Combined telescope and camera sight

• US 3,911,451 A
• Filed: 11/07/1973
• Issued: 10/07/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Karl Vockenhuber
• Original Assignee: Karl Vockenhuber
• Inventors: Vockenhuber, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Horan, John M.
• Application Number:
  US05/413,427
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 95/12 354/75,79
• US Class Current: 396/426
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 27/00 Accessories; Details or attachments not otherwise provided for
• 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: G02B 23/14 Viewfinders for photographic apparatus G03B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/16 Housings; Caps; Mountings; Supports, e.g. with counterweight

Abstract

A telescopic gun sight is provided with a mount for a removable camera to enable an object to be photographed through the telescope. The light path from the telescope to the camera is provided by a beam splitter which separates some of the light travelling along the optical axis of the telescope and diverts it towards a collimator and a window in the wall of the telescope. The collimator provides parallel rays from this diverted light so that the camera attached to the mount can be a fixed focal-length camera. An arrangement is provided for blanking off the window when the camera is not fitted to the telescope.

Claims

1. A telescopic gun sight comprising a sighting telescope defining an axis for a sighting beam, a beam splitting assembly inside the telescope and diverting laterally part of said sighting beam, a collimator on which the laterally diverted beam part is incident and providing collimated light therefrom, means defining a window in the telescopic wall through which light from the diverted beam part passes, a camera mounting device external to the telescope having coupling means for removably receiving a fixed lens caamera, and a fixed lens camera removably mounted in said coupling means with its lens aligned with and receiving light from said collimator, said coupling means having adjustable clamps to enable cameras of different sizes to be held by said device.

2. A telescopic gun sight comprising a sighting telescope defining an axis for a sighting beam, a beam splitting assembly mounted inside the telescope and movable between a first position at which it is to one side of the sighting beam axis, and a second position at which it intercepts said sighting beam, a sensing-and-displacing member projecting through the wall of the telescope and actuatable from ouTside the telescope and operably connected to said assembly to move the assembly from its first position to its second position, resilient biasing means urging the assembly towards its first position, a collimator on which the laterally diverted beam part is incident and providing collimated light therefrom, means defining a window in the telescopic wall through which light from the diverted beam part passes, a camera mounting device external to the telescope having coupling means whereby a fixed lens camera can be removably mounted in the device, and a fixed lens camera removably inserted into said coupling means with its lens aligned with and receiving light from said collimator, said sensing-and-displacing member being positioned to detect the emplacement of the camera on the telescope and for actuation by said camera upon the insertion of said camera into said coupling means to displace said assembly.

3. A telescopic gun sight comprising a sighting telescope defining an axis for a sighting beam, a beam splitting assembly mounted inside the telescope and movable between a first position at which it is to one side of the sighting beam axis, and a second position at which it intercepts said sight-beam, a sensing-and-displacing member projecting through the wall of the telescope and actuable from outside the telescope and operably connected to said assembly to move the assembly from its first position to its second position, resilient biasing means urging the assembly towards its first position a collimator on which the laterally diverted beam part is incident and providing collimated light therefrom, means defining a window in the telescopic wall through which light from the diverted beam part passes, and a camera mounting device external to the telescope whereby a fixed lens camera mounted in the device has its objective receiving the collimated light, said sensing-and-displacing member comprising a resiliently biased push rod one end of which is attached to the beam splitter assembly and the other end of which projects through a side opening in the telescope, and positioned to detect the emplacement of the camera on the telescope and for engagement by said camera upon its insertion into said device to displace said assembly.

4. A telescopic gun sight comprising a sighting telescope defining an axis for a sighting beam, a beam splitting assembly mounted inside the telescope and movable between a first position at which it is to one side of the sighting beam axis, and a second position at which it intercepts said sighting beam, a sensing-and-displacing member projecting through the wall of the telescope and actuated from outside the telescope and operably connected to said assembly to move the assembly from its first position to its second position, resilient biasing means urging the assembly towards its first position, a collimator on which the laterally diverted beam part is incident and providing collimated light therefrom, means defining a window in the telescope wall through which light from the diverted beam part passes, a camera mounting device external to the telescope whereby a fixed lens camera mounted in the device has its objective receiving the collimated light, said sensing-and-displacing member being positioned to detect the emplacement of the camera on the telescope and actuaged by fitting a camera in said mounting device to displace said assembly, said beam splitter assembly including a movable support, a beam splitting unitd carried by the support, and a hinge connection between the support and the telescope inside wall, said sensing-and-displacing member including a push rod having one end pivoted to the support to turn it about the hinge axis with axial movement of the push rod.

5. A sight as claimed in claim 4, in which the mounting device includes an additional optical system for directing light from the direction of the line of sight to a position at which it is incident on a light meter of a camera when mounted on the device.

6. A telescoPic gun sight comprising a sighting telescope defining an axis for a sighting beam, a beam splitting assembly mounted inside the telescope and movable between a first position at which it is to one side of the sighting beam axis, and a second position at which it intercepts said sighting beam, a sensing member actuated from outside of the telescope and operably connected to move the assembly from its first position to its second position, resilient biasing means urging the assembly towards its first position, a collimator on which the laterally diverted beam part is incident and providing collimated light therefrom, means defining a window in the telescopic wall through which light from the diverted beam part passes, and a camera mounting device external to the telescope whereby a fixed lens camera mounted in the device has its objective receiving the collimated light, said sensing member being actuated by fitting a camera in said mounting device, said sight further including an element on the beam splitting assembly and movable therewith to blank off the window when the assembly is in its first position.

7. A telescopic gun sight comprising a sighting telescope defining an axis for a sighting beam, a beam splitting assembly inside the telescope and diverting laterally part of said sighting beam, a collimator on which the laterally diverted beam part is incident and providing collimated light therefrom, said collimator and said assembly providing a first optical system, means defining a window in one side of the telescope the through which light from the diverted beam part passes, a camera mounting device external to the telescope, a camera having a fixed lens objective and mounted in said mounting device with said objective receiving parallel light from said collimator, a light meter on the camera, and an additional optical system outside the telescope and guiding onto the light meter light from the general direction of the viewed object.

8. A sight as claimed in claim 7, in which the additional optical system includes a changeable neutral filter attenuator provided with a selector adjustable to vary the attenuation and to log a value corresponding to the maximum adjustable aperture of the camera.

9. A sight as claimed in claim 7, in which the camera is parallelepiped shaped and has its longest dimension extending in the direction of the telescope line of sight and the bulk of its dimensions contained within the overall dimensions of the telescope.