Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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FEEDBACK DISPLAY FOR RIFLESCOPE
FIELD
This disclosure relates generally to a feedback display for a riflescope.
BACKGROUND
Shooters, whether they are police officers, soldiers, Olympic shooters,
sportswomen and sportsmen, hunters, plinkers, or weekend enthusiasts have one
common goal: hitting their target accurately and consistently. Accuracy and
consistency in shooting depend in part on the skill of the shooter and on the
construction of the firearm and projectile. At long ranges, for example, in
excess of
500 yards, the skill of the shooter and the consistency of the ammunition are
often
not enough to ensure that the shooter will hit the target. As range increases,
other
factors can affect the flight of the bullet and the point of impact down
range.
One factor may be bullet drop, which is caused by the influence of gravity on
the moving bullet, and is characterized by a bullet path which curves toward
earth
over long ranges. Therefore, to hit a target at long range, it is necessary to
elevate
the barrel of the weapon, and the aiming point, to adjust for bullet drop.
Other
factors, such as wind, Magnus effect (i.e., a lateral thrust exerted by wind
on a
rotating bullet whose axis is perpendicular to the wind direction), projectile
design,
projectile spin, Coriolis effect, and the idiosyncrasies of the weapon or
projectile can
change the projectile's path over long range. Such effects are generally
referred to as
"windage" effects. Therefore, for example, to hit a target at long range, it
may be
necessary to correct for windage by moving the barrel of the weapon slightly
to the
left or the right to compensate for windage effects. Thus, for example, in
order to hit
a target at long range, the shooter must see the target, accurately estimate
the range
to the target, estimate the effect of bullet drop and windage effects on the
projectile,
and use this information to properly position the barrel of the firearm prior
to
squeezing the trigger.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the invention include a riflescope with an internal display.
In some embodiments, the riflescope may include a housing; an ocular system
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disposed within the housing; a reticle disposed within the housing and
viewable
through the ocular system; an adjustment knob coupled with the housing and the
reticle, the adjustment knob configured to move the reticle; a position
encoder
configured to provide position data representing a relative position of the
reticle
relative to at least a portion of the riflescope; a display system providing a
display
viewable through the ocular system; a memory having ballistic information
stored
therein; and a processor coupled with the memory, the position encoder, and
the
display system. The processor may be configured to determine an adjustment
value
based on the position data and the ballistic information; and provide the
adjustment
value to the display system for display.
Embodiments of the invention include a method for providing display
information within a riflescope. The method may include receiving projectile
ballistic information; receiving at a processor a reticle position data;
determining at
the processor an adjustment value based on the reticle position data and the
ballistic
information; and displaying the adjustment value through an eyepiece of the
riflescope. In some embodiments, the method may also include receiving a
selection
of a projectile from a plurality of projectiles; and selecting the ballistic
information
from a plurality of ballistic information based on the selection of the
projectile. The
method may also include receiving atmospheric data from an atmospheric sensor;
and adjusting the adjustment value based on the atmospheric data. The method
may
also include receiving inclination, azimuth, and/or cant data from one or more
sensors and adjusting the adjustment valued based on this data.
These illustrative embodiments are mentioned not to limit or define the
disclosure, but to provide examples to aid understanding thereof. Additional
embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, and further description
is
provided there. Advantages offered by one or more of the various embodiments
may be further understood by examining this specification or by practicing one
or
more embodiments presented.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure
are better understood when the following Detailed Description is read with
reference
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to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 illustrates a typical trajectory of a projectile.
Figure 2 illustrates an example riflescope according to some embodiments
described herein.
Figure 3 illustrates an example view of a portion of a scope showing the
eyepiece and the display according to some embodiments described herein.
Figure 4 illustrates an example of a view that may be seen by a user looking
through the riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.
Figure 5 illustrates a diagram of an example elevation adjustment knob on
the riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.
Figure 6 shows a cross-section view of the riflescope according to some
embodiments described herein.
Figure 7 illustrates an example of the optics train according to some
embodiments described herein.
Figure 8 illustrates another example of the elevation adjustment knob
according to some embodiments described herein.
Figure 9 illustrates an example of a housing for the riflescope according to
some embodiments described herein.
Figure 10 illustrates a block diagram of electronic components for the
riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.
Figure 11 is a flowchart of an example process of determining an adjustment
value for a riflescope according to at least one embodiment described herein.
Figure 12 shows an illustrative computational system for performing
functionality to facilitate implementation of embodiments described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Some embodiments described herein are directed toward a riflescope for
long range shooting with a feedback display, which aids in the placement of a
projectile's point of impact. In some embodiments, the feedback display can be
programmed to match the ballistic profile of the rifle and/or the projectile.
The
ballistic profile may encompass the corrections required to compensate for the
projectile's drop in the vertical plane and/or the deflection or drift in the
horizontal
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plane. The projectile profile may be calculated in a number of different ways.
In some embodiments, a riflescope may include a display within the
riflescope whereby a user may view both the target and at least some of the
projectile profile information by looking into the riflescope without looking
away
from the target. In some embodiments, ballistic parameters may be applied to
calculate a corrected firing solution based on ambient conditions, view sight
correction information inside the eyepiece, and/or adjust the elevation turret
(and/or
windage turret) while maintaining target sight through the scope.
Some embodiments described herein may display information easily,
quickly, and readily to the user such that the user only has to look through
the
eyepiece of the riflescope to acquire the target, see the settings, make
compensations
as needed, and place the projectile quickly and accurately on target. Some
embodiments allow the user to make adjustments to the elevation knob and/or
windage knob while looking through the eyepiece of the riflescope.
Figure 1 illustrates a typical trajectory 105 of a projectile. The projectile
may be fired from a rifle 110 along a bore centerline 115. A line of sight 120
is the
visual line of the aligned sight path.
In most rifles, the scope (or sight) is mounted above the rifle's bore
centerline 115. Because of this and because the projectile begins to drop when
it
leaves the muzzle of the rifle 110, the bore may be angled upwards in relation
to the
line of sight so that the bullet will strike where the sight points after
following its
parabolic trajectory 105. A critical zone 125 is an area of the bullet's path
where it
neither rises nor falls greater than specified dimensions. In some cases the
specified
dimensions can be set at + 3" to 8" from the line of sight, although other
dimensions
may be used.
The zero range is the farthest distance at which the line of sight and the
projectile's path intersect. The maximum point blank range may be the farthest
distance at which the projectile's trajectory stays within the critical zone.
For
example, the maximum point blank range may be the maximum range at which you
don't have to adjust your point of aim to hit the target's vital zone.
Projectiles follow the roughly parabolic trajectory 105 due to the pull of
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gravity. These parabolas are not perfect because of the effects of air
resistance. Air
resistance may be a function of the speed of the projectile, the shape of the
projectile, the composition of the projectile, the air pressure, the
temperature, the
humidity, etc. The shape of the trajectory 105 may also depend on the rifle's
angle
relative to the horizontal when the projectile is expelled from the rifle.
Figure 2 illustrates an example riflescope 200 according to some
embodiments described herein. The riflescope may include any design or
configuration. The riflescope 200 is one example of a riflescope that may be
used in
embodiments described herein.
In some embodiments, the riflescope 200 may include various features such
as, for example, one or more of the following features: variable
magnification, an
illuminated reticle located in the first focal plane, and an elevation
adjustment knob
215, among others. The riflescope 200 may include a main tube 210 within which
a
plurality of optical elements are disposed. The riflescope may include an
objective
system 205 disposed on one end of the main tube 210 and an ocular system 225
disposed on the other end of the main tube 210. The riflescope may also
include a
magnification ring 230 that may be used to adjust the relative position of the
various
optical elements within the main tube 210 in order to magnify objects viewed
through the riflescope 200.
In some embodiments, the riflescope 200 may include a windage adjustment
knob 220 that may be used to adjust the horizontal angle between a reticle
within the
scope and the riflescope 200.
In some embodiments, the riflescope 200 may include a parallax dial 235.
Target focus and/or parallax correction may be accomplished using the parallax
dial
235.
In some embodiments, the ocular system 225 may include an eyepiece 325
through which the user may view a target through the riflescope 200. In some
embodiments, the ocular system 225 may be adjusted to correct for the user's
vision.
The ocular system 225 may be rotated or adjusted to change by the user to
change
the focus of the riflescope 200. In some embodiments, once adjusted, the
ocular
system 225 may be locked into place with a locking ring.
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Figure 3 illustrates the example ocular system 225 with an internal display
305 of the riflescope 200 that includes the internal display 305 according to
some
embodiments described herein. The ocular system 225 may include a portion of
the
main tube 210 within which optical components may be placed.
A magnification selector 320 may also be provided that may be used to select
between various magnifications. A user, for example, may slide, rotate, press,
or
otherwise act on the magnification selector 320, which may change the focal
length
of any number of optical elements within the riflescope 200 and/or by
changing,
moving, replacing or translating various optical elements within the
riflescope 200.
The riflescope 200 may include a display system that includes the internal
display 305 and a mirror 310 disposed between the ocular system 225 and a
second
focal plane 315. In some embodiments, the mirror 310 may include a beam
splitter
or a prism or any other optical element. The mirror 310 may be positioned to
reflect
light from the internal display 305 to the user's eye through the ocular
system 225.
The internal display 305 may include an LCD display, an organic light-emitting
diode display, an e-ink display, a plasma display, a segment display, an LED
display, an electroluminescent display, a plasma display, a surface-conduction
electron-emitter display, a quantum dot display, etc.
Alternatively or additionally, the display system may include an electronic
lens or film that is placed on or over a lens of the ocular system 225 that
displays
feedback to the user.
In some embodiments, the display system may be dimmed or darkened to aid
the user in viewing the target and/or to save power. The digital display may
be
dimmed, for example, in response to a button being pressed by the user through
a
user interface. Alternatively, the digital display may only be active in
response to a
button press.
Figure 4 illustrates an example of a view 400 that may be seen by a user
looking through the riflescope 200 according to some embodiments described
herein. The view 400 may be viewed by a user when looking through the ocular
system 225 of the riflescope 200. The view 400 may include a scene view 405 of
a
scene that includes light from the scene that has passed through the various
optical
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elements within the riflescope 200.
In some embodiments, the scene view 405 may be overlaid with an image of
a reticle 415 in any shape or pattern. The reticle 415 may be placed within
the first
focal plane of the riflescope 200. In some embodiments, the view 400 may also
include a display view 410 that includes light from the internal display 305.
In some
embodiments, the display view 410 may be viewed above the optical view or in
any
position relative to the optical view. As shown in the figure, view 410 may
provide
data to the user.
The display view 410 may present information to the user such as, for
example, elevation hold data, windage hold data, current vertical adjustment
data,
current horizontal adjustment data, wind compensation data, line of sight
data,
horizontal equivalent distance data, environmental condition data, temperature
data,
atmospheric pressure data, wind speed data, degrees of inclination data, cant
correction data, left or right pitching of the rifle data, humidity data,
battery power
data, system status information, ballistic information, compass bearing, GPS
coordinates, etc. Various other data may be displayed in the digital readout.
The reticle 415 may be constructed from optical material, such as optical
glass or plastic or similar transparent material, and/or may take the form of
a disc or
wafer with substantially parallel sides. The reticle 415 may, for example, be
constructed from wire, spider web, nano-wires, an etching, or may be analog or
digitally printed, or may be projected (for example, on a surface) by, for
example, a
mirror, video, holographic projection, or other suitable means on one or more
wafers
of material. In some embodiments, the reticle 415 may be an illuminated
reticle. An
illuminated reticle may be etched with the etching filled in with a reflective
material
such as, for example, titanium oxide, that illuminates when a light or diode
powered
by, for example, a battery, chemical, or photovoltaic source, is
rheostatically
switched on, compensating for increasing or decreasing light intensity.
In some embodiments, the illuminated reticle may include two or more
wafers. Each wafer may include a different image, for example, one image for
daylight viewing (that is, a primary reticle), and one image for night viewing
(that is,
a secondary reticle). In a still further embodiment, if the shooter finds it
undesirable
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to illuminate an entire reticle, since it might compromise optical night
vision, the
secondary reticle may illuminate a reduced number of dots or lines.
In some embodiments, the reticle 415 may include two perpendicular main
lines crossing in the center of the field of view and/or a plurality of
smaller ticks or
dashes that perpendicularly cross the main lines.
Figure 5 illustrates a diagram of an example adjustment knob 505 according
to some embodiments described herein. The adjustment knob 505 may be used as
the elevation adjustment knob 215 and/or the windage adjustment knob 220. The
adjustment knob 505 may include a position encoder 510 that translates the
position
of the adjustment knob to a digital signal. The position encoder may include
an
optical, magnetic or mechanical encoder. For example, the adjustment knob 505
may be coupled with the riflescope 200 through a threaded adjustment stem 515
that
translates action of placement of the adjustment knob 505 to a lateral
movement of
the reticle 415. The threaded adjustment stem 515, for example, may physically
move the reticle 415 when the adjustment knob is 215 is activated, rotated,
moved,
etc. The reticle 415 may be positioned near the first focal plane or the
second focal
plane within the erector system 520 that is disposed within the riflescope
200. The
movement of the reticle 415, for example, may be based on the amount of
rotation of
the adjustment knob 505. When the user rotates the adjustment knob 505, the
threaded adjustment stem 515 physically moves the reticle 415 perpendicularly
relative to the optical train. Thus, by turning the adjustment knob 505, the
user may
adjust the position of the reticle and/or aim of the riflescope.
The position encoder 510 may be a rotational encoder and may communicate
rotation values with a processor (e.g., a processor 1020) such as, for
example,
absolute static and/or dynamic rotational data, to the processor. The
rotational data
may be communicated to the processor in real time and/or as the adjustment
knob
505 is rotated.
The position encoder 510 may be a linear encoder and may communicate
linear values with a processor (e.g., a processor 1020) such as, for example,
absolute
static and/or dynamic linear data, to the processor. The linear data may be
communicated to the processor in real time and/or as the adjustment knob 505
is
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rotated.
The processor may use the position data from the adjustment knob such as
the rotational data and/or linear data from the rotary encoder or the linear
data from
a linear encoder to determine an adjustment value such as, for example, a
vertical
adjustment value, a horizontal adjustment value, a shoot-to-range value, etc.
The
adjustment value may be presented in angular units (e.g., moa, mil, etc.) or
in lateral
dimensions (e.g., feet, meters, yards, etc.) In some embodiments, the
processor may
determine an adjustment value using a ballistic profile lookup table that
cross-
references rotational data and/or linear data with adjustment values. The
ballistic
profile lookup table may be created using calibration data collected and/or
created
by range firing the rifle with the riflescope in control conditions with the
position
encoder 505 at various positions and thus providing different values of the
rotational
data and/or linear data from the adjustment knob 505 and/or with a ballistics
program. In some embodiments, the processor may calculate an adjustment value
(e.g., a shoot-to-range value) based on the rotational data and/or linear data
using
any number of algorithms and/or calibration data.
In some embodiments, one or more position encoders may be disposed
within the body of the riflescope 200 to measure the displacement of the
reticle 415.
This position information may be used instead of or in conjunction with the
angular
adjustment data to determine an adjustment value.
In some embodiments, each position of the position encoder 510 may return
a certain entry in a ballistic profile lookup table stored in memory. Thus, in
response to receiving rotational data and/or linear data, the processor may
look up
corresponding adjustment values based on the specific position of the position
encoder 510.
The adjustment knob 505 shown in Figure 5 may also be used as part of a
windage adjustment knob 220 (or windage adjustment turret) and/or for any
other
adjustment knob or turret.
Figure 6 shows a cross-section view of the riflescope 200 according to some
embodiments described herein. The riflescope 200 may include the ocular system
225, the objective system 205, a focus lens 610, an erector spring 525, the
elevation
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adjustment knob 215, the second focal plane 315, the reticle 415, and an
erector
system 605. The erector system 605 (or erector tube) may include magnification
lenses or lens stack. The erector spring 525 may provide a resistive force on
the
erector system 605 relative to the elevation adjustment knob 215 and/or the
windage
adjustment knob. More than one erector spring may be used.
In some embodiments, the riflescope 200 may include at least five
subsystems: optics train (Figure 7), ocular system (Figure 3), elevation and
windage
adjustments (Figure 8), housing (Figure 9), and electronic systems (Figure
10).
Figure 7 illustrates an example of the optics train 700 according to some
embodiments described herein. The optics train 700 may include the ocular
system
225, which is described in more detail in Figure 3, and the objective system
205.
The optics train 700 may also include various optical elements 715 and the
reticle
415. Various other lenses, filters, gratings, optical elements, splitters,
etc. may be
used.
Figure 8 illustrates another example of the adjustment knob 505 according to
some embodiments described herein. The adjustment knob 505 may be coupled
with the position encoder 510 and the threaded adjustment stem 515. As the
adjustment knob 505 is rotated, the threaded adjustment stem 515 is moved
vertically upward or downward depending on the direction of the rotation of
the
adjustment knob 505. Moreover, as the adjustment knob 505 is rotated, the
position
encoder 510 may translate the absolute static and/or the dynamic rotational
data
and/or linear data of the adjustment knob 505 into an electronic signal. The
windage
adjustment knob may also be configured as shown in Figure 8.
Figure 9 illustrates an example of a housing 900 for the riflescope 200
according to some embodiments described herein. The housing 900 may encase the
optics train 700, which includes the ocular system 225 and the objective
system 205,
the elevation adjustment knob 215, the windage adjustment knob 220 and/or
various
other optical and/or electronic components. As shown in the figure, a battery
905
and a control module 910 may be included within the housing. In some
embodiments, the battery 905 and the control module 910 may be enclosed within
the housing 900. In some embodiments, the battery 905 and the control module
910
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may be coupled with the exterior of the housing 900. The housing 900 may also
be
coupled with or include vertical adjustment knob 215 or any other adjustment
knob.
Figure 10 illustrates a block diagram of electronic components for the
riflescope 200 according to some embodiments described herein. The control
module 910 may include a user interface 1010, data input 1015, the processor
1020,
a memory 1025, a first sensor 1030, and a second sensor 1035. The control
module
910 may also include any or all of the components of a computational system
1200
of Figure 12.
The user interface 1010 may include a plurality of buttons, keys, knobs,
displays, speakers, microphones, etc. Some components of the user interface
1010
such as, for example, buttons, may be used to manually enter data such as, for
example, wind data, display intensity data, reticle intensity data, ballistic
profile
data, ballistic coefficient data, muzzle velocity data, primary zero data,
static
conditions of the rifle-scope system, GPS coordinate data, compass coordinate
data,
sight above bore data, etc. This data may be received by the processor 1020
and
saved into the memory 1025. The data may also be used by the processor 1020 to
execute an algorithm and/or in an algorithm.
The data input 1015 may be a wired or wireless input and/or may include any
type of data transfer technology such as, for example, a USB port, a mini USB
port,
a microSD slot, NFC transceiver, Bluetooth transceiver, Firewire, a ZigBee
transceiver, a Wi-Fi transceiver, etc. The data may be inputted from a
computer,
laptop, GPS device, a rangefinder, tablet, or smartphone, etc. The processor
1020
may receive data from the data input 1015 and store the data into the memory
1025.
Data such as calibration data, a ballistic profile lookup table that cross-
references
rotational data and/or linear data with shoot-to-range values, rifle data,
projectile
data, user data, etc. may be input through the data input 1015.
The processor 1020 may be any type of processor known in the art that may
receive inputs, execute algorithms and/or processes, etc. The processor 1020
may
include any or all components of the computational system 1200. The processor
1020 may be used to control the various processes, algorithms, and/or methods
described herein. The processor 1020 may control operation of the internal
display
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305 and/or the reticle 415. The processor 1020 may also receive inputs from
the
user interface 1010, the data input 1015, the memory 1025, the sensor 1030,
the
sensor 1035, a position encoder 510, and/or from other sources.
The memory 1025 may include any type of digital data storage such as a disk
drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device,
such as
random access memory ("RAM") and/or read-only memory ("ROM"), which can be
programmable, flash-updateable, and/or the like.
The sensor 1030 and the sensor 1035 may sense atmospheric conditions such
as humidity, temperature, pressure, etc.; inclination; rifle cant (or
inclination); and/or
the sight direction of the rifle (compass direction). While two sensors are
shown,
any number of sensors may be included. Sensor data may be recorded by the
processor 1020 and saved into the memory 1025.
The battery 905 may be connected to the control module 910 and/or the
internal display 305. In some embodiments, the battery may be directly coupled
with the reticle 415 and/or the position encoder 510. In some embodiments, the
battery may also be directly coupled with the user interface 1010, the sensor
1030,
the sensor 1035, the memory 1025, and/or the data input 1015. The battery 905
may
include any type of battery power source without limitation.
In some embodiments, the memory 1025 may be configured to store one or
more ballistic profile lookup tables that include data that can be used to
correct for
the amount a bullet may drop over a given distance and/or the horizontal
deflection
of the bullet. In some embodiments, the ballistic profile lookup table of a
projectile
or a cartridge of projectiles may describe how quickly the bullet drops over a
given
distance and/or how much deflection from horizontal winds the same bullet
experiences over the same given distance. In some embodiments, the ballistic
profile lookup table can include values generated from a ballistic calculation
using
specific inputs that identify the rifle, the projectile or the projectile
cartridge,
atmospheric conditions, etc. In some embodiments, the ballistic profile lookup
table
may include ballistic coefficients for the projectile and/or the muzzle
velocity of the
bullet/rifle.
In some embodiments, the processor may calculate real-time adjustment
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values based on the ballistic data, atmospheric data, range data, cant data,
inclination
data, etc.
In some embodiments, a wind measurement and/or estimate may be entered
and/or stored in the memory 1025. A horizontal correction may be determined
based on this wind measurement and/or estimate and/or other data within the
ballistic profile lookup table. In some embodiments, a horizontal correction
value
may be determined and displayed to the user through the internal display 305.
In
some embodiments, the riflescope may automatically make a windage correction
by
moving the reticle 415.
In some embodiments, atmospheric data may be input via the sensor 1030
and/or the sensor 1035. Based on this atmospheric data, a ballistic profile
lookup
table may be corrected, adjusted, and/or revised based on the atmospheric data
and/or data from the ballistic profile lookup table may be modified based on
the
atmospheric data. For example, the assumed air density of the ballistic
profile for a
specific projectile might not match the current air density in use. Based on
the
measured air density, the ballistic profile data may be modified.
In some embodiments, a plurality of ballistic profile lookup tables may be
stored in the memory 1025. For example, a ballistic profile lookup table may
be
stored in the memory 1025 for a number of different projectiles. The user,
through
the user interface 1010, may indicate the type of projectile currently being
used and
the corresponding ballistic profile lookup table may be retrieved from the
memory
1025 by the processor 1020. The data from the selected ballistic profile
lookup table
may be used to determine an adjustment value for the specific projectile.
In some embodiments, the processor 1020 may store data in the memory
1025 about each shot taken by the user. This data may include all data
described
herein. For example, when the rifle is fired, the processor 1020 may store
data from
the sensor 1030 and the sensor 1035, GPS coordinates, range data, GPS
coordinates
of the rifle, GPS coordinates of the target, time of day, a photograph or a
video of
the field of view through the riflescope 200, and/or other views outside the
device
displaying such things as the surroundings or operation of the weapon system
or this
invention, trigger pull, the user's pulse, the user's breathing, atmospheric
data,
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humidity data, temperature data, air pressure data, etc.
Figure 11 is a flowchart of an example process 1100 of determining an
adjustment value for a riflescope according to at least one embodiment
described
herein. One or more steps of the process 1100 may be implemented, in some
embodiments, by one or more components of the processor 1020 of Figure 10.
Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks may be divided into
additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the
desired implementation.
The process 1100 begins at block 1105. At block 1120, projectile data may
be received. This projectile data may include a ballistic profile lookup
table. A
specific ballistic profile lookup table may be retrieved from storage memory
in
response to the user entering information about the projectile being used.
Alternatively or additionally, the user may input the ballistic profile lookup
table
using a wired or wireless connection.
At block 1110 reticle position data may be received, for example, from a
device that measures the position and/or deflection of the reticle 415 such
as, for
example, a position encoder 510 that is coupled with the elevation adjustment
knob
215 or the windage adjustment knob 220, and/or one or more position sensors.
At block 1115 environmental data may be received. The environmental data
may be received, for example, from the sensor 1030, the sensor 1035, or from
an
external device, for example, through the user interface 1010 or the data
input 1015.
The environmental data may include the range to the target, the humidity, the
wind
speed, the temperature, the atmospheric pressure, etc.
At block 1120 an adjustment value may be determined based on the
projectile data, the reticle position data, and/or the environmental data
using the
ballistic profile lookup table.
At block 1130 the adjustment value may be displayed to the user on the
internal display 305 that is visible through the riflescope to allow the user
to view
the target while changing the reticle position using an adjustment knob. In
some
embodiments, as the user turns the adjustment knob, the adjustment value may
be
recalculated based on the changed reticle position data, and the changed
adjustment
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value may be displayed in real time on the display.
In some embodiments, a user may use a ballistics program on a computer,
tablet, or smartphone to calculate a ballistic profile lookup table for a
specified rifle,
cartridge, and/or projectile. This information may be saved, for example, to a
microSD card. The ballistic profile lookup table may include and/or correlate
a
plurality of reticle position values, a plurality of range adjustment values,
and/or a
plurality of windage correction values. The microSD card with the ballistic
profile
lookup table may be inserted into the microSD slot on the riflescope 200 and
the
data may or may not be transferred to the memory 1025. Alternatively, the
ballistic
profile lookup table may be transferred to the riflescope 200 with other wired
or
wireless techniques.
The riflescope control module may be turned on when the user presses a
button on the user interface 1010. In some embodiments, as the user moves the
elevation adjustment knob, a reticle position value may be sent to the
processor
1020. Using this reticle position value, the processor may look up a range
adjustment value. The range adjustment value may then be displayed on the
internal
display 305.
This range adjustment value may indicate the distance from the rifle that the
projectile will impact at the reticle's vertical position. A range finder may
then be
used to determine the distance to the target. The user may then adjust the
elevation
adjustment using the elevation adjustment knob 215 until the displayed value
is the
same as the value measured by the range finder. For example, if the range
finder
reads 600 yards, the user will adjust the elevation adjustment knob until the
adjustment value is 600 yards.
As another example, the rifle may include a range finder that determines the
actual distance to the target. Both the distance to the target and the
adjustment value
may be displayed within the internal display 305 so the user can view the
field of
view and both values simultaneously.
Alternatively or additionally, a windage adjustment value may also be
displayed in the internal display 305. A wind meter may be used to measure the
actual crosswind speed. Then, based on the actual distance to the target, a
windage
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adjustment value may be determined and displayed in the internal display 305.
For
example, for a 10-mile-per-hour crosswind and a distance of 600 yards, the
windage
adjustment value may be 2 MOA. The windage adjustment value may also depend
on the temperature, humidity, and/or atmospheric pressure and/or inclination.
The
windage adjustment value may then be displayed in the internal display 305.
The
user may then manually move the rifle and/or reticle an amount similar to the
adjustment value and/or the user may turn a windage adjustment knob to move
the
reticle relative to the rifle an amount corresponding to the windage
adjustment value.
The computational system 1200 (or processing unit) illustrated in Figure 12
can be used to perform any of the embodiments of the invention. For example,
the
computational system 1200 can be used alone or in conjunction with other
components. As another example, the computational system 1200 can be used to
perform any calculation, solve any equation, perform any identification,
and/or make
any determination described here. The computational system 1200 includes
hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus 1205 (or may
otherwise
be in communication, as appropriate). The hardware elements can include one or
more processors 1210, including, without limitation, one or more general-
purpose
processors and/or one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital
signal
processing chips, graphics acceleration chips, and/or the like); one or more
input
devices 1215, which can include, without limitation, a mouse, a keyboard,
and/or the
like; and one or more output devices 1220, which can include, without
limitation, a
display device, a printer, and/or the like.
The computational system 1200 may further include (and/or be in
communication with) one or more storage devices 1225, which can include,
without
limitation, local and/or network-accessible storage and/or can include,
without
limitation, a disk drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-
state storage
device, such as random access memory ("RAM") and/or read-only memory
("ROM"), which can be programmable, flash-updateable, and/or the like. The
computational system 1200 might also include a communications subsystem 1230,
which can include, without limitation, a modem, a network card (wireless or
wired),
an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and/or
chipset
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(such as a Bluetooth device, a 802.6 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMA12 device,
cellular communication facilities, etc.), and/or the like. The communications
subsystem 1230 may permit data to be exchanged with a network (such as the
network described below, to name one example) and/or any other devices
described
herein. In many embodiments, the computational system 1200 will further
include a
working memory 1235, which can include a RAM or ROM device, as described
above.
The computational system 1200 also can include software elements, shown
as being currently located within the working memory 1235, including an
operating
system 1240 and/or other code, such as one or more application programs 1245,
which may include computer programs of the invention, and/or may be designed
to
implement methods of the invention and/or configure systems of the invention,
as
described herein. For example, one or more procedures described with respect
to the
method(s) discussed above might be implemented as code and/or instructions
executable by a computer (and/or a processor within a computer). A set of
these
instructions and/or codes might be stored on a computer-readable storage
medium,
such as the storage device(s) 1225 described above.
In some cases, the storage medium might be incorporated within the
computational system 1200 or in communication with the computational system
1200. In other embodiments, the storage medium might be separate from the
computational system 1200 (e.g., a removable medium, such as a compact disc,
etc.), and/or provided in an installation package, such that the storage
medium can
be used to program a general-purpose computer with the instructions/code
stored
thereon. These instructions might take the form of executable code, which is
executable by the computational system 1200 and/or might take the form of
source
and/or installable code, which, upon compilation and/or installation on the
computational system 1200 (e.g., using any of a variety of generally available
compilers, installation programs, compression/decompression utilities, etc.),
then
takes the form of executable code.
Numerous specific details arc set forth herein to tprovide a thorough
understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled in the art
will
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understand that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these
specific
details. In other instances, methods, apparatuses, or systems that would be
known by
one of ordinary skill have not been described in detail so as not to obscure
claimed
subject matter.
Some portions are presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic
representations of operations on data bits or binary digital signals stored
within a
computing system memory, such as a computer memory. These algorithmic
descriptions or representations are examples of techniques used by those of
ordinary
skill in the data processing art to convey the substance of their work to
others skilled
in the art. An algorithm is a self-consistent sequence of operations or
similar
processing leading to a desired result. In this context, operations or
processing
involves physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, although not
necessarily, such quantities may take the form of electrical or magnetic
signals
capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, or otherwise
manipulated.
It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to
refer
to such signals as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms,
numbers,
numerals, or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these and
similar
terms are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely
convenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, it is appreciated
that
throughout this specification discussions utilizing terms such as
"processing,"
"computing," "calculating," "determining," and "identifying" or the like refer
to
actions or processes of a computing device, such as one or more computers or a
similar electronic computing device or devices, that manipulate or transform
data
represented as physical, electronic, or magnetic quantities within memories,
registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or
display
devices of the computing platform.
The system or systems discussed herein are not limited to any particular
hardware architecture or configuration. A computing device can include any
suitable arrangement of components that provides a result conditioned on one
or
more inputs. Suitable computing devices include multipurpose microprocessor-
based computer systems accessing stored software that programs or configures
the
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computing system from a general-purpose computing apparatus to a specialized
computing apparatus implementing one or more embodiments of the present
subject
matter. Any suitable programming, scripting, or other type of language or
combinations of languages may be used to implement the teachings contained
herein
in software to be used in programming or configuring a computing device.
Embodiments of the methods disclosed herein may be performed in the
operation of such computing devices. The order of the blocks presented in the
examples above can be varied¨for example, blocks can be re-ordered, combined,
and/or broken into sub-blocks. Certain blocks or processes can be performed in
parallel.
The use of "adapted to" or "configured to" herein is meant as open and
inclusive language that does not foreclose devices adapted to or configured to
perform additional tasks or steps. Additionally, the use of "based on" is
meant to be
open and inclusive, in that a process, step, calculation, or other action
"based on"
one or more recited conditions or values may, in practice, be based on
additional
conditions or values beyond those recited. Headings, lists, and numbering
included
herein are for ease of explanation only and are not meant to be limiting.
While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to
specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the
art,
upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing, may readily produce
alterations to,
variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, it should be
understood that the present disclosure has been presented for-purposes of
example
rather than limitation, and does not preclude inclusion of such modifications,
variations, and/or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily
apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.
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