Method and apparatus enabling archery practice

• US 5,328,190 A
• Filed: 08/04/1992
• Issued: 07/12/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FATS, Inc. (Meggitt-USA, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dart International, Inc.
• Inventors: Hall, Howard F., Dart, Peter J.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRISON, JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US07/926,539
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 273/313, 273/314, 273/315, 273/316, 273/358, 273/359, 273/371, 273/373, 273/408, 273/416, 273/419, 273/440, 273/454, 273/460
• US Class Current: 273/358
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/0269 Bow and arrows
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2445 detecting reflected light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2476 Speech or voice synthesisers, e.g. using a speech chip
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 7/0664 Electric
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0291 with a simulated projectile, e.g. an image on a screen
• 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

Abstract

An archery practice device simulates dynamic targets, such as in an animal hunt, on a visible screen. A video disk contains a plurality of hunting scenes which are projected via a video projector on a vertical screen whose size simulates an area normally viewed by an archer during a hunt. The screen images are comprised of pixel areas arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns. A source of light of a spectrum outside the humanly visible range is provided adjacent the screen. Arrows penetrating this light field reflect light to a detector sensitive to light of said spectrum, but not sensitive to visible light otherwise. The detector generates a full screen signal of a plurality of pixel areas, certain of which contain indicia of light reflection from the arrow. Upon detecting such reflection, the scene frame is frozen on the screen. The frozen frame is coordinated to the signal from the light detector, whereupon a hit zone image is projected to indicate an arrow impact point relative to the frame image to show the scoring of the point of arrow impact.

Claims

1. A method providing archery practice simulating an animal hunt, comprising the steps of;

providing a video disk containing a plurality of scenes of animals in a natural environment,

providing a vertical screen whose size simulates an area normally viewed by an archer during an animal hunt, said screen comprising a plurality of pixel areas arranged in a plurality of horizontal rows and vertical columns,

providing a video projector spaced from one side of said screen,

coupling said projector to said video disk and using said projector to project at least one of said hunting scenes onto said one side of said screen,

providing a continuous full screen field of light of a spectrum that is not visible to a human, said field of light being spaced from but in close proximity to said one side of said screen,

providing an arrow that is capable of reflecting light of said spectrum as the arrow penetrates said field of light,

providing a detector that is sensitive to light of said spectrum and is not sensitive to a projected hunting scene, said detector being positioned to receive light reflected from an arrow as said arrow penetrates said field of light, and to then generate a signal corresponding to a pixel area of said screen, certain of which pixels areas contain indicia of light reflection from an arrow,

freezing said hunting scene on said screen upon said detector detecting light reflection from an arrow, and

coordinating said frozen hunting scene to the signal from said detector and thereby projecting a hit zone image on said screen to indicate a point of arrow impact thereon.

2. The method of claim 1 including the steps of

providing the arrow with a blunt end such that upon impact with the screen the arrow drops vertically out of the area of the screen, and

disabling response of said detector to secondary reflections that may occur during said vertical drop of an arrow.

3. The method of claim 2 including the steps of

providing said video disk with audio signals for each of said hunting scenes, said audio signals simulating the native environment of each hunting scene, and

coupling said audio signals to speakers located adjacent to said archer and in synchronism with the projection of hunting scenes onto said one side of said screen.

4. The method of claim 3 including the steps of

providing a plurality of kill zone images corresponding to the portion of said hunting scenes wherein a critical area of one or more animals therein are exposed to impact by an arrow,

coordinating a kill zone image on said screen with said frozen hunting scene when a kill zone image is provided therefor upon said detector detecting light reflection from an arrow, and

projecting a kill zone image on said screen to indicate the relationship between the kill zone image and the point of arrow impact.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said hit zone image comprises a plurality of concentric zones and a point of arrow impact, and including the step of scoring by determining overlap of said zone images and said arrow impact point.

6. A method providing archery practice simulating a dynamic target scene as in an animal hunt, comprising the steps of;

projecting target scenes in sequence on a screen for viewing as a dynamic target by an archer,

detecting an arrow hit at a hit location on said screen upon the occurrence of an arrow launched by said archer at a given scene,

freezing said given scene on said screen for viewing by said archer upon detection of said arrow hit at said hit location on said screen, and

projecting said hit location on said screen for viewing by said archer along with said frozen scene, with said arrow hit location visually indicated to said archer on said given scene as an indication of the accuracy of said arrow hit relative to said given scene.

7. The method of claim 6 including the step of

providing audio signals simulating the native environment of each hunting scene.

8. The method of claim 7 in conjunction with animal hunting scene presentations which includes the steps of

providing a kill zone image in said hunting scenes wherein a critical kill zone area of an animal therein is exposed for viewing by said archer and for impact by an arrow, and

coordinating a kill zone image on said screen with said given scene whereby the relationship between the kill zone image and said arrow hit location can be visually evaluated by said archer as said archer views said screen.

9. Apparatus for simulating a moving hunt scene for an arrow shot by an archer comprising

a screen having a vertical imaging plane,

means projecting a sequence of visual frames comprising said moving hunt scene onto said vertical imaging plane for presenting at least one hunt object visible to the archer,

means responsive to arrival of an arrow shot by an archer at said vertical imaging plane for sensing the coordinate location of said arrow on said plane,

means responsive to said sensing means for comparing said arrow coordinate position with said hunt object within one of said visual frames that was present on said vertical imaging plane when said arrow arrived thereat,

means for determining the accuracy of the arrival of said arrow relative to said hunt object presented by said one visual frame,

means responsive to said sensing means for freezing said one visual frame on said screen for viewing by the archer, and

means projecting said arrow coordinate position on said screen for viewing by the archer along with said one visual frame.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein said hunt object at least periodically appears to move and said screen includes means for stopping arrows by absorbing the impact thereof.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 10 wherein said screen includes a flexible sheet facing the archer for producing images of said visual frames and a pad parallel thereto and in backing relation to said sheet for absorbing the impact of an arrow shot by an archer.

12. Apparatus in accordance with claim 11 wherein said flexible sheet is formed by an open mesh first layer facing the archer and a solid second layer between said first layer and said pad.

13. Apparatus in accordance with claim 12 which includes spring means and wherein said first layer is of polyester material retained in position under tension by said spring means, said second layer is of felt fabric, and said paid is of carpeting material;

said apparatus further including means mounting said second layer and said pad for pivotal movement around one edge thereof.

14. Apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein each arrow includes means for reflecting light of a non-visible spectrum, said sensing means including means directing light of said non-visible spectrum upon said reflecting means of said arrow when said arrow arrives at said screen and detector means responsive to said non-visible light reflected from said arrow reflecting means.

15. Apparatus in accordance with claim 14 wherein said light directing means includes an elongated light source for directing a thin wall of said non-visible light parallel to the face of said screen imaging plane and in close proximity to said screen face.

16. Apparatus in accordance with claim 15 wherein said elongated light source includes an elongated array of light generators and a lens for receiving the light from said generators for collimating said received light into said thin wall of non-visible light.

17. Apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein said detector means includes means monitoring the entire face of said imaging plane.

18. A method for providing archery practice by an archer, comprising the steps of;

providing a video disk containing a plurality of visual scenes,

providing a reflection screen whose size simulates an area normally viewed by an archer,

providing a video projector spaced from one side of said screen,

coupling said projector to said video disk and using said projector to project at least one of said scenes onto said one side of said screen,

providing a full screen sensing field in proximity to said one side of said screen,

providing an arrow that is capable of being sensed as said arrow penetrates said sensing field, and

providing a detector that is sensitive to an arrow penetrating said sensing field, said detector being operable to generate a signal corresponding to a zone of said screen corresponding to said arrow penetrating said sensing field.

19. The method of claim 18 including the steps of;

freezing said scene on said screen upon said detector detecting penetration of said sensing field,

coordinating said frozen scene to the signal from said detector, and

projecting a hit zone image on said screen to indicate a zone of arrow impact thereon corresponding to said arrow penetrating said sensing field.

20. The method of claim 19 including the steps of;

providing said video disk with audio signals for said scenes, said audio signals simulating the environment of each such scene, and

coupling said audio signals to speakers located adjacent to said archer in synchronism with the projection of scenes onto said one side of said screen.

21. The method of claim 20 including the steps of

providing a hit zone visual image corresponding to a portion of said scenes wherein a hit zone of a scene is exposed to impact by an arrow,

coordinating a hit zone image on said screen with said frozen scene when a hit zone image is provided therefor upon said detector detecting an arrow penetrating said sensing field, and

projecting a hit zone image on said screen to indicate the relationship between the projected hit zone image and an arrow impact.

22. Apparatus for visually providing a moving hunt scene toward which an arrow shot by an archer is directed, comprising:

a screen having an imaging plane,

means projecting a sequence of visual scenes onto said imaging plane, said sequence of visual scenes presenting at least one moving arrow target,

means responsive to arrival of an arrow shot by an archer at said imaging plane for sensing the arrival location of said arrow on said plane,

means responsive to said sensing means for comparing said arrow arrival location with the position of said arrow target within one visual scene that was present on said imaging plane at the time of arrival of said arrow on said plane,

means for determining the accuracy of said arrow arrival location relative to said arrow target position that was provided by said one visual scene,

means responsive to said sensing means for freezing said one visual scene onto said imaging plane for viewing by an archer, and

means projecting said arrow arrival location on said imaging plane along with said one visual frame.

23. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein said arrow target at least periodically appears to move.

24. Apparatus in accordance with claim 22 wherein said sensing means includes means directing electromagnetic radiation adjacent to said imaging plane for penetration by an arrow as the arrow arrives at said imaging plane, and

detector means responsive to said electromagnetic radiation reflected from the arrow.

25. Apparatus in accordance with claim 24 wherein said detector means monitors substantially all of said imaging plane for arrival of an arrow.