FI90591C - A method for practicing shooting and monitoring shooting performance - Google Patents

Description

1 90591

A method for practicing shooting and monitoring shooting performance

The present invention relates to a method for practicing firing and monitoring firing performance, in which the target point of a weapon on a target board with an identification character is detected by means of a photosensitive detector.

In shooting practice, it is advantageous if the stroke point of the weapon can be monitored and the results recorded without 10 hard-fire firings. Such "dry training" is both economically sensible and provides new information from the point of view of training analysis, because the point of intersection of the weapon can be constantly monitored and necessary corrections can be made to the shooter's position, etc. For this type of training, 15 laser devices have been developed. a laser rain or pulse transmitter and a detector or reflector on the target. in the latter case, the weapon or its detonator must have a mythical receiver which is hit by the laser rain reflected from the reflector 20 associated with the paint. Such a device is disclosed in the applicant's earlier Finnish patent application 900806.

A disadvantage of the known devices is the weapon-mounted transmitter or receiver device, which typically contains the necessary optics, electronics and batteries / accumulators. If a laser device is used as a transmitter, its high price and mandatory safety rating will increase costs. When using the LED, the disadvantage is the power consumption and thus the high weight due to the required batteries. The object of the invention is to provide a shooting training method in which the aforementioned disadvantages are eliminated. To achieve this, the method according to the invention is characterized in that the method uses a camera or a similar imaging device as a photosensitive detector, by means of which an image of the target is formed, the position of which 909091 with respect to the optical axis of the detector is calculated by based on the information, the weapon's wish point is indicated by a target.

Thus, the difference between the method according to the invention and the prior art is that the system according to the invention does not use a transmitter at all, not attached to the weapon or spaced apart from it. Reflective, reflective or specially designed targets, etc. 10 auxiliaries are not needed at all, but only a detector attached to the weapon !, which is used to monitor the movement of the detector's field of view on the basis of contrast differences eslm. just opposite the center circle of a regular firing target.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, only a small and light CCD camera is attached to the weapon, the resolution and brightness of which are currently quite sufficient for this type of task.

Other preferred embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is set forth in the appended claims.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a training situation when using a method according to the invention, Fig. 2 schematically shows a picture Fig. 4 shows the movements of the datum described in accordance with the invention in the image field of the camera detector and the reference image stored in the memory in question. maalitaulutyypis-O.

In the situation according to Figure 1, the weapon 1 is directed 35 towards the target 2. The detector 3, which in this exemplary case is a CCD camera, detects the target 2, whereby the black center 7 of the board forms an image of the white base of the board on the image surface of the camera (cf. Fig. 2), based on its sharp contrast difference. the coordinates on the camera's image surface can be easily calculated computationally. On the other hand, the camera has a known optical axis A, to which the center of the board must coincide, so that the point of view of the weapon is the center of the board. When the image 2 is continuously photographed by the camera 3, the movement of the center of the image on the image surface of the CCD camera relative to the optical axis of the camera can be continuously monitored, and the optical axis position (direction and distance) relative to the center of the image can be determined in real time.

The optical axis A of the camera can meet the full line of the weapon 1-15 only at one point, whereby the above-mentioned identification of the pole ten is, strictly speaking, only valid for one shooting range. However, the image formed by the CCD camera, for example, can be easily manipulated electronically, whereby in the field of view of the camera 3 the position-corrected center can be used if necessary, taking into account the distance between the camera's optical axis and the weapon's line of sight.

Figure 2 is a schematic representation of 25 images of the center mark 7 in the image field of the camera. The image field consists of a cell with a large number of pixels 6, which consist of, for example, photosensitive CCD semiconductor components. In the camera, the image of the board is formed in a known manner on the basis of the amount of light received by the pixels and the resulting voltage generated by the gene. With a camera based on CCD technology, the voltage generated by each pixel is read separately and digitized so that if the camera is e.g.

4-bit, the signal generated by the camera pixels 6 can have 24 · or 16 different values. When using the various elements of the camera programmatically, it is easy to determine the rough-edged image 7 'in the image field of the center of the table according to Fig. 4, which clearly distinguishes from its background. The position coordinates of the center of the image with respect to the optical axis of the camera can be measured, e.g., as described in the applicant's earlier Finnish patent application 900806, by calculating the angles of deviation of the object from the optical axis using a known and known shooting distance. If necessary, the target can be illuminated to maintain a sufficient contrast difference, e.g. in the evening-10 hammer. The small black Tapia 8 'in the figure of the table and its angle α' with respect to the horizontal plane relates to an embodiment of the invention, which will be explained below.

Referring further to Figure 1, the image signal generated by the camera is processed by a computer 4 using e.g. pattern recognition such that the values of the pixels of the CCD camera are analyzed and the center of the image of the target mark formed in the camera field is determined. Pattern recognition can be performed, for example, in the following four steps: 20 - reading the information received from the camera into the computer's memory; - if necessary, pre-processing the image, e.g. removing noise; - making a threshold for the image, i.e. dividing it into black and white area (s); - define the necessary features of the object, such as its location, size and direction.

The firing sensor 9 of the weapon 1 (e.g. an acoustic sensor) informs the computer about the time of the firing. The results of the shooting performance and analyzes can then be printed, e.g. by means of a printer 5, and the movement of the center of the board in the camera's field of view can be displayed, e.g., to the general public on a separate monitor (not drawn) in real time. In addition, it is important to note that with the current technology, it is quite possible, contrary to Figure 1, to incorporate them into a weapon 1 or a camera 3, e.g. so that no cables connected to the weapon are needed in shooting practice. The data stored in the memory of the computer connected to the weapon can then be decompressed into the computer for further action, * or printed directly on the printer.

Referring to Figure 3, alternative embodiments of the method according to the invention are presented below. In front of the CCD cell 10 formed by the pixels of the camera, there is normally a lens 11 which, according to the optics of the optics, imposes an image on the surface of the cell in a size corresponding to the imaging ratio. When the diameter or other dimensions of the center mark 7 of the board are known, the change in size caused by the lens can be easily compensated in the calculation of the point of view.

The center mark 7 may be other than a circle, as in the board 12 of Fig. 3, which has a head-shoulder pattern 14 for use in offensive scoreboards. The target board 12 or 13 can be illuminated, e.g.

With the method according to the invention, it is possible to detect a situation in which the firing distance deviates from the assumption. This is done by observing the size of the center image of the board (cf. Fig. 2) and comparing the size with, for example, the reference size stored in the computer's memory corresponding to the assumed firing distance (cf. Fig. 4). Mikaii camera-captured center-mark is larger than the pre-set reference, is a shooter too close to the target, and vice versa. In cases of danger firing distances, the computer can be programmed with alarm and, for example, execution rejection functions. For different tables and standard distances, there must be reference values for the different means, stored, for example, in a table lock, from which the appropriate one can be selected according to the situation.

With the method according to the invention, the inclination of the barrel of the weapon in the direction of the barrel can also be observed. The center mark of the TailOin 35 table cannot be circularly symmetrical, but 6 90591 a board 13 according to Fig. 3 with an additional reference mark 8 in addition to the center 7 is needed, e.g. the change in the angle α between the center 7 or the angle of inclination of the center 14 as in Fig. 12 compared to the angle observed in the table (entered into the computer by default) with the angle observed by the camera (Fig. 2, angle a ').

Fig. 4 shows, by means of a series of images a-d, the movements of the table 13 according to Fig. 3 described according to the invention 10 in the field of view of the camera detector with respect to the point of view. It is observed that a perfect fit would be achieved in Fig. C, with the other Figures a, b and d being more or less asymmetrically positioned in the field of view, and thus adjacent to the firing point of the weapon. In addition, Fig. 4 shows the reference image R stored in the memory of the detector itself or the computer 4 according to Fig. 1. of a target type to which the size and shape of the panels in Figures a. .d can be compared to measure shooting range and / or weapon tilt as described above.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various embodiments of the invention are not limited to the examples set forth above, but may vary within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (6)

7 90591 A method for training shooting and monitoring shooting performance, in which the aiming point 5 (2; 12; 13) of a weapon (1) with a target plate (2; 12; 13) is detected by means of a light-sensitive detector, characterized in that the method uses a camera (3) , which forms an image of the target (2; 12; 13), the position of which with respect to the optical axis (A) of the detector (3) is calculated by means of the target character (7; 14) of the target, and that the position of the weapon . Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that a CCD camera (3) mounted on the weapon (1) is used as the imaging device. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the light-sensitive detector (3) detects the identification pattern (7; 14) of the target (2; 12; 13) on the basis of its 20 sharp contrast differences with respect to the base color of the target, the detector pixels (6) based on the differences in the signals generated, the coordinates of the center point of the identification character (7; 14) in the detector image are computationally determined. Method according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the size of the identification character (7; 14) of the target on the target (2; 12; 13) in the image field of the detector (3) is compared. the table to pre-stored reference values (R) to determine the firing distance. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the inclination of the barrel of the weapon is measured by comparing the angle of the identification figure (14) or the silent angle of several separate identification figures (7, 8) in reality and in the image field (a 35a '). , on the basis of which the observed difference in the barrel inclination of the weapon (1) is determined. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the target (2; 12; 13) is illuminated by a lamp (15) in order to emphasize the contrast differences on the board. 9 90591