SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROJECTING REGISTERED IMAGERY INTO A TELESCOPE

• US 20120182417A1
• Filed: 01/19/2012
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc. (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems Incorporated (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: Everett, Jonathan Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,121,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/135
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/30 Reflecting-sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance reflecting-sights in general G02B
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/38 Telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance telescopic sights in general G02B; Supports or mountings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/54 Devices for testing or checking ; Tools for adjustment of sights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/165 using a TV-monitor

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided to automatically determine a position of a reticle of a rifle scope or other telescope that provides a visual image to an eye of a viewer. A near-infrared or other illuminating light is generated and applied to illuminate the reticle of the telescope. The illuminated image of the reticle is optically transmitted to a camera or other detector that captures an image of the reticle. Processing electronics then automatically determine the position of the reticle based upon the position of the illuminated image of the reticle within the captured image. Appropriate feedback about the determined position of the reticle or any other information may be displayed in the visual image provided by the telescope.

Claims

1. A system to provide feedback about a position of a reticule of a telescope that provides a visual image to a viewer, the system comprising:

a light source configured to generate an illuminating light;

a camera configured to produce a captured image in response to received light;

optics configured to direct the illuminating light from the light source and through the telescope to thereby illuminate the reticule and to thereby form an illuminated image of the reticle, wherein the optics are further configured to transmit the illuminating light including the illuminated image of the reticle to be received by the camera to thereby allow the camera to create the captured image representing the transmitted illuminating light including the illuminated image of the reticle; and

processing electronics configured to receive the captured image from the camera that is based upon the illuminating light and to determine the position of the reticle based upon a position of the illuminated image of the reticle within the captured image.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the optics are configured to direct the illuminating light through the telescope to the eye of the viewer with the visual image so that the illuminating light reflects off of the eye of the viewer toward the reticle.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the illuminating light is predominantly a near-infrared light, and wherein the camera is sensitive to at least one wavelength of the near-infrared light in the reflected illuminating light.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the optics comprise a beam splitter that reflects the at least one wavelength of the near-infrared light, and wherein the illuminating light is directed toward the eye of the viewer on substantially the same optical path in which the reflected illuminating light is transmitted toward the camera.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a display configured to generate an image responsive to the position of the reticle on a display, and wherein the generated image is transmitted from the display to the telescope so that the viewer sees the generated image within the visual image provided by the telescope.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the generated image comprises an indication representing a deviation of the reticle from an initial position.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the processing electronics are configured to initially capture a baseline image with the camera that indicates an initial position of the reticle, and wherein the deviation is determined as a function of a difference between the baseline image and the captured image.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the generated image comprises enhanced imagery obtained from a second optical input device.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein second optical input device is an external camera, and wherein the enhanced imagery comprises a target indicator corresponding to a target identified by an operator of the external camera.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the telescope is a scope mounted to a weapon that is adjustable by a user to move the telescope independently of the weapon, and wherein the position of the reticle is determined with respect to the weapon.

11. A method to determine a position of a reticle of a telescope, wherein the telescope provides a visual image to an eye of a viewer, the method comprising:

directing, by processing electronics, the production of an illuminating light that is directed through the telescope to illuminate the reticle, thereby forming an illuminated image of the reticle, wherein the illuminating light including the illuminated image of the reticle to is transmitted a camera that produces a captured image; and

determining, by the processing electronics, the position of the reticle based upon a position of the illuminated image of the reticle within the captured image.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the illuminating light is directed to the eye of the viewer with the visual image so that the illuminating light reflects off of the eye of the viewer toward the reticle.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the illuminating light is predominantly a near-infrared light, and wherein the camera is sensitive to at least one wavelength of the near-infrared light.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising generating an image responsive to the position of the reticle on a display, and wherein the generated image is transmitted from the display to the telescope so that the viewer sees the generated image within the visual image provided by the telescope.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the generated image comprises an indication representing a deviation of the reticle from an initial position.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising determining the deviation from the initial position based upon the position of the reticle determined from the captured image.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising initially capturing a baseline image with the camera that indicates the initial position of the reticle, and wherein the deviation is determined by measuring a difference between the baseline image and the captured image.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the generated image comprises a target indicator obtained from a second optical input device.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the generated image comprises enhanced imagery obtained from a second optical input device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the telescope is a rifle scope and wherein the second optical input device is a camera associated with a spotter.