Side-illuminated target structure having uniform ring illumination

An illuminated target structure for viewing a scene, comprising:

• a transparent medium having
• a transparent-medium central region,
• a transparent-medium front face,
• a transparent-medium back face, and
• a transparent-medium peripheral rim extending between the transparent-medium front face and the transparent-medium back face;
• an image intensifier in facing relation to the transparent-medium front face;
• a light-reflective target in light communication with the transparent-medium central region;
• and
• a circumferentially uniform ring illumination source in contact with the transparent-medium peripheral rim, the ring illumination source projecting a substantially uniform illumination into the transparent-medium peripheral rim wherein the ring illumination source comprises a modified optical fiber structure having a modified lateral surface in facing relation to the transparent-medium peripheral rim and having a light leakage through the modified lateral surface.

An illuminated target structure for viewing a scene, comprising:

• a transparent medium having
• a transparent-medium central region,
• a transparent-medium front face,
• a transparent-medium back face, and
• a transparent-medium peripheral rim extending between the transparent-medium front face and the transparent-medium back face;
• a light-reflective target within the transparent-medium central region, wherein the light-reflective target lies at the transparent-medium front face;
• an illumination source in contact with and extending around substantially all of the transparent-medium peripheral rim, the illumination source comprising
• a modified optical fiber structure having a modified lateral surface in facing relation to the transparent-medium peripheral rim and having a light leakage through the modified lateral surface, and
• a light source coupled into an end of the modified optical fiber structure, wherein the light source is located remotely from the transparent medium and does not directly illuminate the transparent medium;
• and
• an image intensifier in facing relation to the transparent-medium front face, wherein the image intensifier includes a phosphor layer.