US 6,608,298 B2 · Self-contained day/night optical sight

Abstract

The self-contained day/night optical sight device of the invention has a sealed sight housing permanently attached to the weapon or to other object and containing an objective lens and an eyepiece lens installed on a common optical path at a distance from each other so that a space is formed between the both. The same sealed housing pivotally supports a night-vision unit, such as an image-intensifier tube, which can be turned in the plane that contains the optical axis of the sight between the position offset from the aforementioned common optical axis and the position coincident with this optical axis. Since both the night-vision and day-vision optics are located in a sealed housing, the lenses are protected from contamination and fogging. The use of a single optical path makes it possible to reduce the weight of the system. Rotation of the night-vision unit to the working position is interlocked with the day-vision optics so that switching of the sight to night-vision conditions will automatically shift the daytime optics back for a distance required for matching both optics.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A self-contained day/night optical sight comprising:

a sight housing;
a complete daytime optics installed in said housing and comprising an objective lens assembly, an eyepiece lens assembly arranged on a common optical axis and spaced from each other to form a space, and an image inverter lens assembly;
means for moving said objective lens assembly in the direction of said common optical axis inside said housing;
a night-vision optical device pivotally installed inside said housing with possibility of rotation between a first position in which said night-vision optical device is offset from said common optical axis and a second position in which said night-vision optical device is placed into said space and is optically aligned with said common optical axis;
a switching mechanism for switching said night-vision optical device between said first position and said second position inside said housing;
and
shifting mechanism for automatic shifting of said objective lens assembly to a position of optical matching with said night-vision optical device when said night-vision optical device is installed in said second position, said mechanism for automatic shifting being interlocked with said mechanism for switching.

4 more elements

A self-contained day/night optical sight comprising:

a sealed sight housing;
a complete daytime optics installed in said sealed housing and comprising an objective lens assembly, an eyepiece lens assembly arranged on a common optical axis and spaced from each other to form a space, and an image inverter lens assembly;
means for moving said objective lens assembly in the direction of said common optical axis inside said housing;
an image intensifier unit rigidly attached to a link pivotally installed inside said housing on a pivot axle with possibility of rotation between a first position in which said image intensifier unit is offset from said common optical axis and a second position in which said image intensifier unit is placed into said space and is optically aligned with said common optical axis;
a switching mechanism for switching said image intensifier unit between said first position and said second position inside said housing;
and
shifting mechanism for automatic shifting of said objective lens assembly to a position of optical matching with said image intensifier unit when said image intensifier unit is installed in said second position, said shifting mechanism for automatic shifting being interlocked with said mechanism for switching.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Self-contained day/night optical sight

Life of this patent

Self-contained day/night optical sight

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26