Method and System for Fire Simulation

• US 20090035730A1
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saab AB
• Original Assignee: Saab AB
• Inventors: Lindero, Bjorn
• Granted Patent: US 8,303,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/22
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/265 with means for selecting or varying the shape or the direction of the emitted beam
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2655 in which the light beam is sent from the weapon to the target
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2666 with means for selecting or varying PRF or time coding of the emitted beam
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2688 using target range measurement, e.g. with a laser rangefinder

Abstract

A fire simulation method and system for simulating ammunition from a weapon. The method includes determining a trajectory of the simulated ammunition, emitting a light beam along a simulation axis, and coding said light beam with information. The method includes determining a point in time when the simulated ammunition passes a target, determining a value related to the distance between the simulation axis and a momentary position of the simulated ammunition along the trajectory at that point in time, and emitting the light beam coded with the determined value during a predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A fire simulation method for simulating ammunition from a weapon, the method comprising:

determining a trajectory of the simulated ammunition,

emitting a light beam along a simulation axis, and

coding said light beam with information,

determining a point in time when the simulated ammunition passes a target,

determining a value related to the distance between the simulation axis and a momentary position of the simulated ammunition along the trajectory at that point in time and

emitting the light beam coded with the determined value during a predetermined time period.

2. The fire simulation method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the position of at least one potential target object, and directing the emitted light beam toward said target.

3. The fire simulation method according to claim 2, wherein the determination of the position of at least one target object includes determining the geographical position of potential target objects within a target area for the weapon.

4. The fire simulation method according to claim 3, wherein the aiming of the weapon is sensed and that the sensed aiming and information about the range of the weapon is used in determining the target area.

5. The fire simulation method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the point in time when the simulated ammunition passes the target object includes

determining a first distance between the weapon and each potential target object, and

comparing said first distance to a second distance to a momentary position of the simulated ammunition along the trajectory.

6. The fire simulation method according to claim 1, wherein the light beam is caused to execute a sweeping movement during the predetermined time period and wherein for each direction of the sweep a new value corresponding to said direction is determined and coded into the light beam.

7. A fire simulation system, comprising:

a transmitter arranged to emit a light beam along a simulation axis to simulate ammunition from a weapon,

coding means arranged to code the light beam with information,

processing means arranged to calculate a trajectory of the simulated ammunition, wherein the processing means further are arranged to determine a point in time when the simulated ammunition passes a target object, and

a control unit is arranged to activate the transmitter for a predetermined time period from said point in time, wherein the control unit is arranged to determine a value related to the distance between the simulation axis and a momentary position of the simulated ammunition along the trajectory at the determined point in time and wherein said coding means are arranged to code said light beam with the determined value.

8. The fire simulation system according to claim 7, further comprising:

means for determining the position of at least one target object, and

controllable steering means arranged to steer the direction of the simulation axis toward the target.

9. The fire simulation system according to claim 8, wherein the means for determining the position is arranged to continuously update the geographical position of the weapon and of potential targets within a target area for the weapon.

10. The fire simulation system according to claim 9, wherein the weapon is provided with an orientation sensor arranged to sense the aiming of the weapon and wherein the target area is determined by at least the aiming and the range of the weapon.

11. The fire simulation system according to claim 7, wherein the processing means is arranged to determine a first distance between the weapon and each potential target object and to continuously compare said first distance to a second distance to the momentary position of the ammunition along the trajectory in order to determine the point in time when the ammunition passes a target object.

12. The fire simulation system according to claim 8, wherein said steering means are arranged to cause the light beam to execute a sweeping movement during the predetermined time period and in that the coding means are arranged to code the light beam for each direction of the sweep with a value representative of said direction.

13. The fire simulation system according to claim 7, wherein said transmitter is a laser transmitter arranged so as to transmit laser radiation with at least one beam lobe.

14. The fire simulation system according to claim 7, wherein the coding means is arranged to code information in the light beam, which information identifies the target object.

15. The fire simulation system according to claim 8, wherein the fire simulation system is disposed at a weapon.

16. A weapon effect simulation system, comprising:

a fire simulation system according to claim 7, and

at least one hit simulation system provided on each target object, said hit simulation system comprising

means arranged to receive the emitted light beam and

means arranged to determine whether the corresponding target object has been hit based on the value coded in the light beam.

17. The weapon effect simulation system according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the hit simulation systems comprises a transmitter, and wherein the fire simulation system further comprises a receiver arranged so as to receive information from the transmitter of the hit simulation system.

18. The weapon effect simulation system according to claim 17, wherein the transmitter is arranged so as to transmit a hit message upon determination of a hit.

19. The weapon effect simulation system according to claim 18, wherein the control unit is arranged so as to break off the simulation upon reception of the hit message.

20. The weapon effect simulation system according to claim 16, wherein the means arranged to determine hit are arranged so as to determine the hit location on the target.