OPTICAL SIGHT WITH ELECTRONIC IMAGE STABILIZATION

• US 3,594,556 A
• Filed: 01/08/1969
• Issued: 07/20/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: William R. Edwards
• Original Assignee: William R. Edwards
• Inventors: Edwards, William R.
• Application Number:
  US04/789,729
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• US Class Current: 701/400
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/22 for vehicle-borne armament, e.g. on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/644 compensating for large deviations, e.g. maintaining a fixed line of sight while a vehicle on which the system is mounted changes course
• CPC Class Codes: G06G 7/78 for direction-finding, locating, distance or velocity measuring, or navigation systems

Abstract

This invention is directed to an electrically augmented sight particularly adapted for use in aerial reconnaissance. The sight locates and fixes the position of an object viewed from the air. A wide-angle optical viewer is used to locate and hold the object in sight. An electron image motion-stabilizing system in the sight provides a stable view of the object. When the stable view is obtained, computer operation is initiated to make two consecutive measurements of the bearing angle of the target relative to the flight path of the aircraft. After the aircraft has traveled a predetermined distance, usually 1,000 yards, the second measurement is made. The bearing angle at the point of the second measurement is recorded and the computer utilizing the sine law calculates the range of the target at the recorded bearing.

Claims

1. An optical sight for identifying an object from an aircraft and measuring the range and bearing to the object from the aircraft comprising:

a cabinet;

an optical viewer mounted in said cabinet for use in locating an object;

image stabilization means mounted in said cabinet and operable to produce a stabilized identifiable image of the object located and positioned with respect to said viewer such that the stabilized image may be observed through said viewer;

means mounted in said cabinet for measuring the bearing to the object as sighted through said viewer from the aircraft; and

means mounted in said cabinet and connected to said bearingmeasuring means for calculating the range to the object from the aircraft after two successive bearing measurements.

2. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 1, wherein said bearing-measuring means comprises a potentiometer

3. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 1, wherein said bearing-measuring means comprises a gyroscope.

4. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 1, wherein said image stabilization means utilizes a closed-circuit television system for presenting an electronically enhanced stabilized image of the object identified.

5. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 4, further comprising a dichroic mirror mounted in said optical viewer

6. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 5, wherein said optical viewer has a wide angle of view.

7. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 6, wherein said image stabilization means utilizes first and second gyroscopes for stabilizing the optical image of the object sighted about the x and y axis.

8. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 7, wherein said range-calculating means is a computer.

9. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 8, wherein said computer comprises:

means connected to said bearing-measuring means for obtaining the sine of angle A, where A is a first bearing from the aircraft to the object sighted;

means connect to said bearing means for obtaining the sine of angle B-A where B is a second bearing from the aircraft to the object sighted taken after the aircraft has flown a distance Z from the point at which the first bearing was taken;

means for multiplying the sine of angle A by the distance Z;

dividing means connected to said multiplying means and said means for obtaining the sine of the angle B-A to divide Z sin A by sin (B-A) to obtain the range of the object identified to the target.

10. An optical sight for identifying an object as in claim 4, wherein said range-calculating means is a computer.

11. An optical sight for identifying an object, as in claim 5, wherein said computer comprises means connected to said bearing-measuring means for obtaining the sine of angle A, where A is a first bearing from the aircraft to the object sighted;

means connected to said bearing-measuring means for obtaining the sine of angle B-A, where B is a second bearing from the aircraft to the object sighted taken after the aircraft has flown a distance Z from the point at which the first bearing was taken;

means for multiplying the sine of angle A by the distance Z;

dividing means connected to said multiplying means and said means for obtaining the sine of the angle B-A to divide Z sin A by the sin (B-A) to obtain the range of the object identified to the target.