ELECTRONIC ARCHERY SIGHTING SYSTEM AND BORE SIGHTING ARROW

• US 20100258628A1
• Filed: 04/09/2010
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nockout Outdoors LLC
• Original Assignee: Clean-Shot Archery Incorporated
• Inventors: Bay, Larry
• Granted Patent: US 8,286,871 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/404
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/35 for illuminating the target , e.g. flash lights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/467 for bows

Abstract

An archery sighting system and method for placing a reticule on a display. The system includes a housing mounted in fixed relation to a bow. The housing includes a rangefinder to generate a target distance signal indicative of a target distance between the bow and a target. A display is configured to depict a reticule. A chronograph generates a bow speed indicating a bow speed at which an arrow leaves the bow. A processor receives a bow speed signal from the chronograph, a range signal from the rangefinder. In response to the signals, the processor generates a reticule pattern on the display, the reticule is positioned to indicate an attitude of the bow necessary for an arrow released from the bow at the bow speed to strike a target at the target distance.

Claims

1. A sighting system for positioning a ballistic weapon such that a projectile leaving the weapon at a known speed will strike a target downrange, the system comprising:

a bore-sight laser configured to project a laser dot downrange along an axis, such that when the bore sight laser is resting within the weapon, the laser dot indicates the attitude of the weapon;

a housing held in adjustably fixed position relation to the weapon, including;

a rangefinder to generate a target distance signal indicative of a target distance between the weapon and the target; and

a memory to store a bow speed datum, a first known reticule position based upon a first known target distance, and a second known reticule position based upon a second known target distance;

a processor to receive the target distance signal from the rangefinder; and

a display configured to depict a reticule in a reticule position relative to the target and the eye of a user, the processor generates the reticule position in response to the target distance signal, the bow speed datum, the first known reticule position, and the second known reticule position, such that the user may see the reticule overlaid on an image of the target, the reticule being positioned to indicate an attitude of the weapon necessary for the projectile to strike the target; and

a mount to hold the housing in the adjustably fixed position relation to the weapon, the adjustably fixed position being selected based upon the position of the laser dot when the bore sight laser is resting in the weapon.

2. The system of claim 1,

wherein the housing further including

a chronograph comprising:

a sensor for sensing the presence each of both of a first reference and a second reference on a projectile as the projectile passes the sensor; and

an interval timer to determine a temporal interval between the passage of the first reference and the passage of the second reference past the sensor; and

wherein the processor is configured to store the bow speed datum in memory based upon the temporal interval.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the weapon includes a bow;

the projectile includes an arrow; and

the bore sight laser further includes an arrow shaft.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is a transparent OLED display positioned between the target and the eye of the user such that the processor generates the reticule on the transparent OLED display and the user observes the target by gazing through the transparent OLED display.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is an LCD display and wherein the housing further includes a camera in operative communication with the LCD display and being aimed in accord with the position of the housing relative to the weapon such that the LCD display generate an image of the target upon which the processor generates the reticule at the reticule position.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the transparent OLED display includes a coating to enhance the visibility of the target through the transparent OLED display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor generates the reticule at the reticule position based upon the attitude of the weapon relative to a horizon.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor generates the reticule at the reticule position based upon a temperature of the ambient air.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor generates the reticule at the reticule position based upon a wind speed vector.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor generates the reticule at the reticule position based upon the projectile.

11. A method for aiming a projectile to strike a target positioned downrange, the projectile being emitted ballistically from a weapon at a bow speed, the method comprising:

retrieving a bow speed datum from a memory;

retrieving a first known reticule position based upon a first known distance and a second known reticule position based upon a second known distance;

determining a distance from the weapon to the target;

extrapolating a reticule position based upon the bow speed datum and the first known reticule position, the first known distance, the second known reticule position and the second known distance;

generating a reticule at the reticule position on a display such that a user can view the reticule overlaid upon a view of the target, the reticule position indicative of an attitude of the weapon suitable to have the projectile strike the target.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein extrapolating the reticule position is further based upon at least one of a group consisting of arrow type, angle of a line from the bow to the target relative to a horizon, a wind speed vector, and an ambient air temperature.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the retrieving of a bow speed datum further includes:

receiving a first chronograph reference signal at a chronograph sensor, the chronograph reference signal indicative of a chronograph reference on the projectile passing the chronograph sensor;

receiving a second chronograph reference signal at the chronograph sensor, the second chronograph reference signal being separated temporally from the first chronograph reference signal by a temporal interval; and

storing a bow speed datum interval in memory, the bow speed datum being based upon the length of the temporal interval.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating the reticule at the reticule position upon the display includes generating a reticule at the reticule position upon a transparent OLED display through which the target is visible to the user.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the generating of an alphanumeric legend on the display representative of at least one of a one of the group consisting of arrow type, angle of a line from the bow to the target relative to a horizon, a wind speed vector, and an ambient air temperature.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating the reticule at the reticule position upon the display includes:

capturing a image of the target from the weapon at a camera; and

generating the reticule to include the image of the target to appear to underlie the reticule when viewed by a user.

17. An apparatus for generating a reticule on a display at a reticule position, the reticule position being selected to indicate an attitude for the bow, the apparatus comprising:

the display mounted on the bow in an adjustably fixed relation;

a memory including, in machine readable storage, a bow speed datum, a first reticule position for displaying a reticule on the display such when a user views the target at a first known target distance and elevates the bow such that the reticule overlays the target, the arrow released from the bow at the bow speed strikes the target, and a second reticule position for displaying the reticule on the display such that when the user views the target at a second known target distance and elevates the bow such that the reticule overlays the target, the arrow released from the bow at the bow speed strikes the target;

a rangefinder for determining a target distance between the bow and the target; and

a processor for extrapolating a reticule position for distances distinct from the first known target distance and the second known target distance based upon the bow speed, the first known target distance, the first reticule position, the second known distance, and the second reticule position.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to extrapolate the reticule position further based upon at least one of a one of the group consisting of arrow type, angle of a line from the bow to the target relative to a horizon, a wind speed vector, and an ambient air temperature.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the display includes a transparent OLED display and is mounted on the bow such that the user can visualize the target through a transparent portion of the display.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a camera mounted on the bow to capture an image of the target for underlying the reticule at the reticule position, the image of the target to approximate an image of the to be visualized by the user when holding the arrow at a fully drawn position.