EP0018769A2

EP0018769A2 - Laser beam sighting aid for hand firearms

Info

Publication number: EP0018769A2
Application number: EP80301303A
Authority: EP
Inventors: John Wallace Matthews, Ph.D.; Michael James Fraer
Original assignee: Laser Products Corp
Current assignee: Laser Products Corp
Priority date: 1979-04-25
Filing date: 1980-04-23
Publication date: 1980-11-12
Also published as: DE3069894D1; EP0018769A3; EP0018769B1

Abstract

In order to prevent thermal effects, stresses and other operating conditions from affecting the operation of the laser (15), the tubular member (25) holding the laser (15) is mounted on the firearm (12) at a first location (27) and is there provided with linear freedom of movement relative to the firearm (12), and is further mounted on the firearm (12) at a second location (28), where it provides the tubular member (25) with angular freedom of movement relative to the firearm (12)

For actuating the laser (15) with certainty before the firing pin, either, a lost-motion connection between trigger (91) and hammer (87) is provided, in the course of which the switch (83) for energizing the laser (15) is being closed, or, the switch (83) is being closed by manvally cocking the hammer (87), the latter being released from that position by actuating the trigger (91).

Description

The invention relates to firearms and laser systems and, more specifically, to apparatus for assisting the aiming of firearms, and in particular to apparatus for assisting the aiming of a firearm with a light beam from a laser.
For over seventy years, proposals have been made for assisting the aiming of firearms with light beams or light spots on targets. Reference may, for instance, be had to US Patent 894,306, which proposes clamping of an elongate light source, including a small electric incandescent lamp and a projection-lens, to the barrel of a handgun, US Patent 1,452,651, which proposes clamping of a flashlight to a-handgun barrel, US Patents 1,826,004 and 2,844,710 which propose clamping of an electric incandescent lamp and battery unit to a handgun, and US Patents 3,010,019 and 3,974,585 which also propose employment of electric incandescent lamps for providing aiming marks on firearm targets or on an optical sight. Practical limitations on light output intensity and coherence achievable with incandescent lamps have relegated the utility of such proposals to nightsight or target finder equipment of rather limited range.
Aim assistance electric incandescent lamps also have found a limited application in reticle image projectors of complex computing sights, as may be seen from US Patents 2,660,794 and 2,693,031. Apart from such special applications, the use of electric incandescent light aiming assists for firearms appears to have become restricted to aim assessment apparatus, as seen in US Patent 3,508,833.
Further proposals were spawned by the development of laser diodes comparable in size and ruggedness to small incandescent light bulbs (see US Patent 3,867,764). The utility of laser diodes as aiming devices was, however, generally limited to marksmanship trainer, boresight alignment, weapon simulator and similar applications, as may, for instance, be seen from US Patents 3,633,285, 3,782,832, 3,898,747, 3,938,262 and 3,995,376.
The success of gas discharge lasers in the surveying instrument field illustrated, for instance, by US Patents 3,533,700, 3,619,069, 3,667,849 and 3,823,313, similarly spawned proposals to use that type of laser in weapon aiming systems. As apparent from US Patent 4,026,054, an early proposal of this type structured a laser aiming system in the manner of firearm telescope sights, seen, for instance, in US Patents 870,272, 1,641,019, 2,510,289, 2,597,466 and 3,153,856, and also in French Patent 492.773 by Albert Amigues and Louis Huet, issued 2 April 1919.
A subsequent proposal, apparent from US Patent 4,079,534, suggested housing of the laser tube in a sighting apparatus attachment for firearms. Unlike shooting simulation systems having a laser mounted on a stationary support (see US Patent 3,904,204), proposals which suggested attachment of a laser tube to the firearm manifested a serious concern that the laser aiming system would be rendered useless by recoil forces resulting, for instance, in a misalignment of laser cavity end mirrors or breakage of the laser tube. Accordingly, proposals such as shown in the above mentioned US patents 4,026,054 and 4,079,534 suggested the use of heavy shock mounting structures employing a laser head carriage slidable on a guide track, biased by compression springs and cushioned by a pneumatic buffer device. In practice, such a mounting structure considerably increases the bulk and expense of the particular weapons, while exposing same to a need for increased maintenance and danger of aiming inaccuracy.
In the transit instrument field, it has been proposed, as apparent from US Patent 3,796,496, that a laser plummet level unit be securely bolted down and that the flow of current to its laser tube be interrupted in response to undue physical disturbance of the instrument which might disturb the direction of the laser beam. Of course, such a proposal would not be practical with weapon aiming systems, since they would expose the user of the weapon to the danger of loosing sight of the target. Also impractical would be the provision of a gaseous discharge flash tube directly behind.the barrel of a firearm, as was proposed in US Patent 3,294,401 for target game purposes. In consequence, the development of laser aiming systems for firearms became stagnated in a search for effective shock mounting systems.
In a similar vein, there has been a continuous quest for the best method of activating the aiming assistance or sighting appliance at the most appropriate moment in the operation of the firearm. In this context, the above mentioned US Patent 894,306 provided an electric switch controlled by a manually actuable button at the back of the revolver stock or handle. In practice, this required the operator to continuously actuate the switch in a manner separate from the operation of the firearm, thereby occupying or even detracting the operator's attention. In principle, the proposals according to the above mentioned US Patents 1,452,651, 1,826,004, 3,974,585 and 4,026,054, which provide actuating switch means on or at the sighting appliance or its power supply, are afflicted with the same kind of disadvantage.
Another proposal, disclosed in the above mentioned US Patent 2,844,710, attempted to alleviate this problem by equipping the finger trigger of a firearm with a spring carrier having an electric switch contact attached thereto and standing normally insulated from the trigger but in juxtaposition to its finger grip. In the use of that firearm, pressure on the spring carrier closed an electric circuit through its contact and trigger, to energize an electric bulb for projection of a spot of light in the direction in which the firearm was aimed at the time. While such a construction may have seemed to provide an activation mechanism that is convenient to operate by the marksman, it is noted that the proposed spring carrier just mentioned constitutes in effect a foreign object on the finger trigger, is subject to being bent out of shape and is easily dislodged during handling and operation of the firearm. Also, that proposal according to the mentioned US Patent 2,844,710 does not appear to disclose any positive safeguard against accidental firing of the weapon by a marksman who merely wants to test the operation of the aiming device or draw a bead on a target, such as for warning purposes, without wanting to fire a shot.
Out of these concerns and similar considerations, use of finger trigger switches has become relegated to the toy pistol field and to weapon fire simulation systems, in which light beams are projected from a toy pistol or simulated weapon upon actuation of the finger trigger to photocells on a target, as may be seen from the above mentioned US Patents3,294,401, 3,898,747 and 3,995,376. This, of course, is akin to proposals which employ a trigger-actuated switch for connecting a light detector in a simulated weapon to an indicator for aim assessment or scoring purposes, as proposed in the above mentioned US Patents 3,508,833 and 3,904,204. In principle, such proposals are in effect only an extension of marksmanship training and weapon simulators which use the acoustical energy developed by the firearm mechanism, as proposed in the above mentioned US Patent 3,633,285 or a piezoelectrically transduced mechanical energy from a rifle's hammer as proposed in the above mentioned US Patent 3,938,262, for the purpose of simulating the firing of a shot by the emission of a laser beam.
Against this background, the above mentioned recent US Patent 4,079,534 proposes the assembly of the sighting apparatus and its power supply in a separate unit which is attachable to the firearm as desired. According to that proposal, a special trigger mechanism, separate and distinct from the trigger mechanism of the firearm, has its own separate finger grip disposed adjacent the finger grip of the firearm, for operating a switch mechanism on a shockproof mount for activating the light emitting device. Thus when it is desired to activate the light emitting device to project a beam of coherent light onto a target that is to be fired on, movement of the special finger grip of the separate trigger mechanism will cause closing of the switch contacts that supply current to the light emitting device; the express purpose of this prior-art design being to project a beam onto the target when the marksman is ready to fire a round. '
In practice, however, there frequently is a need to warn a supposed criminal or wrongdoer, hopefully with the result of avoiding a shooting confrontation. Laser beam aiming devices capable of providing a vivid light spot which cannot fail to impress even a seasoned criminal, tend to have such a preventive effect that danger to life and limb can be avoided. Of course, this presupposes that the police officer or similar law enforcement personnel can be sure that his firearm will not go off when he trains the aiming device on a suspect. No teaching appears from the latter prior-art proposal that such assurance is implicit in the proposed dual finger grip arrangement. Also, a dual finger grip and trigger mechanism arrangement tends to duplicate bulk, costs and maintenance requirements of the firearm and laser aiming device combination. i
Especially in police and law enforcement work, bulk and frangibility are particularly detrimental factors in the fight against crime, where weapons often become clubs in hand-to-hand combat or other tight situations. Laser aiming devices should thus in practice be as compact and rugged as the firearm itself, in order to be of genuine practical use and desired reliability. This also applies to the power supply, including the portable power source and its combination with the firearm. Despite a history spanning some seven decades, the prior art apparently has not been capable of evolving a viable solution in this respect.
In particular, the above mentioned US Patent 894,306 simply proposes a relative large cylindrical battery to be screwed into the butt of the firearm at a threaded terminal portion, whereby the cylindrical battery body simply hangs down from the stock of the weapon. It is not seen how such a combination could be useful for law enforcement purposes or would even be suitable for private use. The same comment appears applicable to the proposals according to which batteries are located in the sighting equipment itself, as shown, for instance, in the above mentioned US Patents 1,452,651, 1,826,004 and 2,844,710.
Even though the last twenty years have seen substantial increases in battery power capacity, proposals to accommodate a battery in the handgrip have been limited to the target game field, such as in the above mentioned US Patent 3,294,401, where such a battery energizes a flash tube in a toy gun for illuminating photocell targets, and to the marksman training field, where a battery in the stock of a weapon energizes a small solid state laser device for training purposes, as apparent from the above mentioned US Patent 3,995,376. Particularly, the low power consumption of laser diodes and similar solid-state devices permits accommodation of the requisite low-energy batteries in the laser transmitter assembly, aiming light adapter or simulated firearm structure itself. However, such designs using only laser diodes are generally relegated in their utility to the marksmanship training and weapon fire simulation fields, as appears from the above mentioned US Patents 3,633,285, 3,867,764 and 3,898,747.
For applications involving actual firearms with relatively powerful laser aiming assistance devices, separate box-like power supplies attached to the side of the firearm externally thereof, either directly or through the intermediary of an attachment assembly, have been evolved by more recent prior-arten- deavours, as may be seen from the above mentioned US Patents 4,026,054 and 4,079,534. This, of course, adds to the bulk of the weapon system and detracts from its ruggedness and to some extent also from its smooth operation.
In summary, it appears that the prior art has not in several decades been able to provide generally practical and functionally acceptable firearm aim assisting methods and apparatus of the subject type for use in actual law enforcement work and similar endeavours.
The invention as claimed is intended to remedy the prior-art lack of powerful laser beam aiming assistance equipment combining high accuracy and reliability with relatively low weight and bulk and high ruggedness and effectiveness in law enforcement work. In particular, the invention provides apparatus for assisting the aiming of a firearm with a laser mounted in a tubular member for emitting a light beam through an end of the tubular member. The invention in particular resides in the combination of a first device mounting the tubular member on the firearm at a first location and providing the tubular member with linear freedom of movement relative to the firearm, and a second device mounting the tubular member on the firearm at a second location and providing the tubular member with angular freedom of movement relative to the firearm. The invention thus keeps longitudinal and transverse stresses and bending forces away from the laser in a practically stress-free mounting and, in its various embodiments, provides for an improved energization and handling of laser and firearm.
Specific ways of carrying out the invention are des_- cribed in detail below with reference to the drawings which illustrate only specific embodiments, and in which:-

Fig. 1 is a side view, partially in section, of a firearm equipped with a laser beam aiming assistance system according to a preferred embodiment of the subject invention,
Fig. 2 is a frontal view of equipment for adjusting the relative position of an aiming mark on a target, which may be employed in conjunction with the aiming assistance system according to Fig. 1, in accordance with a further embodiment of the subject invention,
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through optical equipment for adjusting the relative position of an aiming mark on a target, which may be employed in conjunction with the laser beam aiming assistance system of Fig. 1, in accordance with a further embodiment of the subject invention,
_Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4 - 4 of Fig. 3,
Fig. 5 is a fractional view showing part of the firearm and laser beam aiming assistance system of Fig. 1 in an operating position, and
Fig. 6 is a detail view, on a smaller scale, of a power supply attachment which may be used in accordance with a further preferred embodiment of the subject invention with the firearm of Fig. 1.

The laser beam aiming assistance equipment 10 according to the illustrated preferred embodiments of the subject invention may be mounted on and used in conjunction with most basically conventional firearms, represented in Fig. 1 by a Colt double action revolver 12. In particular, the revolver 12 shown in Fig. 1 has a frame 13 and a barrel 14 threaded therein and projecting therefrom. The laser 15 employed in the illustrated preferred embodiment of the subject invention preferably is of the gas laser type. By way of example, a suitable laser is a helium-neon laser employing electrical glow discharge excitation. Accordingly, the laser 15 comprises a laser tube 16 containing a helium-neon or other gaseous laser gain medium in an elongate optical cavity extending between end mirrors 17 and 18.
The expression "laser gain medium" is herein employed to designate the laser component which imparts optical regenerative gain to light traveling along the cavity of a laser action device. In this respect, the expression "laser action" is herein employed in preference to the familiar phrase "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," since the quantum device called "laser" more appropriately may have to be viewered as an oscillator, rather than a mere amplifier.
The end mirrors 17 and 18 are interconnected with the laser tube 16 and, in the illustrated preferred embodiment, are mounted at opposite ends of that tube. In particular, the tube 16 includes a first extension or nipple 19, in an end portion of which the mirror 17 is mounted. Similarly, the laser tube 16 at its other end has an extension or nipple 20, in an end portion of which the mirror 18 is mounted. Reduced diameter neck portions 21 and 22 in the nipples 19 and 20 are bendable with a heavy screw driver or other appropriate tool to permit lateral adjustment or alignment of the end mirrors relative to the laser cavity in the tube 16 during manufac- 1 turing of the laser 15.
The illustrated gas laser 15 is simple, rugged and reliable. However, it has to be kept in mind that effective laser action depends on a buildup of energy by repeated reflection of radiation between the end mirrors 17 and 18 through the gas fill or other laser gain medium in the optical cavity. In practice, there are definite ways or modes in which radiation can go back and forth in the cavity or bore between the end mirrors prior to escaping as a high-energy coherent beam 23 through the end mirror 18. In practice, thermal effects, occurring stresses and other operating conditions may engender an impairment of the mode during operation of the laser. Attempts to decrease such disturbances through an increase in optical cavity or-bore diameter have not proved feasible, since a liberal cavity or bore width permits development of divergent modes or non-circularly-symmetrical mode-bore relationships. An oversized cavity diameter or bore also interferes with the requisite sustained population inversion generation and output/input efficiency. This is particularly important in the case of laser beam aiming assistance equipment which operates typically from a portable power source, such as a battery of limited capacity, and which should provide as bright an aiming mark as possible on targets located at a distance from the firearm.
The subject invention solves these problems and meets these desiderata by keeping longitudinal and transverse stresses and bending forces away from the laser 15, in a practically stress-free mounting. In particular, the illustrated embodiment locates the laser 15 in a tubular member 25 for emission of the light beam 23 through an end 26 of the tubular member. This embodiment also mounts the tubular member 25 at a first location 27 with linear freedom of movement relative to the firearm, and at a second location 28 with angular freedom of movement relative to the firearm 12.
In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the subject invention, a tubular mounting member or support 31 is attached to the front of the barrel assembly 32 of the firearm, and provides a slip joint through which the tubular member 25 can expand or move linearly or axially without binding. This front mounting member includes a sleeve 33 encompassing the tubular member and having an annular protrusion 34 which contacts the tubular member 25 along a circular line or narrow band. The front mounting member 31-thus restrains the tubular member 25 at the first location 27 against angular movement relative to a longitudinal axis of the tubular member or relative to the firearm barrel 14.
The rear mounting device or support 35 is spaced from the front mounting device 31 and has a tubular member attached to the frame 13 of the firearm via a foot 36. The mounting member 35 has a bore 37 bounded by shoulder portion 38. The tubular member 25, on the other hand, has a spherical circular bulge 39 located about midway inside the bore 37 of the rear mounting member 35. The circularly protruding part 39 of the tubular member 25 may be referred to as a ball mount. A pair of ball seat rings 41 and 42 are located in the bore 37 of the rear mounting device 35 and have internal spherical surfaces 141 and 142 for accommodating the outer spherical surface 40 of the annular protrusion 39 of the tubular member 25. A second end portion 44 of the tubular member 25 extends from the ball mount 39 through the ball seat ring 42 and through a retaining ring 45. The retaining ring 45 is threaded into the annular sleeve of the rear mounting member 35 for releasably retaining the ball seat rings 41 and 42 in the bore 37 of the rear mounting member 35 and for retaining these rings 41 and 42 in engagement at their internal spherical surfaces with the outer spherical surface of the annular protrusion 39. In this manner, the tubular member 25 is effectively restrained against linear or axial movement at the rear mounting member 35.
On the other hand, the rear mounting member 35, with its ball seat rings 41 and 42 pivots the tubular member 25 with its ball mount 39 for omnidirectional angular movement relative to the firearm 12 or its frame and barrel 13 and 14.
A combination of the mounting devices 31 and 35 so far discussed, providing linear freedom of movement with restraint against angular movement at a first location while providing angular freedom of movement with restraint against linear movement at a second location, keeps longitudinal and transverse stresses generated by the firearm 13 through bending or heating away from the laser 15 in the tubular member 25. This advantage is particularly important in the case of firearms which develop considerable mechanical and thermal stresses during their operation.
In this manner, the laser device may be closely and compactly mounted on the firearm near the frame and barrel thereof and parallel thereto. This has the practical advantage of enabling the provision of a front sight 48 on the first laser tube mounting device 31 and a rear sight 49 on the second laser tube mounting device 35. In principle, the ball joint type of mount 35 could be provided at the front location 27, while the slip joint type of mount 31 could be provided at the second mounting location 28. However, the illustrated embodiment of the subject invention is presently preferred.
The mounting technique and equipment of the subject invention permits the tubular laser 15 to be rigidly mounted in the tubular member 25. For instance, the laser 15 may be potted directly in the tube 25. Suitable potting compounds, depending on desired thermal conductivity, operating temperatures and elasticity, include urethane elastomers, silicone rubber and other elastomeric potting compounds, epoxy resin, polyester resin and other resinous potting compounds. Upon insertion into the tubular member 25 and around the laser 15, the potting material either sets or is cured depending on the type of material employed.
The sleeve-like laser mounting structure 51 in the tubular member 25 thus may be part of a cured or set potting compound. Alternatively, one or two spaced mounting rings may be provided in the tubular member 25 for mounting the laser 15 relative thereto. At any rate, the prior-art anti-shock mounts with their guide tracks, coil springs and pneumatic dampener are advantageously avoided in the practice of the subject invention.
It may be recalled at this juncture that restraint of the tubular member 25 against angular movement at the first location 27 is a feature of the preferred embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1. This, however, does not within the broad scope of the subject invention, as presently perceived, mean that any angular adjustment of the tubular member at the first location 27 is necessarily out of the question. Rather, as illustrated in Fig. 2, such angular adjustment may be employed for the purpose of permitting adjustment of the relative position of the aiming mark provided by the laser 15 on the target of the firearm.
In particular, the front mounting member 31 may according to Fig. 2 be replaced by a sleeve-shaped member 53 which is mounted on the firearm 12 or on the barrel assembly 32 at the first location 27. The modified mounting member 53 has a bore sufficiently wide to accommodate an annular slip joint member 54, which has the above mentioned annular protrusion 33 for contacting the tubular member 25 along a circular line or narrow annular band. Three screws 56, 57 and 58 are threaded through the mounting member 53 for adjustably mounting or retaining the slip joint ring 54. For a rugged construction insensitive to inertial forces due to firing, the screws 56 to 58 may engage the slip joint ring 54 via flat screw tips or interface plates (not shown). The screws 56 to 58 are preferably located 120° apart. In this manner, selective tightening and relative loosening of the screws 56 to 58 permits the tubular member 25 to be angularly adjusted, particularly for an adjustment of the laser beam 23 relative to the boresight of the firearm.
In this respect, and in-general, the aiming assistance system herein disclosed may broadly be considered as including first means 39 on the tubular member 25 having a surface 40 curved at a radius in a plane intersecting the firearm and the tubular member longitudinally, such as along an axis of symmetry of the barrel 14. The mounting member 35 may then be considered as including second means 41 and 42 engaging the first means 39 at a surface or surfaces 141 and 142 complementary to the curved surface of the first means 39. The sleeve-like member of the mounting device 35, with its foot 36, may then be considered as means for coupling the second means 41 and 42 to the firearm. The first and second means just mentioned may within the broad scope of the subject invention be realized by mounting devices having, for instance, cylindrical, rather than necessarily spherical surfaces.
In a similar manner, the other mounting device 31 may be considered as a third device for mounting the tubular member 25 on the firearm at a distance from the means 35 and engaging the tubular member for restricting such member 25 to linear motion relative to the third means. This third device with reference to Fig. 1, or its modified counterpart shown in Fig. 2, includes a sleeve 31 and 54 encompassing the tubular member 25 and having an annular protrusion 33 contacting that tubular member or a tubular extension thereof.
According to the principles disclosed with reference to Fig. 2, the relative position of the light spot provided by the laser beam 23 on a target of the firearm may then be adjusted by effecting relative movement between the pair of complementary surfaces provided by the protrusion 39 of the tubular member 25 and either of the ball seat rings 41 and 42. The device shown in Fig. 2 may, by way of example, constitute a means for effecting such relevant movement in the mounting device 35.
Alternatively, the laser beam 35 may be selectively deflected for adjusting the relative position of the light spot or aiming mark provided by the laser beam 23. To this end, an optical beam deflecting device 61 may, for instance, be provided at the front end 36 of the tubular member 25 in the front end mounting device 31. The optical beam deflecting device 61 shown in more detail in Figs. 3 and 4 borrows a page from the so-called Risley or Herschel prism used by ophthalmologists in measuring binocular accommodation [see Jenkins and White, FUNDAMENTALS OF OPTICS (McGraw-Hill, 3rd Edition 1957) pp. 23, 24, Fig. 2L(b), (c)] and used also in the design of variable deviation wedges for checking scale factors of angular reading devices, such as collimators and rotary tables, or for any application where light deviation is required through a known angle.
In particular, the adjustable deflecting device 61 shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has a cylindrical housing 62 provided with a threaded nipple 63 for threaded union with the tubular member 25. The housing 62 may thus be considered an extension or end portion of the tubular member 25, whereby the statement that the mounting device 31 engages with its internal circular protrusion 33 the tubular member 25 also applies to the case shown in Fig. 1 where such engagement takes place via the deflecting device 61 extending from or as an end portion of the tubular member 25.
The housing 63 has a bore or cylindrical cavity 64 accommodating gears 65 and 66. The gear 65 houses a prism 68 for rotation therewith. Similarly, the gear 66 houses a prism 69 for rotation therewith. A worm drive screws 71 extends in a bore 72 of the housing and is retained therein by a spring clip 73. The worm drive screw 71 meshes with the gear 65 for rotation of that gear 75 and its prism 68, upon rotation of the drive screw 71 with an appropriate tool, such as a hexagonal wrench, received in a corresponding head or socket 74. Similarly, a worm drive screw 76 extends in a bore 77 in the housing 62 and is retained therein by a spring clip 78. The drive screw is rotatable by a suitable wrench via a corresponding head 79, and meshes with the gear 66 in order to rotate that gear and the prism 69 contained therein.
The prisms 68 and 69 are wedge-shaped. Also, all air/glass interfaces of the prisms 68 and 69 are tilted relative to a perpendicular plane through the laser beam 23 emitted by the laser 15, so as to avoid reflection of any significant laser energy to the laser end mirror 18. This is an important feature, since the formation of any dual or ghost aiming marks in addition to the desired aiming mark would confuse the user of the firearm and is, therefore, strictly to be avoided. For the same reason, the prisms are preferably provided with anti-reflective coatings, so that each prism surface preferably has a reflection not exceeding one percent. The two prisms 68 and 69 are independently rotatable via drive screws 71 and 76. The prisms are preferably geometrically identical, whereby one prism may be rotated so as to cancel the wedge effect of the other, as desired or necessary.
By relative adjustment of the two prisms 68 and 69, the aiming mark produced by the laser beam 23 on a target of the firearm may be adjusted, such as relative to a longitudinal axis through the barrel 14, within a circular area having a radius equal to twice the amount of deviation or beam deflection obtainable with the prism 68 alone. Unlike mechanical adjustments, the optical adjustment effected by the unit 61 is shockproof and synergistically combines with the tubular member 25 and its mount at 31 and 35, since the optical adjustment effected by the unit 61 in the context of a firearm would be useless without the stress-relieving mounts at 31 and 35, and since feasibility and utility of such combination of mounts are enhanced by the facility of the type of optical beam deflection adjustability shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
The laser 15 preferably is energized from a portable power source, such as a battery 81 which is connectable to a feed cable 82 via a switch 83. The feed cable 82 leads to a ballast assembly 84 which has a housing 85 forming an end portion of, or being-attached to, end 44 of the tubular member 25. The ballast 84, in a manner known per se in laser technology, provides upon connection to the battery 81 upon closure of the switch 83 the requisite high voltage potential between the anode and cathode of the laser 15 for a pumping thereof. If the laser 15 is a gas laser, then the energized ballast 85 will electrically pump or excite the gaseous laser action medium by means of an electrical gas discharge in the laser cavity. As in other types of lasers, spatial and temporal coherence arises from the regenerative character of the combined laser gain medium and optical cavity. In this process, radiation of light travels back and forth between the end mirrors 17 and 18 in definite ways or modes. The rear end mirror 17 is a highly reflective mirror, while the front end mirror 18 is partially transmissive, so that the luminous laser output proceeds via mirror 18 in the form of a laser beam 23.
While the reduced diameter neck portions 21 and 22 have been described above as bendable for adjustment purposes, it should be recognized that the laser tube 16 with extensions 19 and 20 is in fact bendable, even if made of glass or a ceramic or if composed of a metal-ceramic structure. By the same token, the end mirrors 17 and 18 are tiltable, typically in opposite senses, be it by virtue of their attachment to opposite ends of the laser tube via nipples 19 and 20 or by virtue of their coupling to the supporting structure at 51.
In the light of these facts, the importance and great utility of the practically stress-free laser mounting methods and equipment according to the subject invention become emphatically apparent. At the same time, the laser assembly and mounting structure resulting from the practice of the subject invention is simple, rugged and unobstrusive to an extent heretofore unparalleled in the laser beam aiming assistance field employing the more powerful gas laser. _;
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the laser 15 in the aiming device 10 is actuated for provision of an aiming mark prior to any release of the hammer 87 from a manually cocked position and prior to any other actuation of the hammer by the manually squeezed fringer trigger 88. To this end, the illustrated preferred embodiment provides a switch-actuating lever 89 which extends from the trigger assembly 91 to the power supply switch 83 and which is pivoted for angular movement about a pin 92. The trigger assembly 91 has a cam surface 93 engageable with a first end of the pivoted lever 89. In the rest position of the finger trigger 88 shown in Fig. 1, the trigger assembly 91 engages the adjacent end portion of the lever 89 by way of cam surface 93 and thus maintains the lever 89 in its extreme angular position against the bias of a spring 95 inserted in and projecting from the stock 96 of the firearm or from a frame portion at such stock.
The power supply switch 83 is of a normally open type, having a spring-biased actuator or plunger projecting from the switch proper in the open condition of the switch. Accordingly, the power supply switch 83 is maintained open, and the power supply source or battery 81 is thus maintained disconnected from the laser device and ballast assembly 84, in the quiescent condition of the firearm. To this end, the bias of the trigger return spring 98 acts via trigger assembly 91 and cam surface 93 to maintain the pivoted lever 89 against the bias of the spring 95 away from the switch 83.
As soon as the trigger assembly '91 is being moved counterclockwise about the pivot 97 as seen in Fig. 1, closure of the switch 83 is initiated. For instance, the user of the firearm may manually move the trigger 88 and trigger assembly 91 with his trigger finger relative to the frame 13 and hammer 87. This quickly lifts the cam surface 93 off the lever 89 well before the trigger assembly - 91 engages and moves the hammer 87 via its strut 99. The lever 89 is thus immediately swung clockwise as seen in Fig. 1 by the bias of the spring 95, and thereby depresses the plunger or actuator of the power supply switch 83 for a closure of switch 83, which is located at the main spring seat 100. This action connects the ballast and high-voltage assembly 84 to the power supply or battery 81. Accordingly, the laser 15 in the aiming device 10 is immediately activated and emits a laser beam 23 which provides the desired aiming mark on the target of the firearm well prior to the firing of any bullet or, for that matter, without necessity of any firing at all, if not desired at the time.
In case firing of the revolver 12 becomes necessary after provision of the aiming mark by the laser beam 23, the marksman may squeeze the trigger 88 further, whereupon the trigger assembly will engage the strut 99 and will actuate the hammer 87 only after activation of the aiming device 10 and provision of the aiming mark.
Sometimes it is desirable or necessary that the firearm be readied for very quick action. Such situations arise, for instance, frequently in law enforcement work where police officers are subjected to imminent danger. In that case, the officer may manually cock the hammer 87 against the bias of the main spring 101 through manual engagement of a grip plate or hammer target 102 and angular movement of the hammer in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 103, as shown in Fig. 5. A lower extension 104 of the hammer 87 thus engages and rides on top of a protrusion 105 of the trigger assembly 91, thereby moving the trigger assembly and its cam surface 93 away from the lever 89. This, in turn, permits the bias spring 95 to angularly move the lever 89 clockwise as seen in Fig. 1 and to thus close the power supply switch 83 and activate the aiming device 10 in response to manual cocking of the hammer 87. Activation of the aiming device 10 is thus started through manual cocking of the hammer 87 to provide the desired aiming mark.
The trigger assembly extension 105 cooperates with the correspondingly shaped portion of the hammer extension 104 in retaining the hammer 87 in a cocked position as shown in Fig. 5.
In many instances, provision of an aiming mark through activation of the aiming device 10 has the beneficial effect of rendering the firing of any bullet unnecessary. For instance, if a suspect confronted by a police officer notices the vivid and bright aiming mark as provided by the laser beam 23 on his person, he may realize that he would be the loser in a gun battle and he may then give up his own firearm or stop other unlawful activity peacefully. In that case, the hammer 87 is simply uncocked in a conventional manner without firing a shot.
On the other hand, if it becomes necessary to fire the gun from the cocked position shown in Fig. 5, then the police officer or user would simply pull the trigger 88 with his trigger finger, thereby moving the trigger assembly extension 105 off the hammer extension 104 and thus releasing the hammer 87 from its cocked position into engagement with the firing pin under the propulsion of the main spring 101. The hammer 87 is thus released from the cocked position shown in Fig. 5 with the finger trigger 88 only after activation of the aiming device 10 and provision of the aiming mark by the laser beam 23.
In the context of the currently discussed aspect of the subject invention, and particularly in the context of its preferred embodiments shown in Figs. 1 and 5, it may be said that the trigger is provided with play between initial manual actuation of the trigger and actuation of the firing mechanism by that trigger, and that activation of the aiming device 10 takes place in the course of that play. For instance, there is considerable play between the initial manual actuation of the trigger 88 from the rest position shown in Fig. 1 and the actuation of the firing mechanism,by the trigger through engagement of the spaced hammer strut 99 and subsequent release of the hammer 87 into engagement with the firing pin.
Such a play may also be provided in shotguns and rifles for law enforcement purposes, where such weapons are sometimes known as riot guns. Weapons of that type often have a very rapid release, sometimes referred to as "hair trigger release", which would engender the danger of accidental firing if their trigger were used for the purpose of activating the aiming device 10 without appropriate modification in accordance with the latter embodiment of the subject invention. In the case of shotguns and riot guns, play may readily been provided between the trigger assembly and the hammer latch to permit the user of the firearm to activate the aiming device and provide the desired aiming mark without any danger that a shot could be released thereby.
The illustrated firearm 12 has a handle portion or stock 96 including an end portion 107 extending over a cross-section of that stock. According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, a receptacle 108 for receiving a replenishable power source 81 (see Fig. 1) activating the aiming mark providing device 10, is shaped in the form of, and includes, a hollow butt end portion extending over the cross-section of the stock end portion 107 and being manually detachable from the stock 96.
In accordance with the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the butt end portion 108 and the stock 96 include mating portions or structured plates 107 and 1:9 for attachment of the butt end portion to the stock, preferably by sliding motion of the butt end portion relative to the stock in a plane extending parallel to the cross-section of the stock at 107. By way of example, the stock 96 and butt end portion 108 include mating dovetail portions in the plates 107 and 109. The butt end portion 108 and the stock 96 may thus be dovetailed onto each other at the mating plates 107 and 109. A screw 110 may extend through an aperture in the plate 109 and be threaded into a lug on the plate 107, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6. The butt end portion 108 is thus releasably retained on the stock 96 of the firearm.
In practice, the plates 107 and 109 may carry corresponding terminals for connecting the battery in the butt end portion 108 to the power supply wires shown in Fig. 1.
Upon loosening of the screw 110 or other conveniently actuable fastening device, the butt end portion 108 may be slid from the stock 96 of the gun for convenient recharging of the battery 81. Of course, exchangeable butt end portions of the type shown at 108 or otherwise within the scope of the subject invention may be provided so that each firearm always has charged batteries at its disposal. Structuring the power supply or its container in the form of a butt end portion as a natural extension of the firearm stock according to the currently discussed aspect of the subject invention, has the great advantage that the combat readiness of the firearm is considerably enhanced relative to prior-art proposals which, for instance, simply attached a cylindrical battery to the butt end of a firearm stock (see US Patent 894,306) or which attached the power supply externally of the firearm proper, such as in a separate attachable unit (see US Patents 1,452,651, 1,826,004, 2,844,710, 3,633,285, 3,867,764, 4,026,054 and 4,079,534).
At the same time, the currently discussed aspect of the subject invention avoids the space and battery capacity limitations implicit in proposals which suggested insertion of the battery in the stock proper or frame of the weapon itself (see US Patents 3,294,401 and 3,995,376, suggesting such an inclusion of batteries of a toy gun and a laser training device).
The subject invention and its various aspects and embodiments thus meet all the above mentioned objectives and provide firearms and aiming assistance devices that are particularly suited to the needs of law enforcement work, and that avoid the many drawbacks of prior-art proposals. In particular, because of its radical departure from prior art thinking and attitudes, the subject invention provides powerful laser beam aiming assistance systems characterised by high accuracy and reliability coupled with relatively low weight and bulk and high ruggedness.

Claims

1. Apparatus for assisting the aiming of a firearm (12) with a laser (15) mounted in a tubular member (25) for emitting a light beam through an end (26) of the tubular member (25),
characterised by
a first device (31) mounting the tubular member (25) on the firearm (12) at a first location and providing the tubular member (25) with linear freedom of movement relative to the firearm (12), and a second device (35) mounting the tubular member (25) on the firearm (12) at a second location and providing the tubular member (25) with angular freedom of movement relative to the firearm (12).

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the first device (31) restrains the tubular member (25) against angular movement relative to a longitudinal axis thereof.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the first device (31) includes a sleeve (33) encompassing the tubular member (25).

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the sleeve (33) has an annular protrusion (34) contacting the tubular member (25).

5. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 4, in which the second device (35) restrains the tubular member (25) against linear movement.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any.of the claims 1 to 5, in which the second device (35) pivotally mounts the tubular member (25).

7. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 5, in which the second device (35) mounts the tubular member (25) for omnidirectional pivotal movement.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 7, in which the second device (35) includes a ball joint for mounting the tubular member (25).

9. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 8, in which one of the first and second devices (31, 35) supports a sight (48, 49) for the firearm (12).

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, in which said sight is a front sight (48) mounted on the first device (31) and the second device (35) supports a rear sight for the firearm (12).

ll. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 10, in which the first device (31) includes an arrangement (53, 54, 56, 57, 58; Fig. 2) for angularly adjusting the tubular member (25).

12. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 10, including an optical device (61; Figs. 3, 4) at said end (26) of the tubular member (25) for deflecting the light beam (23).

13. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 12, in which the laser (15) is rigidly mounted in the tubular member (25).

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, in which the laser (15) is potted in the tubular member (25).

15. Apparatus for assisting the aiming of a firearm (12) with a laser (15) for emitting a light beam (23) to a target, and a tubular member (25) for housing the laser (15),
characterised by
a first device (39) on the tubular member (25) having a surface (40) curved at a radius in a plane intersecting the firearm -(12) and the tubular member (25) longitudinally, and a second device (41, 42) engaging the first device (39) at a surface (141, 142) complementary to the curved surface (40) and being coupled to the firearm (12).

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 15, including a third device (31) for mounting the tubular member (25) on the firearm (12) at a distance from the first and second devices (39, 41, 42).

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 16, in which the third device (31) restricts the tubular member (25) to linear motion relative to the third device (31).

18. Apparatus as claimed in claims 1 to 17, for a firearm (12) having a manually cockable and selectively releasable hammer (87) for actuating a firing device,
characterised by
a switching arrangement (83, 89, 93, 104, 105; Fig. 5) for starting activation of the laser (15) through manual cocking of the hammer (87) to provide an aiming mark, and a manually actuable finger trigger (88) for releasing the cocked hammer (87; Fig. 5) for actuation of the firing device only after activation of the laser (15) and provision of an aiming mark.

19. Apparatus as claimed in claim 18, in which the switching arrangement (83, 89) is coupled to the hammer (87) via the finger trigger (88).

20. Apparatus as claimed in claim 18 or 19, having a lost-motion connection providing play between the finger trigger (88) and the hammer (87) during which the switching arrangement (83, 89) is actuated.

21. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 17, for a firearm (l2) having a manually actuable trigger (88),
characterised by
the existence of play at the trigger (88) between initial manual actuation of the trigger (88) and release of a firing mechanism of the firearm (12), and a switching arrangement (83, 89) coupled to the trigger (88) for activating the laser (15) in the course of said play.

22. Apparatus as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 21, in which the firearm (12) has a stock (96) including an end portion (107) extending over a cross-section thereof, and a hollow butt end portion (108) extending over said cross-section, being manually detachable from the stock (96) and housing a replenishable power source (81) for energizing the laser (15).