US 8,474,173 B2Granted

Sight system

AssigneeSureFire, LLC

InventorsJohn W. Matthews, Mark Buczek, Mark Squire

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Abstract

A sight system is provided which may be selectively used in a variety of different ways. In one example, the sight system may be positioned on a rifle to provide a rifle sight system. In this example, the sight system may be positioned on the rifle barrel a substantial distance away from a user's eye. Advantageously, such an implementation may permit a user to effectively sight the rifle without compromising situational awareness. In another example, the sight system may be used to provide a reflex sight with a reticle (e.g., a dot, crosshair, mark, or other appropriate shape) superimposed on an image (e.g., a zoomed or non-zoomed image) displayed from a camera. In another example, the sight system may be used to provide an occluded sight in which a camera and/or display of the sight system is disabled. As a result, a reticle may be displayed over an opaque background.

Claims45

Dependent claims

A sight system comprising:

a camera adapted to capture images of a target scene;
and
a projector comprising:
a display adapted to present the images,
a beam combiner adapted to pass the presented images to a user of the sight system, and
a light source adapted to project a reticle to the beam combiner, wherein the beam combiner is adapted to reflect the reticle to the user;
a housing, wherein the projector is disposed substantially within the housing;
a user control adapted to selectively disable at least one of the camera or the display to switch the sight system from operating as a reflex sight to operating as an occluded sight;
wherein the user control remains mounted at a fixed location relative to the housing when the sight system is operating sight and when the system is operating as the occluded sight;
wherein the beam combiner is adapted to superimpose the reticle on the images passed to the user when the sight system is operating as the reflex sight;
and
wherein the beam combiner is adapted to superimpose the reticle on an opaque background provided by the display when the sight system is operating as the occluded sight.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/914,597Filed 28 Oct 2010
Published: US 2012/0102808 A13 May 2012
Granted: 2 Jul 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

F41G 1/30
Sighting devices: reflecting-sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance
F41G 1/38
Sighting devices: telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance ; Supports or mountings therefor
F41G 3/165
Sighting devices adapted for indirect laying of fire: using a TV-monitor
H04N 7/183
Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast: for receiving images from a single remote source