Magnetic Breakaway Mount for Tools and Equipment

Personnel in many fields (first responders, military personnel, divers, motorcyclists, scuba divers, etc.) carry various pieces of tactical gear or equipment fastened to their persons for easy access. These can become a hazard if caught on something. Use of a breakaway mount will minimize this safety hazard and has the added benefit of keeping tools easily accessible and controls release, minimizing accidently dislodging.

The breakaway mount has a baseplate that is magnetically connected to an equipment holder. The magnet strength is tuned to fail above a certain load but will not detach prematurely. The mount self-orients such that the equipment reattaches the same way each time and allows reseating equipment easily.

The base plate is fastened to the person’s clothing by Velcro or something similar and contains magnets that face away from the individual. The equipment holder is designed to hold various tools. The tool is fastened to the equipment holder using Velcro straps or similar. The equipment holder also contains magnets that hold it in a specific orientation to the base plate. For safety, the magnet strength is tuned so that the magnets will separate under load before any of the fasteners.

The prototype breakaway mount was designed to hold flashlights on helmets for US Coast Guard divers, but the concept can be used in many situations.

For a more detailed description download the PDF below.