Weapon Helmet Aiming System with Inertial Sensor Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable weapon aiming systems expose the user's face to enemy fire and suffer from precision limitations due to parallax errors and gyroscopic drift, especially in situations where the head is not aligned with the weapon, leading to inaccuracies in aiming.
Innovation Solution
An aiming system that uses a combination of inertial sensors, including accelerometers and gyroscopes, to calculate and correct for the relative position and orientation of the weapon and helmet, eliminating parallax errors and drift, while maintaining high precision and user protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the user places the eye in proximity of an eyepiece integral with the weapon to achieve accurate aiming, then aiming precision is improved, but the user's face becomes exposed to enemy fire
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary optical system consisting of a beamsplitter and projection optics that mediates between the weapon's line of sight and the user's eye. The aiming reticle is projected onto a transparent display surface in the user's field of view, allowing the user to see both the target through the optics and the reticle overlay, thereby achieving precise aiming without placing the eye at the weapon's eyepiece and exposing the face to enemy fire
2Ease of operation
If the user holds the weapon away from the calibration position to maintain mobility and protection, then ease of operation and user protection are improved, but parallax error increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical alignment requirement of traditional aiming systems with an electronic/image-based reticle projection system. Instead of requiring precise mechanical alignment between the weapon, eyepiece, and target, the system uses optical paths and electronic reticle projection that can be dynamically adjusted through software and sensors, allowing the user to maintain weapon mobility away from the calibration position while the system compensates for position changes to maintain aiming precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic reticle projection system that can adapt to changing weapon positions and user head positions. The reticle is projected onto a transparent display surface that moves or adjusts with the user's head position, and the system uses sensors to detect and compensate for position changes, thereby maintaining aiming precision even when the weapon is held away from the fixed calibration position, enhancing user mobility and protection
3Measurement precision
If high quality gyroscopes are used to limit drift error, then aiming precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary reticle projection system that serves as a mediator between the gyroscopic sensors and the final aiming display. This projection system, using beamsplitters and transparent displays, provides an additional layer that can optically compensate for sensor drift and positioning errors, thereby reducing the stringent requirements for gyroscope quality and system cost while maintaining aiming precision
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 system enables precise aiming without aligning the eye with the weapon's line of sight, providing complete face protection and reducing errors, achieving accurate targeting even in challenging environments.
Implementation Method 1
a first pair of inertial sensors (13B-14B) adapted to detect respective orientations in space and/or relative orientations of the weapon and of the display device on which they are constrained, a second pair of inertial sensors (13A-14A) adapted to detect the orientation of the magnetic field with respect to the weapon and to the display device on which they are constrained, and a third pair of inertial sensors (13C-14C) adapted to detect linear displacements
Implementation Method 2
a first pair of inertial sensors (13B-14B) adapted to detect respective orientations in space and/or relative orientations of the weapon and of the display device
Implementation Method 3
a second pair of inertial sensors (13A-14A) adapted to detect the orientation of the magnetic field with respect to the weapon and to the display device
Data Source
AI summary
An aiming system for portable weapons comprising pairs of inertial sensors of gyroscopic, accelerometer and magnetometric type arranged respectively on a weapon and on an helmet with Head Up Display, so as to determine both the relative orientation and the relative position in space of the weapon and of the helmet, with consequent display of the line of fire on the Head Up Display.