Automatic player identification small arms laser alignment system

Abstract

A fixture automatically aligns a laser transmitter bolted to a rifle. A case is horizontally oriented and a hinged end cover is swung upwardly to reveal a control unit. The barrel of the rifle is supported on a weapon rest mounted to the base unit and the trigger guard or clip receptacle is mounted in a vise on a sliding rack inside the case. The vise has knobs for adjusting the azimuth and elevation of the weapon, thereby permitting the soldier to aim at a target reticle. An optics unit is mounted on a forward portion of the base unit and includes a lens and a beam splitter which is transparent to infrared light from the laser transmitter but reflective to visible light. The illuminated target reticle is mounted inside the optics unit. The beam splitter is positioned forward of the lens and is angled at forty-five degrees to project the image of the target reticle through the lens at infinity. A position sensor detector receives the laser beam and generates an error signal representative of a displacement between a received location of the laser beam and the image of the target reticle. A circuit causes the alignment head to repetitively trigger the laser in the laser transmitter. Utilizing the error signal, the circuit causes the alignment head to independently rotate wedge prisms in the laser transmitter to steer the laser beam in azimuth and elevation until the laser beam is substantially aligned with a boresight of the weapon.