This invention relates to illuminators for firearms, and more particularly to illuminator devices for selectively providing low intensity illumination to assist the user to navigate his or her surroundings in dark environments, as well as for selectively providing high intensity illumination of a target, and to battery compartments and switching devices useful therewith.
Target illuminators for attachment to firearms are well known. Illuminator devices have been used on tactical weapons such as carbines for illuminating targets for being fired upon, as well as for momentarily blinding and disorienting an adversary. In dark environments, whether outside at night or indoors, a military or law enforcement person engaged in an adversarial situation may find it difficult or impossible to efficiently and noiselessly navigate his or her surroundings. To provide visual assistance by momentarily turning on a target illuminator may betray his presence or even his position.
Vertical fore-end handgrips for tactical weapons such as carbines are also well known. Such handgrips may be attached to a rail interface system device secured to the fore-end of a carbine, for providing assistance in physically controlling the carbine when various accessories are secured to its fore-end rail interface system device.
Against this background, a primary aspect of the present invention provides an illuminator for a firearm for selectively generating low intensity illumination for assisting the firearm user to navigate his surroundings, i.e. to provide low level illumination for assisting the user to find his way to a point of entry without betraying his presence or position with high intensity light. A preferred embodiment of the present invention combines the low intensity navigation illuminator with a high intensity target illuminator, and is configured with a vertical fore-end handgrip adapted for attachment to a long firearm such as a carbine or other rifle or a shotgun. The vertical handgrip includes a battery compartment with a bottom cap assembly for retaining the battery as well as a safety latch for assuring the secure attachment of the cap assembly to the battery compartment. The battery retainer cap assembly further includes a readily accessible enable/disable switch for permitting the user to positively prevent operation of the illuminators.
Specifically, according to one aspect of the present invention, an illumination apparatus is provided for a firearm comprising the combination of: a housing adapted to be secured to the firearm; a high intensity light source carried by the housing and operable by a user for illuminating a target when the housing is secured to the firearm; and at least one low intensity light source carried by the housing and operable by the user for illuminating the user""s surroundings when the housing is secured to the firearm. In the preferred embodiment, the at least one low intensity light source includes a light emitting diode. The housing of the preferred embodiment includes a handgrip substantially vertically disposed beneath the firearm""s barrel when the housing is secured to the firearm and the firearm is horizontally disposed, the housing further including a forward portion carrying the high intensity and low intensity light sources. The vertical handgrip includes a compartment for containing a battery, and preferably a replaceably removable battery retainer cap at the lower end of the handgrip for removably retaining the battery in the battery compartment.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the battery compartment retainer cap is protected against inadvertent removal such as by vibrations generated by the firearm. For providing such protection, the battery retainer cap is threadedly attached to the lower end of the handgrip and includes a plurality of circumferentially-spaced vertically-oriented grooves along the outer surface thereof; and a lever is pivotally attached to the handgrip, the lever having a lower leg radially inwardly biased and normally cooperating with a one of the grooves for preventing rotation of the battery retainer cap with respect to the handgrip, the leg including a portion adapted for manipulation by the user for outwardly pivoting the leg from the one groove for permitting the user to rotate the battery retainer cap with respect to the handgrip.
A further aspect of the present invention, involving the battery compartment which is useful in other electrical appliances as well, concerns an actuator mounted to the battery retainer cap operable by a user for alternatively connecting and disconnecting the battery in a circuit thereby respectively enabling and disabling the battery. The battery compartment includes an electrically conductive sleeve and the battery retainer cap is electrically conductive and conductively retained by the sleeve for containing the battery with one terminal of the battery in conductive engagement with a conductive floor or partition of the battery retainer cap when the battery is enabled. The other terminal of the battery contacts a conductive spring electrically insulated from the sleeve and downwardly biasing the battery, the sleeve and the spring electrically connected to the circuit. The partition or floor includes a bore therethrough, the actuator includes an electrically insulating post in the bore, and the actuator is actuable by the user for upwardly displacing the post to urge the one terminal of the battery to conductively disengage from the conductive partition or floor for disabling the battery and alternatively for downwardly displacing the post such that the one terminal of the battery conductively engages the floor for enabling the battery. The preferred embodiment further includes an actuator retainer cap retainably mounting the actuator to the battery retainer cap; two projections depending from the battery retainer cap and radially spaced from the bore; two arcuate recesses in the actuator and concentrically spaced about the post for respectively receiving the projections, the depth of each of the recesses increasing from one end to the other end thereof; and a compression spring held by the actuator retainer spring and acting upon the actuator for maintaining the recesses in engagement with the projections. Each end of each of the arcuate recesses preferably includes a detent for releaseably retaining an associated one of the projections.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention, including both high intensity and low intensity light sources, further includes: an ON/OFF switch on the housing and operable by the user for alternatively turning on and off the high intensity light source when the battery is enabled; at least one momentary switch on the handgrip operable by the user for momentarily turning on the high intensity light source when the battery is enabled; and a momentary switch on the housing operable by the user for momentarily turning on the at least one low intensity light source when the battery is enabled.