Apr 28, 2026

US12613078 - Imaging apparatus with thermal augmentation

A thermal image-forming attachment for a sighting apparatus has a combiner for overlaying a generated thermal image from a display against a visible scene defined along an optical axis of the sighting apparatus, wherein the combiner intersects the optical axis between an objective lens and the visible scene. A first IR camera has a first field of view aligned with the sighting apparatus optical axis; a second IR camera has a second field of view narrower than the first field of view, aligned with the sighting apparatus optical axis. An image processor generates the thermal image on the display, wherein IR image content rendered from the second IR camera is centered within IR image content from the first IR camera. Collimating optics project the thermal image from the display toward the combiner as collimated light aligned with collimated light from the visible scene.

Assignee: Syntec Optics
Inventors: James Olson, Alok Kapoor
Filing date: 2024-02-20

sightingthermalimagingmilitary

The patent describes a thermal image-forming attachment for sighting apparatuses that overlays thermal images onto visible scenes using a combiner positioned along the optical axis. It includes two infrared cameras with different fields of view and an image processor that aligns and projects the thermal image to enhance the user’s sighting experience.

Claim 1

1 . A thermal image-forming attachment for a sighting apparatus, the attachment comprising: (a) a combiner configured for overlaying a generated thermal image from a display against a visible scene defined along an optical axis of the sighting apparatus, wherein the combiner intersects the optical axis between an objective lens of the sighting apparatus and the visible scene; (b) a first IR camera having a first field of view that is configured for alignment with the sighting apparatus optical axis; (c) a second IR camera having a second field of view that is narrower than the first field of view, wherein the second camera is configured for alignment with the sighting apparatus optical axis; (d) an image processor in signal communication with the first and second IR cameras and configured to generate the thermal image on the display, wherein IR image content rendered from the second IR camera is centered within IR image content from the first IR camera; and (e) collimating optics configured to project the thermal image from the display toward the combiner as collimated light aligned with collimated light from the visible scene. (a) a combiner configured for overlaying a generated thermal image from a display against a visible scene defined along an optical axis of the sighting apparatus, wherein the combiner intersects the optical axis between an objective lens of the sighting apparatus and the visible scene; (b) a first IR camera having a first field of view that is configured for alignment with the sighting apparatus optical axis; (c) a second IR camera having a second field of view that is narrower than the first field of view, wherein the second camera is configured for alignment with the sighting apparatus optical axis; (d) an image processor in signal communication with the first and second IR cameras and configured to generate the thermal image on the display, wherein IR image content rendered from the second IR camera is centered within IR image content from the first IR camera; and (e) collimating optics configured to project the thermal image from the display toward the combiner as collimated light aligned with collimated light from the visible scene.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12613078

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12613078