Flip-up helmet mount for night vision goggle

A method of selectively maintaining on and for automatically effecting turning off of a night vision device having a magnetically-responsive switching device which maintains said vision device on only so long as a magnetic field of sufficient strength is applied thereto, said vision device being carried on a support structure mounting to a human user's head and disposing said vision device in a first use position in front of at least one of the user's eyes and said support structure providing for moving of said vision devise to a second position affording the user natural vision unobstructed by said vision device, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a magnetic member in a first location proximate to said switching device and supplying thereto said magnetic field of sufficient strength, said magnetic member being movable to a second location spaced enough away from said switching device that the effective magnetic field from said magnetic member decreases to less than said sufficient field strength, thereby effecting turning off of said vision device, and
• gravitationally moving said magnetic member respectively between said first and said second locations in response to movement of said vision device between said first and second positions;
• additionally including the steps of providing said support structure with a housing portion within which said magnetic member is movable, and disposing said housing portion adjacent to said magnetically-responsive switching device;
• wherein said housing structure is provided with a cavity movably receiving said magnetic member, and said cavity has respective portions which correspond to said first and second locations of said magnetic member;
• further including the step of configuring said cavity to have generally an S-shape in side elevation view.

A method of selectively maintaining on and for automatically effecting early turning off of a night vision device having a magnetically-responsive switching device which maintains said vision device on only so long as a magnetic field of sufficient strength is applied thereto, said vision device being carried on a support structure mounting to a human user's head and disposing said vision device in a first use position in front of at least one of the user's eyes, and said support. structure providing for pivotal moving of said vision device to a flipped-up second position affording the user natural vision unobstructed by said vision device, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a magnetic member in a first location proximate to said switching device and supplying thereto said magnetic field of sufficient strength, said magnetic member being movable to a second location spaced enough away from said switching device that the effective magnetic field from said magnetic member decreases to less than said sufficient field strength, thereby effecting turning off of said vision device, and
• employing a combination gravity and centrifugal force in said pivotal motion of said night vision device from said first position toward said second position to dislodge said magnetic member from said first location and to start an movement of said magnet member toward said second location than would be the case were gravity along to move said magnetic member between its first position and its second position;
• and
• using said earlier movement of said magnetic member to effect a correspondingly earlier turning off of said night vision device;
• disposing said magnetic member in a cavity having an inverted question mark shape in cross section, the lower curlicue of said question mark shape defining said first location for said magnetic member, and said second location for said magnetic member being defined at the upwardly extending tail of said inverted question mark shape.

A night vision device comprising:

• a flip-up mount for a night vision viewer;
• said night vision viewer having a magnetically-responsive switching device maintaining said viewer switched on only so long as said device is subject to a sufficient magnetic field, and effecting turning off of said viewer when said device is no longer subject to said sufficient magnetic field;
• said flip-up mount including means for being supported from a user's head, and pivot means for allowing movement of said viewer between a first use position in front of at least one of said user's eyes, and a second flipped-up position in which said viewer is disposed above said user's line of sight;
• said flip-up mount including magnetic means for providing said sufficient magnetic field to said magnetically-responsive switching device in said first use position of said viewer;
• and
• gravitationally-responsive means for moving said magnetic means away from said magnetically-responsive switching device in response to movement of said viewer to said flipped-up position so that said device is no longer subject to a sufficient magnetic field and said viewer is switched off;
• wherein said flip-up mount further includes:
• a first bracket which secures to a helmet worn by said user, said first bracket defining a transverse boss in which is pivotally and frictionally carried a bushing member defining an axis of flip-up motion;
• a second bracket member which drivingly engages said bushing member and which includes a pair of spaced apart flanges straddling the first bracket member for flip-up movement relative thereto with pivoting of said bushing member in said boss, adjacent to forward ends of said pair of flanges of the second bracket member the latter being joined to one another by a web for pivotal movement in unison;
• a third bracket member including a pair of flanges straddling and lying adjacent to said pair of flanges of said second bracket member, said second bracket member tiltingly carrying said third bracket member and also carrying a locking member passing through both said bushing member and actuate slots defined by said pair of flanges of said third bracket member, said locking member being effective to clamp said second and said third bracket members together in a selected position of tilt of said night vision viewer relative to said user's helmet, said flanges of said third bracket member also joining to one another in a respective web for simultaneous tilting movements;
• a pair of forwardly extending guide ways one of which is carried by a respective one of the pair of flanges of said third bracket member;
• a carriage member slidably carried on said guide ways of said third bracket member, said carriage member defining a socket with which said night vision viewer is supported on said flip-up mount, said carriage member also carrying said magnetic means and said gravitationally responsive means;
• wherein said carriage member includes a housing portion adjacent to said recess for supporting said night vision viewer, said housing portion defining a cavity at its lower extent adjacent to said magnetically responsive switching device, said cavity extending upwardly and rearwardly to a portion thereof sufficiently spaced from said magnetically-responsive switching device, a magnetic member movably received in said cavity, and means for sealingly closing said cavity to exclude environmental contaminants therefrom;
• and wherein said cavity has a general S-shape in side elevation view.