Range Finder Combined With Height Finder Patents (Class 356/11)
  • Patent number: 10415933
    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for determining an aiming adjustment amount, in terms of both vertical and horizontal aiming adjustments, to shoot a target at a target range by iteratively solving for the projectile trajectory (e.g., projectile drop or path and deflection) such that the iteratively calculated projectile trajectory is determined to pass through the target location within a predetermined threshold amount (e.g., at a projectile path calculation of about zero). Also disclosed are techniques for indicating whether a projectile has supersonic, transonic, or subsonic speed at a given range. Additionally, techniques are disclosed for iteratively determining an aiming adjustment amount that compensates for a moving target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Kleck, Eric Tyler Overstreet, Victoria J. Peters
  • Patent number: 9778895
    Abstract: According to some embodiments of the present invention, there may be provided one or more remote display viewing units functionally associated with one or more computational devices. A remote display viewing unit (RDVU) may include a screen and/or other form of displaying component (e.g. retinal projection mechanism) adapted to present to a user a portion and/or complete display of an associated computing device display/screen, Graphic User Interface (GUI), and/or any other graphically rendered data relating to the device. According to further embodiments, a RDVU may include shading components adapted to prevent and/or mitigate exterior lighting/sunshine interference with viewing the remote screen and/or displaying component. For example, the RDVU may include a visor type component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: A.L.D. ADVANCED LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT LTD.
    Inventors: Zigmund Bluvband, Ronen Shtainkort
  • Patent number: 8959823
    Abstract: A method for shooting a projectile weapon involves determining the inclination of a line of sight from a vantage point to a target and a line-of-sight range to the target, then predicting a trajectory parameter at the line-of-sight range, for a preselected projectile. Using the trajectory parameter, an equivalent horizontal range may then be determined, wherein the equivalent horizontal range is the range at which the trajectory parameter would be expected to occur if the projectile were shot from the vantage point toward a theoretical target located in a horizontal plane intersecting the vantage point. The equivalent horizontal range may be utilized to compensate for ballistic drop when shooting the projectile weapon. The method may be embodied in a handheld laser rangefinder including a memory for storing ballistic data. Systems for automatic hold over adjustment in a weapon aiming device are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2015
    Assignee: Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
    Inventors: Victoria J. Peters, Tim Lesser, Andrew W. York, Rick R. Regan
  • Patent number: 8625850
    Abstract: There are provided an environment recognition device and an environment recognition method. The device obtains position information of a target portion in a detection area, including a relative distance from a subject vehicle; groups continuous target portions into a target object of which position differences in a width direction vertical to an advancing direction of the vehicle and in a depth direction parallel to the advancing direction fall within a first distance; determines that the target object is a candidate of a wall, when the target portions forming the target object forms a tilt surface tilting at a predetermined angle or more with respect to a plane vertical to the advancing direction; and determines that the continuous wall candidates of which position differences in the width and depth directions among the wall candidates fall within a second predetermined distance longer than the first predetermined distance are a wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Seisuke Kasaoki
  • Patent number: 8510029
    Abstract: A method for defining a following path for a following vehicle to autonomously follow a leader, the method including acquiring waypoints associated with a path that the leader traverses; filtering the acquired waypoints, wherein the filtering removes waypoints located outside an area of interest; generating intermediate waypoints by interpolating between adjacent pairs of the filtered waypoints if the adjacent pairs of the filtered waypoints are separated by a distance that exceeds a threshold distance; and defining a following path through the filtered waypoints and the intermediate waypoints using a least-squares spline fit to calculate the following path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Joshua J. Curtis, George T. McWilliams, Kristopher C. Kozak
  • Patent number: 8448372
    Abstract: A method for shooting a projectile weapon involves determining the inclination of a line of sight from a vantage point to a target and a line-of-sight range to the target, then predicting a trajectory parameter at the line-of-sight range, for a preselected projectile. Using the trajectory parameter, an equivalent horizontal range may then be determined, wherein the equivalent horizontal range is the range at which the trajectory parameter would be expected to occur if the projectile were shot from the vantage point toward a theoretical target located in a horizontal plane intersecting the vantage point. The equivalent horizontal range may be utilized to compensate for ballistic drop when shooting the projectile weapon. The method may be embodied in a handheld laser rangefinder including a memory for storing ballistic data. Systems for automatic hold over adjustment in a weapon aiming device are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
    Inventors: Victoria J. Peters, Tim Lesser, Andrew W. York, Rick R. Regan
  • Publication number: 20130114065
    Abstract: Provided is a method for measuring the heights of components based on laser ranging, including the following steps of: 1) a laser ranger uniformly moving along a test route and measuring the distance from each test point to the laser ranger; 2) the laser ranger transmitting the measurement result and the measurement time to a storage unit; 3) the storage unit sending the received measurement result and the received measurement time to an analysis unit; and 4) according to the data sent by the storage unit and referring to the test route and the position of each test point, the analysis unit calculating the height of each test point and outputting it. The method of the present invention omits the time of determining the position of each point and the start-stop time of the laser ranger at each test point so that saving the large amount of the measurement time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: HAN-WEI WANG, Tsai-sheng Shen
  • Patent number: 8395492
    Abstract: An apparatus, method, and computer program product for monitoring a tire are provided. An apparatus comprises a laser system comprising a number of lasers configured to identify a radius of a tire of a vehicle located on a ground, wherein a laser in the number of lasers is associated with an axle of the tire. The apparatus also comprises a tire monitoring system configured to identify a set of acceptable radii for the tire using a weight of the vehicle and information about the tire, determine whether the radius of the tire is within the set of acceptable radii, and generate an indication that the radius of the tire is not within the set of acceptable radii comprising the radius of the tire responsive to an absence of a determination that the radius of the tire is within the set of acceptable radii.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Trent Daryl Miller
  • Patent number: 8046951
    Abstract: A method for aiming a projectile weapon involves identifying a projectile group corresponding to a selected projectile and its nominal initial velocity from at least two different predetermined groups of projectiles, determining a range to a target, and automatically determining an aiming adjustment for aiming the projectile weapon based on the range to the target and a nominal ballistic characteristic of the projectile group. The nominal ballistic characteristic of the projectile group may be characteristic of a ballistic coefficient of the selected projectile and the nominal initial velocity of the selected projectile. Also disclosed are systems and methods for determining hold over aiming data and equivalent horizontal range data, for aiming projectile weapons at inclined targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2011
    Assignee: Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
    Inventors: Victoria J. Peters, Tim Lesser, Andrew W. York, Rick R. Regan
  • Patent number: 7690145
    Abstract: A method for shooting a projectile weapon involves determining the inclination of a line of sight from a vantage point to a target and a line-of-sight range to the target, then predicting a trajectory parameter at the line-of-sight range, for a preselected projectile. Using the trajectory parameter, an equivalent horizontal range may then be determined, wherein the equivalent horizontal range is the range at which the trajectory parameter would be expected to occur if the projectile were shot from the vantage point toward a theoretical target located in a horizontal plane intersecting the vantage point. The equivalent horizontal range may be utilized to compensate for ballistic drop when shooting the projectile weapon. The method may be embodied in a handheld laser rangefinder including a memory for storing ballistic data. Systems for automatic hold over adjustment in a weapon aiming device are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2010
    Assignee: Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
    Inventors: Victoria J. Peters, Tim Lesser, Andrew W. York, Rick R. Regan
  • Patent number: 7654029
    Abstract: A method for shooting a projectile weapon involves determining the inclination of a line of sight from a vantage point to a target and a line-of-sight range to the target, then predicting a trajectory parameter at the line-of-sight range, for a preselected projectile. Using the trajectory parameter, an equivalent horizontal range may then be determined, wherein the equivalent horizontal range is the range at which the trajectory parameter would be expected to occur if the projectile were shot from the vantage point toward a theoretical target located in a horizontal plane intersecting the vantage point. The equivalent horizontal range may be utilized to compensate for ballistic drop when shooting the projectile weapon. The method may be embodied in a handheld laser rangefinder including a memory for storing ballistic data. Systems for automatic hold over adjustment in a weapon aiming device are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Leupold & Stevens, Inc.
    Inventors: Victoria J. Peters, Tim Lesser, Andrew W. York, Rick R. Regan
  • Patent number: 7092076
    Abstract: A surveying instrument, comprising a collimation optical system and a visible laser projecting device with a visible laser light source unit for emitting a point light, wherein the surveying instrument comprises a photodetector for detecting a reflection light entering from the collimation optical system, and a control means for controlling light emission of the visible laser light source unit based on a detection result of the photodetector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCON
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Jun-ichi Kodaira
  • Patent number: 7012237
    Abstract: A modulated laser light detector that converts laser light energy into electrical signals which exhibit a frequency that is substantially the same as the laser light modulation frequency, in which these signals allow the detector unit to determine a position where the laser light is impacting upon a photodiode array. A synchronous rectifier circuit is provided which, by use of a phase locked loop, converts a full-wave analog signal representative of the modulated laser energy into a half-wave analog signal, which is filtered and demodulated to generate a DC level that is indicative of the strength of the received laser light energy. At least two channels of these signals are used to determine the impacting position of the laser light energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: Apache Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: DuWain K. Ake
  • Patent number: 6963658
    Abstract: There are provided a plurality of units for detecting a moving object in an image from changes of an image structure in a monitor area defined in a linear strip on a single straight line consisting of a base line and its partitions, and a height of a moving object is detected and measured easily and accurately from a code obtained from detection results obtained when the image structure is at its maximum variation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Hagihara, Hirokazu Amemiya, Tadashi Yamamitsu
  • Patent number: 6480620
    Abstract: A method of 3-dimensional structure estimation of the invention, making use of a plurality of stereo-pictures, repeats, for each pixel of a first picture, a step of extracting corresponding small regions (4) corresponding to the concerning pixel according to a depth estimation (68); a step of calculating a neighboring correspondence value for each of the corresponding small regions representing correspondence among neighboring corresponding small regions of picures taken by neighboring cameras; a step of obtaining a sum (61) of the neighboring correspondence values; and selecting a value of the depth estimation (68) which gives a singular value of the sum (61) representing correspondence among the corresponding small regions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2002
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Shizuo Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 5886340
    Abstract: An automatic focusing apparatus includes a telephotographic system and a line sensor comprising multiple light receiving devices which receive light of an object image formed by the telephotographic system, multiple monitor sensors positioned adjacent to said line sensor, which monitor a quantity of light received by the line sensor, and a focus detecting device which controls a light receiving time of the light receiving devices in accordance with the monitor sensors, and detects a focusing state based on outputs of respective light receiving devices. When the focus detecting device fails to detect an effective focusing state, the light receiving time of the line sensor is controlled only by the monitor sensor positioned at a center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Suzuki, Masahiro Nakata
  • Patent number: 5856664
    Abstract: An automatic focusing apparatus including a focus detecting device which detects a defocus amount of image optical system, a focusing device which focalizes based on the defocus amount calculated by the focus detecting device. An adjustment device which adjusts said defocus amount calculated by said focus detecting device by an adjustment value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Suzuki, Masahiro Nakata
  • Patent number: 5856663
    Abstract: A focus detecting apparatus includes a focus detecting device which forms an image through a telephotographic system, onto a line sensor, and which detects a focus state of the telephotographic system based on an output from a predetermined portion of the line sensor. An assigning device which assigns the pixels to be used in detecting the focusing state in the case where the actual center of the line sensor deviates from the reference position of the telephotographic system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: Asahi Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinichi Suzuki, Masahiro Nakata
  • Patent number: 5764785
    Abstract: A system for the remote identification of objects under varying light conditions. Objects are illuminated with a non-coherent light source for viewing by an observer. A low power laser diode and lens system which sends a laser beam out on an inclined plane determines the distance to and size of objects under observation. A significant change of position of objects under observation causes an alarm to be activated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1998
    Inventors: Mark F. Jones, James C. Lyman
  • Patent number: 5740337
    Abstract: A stereo-graphic apparatus has first and second imaging devices to provide a first image and a second image, respectively. The first and the second imaging device are spaced from each other to define a predetermined convergence angle. A distance detecting apparatus detects distance from the first and the second imaging device to an object for imaging. A first electric zooming apparatus receives a signal from the first imaging device and extracts image data of a predetermined area from the first image. A second electric zooming apparatus receives a signal from the second imaging device and extracts image data of a predetermined area of image. A control device controls the extraction of image data according to the distance information. According to the distance information, the extracting area is moved so that the focused object is located on the center of each of the provided images. As a result, the convergence angel is substantially changed according to the distance between the object and the imaging device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Okino, Haruhiko Murata, Toshiya Iinuma, Hideyuki Kanayama