Sighting telescope

Abstract

A sighting telescope has an inner tube that moves transversely of the telescope axis relative to an outer tube and has operator-controlled elements arranged mutually at an angle for transversely displacing the inner tube. The outer tube has an enlarged inner diameter in the region of the operator-controlled elements. A leaf spring is arranged for applying a restoring force to the inner tube and extends in a substantially radial direction and has radially offset support locations, both on the outer tube and on the inner tube. The leaf spring is preferably arranged in the neighborhood of the enlarged inner diameter.

1 . A sighting telescope comprising: 
 an outer tube defining an optical axis;    an inner tube disposed within said outer tube and being mounted in said outer tube so as to be moveable transversely with respect to said optical axis;    first and second operator-controlled operating elements arranged in said outer tube spaced at an angle from each other for acting laterally on said inner tube to displace said inner tube transversely to said optical axis;    at least one leaf spring disposed between said inner and outer tubes for resiliently biasing said inner tube against said operator-controlled elements; and,    said leaf spring being confined to lie substantially in a single plane transverse to said optical axis and being configured so as to be in contact engagement with said inner and outer tubes substantially only in said plane.    
   
   
       2 . The sighting telescope of  claim 1 , wherein said one leaf spring or a plurality of said leaf springs are supported in or are attached to said outer tube.  
   
   
       3 . The sighting telescope of  claim 2 , wherein said single plane is perpendicular to said optical axis and said one leaf spring or said plurality of said leaf springs are disposed essentially in said single plane.  
   
   
       4 . The sighting telescope of  claim 2 , wherein said outer tube comprises an enlarged inner diameter in a region of said operator-controlled elements.  
   
   
       5 . The sighting telescope of  claim 4 , wherein said inner diameter of said outer tube in said region of enlarged inner diameter comprises at least 95% of the minimum external diameter of said outer tube.  
   
   
       6 . The sighting telescope of  claim 4 , wherein said outer tube has an enlarged inner diameter in which the leaf spring or the leaf springs are placed.  
   
   
       7 . The sighting telescope of  claim 6 , wherein said outer tube has an inner wall surface and a recess formed in said inner wall surface; said operator-controlled elements act upon said inner tube within an adjusting region; and, said one leaf spring or said plurality of said leaf springs are so configured that they can be pressed partially or entirely into said recess for increasing said adjusting region.  
   
   
       8 . The sighting telescope of  claim 1 , further comprising an optics displaceable in a direction of said optical axis; and, an adjustment device for displacing said optics arranged in or in the neighborhood of a plane of said operator-controlled elements for transversely displacing said inner tube.  
   
   
       9 . The sighting telescope of  claim 2 , wherein said leaf spring or said leaf springs are supported at at least three peripherally offset locations on said outer tube.  
   
   
       10 . The sighting telescope of  claim 2 , wherein said leaf spring or said leaf springs are supported at at least two peripherally offset locations on the inner tube.  
   
   
       11 . The sighting telescope of  claim 10 , wherein two of the support locations of said leaf spring or said leaf springs on the inner tube are arranged respectively opposite one of said operator-controlled elements for transverse displacement of said inner tube.  
   
   
       12 . The sighting telescope of  claim 11 , wherein a third support location of the leaf spring or said leaf springs are situated on a bisector of the angle subtended by the two other support locations of the leaf spring or said leaf springs on the inner tube and said optical axis.  
   
   
       13 . The sighting telescope of  claim 2 , wherein said one leaf spring or said plurality of said leaf springs comprise three or four free ends.  
   
   
       14 . The sighting telescope of  claim 1 , wherein the leaf spring(s) comprise the following structure: 
 a first spring segment with a central portion and two outer portions adjoining thereto on either side, the outer portions being curved by the same amount and direction but curved oppositely in direction to the central portion;    a second spring segment, extending to one side from the central portion and curved corresponding to the inner diameter of the outer tube; and,    a third spring segment running from an outer edge of the second spring segment in a direction toward the central portion of the first spring segment, and in the neighborhood of a location where it joins the second spring segment, curved in the same direction as the second spring segment but with greater curvature than the second spring segment, and thereafter curved in an opposite direction.    
   
   
       15 . A sighting telescope comprising: 
 an outer tube;    an inner tube moveable transversely to a telescope axis (A) relative to the outer tube;    operator-controlled elements arranged at an angle to one another for transversely displacing the inner tube; and,    said outer tube having an enlarged inner diameter in a region of said operator-controlled elements.    
   
   
       16 . The sighting telescope of  claim 15 , comprising one or more leaf springs arranged between the outer tube and the inner tube in said region for producing a restoring force on said inner tube.  
   
   
       17 . The sighting telescope of  claim 16 , wherein said one or more leaf springs are supported on or attached to said outer tube.  
   
   
       18 . The sighting telescope of  claim 16 , wherein said one or more leaf springs are essentially arranged in a plane extending perpendicularly to said telescope axis (A).  
   
   
       19 . The sighting telescope of  claim 16 , wherein said operator-controlled elements are adjustable and apply respective forces to said inner tube; and, said one or more leaf springs apply at least two return forces to said inner tube for acting in opposition to the force directions of said forces applied by said operator-controlled elements.  
   
   
       20 . The sighting telescope of  claim 16 , wherein said operator-controlled elements are for adjusting elevation and windage, respectively; and, said sighting telescope defines an at least almost quadratic adjusting region for making adjustments with said operator-controlled elements.  
   
   
       21 . The sighting telescope of  claim 16 , wherein said one or more leaf springs are arranged essentially in a plane which runs parallel to said telescope axis (A).  
   
   
       22 . The sighting telescope of  claim 16 , wherein said one or more leaf springs extend substantially in a radial direction.  
   
   
       23 . The sighting telescope of  claim 15 , wherein said enlarged inner diameter is formed by a recess formed in said outer tube.  
   
   
       24 . The sighting telescope of  claim 23 , wherein said sighting telescope comprises one or more leaf springs arranged between said outer tube and said inner tube of said region for producing a restoring force on said inner tube; and, said recess has a depth which corresponds to the thickness of said one or more of said leaf springs taken together.  
   
   
       25 . The sighting telescope of  claim 23 , wherein said outer tube comprises two parts; and, said recess arises when said two parts are connected to each other.  
   
   
       26 . The sighting telescope of  claim 25 , wherein said two parts are threadably connected to each other.  
   
   
       27 . The sighting telescope of  claim 23 , wherein said recess has a depth of less than 5 mm.  
   
   
       28 . The sighting telescope of  claim 22 , wherein said recess has a depth of less than 0.5 mm.  
   
   
       29 . A sighting telescope comprising: 
 an outer tube defining an optical axis;    an inner tube disposed within said outer tube and being mounted in said outer tube so as to be moveable transversely with respect to said optical axis;    first and second operator-controlled operating elements arranged in said outer tube spaced at an angle from each other for acting laterally on said inner tube to displace said inner tube transversely to said optical axis;    at least one leaf spring disposed between said inner and outer tubes for resiliently biasing said inner tube against said operator-controlled elements;    said leaf spring being confined to lie essentially in a plane parallel to said optical axis and being configured so as to be in contact engagement with said inner and outer tubes; and,    said leaf spring being symmetrical to a plane perpendicular to said optical axis and passing through said first and second operator-controlled elements.    
   
   
       30 . The sighting telescope of  claim 29 , wherein said outer tube has a recess formed in the inner wall surface thereof and said leaf spring is disposed in said recess.