Equipment for simulated shooting

• US 4,592,554 A
• Filed: 04/03/1984
• Issued: 06/03/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Peter Gilbertson
• Original Assignee: Peter Gilbertson
• Inventors: Gilbertson, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mosconi, Vincent A.
• Application Number:
  US06/596,401
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 273/310, 273/312, 273/359, 273/365, 434/21, 434/22
• US Class Current: 463/5
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/02 Light- or radiation-emitting guns ; Light- or radiation-sensitive guns; Cartridges carrying light emitting sources, e.g. laser
• 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 3/2683 with reflection of the beam on the target back to the weapon
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 2/00 Reflecting targets, e.g. radar-reflector targets; Active targets transmitting electromagnetic or acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 5/02 Photo-electric hit-detector systems comprising a light-emitting device for simulating the firing of a gun F41G3/2622; detecting by optical means G01V8/10
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 9/165 with hit-marking or tracer means

Abstract

Equipment to simulate the firing of at least one projectile from a gun at a target such that a beam of electromagnetic radiation replaces the projectile trajectory. A hand held simulator includes a projector for generating such a beam of light, the power of which is no greater than 40 mW, in response to the operating of a trigger. If aimed correctly at the target, which is retroreflective, the beam is reflected back to the equipment and the reflected beam is received by a receiver which includes a collection of components connected in series. In view of the low power of the beam and the large distance over which the equipment is designed to operate, the components forming the receiver are designed to differentiate a fairly weak signal form the background light. The equipment may form part of a system of two or more simulators and a score unit in which a "hit" signal obtained at the receiver of a simulator is radiated to the score unit and the score is incremented for each simulator or team of simulators separately from the incremented score for other simulators.

Claims

1. Hand held epuipment for simulating the shooting of a weapon, said equipment comprising

a projector,

a target,

means for generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation and projecting said beam towards said target in response to operation of said trigger, and

receiver means for sensing incidence of said beam on said target and signalling a "hit";

wherein

(i) said means for generating a beam of electromagnetic radiation has a power no greater than 40 mW, is adapted to generate a modulated beam, and includes means for transmitting said beam as a pulse of predetermined duration in response to each operation of said trigger;

(ii) said target comprises a reflective surface operably situated to reflect said beam back along a path substantially parallel to said incident beam irrespective of the angle of incidence of the beam; and

(iii) said receiver comprises the following components operable in series, an optical band pass filter, a photodetector, an amplifier for amplifying the signal received at said photodetector, a synchronous demodulator for excluding all but signals of substantially the same frequency and phase as said emitted beam, an electrical gate, means for detecting the operation of said trigger, and a timer activated by said means for detecting the operation of said trigger and connected to operate said electrical gate after a predetermined time, signals being forwarded to said "hit" indicator only when said gate is open;

said equipment further comprising optical means resiliently mounted in the path of said beam and capable of responding automatically to movement of said projection immediately before firing with movement of said optical means to direct said beam behind the aim of said projector to account for the difference in speed of travel of said radiation and the projectile that it is to simulate, said resilience acting to return said optical means to its original position after said projector is still.

2. The equipment of claim 1 wherein said optical means comprises a system of lenses for adjusting the spread of said beam.

3. Equipment for comparing shooting skills comprising a plurality of pieces of hand held equipment according to claim 1 and a score unit comprising a signal processor and a visual display means, each piece of hand held equipment including means for radiating signals indicating a "hit" from said receiver means to said score unit, said score unit having means for identifying the piece of hand held equipment from which said radiated signal is sent and being adapted to increment the score reading for that piece of hand held equipment in response to a signal from the receiver means thereof.