Adaptive Electronic Reticle for Firearm Scope Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanical and electronic reticles in firearm scopes are often difficult to see against the content of the viewed scene, particularly in combat or long-distance shooting situations, leading to aiming challenges.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive electronic reticle system that generates and displays a reticle based on the scene content, using imaging components, processing components, and display components to maximize contrast and visibility, with features like color inversion, border enhancement, and dynamic patterns, which can be user-selected or automatically adjusted based on image data and environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a conventional mechanical or electronic reticle is used in a firearm scope, then the scope provides magnification and aiming capability, but the reticle becomes difficult to see against the content of the viewed scene
Solution Approach 1:
The reticle dynamically adapts its visual properties based on the captured scene content. The processing component analyzes the thermal image data and adjusts reticle characteristics such as color, brightness, and contrast in real-time to maximize visibility against varying scene backgrounds, transforming the static reticle into a dynamic element that responds to environmental conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the color and luminance properties of the electronic reticle based on the scene content analysis. By detecting the dominant colors and thermal patterns in the captured image, the reticle adjusts its visual appearance to provide maximum contrast, ensuring it remains visible regardless of the background thermal signature
2Illumination intensity
If the reticle is made more prominent to improve visibility, then the reticle becomes easier to see, but it may interfere with the user's view of the target scene
Solution Approach 1:
The reticle applies different visual properties to different parts of itself based on the local scene characteristics. By analyzing specific regions of the thermal image where the reticle will be displayed, the system adjusts the reticle's visual intensity and contrast locally, ensuring visibility while minimizing interference with the overall target scene view
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes multiple parameters of the reticle simultaneously, including brightness, contrast, color temperature, and thickness, based on the scene content. These parameter adjustments are optimized to provide sufficient reticle visibility while maintaining the integrity and clarity of the underlying target scene information
3Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed reticle design is used, then the device is simpler to manufacture and operate, but it cannot adapt to different scene contents and environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of the thermal scene content before displaying the reticle. By pre-processing the captured image data to identify key characteristics such as background thermal patterns, dominant colors, and potential target locations, the system prepares the appropriate reticle configuration in advance, enabling rapid adaptation without adding significant operational complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where the displayed reticle's performance is continuously evaluated based on scene content changes. The processing component monitors the thermal image data and automatically adjusts reticle parameters in response to detected changes in the environment, creating an adaptive system that responds to real-time conditions without requiring complex manual configuration
Data Source
AI summary
A system may be provided that includes a scope configured to mount to a firearm. The scope may include imaging components, processing components, and a display. The processing components may generate an adaptive electronic reticle for the scope. The adaptive electronic reticle may be displayed with the display and may have a shape, a color, a style, a position, and/or other features based on the firearm, an ammunition type, a target type, a target range, a wind speed, a color of an image of a target scene, and/or other target scene information. The reticle may be generated to be a reticle that maximizes the reticle contrast relative to the target scene, a textured reticle, a moving reticle, a Mil-Dot reticle, and/or a custom ballistic reticle. Laser rangefinder input may be used to automatically determine a reticle location based on ballistics data and the range to a target.