Dual mode apparatus for assisting in the aiming of a firearm

• US 5,344,320 A
• Filed: 03/12/1992
• Issued: 09/06/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Technologies Lasers Ltd.
• Inventors: Haimovich, Yosef, Inbar, Motti
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Richman, Glenn E.
• Application Number:
  US07/850,129
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 434/11, 434/14-22, 273/310-316, 42/103
• US Class Current: 434/22
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/145 using a target illuminator
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2655 in which the light beam is sent from the weapon to the target

Abstract

Dual mode apparatus for assisting in the aiming of a firearm including laser designating apparatus boresighted with the barrel of the firearm, apparatus for actuating the laser designating apparatus in a first mode of operation for illuminating an impingement location on a target while permitting normal operation of the firearm to shoot projectiles and apparatus for actuating the laser designating apparatus in a second mode of operation to illuminate an impingement location on a target with laser light in response to actuation of the trigger of the firearm.

Claims

1. Dual mode apparatus for assisting in the aiming of a firearm comprising:

laser designating means boresighted with the barrel of the firearm;

means for actuating the laser designating means in a first mode of operation for target designation to illuminate a target while permitting normal operation of the firearm to shoot projectiles and including an operator control switch whose actuation produces a laser output of the laser designating means; and

means for actuating the laser designating means in a second mode of operation for target practice to illuminate a target with a laser beam emission in response to actuation of the trigger of the firearm and incorporating a firing sensor whose output produces a laser beam simulated firing.

2. A target practice system comprising:

laser designating means boresighted with the barrel of the firearm;

means for actuating the laser designating means to illuminate a target with laser light at an impingement location in response to actuation of the trigger of the firearm;

target means defining a target reference and including sensor means for sensing the spatial relationship between the impingement location and the target reference, said target means including;

a laser light diffuser which produces scattering of incoming laser light in a known geometrical distribution; and

a plurality of detectors for sampling said distribution and thus providing an output indication of the position of said impingement location relative to said target reference; and

means for providing a hard copy output indication of the spatial relationship between the impingement location and the target reference.

3. A system according to claim 2 and wherein said laser designating means includes dual mode laser designating means and also includes:

means for actuating the laser designating means in an actual firing mode of operation for illuminating a target while permitting normal operation of the firearm to shoot projectiles.

4. A target practice system comprising:

laser designating means boresighted with the barrel of the firearm;

means for actuating the laser designating means in a first mode of operation for target designation to illuminate a target while permitting normal operation of the firearm to shoot projectiles and including operator control switch whose actuation produces a laser output of the laser designating means;

means for actuating the laser designating means in a second mode of operation for target practice to illuminate a target with a laser beam emission in response to actuation of the trigger of the firearm and incorporation a firing sensor whose output produces a laser beam simulated firing; and

target means defining a target reference and including sensor means for sensing the spatial relationship between the impingement location and the target reference, said target means including;

a laser light diffuser which produces scattering of incoming laser light in a known geometrical distribution; and

a plurality of detectors for sampling said distribution and thus providing an output indication of the position of said impingement location relative to said target reference; and

means for providing a hard copy output indication of the spatial relationship between the impingement location and the target reference.

6. A target practice system according to claim 4 and also comprising means for providing a hard copy output of the spatial relationship between the impingement location and the target reference.

5. A target practice system comprising:

laser designating means boresighted with the barrel of the firearm;

means for actuating the laser designating means to illuminate an impingement location on a target with laser light in response to actuation of the trigger of the firearm; and

target means defining a target reference and including sensor means for sensing the spatial relationship between the impingement location and the target reference, the target means comprising a laser light diffuser for scattering received laser light and said sensor means being operative for sensing the spatial distribution of the scattered received laser light.

7. A target practice system according to claim 5 and also comprising means for providing a hard copy output of the spatial relationship between the impingement location and the target reference.