Method of and apparatus for adding digital functionality to a scope

Apparatus for adding digital functionality to a scope, the apparatus comprising:

• a scope having an ocular lens, the scope being provided with 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 output from the scope to display on the electronic display in a first coordinate space;
• and
• a computer program product configured to be run by the electronic display device, the computer program product being configured to add 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 matching stadiametric markings, the computer program product being configured to combine the digital overlay with the output from the scope in the electronic display on the electronic display device, wherein the computer program product is configured to allow dimensional and/or positional adjustment of the first coordinate space relative to the second dimensional space so that the scope reticle becomes aligned with the virtual reticle in the digital overlay in the configure mode, wherein the computer program product is configured to lock the first coordinate space of the image output from the scope to the second coordinate space of the digital overlay, 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 coordinates of the second coordinate space;
• and wherein the computer program product is configured to reduce visibility of the virtual reticle in the digital overlay with respect to the image output from the scope in an 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 which when run on a programable electronic display device is configured to add digital functionality to a scope, the computer program product being configured to align a scope reticle from the scope with a virtual reticle from the electronic display device, wherein an image from the scope is displayed on an electronic display of the electronic display device for an operator to view, the electronic display device having a digital camera that has been coupled to an ocular lens of the scope, wherein the scope has been arranged to produce 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, wherein the computer program product is configured to:

• display the image on the electronic display, the image being displayed in a first coordinate space;
• generate a digital overlay for the electronic display that includes a virtual reticle which is visible to the operator in a configure mode, the overlay signal being displayed in a second coordinate space wherein the virtual reticle comprises matching stadiametric markings;
• combine on the electronic display the digital overlay in its second coordinate space with the image output from the scope in its first coordinate space;
• allow 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 virtual reticle becomes aligned with the scope reticle in the configure mode;
• lock the first coordinate space of the image output from the scope to the second coordinate space of the digital overlay, 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 coordinates of the second coordinate space;
• and
• reduce visibility of the virtual reticle in the digital overlay with respect to the image output from the scope in an operate mode in order to reveal the scope reticle on the electronic display for the operator.