Riflescope with integrated wind sensor and targeting display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816782-B2
Application number	US-201615065701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2016
Priority date	Mar 9, 2015
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for providing the weapon-mounted optical scope that provides for wind sensing and the display a ballistic solution without the need for a separate device. Embodiments may include various additional sensors housed within the weapon-mounted optical scope to provide data for the ballistic solution calculation. Embodiments may further include a display at the input aperture rather than internally at the first-focal-plane, enabling for simpler, more cost effective embodiments. Additionally or alternatively, embodiments may include a laser, separate from the wind sensing laser, to perform range-finding functions, and/or an enhanced-image assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A weapon-mounted optical scope comprising:
an objective lens;
a display assembly configured to, when displaying an object, emit light such that the emitted light enters the objective lens;
an eyepiece configured to enable a user to see an image from light entering the objective lens;
one or more orientation sensors;
a positioning unit;
a first laser;
an optical receiver comprising: a first subassembly, disposed a first horizontal distance from the first laser and disposed a first vertical distance from the first laser, comprising a first sensor and a set of one or more first lenses configured to direct a reflected laser beam toward the first sensor; and a second subassembly, disposed a second horizontal distance from the first laser and disposed a second vertical distance from the first laser, comprising a second sensor and a set of one or more second lenses configured to direct the reflected laser beam toward the second sensor; and
a processing unit communicatively coupled with the first laser, the optical receiver, the one or more orientation sensors, and the positioning unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to:
cause the first laser to emit a laser beam in the direction of the image;
obtain measurements from the optical receiver by: receiving a first measurement, from the first sensor, of the laser beam reflected from the image into the one or more first lenses; receiving a second measurement, from the second sensor, of the laser beam reflected from the image into the one or more second lenses;
calculate a wind measurement based on the obtained measurements received by the optical receiver by: converting the first measurement into a first digital signal; converting the second measurement into a second digital signal; and manipulating the differences between the first digital signal and the second digital signal and the first horizontal distance, the first vertical distance, the second horizontal distance, and the second vertical distance;
determine a ballistic solution based on the wind measurement and data from the one or more orientation sensors and the positioning unit; and
cause the display assembly to display information indicative of the ballistic solution.

2. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 1 , further comprising a second laser, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:
cause the second laser to emit one or more laser pulses;
obtain one or more measurements of reflected light of the one or more laser pulses from the sensor of one subassembly of the optical receiver;
calculate a range measurement based on the obtained one or more measurements of the reflected light; and
determine the ballistic solution further based on the range measurement.

3. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 1 , further comprising an enhanced image assembly, the enhanced image assembly including:
a beam splitter configured to direct a portion of the light entering the objective lens to a camera communicatively coupled with the processing unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to process an image captured by the camera;
an internal display configured to show the image processed by the processing unit; and
a mirror configured to direct light from the internal display such that the internal display is viewable through the eyepiece.

4. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 3 , wherein the enhanced image assembly further comprises a dial to control orientation of the mirror such that the mirror operates in two modes:
a first mode in which the mirror is configured to direct light from the internal display such that the internal display is viewable through the eyepiece, and
a second mode in which the mirror is configured to enable the user to see the image from the light entering the objective lens.

5. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 3 , wherein the beam splitter is configured to direct infrared light to the camera.

6. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 3 , wherein the processing unit is configured to process the image captured by the camera by reducing blur in the image.

7. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 1 , wherein the sensor of each subassembly comprises a photodiode.

8. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 1 , wherein the sensor of each subassembly comprises a portion of a camera.

9. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 8 , wherein the camera is a shortwave infrared (SWIR) camera.

10. The weapon-mounted optical scope of claim 1 , further comprising a keypad configured to operate as a user input interface to one or more electrical components disposed within the weapon-mounted optical scope.

Assignees

• Cubic Corp

Inventors

• Maryfield Tony
• Dadkhah Mahyar
• Cugnetti Christian

Classifications

• H04N23/64

  Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image · CPC title

• H04N13/204

  using stereoscopic image cameras (stereoscopic photography G03B35/00) · CPC title

• G06T2207/10016

  Video; Image sequence · CPC title

• G01S7/486

  Receivers · CPC title

• G01S17/86

  Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders · CPC title