GB1236807A - Improvements in or relating to an optical aiming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,236,807. Stabilized optical systems. NORD AVIATION, SOC. NATIONALE DE CONSTRUCTIONS AERONAUTIQUES. Nov.28, 1968 [Dec. 6, 1967], No. 56534/68. Addition to 1,069,266. Heading G2J. An optical sighting apparatus, e.g. an aiming telescope, comprises a reflecting element 108, e.g. a mirror, mounted in a gimbal system 107 having two orthogonal axes #-#, S-S, the gimbal system including at least one gyroscope 110, a pair of torque motors 104, 115 mounted on said axes #-#, S-S, and manual control means 121 for feeding the torque motors with precession torques, the outer cage 106 of the gimbal system carrying the reflecting element 108, which element is rotatable relative to cage 106 about an axis parallel to axis S-S and is operatively connected to the gyroscope such that the rays incident on said reflecting element 108 are always parallel to the spin axis of the gyroscope 110. The sighting apparatus has a support 101-103, rotatable about an axis G-G, which carries the gimbal system 107 the outer cage 106 axis #-# of which is at 30 degrees to axis G-G. The inner cage gimbal 109 is rotatble about axis S-S and is as supported between longer scales of outer cage 106. The mirror 108 is fixed to one of the shorter sides of cage 106 and is rotatable by a motor 117. Said shorter side has extending therefrom an arm 112 having a forked end 113. The support shaft of the inner cage also carries an extension arm 114 having a rod 114a perpendicular to its free end which rod is located between the forks 113. Both arms 112, 114 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to axis S-S, with arm 112 being twice the length of arm 114. The angle of rotation of the outer cage is detected by device 105, and of inner cage 109 by a pair of differential station detectors 116. The system provides that rotation of mirror 108 through an angle α results, through arms 112, 114, in a rotation of gryoscope carrying cage 109 through angle α/2. An incident beam Fl is reflected from mirror 108 into a prism system 125 from which it is reflected to a further mirror 126 located on axis G-G whereby the reflected beam to the telescope is always parallel to said axis G-G. A reticle may be projected on to mirror 108 by a collimator 127. If the incident beam is an infrared beam F1R this is reflected from mirror 108 to a goniometer 128 the optical axis of which is parallel to the optical axis of prisms 125.