FEEDBACK DISPLAY FOR RIFLESCOPE

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that provide a riflescope with an internal display. In some embodiments, the riflescope may include a housing; an ocular system 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.

Description

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 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 to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a typical trajectory of a projectile.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example view of a portion of a scope showing the eyepiece and the display according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a view that may be seen by a user looking through the riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates a diagram of an example elevation adjustment knob on the riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-section view of the riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the optics train according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates another example of the elevation adjustment knob according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a housing for the riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of electronic components for the riflescope according to some embodiments described herein.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an example process of determining an adjustment value for a riflescope according to at least one embodiment described herein.

FIG. 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 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.

FIG. 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 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.

FIG. 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.

FIG. 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.

FIG. 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 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 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.

FIG. 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 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 FIG. 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.

FIG. 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 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 (FIG. 7), ocular system (FIG. 3), elevation and windage adjustments (FIG. 8), housing (FIG. 9), and electronic systems (FIG. 10).

FIG. 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 FIG. 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.

FIG. 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 FIG. 8.

FIG. 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 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.

FIG. 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 FIG. 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 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 bulletrifle.

In some embodiments, the processor may calculate real-time adjustment 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, humidity data, temperature data, air pressure data, etc.

FIG. 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 FIG. 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 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 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 FIG. 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 (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 are set forth herein to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled in the art will 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 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.

Claims

1. A riflescope comprising:

a housing;

an ocular system disposed within the housing, the ocular system comprising one or more lenses;

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 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 such that the adjustment value is viewable through the ocular system.

2. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the display system displays the adjustment value.

3. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the display system comprises a digital display and a mirror.

4. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the display system comprises a digital display and a beam splitter.

5. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the display system comprises an organic light emitting diode.

6. The riflescope according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface, and wherein the memory includes a plurality of ballistic information corresponding to a plurality of projectiles, wherein the user interface provides an interface for a user to select a projectile of the plurality of projectiles and the corresponding ballistic information is used to determine the adjustment value.

7. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the ballistic information comprises ballistic information for the riflescope and a projectile.

8. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the ballistic information comprises a lookup table of adjustment values corresponding to reticle position data.

9. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment value is determined by the processor in real time.

10. The riflescope according to claim 1, further comprising an atmospheric sensor that is configured to provide atmospheric data to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to determine the adjustment value based on the atmospheric data.

11. The riflescope according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor that is configured to provide an inclination angle, an azimuth angle, and/or a cant angle, wherein the processor is configured to determine the adjustment value based on the inclination angle, an azimuth angle, and/or a cant angle.

12. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment knob is either a windage adjustment knob or an elevation adjustment knob.

13. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the position encoder comprises a rotary encoder coupled with the adjustment knob, and wherein the position data comprises rotation data.

14. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the position encoder comprises a linear encoder coupled with the adjustment knob, and wherein the position data comprises linear data.

15. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the reticle is displayed at a first focal plane and the display system provides a display near a second focal plane of the rifle scope.

16. The riflescope according to claim 1, wherein the reticle is displayed at a second focal plane and the display system provides a display near the second focal plane of the rifle scope.

17. A method for providing display information within a riflescope, the method comprising:

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.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

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.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the ballistic information comprises ballistic information for the riflescope and a projectile.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the ballistic information comprises the lookup table of adjustment values corresponding to reticle position data.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the reticle position data comprises rotation data associated with a rotary encoder.

22. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

receiving atmospheric data from an atmospheric sensor; and

adjusting the adjustment value based on the atmospheric data.

23. A riflescope comprising:

a housing;

an ocular system disposed within the housing, the ocular system comprising one or more lenses including an eyepiece;

a reticle disposed within the housing and viewable through the ocular system;

an elevation adjustment knob coupled with the housing and the reticle, the adjustment knob configured to move the reticle, the elevation adjustment knob comprising a position encoder that provides rotary data corresponding with a rotation or the elevation adjustment knob;

a display system providing a display viewable through the eyepiece;

a memory having a plurality of ballistic information corresponding to each of a plurality of projectiles;

a user interface; and

a processor coupled with the memory, the position encoder, and the display system, the processor configured to: receive an indication of a projectile of the plurality of projectiles; select ballistic information based on the indication of the projectile; determine an elevation adjustment value based on the rotary data and the ballistic information; and provide the elevation adjustment value to the display system for display.