EP0760084B1 - Laser small arms transmitter - Google Patents

Laser small arms transmitter Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0760084B1
EP0760084B1 EP95917730A EP95917730A EP0760084B1 EP 0760084 B1 EP0760084 B1 EP 0760084B1 EP 95917730 A EP95917730 A EP 95917730A EP 95917730 A EP95917730 A EP 95917730A EP 0760084 B1 EP0760084 B1 EP 0760084B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
laser
housing assembly
optical
window
transmitter according
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP95917730A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0760084A1 (en
Inventor
Himnashu N. Parikh
Fritz W. Healey
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Cubic Defense Systems Inc
Original Assignee
Cubic Defense Systems Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US08/237,717 external-priority patent/US5410815A/en
Application filed by Cubic Defense Systems Inc filed Critical Cubic Defense Systems Inc
Publication of EP0760084A1 publication Critical patent/EP0760084A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0760084B1 publication Critical patent/EP0760084B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F41—WEAPONS
    • F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
    • F41A33/00—Adaptations for training; Gun simulators
    • F41A33/02—Light- or radiation-emitting guns ; Light- or radiation-sensitive guns; Cartridges carrying light emitting sources, e.g. laser

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a laser transmitter for mounting to a small arms weapon to simulate the firing of an actual round according to the first part of claim 1.
  • This laser transmitter belongs to a military training equipment for use by soldiers in war games.
  • an apparatus for marksmanship training which can be mounted on small firearms.
  • This apparatus comprises a housing having a windonw on its forward end, a lamp disposed in said housing for emitting a light beam through said window.
  • a power circuit is provided for energizing the lamp including a battery, a capacitor, a transistor and an on-off switch actuated by a hammer of the firearms.
  • the prior art SAAF calculates the number of error "clicks" in both azimuth and elevation. The number of clicks is then displayed on the prior art SAAF using four sets of electro-mechanical display indicators. The soldier must then turn his conventional SAT's adjustors the corresponding number of clicks in the correct direction. He or she must then aim and fire the weapon again and make additional corresponding adjustments. This iterative process continues until the soldier obtains a zero indication on the prior art SAAF. This is a very time consuming and tedious process due to normal aiming errors incurred each time the soldier has to reacquire the target reticle. It is not uncommon for a soldier to take fifteen minutes to align his or her weapon to the best of his or her ability and still not have it accurately aligned.
  • the present invention provides a laser transmitter that can be mounted to a small arms weapon.
  • the laser transmitter has a laser energizable to emit a laser beam generally along the aim of the weapon.
  • An alignment head of an electro-mechanical alignment system is connectable to the laser transmitter for adjusting the transmitter to steer the laser beam in azimuth and elevation until the laser beam is substantially aligned with a boresight of the weapon.
  • Fig. 1B is a side elevation view of the alignment system of Fig. 1A with portions broken away to reveal further details.
  • Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation view of the display panel and switches of the control unit of the alignment system of Fig. 1A and 1B.
  • Fig. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of our small arms transmitter (SAT) which is mounted on the rifle shown in Fig. 1A and 1B.
  • SAT small arms transmitter
  • Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of laser beamsteering using optical wedges.
  • Fig. 5A and 5B are side and front elevation views of the alignment head of the alignment system of Figs. 1A and 1B.
  • Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of the lens, beam splitter, target reticle and position sensor detector of the optics unit of the alignment system of Fig. 1A and 1B.
  • Fig. 8 is a block diagram of the optical output power and code accuracy verification circuit of the control unit of the alignment system of Fig. 1A and 1B.
  • a laser small arms transmitter (SAT) 12 bolted to the stock of a small arms weapon 14 such as an M16 rifle for subsequent use by a solder in war games.
  • Our SAT 12 is designed to be automatically adjusted by an alignment system 10 which includes a rectangular hollow transit case 16 which is horizontally oriented when in use.
  • a lockable hinged end cover 18 of the case 16 may be swung upwardly to reveal a control unit 20 mounted to the inside thereof.
  • a soldier 21 aims the weapon 14 inside the case 16.
  • the soldier 21 wears a helmet 21a and a harness 21b equipped with laser detectors which detect laser "bullet" hits in subsequent war games.
  • the control unit 20 includes a box-like housing 22 (Fig. 2) having an LCD display 24.
  • the housing 22 also has a keypad in the form of a membrane switch panel. This switch panel surrounds the display 24 and includes pressure-type switches 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38.
  • a retractable sliding rack 40 may be extended horizontally from the rear end of a base unit 42 (Fig. 1B) mounted to the bottom wall of the case 16.
  • a barrel 44 of the rifle 14 is firmly supported on the apex of a rigid triangular weapon rest 46 whose base is securely mounted via bolts to an intermediate portion of the base unit 42.
  • a trigger guard (not visible) of the rifle 14 is mounted in a vise 48 on the rack 40.
  • the vise 48 has knobs 50 and 52 for manually adjusting the azimuth and elevation, respectively, of the barrel 44 of the rile 14.
  • a box-shaped optics unit 56 (Figs. 1A and 1B) is rigidly mounted on the forward portion of the base unit 42 (Fig. 1B).
  • the optics unit 56 includes a convex lens 58 (Fig. 6) and a beam splitter 60.
  • the beam splitter 60 is transparent to infrared light from the SAT 12 but reflective to visible light.
  • the target reticle 54 (Fig. 6) is mounted inside the optics unit 56 below the axis of the laser beam.
  • the beam splitter 60 is positioned forward of the lens 58 and is angled at forty-five degrees to project the image V of the target reticle through the lens 58 at infinity.
  • a position sensor detector 62 in the optics unit 56 receives the laser beam L2 and generates an error signal representative of a displacement between a received location of the laser beam and the image of the target reticle.
  • the SAT 12 is then adjusted until its laser beam L2 strikes the center of the detector 62.
  • a control circuit inside the control unit 20 (Fig. 1) is connected to an alignment head 64 which is mechanically coupled with a rear end of the SAT 12 bolted to the rifle 14.
  • the control circuit causes the alignment head 64 to repetitively trigger the laser in the SAT 12.
  • the control circuit causes the alignment head to independently rotate a pair of wedge prisms 66 and 68 (Fig. 3), each including a surrounding spur gear, in the SAT 12 to steer the laser beam in azimuth and elevation until the laser beam is substantially aligned with a boresight of the barrel 44 of the weapon.
  • the alignment system 10 may be used for the automatic boresight alignment of all U.S. military specified small arm weapons and machine guns with unlimited adaptability to new weapons.
  • the automatic operation of the system assures rapid (less than one minute), accurate and consistent boresighting of the SAT 12 after a single initial sighting of the weapon 14 by the soldier 21.
  • Use of the sighting vise 48 assures that optical sights and night vision devices on the weapon 14 will not interfere with the boresighting process.
  • the entire alignment system 10 is contained within the rugged transit case 16 which also serves as a sun and foul weather shield.
  • the alignment system 10 does not use blank ammunition during the alignment process and therefore it may be used at any location such as indoors on a table top.
  • the initial set up of the alignment system 10 involves three simple steps which include installation of battery into the control unit housing 22 (Fig. 1), activating the BIT switch 30 (Fig. 2) and selecting the weapon type to be aligned by depressing the switch 34.
  • the display 24 will give appropriate text messages and directions to the operator as to how to proceed to the next step. Once the alignment system 10 is ready for alignment the soldier 21 follows the directions on the display 24 to align his or her weapon.
  • the typical sequence is as follows:
  • the system will inform the soldier that the weapon's SAT 12 is defective and needs to be replaced.
  • the overall operation of the alignment system 10 is illustrated in the block diagram of Fig. 7.
  • the weapon 14 is mounted in the sight vise 48 with the alignment head 64 attached to the SAT 12.
  • the optics unit 56 includes the illuminated target reticle 54 at which the weapon's sights are aimed.
  • the align switch 26 (Fig. 2) is activated the control unit 20 causes the SAT 12 to be repetitively triggered while monitoring the SAT's fire LED (not illustrated) mounted behind a window 70 (Fig. 3) indicator for proper operation.
  • the optics unit 20 senses the location of the laser and sends that data to the control unit 20 which in turn determines the amount of correction needed.
  • the control unit 20 in turn causes the alignment head 64 to make the necessary adjustments to the SAT 12.
  • the process continues in real time until the SAT 12 is precisely aligned.
  • the control unit 20, in conjunction with the optics unit 56, also checks for laser power levels, laser codes and that the SAT's alignment optics are performing as desired.
  • the five major sub-assemblies of the alignment system 10 are discussed in further detail hereafter.
  • the optics unit 56 (Figs. 1B) is the assembly which projects the illuminated target reticle 54 to the soldier 21 during boresighting and senses the location of the weapon's laser beam with respect to the reticle.
  • the illuminated reticle 54 assists the soldier 21 in boresighting during reduced lighting conditions such as dusk or dawn.
  • Fig. 6 illustrates the operation of the principal components of the optics unit 56.
  • the single large convex lens 58 serves the function of collimating and focusing the laser beam to a spot at the longitudinal position sensor detector 62 which is located at the focal point of the lens 58. When the angle of incidence to the lens 58 of the laser beam is not perpendicular (mis-aligned) the position of the spot on the detector 62 is offset.
  • the detector 62 passively quantifies the amount of offset and sends the error to the control unit 20.
  • the detector is preferably a solid state device such as a quad-detector or it may be a linear detector with an analog output.
  • the beam splitter 60 Within the path of the laser beam is the beam splitter 60 which is reflective to visible light while allowing the infrared light from the laser to pass through the same.
  • the beam splitter 60 is supported at a forty-five degree angle to project an image of the target reticle 54 through the same lens as the incoming laser.
  • the sighting target reticle 54 is illuminated by a visible light source such as an LED 72 and is positioned such that the projected image is on the same optical axis as the zero point of the position sensor detector 62. No field adjustments of the optics unit 56 are required and the system 10 need not contain any electronics other than the detector 62 and the LED light source 72 for illuminating the target reticle 54.
  • An L-shaped protective barrier 74 (Fig. 1) is rigidly secured via bolts to the base unit 42 between the tip of the barrel 44 of the weapon and the optics unit 56. It prevents the soldier from inadvertently striking the lens 58 of the optical unit with the barrel 44 when mounting the rifle 14 on the weapon rest 46 and vise 48.
  • the barrier has a hole therethrough covered by a metal screen 76 for allowing the laser beam, which may be eight millimeters wide to pass through the same to the optics unit 56. Glass or some other solid transparent covering for the hole may not be desirable because it could become dirty, attenuate the laser beam, or deflect the laser beam and thereby introduce inaccuracies.
  • the alignment head 64 (Figs. 5A and 5B) is an electromechanical device which is attached to the SAT 12 via a cable 65 (Fig. 1A) and automatically adjusts the SAT's laser position as directed by the control unit 20.
  • the alignment head 64 contains an inductive coil 78 (Fig. 5A) which is used to trigger the SAT's laser and if requested via switch 30 (Fig. 2) transfers a testing player identification (PID) to the SAT.
  • the head 64 also has a detector 80 which monitors the SAT's fire LED 70 to determine its operational status.
  • Two miniature reduction geared motors 82 and 84 (Fig.
  • the alignment head motors 82 and 84 are driven and controlled by the control unit 20 during the boresighting process while the optics unit 56 senses the SAT's laser and provides real time feedback to the control unit 20.
  • the laser small arms transmitter (SAT) 12 (Fig. 3) includes a housing assembly 88 with a removable cover assembly 90 which forms a rear end thereof.
  • a laser diode assembly 92 is mounted within the housing assembly 88 and is energized by a power circuit on a controller board 94 also mounted within the housing assembly 88.
  • the power circuit is actuated to energize the laser diode assembly 92 by an inductive switch 96 mounted to the inside of the rear cover assembly 90.
  • the inductive switch is actuated by energization of the induction coil 78 (Fig. 5A) which overlaps the top on the housing assembly 88 (Fig. 3) in alignment with the inductive switch 96.
  • the forward end of the SAT housing assembly 88 (Fig. 3) is formed with holes 98 and 100.
  • An audio or optical sensor (not illustrated) for detecting the firing of a blank cartridge is located in the hole 100 and connected to the circuit on the controller board 94.
  • a transparent window 102 for permitting passage of the beam from the laser diode assembly 92 is mounted in the other window 98.
  • An optical sleeve 104 is positioned behind the window 102.
  • the optical wedges 66 and 68 are rotably supported behind the window 102 for independent rotation via drive shafts 106 and 108, respectively.
  • the forward ends of these shafts have pinion gears 106a and 108a for engaging toothed peripheral (spur gear) portions of the optical wedges 66 and 68, respectively.
  • the drive shafts 106 and 108 are journaled in bearings such as 110 and 112.
  • the rear ends of the drive shafts 106 and 108 extend through holes (not visible) in the rear cover assembly 90 which are sealed by O-rings 114 and 116. These shaft ends are protected by a rigid flange 90a that extends perpendicularly from the rear cover assembly 90.
  • the alignment head 64 (Figs. 5A and SB) is coupled to the rear cover assembly 90 of the SAT 12
  • the non-slip couplings (not visible) on the geared shafts 118 and 120 (Fig. 5B) of the alignment head 64 connect with the ends of the shafts 106 and 108 to provide driving connections to the motors 82 and 84.
  • Fig. 4 illustrates diagrammatically the steering of the laser beam B by independent rotation of the optical wedges 66 and 68 via motors 82 and 84 of the alignment head 64.
  • Optical wedges may be used as beamsteering elements in optical systems.
  • the "power" ( ⁇ ) of a prism is measured in prism diopters, a prism diopter being defined as a deflection of 1 cm at a distance of one meter from the prism.
  • ⁇ 100 tan( ⁇ d ).
  • a laser beam B passing through the combination can be steered in any direction, within a narrow cone, about the path of the undeviated beam.
  • the angular radius of this cone is approximately ⁇ d .
  • Apex angle is controlled to within very tight tolerances in the manufacturing process of the wedges. As a result of the melt-to-melt index tolerance, deviation angles (functions of wave-length) are nominally specified.
  • ⁇ d arcsin(n sin ⁇ w ) - ⁇ w , where ⁇ d is the deviation angle, ⁇ w is the wedge angle and n is the nominal index at the appropriate wavelength.
  • Optical wedges are available in various materials, such as synthetic fused silica, and in different shapes and sizes.
  • the control unit 20 (Fig. 1A) provides the user-friendly LCD display 24 (Fig. 2) and controls which continuously inform the user of his weapon status while progressively instructing him throughout the alignment process.
  • the control unit 20 is mounted inside the transit case cover 18.
  • the LCD display 24 can be easily read when the cover 18 is in raised open position.
  • the control unit 20 provides all controls and monitors all activities of the optics and alignment head units 56 and 64.
  • the front membrane switch panel with its integral 4X20 LCD display 24 provides the user interface. The switch functions are described as follows:
  • the major components of the alignment system 10 are integral to the transit case 16 which provides a secure and rugged environment during transport and operation.
  • the case 16 also provides a sun and foul weather shield to allow the alignment process to be accomplished in any expected environment.
  • the base unit 42 is mounted on the bottom wall of the case.
  • the optics unit 56, weapon rest 46 and sliding sight vise rack 40 are attached to the base unit battery (not visible) for powering the system is housed inside the base unit 42.
  • the control unit 20 is attached to the inside of the front cover 18A.
  • Fig. 8 is a block diagram of the optical output power and code accuracy verification circuit of the control unit 20.
  • An encoding circuit 122 is connected via a serial data bus 124 to a microcomputer (not illustrated).
  • An optical bit amplifier 126 in the path of the laser beam outputs signals to the encoding electronics.

Landscapes

  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Aiming, Guidance, Guns With A Light Source, Armor, Camouflage, And Targets (AREA)
  • Optical Radar Systems And Details Thereof (AREA)
  • Telescopes (AREA)
  • Optical Communication System (AREA)
  • Radiation-Therapy Devices (AREA)
  • Surgical Instruments (AREA)
  • Optical Fibers, Optical Fiber Cores, And Optical Fiber Bundles (AREA)
  • Laser Surgery Devices (AREA)
  • Apparatus For Disinfection Or Sterilisation (AREA)
EP95917730A 1994-04-29 1995-04-28 Laser small arms transmitter Expired - Lifetime EP0760084B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/237,717 US5410815A (en) 1994-04-29 1994-04-29 Automatic player identification small arms laser alignment system
US237717 1994-04-29
US08/415,595 US5476385A (en) 1994-04-29 1995-04-03 Laser small arms transmitter
US415595 1995-04-03
PCT/US1995/005253 WO1995030124A1 (en) 1994-04-29 1995-04-28 Laser small arms transmitter

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0760084A1 EP0760084A1 (en) 1997-03-05
EP0760084B1 true EP0760084B1 (en) 2000-03-15

Family

ID=26930952

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP95917730A Expired - Lifetime EP0760084B1 (en) 1994-04-29 1995-04-28 Laser small arms transmitter

Country Status (14)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0760084B1 (no)
JP (1) JP3005694B2 (no)
CN (1) CN1071016C (no)
AT (1) ATE190715T1 (no)
AU (1) AU682110B2 (no)
BR (1) BR9507525A (no)
CA (1) CA2188554C (no)
DE (1) DE69515659D1 (no)
FI (1) FI110284B (no)
MX (1) MX9605216A (no)
NO (1) NO312217B1 (no)
NZ (1) NZ284974A (no)
PL (1) PL176681B1 (no)
WO (1) WO1995030124A1 (no)

Families Citing this family (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1998019128A1 (de) * 1996-10-25 1998-05-07 Mentrex Ag Vorrichtung zum umrüsten einer waffe zum simulierten schiessen
SE514050C2 (sv) 1999-03-10 2000-12-18 Saab Training Systems Ab En för simulering av skjutning inrättad simulator samt förfarande för ensning av en simulator monterad på ett vapen
CN104635240B (zh) * 2010-05-11 2017-05-10 上海聚然智能科技有限公司 电磁波雷达与激光雷达混用的瞄准发射系统
CN102494556B (zh) * 2011-12-14 2014-02-19 中国人民解放军总参谋部第六十研究所 稳像发射机
CN105091663A (zh) * 2015-07-20 2015-11-25 中国人民解放军总参谋部第六十研究所 一种可见光辅助校准式激光发射机及其校准方法
CN109307936B (zh) * 2018-11-28 2020-11-20 湖北华中光电科技有限公司 一种加快天文定向器瞄准速度的辅助装置
WO2021145804A1 (en) * 2020-01-15 2021-07-22 Saab Ab Simulation system with alignment device for aligning simulation axis with line of sight for a small arms transmitter

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0057304A1 (en) * 1981-02-04 1982-08-11 El-Op Electro-Optics Industries Limited A gun sighting and fire control system
US4488369A (en) * 1983-05-25 1984-12-18 Todd Van Note Marksmanship training apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69515659D1 (de) 2000-04-20
CA2188554C (en) 1999-09-21
PL176681B1 (pl) 1999-07-30
CN1071016C (zh) 2001-09-12
AU2367895A (en) 1995-11-29
BR9507525A (pt) 1997-09-16
FI110284B (fi) 2002-12-31
FI964325A0 (fi) 1996-10-28
MX9605216A (es) 1997-12-31
NO964571L (no) 1996-10-29
PL317129A1 (en) 1997-03-17
NO312217B1 (no) 2002-04-08
EP0760084A1 (en) 1997-03-05
CA2188554A1 (en) 1995-11-09
WO1995030124A1 (en) 1995-11-09
AU682110B2 (en) 1997-09-18
FI964325A (fi) 1996-12-23
ATE190715T1 (de) 2000-04-15
CN1147299A (zh) 1997-04-09
NZ284974A (en) 1997-03-24
JP3005694B2 (ja) 2000-01-31
JPH09512625A (ja) 1997-12-16
NO964571D0 (no) 1996-10-28

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