Target scoring and display system
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 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;
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 arrange in an X-Y transverse coordinate axis pattern;
target sheet mounting means mounted 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 long 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.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
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 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
33 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 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; 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 arrange in an X-Y transverse coordinate axis pattern; target sheet mounting means mounted 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 long 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, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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27. Apparatus for automatic electronic determination of location of passage of a projectile through a target area comprising:
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means for providing 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 one of the X coordinate light beams and at least one of the Y coordinate light beams transmitted across the target area; means for 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; means for 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; means for 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; means for 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 means for generating location signals representative of the location of the projectile during passage through the target area.
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32. Apparatus for determining the location of a projectile during passage through a target area having first, second, third, and fourth sides comprising:
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means for arranging and mounting at least two transversely extending rows of light emitting devices on the 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; means for arranging and mounting at least two transversely extending rows of light responsive devices on the third and fourth sides of the target area, the light responsive devices being equal in number to the number of light emitting devices on the first and second 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 row of light responsive devices is in coaxial alignment with one of the light emitting devices in an opposite row of light emitting devices; means for generating a criss-crossing coordinated matrix of separate individual closely spaced light beams extending across the target area 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; means for 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 so that a projectile fired through the target sheet and the target area interrupts at least one light beam in each set of X-Y coordinate light beams; and means for 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 (33)
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Specification