| Boresight device and method -> Monitor Keywords |
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  Boresight device and methodRelated Patent Categories: Education And Demonstration, Organized Armed Or Unarmed Conflict Or Shooting, Gunnery, Gun Aiming, Training Apparatus Using Beam Of Infrared, Visible Light, Or Ultraviolet RadiationThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070009860. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/602,497 filed Aug. 18, 2004 and entitled "Boresight Device and Method". FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The invention pertains to combat training and simulation systems. More particularly, the invention pertains to devices usable to align small arms transmitters in connection with combat training and simulation. BACKGROUND [0003] Current forms of combat training and simulation often include the use of a laser-based combat simulation system, the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES). Such systems usually associate laser-based transmitters with weapons being used to carry out the training or simulation exercise. Such transmitters can be coupled to a variety of small arms including rifles of various types, machine guns as well as vehicle-based cannons and the like. Laser beams from such transmitters are usually invisible to the naked eye. [0004] To produce maximum value from the training or simulation exercise, small arms transmitters (SATs) need to be aligned to the sights of the associated weapon. This is regardless of whether those sights are aligned to the weapon or not. With this configuration, as the soldier trains using his/her sights, as he/she would in combat, the SAT will be correctly aligned, preferably with appropriate drop and drift compensation, with the physical sights on the weapon. [0005] One known way of achieving the boresight alignment of the SAT to the weapon's sights is to sight the weapon on a target some 25 meters down range, and adjust the SAT laser beam until it coincides with that target (or with a pre-determined offset). While an excellent approach in principle, it is very cumbersome and time consuming to execute, and requires special equipment to render the invisible laser beam visible. [0006] Alternately, an alignment fixture can be used. Known alignment fixtures are both cumbersome and expensive. Additionally, they are vendor specific and can only be used with the respective vendor's SATs. Also, many of the known fixtures are weapon specific. As a result, the user needs to purchase an individual alignment fixture for each vendor's SAT and for each weapon type. This increases user's initial procurement, total logistics and maintenance costs. [0007] An alignment solution that provides a user with a universal system that enables the user to align most of the SATs available on the market to most of the existing small arms would be desirable. It would be preferable if common alignment equipment could be used with a variety of different weapons. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008] FIG. 1 is an overall view of a system in accordance with the invention; [0009] FIG. 1A is a more detailed view of components of the system of FIG. 1; [0010] FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view of a target assembly useable in the system of FIG. 1A; [0011] FIG. 3 illustrates steps of a method in accordance with the invention; and [0012] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS [0013] While embodiments of this invention can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated. [0014] In one embodiment of the invention, an optical lens can be used to bring a target in from any distance to the focal plane of a lens, much as the sun's image is brought to the focal plane of a burning-glass lens. Therefore, if a lens is placed in front of the weapon so that the soldier, in using the normal sights of the weapon looks through the lens, what he/she sees is whatever is at the focal plane of the lens. [0015] A small visible alignment element such as a glowing red or green dot or cross in the focal plane will enable the soldier to align that dot or cross to the sights of the weapon if the element can be moved to align with the sights. This can be accomplished by locating the element on the focal plane on an X/Y movable stage. This stage can be motorized with a joystick or multi-position switch control that the soldier could operate while peering through the sights of the weapon for ease and speed of accomplishing this task. When the alignment element is aligned with the sights of the weapon it is boresighted to the weapon. [0016] The next step is to align the SAT laser beam to the same location. If the alignment element is located on the focal plane of a CCD or CMOS camera, the SAT beam can be sent through another portion of the same lens described above and maneuvered so that it is centered on the alignment element. LCD readout can be used to display the angular location of the SAT beam, rendering it visible. In this way the SAT beam, using the normal adjustments, using first and second prisms therein, known as Risleys, can be oriented to be parallel to the weapon's line of sight because, by definition, parallel light paths entering a lens will coincide at the same lateral point in the lens focal plane. The SAT is therefore boresighted to the sights of the weapon. Offsets for drop and drift can be incorporated. [0017] The lens, CCD, and other equipment, can be mounted in a common housing and releasably attached to the barrel of a weapon being sighted. The releasable attachment can be effected by using a weapon bore rod or a clamp which attaches to the outside of the gun barrel. It is very quick and convenient to mount and demount with these configurations. It is only necessary that the mount be stable during the boresighting procedure. Any possible mount/demount variations in precise mechanical location of the boresight device are not important because this boresight procedure does not depend on mechanical alignment with respect to the weapon bore, only to the weapon's sights. [0018] For weapons having a large lateral offset between the weapon's line of sight and the SAT line of radiation, a lens must be used that is sufficiently large to simultaneously capture both the soldier's line of sight and the path of the SAT radiation. However, only a rectangular section of the several-inch diameter lens is used--enough to contain the weapon line of sight at one end of the section, and the SAT radiation at the other end of the section. The rest of the lens can be cut away. [0019] A red dot, if used, will preferably be about a milliradian in diameter, or less. For a 10-centimeter focal length lens this means that the dot should be no larger than 100 microns in diameter. One way of creating a red dot would be to have it be the end of a 100-micron core-diameter optical fiber, illuminated at the other end by a red LED or laser diode. This fiber end could be located in, or closely in front of, the CCD focal plane. An alternative would be to insert a 100-micron ball or some other shiny object at the desired location and side-illuminating it with a red laser. Continue reading... Full patent description for Boresight device and method Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Boresight device and method patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Boresight device and method or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: System, method and apparatus for relaying simulation data Next Patent Application: Simulator Industry Class: Education and demonstration ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Boresight device and method patent info. 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