Night vision device

• US 5,361,162 A
• Filed: 05/11/1993
• Issued: 11/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Litton Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Goebel, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ben, Loha
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robbins, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US08/059,539
• Time in Patent Office: 539 Days
• Field of Search: 359/407, 359/409, 359/411, 359/412, 359/417, 359/418, 359/400, 359/350, 359/351, 359/353, 359/354, 359/418-434, 359/600, 359/894, 2/442-447, 2/452, 2/453, 351/128
• US Class Current: 359/411
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/125 head-mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/12 Adjusting pupillary distance of binocular pairs

Abstract

A binocular night vision device includes a pair of night vision monocular scopes which adjustably depend from a support frame in front of a user'"'"'s eyes. The support frame includes an interpupillary distance adjustment mechanism which allows non symmetrical placement of the monocular scopes to better achieve binocular vision with depth perception. Also, the adjustment mechanism allows adaptive duplicative use of identically the same component parts of the device on both the left and right sides of the support frame so that the number of different parts required for the device is reduced.

Claims

1. A viewing apparatus comprising:

a frame for being supported relative to a user'"'"'s head and eyes;

said frame supporting a pair of night vision monocular scope mounts for lateral relative movement;

said pair of scope mounts carrying a respective left-eye and right-eye night vision monocular scope disposed in front of said user'"'"'s eyes for cooperatively providing binocular vision, and defining therebetween an interpupillary distance;

said frame carrying means for laterally moving and positioning said monocular scope mounts relative to said frame to adjust said interpupillary distance, said moving and positioning means including a pair of respective laterally-extending threaded shaft members journaled by said frame and each threadably associated with a respective one of said pair of scope mounts to move the latter laterally of said frame in response to rotation of said shaft member, and said pair of shaft members being substantially identical with one another.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said pair of threaded shaft members each define a thread section of the same direction.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein each of said pair of threaded shaft members includes an elongate stem portion journaled in said frame, said stem portion defining a circumferential groove, a washer member received on said stem portion adjacent a wall of said frame to bear thereagainst, and a clip member engaging said groove to trap said washer member between said clip member and said frame wall.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said washer member is of polymer material.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said polymer material is polytetrafluoroethylene.

6. The invention of claim 3 wherein said clip member is an E-ring type.

7. The invention of claim 3 wherein said stem portion defines a second groove like and spaced from said first-recited groove to define a pair of grooves.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein one of said pair of shaft members is installed in said frame with said clip member disposed in one of said pair of grooves, and the other of said pair of shaft members is installed with the clip member in the other of said pair of grooves.

9. The invention of claim 1 wherein said night vision device is an ANVIS 6 type.

10. The invention of claim 1 wherein said frame includes an interpupillary indicia disposed with respect to each of said pair of scope mounts, and each of said pair of scope mounts includes a respective index mark associated with said indicia.

11. A binocular night vision device comprising a frame supported relative to a user'"'"'s head and eyes, a pair of night vision monocular scopes depending from said frame in front of the user'"'"'s eyes, and means for non symmetrical interpupillary distance adjustment of said pair of monocular scopes relative to said frame.

12. The invention of claim 11 further including a pair of substantially identical laterally extending interpupillary distance control shafts journaled in said frame and threadably associating with a respective one of said monocular scopes.

13. The invention of claim 12 wherein each of said control shafts includes an elongate thread portion, a control knob assembly at one end of said thread portion, and an elongate stem portion at an opposite end of said thread portion, said elongate stem portion defining a pair of spaced apart grooves.

14. The invention of claim 13 wherein each of said pair of control shafts carries an washer member bearing axially against said frame, and a retaining clip member received in one of said pair of grooves.

15. The invention of claim 14 wherein said washer member is make of a polymer material.

16. The invention of claim 15 wherein said washer is made of polytetrafluoroethylene.

17. The invention of claim 14 wherein one of said pair of control shafts carries said clip member in one of said pair of grooves, while the other of said pair of control shafts carries said clip member in the other of said pair of grooves.

18. An ANVIS 6 type binocular night vision device with a pair of monocular night vision scopes cooperatively defining an interpupillary distance, and an interpupillary distance adjustment mechanism allowing independent lateral positional adjustment of the night vision monocular scopes of the device relative to a user'"'"'s head and eyes.

19. The ANVIS 6 night vision device of claim 18 wherein said independent interpupillary distance adjustment capability is achieved with use of the identical adjustment parts at both the right and left sides of the device, thereby reducing the number of separate part designs required for the device.

20. A retrofit kit for an ANVIS 6 type of binocular night vision device including a frame supporting a pair of monocular night vision scope mounts, and a monocular night vision scope disposed on each of said mounts to cooperatively provide binocular vision with depth perception, said retrofit kit providing for independent positioning of said scopes relative said frame to cooperatively define an interpupillary distance between eyepieces of said scopes, which interpupillary distance may be asymmetrically disposed relative said frame, said retrofit kit comprising:

a pair of substantially identical interpupillary distance control shaft assemblies each adapted to be journaled by said frame and to threadably associate with a respective one of said scope mounts, each control shaft having a thread portion of the same direction, and

a replacement scope mount adapted to replace one of said pair of scope mounts of said ANVIS 6 night vision device, said replacement scope mount having a threaded bore of the same direction and threadably engageable with one of said pair of control shaft assemblies.

21. A viewing apparatus comprising:

a frame for being supported relative to a user'"'"'s head and eyes;

said frame supporting a monocular viewing device for being disposed in front of a selected one of said user'"'"'s eyes, said frame further carrying means for laterally moving and positioning said viewing device to align the latter with said selected eye of the user, said moving and positioning means including a respective mount slidably carried on said frame for supporting said viewing device and a laterally-extending threaded shaft journaled by said frame, threadably engaging said mount to move the mount laterally in response to rotation of said threaded shaft and traversing only said selected eye of said user;

whereby lateral movement of said viewing device to align with said selected user eye is independent of lateral movement of another such viewing device mount which may be carried by said frame forwardly of the other of said user'"'"'s eyes.

22. The invention of claim 21 wherein said frame carries a pair of said mounts each for being disposed forwardly of a respective eye of said user, and a pair of independent threaded shafts each journaled by said frame and threadably engaging a respective one of said pair of mounts.

23. The invention of claim 22 wherein said pair of threaded shafts are substantially identical with one another.

24. The invention of claim 22 wherein said pair of mounts are substantially identical with one another.

25. The invention of claim 22 wherein each of said pair of threaded shaft members includes an elongate stem portion journaled in said frame, said stem portion defining a circumferential groove, a washer member received on said stem portion adjacent a wall of said frame to bear thereagainst, and a clip member engaging said groove to trap said washer member between said clip member and said frame wall.

26. The invention of claim 25 wherein said stem portion defines a second groove like and spaced from said first-recited groove to define a pair of grooves.

27. The invention of claim 26 wherein one of said pair of shaft members is installed in said frame with said clip member disposed in one of said pair of grooves, and the other of said pair of shaft members is installed with the clip member in the other of said pair of grooves.