US20150226524A1 - Method of Use to Improve Aiming Accuracy for a Firearm - Google Patents
Method of Use to Improve Aiming Accuracy for a Firearm Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20150226524A1 US20150226524A1 US14/264,044 US201414264044A US2015226524A1 US 20150226524 A1 US20150226524 A1 US 20150226524A1 US 201414264044 A US201414264044 A US 201414264044A US 2015226524 A1 US2015226524 A1 US 2015226524A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- firearm
- horizontal
- vertical
- yaw
- pitch
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F41—WEAPONS
- F41G—WEAPON SIGHTS; AIMING
- F41G3/00—Aiming or laying means
- F41G3/12—Aiming or laying means with means for compensating for muzzle velocity or powder temperature with means for compensating for gun vibrations
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F41—WEAPONS
- F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
- F41A23/00—Gun mountings, e.g. on vehicles; Disposition of guns on vehicles
- F41A23/02—Mountings without wheels
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F41—WEAPONS
- F41A—FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE
- F41A23/00—Gun mountings, e.g. on vehicles; Disposition of guns on vehicles
- F41A23/02—Mountings without wheels
- F41A23/16—Testing mounts
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F41—WEAPONS
- F41G—WEAPON SIGHTS; AIMING
- F41G5/00—Elevating or traversing control systems for guns
Definitions
- the present invention generally relates to a method of using an apparatus that is used to assist in aiming a firearm. More specifically, the apparatus is designed to automatically assess and correct for tremors while holding the firearm.
- FIG. 2 shows those factors acting at the same time on the marksman brain and body.
- the shooter needs to identify the target. In real combat scenario this may be difficult if target is far away, under low light, camouflaged, etc.
- the shooter has to achieve accurate targeting by aligning the direction of the firearm projectile using open sights or optical scope attached to the rifle, red dot finder, laser pointer and so on. That constant visual confirmation that line of aiming is on the target may be also source of stress.
- the marksman needs to manage breathing and movement of his body and his arm which provides support at the butt of the rifle.
- marksman If marksman is operating the rifle with two hands, then marksman needs to control the tremor in both hands in order to maintain correct orientation of weapon barrel.
- a common technique is to provide support at the front part of the weapon barrel by means of tripod or bipod. This releases the marksman from the burden of managing tremor control of the hand that would otherwise be holding the front part of the rifle.
- During the actual shot pulling the trigger may also introduce short small deviations of the rifle orientation resulting in inaccurate shot.
- timing of the actual shot is also important. As it is natural for the human brain to stay concentrated on one task at the time managing all the enumerate factors may result in significant stress on the marksman and result in inaccurate shooting.
- the object of the described here invention is providing a means and method to support front part of the weapon barrel, also known as muzzle, in a way similar to using bipod or tripod but actively moving that muzzle support in parallel with the butt of the weapon, which is hold by the marksman.
- the system described in the present invention aims to eliminate rotation of the weapon with affixed muzzle due to movement of the other end of the weapon which is hold by the marksman shoulder and hand.
- Small rotation of the muzzle are detected by means of high resolution angular position sensors and rectified by moving the muzzle support horizontally and vertically in direction which results in rotation opposite to the measured one.
- the described in the invention systems aims to minimize the effect of breathing and hand tremor on aiming accuracy and thus allowing the shooter to concentrate on the other factors affecting of accurate shooting, mainly target acquisition and timing of the actual shot as illustrated on FIG. 1 .
- the system also provides means to perform manual fine adjustments of the aiming direction.
- the system described in the present invention does not require modification of the weapon and does not need to be part of the weapon system. Instead a universal muzzle holder is used which can accommodate rifle barrels of different diameters.
- the system can also be used for training purposes by providing a feedback to the person operating the weapon by means of stereo audio signal which balance between two audio channels and sound frequency reflects the deviations of the orientation of the weapon barrel from desired aiming direction. This feedback can be faster to analyze by human and more sensitive than detecting the aiming errors visually even when a high magnification optical scope is used. More over the sensitivity of this audio feedback can be changed as desired.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle behind correcting the aiming direction of a firearm with the present invention.
- FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the main factors acting on the user's body and brain that can affect their shooting accuracy.
- FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the main factors acting on the user's body and brain that can affect their shooting accuracy while using the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a back perspective view of the present invention with a mounted firearm, wherein the present invention is shown with only the horizontal translation mechanism.
- FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the present invention without the mounted firearm, wherein the present invention is shown with only the horizontal translation mechanism.
- FIG. 6 is a back perspective view of the present invention shown without the vertical translation mechanism, the control interface, the computer control unit, and the external-devices communication unit.
- FIG. 7 is a back view of the present invention shown without the vertical translation mechanism, the control interface, the computer control unit, and the external-devices communication unit.
- FIG. 8 is a back perspective view of the present invention with a mounted firearm, wherein the present invention is shown with both the horizontal translation mechanism and the vertical translation mechanism.
- FIG. 9 is a back perspective view of the present invention without the mounted firearm, wherein the present invention is shown with both the horizontal translation mechanism and the vertical translation mechanism.
- FIG. 10 is a back perspective view of the present invention shown without the control interface, the computer control unit, and the external-devices communication unit.
- FIG. 11 is a back view of the present invention shown without the control interface, the computer control unit, and the external-devices communication unit.
- FIG. 12 is electronic schematic for the control interface and the computer control unit for the present invention.
- FIG. 13 is an electronic schematic between the computer control unit and the external-devices communication unit for the present invention.
- FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrates the difference between two differently sized muzzles being supported by the muzzle mount for the present invention.
- FIG. 14C illustrates a cone-shaped muzzle being supported by the muzzle mount for the present invention.
- FIG. 15 is a muzzle being supported by the muzzle mount for the present invention, wherein the muzzle mount has rollers to guide the recoil of the firearm.
- the present invention is a method of using an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm 100 .
- the apparatus is also designed to automatically correct for the user's lack of physical steadiness while handling the firearm 100 . This is necessary because the firearm 100 needs to be consistently pointed in the same direction for the user to take an accurate shot with the firearm 100 .
- the apparatus mainly comprises a muzzle mount 1 , a pitch axle 2 , a clevis 3 , a yaw axle 5 , a yaw angular position sensor 6 , a base plate 7 , a horizontal translation mechanism 8 , a computer control unit 24 , and a control interface 40 .
- the user places their firearm 100 onto the muzzle mount 1 in order to stably aim their firearm 100 at a target.
- the muzzle mount 1 assists the user in holding their firearm 100 steady until the user shoots the target with their firearm 100 .
- any small horizontal displacements ⁇ from the butt 102 of the firearm 100 are detected through the muzzle mount 1 if there is some angular displacement ⁇ between the barrel 101 of the firearm 100 and the desired aiming direction.
- the apparatus will rectify the angular displacement ⁇ by moving the muzzle mount 1 to keep the barrel 101 of the firearm 100 parallel to the desired aiming direction.
- the muzzle mount 1 has to two V-shaped forks to hold the barrel 101 of the firearm, and these V-shaped forks are offset from each other along the muzzle mount 1 in order to effectively support the barrel 101 of the firearm 100 .
- the general configuration of these components allows the apparatus to compensate and correct for small horizontal displacements ⁇ from the butt of the firearm.
- the base plate 7 is mounted onto the horizontal translation mechanism 8 and is used to support the firearm on the horizontal translation mechanism 8 , which allows the horizontal translation mechanism 8 to physically move the firearm and to correct for those small horizontal displacements ⁇ .
- the yaw axle 5 is positioned normal and is rotatably connected to the base plate 7 , which facilitates the proper rotational movement about the yaw axis of the firearm. In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the yaw axle 5 is rotatably connected to the base plate 7 by a high precision ball bearing.
- the yaw angular position sensor 6 is operatively mounted between the yaw axle 5 and the base plate 7 in order to track the rotation of the yaw axle 5 in real time. More specifically, the stator of the yaw angular position sensor 6 is affixed to the base plate 7 , and the rotor of yaw angular position sensor 6 is axially connected to the yaw axle 5 . In the preferred embodiment, the yaw angular position sensor 6 is a high resolution quadrature incremental rotary pulse encoder.
- the clevis 3 is a U-shaped axle mount that is used to support the pitch axle 2 , which facilitates the proper rotational movement about the pitch axis of the firearm.
- the pitch axle 2 is rotatably connected across the clevis 3 .
- the rotatable connection between the pitch axle 2 and the clevis 3 is made by a set of high precision ball bearings.
- the pitch axle 2 is connected through the muzzle mount 1 and is oriented in such a way that the aiming axis for the muzzle mount 1 is positioned perpendicular to the pitch axle 2 .
- the aiming axis is the direction that the firearm will be aiming towards when the barrel of the firearm is placed into the muzzle mount 1 .
- the computer control unit 24 is used to manage the calculations needed to correct for those small horizontal displacements ⁇ .
- control interface 40 and the yaw angular position sensor 6 are communicably coupled to the computer control unit 24 as input devices.
- the control interface 40 allows a user to input adjustments to the horizontal positioning of the firearm.
- a horizontal actuator 12 for the horizontal translation mechanism 8 is communicably coupled to the computer control unit 24 as an output device.
- the horizontal actuator 12 drives the horizontal translation mechanism 8 to reposition the firearm according the computations provided by the computer control unit 24 .
- the horizontal translation mechanism 8 allows the apparatus to smoothly and stably move the firearm from side to side, which is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 .
- the horizontal translation mechanism 8 further comprises a plurality of horizontal rods 9 , a plurality of horizontal linear bearings 10 , and a plurality of upright bases 11 .
- the plurality of upright bases 11 is the structural support for the rest of the horizontal translation mechanism 8 .
- the plurality of upright bases 11 is offset from each other so that the plurality of horizontal rods 9 can be positioned normal and be connected in between the plurality of upright bases 11 .
- the plurality of horizontal rods 9 is used to restrict the movement of the firearm only along the horizontal direction.
- the base plate 7 is slidably mounted onto the plurality of horizontal rods 9 by the plurality of horizontal linear bearings 10 , which facilitates the movement of the firearm in the horizontal direction.
- the plurality of horizontal rods 9 is evenly distributed across the base plate 7 so that the horizontal translation mechanism 8 can evenly support the weight of the firearm and other parts of the apparatus.
- the horizontal actuator 12 is operatively mounted between the base plate 7 and the pair of upright bases 11 , which allows the horizontal actuator 12 to steadily move the base plate 7 along the plurality of horizontal rods 9 .
- the horizontal actuator 12 needs to able to steadily move the firearm in the horizontal direction so that the horizontal translation mechanism 8 can make precise movements in order to correct for those small horizontal displacements ⁇ .
- the horizontal actuator 12 comprises a horizontal threaded receiver 13 , a horizontal threaded shaft 14 , and a horizontal motor 15 .
- the horizontal motor 15 provides the mechanical motion that is used by the horizontal actuator 12 to drive the movement of the horizontal translation mechanism 8 .
- the horizontal motor 15 is a stepper motor, which further allows the horizontal actuator 12 to drive the precise movements of the horizontal translation mechanism 8 .
- a stator of the horizontal motor 15 is affixed to the pair of upright bases 11 , and a rotor of the horizontal motor 15 axially connects to the horizontal threaded shaft 14 .
- the horizontal threaded receiver 13 is connected onto the base plate 7 so that the horizontal threaded receiver 13 can be engaged by the horizontal threaded shaft 14 .
- the engagement between the horizontal threaded receiver 13 and the horizontal threaded shaft 14 allows the horizontal actuator 12 to transform the rotational motion of the horizontal motor 15 into precise linear movements.
- the horizontal threaded shaft 14 is positioned parallel to the plurality of horizontal rods 9 so that those precise linear movements are made in the same direction along the plurality of horizontal rods 9 .
- the control interface 40 allows the user to manually control for the apparatus.
- the control interface 40 comprises a horizontal control 41 and a start/stop control 42 .
- the horizontal control 41 allows the user to adjust the horizontal position of the firearm along the plurality of horizontal rods 9 .
- the horizontal control 41 implements a low resolution rotary encoder in order to detect the desired horizontal position that the user inputs onto the horizontal control 41 .
- the low resolution rotary encoder would detect the rotation of a knob being used as the horizontal control 41 and would send a signal to the computer control unit 24 indicating whether the firearm should be moved in one horizontal direction or the opposite horizontal direction.
- the start/stop control 42 allows the user to start and stop the counters that keep track of the angular position for various rotating objects within the apparatus.
- the computer control unit 24 requires a set of electronic logic modules in order to receive the information from the yaw angular position sensor 6 and the horizontal control 41 , to process that information, to compute positional adjustments, and to output those positional adjustments to the horizontal actuator 12 .
- the computer control unit 24 comprises a yaw angle decoder 25 , a yaw counter 26 , a yaw comparator 27 , a horizontal correction counter 30 , a horizontal actuator driver 31 , and a yaw counter analog and digital interface (YCADI) unit 32 , all of which are shown in FIG. 12 .
- the yaw angle decoder 25 is used to process the signals from the yaw angular position sensor 6 , and, thus, the yaw angular position sensor 6 is electronically connected to the yaw angle decoder 25 . If the yaw angle decoder 25 analyzes a signal from the yaw angular position sensor 6 that indicates a change in the angular position for the yaw axle 5 , then the yaw angle decoder 25 will proportionately increment or decrement the yaw counter 26 . Whether the yaw counter 26 is incremented or decremented by the yaw angle decoder 25 depends on the direction of the change in the angular position for the yaw axle 5 .
- the YCADI unit 32 is used to generate a horizontal deviation signal that indicates the yaw axle 5 has been unintentionally rotated, and, thus, the yaw counter 26 is electronically connected to YCADI unit 32 .
- the horizontal control 41 is electronically connected to the horizontal correction counter 30 , which is used to keep track of the desired horizontal position that is indicated by the horizontal control 41 .
- the horizontal control 41 proportionately increments or decrements the horizontal correction counter 30 based on the magnitude and the direction of the change for the desired horizontal position.
- the horizontal correction counter 30 and the yaw counter 26 are electronically junctioned at the yaw comparator 27 so that the yaw comparator 27 can compare the value of the horizontal correction counter 30 to the value of the yaw counter 26 . If the yaw comparator 27 determines that the value of the horizontal correction counter 30 is the same as the value of the yaw counter 26 , then the computer control unit 24 will not activate the horizontal actuator 12 .
- the computer control unit 24 will activate the horizontal actuator 12 through the horizontal actuator driver 31 .
- the yaw comparator 27 is electronically connected to the horizontal actuator driver 31
- the horizontal actuator driver 31 is electronically connected to the horizontal actuator 12 , which allows the computer control unit 24 to determine corrections and perform adjustments on the horizontal position of the firearm.
- the apparatus also provides the means to correct any small vertical displacements from the butt of the firearm, which occurs from some angular displacement between the barrel of the firearm and the desired aiming direction.
- the apparatus further comprises a pitch angular position sensor 4 and a vertical translation mechanism 16 , which are illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 .
- the vertical translation mechanism 16 is used to physically move the firearm and to correct for those small vertical displacements.
- the horizontal translation mechanism 8 is mounted into the vertical translation mechanism 16 , which allows the vertical translation mechanism 16 to adjust the vertical position of the firearm through the rest of the apparatus.
- the pitch angular position sensor 4 is operatively mounted between the pitch axle 2 and the clevis 3 in order to track the rotation of the pitch axle 2 in real time.
- the stator of the pitch angular position sensor 4 is affixed to the clevis 3 , and the rotor of pitch angular position sensor 4 is axially connected to the pitch axle 2 .
- the pitch angular position sensor 4 is a high resolution quadrature incremental rotary pulse encoder.
- the computer control unit 24 is further used to manage the calculations needed to correct for the small vertical displacements.
- the pitch angular position sensor 4 is communicably coupled to the computer control unit 24 as another input device.
- the control interface 40 can also be designed to allow the user to input adjustments to the vertical positioning of the firearm.
- at least one vertical actuator 20 for the vertical translation mechanism 16 is communicably coupled to the computer control unit 24 as an output device. The vertical actuator 20 drives the vertical translation mechanism 16 to reposition the firearm according the computations provided by the computer control unit 24 .
- the vertical translation mechanism 16 allows the apparatus to smoothly and stably move the firearm up and down, which can be seen in FIGS. 9 , 10 , and 11 .
- the vertical translation mechanism 16 further comprises a plurality of vertical rods 17 , a plurality of vertical linear bearings 18 , and a bottom base 19 .
- the bottom base 19 is the structural support for the rest of the vertical translation mechanism 16 and for rest of the apparatus.
- the plurality of vertical rods 17 is connected normal to the bottom base 19 and is used to guide the movement of the firearm only along the vertical direction.
- the pair of upright bases 11 is slidably mounted onto the plurality of vertical rods 17 by the plurality of vertical linear bearings 18 , which facilitates the movement of the firearm in the vertical direction.
- the plurality of vertical rods 17 is evenly distributed along the pair of upright bases 11 so that the vertical translation mechanism 16 can evenly support the weight of the firearm and other parts of the apparatus.
- the vertical actuator 20 is operatively mounted between the pair of upright bases 11 and the bottom base 19 , which allows the vertical actuator 20 to steadily move the pair of upright bases 11 along the plurality of vertical rods 17 .
- each of the pair of upright bases 11 has its own vertical actuator 20 , both of which would have to work in unison to evenly change the vertical position of the firearm.
- the vertical actuator 20 Similar to the horizontal actuator 12 , the vertical actuator 20 needs to able to steadily move the firearm in the vertical direction so that the vertical translation mechanism 16 can make precise movements in order to correct for those small vertical displacements.
- the vertical actuator 20 comprises a vertical threaded receiver 21 , a vertical threaded shaft 22 , and a vertical motor 23 , all of which are depicted in FIG. 11 .
- the vertical motor 23 provides the mechanical motion that is used by the vertical actuator 20 to drive the movement of the vertical translation mechanism 16 .
- the vertical motor 23 is a stepper motor, which further allows the vertical actuator 20 to drive the precise movements of the vertical translation mechanism 16 .
- a stator of the vertical motor 23 is affixed to the bottom base 19 , and a rotor of the vertical motor 23 axially connects to the vertical threaded shaft 22 .
- the vertical threaded receiver 21 is connected onto the pair of upright bases 11 so that the vertical threaded receiver 21 can be engaged by the vertical threaded shaft 22 .
- the engagement between the vertical threaded receiver 21 and the vertical threaded shaft 22 allows the vertical actuator 20 to transform the rotational motion of the vertical motor 23 into precise linear movements.
- the vertical threaded shaft 22 is positioned parallel to the plurality of vertical rods 17 so that those precise linear movements are made in the same direction along the plurality of vertical rods 17 .
- the control interface 40 allows the user to manually control for the vertical position of the firearm with the vertical translation mechanism 16 .
- the control interface 40 further comprises an elevation control 43 .
- the elevation control 43 allows the user to adjust the vertical position of the firearm along the plurality of vertical rods 17 .
- the elevation control 43 implements a low resolution rotary encoder in order to detect the desired vertical position that the user inputs onto the elevation control 43 .
- the low resolution rotary encoder would detect the rotation of a knob being used as the elevation control 43 and would send a signal to the computer control unit 24 indicating whether the firearm should be moved in an upward direction or a downward direction.
- the computer control unit 24 requires an additional set of electronic logic modules in order to receive the information from the yaw angular position sensor 6 and the elevation control 43 , to process that information, to compute positional adjustments, and to output those positional adjustments to the vertical actuator 23 .
- the computer control unit 24 further comprises a pitch angle decoder 33 , a pitch counter 34 , a pitch comparator 35 , a vertical correction counter 36 , a vertical actuator driver 37 , and a pitch counter analog and digital interface (PCADI) unit 38 .
- the pitch angle decoder 33 is used to process the signals from the pitch angular position sensor 4 , and, thus, the pitch angular position sensor 4 is electronically connected to the pitch angle decoder 33 .
- the pitch angle decoder 33 analyzes a signal from the pitch angular position sensor 4 that indicates a change in the angular position for the pitch axle 2 , then the pitch angle decoder 33 will proportionately increment or decrement the pitch counter 34 . Whether the pitch counter 34 is incremented or decremented by the pitch angle decoder 33 depends on the direction of the change in the angular position for the pitch axle 2 . Consequently, the pitch angle decoder 33 needs to be electronically connected to the pitch counter 34 .
- the PCADI unit 38 is used to generate a vertical deviation signal that indicates the pitch axle 2 has been unintentionally rotated, and, thus, the pitch counter 34 is electronically connected to PCADI unit 38 .
- the elevation control 43 is electronically connected to the vertical correction counter 36 , which is used to keep track of the desired vertical position that is indicated by the elevation control 43 .
- the elevation control 43 proportionately increments or decrements the vertical correction counter 36 based on the magnitude and the direction of the change for the desired vertical position.
- the vertical correction counter 36 and the pitch counter 34 are electronically junctioned at the pitch comparator 35 so that the pitch comparator 35 can compare the value of the vertical correction counter 36 to the value of the pitch counter 34 . If the pitch comparator 35 determines that the value of the vertical correction counter 36 is the same as the value of the pitch counter 34 , then the computer control unit 24 will not activate the vertical actuator 20 .
- the pitch comparator 35 determines that the value of the vertical correction counter 36 is not the same as the value of the pitch counter 34 , then the computer control unit 24 will activate the vertical actuator 20 through the vertical actuator driver 37 .
- the pitch comparator 35 is electronically connected to the vertical actuator driver 37
- the vertical actuator driver 37 is electronically connected to the vertical actuator 20 , which allows the computer control unit 24 to determine corrections and perform adjustments on the vertical position of the firearm.
- an external-devices communication unit 44 is used to receive aiming data from the computer control unit 24 and is used to format and output the aiming data to applicable devices.
- the external-devices communication unit 44 needs to be communicably coupled to the to the computer control unit 24 . If one of these applicable devices is a personal computer, then the external-devices communication unit 44 will include a personal-computer standard communication protocol (PCSCP) module, which serves as a data-exchanging interface between the computer control unit 24 and the personal computer.
- PCSCP personal-computer standard communication protocol
- the personal computer is used to track the user's progress while aiming the firearm, which requires input data from the apparatus.
- the YCADI unit 32 , the PCADI unit 38 , and a timer 39 for the computer control unit 24 are electronically connected to the PCSCP module 45 .
- the timer 39 is used to provide time stamps for when a horizontal correction is made with the horizontal actuator 12 and to record when a vertical correction is made with the vertical actuator 20 .
- the horizontal deviation signal, the vertical deviation signal, and the time stamps are received and analyzed by the personal computer through the PCSCP module 45 so that the user can better track their progress while aiming the firearm.
- the external-devices communication unit 44 will include a stereo audio signal synthesizer 46 , which serves as a communication interface between the computer control unit 24 and the pair of headphones 47 .
- the pair of headphones 47 is used to audibly alert the user if the firearm is misaligned in either the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. Consequently, the YCADI unit 32 and the PCADI unit 38 of the computer control unit 24 is electronically connected to the stereo audio signal synthesizer 46 , which converts the horizontal deviation signal and the vertical deviation signal into audibly alerts that can be heard by the user through the pair of headphones 47 when the firearm is incorrectly aligned.
- the apparatus has a general method of use for improving the aiming accuracy for a firearm. Initially, the user supports the firearm with the muzzle mount 1 and manually points the firearm towards a target. After achieving relatively good aiming, the user starts automatic correction of the apparatus from the control interface 40 . When the user inputs a start command with the start/stop control 42 , the computer control unit 24 resets all counters to zero. Any unintentional rotations of the yaw axle 5 or the pitch axle 2 that are respectively created by a horizontal displacement or a vertical displacement of the firearm's butt will result in the computer control unit respectively instructing the horizontal actuator 12 or the vertical actuator 20 to move the muzzle mount 1 so that the current value of the yaw counter 26 and the pitch counter 27 are kept zero.
- the user can perform fine adjustments of the aiming direction using the horizontal control 41 and elevation control 43 . Those fine adjustments respectively change the current value of the horizontal correction counter 30 and the vertical correction counter 36 .
- the value difference between the current value of the yaw counter 26 and the horizontal correction counter 30 is detected by the yaw comparator 27 .
- the yaw comparator 27 will instruct the horizontal actuator 12 to move the muzzle mount 1 on the horizontal translation mechanism 8 so that the yaw counter 26 achieves same value as the horizontal correction counter 30 .
- the value difference between the current value of the pitch counter 34 and the vertical correction counter 36 is detected by the pitch comparator 35 .
- the pitch comparator 35 will instruct the vertical actuator 20 to move the muzzle mount 1 on the vertical translation mechanism 16 so that the pitch counter 34 achieves same value as the vertical correction counter 36 .
- the yaw comparator 27 and the pitch comparator 34 respectively stop sending signals to the horizontal actuator 12 and the vertical actuator 20 .
- the computer control unit 24 further sends information about the horizontal and vertical deviations from the initial aiming direction of the firearm and timestamp for each deviation to the external-devices communication unit 44 as shown on FIG. 13 .
- the external-devices communication unit 44 can transmit the data to a personal computer through the PCSCP module 45 such as USB protocol.
- the apparatus can further be used for training of accurate aiming with the firearm.
- the external-devices communication unit 44 synthesizes an audio signal representing aiming deviations and which signal is sent to the pair of headphones 47 .
- the strength of the emitted sound from the pair of headphones is near zero and is equal for both the left speaker and the right speaker. If a horizontal aiming error is detected, the strength of the sound is increased in the corresponding channel of the stereo signal.
- the left speaker will play a sound if the user's shoulder has moved to the left and if the yaw axle 5 unintentionally rotates in a counter-clockwise direction
- the right speaker will play a sound if the user's shoulder has moved to the right and if the yaw axle 5 unintentionally rotates in a clockwise direction.
- the user may detect horizontal deviations in aiming direction easier than visually using open sights of the firearm or even using targeting optical scope attached to the firearm. Vertical deviations are represented by increasing strength and changing frequency of the sound.
- the horizontal actuator 12 and vertical actuator 20 do not respond to changes reported by the yaw comparator 27 and the pitch comparator 35 .
- the control interface 40 the user can switch the apparatus between training mode and shooting mode.
- the horizontal actuator 12 and vertical actuator 20 respectively respond to signals from the yaw comparator 27 and the pitch comparator 35 correcting aiming of the firearm.
- the firearm recoils jumps back towards the user's shoulder due to the recoil of the firearm, which may cause sudden chaotic change in the readings from the yaw angular position sensor 6 and the pitch angular position sensor 4 .
- the yaw comparator 27 and the pitch comparator 35 respectively communicates with the horizontal actuator 12 and vertical actuator 20 only if detected difference does not exceed some predefined threshold. Thus, if the user rapidly moves the firearm away from the initial target, the computer control unit 24 will automatically stop correcting the aiming direction of the firearm.
- the apparatus will automatically start correcting the firearm's orientation to the initial aiming direction. For the user, the apparatus will feel like an intelligent device, which remembers and reacquire the initial target.
- any commands to the horizontal actuator 12 and vertical actuator 20 will not result in change of the counters. This prevents the base plate 7 and the pair of upright bases 11 from hitting the boundaries of the apparatus, which may cause mechanical damage to the apparatus.
- the computer control unit 44 stops the apparatus if commands to the horizontal actuator 12 and vertical actuator 20 do not respectively result in the expected change of the yaw counter 26 or the pitch counter 34 within some interval of time. Such situations may occur if the user holds firmly the firearm close to muzzle, which prevents the apparatus from moving the firearm's muzzle.
- FIG. 14 illustrates a universal muzzle mount, which has the two V-shaped forks. Because of the V-shape, the muzzle mount 1 can accommodate rifle barrels with different diameter as shown on FIGS. 14A and 14B . Moreover, the free rotation of the muzzle mount 1 along the yaw axle 5 is perpendicular to the firearm's barrel, which allows the muzzle mount 1 to accommodate barrels with cone shape (which is common for most rifle barrels) as shown on FIG. 14C . If diameter of the barrel is different at the point of first V-shaped fork from diameter at second V-shaped fork, the muzzle mount 1 will rotate so that both V-shaped forks will fit to the barrel diameters.
- FIG. 15 illustrates an improved universal muzzle holder where the two plates of V-shaped forks are replaced with rollers allowing smoother travel of the firearm's barrel along the muzzle mount 1 and thus decreasing that mechanical shock.
Abstract
A method of using an apparatus that improves aiming accuracy with manually operated firearm provides a means to support the front part of the firearm's barrel and moving the barrel in parallel with the movements of the firearm's butt. Small rotations of the firearm's muzzle are measured by high resolution angular position sensors and rectified by moving the muzzle mount of the apparatus in horizontal and vertical directions which result in rotation opposite to the measured deviation from correct aiming direction, thus preserving the orientation of the manually operated rifle parallel to desired aiming direction.
Description
- The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 61/816,402 filed on Apr. 26, 2013. The current application filed in U.S. on Apr. 28, 2014 while Apr. 26, 2014 was on a weekend.
- The present invention generally relates to a method of using an apparatus that is used to assist in aiming a firearm. More specifically, the apparatus is designed to automatically assess and correct for tremors while holding the firearm.
- When manually operating a rifle achieving high accuracy shooting requires from the marksman to manage several factors simultaneously.
FIG. 2 shows those factors acting at the same time on the marksman brain and body. At first stage the shooter needs to identify the target. In real combat scenario this may be difficult if target is far away, under low light, camouflaged, etc. After identification of the target the shooter has to achieve accurate targeting by aligning the direction of the firearm projectile using open sights or optical scope attached to the rifle, red dot finder, laser pointer and so on. That constant visual confirmation that line of aiming is on the target may be also source of stress. The marksman needs to manage breathing and movement of his body and his arm which provides support at the butt of the rifle. If marksman is operating the rifle with two hands, then marksman needs to control the tremor in both hands in order to maintain correct orientation of weapon barrel. A common technique is to provide support at the front part of the weapon barrel by means of tripod or bipod. This releases the marksman from the burden of managing tremor control of the hand that would otherwise be holding the front part of the rifle. During the actual shot pulling the trigger may also introduce short small deviations of the rifle orientation resulting in inaccurate shot. In most of the real scenario timing of the actual shot is also important. As it is natural for the human brain to stay concentrated on one task at the time managing all the enumerate factors may result in significant stress on the marksman and result in inaccurate shooting. - There are numerous of proposed solutions aiming to help minimize the effect of one or another of the mentioned factors. One solution, described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,045, “Active tremor control” aims to minimize the level of tremor in both hands of the person performing the shooting by utilizing inertial sensors mounted on the front part of the weapon which detects rotations of the barrel and actuators to counter react to those small rotations. While such system may minimize the effect of the hands tremor it does not solve the problem of big angular deviation from the correct aiming direction which are result from the fact the marksman holds manually usually a relatively heavy weapon. Another solution, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,157 “Weapon aiming system”, utilizes mounting the weapon onto a support frame and measuring changes in orientation of the weapon with respect to the frame using angular position sensors and matching those deviations to shifts of the image of the target which is acquired via a video camera mounted on the weapon. This solution requires sophisticated image processing, which in turn makes the entire weapon assembly more expensive. In addition, targets in real scenarios may come in different forms and not always be easy to reliably identify and track by image processing technologies. A common for the existing different methods to stabilize a weapon with respect to desired orientation involve modification of the original weapon or a system incorporating the weapon and aiming stabilization technique into one device.
- The object of the described here invention is providing a means and method to support front part of the weapon barrel, also known as muzzle, in a way similar to using bipod or tripod but actively moving that muzzle support in parallel with the butt of the weapon, which is hold by the marksman. Thus the system described in the present invention aims to eliminate rotation of the weapon with affixed muzzle due to movement of the other end of the weapon which is hold by the marksman shoulder and hand. Small rotation of the muzzle are detected by means of high resolution angular position sensors and rectified by moving the muzzle support horizontally and vertically in direction which results in rotation opposite to the measured one. The described in the invention systems aims to minimize the effect of breathing and hand tremor on aiming accuracy and thus allowing the shooter to concentrate on the other factors affecting of accurate shooting, mainly target acquisition and timing of the actual shot as illustrated on
FIG. 1 . The system also provides means to perform manual fine adjustments of the aiming direction. The system described in the present invention does not require modification of the weapon and does not need to be part of the weapon system. Instead a universal muzzle holder is used which can accommodate rifle barrels of different diameters. Further the system can also be used for training purposes by providing a feedback to the person operating the weapon by means of stereo audio signal which balance between two audio channels and sound frequency reflects the deviations of the orientation of the weapon barrel from desired aiming direction. This feedback can be faster to analyze by human and more sensitive than detecting the aiming errors visually even when a high magnification optical scope is used. More over the sensitivity of this audio feedback can be changed as desired. -
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle behind correcting the aiming direction of a firearm with the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the main factors acting on the user's body and brain that can affect their shooting accuracy. -
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the main factors acting on the user's body and brain that can affect their shooting accuracy while using the present invention. -
FIG. 4 is a back perspective view of the present invention with a mounted firearm, wherein the present invention is shown with only the horizontal translation mechanism. -
FIG. 5 is a back perspective view of the present invention without the mounted firearm, wherein the present invention is shown with only the horizontal translation mechanism. -
FIG. 6 is a back perspective view of the present invention shown without the vertical translation mechanism, the control interface, the computer control unit, and the external-devices communication unit. -
FIG. 7 is a back view of the present invention shown without the vertical translation mechanism, the control interface, the computer control unit, and the external-devices communication unit. -
FIG. 8 is a back perspective view of the present invention with a mounted firearm, wherein the present invention is shown with both the horizontal translation mechanism and the vertical translation mechanism. -
FIG. 9 is a back perspective view of the present invention without the mounted firearm, wherein the present invention is shown with both the horizontal translation mechanism and the vertical translation mechanism. -
FIG. 10 is a back perspective view of the present invention shown without the control interface, the computer control unit, and the external-devices communication unit. -
FIG. 11 is a back view of the present invention shown without the control interface, the computer control unit, and the external-devices communication unit. -
FIG. 12 is electronic schematic for the control interface and the computer control unit for the present invention. -
FIG. 13 is an electronic schematic between the computer control unit and the external-devices communication unit for the present invention. -
FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrates the difference between two differently sized muzzles being supported by the muzzle mount for the present invention. -
FIG. 14C illustrates a cone-shaped muzzle being supported by the muzzle mount for the present invention. -
FIG. 15 is a muzzle being supported by the muzzle mount for the present invention, wherein the muzzle mount has rollers to guide the recoil of the firearm. - All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
- As can be seen in
FIGS. 4 and 5 , the present invention is a method of using an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for afirearm 100. The apparatus is also designed to automatically correct for the user's lack of physical steadiness while handling thefirearm 100. This is necessary because thefirearm 100 needs to be consistently pointed in the same direction for the user to take an accurate shot with thefirearm 100. The apparatus mainly comprises amuzzle mount 1, apitch axle 2, aclevis 3, ayaw axle 5, a yawangular position sensor 6, abase plate 7, ahorizontal translation mechanism 8, acomputer control unit 24, and acontrol interface 40. The user places theirfirearm 100 onto themuzzle mount 1 in order to stably aim theirfirearm 100 at a target. Themuzzle mount 1 assists the user in holding theirfirearm 100 steady until the user shoots the target with theirfirearm 100. During this holding period, any small horizontal displacements δ from thebutt 102 of thefirearm 100 are detected through themuzzle mount 1 if there is some angular displacement ∝ between thebarrel 101 of thefirearm 100 and the desired aiming direction. As can be seen inFIG. 1 , the apparatus will rectify the angular displacement ∝ by moving themuzzle mount 1 to keep thebarrel 101 of thefirearm 100 parallel to the desired aiming direction. In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, themuzzle mount 1 has to two V-shaped forks to hold thebarrel 101 of the firearm, and these V-shaped forks are offset from each other along themuzzle mount 1 in order to effectively support thebarrel 101 of thefirearm 100. - The general configuration of these components allows the apparatus to compensate and correct for small horizontal displacements δ from the butt of the firearm. The
base plate 7 is mounted onto thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 and is used to support the firearm on thehorizontal translation mechanism 8, which allows thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 to physically move the firearm and to correct for those small horizontal displacements δ. Theyaw axle 5 is positioned normal and is rotatably connected to thebase plate 7, which facilitates the proper rotational movement about the yaw axis of the firearm. In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, theyaw axle 5 is rotatably connected to thebase plate 7 by a high precision ball bearing. The yawangular position sensor 6 is operatively mounted between theyaw axle 5 and thebase plate 7 in order to track the rotation of theyaw axle 5 in real time. More specifically, the stator of the yawangular position sensor 6 is affixed to thebase plate 7, and the rotor of yawangular position sensor 6 is axially connected to theyaw axle 5. In the preferred embodiment, the yawangular position sensor 6 is a high resolution quadrature incremental rotary pulse encoder. Theclevis 3 is a U-shaped axle mount that is used to support thepitch axle 2, which facilitates the proper rotational movement about the pitch axis of the firearm. Thus, thepitch axle 2 is rotatably connected across theclevis 3. In the preferred embodiment, the rotatable connection between thepitch axle 2 and theclevis 3 is made by a set of high precision ball bearings. In addition, thepitch axle 2 is connected through themuzzle mount 1 and is oriented in such a way that the aiming axis for themuzzle mount 1 is positioned perpendicular to thepitch axle 2. The aiming axis is the direction that the firearm will be aiming towards when the barrel of the firearm is placed into themuzzle mount 1. Thecomputer control unit 24 is used to manage the calculations needed to correct for those small horizontal displacements δ. Thus, thecontrol interface 40 and the yawangular position sensor 6 are communicably coupled to thecomputer control unit 24 as input devices. Thecontrol interface 40 allows a user to input adjustments to the horizontal positioning of the firearm. In addition, ahorizontal actuator 12 for thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 is communicably coupled to thecomputer control unit 24 as an output device. Thehorizontal actuator 12 drives thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 to reposition the firearm according the computations provided by thecomputer control unit 24. - The
horizontal translation mechanism 8 allows the apparatus to smoothly and stably move the firearm from side to side, which is shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 . In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 further comprises a plurality ofhorizontal rods 9, a plurality of horizontallinear bearings 10, and a plurality of upright bases 11. The plurality ofupright bases 11 is the structural support for the rest of thehorizontal translation mechanism 8. Moreover, the plurality ofupright bases 11 is offset from each other so that the plurality ofhorizontal rods 9 can be positioned normal and be connected in between the plurality of upright bases 11. The plurality ofhorizontal rods 9 is used to restrict the movement of the firearm only along the horizontal direction. Thebase plate 7 is slidably mounted onto the plurality ofhorizontal rods 9 by the plurality of horizontallinear bearings 10, which facilitates the movement of the firearm in the horizontal direction. In addition, the plurality ofhorizontal rods 9 is evenly distributed across thebase plate 7 so that thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 can evenly support the weight of the firearm and other parts of the apparatus. In order to drive thehorizontal translation mechanism 8, thehorizontal actuator 12 is operatively mounted between thebase plate 7 and the pair ofupright bases 11, which allows thehorizontal actuator 12 to steadily move thebase plate 7 along the plurality ofhorizontal rods 9. - The
horizontal actuator 12 needs to able to steadily move the firearm in the horizontal direction so that thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 can make precise movements in order to correct for those small horizontal displacements δ. In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, thehorizontal actuator 12 comprises a horizontal threadedreceiver 13, a horizontal threadedshaft 14, and ahorizontal motor 15. Thehorizontal motor 15 provides the mechanical motion that is used by thehorizontal actuator 12 to drive the movement of thehorizontal translation mechanism 8. In some embodiments of the apparatus, thehorizontal motor 15 is a stepper motor, which further allows thehorizontal actuator 12 to drive the precise movements of thehorizontal translation mechanism 8. A stator of thehorizontal motor 15 is affixed to the pair ofupright bases 11, and a rotor of thehorizontal motor 15 axially connects to the horizontal threadedshaft 14. In addition, the horizontal threadedreceiver 13 is connected onto thebase plate 7 so that the horizontal threadedreceiver 13 can be engaged by the horizontal threadedshaft 14. The engagement between the horizontal threadedreceiver 13 and the horizontal threadedshaft 14 allows thehorizontal actuator 12 to transform the rotational motion of thehorizontal motor 15 into precise linear movements. In addition, the horizontal threadedshaft 14 is positioned parallel to the plurality ofhorizontal rods 9 so that those precise linear movements are made in the same direction along the plurality ofhorizontal rods 9. - As can be seen in
FIGS. 4 and 5 , thecontrol interface 40 allows the user to manually control for the apparatus. In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, thecontrol interface 40 comprises ahorizontal control 41 and a start/stop control 42. Thehorizontal control 41 allows the user to adjust the horizontal position of the firearm along the plurality ofhorizontal rods 9. Typically, thehorizontal control 41 implements a low resolution rotary encoder in order to detect the desired horizontal position that the user inputs onto thehorizontal control 41. For example, the low resolution rotary encoder would detect the rotation of a knob being used as thehorizontal control 41 and would send a signal to thecomputer control unit 24 indicating whether the firearm should be moved in one horizontal direction or the opposite horizontal direction. In addition, the start/stop control 42 allows the user to start and stop the counters that keep track of the angular position for various rotating objects within the apparatus. - The
computer control unit 24 requires a set of electronic logic modules in order to receive the information from the yawangular position sensor 6 and thehorizontal control 41, to process that information, to compute positional adjustments, and to output those positional adjustments to thehorizontal actuator 12. Thecomputer control unit 24 comprises ayaw angle decoder 25, ayaw counter 26, ayaw comparator 27, ahorizontal correction counter 30, ahorizontal actuator driver 31, and a yaw counter analog and digital interface (YCADI)unit 32, all of which are shown inFIG. 12 . Theyaw angle decoder 25 is used to process the signals from the yawangular position sensor 6, and, thus, the yawangular position sensor 6 is electronically connected to theyaw angle decoder 25. If theyaw angle decoder 25 analyzes a signal from the yawangular position sensor 6 that indicates a change in the angular position for theyaw axle 5, then theyaw angle decoder 25 will proportionately increment or decrement theyaw counter 26. Whether theyaw counter 26 is incremented or decremented by theyaw angle decoder 25 depends on the direction of the change in the angular position for theyaw axle 5. Consequently, theyaw angle decoder 25 needs to be electronically connected to theyaw counter 26. TheYCADI unit 32 is used to generate a horizontal deviation signal that indicates theyaw axle 5 has been unintentionally rotated, and, thus, theyaw counter 26 is electronically connected toYCADI unit 32. - In addition, the
horizontal control 41 is electronically connected to thehorizontal correction counter 30, which is used to keep track of the desired horizontal position that is indicated by thehorizontal control 41. Thehorizontal control 41 proportionately increments or decrements thehorizontal correction counter 30 based on the magnitude and the direction of the change for the desired horizontal position. Thehorizontal correction counter 30 and theyaw counter 26 are electronically junctioned at theyaw comparator 27 so that theyaw comparator 27 can compare the value of thehorizontal correction counter 30 to the value of theyaw counter 26. If theyaw comparator 27 determines that the value of thehorizontal correction counter 30 is the same as the value of theyaw counter 26, then thecomputer control unit 24 will not activate thehorizontal actuator 12. However, if theyaw comparator 27 determines that the value of thehorizontal correction counter 30 is not the same as the value of theyaw counter 26, then thecomputer control unit 24 will activate thehorizontal actuator 12 through thehorizontal actuator driver 31. Thus, theyaw comparator 27 is electronically connected to thehorizontal actuator driver 31, and thehorizontal actuator driver 31 is electronically connected to thehorizontal actuator 12, which allows thecomputer control unit 24 to determine corrections and perform adjustments on the horizontal position of the firearm. - In some embodiments, the apparatus also provides the means to correct any small vertical displacements from the butt of the firearm, which occurs from some angular displacement between the barrel of the firearm and the desired aiming direction. In order to correct for small vertical displacements, the apparatus further comprises a pitch
angular position sensor 4 and avertical translation mechanism 16, which are illustrated inFIGS. 8 and 9 . Thevertical translation mechanism 16 is used to physically move the firearm and to correct for those small vertical displacements. Thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 is mounted into thevertical translation mechanism 16, which allows thevertical translation mechanism 16 to adjust the vertical position of the firearm through the rest of the apparatus. The pitchangular position sensor 4 is operatively mounted between thepitch axle 2 and theclevis 3 in order to track the rotation of thepitch axle 2 in real time. More specifically, the stator of the pitchangular position sensor 4 is affixed to theclevis 3, and the rotor of pitchangular position sensor 4 is axially connected to thepitch axle 2. In the preferred embodiment, the pitchangular position sensor 4 is a high resolution quadrature incremental rotary pulse encoder. Thecomputer control unit 24 is further used to manage the calculations needed to correct for the small vertical displacements. Thus, the pitchangular position sensor 4 is communicably coupled to thecomputer control unit 24 as another input device. Thecontrol interface 40 can also be designed to allow the user to input adjustments to the vertical positioning of the firearm. In addition, at least onevertical actuator 20 for thevertical translation mechanism 16 is communicably coupled to thecomputer control unit 24 as an output device. Thevertical actuator 20 drives thevertical translation mechanism 16 to reposition the firearm according the computations provided by thecomputer control unit 24. - Similar to the
horizontal translation mechanism 8, thevertical translation mechanism 16 allows the apparatus to smoothly and stably move the firearm up and down, which can be seen inFIGS. 9 , 10, and 11. In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, thevertical translation mechanism 16 further comprises a plurality ofvertical rods 17, a plurality of verticallinear bearings 18, and abottom base 19. Thebottom base 19 is the structural support for the rest of thevertical translation mechanism 16 and for rest of the apparatus. The plurality ofvertical rods 17 is connected normal to thebottom base 19 and is used to guide the movement of the firearm only along the vertical direction. The pair ofupright bases 11 is slidably mounted onto the plurality ofvertical rods 17 by the plurality of verticallinear bearings 18, which facilitates the movement of the firearm in the vertical direction. In addition, the plurality ofvertical rods 17 is evenly distributed along the pair ofupright bases 11 so that thevertical translation mechanism 16 can evenly support the weight of the firearm and other parts of the apparatus. In order to drive thevertical translation mechanism 16, thevertical actuator 20 is operatively mounted between the pair ofupright bases 11 and thebottom base 19, which allows thevertical actuator 20 to steadily move the pair ofupright bases 11 along the plurality ofvertical rods 17. In one embodiment of the apparatus, each of the pair ofupright bases 11 has its ownvertical actuator 20, both of which would have to work in unison to evenly change the vertical position of the firearm. - Similar to the
horizontal actuator 12, thevertical actuator 20 needs to able to steadily move the firearm in the vertical direction so that thevertical translation mechanism 16 can make precise movements in order to correct for those small vertical displacements. In the preferred embodiment of the apparatus, thevertical actuator 20 comprises a vertical threadedreceiver 21, a vertical threadedshaft 22, and avertical motor 23, all of which are depicted inFIG. 11 . Thevertical motor 23 provides the mechanical motion that is used by thevertical actuator 20 to drive the movement of thevertical translation mechanism 16. In some embodiment of the apparatus, thevertical motor 23 is a stepper motor, which further allows thevertical actuator 20 to drive the precise movements of thevertical translation mechanism 16. A stator of thevertical motor 23 is affixed to thebottom base 19, and a rotor of thevertical motor 23 axially connects to the vertical threadedshaft 22. Furthermore, the vertical threadedreceiver 21 is connected onto the pair ofupright bases 11 so that the vertical threadedreceiver 21 can be engaged by the vertical threadedshaft 22. The engagement between the vertical threadedreceiver 21 and the vertical threadedshaft 22 allows thevertical actuator 20 to transform the rotational motion of thevertical motor 23 into precise linear movements. In addition, the vertical threadedshaft 22 is positioned parallel to the plurality ofvertical rods 17 so that those precise linear movements are made in the same direction along the plurality ofvertical rods 17. - As can be seen in
FIGS. 8 and 9 , thecontrol interface 40 allows the user to manually control for the vertical position of the firearm with thevertical translation mechanism 16. Thus, thecontrol interface 40 further comprises anelevation control 43. Similar to thehorizontal control 41, theelevation control 43 allows the user to adjust the vertical position of the firearm along the plurality ofvertical rods 17. Typically, theelevation control 43 implements a low resolution rotary encoder in order to detect the desired vertical position that the user inputs onto theelevation control 43. For example, the low resolution rotary encoder would detect the rotation of a knob being used as theelevation control 43 and would send a signal to thecomputer control unit 24 indicating whether the firearm should be moved in an upward direction or a downward direction. - The
computer control unit 24 requires an additional set of electronic logic modules in order to receive the information from the yawangular position sensor 6 and theelevation control 43, to process that information, to compute positional adjustments, and to output those positional adjustments to thevertical actuator 23. Thecomputer control unit 24 further comprises apitch angle decoder 33, apitch counter 34, apitch comparator 35, avertical correction counter 36, avertical actuator driver 37, and a pitch counter analog and digital interface (PCADI)unit 38. Thepitch angle decoder 33 is used to process the signals from the pitchangular position sensor 4, and, thus, the pitchangular position sensor 4 is electronically connected to thepitch angle decoder 33. If thepitch angle decoder 33 analyzes a signal from the pitchangular position sensor 4 that indicates a change in the angular position for thepitch axle 2, then thepitch angle decoder 33 will proportionately increment or decrement thepitch counter 34. Whether thepitch counter 34 is incremented or decremented by thepitch angle decoder 33 depends on the direction of the change in the angular position for thepitch axle 2. Consequently, thepitch angle decoder 33 needs to be electronically connected to thepitch counter 34. ThePCADI unit 38 is used to generate a vertical deviation signal that indicates thepitch axle 2 has been unintentionally rotated, and, thus, thepitch counter 34 is electronically connected toPCADI unit 38. - In addition, the
elevation control 43 is electronically connected to thevertical correction counter 36, which is used to keep track of the desired vertical position that is indicated by theelevation control 43. Theelevation control 43 proportionately increments or decrements thevertical correction counter 36 based on the magnitude and the direction of the change for the desired vertical position. Thevertical correction counter 36 and thepitch counter 34 are electronically junctioned at thepitch comparator 35 so that thepitch comparator 35 can compare the value of thevertical correction counter 36 to the value of thepitch counter 34. If thepitch comparator 35 determines that the value of thevertical correction counter 36 is the same as the value of thepitch counter 34, then thecomputer control unit 24 will not activate thevertical actuator 20. However, if thepitch comparator 35 determines that the value of thevertical correction counter 36 is not the same as the value of thepitch counter 34, then thecomputer control unit 24 will activate thevertical actuator 20 through thevertical actuator driver 37. Thus, thepitch comparator 35 is electronically connected to thevertical actuator driver 37, and thevertical actuator driver 37 is electronically connected to thevertical actuator 20, which allows thecomputer control unit 24 to determine corrections and perform adjustments on the vertical position of the firearm. - As can be seen in
FIG. 13 , an external-devices communication unit 44 is used to receive aiming data from thecomputer control unit 24 and is used to format and output the aiming data to applicable devices. Thus, the external-devices communication unit 44 needs to be communicably coupled to the to thecomputer control unit 24. If one of these applicable devices is a personal computer, then the external-devices communication unit 44 will include a personal-computer standard communication protocol (PCSCP) module, which serves as a data-exchanging interface between thecomputer control unit 24 and the personal computer. The personal computer is used to track the user's progress while aiming the firearm, which requires input data from the apparatus. Thus, theYCADI unit 32, thePCADI unit 38, and atimer 39 for thecomputer control unit 24 are electronically connected to thePCSCP module 45. Thetimer 39 is used to provide time stamps for when a horizontal correction is made with thehorizontal actuator 12 and to record when a vertical correction is made with thevertical actuator 20. The horizontal deviation signal, the vertical deviation signal, and the time stamps are received and analyzed by the personal computer through thePCSCP module 45 so that the user can better track their progress while aiming the firearm. In addition, if one of these applicable devices is a pair ofheadphones 47, the external-devices communication unit 44 will include a stereoaudio signal synthesizer 46, which serves as a communication interface between thecomputer control unit 24 and the pair ofheadphones 47. The pair ofheadphones 47 is used to audibly alert the user if the firearm is misaligned in either the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. Consequently, theYCADI unit 32 and thePCADI unit 38 of thecomputer control unit 24 is electronically connected to the stereoaudio signal synthesizer 46, which converts the horizontal deviation signal and the vertical deviation signal into audibly alerts that can be heard by the user through the pair ofheadphones 47 when the firearm is incorrectly aligned. - The apparatus has a general method of use for improving the aiming accuracy for a firearm. Initially, the user supports the firearm with the
muzzle mount 1 and manually points the firearm towards a target. After achieving relatively good aiming, the user starts automatic correction of the apparatus from thecontrol interface 40. When the user inputs a start command with the start/stop control 42, thecomputer control unit 24 resets all counters to zero. Any unintentional rotations of theyaw axle 5 or thepitch axle 2 that are respectively created by a horizontal displacement or a vertical displacement of the firearm's butt will result in the computer control unit respectively instructing thehorizontal actuator 12 or thevertical actuator 20 to move themuzzle mount 1 so that the current value of theyaw counter 26 and thepitch counter 27 are kept zero. The user can perform fine adjustments of the aiming direction using thehorizontal control 41 andelevation control 43. Those fine adjustments respectively change the current value of thehorizontal correction counter 30 and thevertical correction counter 36. The value difference between the current value of theyaw counter 26 and thehorizontal correction counter 30 is detected by theyaw comparator 27. Theyaw comparator 27 will instruct thehorizontal actuator 12 to move themuzzle mount 1 on thehorizontal translation mechanism 8 so that theyaw counter 26 achieves same value as thehorizontal correction counter 30. Similarly, the value difference between the current value of thepitch counter 34 and thevertical correction counter 36 is detected by thepitch comparator 35. Thepitch comparator 35 will instruct thevertical actuator 20 to move themuzzle mount 1 on thevertical translation mechanism 16 so that thepitch counter 34 achieves same value as thevertical correction counter 36. Finally, when the user inputs a stop command with the start/stop control 42, theyaw comparator 27 and thepitch comparator 34 respectively stop sending signals to thehorizontal actuator 12 and thevertical actuator 20. - The
computer control unit 24 further sends information about the horizontal and vertical deviations from the initial aiming direction of the firearm and timestamp for each deviation to the external-devices communication unit 44 as shown onFIG. 13 . The external-devices communication unit 44 can transmit the data to a personal computer through thePCSCP module 45 such as USB protocol. - The apparatus can further be used for training of accurate aiming with the firearm. The external-
devices communication unit 44 synthesizes an audio signal representing aiming deviations and which signal is sent to the pair ofheadphones 47. When the deviation from initial aiming direction is zero, the strength of the emitted sound from the pair of headphones is near zero and is equal for both the left speaker and the right speaker. If a horizontal aiming error is detected, the strength of the sound is increased in the corresponding channel of the stereo signal. For instance, the left speaker will play a sound if the user's shoulder has moved to the left and if theyaw axle 5 unintentionally rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, and the right speaker will play a sound if the user's shoulder has moved to the right and if theyaw axle 5 unintentionally rotates in a clockwise direction. Using increased sensitivity of the stereo balance with respect to the direction and magnitude of those horizontal deviations, the user may detect horizontal deviations in aiming direction easier than visually using open sights of the firearm or even using targeting optical scope attached to the firearm. Vertical deviations are represented by increasing strength and changing frequency of the sound. When in training mode, thehorizontal actuator 12 andvertical actuator 20 do not respond to changes reported by theyaw comparator 27 and thepitch comparator 35. Using thecontrol interface 40, the user can switch the apparatus between training mode and shooting mode. When in shooting mode, thehorizontal actuator 12 andvertical actuator 20 respectively respond to signals from theyaw comparator 27 and thepitch comparator 35 correcting aiming of the firearm. - At the moment the actual shot is fired, the firearm recoils jumps back towards the user's shoulder due to the recoil of the firearm, which may cause sudden chaotic change in the readings from the yaw
angular position sensor 6 and the pitchangular position sensor 4. As protection from erroneous functioning of the apparatus, theyaw comparator 27 and thepitch comparator 35 respectively communicates with thehorizontal actuator 12 andvertical actuator 20 only if detected difference does not exceed some predefined threshold. Thus, if the user rapidly moves the firearm away from the initial target, thecomputer control unit 24 will automatically stop correcting the aiming direction of the firearm. Because thehorizontal correction counter 30 and thevertical correction counter 36 remain unchanged untilcomputer control device 24 is initialized again, if the user points the firearm again close to the initial aiming direction, then the apparatus will automatically start correcting the firearm's orientation to the initial aiming direction. For the user, the apparatus will feel like an intelligent device, which remembers and reacquire the initial target. - If the user lifts the firearm from the
muzzle mount 1 without stopping the apparatus, any commands to thehorizontal actuator 12 andvertical actuator 20 will not result in change of the counters. This prevents thebase plate 7 and the pair ofupright bases 11 from hitting the boundaries of the apparatus, which may cause mechanical damage to the apparatus. To avoid such situations, thecomputer control unit 44 stops the apparatus if commands to thehorizontal actuator 12 andvertical actuator 20 do not respectively result in the expected change of theyaw counter 26 or thepitch counter 34 within some interval of time. Such situations may occur if the user holds firmly the firearm close to muzzle, which prevents the apparatus from moving the firearm's muzzle. -
FIG. 14 illustrates a universal muzzle mount, which has the two V-shaped forks. Because of the V-shape, themuzzle mount 1 can accommodate rifle barrels with different diameter as shown onFIGS. 14A and 14B . Moreover, the free rotation of themuzzle mount 1 along theyaw axle 5 is perpendicular to the firearm's barrel, which allows themuzzle mount 1 to accommodate barrels with cone shape (which is common for most rifle barrels) as shown onFIG. 14C . If diameter of the barrel is different at the point of first V-shaped fork from diameter at second V-shaped fork, themuzzle mount 1 will rotate so that both V-shaped forks will fit to the barrel diameters. - At the moment of the shot, the quick move of the firearm's barrel due to the recoil may cause mechanical shock on the apparatus's mechanical assembly, mainly the
muzzle mount 1 and fork holders.FIG. 15 illustrates an improved universal muzzle holder where the two plates of V-shaped forks are replaced with rollers allowing smoother travel of the firearm's barrel along themuzzle mount 1 and thus decreasing that mechanical shock. - Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Claims (10)
1. A method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method comprises the steps of:
providing an apparatus with a muzzle mount for a firearm, wherein said apparatus orients said muzzle mount with a yaw axle and positions said muzzle mount with a horizontal translation mechanism;
supporting and aligning said firearm with said muzzle mount along an initial aiming direction;
repositioning said firearm with said horizontal translation mechanism in order to reorient said firearm parallel to said initial aiming direction,
if said apparatus detects an unintentional rotation in said yaw axle,
wherein said unintentional rotation in said yaw axle indicates a horizontal displacement in a butt of said firearm; and
repositioning said firearm with said horizontal translation mechanism,
if said apparatus receives a user input through a horizontal control,
wherein said horizontal control allows for fine manual adjustments to said horizontal translation mechanism.
2. The method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method as claimed in claim 1 comprises the steps of:
measuring said unintentional rotation in said yaw axle with a yaw angular position sensor;
proportionately incrementing or decrementing a yaw counter based on a magnitude and a direction for said unintentional rotation in said yaw axle;
proportionately incrementing or decrementing a horizontal correction counter based on a magnitude and a direction for said user input;
comparing a current value for said yaw counter to a current value for said horizontal correction counter in order to determine a value difference;
computing horizontal movement instructions in order to reduce said value difference; and
executing said horizontal movement instructions with a horizontal actuator, wherein said horizontal actuator controls movements of said horizontal translation mechanism.
3. The method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method as claimed in claim 1 comprises the steps of:
measuring said unintentional rotation in said yaw axle with a yaw angular position sensor;
proportionately incrementing or decrementing a yaw counter based on a magnitude and a direction for said unintentional rotation in said yaw axle;
converting a current value for said yaw counter into a horizontal deviation signal; and
sending said horizontal deviation signal to an external-devices communication unit through a yaw counter analog and digital interface unit.
4. The method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method as claimed in claim 3 comprises the steps of:
providing a pair of headphones communicably coupled to said external-devices communication unit, said pair of headphones comprises a left speaker and a right speaker;
proportionately synthesizing an audio signal in terms of volume for said left speaker,
if said unintentional rotation of said yaw axle is in a counter-clockwise direction;
proportionately synthesizing an audio signal in terms of volume for said right speaker,
if said unintentional rotation of said yaw axle is a clockwise direction; and
playing said audio signal through either said left speaker or said right speaker in order to notify about said horizontal displacement in said butt of said firearm.
5. The method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method as claimed in claim 3 comprises the step of:
resetting a yaw counter and a horizontal correction counter,
if said apparatus receives another user input through a start/stop control.
6. A method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method comprises the steps of:
providing an apparatus with a muzzle mount for a firearm, wherein said apparatus orients said muzzle mount with a pitch axle and positions said muzzle mount with a vertical translation mechanism;
supporting and aligning said firearm with said muzzle mount along an initial aiming direction;
repositioning said firearm with said vertical translation mechanism in order to reorient said firearm parallel to said initial aiming direction,
if said apparatus detects an unintentional rotation in said pitch axle,
wherein said unintentional rotation in said pitch axle indicates a vertical displacement in a butt of said firearm; and
repositioning said firearm with said vertical translation mechanism,
if said apparatus receives a user input through an elevation control,
wherein said elevation control allows for fine manual adjustments to said vertical translation mechanism.
7. The method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method as claimed in claim 6 comprises the steps of:
measuring said unintentional rotation in said pitch axle with a pitch angular position sensor;
proportionately incrementing or decrementing a pitch counter based on a magnitude and a direction for said unintentional rotation in said pitch axle;
proportionately incrementing or decrementing a vertical correction counter based on a magnitude and a direction for said user input;
comparing a current value for said pitch counter to a current value for said vertical correction counter in order to determine a value difference;
computing vertical movement instructions in order to reduce said value difference; and
executing said vertical movement instructions with a vertical actuator, wherein said vertical actuator controls movements of said vertical translation mechanism.
8. The method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method as claimed in claim 6 comprises the steps of:
measuring said unintentional rotation in said pitch axle with a pitch angular position sensor;
proportionately incrementing or decrementing a pitch counter based on a magnitude and a direction for said unintentional rotation in said pitch axle;
converting a current value for said pitch counter into a vertical deviation signal; and
sending said vertical deviation signal to an external-devices communication unit through a pitch counter analog and digital interface unit.
9. The method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method as claimed in claim 8 comprises the steps of:
providing a pair of headphones communicably coupled to said external-devices communication unit;
proportionately synthesizing an audio signal in terms of a higher frequency,
if said unintentional rotation of said pitch axle is in a first angular direction;
proportionately synthesizing an audio signal in terms of a lower frequency,
if said unintentional rotation of said pitch axle is a second angular direction,
wherein said second angular direction is opposite of said first angular direction; and
playing said audio signal in terms of either said higher frequency or said lower frequency through said pair of headphones in order to notify about said vertical displacement in said butt of said firearm.
10. The method of implementing an apparatus to improve aiming accuracy for a firearm, the method as claimed in claim 8 comprises the step of:
resetting a pitch counter and a vertical correction counter,
if said apparatus receives another user input through a start/stop control.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/264,044 US20150226524A1 (en) | 2013-04-26 | 2014-04-28 | Method of Use to Improve Aiming Accuracy for a Firearm |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201361816402P | 2013-04-26 | 2013-04-26 | |
US14/264,044 US20150226524A1 (en) | 2013-04-26 | 2014-04-28 | Method of Use to Improve Aiming Accuracy for a Firearm |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20150226524A1 true US20150226524A1 (en) | 2015-08-13 |
Family
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Family Applications (2)
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US14/264,044 Abandoned US20150226524A1 (en) | 2013-04-26 | 2014-04-28 | Method of Use to Improve Aiming Accuracy for a Firearm |
US14/264,033 Abandoned US20150226523A1 (en) | 2013-04-26 | 2014-04-28 | Apparatus to Improve Aiming Accuracy for a Firearm |
Family Applications After (1)
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US14/264,033 Abandoned US20150226523A1 (en) | 2013-04-26 | 2014-04-28 | Apparatus to Improve Aiming Accuracy for a Firearm |
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US (2) | US20150226524A1 (en) |
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US10371478B2 (en) | 2016-09-26 | 2019-08-06 | Kimberley Beadie Sexton | Bench block to aid in disassembling and cleaning a handgun and methods of making and using same |
US20200003523A1 (en) * | 2018-01-18 | 2020-01-02 | AxCM Solutions, LLC | Apparatus and method for assisting with firearm aiming |
WO2021080684A1 (en) * | 2019-10-25 | 2021-04-29 | Aimlock Inc. | Remotely operable weapon mount |
US11353278B2 (en) | 2018-04-30 | 2022-06-07 | Hydra Concepts | Systems and methods for firearm aim-stabilization |
US11530893B2 (en) * | 2020-07-06 | 2022-12-20 | John Raymond Perkins, JR. | Rifle rest |
Families Citing this family (1)
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US10557683B1 (en) | 2018-02-08 | 2020-02-11 | Joseph Staffetti | Controllable firing pattern firearm system |
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US20150226523A1 (en) | 2015-08-13 |
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