WO2018106179A1 - Method for calibrating a shooting target system, method for determing an impact position on a shooting target, and a shooting target system - Google Patents

Method for calibrating a shooting target system, method for determing an impact position on a shooting target, and a shooting target system Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2018106179A1
WO2018106179A1 PCT/SE2017/051244 SE2017051244W WO2018106179A1 WO 2018106179 A1 WO2018106179 A1 WO 2018106179A1 SE 2017051244 W SE2017051244 W SE 2017051244W WO 2018106179 A1 WO2018106179 A1 WO 2018106179A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
shooting target
impact sensor
impact
sensor devices
target system
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE2017/051244
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Clas CARLBOM
Original Assignee
Straight Aim Ab
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Straight Aim Ab filed Critical Straight Aim Ab
Publication of WO2018106179A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018106179A1/en

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F41—WEAPONS
    • F41J—TARGETS; TARGET RANGES; BULLET CATCHERS
    • F41J5/00—Target indicating systems; Target-hit or score detecting systems
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
    • G01B11/00—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
    • G01B11/02—Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques for measuring length, width or thickness
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F41—WEAPONS
    • F41J—TARGETS; TARGET RANGES; BULLET CATCHERS
    • F41J5/00—Target indicating systems; Target-hit or score detecting systems
    • F41J5/06—Acoustic hit-indicating systems, i.e. detecting of shock waves

Definitions

  • the present inventive concept generally relates to the field of shooting targets and, in particular, to methods for calibrating a shooting target, methods for determining an impact position on a shooting target, and related shooting target systems.
  • a method for calibrating a shooting target system comprising a shooting target, at least one impact sensor device, wherein said at least one impact sensor device comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein at least one part of said shooting target system has a pre-determined size, wherein said at least one impact sensor device comprises a transmitter and a receiver, said method comprising the steps of: taking at least one picture of said shooting target system; identifying said at least one part in said picture; identifying said at least one impact sensor device in said picture; determining a scale of said at least one picture based on said pre-determined size; and determining a position of said at least one impact sensor device relative said shooting target based on said unique visual identifier and said scale.
  • the at least one part may be the at least one impact sensor device or the shooting target or part of the shooting target.
  • any part in the picture with a known size can be used to determine the scale of the picture. If more than one part of the picture have known sizes, all known sizes are preferably used to increase the accuracy of the scale determination.
  • the method can include determining a distance between impact sensor devices based on the pre-determined size to further increase the accuracy of the scale determination.
  • the target can be any target from a normal concentric ring target to a shape of an animal, which is usual when training to hunt.
  • the impact sensor devices do not need to be placed in a plane that is perpendicular to the shooting direction, as the position of the devices may be determined in a three-dimensional coordinate system.
  • Pre-determined is here used in the sense of that the size of the impact sensor device is known so as to use to determine the scale if the picture.
  • the step of taking at least one picture of said shooting target system may comprise taking a plurality of pictures with a view of increasing the precision in the determining steps.
  • the determination of the position will be slightly different for each picture.
  • An average value of the position(s) of the at least one sensor will increase both precision and accuracy of the position determination(s).
  • a picture series may be used for this purpose.
  • Each impact sensor device may further comprise a number of reflective elements.
  • the shooting target system may further comprise a shooting target, at least three impact sensor devices, wherein the at least three impact sensor devices comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein the at least three impact sensor devices comprises a transmitter and a receiver, the method
  • Each impact sensor device may comprise a number of reflective elements.
  • the method may further comprise comprising the step of recognizing the shooting target based on a comparison of said picture and a database of shooting target images. Many of them have nine concentric rings and a center dot, where the center dot represents 10, a hit within the first ring from the center represents 9 points etc.
  • the method may further comprise the further comprising the step of recognizing a point system pattern in the recognized shooting target image and relate the point system pattern to the determined scale and position of said picture. In that way a detected hit will be able to be translated to a point system so that the shooter will be able to receive a score of his shooting automatically.
  • a method for determining a shooting impact position on a shooting target the shooting target being a part of a shooting target system, the shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices, the shooting target system being calibrated according to the first or second aspect, the method comprising the steps of: in each impact sensor device, detecting a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target; and determining an impact position of the projectile based on the detected signal and the position of the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • the method may further comprise the step of presenting the shooting impact position in the picture.
  • Each impact sensor device may comprise a sound emitter, and the method may further comprise the steps of: emitting a sound through means of at least one sound emitter of the at least three impact sensor devices; in at least one other impact sensor device, detecting the emitted sound;
  • a shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices, each impact sensor device comprising a sensor, the at least three impact sensor devices being adapted to be arbitrary placed at a shooting target and separated so as to define a shooting target area, the shooting target system further comprising a communication device adapted to communicate sensor data from the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • Each of the at least three impact sensor devices may have a predetermined size.
  • the system may further comprise a computing device adapted to process the sensor data.
  • the communicating device may be arranged separately from the at least three impact sensors.
  • the communicating device may communicate wirelessly.
  • Each impact sensor device may comprise a number of reflective elements.
  • Each impact sensor device may comprise a sound emitter.
  • a shooting target system for determining an impact position of a projectile
  • the shooting target system comprising: at least one impact sensor device configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is adapted to be placed around a shooting target, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is configured to detect a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target.
  • the shooting target system may be configured to determine an impact position of a projectile on the shooting target based on detection and ranging of the detected signal in the at least three impact sensor devices and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • the detection and ranging may incorporate techniques for determining time of flight, interpreting changes in times, angles, frequency shifts, certain signal distortions and/or combinations of theses to detect distance, direction and velocity of an object.
  • the shooting target system of the fifth aspect may incorporate unique identifiers and predetermined size of the impact sensor device or devices for being able to perform the corresponding methods as described under e.g. the first aspect.
  • the system may further comprise a trigger sensor configured to be placed in front of the shooting target.
  • a method for determining an impact position on a shooting target the shooting target being a part of a shooting target system, the shooting target system comprising at least one impact sensor device configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is placed around the shooting target, the method comprising the steps of: in at least one impact sensor device, transmitting a radar signal; in at least one impact sensor device, receiving an echo of the radar signal, the echo being created by a projectile travelling towards the shooting target; determining an impact position of the projectile based on a time of arrival of the echo in the at least one impact sensor device. If a plurality of impact sensor devices are present, a relative position of the at least there impact sensor devices may be used to increase the precision of the position determination.
  • the shooting target system may further comprise a trigger sensor placed in front of the shooting target, and the method may further comprise the step of in the trigger sensor, transmitting a trigger radar signal; in the trigger sensor, receiving a trigger echo of the trigger radar signal, the trigger echo being created by the projectile travelling towards the shooting target; transmitting a trigger signal to at least one of the at least three impact sensor devices; receiving the trigger signal in at least one of the at least three impact sensor devices wherein the step of transmitting a radar signal is made in response to receiving the trigger signal.
  • the present disclosure describes methods for calibrating a shooting target system, methods for determining a shooting impact position, and related shooting target systems. Initially, some terminology may be defined to provide clarification for the following disclosure.
  • the senor may be a sound sensor, a radar wave sensor, an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, a gravity sensor, a temperature sensor, a radioactivity sensor, or any sensor performing a similar function. It is further to be understood that a sound may also be a Shockwave, an acoustic wave, or any other type of pressure wave.
  • velocity refers to both speed and direction.
  • pre-determined size of an impact sensor device should be understood as a pre-determined size, and/or a pre-determined shape, such as at least one pre-determined angle.
  • a signal "created" by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target is to be understood as a signal created by and/or having interacted with the projectile.
  • the calibration method utilizes signals transmitted and received by impact sensor devices.
  • the calibration method utilizes a pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices. It is to be understood that the features specified in
  • the shooting target system may comprise at least one impact sensor devices, such as four impact sensor devices. Each impact sensor device or any other part of the shooting system may have a pre-determined size.
  • the shooting target system may comprise a shooting target.
  • the at least three impact sensor devices may comprise a unique visual identifier.
  • the unique visual identifier is unique to each impact sensor device.
  • the unique visual identifier may for example be a color, and/or a bar code, and/or a letter, and/or any other type of visual identifier making it possible to identify and distinguish the at least three impact sensor devices from each other.
  • Unique visual identifiers may further be present on other parts of the shhoting system as e.g. on the shooting target.
  • Each impact sensor device may comprise a sound sensor.
  • Each impact sensor device may comprise a radio wave sensor.
  • the at one impact sensor device may comprise a transmitter and a receiver.
  • the at least one impact sensor device may further be configured to transmit and receive signals to and from each other.
  • the impact sensor device may have a conical or triangular shape, such that the sensor may detect signals originating primarily from a certain direction.
  • the shooting target system may be used for determining an impact of a projectile.
  • the projectile may have been fired from a handheld gun.
  • a user may place the impact sensor devices on a surface intended to serve as a shooting target.
  • the impact sensor devices may be arbitrary placed at the shooting target.
  • the impact sensor devices may be separated so as to define a shooting target area.
  • a projectile may impact the shooting target outside of the shooting target area. It is further to be
  • the impact sensor devices may detect an impact outside of the shooting target area.
  • the impact sensor devices may be arranged in a plane, wherein the plane is contained within the shooting target. However, it is to be understood that the impact sensor devices do not necessarily have to be arranged in a plane contained within the shooting target. Further, if for example four impact sensor devices are used, it is to be understood that the four impact sensor devices do not necessarily have to be arranged in a plane.
  • the impact sensor devices may be able to detect a projectile in a volume in front of the shooting target. The volume may extend a couple of meters in front of the shooting target, for example 3 meters.
  • the method may comprise the step of taking a picture of the shooting target system.
  • the picture may be acquired by a device capable of taking a picture, such as a smart phone.
  • the device may be capable of displaying the picture after it is taken.
  • the method may comprise the step of identifying the impact sensor devices in the picture.
  • the identification process may be performed by the same device used to take the picture.
  • Each impact sensor device may comprise a number of reflective elements.
  • the device acquiring the picture may deploy a flash.
  • the number of reflective elements may reflect the flash, and the identification of the impact sensor devices may be facilitated.
  • the number of reflective elements may be arranged such that an orientation of each impact sensor device may be determined. In other words, the direction in which each impact sensor device is facing may be determined.
  • the unique visual identifier may also take part in the step of identifying the at least three impact sensor devices. In other words, the unique visual identifier may be configured such that the orientation of the impact sensor device may be determined. It is also possible to combine the reflective element and the unique visual identifier, for example the unique visual identifier may be the number "one" written in reflective paint on the impact sensor device.
  • the method may comprise the step of, for each of the impact sensor devices, transmitting a signal unique to each of the at least three impact sensor devices, and receiving a corresponding signal from the remaining impact sensor devices.
  • one of the impact sensor devices may transmit a signal, and the remaining impact sensor devices may receive the signal.
  • the method may comprise the step of determining a distance between the a plurality of impact sensor devices based on a time of flight of the signal. In other words, the time elapsed between a transmittal of a signal from an impact sensor device, and a receipt of the same signal by another impact sensor device may be determined.
  • the step may further comprise
  • the distance between and relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices may be determined. This step may be seen as a form of triangulation.
  • the method may comprise the step of determining a distance between the impact sensor devices based on the pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices.
  • the method may comprise the step of determining a scale of the picture based on the distance between the impact sensor devices.
  • a length represented by one pixel may be defined based on the distance between the at least three impact sensor devices and/or the predetermined size of the impact sensor devices.
  • a number of pixels representing the impact sensor device may be determined, and a length represented by one pixel may be defined based on the distance between the at least three impact sensor devices and/or the pre-determined size of the impact sensor device.
  • the determined scale may be adjusted accordingly. For example, a vertical length and a horizontal length may be defined for each pixel.
  • any other object identified in the picture having a known size may also be used to determine the scale.
  • a known or standardized shooting target or a stcker or any other known object may be used.
  • the method may comprise the step of determining a respective position of the impact sensor devices relative the shooting target based on the unique visual identifier of the impact sensor devices and the distance between a plurality of impact sensor devices.
  • the picture may further show a bullseye of the shooting target.
  • the bullseye is here understood to be the by the shooter intended impact position.
  • the bullseye may be identified in the picture.
  • the bullseye may comprise a reflective element, facilitating the identification.
  • the position of the impact sensor devices may thus be determined relative the bullseye of the shooting target, based on the unique visual identifier of the impact sensor devices and the distance between the impact sensor devices.
  • the method may comprise the step of determining the position of the shooting target, such as determining GPS coordinates for the shooting target.
  • the device used to acquire the picture may comprise a GPS and acquire GPS coordinates in connection to acquiring the image.
  • the position from which the picture was taken may be determined.
  • the distance from the position from which the picture was taken to the shooting target, where the impact sensor devices are placed may be determined based on the pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices.
  • the picture of the shooting target system may be analyzed in order to determine the distance from the device taking the picture to the shooting target. This may enable a shooter to receive information relating to the distance from the shooter to the shooting target.
  • FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a shooting target system.
  • FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an impact sensor device and a shooting target.
  • FIGS. 3a-3c and 4 schematically illustrate an example of a method for calibrating a shooting target system, and an example of an impact detection in a shooting target system. Detailed description
  • the shooting target system may comprise at least one impact sensor devices, e.g. four as shown in the figures, each impact sensor device may have a pre-determined size, each impact sensor device may comprise a sound sensor and/or a radio wave sensor.
  • the shooting target system is preferably calibrated according to the methods described above.
  • the method may comprise the step of, in each impact sensor device, detecting a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target.
  • the method may further comprise the step of determining an impact position of the projectile based on the detected signal and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • an impact position of the projectile may be determined by determining a time-delay between the detection of the signal, created by projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target, by the impact sensor devices and using geometrical regularities.
  • the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices may be known through the calibration of the shooting target system.
  • Sensor data collected by the impact sensor devices may be processed by a computing device adapted to process the sensor data.
  • the computing device may be the same device used to take the picture in the calibration of the shooting target system.
  • the computing device may perform the step of determining an impact position of a projectile based on the detected signal and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • the projectile may be a projectile fired from a handheld gun.
  • the scale of the picture may further be determined by identifying any object in the picture with a known size.
  • the following is an example of a wind calibration for an acoustic type shooting target system. Subsequent to an impact of a projectile on the shooting target, and/or at pre-determined time intervals, a wind calibration may be performed.
  • Each impact sensor device may comprise a sound emitter. The sound emitter and the sound sensor of each impact sensor device may be directed towards substantially the same direction. The sound emitter and sound sensor may be arranged such that when the impact sensor device is placed on a shooting target, the sound emitter is positioned along an imaginary line passing through the sound sensor, the imaginary line being perpendicular to the shooting target surface.
  • the method for determining a shooting impact position on the shooting target may comprise the step of emitting a sound through means of at least one sound emitter of the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • the emitted sound may be detected.
  • each impact sensor device may consecutively emit a sound
  • the other impact sensor devices may detect the emitted sound.
  • a wind velocity may be determined based on a time-delay between the detection of the emitted sound in the other impact sensor devices, and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • the wind velocity data may be used to increase the accuracy of the determination of the impact position of a projectile, but may also be used to inform the shooter of the wind conditions.
  • the determined impact position as described above may be adjusted based on the wind velocity.
  • the shooter may use the wind velocity information to adjust his weapon according to the wind conditions.
  • the wind velocity information may be displayed by the same device used to take the picture and/or the same device used to calibrate the shooting target system.
  • the shooting target system may comprise a communicating device adapted to communicate sensor data from the impact sensor devices.
  • the communicating device may communicate with at least one of the impact sensor devices.
  • the following is an example of how the communicating device may function in the shooting target system. Any of the impact sensor devices may detect a signal transmitted from another impact sensor device and/or created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target. Sensor data representing the detected signal may be sent to the communicating device.
  • the communicating device may send the sensor data to a computing device adapted to process the sensor data, in which computing device the sensor data may be processed.
  • the computing device may be the same device used to take the picture in the calibration of the shooting target system.
  • a receiving device is arranged in proximity of the computing device, and the receiving device is configured to receive the sensor data from the communicating device.
  • the receiving device may be further configured to forward the sensor data to the computing device.
  • the computing device does not necessarily need to be configured for long range communication.
  • the communicating device may communicate wirelessly.
  • the shooting target system 100 comprises a shooting target 101 .
  • the shooting target system comprise four impact sensor devices 102, 103.
  • the impact sensor devices 102, 103 may be arbitrarily placed around the shooting target 101 .
  • the impact sensor devices 102, 103 does not necessarily have to be symmetrically placed around the shooting target 101 .
  • one impact sensor device 104 is placed in front of the shooting target 101 . This is one way to achieve a shooting target system 100 which can detect a projectile in a volume in front of the shooting target 101 .
  • the impact sensor device 104 can be seen as a trigger sensor device.
  • the trigger sensor device can sense a projectile travelling towards the shooting target 101 .
  • the trigger sensor device then communicates to the impact sensor devices 102, 103 that a projectile is travelling towards the shooting target 101 .
  • the impact sensor devices 102, 103 thus adjust a rate of detection and/or a timing of detection accordingly such that the projectile is detected by the impact sensor devices 102, 103.
  • the frequency with which signals are transmitted by an impact sensor device of a radar type may be adjusted, and/or an impact sensor device may wait for a trigger signal received from the trigger sensor before transmitting a signal intended to detect the projectile travelling towards the shooting target 101 . This increases the accuracy of an impact position determination.
  • the communication device 106 communicates with the impact sensor devices 102, 103, 104.
  • the communication device 106 may be communicatively connected to the impact sensor devices 102, 103, 104 by wire, and/or by wireless communication.
  • the communication device 106 may also or alternatively be communicatively connected to a receiving device 108.
  • the receiving device 108 may communicate data to a computing device 1 10.
  • the communication device 106 is further configured to process the sensor data.
  • an impact sensor device 202 comprises at least one unique visual identifier 212.
  • the impact sensor devices 202 may be arbitrarily placed around a shooting target 201 .
  • the impact sensor device 202 has a pre-determined size.
  • the pre-determined size comprises the impact sensor device 202 having a pre-determined angle A and/or a pre-determined angle B.
  • the impact sensor device 202 comprises an indicator 214 indicating in which direction the impact sensor device 202 is intended to be placed for optimal sensing of a projectile.
  • At least three impact sensor devices 302 are placed on a surface intended to serve as a shooting target.
  • four impact sensor devices are illustrated.
  • a relative distance between the at least three impact sensor devices may be determined.
  • the relative distance is determined by utilizing signals transmitted and received by the at least three impact sensor devices, and/or by utilizing a pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices. If signals are utilized to determine the relative distance between the at least three impact sensor devices, data relating to a time of flight of the signals may be sent to a communication device 306 to be further transmitted to a computing device for determining the relative distance based on the time of flight of the signals.
  • the shooting target may be a conventional shooting target featuring scoring fields and a bullseye. It is also possible to use any surface suitable for being impacted by a projectile, such as a piece of cardboard, a piece of wood, a tree, etc.
  • a picture is then taken of the shooting target system. The picture is preferably composed such that the shooting target and the at least three impact sensor devices are shown in the picture. A scale of the picture is determined based on the relative distance determined in the previous step.
  • the position of the at least three impact sensor devices relative said shooting target may then be determined based on a unique visual identifier of the at least three impact sensor devices, respectively, and the relative distance between the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • a shooter may fire a projectile towards the shooting target 301 .
  • An impact 316 of the projectile is detected by the at least three impact sensor devices. Since the relative distance between the at least three impact sensor devices have been determined, and since the respective position of the at least three impact sensor devices relative the shooting target 301 have been determined, the position of the impact 316 is determined.
  • an impact position on a shooting target 101 can be determined by a shooting target system 100 comprising at least three impact sensor devices, 102, 103, 104 wherein the at least three impact sensor devices are configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein the at least three impact sensor devices 102, 103, 104 are adapted to be placed around a shooting target 101 .
  • Each impact sensor device is configured to detect a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target.
  • An impact position of the projectile is determined based on a detection and ranging of the detected signal in the at least three impact sensor devices and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices.
  • the shooting target system comprises an impact sensor device 104 placed in front of the shooting target.
  • the impact sensor device 104 placed in front of the shooting target may be a trigger sensor which may share the functionalities of the above described trigger sensor.
  • the projectile may be a projectile fired from a handheld gun.
  • a shooting target system comprises at least one impact sensor device, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is placed around a shooting target, and wherein a method for determining an impact position on a shooting target comprises the steps of: in the at least one impact sensor device transmitting a radar signal; in the at least one impact sensor device, receiving an echo of the radar signal, the echo being created by a projectile travelling towards the shooting target; determining an impact position of the projectile based on a time of arrival of the echo in the at least one impact sensor device and/or an angle of the echo relative the at least one impact sensor device and/or a frequency shift of the echo, and/or an intensity of the echo, and a position of the at least one impact sensor device relative the shooting target.
  • the shooting target system may comprise an impact sensor device placed in front of the shooting target.
  • the impact sensor device placed in front of the shooting target may be a trigger sensor which may share the functionalities of the above described trigger sensor.
  • the method may further comprise the steps of: in the trigger sensor, transmitting a trigger radar signal; in the trigger sensor, receiving a trigger echo of the trigger radar signal, the trigger echo being created by the projectile travelling towards the shooting target; transmitting a trigger signal to at least the at least one impact sensor device receiving said trigger signal in the at least one impact sensor device; wherein the step of in the at least one impact sensor device transmitting a radar signal is made in response to receiving the trigger signal.
  • a method for calibrating a shooting target system comprising a shooting target, at least three impact sensor devices, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices comprises a transmitter and a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:
  • a method for calibrating a shooting target system comprising a shooting target, at least three impact sensor devices, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices have a pre-determined size, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices comprises a transmitter and a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:
  • a method for determining a shooting impact position on a shooting target said shooting target being a part of a shooting target system, said shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices, said shooting target system being calibrated according to the method of anyone of embodiments 1 to 2, said method comprising the steps of:
  • each impact sensor device detecting a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting said shooting target
  • each impact sensor device comprises a sound emitter, said method further comprising the steps of:
  • a shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices, each impact sensor device comprising a sensor, said at least three impact sensor devices being adapted to be arbitrary placed at a shooting target and separated so as to define a shooting target area, said shooting target system further comprising a communication device adapted to communicate sensor data from said at least three impact sensor devices, wherein the shooting system is adapted to execute the method according to any one of the above embodiments.
  • each impact sensor device comprises a sound emitter.
  • a shooting target system for determining an impact position of a projectile comprising:
  • At least three impact sensor devices configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices are adapted to be placed around a shooting target, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices are configured to detect a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting said shooting target.
  • a method for determining an impact position on a shooting target said shooting target being a part of a shooting target system, said shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices are placed around said shooting target, said method comprising the steps of:
  • At least one impact sensor device transmitting a radar signal; in at least one impact sensor device, receiving an echo of said radar signal, said echo being created by a projectile travelling towards said shooting target;

Abstract

This inventive concept relates to a method for calibrating a shooting target system, methods for determining an impact position on a shooting target, and a shooting target system. The shooting target system comprises a shooting target,at least one impact sensor device, wherein the at least one impact sensor devices mas a pre-determined size, wherein the at least three impact sensor devices comprises a transmitter and a receiver.

Description

METHOD FOR CALIBRATING A SHOOTING TARGET SYSTEM, METHOD FOR DETERMING AN IMPACT POSITION ON A SHOOTING TARGET,
AND A SHOOTING TARGET SYSTEM
Technical field
The present inventive concept generally relates to the field of shooting targets and, in particular, to methods for calibrating a shooting target, methods for determining an impact position on a shooting target, and related shooting target systems.
Background
Shooting targets with electronic shooting position determination are widespread as "electronic shooting targets" for training purposes as well as for shooting contests. In the presently known systems, the signal generated when the projectile passes through the object forming the target surface is measured by multiple sensors, and the shooting position is then determined on the basis of the delay times of the measurement data provided by the sensors. Examples of different types of such systems include acoustic systems and electronically conductive systems.
However, connecting and replacing such target systems is
cumbersome and there are significant costs in acquiring and installing such systems. Further, these systems do not accurately and dynamically correct for sensor errors. Still further, acoustic based systems are often bulky and complex owing to modifications needed to compensate for wind conditions in outdoor environments.
Summary of the invention
It is an object of the present inventive concept to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantages singly or in combination.
According to a first aspect of the inventive concept, these and other objects are achieved in full, or at least in part, by a method for calibrating a shooting target system, the shooting target system comprising a shooting target, at least one impact sensor device, wherein said at least one impact sensor device comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein at least one part of said shooting target system has a pre-determined size, wherein said at least one impact sensor device comprises a transmitter and a receiver, said method comprising the steps of: taking at least one picture of said shooting target system; identifying said at least one part in said picture; identifying said at least one impact sensor device in said picture; determining a scale of said at least one picture based on said pre-determined size; and determining a position of said at least one impact sensor device relative said shooting target based on said unique visual identifier and said scale.
The at least one part may be the at least one impact sensor device or the shooting target or part of the shooting target. Basically any part in the picture with a known size can be used to determine the scale of the picture. If more than one part of the picture have known sizes, all known sizes are preferably used to increase the accuracy of the scale determination.
All available and identifiable geometries in the picture as size and orientation of known parts may be used to determine the scale of the picture.
In case the shooting system comprises two or more impact sensor devices, the method can include determining a distance between impact sensor devices based on the pre-determined size to further increase the accuracy of the scale determination.
As the impact sensor device or impact sensor devices are placed arbitrary around a target, the target can be any target from a normal concentric ring target to a shape of an animal, which is usual when training to hunt. The impact sensor devices do not need to be placed in a plane that is perpendicular to the shooting direction, as the position of the devices may be determined in a three-dimensional coordinate system.
Pre-determined is here used in the sense of that the size of the impact sensor device is known so as to use to determine the scale if the picture.
The step of taking at least one picture of said shooting target system may comprise taking a plurality of pictures with a view of increasing the precision in the determining steps. The determination of the position will be slightly different for each picture. An average value of the position(s) of the at least one sensor will increase both precision and accuracy of the position determination(s). In case the method is executed by a smart phone or modern camera, a picture series may be used for this purpose.
Each impact sensor device may further comprise a number of reflective elements.
The shooting target system may further comprise a shooting target, at least three impact sensor devices, wherein the at least three impact sensor devices comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein the at least three impact sensor devices comprises a transmitter and a receiver, the method
comprising the steps of: taking at least one picture of the shooting target system; identifying the at least three impact sensor devices in the at least one picture; for each of the at least three impact sensor devices, transmitting a signal unique to each of the at least three impact sensor devices, and receiving a corresponding signal from the remaining impact sensor devices; determining a distance between the at least three impact sensor devices based on a time of flight of the signal; determining a scale of the at least one picture based on the distance; and determining a respective position of the at least three impact sensor devices relative the shooting target based on the unique visual identifier and the distance. Each impact sensor device may comprise a number of reflective elements.
The method may further comprise comprising the step of recognizing the shooting target based on a comparison of said picture and a database of shooting target images. Many of them have nine concentric rings and a center dot, where the center dot represents 10, a hit within the first ring from the center represents 9 points etc.
The method may further comprise the further comprising the step of recognizing a point system pattern in the recognized shooting target image and relate the point system pattern to the determined scale and position of said picture. In that way a detected hit will be able to be translated to a point system so that the shooter will be able to receive a score of his shooting automatically.
According to a second aspect of the inventive concept, these and other objects are achieved in full, or at least in part, by a method for determining a shooting impact position on a shooting target, the shooting target being a part of a shooting target system, the shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices, the shooting target system being calibrated according to the first or second aspect, the method comprising the steps of: in each impact sensor device, detecting a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target; and determining an impact position of the projectile based on the detected signal and the position of the at least three impact sensor devices.
The method may further comprise the step of presenting the shooting impact position in the picture. Each impact sensor device may comprise a sound emitter, and the method may further comprise the steps of: emitting a sound through means of at least one sound emitter of the at least three impact sensor devices; in at least one other impact sensor device, detecting the emitted sound;
determining a wind velocity based on the detected sound; and adjusting the determined impact position based on the wind velocity.
According to a third aspect of the inventive concept, these and other objects are achieved in full, or at least in part, by a shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices, each impact sensor device comprising a sensor, the at least three impact sensor devices being adapted to be arbitrary placed at a shooting target and separated so as to define a shooting target area, the shooting target system further comprising a communication device adapted to communicate sensor data from the at least three impact sensor devices.
Each of the at least three impact sensor devices may have a predetermined size.
The system may further comprise a computing device adapted to process the sensor data.
The communicating device may be arranged separately from the at least three impact sensors.
The communicating device may communicate wirelessly.
Each impact sensor device may comprise a number of reflective elements.
Each impact sensor device may comprise a sound emitter.
According to a fourth aspect of the inventive concept, these and other objects are achieved in full, or at least in part, by a shooting target system for determining an impact position of a projectile, the shooting target system comprising: at least one impact sensor device configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is adapted to be placed around a shooting target, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is configured to detect a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target.
The shooting target system may be configured to determine an impact position of a projectile on the shooting target based on detection and ranging of the detected signal in the at least three impact sensor devices and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices. The detection and ranging may incorporate techniques for determining time of flight, interpreting changes in times, angles, frequency shifts, certain signal distortions and/or combinations of theses to detect distance, direction and velocity of an object.
The shooting target system of the fifth aspect, as well as all other aspects described herein, may incorporate unique identifiers and predetermined size of the impact sensor device or devices for being able to perform the corresponding methods as described under e.g. the first aspect.
The system may further comprise a trigger sensor configured to be placed in front of the shooting target.
According to a fifth aspect of the inventive concept, these and other objects are achieved in full, or at least in part, by a method for determining an impact position on a shooting target, the shooting target being a part of a shooting target system, the shooting target system comprising at least one impact sensor device configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is placed around the shooting target, the method comprising the steps of: in at least one impact sensor device, transmitting a radar signal; in at least one impact sensor device, receiving an echo of the radar signal, the echo being created by a projectile travelling towards the shooting target; determining an impact position of the projectile based on a time of arrival of the echo in the at least one impact sensor device. If a plurality of impact sensor devices are present, a relative position of the at least there impact sensor devices may be used to increase the precision of the position determination.
The shooting target system may further comprise a trigger sensor placed in front of the shooting target, and the method may further comprise the step of in the trigger sensor, transmitting a trigger radar signal; in the trigger sensor, receiving a trigger echo of the trigger radar signal, the trigger echo being created by the projectile travelling towards the shooting target; transmitting a trigger signal to at least one of the at least three impact sensor devices; receiving the trigger signal in at least one of the at least three impact sensor devices wherein the step of transmitting a radar signal is made in response to receiving the trigger signal.
The present disclosure describes methods for calibrating a shooting target system, methods for determining a shooting impact position, and related shooting target systems. Initially, some terminology may be defined to provide clarification for the following disclosure.
Throughout the present disclosure, reference is made to sensors. It is to be understood that the sensor may be a sound sensor, a radar wave sensor, an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, a gravity sensor, a temperature sensor, a radioactivity sensor, or any sensor performing a similar function. It is further to be understood that a sound may also be a Shockwave, an acoustic wave, or any other type of pressure wave.
The term "velocity" refer to both speed and direction.
The term "pre-determined size" of an impact sensor device should be understood as a pre-determined size, and/or a pre-determined shape, such as at least one pre-determined angle.
A signal "created" by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target is to be understood as a signal created by and/or having interacted with the projectile.
The following sections will describe examples of methods for calibrating a shooting target system. In one example, the calibration method utilizes signals transmitted and received by impact sensor devices. In another example, the calibration method utilizes a pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices. It is to be understood that the features specified in
conjunction with the two examples of calibration methods can be combined. For example, it is possible to utilize both signals transmitted and received by the impact sensor devices, and the pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices, in order to achieve a more precise calibration of the shooting target system.
The shooting target system may comprise at least one impact sensor devices, such as four impact sensor devices. Each impact sensor device or any other part of the shooting system may have a pre-determined size. The shooting target system may comprise a shooting target. The at least three impact sensor devices may comprise a unique visual identifier. The unique visual identifier is unique to each impact sensor device. The unique visual identifier may for example be a color, and/or a bar code, and/or a letter, and/or any other type of visual identifier making it possible to identify and distinguish the at least three impact sensor devices from each other. Unique visual identifiers may further be present on other parts of the shhoting system as e.g. on the shooting target. Each impact sensor device may comprise a sound sensor. Each impact sensor device may comprise a radio wave sensor. The at one impact sensor device may comprise a transmitter and a receiver. The at least one impact sensor device may further be configured to transmit and receive signals to and from each other. The impact sensor device may have a conical or triangular shape, such that the sensor may detect signals originating primarily from a certain direction. The shooting target system may be used for determining an impact of a projectile. The projectile may have been fired from a handheld gun.
Prior to calibrating the shooting target system, a user may place the impact sensor devices on a surface intended to serve as a shooting target. The impact sensor devices may be arbitrary placed at the shooting target. The impact sensor devices may be separated so as to define a shooting target area. However, it is to be understood that a projectile may impact the shooting target outside of the shooting target area. It is further to be
understood that the impact sensor devices may detect an impact outside of the shooting target area. The impact sensor devices may be arranged in a plane, wherein the plane is contained within the shooting target. However, it is to be understood that the impact sensor devices do not necessarily have to be arranged in a plane contained within the shooting target. Further, if for example four impact sensor devices are used, it is to be understood that the four impact sensor devices do not necessarily have to be arranged in a plane. The impact sensor devices may be able to detect a projectile in a volume in front of the shooting target. The volume may extend a couple of meters in front of the shooting target, for example 3 meters.
The method may comprise the step of taking a picture of the shooting target system. The picture may be acquired by a device capable of taking a picture, such as a smart phone. Preferably, the device may be capable of displaying the picture after it is taken.
The method may comprise the step of identifying the impact sensor devices in the picture. The identification process may be performed by the same device used to take the picture. Each impact sensor device may comprise a number of reflective elements. In the step of taking a picture of the shooting target system, the device acquiring the picture may deploy a flash. Thus, the number of reflective elements may reflect the flash, and the identification of the impact sensor devices may be facilitated. The number of reflective elements may be arranged such that an orientation of each impact sensor device may be determined. In other words, the direction in which each impact sensor device is facing may be determined. The unique visual identifier may also take part in the step of identifying the at least three impact sensor devices. In other words, the unique visual identifier may be configured such that the orientation of the impact sensor device may be determined. It is also possible to combine the reflective element and the unique visual identifier, for example the unique visual identifier may be the number "one" written in reflective paint on the impact sensor device.
The method may comprise the step of, for each of the impact sensor devices, transmitting a signal unique to each of the at least three impact sensor devices, and receiving a corresponding signal from the remaining impact sensor devices. For example, one of the impact sensor devices may transmit a signal, and the remaining impact sensor devices may receive the signal.
The method may comprise the step of determining a distance between the a plurality of impact sensor devices based on a time of flight of the signal. In other words, the time elapsed between a transmittal of a signal from an impact sensor device, and a receipt of the same signal by another impact sensor device may be determined. The step may further comprise
determining the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices. Thus, the distance between and relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices may be determined. This step may be seen as a form of triangulation.
The method may comprise the step of determining a distance between the impact sensor devices based on the pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices.
The method may comprise the step of determining a scale of the picture based on the distance between the impact sensor devices. In other words, a length represented by one pixel may be defined based on the distance between the at least three impact sensor devices and/or the predetermined size of the impact sensor devices. In other words, a number of pixels representing the impact sensor device may be determined, and a length represented by one pixel may be defined based on the distance between the at least three impact sensor devices and/or the pre-determined size of the impact sensor device. It is to be understood that in the case the device displaying the picture has non-uniform pixels, such as rectangular pixels, the determined scale may be adjusted accordingly. For example, a vertical length and a horizontal length may be defined for each pixel. Any other object identified in the picture having a known size may also be used to determine the scale. E.g. a known or standardized shooting target or a stcker or any other known object may be used. The method may comprise the step of determining a respective position of the impact sensor devices relative the shooting target based on the unique visual identifier of the impact sensor devices and the distance between a plurality of impact sensor devices. The picture may further show a bullseye of the shooting target. The bullseye is here understood to be the by the shooter intended impact position. The bullseye may be identified in the picture. The bullseye may comprise a reflective element, facilitating the identification. The position of the impact sensor devices may thus be determined relative the bullseye of the shooting target, based on the unique visual identifier of the impact sensor devices and the distance between the impact sensor devices.
The method may comprise the step of determining the position of the shooting target, such as determining GPS coordinates for the shooting target. For example, the device used to acquire the picture may comprise a GPS and acquire GPS coordinates in connection to acquiring the image. Thus, the position from which the picture was taken may be determined. The distance from the position from which the picture was taken to the shooting target, where the impact sensor devices are placed, may be determined based on the pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices. In other words, because the size of the impact sensor devices is known, the picture of the shooting target system may be analyzed in order to determine the distance from the device taking the picture to the shooting target. This may enable a shooter to receive information relating to the distance from the shooter to the shooting target.
Other objectives, features and advantages of the present inventive concept will appear from the following detailed disclosure, from the attached claims as well as from the drawings.
Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc]" are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.
Brief description of the drawings
The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present inventive concept, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of different embodiments of the present inventive concept, with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a shooting target system.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an impact sensor device and a shooting target.
FIGS. 3a-3c and 4 schematically illustrate an example of a method for calibrating a shooting target system, and an example of an impact detection in a shooting target system. Detailed description
An example of a method for determining a shooting impact position on the shooting target is described below. The shooting target system may comprise at least one impact sensor devices, e.g. four as shown in the figures, each impact sensor device may have a pre-determined size, each impact sensor device may comprise a sound sensor and/or a radio wave sensor. The shooting target system is preferably calibrated according to the methods described above. The method may comprise the step of, in each impact sensor device, detecting a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target. The method may further comprise the step of determining an impact position of the projectile based on the detected signal and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices. In other words, an impact position of the projectile may be determined by determining a time-delay between the detection of the signal, created by projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target, by the impact sensor devices and using geometrical regularities. The relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices may be known through the calibration of the shooting target system. Sensor data collected by the impact sensor devices may be processed by a computing device adapted to process the sensor data. For example, the computing device may be the same device used to take the picture in the calibration of the shooting target system. Thus, the computing device may perform the step of determining an impact position of a projectile based on the detected signal and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices. The projectile may be a projectile fired from a handheld gun.
The scale of the picture may further be determined by identifying any object in the picture with a known size. The following is an example of a wind calibration for an acoustic type shooting target system. Subsequent to an impact of a projectile on the shooting target, and/or at pre-determined time intervals, a wind calibration may be performed. Each impact sensor device may comprise a sound emitter. The sound emitter and the sound sensor of each impact sensor device may be directed towards substantially the same direction. The sound emitter and sound sensor may be arranged such that when the impact sensor device is placed on a shooting target, the sound emitter is positioned along an imaginary line passing through the sound sensor, the imaginary line being perpendicular to the shooting target surface. The method for determining a shooting impact position on the shooting target may comprise the step of emitting a sound through means of at least one sound emitter of the at least three impact sensor devices. In at least one other impact sensor device, the emitted sound may be detected. In other words, each impact sensor device may consecutively emit a sound, and the other impact sensor devices may detect the emitted sound. Thus, a wind velocity may be determined based on a time-delay between the detection of the emitted sound in the other impact sensor devices, and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices. The wind velocity data may be used to increase the accuracy of the determination of the impact position of a projectile, but may also be used to inform the shooter of the wind conditions. In other words, the determined impact position as described above may be adjusted based on the wind velocity. The shooter may use the wind velocity information to adjust his weapon according to the wind conditions. The wind velocity information may be displayed by the same device used to take the picture and/or the same device used to calibrate the shooting target system.
The shooting target system may comprise a communicating device adapted to communicate sensor data from the impact sensor devices. The communicating device may communicate with at least one of the impact sensor devices. The following is an example of how the communicating device may function in the shooting target system. Any of the impact sensor devices may detect a signal transmitted from another impact sensor device and/or created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target. Sensor data representing the detected signal may be sent to the communicating device. The communicating device may send the sensor data to a computing device adapted to process the sensor data, in which computing device the sensor data may be processed. The computing device may be the same device used to take the picture in the calibration of the shooting target system. An advantage with this approach is that sensor data may be processed by a separate device, thus decreasing the need for processing power in the shooting target system. In one example, a receiving device is arranged in proximity of the computing device, and the receiving device is configured to receive the sensor data from the communicating device. The receiving device may be further configured to forward the sensor data to the computing device. Thus, the computing device does not necessarily need to be configured for long range communication. The communicating device may communicate wirelessly.
Referring to FIG. 1 , an example of a shooting target system 100 is illustrated. The shooting target system 100 comprises a shooting target 101 . The shooting target system comprise four impact sensor devices 102, 103. As can be seen, the impact sensor devices 102, 103 may be arbitrarily placed around the shooting target 101 . In other words, the impact sensor devices 102, 103 does not necessarily have to be symmetrically placed around the shooting target 101 . In Fig. 1 one impact sensor device 104 is placed in front of the shooting target 101 . This is one way to achieve a shooting target system 100 which can detect a projectile in a volume in front of the shooting target 101 . The impact sensor device 104 can be seen as a trigger sensor device. The trigger sensor device can sense a projectile travelling towards the shooting target 101 . The trigger sensor device then communicates to the impact sensor devices 102, 103 that a projectile is travelling towards the shooting target 101 . The impact sensor devices 102, 103 thus adjust a rate of detection and/or a timing of detection accordingly such that the projectile is detected by the impact sensor devices 102, 103. In other words, the frequency with which signals are transmitted by an impact sensor device of a radar type may be adjusted, and/or an impact sensor device may wait for a trigger signal received from the trigger sensor before transmitting a signal intended to detect the projectile travelling towards the shooting target 101 . This increases the accuracy of an impact position determination. A
communication device 106 communicates with the impact sensor devices 102, 103, 104. The communication device 106 may be communicatively connected to the impact sensor devices 102, 103, 104 by wire, and/or by wireless communication. The communication device 106 may also or alternatively be communicatively connected to a receiving device 108. The receiving device 108 may communicate data to a computing device 1 10. The communication device 106 is further configured to process the sensor data.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an impact sensor device 202 comprises at least one unique visual identifier 212. The impact sensor devices 202 may be arbitrarily placed around a shooting target 201 . The impact sensor device 202 has a pre-determined size. The pre-determined size comprises the impact sensor device 202 having a pre-determined angle A and/or a pre-determined angle B. The impact sensor device 202 comprises an indicator 214 indicating in which direction the impact sensor device 202 is intended to be placed for optimal sensing of a projectile.
Referring now to FIGS. 3a-3c and 4, at least three impact sensor devices 302 (numbered 1 -4) are placed on a surface intended to serve as a shooting target. Here, four impact sensor devices are illustrated.
Next, a relative distance between the at least three impact sensor devices may be determined. The relative distance is determined by utilizing signals transmitted and received by the at least three impact sensor devices, and/or by utilizing a pre-determined size of the impact sensor devices. If signals are utilized to determine the relative distance between the at least three impact sensor devices, data relating to a time of flight of the signals may be sent to a communication device 306 to be further transmitted to a computing device for determining the relative distance based on the time of flight of the signals.
Next, the position of the at least three impact sensor devices is determined in relation to a shooting target 301. The shooting target may be a conventional shooting target featuring scoring fields and a bullseye. It is also possible to use any surface suitable for being impacted by a projectile, such as a piece of cardboard, a piece of wood, a tree, etc. A picture is then taken of the shooting target system. The picture is preferably composed such that the shooting target and the at least three impact sensor devices are shown in the picture. A scale of the picture is determined based on the relative distance determined in the previous step. The position of the at least three impact sensor devices relative said shooting target may then be determined based on a unique visual identifier of the at least three impact sensor devices, respectively, and the relative distance between the at least three impact sensor devices.
Next, a shooter may fire a projectile towards the shooting target 301 . An impact 316 of the projectile is detected by the at least three impact sensor devices. Since the relative distance between the at least three impact sensor devices have been determined, and since the respective position of the at least three impact sensor devices relative the shooting target 301 have been determined, the position of the impact 316 is determined.
According to one aspect of the inventive concept and referring to Fig.
1 , an impact position on a shooting target 101 can be determined by a shooting target system 100 comprising at least three impact sensor devices, 102, 103, 104 wherein the at least three impact sensor devices are configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein the at least three impact sensor devices 102, 103, 104 are adapted to be placed around a shooting target 101 .
Each impact sensor device is configured to detect a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting the shooting target.
An impact position of the projectile is determined based on a detection and ranging of the detected signal in the at least three impact sensor devices and the relative position of the at least three impact sensor devices.
The shooting target system comprises an impact sensor device 104 placed in front of the shooting target. The impact sensor device 104 placed in front of the shooting target may be a trigger sensor which may share the functionalities of the above described trigger sensor. The projectile may be a projectile fired from a handheld gun.
According to another aspect of the inventive concept, a shooting target system comprises at least one impact sensor device, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein the at least one impact sensor device is placed around a shooting target, and wherein a method for determining an impact position on a shooting target comprises the steps of: in the at least one impact sensor device transmitting a radar signal; in the at least one impact sensor device, receiving an echo of the radar signal, the echo being created by a projectile travelling towards the shooting target; determining an impact position of the projectile based on a time of arrival of the echo in the at least one impact sensor device and/or an angle of the echo relative the at least one impact sensor device and/or a frequency shift of the echo, and/or an intensity of the echo, and a position of the at least one impact sensor device relative the shooting target. The shooting target system may comprise an impact sensor device placed in front of the shooting target. The impact sensor device placed in front of the shooting target may be a trigger sensor which may share the functionalities of the above described trigger sensor. The method may further comprise the steps of: in the trigger sensor, transmitting a trigger radar signal; in the trigger sensor, receiving a trigger echo of the trigger radar signal, the trigger echo being created by the projectile travelling towards the shooting target; transmitting a trigger signal to at least the at least one impact sensor device receiving said trigger signal in the at least one impact sensor device; wherein the step of in the at least one impact sensor device transmitting a radar signal is made in response to receiving the trigger signal.
The inventive concept has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the inventive concept, as defined by the appended patent claims.
List of embodiments
1 . A method for calibrating a shooting target system, said shooting target system comprising a shooting target, at least three impact sensor devices, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices comprises a transmitter and a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:
taking a picture of said shooting target system;
identifying said at least three impact sensor devices in said picture; for each of said at least three impact sensor devices, transmitting a signal unique to each of said at least three impact sensor devices, and receiving a corresponding signal from the remaining impact sensor devices;
determining a distance between said at least three impact sensor devices based on a time of flight of said signal;
determining a scale of said picture based on said distance; and determining a respective position of said at least three impact sensor devices relative said shooting target based on said unique visual identifier and said distance.
2. A method for calibrating a shooting target system, said shooting target system comprising a shooting target, at least three impact sensor devices, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices have a pre-determined size, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices comprises a transmitter and a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:
taking a picture of said shooting target system;
identifying said at least three impact sensor devices in said picture; determining a distance between said at least three impact sensor devices based on said pre-determined size;
determining a scale of said picture based on said distance; and determining a respective position of said at least three impact sensor devices relative said shooting target based on said unique visual identifier and said distance. 3. A method for determining a shooting impact position on a shooting target, said shooting target being a part of a shooting target system, said shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices, said shooting target system being calibrated according to the method of anyone of embodiments 1 to 2, said method comprising the steps of:
in each impact sensor device, detecting a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting said shooting target; and
determining an impact position of said projectile based on said detected signal and said position of said at least three impact sensor devices. 4. The method according to embodiment 3, wherein each impact sensor device comprises a sound emitter, said method further comprising the steps of:
emitting a sound through means of at least one sound emitter of said at least three impact sensor devices;
in at least one other impact sensor device, detecting said emitted sound;
determining a wind velocity based on said detected sound; and adjusting said determined impact position based on said wind velocity. 5. A shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices, each impact sensor device comprising a sensor, said at least three impact sensor devices being adapted to be arbitrary placed at a shooting target and separated so as to define a shooting target area, said shooting target system further comprising a communication device adapted to communicate sensor data from said at least three impact sensor devices, wherein the shooting system is adapted to execute the method according to any one of the above embodiments.
6. The shooting target system according to embodiment 5, wherein each impact sensor device comprises a sound emitter. 7. A shooting target system for determining an impact position of a projectile, said shooting target system comprising:
at least three impact sensor devices configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices are adapted to be placed around a shooting target, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices are configured to detect a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting said shooting target.
8. The shooting target system according to embodiment 7, wherein said shooting target system is configured to determine an impact position of a projectile on said shooting target based on a time of arrival of said detected signal in said at least three impact sensor devices and said relative position of said at least three impact sensor devices.
9. The shooting target system according to embodiment 7 or 8, further comprising a trigger sensor configured to be placed in front of said shooting target.
10. A method for determining an impact position on a shooting target, said shooting target being a part of a shooting target system, said shooting target system comprising at least three impact sensor devices configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices are placed around said shooting target, said method comprising the steps of:
in at least one impact sensor device, transmitting a radar signal; in at least one impact sensor device, receiving an echo of said radar signal, said echo being created by a projectile travelling towards said shooting target;
determining an impact position of said projectile based on a time of arrival of said echo in said at least three impact sensor devices and a relative position of said at least there impact sensor devices.

Claims

1 . A method for calibrating a shooting target system, said shooting target system comprising a shooting target, at least one impact sensor device, wherein said at least one impact sensor device comprises a unique visual identifier, wherein at least one part of said shooting target system has a pre-determined size, wherein said at least one impact sensor device comprises a transmitter and a receiver, said method comprising the steps of:
taking at least one picture of said shooting target system; identifying said at least one part in said picture;
identifying said at least one impact sensor device in said picture; determining a scale of said at least one picture based on said predetermined size; and
determining a position of said at least one impact sensor device relative said shooting target based on said unique visual identifier and said scale.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one part is the at least one impact sensor device or the shooting target.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of taking at least one picture of said shooting target system comprises taking a plurality of pictures with a view of increasing the precision in the determining steps.
4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shooting target system comprises at least three impact sensor devices and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
for each of said at least three impact sensor devices, transmitting a signal unique to each of said at least three impact sensor devices, and receiving a corresponding signal from the remaining impact sensor devices;
determining a distance between said at least three impact sensor devices based on a time of flight of said signal;
determining a scale of said picture based on said distance; and determining a respective position of said at least three impact sensor devices relative said shooting target based on said unique visual identifier and said distance.
5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of recognizing the shooting target based on a comparison of said picture and a database of shooting target images.
6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of recognizing a point system pattern in the recognized shooting target image and relate the point system pattern to the determined scale and position of said picture.
7. A shooting target system for determining an impact position of a projectile, said shooting target system comprising:
at least one impact sensor device configured to transmit and receive radar signals, wherein said at least one impact sensor device is adapted to be placed around a shooting target, wherein said at least one impact sensor device is configured to detect a signal created by a projectile travelling towards and/or impacting said shooting target.
8. The shooting target system according to claim 6, wherein said shooting target system is configured to determine an impact position of a projectile on said shooting target based on a detection and ranging of said detected signal in said at least one impact sensor device and said relative position of said at least one impact sensor device.
9. The shooting target system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the shooting target system comprises at least three impact sensor devices.
10. The shooting target system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one impact sensor device comprises a unique visual identifier.
1 1 . The shooting target system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least three impact sensor devices have a predetermined size.
12. The shooting target system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a trigger sensor configured to be placed in front of said shooting target.
13. A method for determining an impact position on a shooting target, said shooting target being a part of a shooting target system according to any one of claims 7-12, said method comprising the steps of:
in at least one impact sensor device, transmitting a radar signal; in at least one impact sensor device, receiving an echo of said radar signal, said echo being created by a projectile travelling towards said shooting target;
determining an impact position of said projectile based on a detection and ranging of said echo in said at least three impact sensor devices and a relative position of said at least there impact sensor devices.
PCT/SE2017/051244 2016-12-09 2017-12-11 Method for calibrating a shooting target system, method for determing an impact position on a shooting target, and a shooting target system WO2018106179A1 (en)

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