VARIABLE RETICLE FOR OPTICAL SIGHTING DEVICES RESPONSIVE TO OPTICAL MAGNIFICATION ADJUSTMENT

• US 20130033746A1
• Filed: 08/01/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leupold & Stevens Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Leupold & Stevens Incorporated
• Inventors: Brumfield, Richard B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,429,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/401
• 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: G02B 23/105 Sighting devices with light source and collimating reflector reflecting sights for small arms having light source F41G1/34
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/36 adjustable

Abstract

An optical sighting device includes an electronic controller that is responsive to changes in an optical magnification of the sighting device to resize at least a portion of a reticle produced by an electronic display or other means proximate a focal plane of the sighting device. In some embodiments, the reticle is located proximate a rear focal plane of the sighting device and may be scaled by the electronic controller in concert with changes in optical magnification to simulate a front focal plane reticle. A functional pattern of the reticle may also be automatically changed at different magnification settings to provide different types of reticles, such as CQB and sniper reticles, in a single optical device.

Claims

1. A variable power optical sighting device, comprising:

an objective that produces an image of a distant object;

an eyepiece for viewing the image;

a power-varying lens element;

a magnification adjustment mechanism coupled to the power-varying lens element for driving the power-varying lens element to adjust an optical magnification of the image of the distant object;

a sensor operatively associated with the magnification adjustment mechanism to produce a signal indicative of an adjustment of the optical magnification;

a reticle disposed proximate a focal plane of the sighting device and viewable through the eyepiece in a field of view thereof superimposed upon the image of the distant object; and

an electronic controller in communication with the sensor and operable to resize at least a portion of the reticle at the focal plane in response to the signal produced by the sensor.

2. The optical sighting device of claim 1, wherein the electronic controller continuously resizes at least a portion of the reticle at the focal plane in response to the signal indicating continuous adjustments of the optical magnification.

3. The optical sighting device of claim 1, wherein the image is produced by the objective at a front focal plane and further comprising:

an erector assembly disposed between the front focal plane and the eyepiece, the erector assembly operable to produce an erect image of the distant object at a rear focal plane between the erector assembly and the eyepiece; and

wherein the reticle is disposed proximate the rear focal plane, and the erector assembly is responsive to the magnification adjustment mechanism for magnifying the erect image, and the electronic controller is configured to resize the reticle at the rear focal plane so as to change the apparent size of the reticle in the field of view in concert with changes in the optical magnification of the sighting device.

4. The optical sighting device of claim 3, wherein the electronic controller resizes the reticle at the rear focal plane proportional to adjustments of the optical magnification such that the apparent size of the reticle in the field of view is changed to the same degree as the apparent size of the object in the field of view.

5. The optical sighting device of claim 1, further comprising an electronic reticle display facing a beam combiner disposed proximate the focal plane.

6. The optical sighting device of claim 5, further comprising an aiming dot marked on a surface of the beam combiner.

7. The optical sighting device of claim 5, wherein the electronic reticle display includes a pixel array for producing the reticle.

8. The optical sighting device of claim 5, wherein the electronic reticle display includes an OLED pixel array.

9. The optical sighting device of claim 1, wherein the reticle includes a transparent electronic reticle display positioned in an optical path of the sighting device at the focal plane.

10. The optical sighting device of claim 9, wherein the transparent electronic reticle display is pixelated.

11. The optical sighting device of claim 1, wherein the image is produced by the objective at a front focal plane, the reticle is located proximate the front focal plane, and further comprising:

an erector assembly located between the front focal plane and the eyepiece, the erector assembly operable to produce an erect image of the reticle and the distant object at a rear focal plane for viewing via the eyepiece, the erector assembly responsive to the magnification adjustment mechanism to magnify the erect image of the reticle and the distant object; and

wherein the electronic controller resizes the reticle at the front focal plane in inverse relation to changes in the optical magnification, such that the apparent size of the reticle in the field of view is unaffected by changes in the optical magnification.

12. The optical sighting device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of an electro-mechanical digital encoder, an optical digital encoder, and a potentiometer.

13. The optical sighting device of claim 1, wherein:

the reticle comprises a plurality of marks and spaces therebetween, the marks and spaces subtending angles in an object space viewable through the eyepiece of the optical sighting device; and

the electronic controller is operable to resize the marks and spaces at the focal plane such that all of the angles subtended in the object space by the marks and the spaces remain unchanged throughout a range of adjustments in the optical magnification.

14. The optical sighting device of claim 1, wherein the signal is indicative of multiple optical magnification settings of the optical sighting device including at least a first magnification setting and a second magnification setting greater than the first magnification setting.

15. The optical sighting device of claim 14, wherein:

the reticle includes an electronic reticle display in communication with the electronic controller;

the electronic controller is configured to;

produce a first set of multiple marks arranged on the electronic reticle display to form a first reticle pattern in response to the signal indicating the first magnification setting, and

in response to the signal indicating the second magnification setting, remove the first set of multiple marks and to produce a second set of multiple marks on the electronic reticle display to form a second reticle pattern that is distinct from the first reticle pattern.

16. The optical sighting device of claim 15, wherein the electronic controller is configured to, in response to the signal indicating a third magnification setting greater than the first and second magnification settings, replace the second set of multiple marks on the electronic reticle display with a third set of multiple marks different from the second set of marks to form a third reticle pattern distinct from the second reticle pattern.

17. The optical sighting device of claim 15, wherein the first reticle pattern is a close-quarters reticle pattern, and wherein the second reticle pattern is a long-range reticle pattern.

18. The optical sighting device of claim 15, wherein:

the first set of marks includes an aiming dot at an optical center of the reticle and a circle, or an arc, or a horseshoe shape centered on the optical center; and

the second set of marks includes multiple holdover aiming marks spaced apart below the optical center and multiple windage aiming marks spaced apart to the left and right of the holdover aiming marks.