APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR INDUCTIVELY POWERING AND NETWORKING A RAIL OF A FIREARM

• US 20120192476A1
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Colt Canada Corporation (Colt Defense Holding LLC)
• Original Assignee: Colt Canada Corporation (Colt Defense Holding LLC)
• Inventors: Compton, David Walter, Crocker, Gary Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,891,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 42/84
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 11/003 Mountings with a dove tail element, e.g. "Picatinny rail systems"
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for networking accessories to a firearm or weapon wherein the accessories are inductively powered from the rail and data is transferred between the accessories and the rail via inductive coupling. In one embodiment, a weapon is provided, the weapon having: an upper receiver; a lower receiver; a powered accessory mounted to a rail of the upper receiver; and an apparatus for inductively networking a microcontroller of the powered accessory to a microcontroller of the upper receiver and a microcontroller of the lower receiver, wherein the data is exclusively provided to the powered accessory from one of a plurality of coils located within the rail; and wherein the powered accessory further comprises a plurality of coils and the powered accessory is configured to determine when one of the plurality of coils of the powered accessory is adjacent to the one of the plurality of coils of the rail.

Claims

1. A rail for a weapon, the rail comprising:

a plurality of slots and a plurality of ribs each being located in an alternating fashion on a surface of the rail;

a first plurality of pins each having an end portion located on a surface of one of a first plurality of the plurality of ribs;

a second plurality of pins each having a first end portion and a second end portion located on a surface of a second plurality of the plurality of ribs.

2. The rail as in claim 1, wherein each of the second plurality of the plurality of ribs is adjacent to at least two of the first plurality of ribs.

3. The rail as in claim 1, further comprising a coil located beneath a bottom surface of each one of the plurality of slots.

4. The rail as in claim 1, wherein an intermediate portion of each of the second plurality of pins is located adjacent to a switch located in the rail, wherein the switch is either opened or closed when the intermediate portion is magnetized.

5. In combination, a powered accessory and a rail configured to removably receive and retain the powered accessory;

an apparatus for inductively providing power and data to the powered accessory, wherein the data is exclusively provided to the powered accessory from one of a plurality of coils located within the rail; and

wherein the powered accessory further comprises a plurality of coils and the powered accessory is configured to determine when one of the plurality of coils of the powered accessory is adjacent to the one of the plurality of coils of the rail.

6. The powered accessory and rail as in claim 5, wherein the data is provided at two different rates.

7. The powered accessory and rail as in claim 5, wherein the rail further comprises:

a plurality of slots and a plurality of ribs each being located in an alternating fashion on a surface of the rail;

a first plurality of pins each having an end portion located on a surface of one of a first plurality of the plurality of ribs;

a second plurality of pins each having a first end portion and a second end portion located on a surface of a second plurality of the plurality of ribs.

8. The powered accessory and rail as in claim 7, wherein each of the second plurality of the plurality of ribs is adjacent to at least two of the first plurality of ribs.

9. The powered accessory and rail as in claim 8, further comprising a coil located beneath a bottom surface of each one of the plurality of slots.

10. The powered accessory and rail as in claim 8, wherein an intermediate portion of each of the second plurality of pins is located adjacent to a switch located in the rail.

11. A weapon, comprising:

an upper receiver;

a lower receiver;

a powered accessory mounted to a rail of the upper receiver; and

an apparatus for inductively providing power and data to the powered accessory, wherein the data is exclusively provided to the powered accessory from one of a plurality of coils located within the rail; and

wherein the powered accessory further comprises a plurality of coils and the powered accessory is configured to determine when one of the plurality of coils of the powered accessory is adjacent to the one of the plurality of coils of the rail.

12. The weapon as in claim 11, wherein the data is provided at two different rates.

13. The weapon as in claim 11, wherein the rail further comprises:

a plurality of slots and a plurality of ribs each being located in an alternating fashion on a surface of the rail;

a first plurality of pins each having an end portion located on a surface of one of a first plurality of the plurality of ribs;

a second plurality of pins each having a first end portion and a second end portion located on a surface of a second plurality of the plurality of ribs.

14. The weapon as in claim 13, wherein each of the second plurality of the plurality of ribs is adjacent to at least two of the first plurality of ribs.

15. The weapon as in claim 14, further comprising a coil located beneath a bottom surface of each one of the plurality of slots.

16. The weapon as in claim 14, wherein an intermediate portion of each of the second plurality of pins is located adjacent to a switch located in the rail.

17. A weapon, comprising:

an upper receiver;

a lower receiver;

a powered accessory mounted to a rail of the upper receiver; and

an apparatus for inductively networking a microcontroller of the powered accessory to a microcontroller of the upper receiver and a microcontroller of the lower receiver, wherein the data is exclusively provided to the powered accessory from one of a plurality of coils located within the rail; and

wherein the powered accessory further comprises a plurality of coils and the powered accessory is configured to determine when one of the plurality of coils of the powered accessory is adjacent to the one of the plurality of coils of the rail.

18. The weapon as in claim 17, further comprising:

an optical receiver/transmitter located in the rail for optically communicating with an optical receiver/transmitter located in the accessory.

19. The weapon as in claim 18, further comprising:

an optical receiver/transmitter located in the upper receiver for optically communicating with an optical receiver/transmitter located in the lower receiver, wherein optical receiver/transmitter located in the upper receiver is also coupled to the optical receiver/transmitter located in the rail.

20. The weapon as in claim 17, wherein the microcontroller of the lower receiver is coupled to a component remote from the weapon via a tether such that data may be transferred between the component and the microcontroller of the lower receiver.

21. A method of networking a removable accessory of a weapon to a microcontroller of the weapon, comprising:

inductively transferring data between the accessory and the microcontroller via a first pair of coils exclusively dedicated to data transfer;

inductively transferring power to the accessory via another pair of pair of coils exclusively dedicated to power transfer; and

wherein the accessory is capable of determining the first pair of coils by magnetizing a pin located on the weapon.