Helmet Mount with Integral Binocular Bridge

Abstract

A helmet mount for attaching a viewing device to a helmet includes a helmet interface assembly removably attachable to the helmet. A pivot arm is attached to the helmet interface assembly and is pivotal about a horizontal, transverse axis. A carriage member is carried on the pivot arm and slidable between the distal end and the proximal end of the pivot arm. The carriage member includes a bridge member integral therewith, the bridge member including a first fastener configured to removably attach a first viewing device and a second fastener configured to attach a second viewing device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A helmet mount for attaching a viewing device to a helmet, the mount comprising:
 a helmet interface assembly removably attachable to the helmet;   a pivot arm attached to the helmet interface assembly and pivotal about a horizontal, transverse axis, the pivot arm having a proximal end and a distal end;   a carriage member carried on the pivot arm and slidable along the pivot arm between the distal end and the proximal end of the pivot arm, the carriage member having an upper extent lying in an upper plane extending parallel to said pivot arm; and   the carriage member including a bridge member integral therewith, the bridge member disposed beneath the upper plane, the bridge member including first and second opposed sides, the first and second opposed sides being on opposite transverse sides of the pivot arm, the first opposed side including a first fastener element configured to removably attach a first viewing device and the second opposed side including a second fastener element configured to removably attach a second viewing device.   
     
     
         2 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first device interface member removably attachable to the first fastener element; and   a second device interface member removably attachable to the second fastener element.   
     
     
         3 . The helmet mount of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 the first device interface member including a first mounting shoe receptacle configured to removably attach to a mounting shoe of a first viewing device; and   the second device interface member including a second mounting shoe receptacle configured to removably attach to a mounting shoe of a second viewing device.   
     
     
         4 . The helmet mount of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 the first device interface member including a first hinge that allows rotation of a first attached viewing device between a viewing position before a first eye of a user and a first non-viewing position out of a line of sight of the user; and   the second device interface member including a second hinge that allows rotation of a second attached viewing device between a second viewing position before a second eye of a user and a second non-viewing position out of the line of sight of the user.   
     
     
         5 . The helmet mount of  claim 4 , wherein the first hinge is pivotal about a first pivot axis that is parallel to an optical axis of the first attached viewing device and the second hinge is pivotal about a second pivot axis that is parallel to an optical axis of the second attached viewing device. 
     
     
         6 . The helmet mount of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 an electrical circuit for electrically coupling a power supply to one or both of a first attached viewing device and a second attached viewing device.   
     
     
         7 . The helmet mount of  claim 6 , wherein the electrical circuit includes:
 an electrical connector;   a first set of electrical contacts on the first opposed side of said bridge member and electrically coupled to the electrical connector; and   a second set of electrical contacts on the second opposed side of said bridge member and electrically coupled to the electrical connector.   
     
     
         8 . The helmet mount of  claim 7 , wherein the electrical circuit further includes:
 a third set of electrical contacts on the first device interface member which contacts the first set of contacts on the first opposed side of the bridge member; and   a fourth set of electrical contacts on the second device interface member which contacts the second set of contacts on the second opposed side of the bridge member.   
     
     
         9 . The helmet mount of  claim 5 , wherein the first shoe receptacle is linearly movable with respect to the first device interface member along a horizontal axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the first attached viewing device and the second mounting shoe receptacle is linearly movable with respect to the second device interface member along a horizontal axis orthogonal to the optical axis of the second attached viewing device when the first and second device interface members are in a deployed position. 
     
     
         10 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , wherein the helmet interface assembly includes one or both of:
 a vertical adjustment assembly for positioning an attached viewing device at a desired vertical position; and   a tilt adjustment assembly for adjusting a viewing angle of an attached viewing device.   
     
     
         11 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , wherein the pivot arm pivots between a lower position and an upper position for use and stowage, respectively, of a viewing device attached to the bridge member. 
     
     
         12 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , wherein the carriage member is slidable along the pivot arm to a desired position between the proximal end and the distal end of the pivot arm. 
     
     
         13 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , wherein the helmet interface assembly includes a breakaway connector which causes at least a portion of the helmet mount to detach from the helmet upon the application of a predetermined force. 
     
     
         14 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a gear rack on said pivot arm;   a slide lock carried on said carriage member, the slide lock having locking teeth which intermesh with the gear rack to secure the carriage member at a desired position on the pivot arm, the slide lock being manually actuatable to selectively move the locking teeth out of engagement to provide fore-and-aft adjustment of the carriage member.   
     
     
         15 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , further comprising a captured spring within said carriage member urging the locking teeth into engagement with the gear rack. 
     
     
         16 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , further comprising a viewing device. 
     
     
         17 . The helmet mount of  claim 16 , wherein the viewing device comprises a pair of monocular viewing devices. 
     
     
         18 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , wherein the carriage member is adapted for mounting one or more viewing devices selected from the group consisting of an optical device, opto-electronic device, sighting device, targeting device, passive night vision device, enhanced night vision device, thermal imaging device, infrared imaging device, short-wave infrared imaging device, helmet mounted display screen, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , wherein the bridge member has a contacting surface which is keyed to mate with an aligned facing surface of an attached viewing device interface member. 
     
     
         20 . The helmet mount of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of device interface members including device interface members configured to attach to different types viewing devices, wherein each of the plurality of device interface members is interchangeably attachable to the bridge member.