pair of arms of said support brace portion, said shaft member defining a pivot axis for said flip-up mount so that a night vision device supported thereby may be selectively moved by the operator between an operative position in which said night vision device is disposed in front of an eye of the operator to provide night vision, and a non-operative position in which the night vision device is flipped up to provide the operator with unobstructed natural vision with the same eye;
• a pivot sleeve member defining a bore therein which is received on said shaft member for both pivotal and axial relative movements;
• a wall member, means securing said wall member to said pivot sleeve member so that said wall member extends from said pivot sleeve member, said wall member defining a pair of spaced apart carriage frame portions spaced from said pivot sleeve member;
• a pair of carriage rail members respectively carried by said pair of carriage frame portions in spaced apart parallel relation;
• a carriage member slidably carried on said pair of carriage rail members for selective movement toward and away from an eye of said operator, said carriage member including selective engagement and disengagement means for supportingly engaging with and disengaging from the night vision device to support the latter from said flip-up mount when so engaged;
• said pivot sleeve member and said support brace portion defining cooperating means for selectively retaining said flip-up mount in each of said operative and said non-operative positions while said sleeve member is in a first axial position relative to said shaft member, and for allowing selective pivotal movement between said operative position and said non-operative position in response to axial relative movement of said sleeve member to a second axial position relative to said shaft member;
• and
• resilient means for yieldably urging said sleeve member to said first axial position relative to said shaft member.