Device for Automatic Calibration of Scopes for Firearms

Abstract

This patent defines a device for automatic calibration of optical sights for firearms. Only one shot has to be fired to achieve this. The device can be integrated with an optical sight or fitted as a separate unit mounted on the sight. The device consists of a digital camera (e.g. CCD), a beam splitter, a microprocessor including a memory for camera images and computer software, servo motors including a gear mechanism, an electrical switch and light emitting diodes and a shot detecting sensor. In the digital sight application, the device also includes a display unit while servo motors, gear mechanism, light emitting diodes and beam splitter are excluded. The calibration procedure involves firing a round at a target consisting of a rectangular white surface on a dark background at the chosen range. The camera saves the last image immediately before the firing moment and compares the cross-hairs position with that of a following image from which the projectile point of impact can be found. After calculations that determines the error between point of aim and the projectile point of impact—which are based on image analysis only—the position of the cross-hairs is adjusted by servomotors to align with the detected projectile impact point position. In the digital sight application, the cross-hairs is simply re-drawn at the new correct location on the display. The weapon and the optical sight are now calibrated at the chosen range.

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         14 . A device for the automatic calibration of a reticle in an optical sight for firearms, when shooting at a well defined target, assembled together with the sight, or as an attached separate device, characterized in that it includes;
 a digital camera for registration of the viewfinder image,   a beam-splitter placed in such a manner that the shooter and the camera views the same scene,   a processing unit for calculation of error and needed reticle correction,   a memory for storing images, and   a device for adjustment of the reticle.   
     
     
         15 . A device according to  claim 14 , characterized by the processing unit managing image capture and storing; one image just before the firing moment determining the point of aim, and one image after firing determining the point of impact. 
     
     
         16 . A device according to  claim 14 , characterized by the processing unit being designed for image processing operations for finding
 the target position,   the reticle position which represents the point of aim   
       in said image before firing, and also
 the target position, and 
 projectile point of impact 
 
       in said image after firing. 
     
     
         17 . A device according to  claim 14 , characterized by the processing unit being designed for calculation of the error between the point of aim and projectile point of impact. 
     
     
         18 . A device according to  claim 14 , characterized by the processing unit being designed for image analysis for detecting the rapid movement of the field of view, due to the recoil, thus capturing the last image before the firing moment. 
     
     
         19 . A device according to  claim 14 , characterized by the processing unit being designed to monitor the reticle movement during adjustment using camera images.