Macro alignment reticle sight system
AssigneeGrace Engineering Corp.
InventorNathaniel E. Grace
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aiming device is provided including an illumination device and an optical element wherein the illumination device projects a primary dot and at least one secondary alignment dot distal from the primary dot to aid a user in obtaining a view of the primary dot when the aiming device is in an aligned mode, the primary dot is visible within a field of view of the user, but the secondary alignment dot is not visible. When the aiming device is in a misaligned mode, the secondary alignment dot is visible to the user, but the primary dot is not. The secondary alignment dot provides instruction to the user to realign the aiming device relative to the field of view of the user so that the aiming device transitions to the aligned mode. A related method of operation is provided.
Claims20
A sight comprising:
- a body including a frame having a base, a first upright arm, and a second upright arm, the first and second upright arms disposed on opposing sides of a viewing recess;
- an optical element disposed within the viewing recess and defining an optical axis;
- a primary dot displayed via the optical element;
- and
- a first secondary alignment dot disposed on the first upright arm and a second secondary alignment dot disposed on the second upright arm, the first secondary alignment dot and the second secondary alignment dot being distal from the optical element and positioned on the frame,
- wherein each of the first secondary alignment dot and the second secondary alignment dot is visible along a respective secondary viewing axis that is offset from the optical axis,
- wherein, in an aligned mode, the primary dot is visible to a user along a primary viewing axis and the first secondary alignment dot and the second secondary alignment dot are not visible, and
- wherein, in a misaligned mode, at least one of the first secondary alignment dot and the second secondary alignment dot becomes visible to the user to provide directional instruction to move the sight toward the aligned mode.
A sight comprising:
- a frame defining a viewing opening and including a first arm and an opposed second arm extending alongside the viewing opening;
- an optical element disposed in the viewing opening and configured to display a primary aiming dot;
- and
- a plurality of secondary alignment dots carried by the frame and positioned outside the viewing opening distal from the optical element,
- wherein each of the plurality of secondary alignment dot is oriented to project or be visible along a respective viewing axis that is offset from a primary viewing axis associated with the primary aiming dot,
- wherein the plurality of secondary alignment dots are concealed from a user when the user is aligned with the primary viewing axis and viewing the primary aiming dot, and
- wherein at least one of the plurality of secondary alignment dots becomes visible when the sight is misaligned to provide a visual indication for correcting alignment.
A method of operating a sight having a frame with first and second arms flanking an optical element, the method comprising:
- displaying a primary dot via the optical element along a primary viewing axis;
- disposing a first secondary alignment dot on the first arm and a second secondary alignment dot on the second arm, each secondary alignment dot being visible along a respective secondary viewing axis offset from the primary viewing axis;
- viewing only the primary dot when the sight is in an aligned mode;
- viewing at least one of the secondary alignment dots when the sight is in a misaligned mode;
- and
- moving the sight in response to the visible secondary alignment dot to bring the primary dot into view and transition the sight to the aligned mode with a target such that the primary dot overlaps the target.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.