Night sight and method of making the same

Abstract

A night sight includes a notched bottom portion, permitting the use of a large objective lens for maximized light gathering capability while also permitting the night sight to be mounted with its center line relatively close to the center line of the barrel of the weapon with which it is used. This configuration permits the night sight to be mounted so that its center line is the same as the center line of a daytime telescopic sight used in conjunction with the night sight. The night sight includes a focusing assembly having decreased sensitivity to tilt or decenter, and a collimator mounted within a spherical bearing so that the collimator may be precisely aligned during assembly of the night sight. The night sight thereby ensures that an image viewed through the night sight appears to originate from the same angle as that with which the image entered the objective lens, and further resists a need to compensate for parallax during aiming.

1 .- 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A night sight for a firearm, comprising:
 an image intensifying sensor/display combination having an exterior surface;   an image intensifier mount; and   an elastomer disposed between the sensor/display combination and image intensifier mount, the elastomer adapted to distribute mounting forces from the image intensifier mount over substantially the entire exterior surface of the sensor/display combination.   
     
     
         9 . The night sight of  claim 8 , wherein the sensor/display combination is selected from the group consisting of an image intensifier, an uncooled infrared detector array, a cooled infrared detector array, a lead salt detector array, a SWIR detector array, a visible band CCD array, and an intensified CCD or CMOS array having direct, fiber, or optical coupling. 
     
     
         10 . The night sight of  claim 8 , wherein the sensor/display combination has an output device selected from the group consisting of an inverting fiber optic output display, a LCD display, a CRT, a plasma display, a micromirror array and an OLED display. 
     
     
         11 . The night sight of  claim 8 , further comprising a housing having an objective lens secured therein, the housing and objective lens each having a bottom portion, the bottom portion of the housing and the bottom portion of the objective lens defining a cutaway section therein, the cutaway section extending generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the night sight. 
     
     
         12 . The night sight of  claim 11 , further comprising a mount, the mount adapted to secure the night sight to a firearm, the mount and the housing adapted to locate a centerline of the night sight generally coincident with a centerline of a telescopic sight mounted on the firearm. 
     
     
         13 . The night sight of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a housing;   a collimator; and   a spherical bearing disposed between the housing and the collimator, the spherical bearing adapted to permit adjustment of the angle of the collimator with respect to the housing.   
     
     
         14 . The night sight of  claim 13 , wherein:
 the image intensifying sensor/display combination is secured within the housing adjacent to the collimator and is adapted to transmit light to the collimator;   the image intensifying sensor/display combination has a concave output display surface having a center of curvature; and   the spherical bearing is centered at the center of curvature of the concave output display surface of the sensor/display combination.   
     
     
         15 . A method of making a night sight for a firearm, the method comprising:
 positioning an image intensifying sensor/display combination having an exterior surface within an image intensifier mount with an elastomer disposed between the sensor/display combination and image intensifier mount,   wherein the elastomer is adapted to distribute mounting forces from the image intensifier mount over substantially the entire exterior surface of the sensor/display combination.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the sensor/display combination is selected from the group consisting of an image intensifier, an uncooled infrared detector array, a cooled infrared detector array, a lead salt detector array, a SWIR detector array, a visible band CCD array, and an intensified CCD or CMOS array having direct, fiber, or optical coupling. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the sensor/display combination has an output device selected from the group consisting of an inverting fiber optic output display, a LCD display, a CRT, a plasma display, a micromirror array and an OLED display. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 providing a housing having a bottom portion defining a cutaway section; and   securing an objective lens within the housing, wherein:
 the objective lens has a bottom portion defining a cutaway section corresponding to the cutaway section defined by the bottom portion of the housing; and 
 the cutaway section of the housing and the cutaway section of the objective lens extend generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the night sight. 
   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 providing a mount, wherein:
 the mount is adapted to secure the night sight to a firearm; and 
 the mount and the housing are adapted to locate a centerline of the night sight generally coincident with a centerline of a telescopic sight mounted on the firearm. 
   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 providing a housing;   providing a collimator; and   positioning a spherical bearing between the housing and the collimator, wherein the spherical bearing is adapted to permit adjustment of the angle of the collimator with respect to the housing.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 securing an image intensifying sensor/display combination within the housing adjacent to the collimator, wherein:
 the image intensifying sensor/display combination is adapted to transmit light to the collimator; 
 the image intensifying sensor/display combination has a concave output display surface having a center of curvature; and 
 the spherical bearing is centered at the center of curvature of the concave output display surface of the sensor/display combination. 
   
     
     
         22 . A firearm comprising:
 a barrel; and   a night sight disposed above the barrel, the night sight comprising:
 an image intensifying sensor/display combination having an exterior surface; 
 an image intensifier mount; and 
 an elastomer disposed between the sensor/display combination and image intensifier mount, the elastomer adapted to distribute mounting forces from the image intensifier mount over substantially the entire exterior surface of the sensor/display combination. 
   
     
     
         23 . The firearm of  claim 22 , wherein the sensor/display combination is selected from the group consisting of an image intensifier, an uncooled infrared detector array, a cooled infrared detector array, a lead salt detector array, a SWIR detector array, a visible band CCO array, and an intensified CCO or CMOS array having direct, fiber, or optical coupling. 
     
     
         24 . The firearm of  claim 22 , wherein the sensor/display combination has an output device selected from the group consisting of an inverting fiber optic output display, a LCO display, a CRT, a plasma display, a micromirror array and an OLEO display. 
     
     
         25 . The firearm of  claim 22 , wherein:
 the firearm further comprises a telescopic sight disposed above the barrel; and   the night sight further comprises a housing and a mount, wherein the mount and the housing are adapted to locate a centerline of the night sight generally coincident with a centerline of a telescopic sight mounted on the firearm.   
     
     
         26 . The firearm of  claim 22 , wherein the night sight further comprises:
 a housing;   a collimator; and   a spherical bearing disposed between the housing and the collimator, the spherical bearing adapted to permit adjustment of the angle of the collimator with respect to the housing.   
     
     
         27 . The firearm of  claim 26 , wherein:
 the image intensifying sensor/display combination is secured within the housing adjacent to the collimator and is adapted to transmit light to the collimator;   the image intensifying sensor/display combination has a concave output display surface having a center of curvature; and   the spherical bearing is centered at the center of curvature of the concave output display surface of the sensor/display combination.