SBIR-STTR Award

nVision Technology, Inc. proposes to develop a system that mounts to the mortar system and brings the same level of performance and ease of use to fire control for 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm mortar systems that it has brought to small arms fire control. With built-in sensors and minimal user input (projectile information, the wind, range/position of target), the system will automatically compensate for the current atmospheric conditions and orientation of the weapon to compute a firing solution. The wind data and target position data can be either manually provided or automatically populated from external sources in fact, this is a feature that is already present in a number of products using our software. The embedded solver can also account for a variable wind, such as those experienced by a round on a high angle trajectory the proposed solver would be able to incorporate the wind profiles transmitted via MET messages, adjusting the wind experienced by the simulated projectile as it moves vertically and accurately computing a firing solution.

When engaging targets at long distance, time matters: enemies may only be visible for a few seconds at a time and snipers need the ability to deliver accurate, lethal fire in those fleeting seconds. The LA-24/PEQ Precision Aiming Laser (PAL) system is a game changing piece of technology that runs the industry-leading Applied Ballistics (AB) solver directly onboard, providing a sniper with a firing solution onscreen instantly after ranging a target. The challenge lies in that the PAL has a small OLED display and is usually mounted above the rifle scope, which means that the display is obscured by the elevation turret of the rifle scope. This means that to read and use the firing solution, the sniper must break from his firing position to look at the display before engaging the target, costing him valuable time to get rounds on target. nVision Technology, the engineering team responsible for embedding the AB solver in PAL and many other products, has teamed with Neilsen-Kellerman (NK), creator of the Kestrel line of weathermeters, to propose two Remote Sniper Heads Up Display (RSHUD) approaches to the challenge. The first leverages NK’s existing commercial LCD HUD product, which is a weapon mounted IP67 waterproof display that wirelessly connects to the Kestrel 5700 series of weathermeters. With its backlight on, the current HUD is capable of running for more than 24 hours. nVision will work with NK to upgrade the electronics and shrink the packaging to provide SOCOM with a more capable HUD that communicates to the PAL system through either wired or secure Bluetooth means. These upgrades will add sensor capabilities and the AB solver to allow the LCD HUD to operate independently from the PAL, as well as connect into the entire AB ecosystem of products so that operators can use the LCD HUD with any LRF that includes the AB communications protocol. Additionally, this upgrade will allow the LCD HUD to communicate with nVision’s AB ATAK plugin, which integrates the AB solver into ATAK to seamlessly provide firing solutions for markers on the TAK map; the ATAK plugin will be able to push this targeting info directly to the LCD HUD so the user does not need to have his ATAK EUD in hand to see the solutions. The second RSHUD approach will utilize the same core electronics coupled to a microOLED display and clear optics that will allow nVision to present the same information to the user in a see-through display alongside the rifle scope eyepiece. This approach will enable the operator to maintain situational awareness while still having access to the information that he needs to put rounds on target rapidly and effectively. nVision’s proposed microOLED display is utilized in commercial products like the SIG SAUER 10K binoculars and boasts a 304x256 sunlight-readable display while typically drawing <10mW of power, which will lead to anticipated battery run times in excess of 50 hours.