Remote trigger activation system for shooting rest stabilizer system

Abstract

A remote trigger activation system for a firearm secured in a shooting rest includes a trigger-activation mechanism mountable to the rest or directly to the firearm and a remote manual trigger assembly coupled via flexible push-pull cable. The activation mechanism employs a cam or gear train configured with approximately 1:1 mechanical advantage to depress the firearm trigger while preserving tactile “pull” and “break” feel. A safety interlock biases the mechanism to a non-engaged state and includes a removable pin to block actuation in safe mode. Toolless, multi-axis adjustments (height, lateral offset, and fore-aft) and universal interfaces accommodate diverse platforms. A shooting rest stabilizer may include a base plate that captures a rear rest leg and three elongate, preloaded supports clamped to fixed supports or a unitary mount (ground, bench, truck bed, or hitch), reducing rest displacement during firing. Optional sensors measure trigger and recoil dynamics for testing and QA/QC.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A remote trigger activation system comprising:
 a remote trigger mechanism comprising a manual trigger communicatively coupled to a push-pull mechanism and operatively configured to convert actuation of the manual trigger into a translation motion of the push-pull mechanism; and   the remote activation of a trigger of a firearm held by a standard bench/shooting rest location connected to the trigger activation assembly via a cable or other push or pull mechanism.   
     
     
         2 . The remote trigger activation system of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the trigger activation mechanism is configured to activate the trigger of a firearm or weapon with a one-to-one (1:1), remotely felt trigger pull and break operation;   a remote trigger activation system is configured to fail safe wherein any inadvertent action by either failure or by direct action of the remote trigger activation system does not interfere with a safety feature of the firearm or weapon;   the remote trigger activation system is configurable to work with commonly used firearms platforms comprising handguns and long arms;   the remote trigger activation system is adjustable and configurable to account for trigger reach across a trigger, and in each axis of height, across perpendicular to barrel axis, and length along barrel axis); and   the remote trigger activation system requires no tools to install or adjust.   
     
     
         3 . The remote trigger activation system of  claim 1 , wherein the push-pull mechanism comprises a brake cable having a translating elongate core slidingly received in a sheath fixedly attached to the trigger activation mechanism. 
     
     
         4 . The remote trigger activation system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 the trigger activation mechanism affixed by other means to afford positioning other than direct attachment to a standard bench/shooting rest or bench/shooting rest location, such as a fixture, robotic or prosthetic means.   
     
     
         5 . The remote trigger activation system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 alternative means of activation remotely by non-cable methods such as electromagnetic, pneumatic, and hydraulic for Automated Test Equipment (ATE) integration, testing, and quality assurance (QA)/quality control (QC) functions.   
     
     
         6 . The remote trigger activation system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 means of sensing trigger pull, break, and one or more other dynamics of trigger mounted on the trigger activation mechanism.   
     
     
         7 . The remote trigger activation system of  claim 1 , wherein the trigger activation mechanism comprises:
 a stationary positioning gear;   an internal geared trigger set engaged to the stationary positioning gear and extending a trigger bar that rotates in response to movement of the internal geared trigger set; and   a no tool clamp configured to clamp the internal geared trigger set to a bracket.   
     
     
         8 . A remote trigger activation system for actuating a trigger of a firearm secured in a shooting rest, the system comprising:
 a. a trigger-activation mechanism configured to be mounted to at least one of (i) the shooting rest and (ii) the firearm, the trigger-activation mechanism comprising:
 i. an engagement member to contact the firearm trigger; and 
 ii. a cam or gear train coupled to the engagement member and configured to translate a remote actuation input into rotation or translation of the engagement member that depresses the firearm trigger; 
   b. a remote manual trigger assembly comprising a hand-actuated lever and a housing; and   c. a flexible push-pull cable having a core slidably received in a sheath, the core coupling the hand-actuated lever to the cam or gear train such that movement of the lever produces substantially a 1:1 mechanical advantage at the engagement member to provide tactile pull and break feedback,   wherein the trigger-activation mechanism is spring-biased to a non-engaged state.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein a stationary positioning gear  3207  is fixed but used to position an internal geared trigger set  3203  which positions a trigger eccentric cam  3212  and related trigger bar  3204  to activate the trigger  2701  of a firearm  2703  and a no-tool clamp  3202  locks the positioning. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the trigger-activation mechanism provides three-axis adjustment (height, lateral offset, fore-aft) via slotted brackets and detented joints. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a sensor selected from a sensor or suite of sensors configured to measure at least one of trigger pull, over-travel, reset, and break. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the flexible push-pull cable is a lined brake cable with an over-travel stop to prevent excessive trigger depression. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the mechanism is configured such that actuation does not alter a firing mode of the firearm and does not change the firearm's cyclic firing rate. 
     
     
         14 . A remote trigger activation system for actuating a trigger of a firearm secured in a shooting rest, the system comprising:
 (a) a trigger-activation mechanism  3201  comprising:
 (i) a plate (housing/mounting plate  3211  or firearm rail/mount  3408 ) carrying a stationary positioning gear  3207   
 (ii) an internal geared trigger set  3203  and meshing with the stationary positioning gear  3207 ; 
 (iii) a trigger eccentric cam  3212  coupled to a trigger bar  3204  to depress the firearm trigger; 
   (b) a remote trigger  2803  coupled to the trigger-activation mechanism by a flexible push-pull cable whose core is linked to the internal geared trigger set  3203 ; and   (c) a return spring located in remote trigger  2803  biasing the internal geared trigger set  3203  to a non-engaged cam angle,   wherein geometry of the cable  3214  and trigger eccentric cam  3212  yields a substantially 1:1 mechanical advantage between manual trigger input and engagement-member travel, and   wherein a removable safety pin(S) blocks rotation of the remote trigger  2803  along a blocked path (BP) to prevent approach of the engagement member to the firearm trigger.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a no-tool clamp  3202  that secures the selected positioning of the internal geared trigger set  3203  containing the trigger eccentric cam  3212  and trigger bar  3204  against the trigger  2701  of a firearm  2703  for either a universal bench/rest or other fixed mount or to a Picatinny, M-LOK, and KeyMod firearm interface. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein an adjustable over-travel stop on the housing limits an advance of the eccentric cam ( 3212 ) such that the firearm trigger is not driven past a reset position. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the push-pull cable includes a slack adjuster at the housing to calibrate break position. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising a sensor or suite of sensors configured to measure rotation and displacement performance located on or about the trigger eccentric cam  3212  and trigger bar  3204 . 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the system is configured such that actuation does not alter a firing mode of the firearm and does not change the firearm's cyclic firing rate.