Passive Single-Aperture Rifle Scope for 3D Rangefinding

To address the U.S. Marine Corps need for rangefinding technologies that avoid active emitters or separate apertures, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes in Phase II to advance the development of the new Passive Single-Aperture Rifle Scope for 3D Rangefinding (PASS-RANGE) system. Innovative system design seamlessly integrates an electrically variable liquid crystal Fresnel zone plate, firmware, and digital display into a rifle scope/night vision platform to offer the Marine an instantaneous 3D map of all objects within the field of view. In Phase I POC conclusively demonstrated the system feasibility through assembly and testing of a proof-of-concept TRL 4 prototype capable of accurate rangefinding up to a distance of 143 m in outdoor settings. Ray-tracing modeling and simulations showed compatibility of this system with current Marine Corps scopes. Phase II will focus on developing a stand-alone prototype ready for field testing to qualify this system to a TRL 5-6. PASS-RANGE provides the Marine/warfighter a 50-500 m rangefinding capability with 1 m accuracy. The entirely passive system does not reveal the position of the Marine to enemy forces, significantly increasing survivability. Its robust design with no moving parts can endure harsh military environments, including temperature, moisture, shock, and vibration.