Telescopic day and night sight

• US 5,497,266 A
• Filed: 07/27/1994
• Issued: 03/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: L-3 Communications Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Litton Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Owen, Larry D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dzierzynski, Paul M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Audrey Y.
• Application Number:
  US08/281,440
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 359/15, 359/27, 359/350, 359/351, 359/353, 359/356, 359/357, 359/505, 348/164
• US Class Current: 359/353
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0808 on-axis systems with at least one of the mirrors having a central aperture
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0896 with variable magnification or multiple imaging planes, including multispectral systems systems with only refractive elements G02B15/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/14 Viewfinders for photographic apparatus G03B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A day/night sight includes a visible-light first optical path and an invisible-light second optical path which are everywhere optically coaxial. The invisible-light second optical path leads to a detector or to an image intensifier tube for providing either an electrical signal or a visible image, respectively, in response to the invisible-light image. A third optical path for the visible image from the image intensifier tube is also everywhere optically coaxial with the first and second optical paths. A visible image produced from the electrical signal is introduced into the first optical path to thereafter be coaxial therewith. Consequently, a uniquely compact arrangement of the elements for the day/night sight is achieved.

Claims

1. A telescopic day/night sight comprising:

an objective lens through which light from a scene to be viewed is received under both day-time and night-time or other low-light conditions;

a dichroic element aft of said objective lens and dividing the received light into a visible-light frequency band and an infrared invisible-light frequency band;

a first optical path extending from said dichroic element to an eyepiece for providing a visible-light image of the scene to a user of said sight;

a second optical path optically coaxial with said first optical path and extending from said dichroic element to means for receiving the invisible light and providing in response thereto a visible image replicating the scene;

a third optical path optically coaxial with said first optical path and extending from said means for receiving the invisible light and providing a visible image in response thereto to provide the visible image from said means to said eyepiece superimposed with the visible-light image and via said eyepiece to a user of said sight.

2. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 1 wherein said means for receiving the invisible infrared light and providing a visible image replicating the scene includes an image intensifier tube.

3. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 1 wherein said means for receiving the invisible infrared light and providing a visible image replicating the scene includes an image intensifier tube, and a video charge coupled device (CCD) receiving the visible image provided by the image intensifier tube and providing an electrical video image signal in response thereto.

4. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 3 wherein said means for receiving the invisible infrared light and providing a visible image replicating the scene further includes a display device receiving the electrical video image signal and providing a visible image in response thereto.

5. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 4 wherein said means for receiving the invisible infrared light and providing a visible image replicating the scene further includes an angulated reflector disposed in said first optical path and reflecting the visible image from said display device toward said eyepiece coaxially with the visible-light image.

6. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 1 wherein said means for receiving the invisible infrared light and providing a visible image replicating the scene includes an infrared detector providing an electrical image signal in response to the infrared light, and a display device providing the visible image in response to the electrical image signal.

7. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 6 wherein said means for receiving the invisible infrared light and providing a visible image replicating the scene further includes an angulated reflector disposed in said first optical path and reflecting the visible image from said display device toward said eyepiece coaxially with the visible-light image.

8. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 1 wherein said dichroic element includes a dual-function lens/mirror which refracts one of said visible-light frequency band and said infrared invisible-light frequency band, and reflects the other of said visible-light frequency band and said infrared invisible-light frequency band.

9. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 8 wherein said dual-function lens/mirror includes a refractive lens element transparent to and refractive of one of the visible-light frequency band and the infrared invisible-light frequency band and having a surface carrying a dichroic coating which divides the received light into the visible-light frequency band and the infrared invisible-light frequency band by reflecting one of the visible-light frequency band and the infrared invisible-light frequency band and allowing the other of frequency band to pass through said lens element to be refracted thereby.

10. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 9 wherein said surface of said dual-function lens/mirror which carries said dichroic coating is concave to define a light-concentrating mirror surface for the reflected one of the visible-light frequency band and the infrared invisible-light frequency band.

11. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 8 wherein said sight further includes a dual-function refractive lens element disposed between said objective lens and said dichroic element, said dual-function refractive lens element first refracting the received light prior to this received light reaching said dual-function lens/mirror, and said dual function refractive lens element subsequently refracting the reflected one of visible-light frequency band and said infrared invisible-light frequency band.

12. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 8 wherein said dual-function lens/mirror is annular to define a central aperture.

13. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 12 wherein said dual-function lens/mirror central aperture defines a portion of one of said first optical path extending from said dichroic element to said eyepiece, and said second optical path optically coaxial with said first optical path and extending from said dichroic element to said means for receiving the infrared invisible light.

14. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 1 wherein said sight further includes a diffuser element disposed in said first optical path and receiving superimposed on one another both the visible-light image and the visible image replicating the scene.

15. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 14 wherein said diffuser element comprises a coherent optical fiber bundle in the form of a comparatively thin plate.

16. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 14 wherein said diffuser element comprises a plate-like holographic diffuser element.

17. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 14 wherein said diffuser element further comprises a reticle pattern visible through said eyepiece.

18. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 14 wherein said diffuser element disposed in said first optical path is angulated relative thereto and includes a reflective surface disposed toward said eyepiece and receiving the visible image replicating the scene for superimposing the visible image on the visible-light image.

19. A telescopic day/night sight comprising:

a single objective lens through which light from a scene to be viewed is received;

a dual-function dichroic lens/mirror element aft of said objective lens and both dividing the received light into a visible-light frequency band and an infrared invisible-light frequency band, as well as refracting one of the frequency bands of light;

a first optical path extending from said dichroic element to an eyepiece for providing a visible-light image of the scene to a user of said sight;

a second optical path extending from said dichroic element to said eyepiece for providing a visible image replicating said scene in response to said infrared invisible-light frequency band, said second optical path including means for receiving the invisible light and providing in response thereto a visible image replicating the scene.

20. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 19 wherein said dual-function dichroic lens/mirror element includes a refractive lens body having a non-planar surface carrying a dichroic reflective filter coating for dividing the received light into the visible-light frequency band and the infrared invisible-light frequency band.

21. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 20 wherein said surface of said dual-function dichroic lens/mirror element is concave.

22. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 21 wherein said dual-function dichroic lens/mirror element further includes another surface opposite said concave surface, and said another surface is convex.

23. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 22 wherein said dual-function dichroic lens/mirror element is optically a concentrating lens directing the one of said visible-light and invisible-light frequency bands which is refracted through said lens body toward the optical axis of said element.

24. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 19 wherein said sight further includes a dual-function refractive lens element disposed between said objective lens and said dual-function dichroic lens/mirror element, said dual-function refractive lens element first refracting the received light prior to this received light reaching said dual-function lens/mirror element, and said dual function refractive lens element subsequently further refracting the reflected one of visible-light frequency band and said infrared invisible-light frequency band.

25. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 24 wherein said dual-function lens/mirror element and said dual-function refractive lens element are both annular to define aligned respective central apertures.

26. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 25 wherein said aligned central apertures of said dual-function lens/mirror element and said dual-function refractive lens element cooperatively define a portion of one of said first optical path extending from said dichroic element to said eyepiece, and said second optical path optically coaxial with said first optical path and extending from said dichroic element to eyepiece via said means for receiving the invisible light and providing in response thereto a visible image replicating the scene.

27. The telescopic day/night sight of claim 19 wherein said dual-function dichroic lens element is annular and includes a refractive lens body which defines an outer refractive portion of said first optical path, and said annular dichroic lens element also defining a central aperture, said second optical path passing through said central aperture.

28. A hybrid electro-optical telescopic day/night sight comprising:

a single objective lens through which both visible and invisible light from a scene to be viewed is received, said objective lens defining an optical aperture of certain diameter, and both said visible and invisible light being received via the same diameter of said optical aperture;

a dual-function dichroic lens/mirror element aft of said objective lens, said dichroic lens/mirror element both reflectively dividing substantially all of the received visible and invisible light into a visible-light frequency band and into an infrared invisible-light frequency band, as well as refracting one of the visible-light and invisible-light frequency bands of light;

a first visible-light optical path extending from said dichroic element to an eyepiece for providing a received visible-light image of the scene to a user of said sight;

a second invisible-light hybrid electro-optical path extending from said dichroic element to said eyepiece for providing a visible image replicating the scene in response to receipt of the infrared invisible-light frequency band, said second optical path including electro-optical means for receiving the invisible infrared light and providing in response thereto an electronic image signal, image signal processing means for receiving the electronic image signal and selectively adding indicia thereto including an aiming reticle for said sight to provide a processed electronic image signal, and means for providing a visible image replicating the scene and including the added indicia in response to said processed electronic image signal.

29. The hybrid electro-optical telescopic day/night sight according to claim 28 further comprising said dual-function dichroic lens/mirror having an annular configuration to define a central aperture, said central aperture receiving said electro-optical means for receiving the invisible infrared light.