Method of and apparatus for adding digital functionality to a scope
AssigneeNimoh Ltd
InventorKofi Nimoh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of adding digital functionality to a scope. A scope reticle from the scope is aligned with a virtual reticle from a digital overlay of an electronic display device coupled to the scope. The scope reticle is present in a first coordinate space of the scope image and the virtual reticle is present in a second coordinate space. The alignment of the reticles maps the first coordinate space to the second coordinate space. The coordinate spaces are then locked and the virtual reticle is made invisible, switching from a configure mode to an operate mode. Digital functionality can then be provided to the scope via the digital overlay. This may include an aiming indicator which works with the scope reticle.
Claims20
A method of adding digital functionality to a scope, the method comprising:
- coupling a digital camera of an electronic display device to an ocular lens of the scope;
- outputting an image output at the ocular lens of the scope that is received by the camera, the scope adding a scope reticle to the image, wherein the scope reticle is a stadiametric reticle comprising stadiametric markings;
- displaying the image on an electronic display of the electronic display device for an operator to view, the image being displayed in a first coordinate space;
- generating a digital overlay for the electronic display that includes a virtual reticle which is visible to the operator in a configure mode, the digital overlay being displayed in a second coordinate space, wherein the virtual reticle is a stadiametric reticle comprising stadiametric markings;
- combining on the electronic display the digital overlay in the second coordinate space with the image output from the scope in the first coordinate space;
- allowing dimensional and positional adjustment of the first coordinate space relative to the second coordinate space to align the scope reticle with the virtual reticle in the digital overlay, so that the stadiametric markings of the virtual reticle become aligned with and overlay the stadiametric markings of the scope reticle in x-and y-directions in the configure mode;
- locking the first coordinate space of the image output from the scope to the second coordinate space of the digital overlay upon switching the electronic display device from the configure mode to an operate mode, wherein locking the first coordinate space to the second coordinate space comprises digitally linking coordinates from the first coordinate space to coordinates from the second coordinate space, such that a scaling factor becomes set for mapping the coordinates of the first coordinate space onto the coordinates of the second coordinate space;
- and
- reducing visibility of the virtual reticle in the digital overlay with respect to the image output from the scope in the operate mode in order to reveal the scope reticle on the electronic display for the operator.
An apparatus for adding digital functionality to a scope, the apparatus comprising:
- a scope having an ocular lens, the scope including a scope reticle such that an output from the ocular lens of the scope comprises an image with the scope reticle, wherein the scope reticle is a stadiametric reticle comprising stadiametric markings;
- an electronic display device comprising a digital camera and an electronic display for an operator to view, the electronic display device being mountable on the scope to capture the image output from the scope to display on the electronic display in a first coordinate space;
- and
- a computer program product including a set of non-transitory computer-readable media having a set of instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry of the electronic display device, cause the processing circuitry to perform a method of adding the digital functionality to the scope output observed on the electronic display through generating a digital overlay for the electronic display device that includes a virtual reticle which is visible to the operator in a configure mode of the electronic display device, the digital overlay being displayed in a second coordinate space, wherein the virtual reticle comprises stadiametric markings, the method comprising:
- combining the digital overlay with the output from the scope in the electronic display on the electronic display device;
- allowing dimensional and positional adjustment of the first coordinate space relative to the second coordinate space so that the stadiametric markings of the virtual reticle become aligned with and overlay the stadiametric markings of the scope reticle in x-and y-directions in the configure mode;
- locking the first coordinate space of the image output from the scope to the second coordinate space of the digital overlay upon switching the electronic display device from the configure mode to an operate mode, wherein locking the first coordinate space to the second coordinate space comprises digitally linking coordinates from the first coordinate space to coordinates from the second coordinate space, such that a scaling factor becomes set for mapping the coordinates of the first coordinate upon switching the electronic display device from the configure mode to an operate mode,
- reducing visibility of the virtual reticle in the digital overlay with respect to the image output from the scope in the operate mode of the electronic display device in order to reveal the scope reticle on the electronic display for the operator.
A computer program product including a set of non-transitory computer-readable media having a set of instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry of an electronic display device, cause the processing circuitry to perform a method of adding digital functionality to a scope, the electronic display device having a digital camera coupled to an ocular lens of the scope, the scope arranged to output an image at the ocular lens of the scope that is received by the camera, the scope adding a scope reticle to the image, the scope reticle being a stadiametric reticle comprising stadiametric markings, the method comprising:
- displaying the image on an electronic display of the electronic display device for an operator to view, the image being displayed in a first coordinate space;
- generating a digital overlay for the electronic display that includes a virtual reticle which is visible to the operator in a configure mode, the digital overlay being displayed in a second coordinate space wherein the virtual reticle comprises stadiametric markings;
- combining on the electronic display the digital overlay in the second coordinate space with the image output from the scope in the first coordinate space;
- allowing dimensional and positional adjustment of the first coordinate space relative to the second coordinate space to align the scope reticle with the virtual reticle in the digital overlay, so that the stadiametric markings of the virtual reticle become aligned with and overlay the stadiametric markings of the scope reticle in x-and y-directions in the configure mode;
- locking the first coordinate space of the image output from the scope to the second coordinate space of the digital overlay upon switching the electronic display device from the configure mode to an operate mode, wherein locking the first coordinate space to the second coordinate space comprises digitally linking coordinates from the first coordinate space to coordinates from the second coordinate space, such that a scaling factor becomes set for mapping the coordinates of the first coordinate space onto the coordinates of the second coordinate space;
- and
- reducing visibility of the virtual reticle in the digital overlay with respect to the image output from the scope in the operate mode in order to reveal the scope reticle on the electronic display for the operator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.