Electronic rangefinder apparatus

• US 5,616,903 A
• Filed: 01/26/1995
• Issued: 04/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Burton Corporation
• Original Assignee: Brunton
• Inventors: Springer, Jon W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US08/378,537
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 239/404, 239/414, 356/21, 356/20, 33/246
• US Class Current: 235/414
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/04 Adaptation of rangefinders for combination with telescopes or binoculars
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/22 using a parallactic triangle with variable angles and a base of fixed length at, near, or formed by the object

Abstract

A rangefinder for scopes and binoculars in which a transparent display has a scale or other height-determining member to determine the height of the object viewed through the display and compare with a known object height selectively displayed on the same display, the actual height and known height being recorded and processed through a programmable logic circuit which calculates the range or distance of the object from the display based on actual height and known height. The programmable control circuit may also include a list of known object heights which can be selected and displayed on the display.

Claims

1. A rangefinder apparatus comprising:

a scope including a transparent display disposed at a plane of focus between an occular and objective lens, said display having a reticle scale thereon provided with a series of numerical units in displayed vertically ascending order, said units being calibrated in relation to distance of a target from said display, said first recording means including a display counter on said display for displaying a selected said one of said units appearing on said reticle scale, and means for incrementing said display counter until the selected said one of said units is displayed which corresponds to said unit most closely aligned with an upper edge of the target object;

first recording means for recording one of said units on said scale corresponding to the height of a target object viewed through said display;

second recording means for recording a known height of said target object viewed in said display;

programmable control means for calculating the distance of said target object from said display based on said recorded one of said units and said recorded known height; and

means for displaying said range calculated by said control means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said scale is a fixed-stadia scale.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first recording means includes a movable pointer and means for incrementing said pointer up and down said scale to align said pointer with an upper edge of said target object.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display includes a list of known object heights, and scale height display means for displaying said known object heights on said display.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means includes a memory for storing said known object heights, and said display means includes means for scrolling through said human object heights and displaying same on said display.

6. A rangefinder apparatus for determining the distance of a target object from said apparatus comprising:

a scope including a transparent display disposed at a plane of focus between an occular and objective lens, said display having a scale with numerical units in ascending order displayed thereon, said units being calibrated in relation to distance of a target from said display and height-determining means for alignment with an upper edge of a target object viewed through said display;

first recording means for recording a numerical value corresponding to the vertical distance of said height-determining means from a reference point on said scale whereby to correspond to the height of the target object viewed through said display;

second recording means for recording a numerical value corresponding to a known height of said target object viewed in said display;

programmable control means for calculating the distance of said target object from said display based on said recorded numerical values transmitted to said control means; and

means for displaying said range calculated by said control means on the display.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said height-determining means includes a series of adjustable shutters defining a variable-sized central aperture therebetween, and drive means for adjusting said shutters until the size of said aperture corresponds to the height of the target object viewed through said display.

8. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said height-determining means includes a movable pointer and means for incrementing said pointer in a vertical direction on said display to align said pointer with an upper edge of said target object viewed through said display.

9. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a display counter on said display is provided for displaying the numerical value recorded by said first recording means, and means for incrementing said display counter until the numerical value is displayed which corresponds to the numerical value recorded.

10. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said calibrated in vertical ascending order in relation to distance of a target object, and said height-determining means including means for selecting one of said units corresponding to the actual height of the target object and displaying on said display.

11. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said display includes a list of known object heights, and scale height display means for displaying said known object heights on said display.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said control means includes a memory for storing said known object heights, and said display means includes means for scrolling through said human object heights and displaying same on said display.

13. In rangefinder apparatus wherein a scope includes a transparent display disposed between an occular and objective lens, said display having a reticle scale thereon provided with a series of numerical units in vertically ascending order, said units being calibrated in relation to distance of a target object from said display, the improvement comprising:

said display having an area for displaying known heights of different selected target objects;

first recording means for recording one of said units on said scale corresponding to the height of a target object viewed through said display, said first recording means including a display counter on said display for displaying a selected said one of said units appearing on said reticle scale, and means for incrementing said display counter until the selected said one of said units is displayed which corresponds to said unit most closely aligned with an upper edge of the target object;

second recording means for recording a known height of said target object viewed in said display;

programmable control means for calculating the distance of said target object from said display based on said recorded one of said units and said recorded known height; and

means for displaying the distance calculated by said control means.

14. In apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said display includes a list of known object heights.

15. In apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said control means includes a memory for storing said known object heights, and said display means includes means for scrolling through said known object heights and displaying same on said display.

16. In rangefinder apparatus for determining the distance of a target object from said apparatus wherein a pair of binoculars includes a transparent display disposed at a plane of focus between an occular and objective lens, said display having height-determining means for alignment with an upper edge of a target object viewed through said display, the improvement comprising;

said height-determining means being in the form of adjustable shutters defining a variable height and size central aperture, and drive means for adjusting said shutters until the size of said aperture corresponds to the height of the target object viewed through said display;

a list of known objects associated with said display, and height display means for displaying the height of a selected known object on said display;

first recording means for recording a numerical value corresponding to the vertical distance of said height-determining means from a reference point on said scale whereby to correspond to the height of the target object viewed through said display;

second recording means for recording a numerical value corresponding to a known height of said target object viewed in said display;

programmable control means for calculating the distance of said target object from said display based on said recorded numerical values transmitted to said control means; and

means for displaying said distance calculated by said control means on the display.

17. In apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a display counter on said display is provided for displaying the numerical value recorded by said first recording means, and means for incrementing said display counter until the numerical value is displayed which corresponds to the numerical value recorded.

18. In apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said control means includes a memory for storing said known object heights, and said display means includes means for scrolling through said human object heights and displaying same on said display.

19. A rangefinder apparatus for determining the distance of a target object from said apparatus comprising:

a scope including a transparent display disposed at a plane of focus between an occular and objective lens, said display having height-determining means for alignment with an upper edge of a target object viewed through said display, said height-determining means including a series of adjustable shutters defining a variable-sized central aperture therebetween, and drive means for adjusting said shutters until the size of said aperture corresponds to the height of the target object viewed through said display;

first recording means for recording a numerical value corresponding to the vertical distance of said height-determining means from a reference point on said scale whereby to correspond to the height of the target object viewed through said display;

second recording means for recording a numerical value corresponding to a known height of said target object viewed in said display;

programmable control means for calculating the distance of said target object from said display based on said recorded numerical values transmitted to said control means; and

means for displaying said range calculated by said control means on the display.