Acetal Light Diffuser for Uniform Reticle Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical sights with reticle illumination suffer from non-uniform illumination, leading to the reticle becoming invisible when the user's eye moves off the optical path, which is critical for military applications where stability is not guaranteed, and current solutions increase cost and weight with high power consumption.
Innovation Solution
An optical sight using a light-emitting diode (LED) with an acetal light diffuser to ensure uniform reticle illumination across the entire acceptance angle, minimizing power consumption and maintaining visibility even when the eye moves relative to the optical sight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a light source is used to illuminate the reticle, then the reticle becomes visible in various lighting conditions, but the illumination is non-uniform causing the reticle to disappear when the user's eye moves off the optical path
Solution Approach 1:
A light diffuser is introduced as an intermediary element between the light source and the reticle. The diffuser scatters the light from the point source into a uniform distribution across the reticle plane, ensuring that the entire acceptance angle of the eyepiece is filled uniformly. This mediator component transforms the directional light from the LED into omnidirectional illumination that maintains reticle visibility regardless of small eye position variations.
2Illumination intensity
If reticle illumination is added to ensure visibility, then the reticle remains visible in low-light and nighttime conditions, but the cost and weight of the optical sight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light diffuser is designed as a thin, transparent sheet that utilizes the existing light from the LED source without requiring additional power or complex optical components. The diffuser material itself (such as acetal or polyethylene) acts as a passive optical element that shapes and distributes the light, eliminating the need for separate illumination systems, mirrors, or additional light sources that would increase weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the optical parameters of the illumination system by introducing a diffuser that modifies the angular distribution of light. Instead of using a complex optical system with multiple elements, the patent employs a simple sheet material with specific optical properties (transparency, scattering characteristics) to achieve uniform illumination. This parameter-based approach using material properties rather than complex geometry reduces overall system weight.
3Illumination intensity
If a light source with sufficient power to illuminate the entire reticle uniformly is used, then the reticle remains visible across the entire acceptance angle, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light diffuser serves as a mediator that amplifies the effectiveness of the light source by distributing its output uniformly across the entire reticle area. A low-power LED point source combined with the diffuser achieves the same illumination coverage as a high-power source would provide without the diffuser. The diffuser acts as a light redistribution system that maximizes the utilization of every photon emitted by the low-power source.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides uniform and adjustable reticle illumination, ensuring the reticle remains visible across the entire field of view with low power consumption, critical for military applications where stability and efficiency are paramount.
Implementation Method 1
a light diffuser lying in the light-source output beam between the light source and the reticle. The light diffuser is made of acetal
Data Source
AI summary
An optical sight includes an optical train having an optical path therethrough. The optical train typically includes an objective, a prism that receives the optical path from the objective, and an eyepiece that receives the optical path from the prism. A reticle is formed on a surface of the prism. The reticle is illuminated by a reticle illumination source including a light source having a light-source output beam that illuminates the reticle, and a light diffuser lying in the light-source output beam between the light source and the reticle. The light diffuser is made of a non-lambertian material such as acetal.