Self calibrating weapon shot counter

• US 20110252684A1
• Filed: 04/06/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Select Engineering Services LLC
• Original Assignee: Select Engineering Services LLC
• Inventors: Brinkley, Kenneth Lee, Ufer, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,826,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 42/1.03
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 19/01 Counting means indicating the number of shots fired

Abstract

A microcontroller operated module is affixed to a firearm. The module includes an accelerometer for measuring the G force of each round fired by the firearm, a flash memory (non-volatile memory) for storing the shot profile data that includes shot count and recoil data and transmitting it to a remote location such as a remote computer via a serial communication device pursuant to RS232 standard, Bluetooth, a wave or other low power RF transmitter. The module including a wake up circuit adapted to switch upon detection of a fired shot to signal said microcontroller to initialize a low power mode to activate said MEMS accelerometer faster than said accelerometer would activate by itself.

Claims

1. A shot device for recording and transmitting shot profile data of shots fired from a firearm, comprising:

A microcontroller operated module affixed to a firearm;

said module comprising a MEMS accelerometer including at least one normally closed switch for measuring the G force of each round fired by the firearm, a non volatile memory for storing the shot profile data that includes shot count and recoil data a serial communication device for transmitting said stored shot profile data to a remote location via an RF signal; and

a wake up circuit adapted to switch upon detection of a fired shot to signal said microcontroller to initialize a low power mode to activate said at least one normally closed switch of said MEMS accelerometer faster than said accelerometer would activate by itself.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said wake up circuit is a normally closed g switch.

3. The shot counter according to claim 1 further comprising:

a temperature sensing device for measuring device for measuring the present temperature of said firearm wherein the temperature sensing device is in electrical communication with the shot counter;

a device for measuring an amount of twist induced in the firearm, and partitioned among progressive thresholds in increasing order of magnitude, namely;

low, meaning pintle-mounted;

medium, meaning tripod mounted; and

high, meaning hand-carried.

4. The shot counter according to claim 3 wherein the temperature is partitioned into one of three contiguous bins:

cold;

neutral; and

hot

5. The shot counter according to claim 3 wherein said device for measuring an amount of twist induced in the firearm, and partitioned among progressive thresholds in increasing order of magnitude, namely:

low, meaning pintle-mounted;

medium, meaning tripod mounted; and

high, meaning hand-carried.

6. The shot counter according to claim 1 wherein when a shot is fired a profile is extracted from memory from pre characterized x-axis acceleration profiles stored in memory corresponding to a present combination of acceleration, temperature and twist.

7. The shot counter according to claim 6 wherein the x-axis acceleration profile of the most recent shot is subtracted from the pre-characterized profile to obtain a difference plot and compared to pre-established thresholds, or more sophisticated techniques or means of evaluating the magnitude of deviation from the pre-characterized profile to determine if this an under pressure event, an over pressure event or a normal shot and if a normal shot it is recorded for shot strength.

8. The shot counter according to claim 7 wherein from the velocity (V) from the memory, as indicated by the caliber and powder charge of the most recently-fired round, a length of a barrel of said firearm is determined as:

L=V*D.

9. The shot counter of claim 1 wherein said shot counter is self-calibrating through an active two-way communication between a remote device such as a PC and said shot counter unit.

10. The shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter transmits a message to a supply depot providing a total number of rounds fired by said firearm and requests additional ammunition.

11. The shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter stores a maintenance log in memory for said firearm.

12. The shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter records time and date of each round being fired by said firearm.

13. The shot counter according to claim 12 wherein said recordal of time and date of each round being fired provides for documentation for use by law enforcement officers to recreate an incident when an officer discharges his or her firearm.

14. The shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter records the time and date of each round fired by said firearm and differentiates between actual rounds fired and blanks.

15. A shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said memory is partitioned to permit for additional storage.

16. A shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter transmits data utilizing various communications protocol.

17. A shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter has a two way communications link that includes error checking of data through said communications.

18. The shot counter according to claim 17 wherein said communications link is wireless.

19. The shot counter according to claim 17 wherein said communications link is wired.

20. A shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter transmits an audible or visual alert to a user of unsafe conditions.

21. A shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter includes a detection device for detecting jamming of said firearm and alerts a user that said firearm is unsafe to use.

22. A shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter is capable of configuration control and stores information on interchangeable parts such as a barrel.

23. A shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter processes the data to derive certain higher level metrics and stores said higher level metrics in said memory, said higher level metrics includes data as to whether shot was fired;

if a round was a blank or a bullet;

a maximum amplitude of a shot signal;

accumulative sum of the shot signal;

duration of a bullet traversing the barrel of said firearm; and

/or an indication of a strength of a round.

24. A shot counter according to claim 1 wherein said shot counter detects a round being fired from the firearm and notifies a central command that one or more shots have been fired.

25. A shot counter according to claim 24 wherein said shot counter has a communications link to transmit data to said central command that a shot was fired

26. A shot counter according to claim 25 wherein said communications link is a one way wireless link.

27. A shot counter according to claim 25 wherein said communications link is a two way wireless link.

28. A shot counter according to claim 25 wherein said communications link has a minimal bandwidth, a minimal message, such as a simple digital pulse on a specified frequency, but of sufficient security to prevent a false alarm, delivered to a nearby device capable of delivering the information to said central command.

29. A shot counter according to claim 23 wherein said data from the shot counter unit includes time, cadence, and number of shots fired.

30. A shot counter according to claim 28 wherein said nearby device is a cell phone or PDA.

31. A shot counter according to claim 30 wherein said cell phone or PDA is carried by an officer to, by establishing a link between the shot counter unit and the cell phone or the PDA carried by the officer so that when the PDA receives indication of a shot having been fired, it automatically sends either a phone message, text message, e-mail, or other known electronic communications transmissions indicating time and position where the shot was fired to provide assistance.

32. A shot counter according to claim 31 wherein position is obtained by the PDA through either global positioning satellite (GPS) system, or through location determined by the cell phone in which the PDA resides, or through dead reckoning through inertia sensors within the PDA, or other known electronic devices for identifying location.

33. A shot counter according to claim 32 wherein the shot counter unit on the firearm of an officer sends a message to an iPad in a squad car through an established Bluetooth connection and the iPad sends an e-mail through a 4G wireless communication link into which is inserted a present time and date, plus the global coordinates of the iPad, to Central Command so that the officer can be sent assistance without needing to request back up.

34. A method for self calibrating a shot counter, the steps comprising:

Communicating by an active two way communications link between a computer such as a PC and a shot counter;

Inputting specific round of ammunition shot data to the computer by a user;

Configuring said shot counter to send complete engineering data profiles; and

Analyzing shot profile information including temperature and optionally method of mounting and determines a most suitable set of calibration parameters from a pre-loaded set by said computer, wherein said set of parameters selected is that which provides a greatest margin between a metrics of a shot detection algorithm and thresholds established.

35. The method according to claim 34 wherein inputting a specific round of ammunitions is by a specific shot being fired by a user, such as a hand-held horizontal discharge using a specified round of ammunition.

36. The method according to claim 34 wherein inputting a specific round of ammunitions is by a inputting by a user a type of ammunition used for a specific shot.

37. The method according to claim 34 wherein said computer includes a program for analyzing a shot profile including the temperature, and optionally the method of mounting, and determines the most suitable set of calibration parameters from a pre-loaded set.

38. The method according to claim 37 wherein the set of parameters selected is that which provides the greatest margin between the metrics of the shot detection algorithm and the thresholds established.

39. The method according to claim 37 wherein additional steps will repeat the steps above, preferably with different variations, such as a different mounting method, a different type of ammunition, or a different temperature.

40. The method according to claim 37 wherein further additional steps include non-shot events, such as blank firing, butt strikes, and other abuse events for the purpose of determining an error margin for non-detection of a shot.

41. The method according to claim 37 wherein additional steps repeat the steps above, with different variations, such as a different mounting method, a different type of ammunition, or a different temperature.

42. The method according to claim 37 wherein multiple shots are gathered for the calibration process, said PC has an optimization routine to select the best choice from among many.

43. The method according to claim 42 wherein said optimization routine includes a least-squares-fit, a Hamming distance calculation, fuzzy logic, Dempster-Shafer data fusion, or other algorithm known to those skilled in the art of engineering optimization.

44. The method according to claim 43 wherein said optimization routine for determining the best calibration is by use of an evolutionary optimization, such as a genetic algorithm search routine, particle swarm optimization, or simulated annealing routine to independently search for the optimum set of parameters to maximize the margins.

45. A method for a shot counter including a microcontroller to determine if a shot was fired and if it was a blank or a bullet and other information about the shot, the steps comprising:

processing by said shot counter the data to derive certain higher level metrics;

storing said higher level metrics in said memory wherein said higher level metrics includes data as to whether a shot was fired;

if a round was a blank or a bullet;

a maximum amplitude of a shot signal;

accumulative sum of the shot signal;

duration of a bullet traversing the barrel of said firearm; and

/or an indication of a strength of a round.