RANGE SCORING SYSTEM

• US 3,793,481 A
• Filed: 11/20/1972
• Issued: 02/19/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Homer B. Davis, John A. Ripley
• Original Assignee: Homer B. Davis, John A. Ripley
• Inventors: Ripley, John A., Davis, Homer B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US05/307,877
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 178/6.8,DIG.1,DIG.20,DIG.21,DIG.22,DIG.35,DIG.36,DIG.38 235/61.5S 35/10.2 340/324A,324AD 273/12.2R,12.2S,DIG.28
• US Class Current: 348/139
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 5/12 for indicating the distance by which a bullet misses the target F41J5/02 - F41J5/10 takes precedence

Abstract

There is disclosed a preferred embodiment of a semi-automatic range scoring system which utilizes a closed-circuit television system in combination with a light pen unit and computer. The observer uses the light pen to mark the point of weapon impact on a T.V. monitor screen for each of the camera displays. Each marking causes the light pen unit to transfer digital positional information of the point of impact to the computer. Once the impact has been marked twice, the computer immediately processes the positional data to determine miss-distance and display same. The system is also adaptable for scoring miss-distance with regard to a moving target. In both cases, miss-distance information is obtained on an almost simultaneous basis with the impact of the weapon.

Claims

1. A scoring system for a target range comprising:

a. means for viewing said range and the impact of weapons when such occur, b. means for displaying the output of said viewing means, c. a light pen unit responsive to the receipt of said viewing means output and the display of said displaying means for generating signals representative of impact location, and d. means for receiving said signals generated by said light pen unit and calculating impact position.

2. means for electronically processing said stored counts to calculate impact position.

3. A scoring system as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

a. said light pen further includes

4. A scoring system as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

a. said viewing means comprises

5. A scoring system as claimed in claiM 4, wherein said light pen unit further includes:

a. a photosensitive detector connected to said probe to convert the light received by the passage of said electron beam into an electrical signal, b. means responsive to the output of said counter and said photosensitive detector for latching the output of said counters at the counts accumulated at the time the probe senses the passing of the electron beam.

6. A scoring system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said transferring means includes:

a. a manually operable switch on said probe connected to transfer the latched count of said counters to said receiving and calculating means.

7. A scoring system as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

a. said receiving and calculating means includes

8. A scoring system as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

a. said light pen unit additionally generates signals representative of the instantaneous position of a moving target, and b. said receiving and calculating means further includes;

9. A scoring system as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

a. a video switch connected to the output of said pair of cameras, b. means for actuating said video switch for sequentially applying to said monitor for display the composite picture signal from said pair of cameras.

10. A scoring system as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

a. said actuating means is connected to said electronic processing means so that the video switch automatically switches from one camera to the other camera in said pair following application of the counts associated with said one camera into one of said registers whereby the counts obtained responsive to both camera outputs are sequentially derived and stored in said registers.

11. A scoring system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said processing means includes:

a. means for initiating processing of the contents of said registers after counts have been obtained in said registers representative of impact position as viewed by both cameras.

12. A scoring system as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

a. coaxial cables linking said cameras to said monitor for transmission of the composite picture signals.