Target scoring and display system and method
First Claim
1. A system for automatically determining the location of a relatively small size projectile, fired from a gun and travelling at relatively high velocity, relative to a target area and for scoring the proximity of the projectile to the center of the target, the system comprising:
- a first rigid quadrilateral frame means having spaced parallel vertical side portions and spaced parallel upper and lower horizontal side portions for defining a polygonal open target area therebetween;
said frame means comprising a first pair of two first and two second transversely extending flat side wall plate members and a second pair of two third and two fourth transversely extending flat side wall plate members arranged in a generally polygonal configuration with opposite ones of each pair of said side wall plate members being located in spaced relationship on opposite sides of said target area and being parallel to one another with an inner peripheral side surface of one of said plate members of each pair of plate members facing inwardly toward the target area and an outer peripheral side surface of one of said side plate members of each pair of plate members facing outwardly away from the target area;
at least two transverse rows of a plurality of separate closely spaced light emitting means mounted on said frame means with a first row extending along a first one of said vertical side portions and a second row extending along a first one of said horizontal side portions along the periphery of the target area for providing a multiplicity of separate, individual, generally parallel light beams of non-visible limited wave length of substantially circular cross-section extending across the target area projected directly through the atmosphere without passage through any intervening separate device extending across the path of the light beam and substantially covering the entire target area and being arranged in an X-Y coordinate axis pattern;
target sheet mounting means mounting on said frame means for supporting and locating a target sheet with target indicia on said frame means with the target indicia located in predetermined relationship with said X-Y coordinate pattern of light beams;
at least two transverse rows of a plurality of separate closely spaced light detector means equal in number to the number of said light emitting means and being mounted on said frame means with one row extending along a second one of said vertical side portions and a second row extending along a second one of said horizontal side portions along the periphery of the target area opposite the light emitting means for normally directly receiving a generally cylindrical column of uninterrupted light directly through the atmosphere without passage through any intervening separate device extending across the path of the light beam from an associated one of the light emitting means in the absence of the presence of a projectile in the target area and for enabling each light detector means to generate a normal standard separate signal indicative of uninterrupted receipt of light from the associated light emitter means and to generate a separate interrupt signal upon passage of a projectile through the associated light beam in the target area;
said parallel light beams having a diameter of less than one-half the diameter of the projectile and said light emitting means and said light detector means in each row being mounted in closely spaced laterally adjacent relationship so that at least two of said parallel light beams are interrupted and at least two of said light detector means generate a separate interrupt signal during passage of a projectile through the target area;
means for receiving said interrupt signal from each of said light detector means and determining the location of each light beam interrupted by the passage of the projectile through the target area and for generating coordinate signals representative of the x coordinate and the Y coordinate of each interrupted light beam; and
means for receiving and correlating the coordinate signals with prior established coordinate reference information to establish the precise location of the passage of the projectile through the target area and to generate control signals representative of such locations.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automatic target shooting system for determining projectile location relative to a target, calculating a score based upon the location, and displaying a replica of the target with an indication of the location of the projectile relative to the target and the score. A target support structure defines a target area with criss-crossing X-Y-type coordinate light beams extending thereacross between light emitter devices and light receiving devices which generate output signals indicative of the location of a projectile during passage through the target area. The output signals are utilized by a computer device to identify the location of the projectile relative to the target, and to score the shot in accordance with the location. A replica of the target is displayed on a CRT screen with an indication of the location of the shot thereon and the score for the shot.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A system for automatically determining the location of a relatively small size projectile, fired from a gun and travelling at relatively high velocity, relative to a target area and for scoring the proximity of the projectile to the center of the target, the system comprising:
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a first rigid quadrilateral frame means having spaced parallel vertical side portions and spaced parallel upper and lower horizontal side portions for defining a polygonal open target area therebetween; said frame means comprising a first pair of two first and two second transversely extending flat side wall plate members and a second pair of two third and two fourth transversely extending flat side wall plate members arranged in a generally polygonal configuration with opposite ones of each pair of said side wall plate members being located in spaced relationship on opposite sides of said target area and being parallel to one another with an inner peripheral side surface of one of said plate members of each pair of plate members facing inwardly toward the target area and an outer peripheral side surface of one of said side plate members of each pair of plate members facing outwardly away from the target area; at least two transverse rows of a plurality of separate closely spaced light emitting means mounted on said frame means with a first row extending along a first one of said vertical side portions and a second row extending along a first one of said horizontal side portions along the periphery of the target area for providing a multiplicity of separate, individual, generally parallel light beams of non-visible limited wave length of substantially circular cross-section extending across the target area projected directly through the atmosphere without passage through any intervening separate device extending across the path of the light beam and substantially covering the entire target area and being arranged in an X-Y coordinate axis pattern; target sheet mounting means mounting on said frame means for supporting and locating a target sheet with target indicia on said frame means with the target indicia located in predetermined relationship with said X-Y coordinate pattern of light beams; at least two transverse rows of a plurality of separate closely spaced light detector means equal in number to the number of said light emitting means and being mounted on said frame means with one row extending along a second one of said vertical side portions and a second row extending along a second one of said horizontal side portions along the periphery of the target area opposite the light emitting means for normally directly receiving a generally cylindrical column of uninterrupted light directly through the atmosphere without passage through any intervening separate device extending across the path of the light beam from an associated one of the light emitting means in the absence of the presence of a projectile in the target area and for enabling each light detector means to generate a normal standard separate signal indicative of uninterrupted receipt of light from the associated light emitter means and to generate a separate interrupt signal upon passage of a projectile through the associated light beam in the target area; said parallel light beams having a diameter of less than one-half the diameter of the projectile and said light emitting means and said light detector means in each row being mounted in closely spaced laterally adjacent relationship so that at least two of said parallel light beams are interrupted and at least two of said light detector means generate a separate interrupt signal during passage of a projectile through the target area; means for receiving said interrupt signal from each of said light detector means and determining the location of each light beam interrupted by the passage of the projectile through the target area and for generating coordinate signals representative of the x coordinate and the Y coordinate of each interrupted light beam; and means for receiving and correlating the coordinate signals with prior established coordinate reference information to establish the precise location of the passage of the projectile through the target area and to generate control signals representative of such locations. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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39. A method of automatic electronic determination of location of passage of a relatively small size relatively high velocity projectile through a target area comprising:
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arranging a multiplicity of single separate unitary individual light generating devices in a fixed X-Y coordinate pattern around the target area and generating a multiplicity of discrete separate light beams extending across the target area in a fixed X-Y coordinate pattern whereby a projectile passing through the target area will pass through at least two of the X coordinate light beams and at least two of the Y coordinate light beams transmitted across the target area; mounting a target sheet across the target area with target indicia on the target sheet located in predetermined relationship to the fixed X-Y coordinate pattern of light beams; arranging a multiplicity of single separate unitary individual light sensing and signal generating devices in the fixed X-Y coordinate pattern with only one of the light sensing and signal generating devices being located in coaxial parallel relationship with only one of the light generating devices and generating a first set of electronic signals indicative of the amount of light normally transmitted across the target area by each of the light beams in the absence of the passage of a projectile through the target area and generating a second set of electronic signals when a projectile passes through the target area indicative of each of the light beams interrupted by the projectile; identifying the location of each of the light beams interrupted by the projectile during passage through the target area by use of each of the second set of electronic signals; calculating the location of the projectile during passage through the target area by the identification and location of each of the light beams interrupted by the projectile during passage through the target area; and generating location signals representative of the location of the projectile during passage through the target area.
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44. A method of determining the location of a relatively small projectile during passage at relatively high velocity through a target area comprising:
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arranging and mounting at least two transversely extending rows of light emitting devices on first and second sides of the target area so that one row of light emitting devices extends transversely to one other row of light emitting devices and arranging and mounting at least two rows of light responsive devices equal in number to the number of light emitting devices on transversely extending second and third sides of the target area so that one row of light responsive devices extends transversely relative to the other row of light responsive devices and one of the light responsive devices in each of the light responsive devices row is in coaxial alignment with one of the light emitting devices in an opposite row of light emitting devices; generating a criss-crossing coordinated matrix of separate individual closely spaced light beams extending across the target area in substantially the same vertical plane with at least one set of closely adjacent parallel light beams extending thereacross in a first direction and at least one other set of closely adjacent parallel light beams extending thereacross in a second direction transverse to the first direction so as to provide an X-Y type coordinate light beam pattern wherein at least two of each set of light beams will be at least partially interrupted during passage of a projectile; mounting a target sheet across the target area with target indicia on the target sheet located in predetermined relationship to the fixed X-Y coordinate pattern of light beams; firing a projectile through the target sheet and the target area and interrupting at least two light beams in each set of X-Y coordinate light beams; and determining the location of the projectile during passage through the target sheet and the target area by measuring variations in the amount of light transmitted across the target area by each of the light beams. - View Dependent Claims (45)
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Specification