US 10,480,900 B2Granted

Optical system with cant indication

AssigneeSig Sauer, Inc.

InventorsAndrew W. York, Gregory Scott Smith

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An electronic indicator on a see-through optical scope indicates whether an optical system is canted. The indicator may include illuminable visual indicators positioned on opposite sides of a field of view through the optical scope. The indicator may be visual, haptic, or aural. The visual indicator may include one or more LEDs positioned on the periphery of the field of view, and may be optically coupled to an appropriate position on the face of the reticle using a suitable waveguide. The LEDs are coupled to a microprocessor which is, in turn, coupled to a solid-state electronic inclinometer that is incorporated into the internal structure of the optical system. The microprocessor is configured to selectively illuminate one or more of the visual indicators based on the output of the inclinometer, thereby indicating how the reticle is canted, if at all.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A direct, see-through optical system having a main optical axis extending from an ocular end to an objective end of the optical system, the main optical axis of the optical system structured to be fixedly aligned with a long axis of a shooting device, the see-through optical system comprising:

an electronic inclinometer structured to determine a cant of the shooting device relative to a vertical transverse axis of the main optical axis of the optical system;
and
an electronic indicator structured to provide an indicator signal to a user related to the determined cant, including:
a first light indicator disposed adjacent a periphery of the optical system structured to be selectively illuminated to indicate a cant in a first direction;
and
a second light indicator disposed adjacent the perimeter of the optical system structured to be selectively illuminated to indicate a cant in a second direction, the first and second light indicators each located on opposite sides of the vertical transverse axis and along a horizontal axis of the optical system.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/220,254Filed 26 Jul 2016 · us provisional application
Priority: 27 Jul 2015
Published: US 2017/0138698 A118 May 2017
Granted: 19 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

F41G 1/44
Sighting devices: spirit-level adjusting means, e.g. for correcting tilt; Means for indicating or correcting tilt or cant
F41G 1/345
Combined with light source, e.g. spot light: for illuminating the sights
F41G 1/38
Sighting devices: telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance ; Supports or mountings therefor
F41G 1/387
Telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance ; Supports or mountings therefor: mounting telescopic sights on smallarms

Family

Application62/197,187Us provisional application · filed 27 Jul 2015
US 2017/0138698 A1Pre-grant publication · published 18 May 2017
US 10,480,900 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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