Portable optical device with interactive wireless remote capability

• US 10,337,830 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Talon Precision Optics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Talon Precision Optics, LLC
• Inventors: McHale, John Francis, Schauble, Jason Peter, Lupher, John Hancock
• Primary Examiner(s): Volentine, Rebecca A
• Application Number:
  US13/732,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• 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: F41G 3/02 using an independent line of sight
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/04 for dispersing fire from a battery ; for controlling spread of shots; for coordinating fire from spaced weapons
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/06 with rangefinder rangefinders per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/08 with means for compensating for speed, direction, temperature, pressure, or humidity of the atmosphere measuring G01
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/165 using a TV-monitor

Abstract

A firearm scope comprises an optical sensor to capture video data, a display, a transceiver configured to communicate data wirelessly through a communication channel, and a controller. The controller can be configured to provide a portion of the video data to the display, provide media content including the video data to the transceiver for wireless transmission, receive a signal from the communication channel in response to the wireless transmission, and selectively modify the portion of the video data to the display in response to receiving the signal.

Claims

1. A firearm scope comprising:

an optical sensor to capture video data;

a display;

a transceiver configured to communicate data wirelessly through a communication channel; and

a controller configured to;

provide a portion of the video data to the display;

provide media content including the video data, a reticle, and a visual marker assigned by a user of the firearm scope to a selected location on a selected target within the video data to the transceiver for wireless transmission;

maintain the visual marker on the selected location on the selected target by automatically tracking the selected target within the video data;

receive a signal from the communication channel in response to the wireless transmission, the signal from a computing device operated by a remote user; and

selectively modify the portion by adjusting the selected location of the visual marker previously assigned by the user on the selected target within the portion of the video data provided to the display in response to receiving the signal to reposition the visual marker.

2. The firearm scope of claim 1, wherein the portion of the video data includes overlay data, and wherein the media content provided to the transceiver includes the overlay data.

3. The firearm scope of claim 1, wherein the signal includes a designation of a target within the video data, and wherein the controller selectively modifies the portion of the video data to highlight the target in response to receiving the signal.

4. The firearm scope of claim 1, wherein the signal includes a view adjustment, and wherein the controller selectively modifies the portion of the video data in response to the view adjustment.

5. The firearm scope of claim 4, wherein the view adjustment comprises at least one of a zoom setting and a view change signal designating a new portion of a view area of the optical sensor for presentation to the display.

6. The firearm scope of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to:

apply the visual marker on a selected location of the selected target in the display;

receive an adjustment signal from the communication channel; and

adjust the selected location of the visual marker on the target in response to receiving the adjustment signal.

7. A portable optical device comprising:

an optical sensor to capture video data of a view area;

a display configured to display a portion of the video data;

a transceiver configured to communicate data through a wireless communication channel; and

a controller configured to;

receive an input from a user of the portable optical device to assign a visual marker to a selected location on a selected target within the view area;

provide the portion of the video data and overlay data including a reticle and the visual marker applied to the selected location on the selected target to the display;

provide media data including the video data and the overlay data including the visual marker to the transceiver for communication through the wireless communication channel;

maintain the visual marker on the selected location on the selected target by automatically tracking the selected target within the video data;

receive a signal from the wireless communication channel in response to communication of the media data, the signal from a computing device operated by a remote user; and

selectively modify at least one of the overlay data and the portion of the video data in response to receiving the signal to adjust the selected location of the visual marker previously assigned by the user to the selected target to reposition the visual marker according to the signal from the remote user.

8. The portable optical device of claim 7, wherein the overlay data includes a reticle, the visual marker, and view data.

9. The portable optical device of claim 8, wherein the view data includes at least one of a temperature, a range to a target, an incline parameter, a wind parameter, a barometric pressure, a muzzle velocity, and a scope operating mode indicator.

10. The portable optical device of claim 7, wherein the transceiver is configured to send and receive data to and from a computing device through the wireless communication channel.

11. The portable optical device of claim 7, wherein the controller adjusts the portion of the video data to adjust a location of the visual marker on the selected target in response to the signal.

12. The portable optical device of claim 7, wherein the media data is sent to a computing device through the wireless communication channel for multi-cast transmission to a plurality of computing devices.

13. The portable optical device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to modify the overlay data provided to the display based on the signal by adjusting the visual marker within the portion.

14. The portable optical device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to modify the portion of the video data provided to the display based on the signal by adjusting a field of view to define a new portion of the video data.

15. A method comprising:

receiving media content including a reticle and including a tag corresponding to a selected location on a target from a gun scope at a computing device, the selected location selected by a user of the gun scope;

providing the media content to a display of the computing device;

automatically maintaining the visual marker on the selected location on the selected target within the video data;

receiving a user input corresponding to the media content at the computing device, the user input indicating an adjustment of a location of the tag within the media content; and

sending a signal to the gun scope in response to receiving the user input to adjust the location of the tag within a portion of the media content displayed within the gun scope to reposition the tag to another location that differs from the selected location selected by the user of the gun scope.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the media content includes an approximately real-time video feed from the gun scope.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the signal includes at least one of a field of view adjustment, a zoom adjustment, a target designation, and a tag location setting configured to initiate an operation within the gun scope.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving media content from multiple gun scopes substantially concurrently at a computing device;

receiving a user input at the computing device; and

selectively sending a target designation signal corresponding to the user input to a selected one of the multiple gun scopes to designate a selected target.

19. A computer-readable storage device comprising computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive media data from a firearm scope, the media data including a video feed and a visual marker corresponding to a location of a selected target within the video feed, the location of the visual marker selected by a user of the firearm scope, the media data further including a reticle;

provide the media data to a display;

maintain the visual marker on the selected location on the selected target by automatically tracking the selected target within the video data;

receive a user input corresponding to the media data; and

send a signal related to the user input to the firearm scope, the signal configured to adjust the location of the visual marker at a display of the firearm scope from the location of the visual marker selected by the user of the firearm scope to another location.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the user input includes a field of view adjustment input and wherein the signal sent to the firearm display includes a field of view control signal configured to alter a field of view within the firearm scope.

21. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions further include instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:

receive media data from multiple firearm scopes simultaneously;

present to the display the media data from a selected one or more of the multiple firearm scopes simultaneously;

receive the user input corresponding to the media data of one of the multiple firearm scopes; and

send the signal to the one of the multiple firearm scopes in response to receiving the user input.