Realtime aiming zeroing reconnaissance sight

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10488646-B2
Application number	US-201616075191-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2016
Priority date	Apr 25, 2016
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A holographic, single-unit, augmented sight has a housing containing a see-through holographic eyepiece; at least one of a visible light digital camera and an LWIR digital camera; a display to display an image from the camera(s); a shutter presenting the display; a red dot fiber-coupled LED reticle assembly using a spherical ball configuration sandwiched between two matching seats which are compressed together to contain the spherical ball configuration optical position; and a lever attached to the spherical ball configuration to rotate the ball by moving the lever up/down, left/right to adjust windage and elevation; a lower coupling prism presenting the reticle of the reticle assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A holographic, single-unit, augmented sight device comprising:
a single housing containing
a holographic eyepiece;
at least two internal digital cameras in said housing;
a display to display an image from either of said two internal digital cameras;
a shutter switching to said display;
a red dot fiber-coupled LED reticle assembly;
a lower coupling prism presenting a reticle of said reticle assembly;
wherein said at least two internal digital cameras include a visible wavelength digital color camera and a Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) digital camera;
wherein said red dot fiber-coupled LED reticle assembly comprises:
a spherical ball configuration;
said spherical ball configuration sandwiched between two matching seats, said seats compressed together to contain said ball configuration optical position; and
a lever attached to said spherical ball configuration, said lever configured to rotate said spherical ball by moving said lever up/down and left/right thereby providing a slight translation necessary to adjust windage and elevation, whereby only minor translation is needed for red dot adjustment.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein said display is an OLED/LCD display.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein said shutter is an electro-optical shutter.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein said red dot fiber-coupled LED reticle assembly comprises:
two compression plates;
a collimator;
optics; and
two drive screws for lever adjustment;
whereby two sliding translation stages move said collimator position up/down or left/right, and a part count is significantly reduced, reducing cost and increasing reliability of aim point position.

5. The device of claim 1 , further comprising molded glass optics.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein said device includes only one prism.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein said device is a Realtime Aiming Zeroing Reconnaissance system.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein said device is a pocket scope/viewer.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a zoom capability.

10. The device of claim 1 , further comprising a red dot aim point generated by the red dot fiber-coupled LED reticle assembly for the at least two internal digital cameras.

11. A method for using a holographic, single-unit, augmented sight device comprising:
providing a single housing containing a holographic eyepiece; at least two internal digital cameras; a display to display an image from either of said two internal digital cameras; a shutter presenting said display; a red dot fiber-coupled LED reticle assembly; and a lower coupling prism presenting reticle of said reticle assembly; and
aiming, through said holographic, single-unit, augmented sight at a target in at least one of visible and Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) wavelengths;
wherein said at least two internal digital cameras comprise a visible wavelength digital color camera and a LWIR digital camera; and
wherein windage and elevation adjustment is accomplished by rotating a spherical ball of said red dot fiber-coupled LED reticle assembly by moving a lever up/down, left/right, whereby only minor translation is needed for red dot adjustment.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein said at least two internal digital cameras each comprise:
about a 40 degree field of view at about a 1 power zoom;
about a 20 degree field of view at about a 2 power zoom;
about a 10 degree field of view at about a 4 power zoom; and
about a 5 degree field of view at about an 8 power zoom, wherein said about 5 degree, about 8 power zoom is full native resolution.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein said aiming includes both color visible and LWIR wavelengths.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein a cover is flipped down to sight optics that serves to turn on a visible camera subsystem and block light coming into said sight, allowing clear viewing of said display which provides a magnified scene to a user.

15. A holographic, single-unit, augmented sight system comprising:
a single housing containing
a holographic eyepiece;
a visible wavelength digital camera;
an Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) wavelength digital camera;
a display to display an image from said cameras;
an LCD shutter presenting said display;
a red dot fiber-coupled LED reticle assembly comprising a spherical ball configuration;

said spherical ball configuration sandwiched between two matching compression plate seats, said seats compressed together to contain said ball configuration optical position; a collimator; optics; and two drive screws; a lever attached to said spherical ball configuration, said lever providing a means to rotate said ball by moving said lever up/down, left/right thereby providing a slight translation necessary to adjust windage and elevation, whereby only minor translation is needed for red dot adjustment and a part count is significantly reduced, reducing cost and increasing reliability of aim point position; and
a lower coupling prism presenting reticle of said reticle assembly;

said sight providing about a 40 degree field of view at about a 1 power zoom; about a 20 degree field of view at about a 2 power zoom; about a 10 degree field of view at about a 4 power zoom; and about a 5 degree field of view at about an 8 power zoom.

Assignees

• Bae Systems Information & Electronic Systems Integration Inc
• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ

Inventors

• Derushia Scott A
• Choiniere Michael J
• Koltookian John H

Classifications

• F41G1/14

  with lens · CPC title

• G02B23/145 Primary

  Zoom viewfinders · CPC title

• G03H1/22

  Processes or apparatus for obtaining an optical image from holograms (G03H1/26 - G03H1/34 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B23/105

  Sighting devices with light source and collimating reflector (reflecting sights for small arms having light source F41G1/34) · CPC title

• G03H2001/2284

  Superimposing the holobject with other visual information · CPC title