Red dot windage and elevation adjustment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10162147-B2
Application number	US-201715590115-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2017
Priority date	May 9, 2017
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

An alignment subsystem that incorporates a ball and lever approach to adjust windage and elevation. The system provides a low cost, vibration immune red dot and/or reticle device for a weapon system. The materials used to construct the system also provide for temperature indifference and increased wear characteristics.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A sight alignment system comprising:
a variable transmissive LCD or opaque rotating shutter;
a beam combiner;
a camera;
a digital display;
a circuit card assembly;
a ball shaped portion having a first point on a surface of the ball shaped portion and a second point on the surface of the ball shaped portion that is antipodal to the first point, wherein the first point and the second point form a line;
a ball containment structure configured to hold the ball shaped portion in a position despite exposure to vibration or changes in temperature;
a lever portion having a first end, a longitudinal axis, and a second end, the first end joined with the second point on the ball shaped portion, the lever portion extending away from the second point on the ball shaped portion such that the longitudinal axis and the line are aligned;
a cavity extending through the ball shaped portion and the lever portion and extending from the second end of the lever portion to the first point on the ball shaped portion;
an optical fiber having a first end and a second end, the second end being optically coupled with a light source and the first end extending at least partially into the cavity and being configured to project an image on a viewer; and
one or more adjustment devices configured to adjust a windage and an elevation direction of the lever portion, such that when the lever portion is translated in at least one of the windage and the elevation direction, the first end of the optical fiber is displaced in a corresponding horizontal and vertical direction within the cavity to produce corresponding movement of the image in 0.5 MOA (minute of angle) steps over a range of +/−20 MOA.

2. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , wherein the ball shaped portion and the lever portion are formed from a unitary piece of material.

3. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , wherein the ball containment structure, the ball shaped portion, and the lever portion are comprised of one or more materials each having thermal expansion properties such that temperature insensitive performance is ensured as indicated by retaining aim point.

4. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , wherein the ball containment structure comprises a plurality of curved structures for holding the ball shaped portion in the position and where the plurality of curved structures are biased to provide the ball shaped portion with resistance when the lever portion is moved in the at least one of the windage and the elevation direction.

5. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the ball shaped portion, the lever portion, and the ball containment structure are comprised of materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, glass, and carbon filled polymers.

6. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , wherein the image projected by the first end of the optical fiber is a red dot.

7. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , wherein the image projected by the first end of the optical fiber is a reticle.

8. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of notches located proximal to the second end of the lever portion for accepting the one or more adjustment devices and for preventing rotation or slipping of the one or more adjustment devices when adjusting the at least one of the windage and the elevation direction of the lever portion.

9. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , wherein when the variable transmissive LCD is transmissive or the opaque rotating shutter is open, the image projected by the first end of the optical fiber is a reticle and/or a red dot and can be coupled via the beam combiner and used to co-align the reticle and/or the red dot with a digital reticle, such that the reticle and/or the red dot is adjusted to the digital reticle.

10. The sight alignment system of claim 1 , wherein the variable transmissive LCD or the opaque rotating shutter is configured to switch between a camera mode and a direct view optics mode such that when in the direct view optics mode, the opaque rotating shutter is rotated up or the variable transmissive LCD is transmissive, providing the viewer with a direct view of both a target and the projected image, and when in the camera mode, the opaque rotating shutter is closed or the variable transmissive LCD is opaque, closing the direct view of the target while the camera collects an image of the target and displays the image of the target on the digital display.

11. A firearm sight, comprising:
a sight alignment system comprising:
a variable transmissive LCD or opaque rotating shutter;
a beam combiner;
a camera, comprising a sensor and a lens;
a display;
a circuit card assembly;
a ball shaped portion having a first point on a surface of the ball shaped portion and a second point on the surface of the ball shaped portion that is antipodal to the first point;
a ball containment structure configured to hold the ball shaped portion in a position despite exposure to vibration or changes in temperature;
a lever portion having a first end and a second end, the first end joined with the second point on the ball shaped portion, the lever portion extending away from a surface normal located at the second point on the ball shaped portion;
a cavity extending through the ball shaped portion and the lever portion and extending from the second end of the lever portion to the first point on the ball shaped portion;
an optical fiber having a first end and a second end, the second end being optically coupled with a light source and the first end extending partially into the cavity and being configured to project an image on a viewer; and
one or more adjustment devices configured to adjust a windage and an elevation direction of the lever portion, such that when the lever portion is translated in at least one of the windage and the elevation direction, the first end of the optical fiber is displaced in a corresponding horizontal and vertical direction within the cavity to produce corresponding movement of the image in 0.5 MOA (minute of angle) steps over a range of +1-20 MOA.

12. The firearm sight of claim 11 , wherein the sight alignment system further comprises a plurality of notches located proximal to the second end of the lever portion for accepting the one or more adjustment devices and for preventing rotation or slipping of the one or more adjustment devices when adjusting the at least one of the windage and the elevation direction of the lever portion.

13. The firearm sight of claim 11 , wherein the ball containment structure comprises a plurality of curved structures for holding the ball shaped portion in the position and where the plurality of curved structures are biased to provide the ball shaped portion with resistance when the lever portion is moved in the at least one of the windage and the elevation direction.

14. The firearm sight of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the ball shaped portion, the lever portion, and the ball containment structure are comprised of materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, glass, and carbon filled polymers.

15. The firearm sight of claim 11 , wherein the variable transmissive LCD or the opaque rotating shutter is configured to switch between a camera mode and a direct view optics mode such that when in the direct view optics mode, the opaque rotating shutter is rotated up or the variable transmissive LCD is transmissive, providing the viewer with a direct view of both a target and the projected image, and when in the camera mode, the opaque rotating shutter is closed or the variable tra

Assignees

• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ

Inventors

• Choiniere Michael J
• Sterritt James A

Classifications

• F41G1/387

  Mounting telescopic sights on smallarms · CPC title

• G02B7/008 Primary

  with means for compensating for changes in temperature or for controlling the temperature; thermal stabilisation · CPC title

• F41G1/30

  Reflecting-sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance (reflecting-sights in general G02B) · CPC title

• F41G11/002

  Mountings with recoil absorbing means · CPC title

• G02B7/027 Primary

  the lens being in the form of a sphere or ball · CPC title