Hughes Aircraft Company

Hans Siebecker

Wolfgang Weigel

Appartaus is disclosed for harmonizing onto a common reference axis the optical/optronic axes (4;5;18) of an aiming apparatus consisting of day sight channel (3) and combined thermal image/laser reception channel (1) with a stand alone laser transmitter (2). The laser radiation (9) reflected by the target is incident together with the target and ambient inherent radiation (11) via the scanning mirror (12) on selected elements of the detector row array (30), is optoelectronically converted and represented on the light-emitting diode array (25). Via the back of the mirror the signals are imaged on the retina by means of the deflection mirror (23) swung into the ray path. The visible radiatioin (19) imaged in the plane of the day reticle (21) also passes to the observer's eye when the deflection mirror is swung out. The visible radiation (19) in the day sight channel (3) can be observed when the deflection mirror is swung out via an imaging in the plane of the day reticle (21). By observation of the thermal image the day reticle is replaced by the thermal image reticle (29) which is mirrored into the thermal image reproduction channel and superimposed on the thermal image. In the harmonized condition it is shifted onto the position of the day reticle (FIG. 1).

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Heidelberg, Germany

Hans Siebecker