Rifle Scope Having Elevation and Windage Ocular Display
A rifle scope that includes an optical train defining an optical axis having a pointing direction. The optical train has an erector tube pivotably mounted in the scope housing and having a front end. The scope also includes an elevation and windage angle adjustment assembly, including a user input; an actuator assembly that changes the optical axis pointing direction in response to input from the user input, by pivoting the erector tube; a sensing and computing assembly that includes a laser assembly that produces a laser beam that is directed through the erector tube, a mirror that reflects the laser beam to a two-axis positioning sensor, and a data processor that computes the optical axis pointing direction in response to input from the two-axis positioning sensor; and an ocular display assembly, that displays the optical axis pointing direction as an image superimposed on the image of the field of view.
1 . A rifle scope, comprising:
(a) a scope housing;
(b) an optical train, supported in the scope housing and defining an optical axis having a pointing direction, and having:
(i) an objective lens set, which accepts light into the optical train and defines a scope front end;
(ii) an erector tube pivotably mounted in the scope housing and having a front end; and
(iii) an ocular portion, adapted to present an image of a field of view to a user and defining a scope back end;
(c) an elevation and windage angle adjustment assembly, including
(i) an elevation and windage angle adjustment user input assembly;
(ii) an actuator assembly that changes the optical axis pointing direction in response to input from the user input assembly, by pivoting the erector tube;
(iii) a sensing and computing assembly that includes a laser assembly that produces a laser beam that is directed through the erector tube and a mirror that reflects the laser beam to a two-axis positioning sensor, and a data processor that computes the optical axis pointing direction in response to input from the two-axis positioning sensor; and
(iv) an ocular display assembly, communicatively connected to the sensor assembly, that displays the optical axis pointing direction as an image superimposed on the image of the field of view.
2 . A rifle scope, comprising:
(a) a scope housing;
(b) an optical train, supported in the scope housing and defining an optical axis having a pointing direction, and having:
(i) an objective lens set, which accepts light into the optical train and defines a scope front end;
(ii) an erector tube pivotably mounted in the scope housing and having a front end; and
(iii) an ocular portion, adapted to present an image of a field of view to a user and defining a scope back end;
(c) an elevation and windage angle adjustment assembly, including
(i) an elevation and windage angle adjustment user input assembly;
(ii) an actuator assembly that changes the optical axis pointing direction in response to input from the user input assembly, by pivoting the erector tube;
(iii) a sensing and computing assembly that includes two orthogonally positioned hall effect sensors positioned to detect the position of the erector tube front end and forms a determination of optical axis pointing direction from readings from the sensors; and
(iv) an ocular display assembly, communicatively connected to the sensor assembly, that displays the optical axis pointing direction as an image superimposed on the image of the field of view.
3 . A rifle scope, comprising:
(a) a scope housing;
(b) an optical train, supported in the scope housing and defining an optical axis having a pointing direction, and having:
(i) an objective lens set, which accepts light into the optical train and defines a scope front end;
(ii) an erector tube pivotably mounted in the scope housing and having a front end; and
(iii) an ocular portion, adapted to present an image of a field of view to a user and defining a scope back end;
(c) an elevation and windage angle adjustment assembly, including
(i) an elevation and windage angle adjustment user input assembly;
(ii) an actuator assembly that changes the optical axis pointing direction in response to input from the user input assembly, by pivoting the erector tube;
(iii) a sensing and computing assembly that includes two orthogonally positioned lasers and two orthogonally positioned laser detectors, positioned to detect the position of the erector tube front end and that forms a determination of optical axis pointing direction from readings from the detectors; and
(iv) an ocular display assembly, communicatively connected to the sensor assembly, that displays the optical axis pointing direction as an image superimposed on the image of the field of view.
4 . A rifle scope, comprising:
(a) a scope housing;
(b) an optical train, supported in the scope housing and defining an optical axis having a pointing direction, and having:
(i) an objective lens set, which accepts light into the optical train and defines a scope front end;
(ii) an erector tube pivotably mounted in the scope housing and having a front end; and
(iii) an ocular portion, adapted to present an image of a field of view to a user and defining a scope back end;
(c) an elevation and windage angle adjustment assembly, including
(i) an elevation and windage angle adjustment user input assembly;
(ii) an actuator assembly that includes a cam set about the front end of the erector tube, and being responsive to the user input assembly, so that when the cam is rotated the erector tube pointing angle is changed, thereby changing the optical axis pointing direction in response to input from the user input assembly, by pivoting the erector tube;
(iii) a sensing and computing assembly that forms a determination of optical axis pointing direction; and
(iv) an ocular display assembly, communicatively connected to the sensor assembly, that displays the optical axis pointing direction as an image superimposed on the image of the field of view.