Multi-shot, non-lethal, taser cartridge remote firing system for protection of facilities and vehicles against personnel

• US 6,269,726 B1
• Filed: 06/08/1999
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taser International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Barnet Resnick
• Inventors: McNulty, James F. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELDRED, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US09/327,595
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 89/11.1, 89/11, 89/410.5, 361/232, 102/502, 102/425
• US Class Current: 89/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0006 Ballistically deployed systems for restraining persons or animals, e.g. ballistically deployed nets
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0025 for remote electrical discharge via conducting wires, e.g. via wire-tethered electrodes shot at a target
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/36 for dispensing materials; for producing chemical or physical reaction; for signalling ; for transmitting information
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 8/28 Land or marine mines; Depth charges
• CPC Class Codes: H05C 1/04 providing pulse voltages mechanical self-interrupters H01H; electronic pulse-generators H03K

Abstract

An armored, motorized unit incorporating a gimbaled gun sighted video camera and an attached multi-shot TASER® cartridge firing system to remotely fire one cartridge at a time at a remotely selected target. A remotely located operator rotates the unit in azimuth and elevation to aim at a target within the range of the firing system. The firing system has multiple cartridges that can be rotated into a boresight position, one at a time, and armed, one at a time, for firing a pair of wire-tethered contacts such as darts at the selected target.

Claims

1. A remotely controlled non-lethal anti-personnel device for observing nearby personnel and sequentially firing a plurality of electrical discharge darts at such personnel for temporarily disabling the personnel;

the device comprising;

a housing having a plurality of firing bays, each such bay having at least one contactor dart for selectively being fired in a selected direction;

a plurality of high-voltage transformers, each such transformer being electrically connected to at least one dart by a wire to which the dart remains connected after firing; and

means for observing nearby personnel and remotely aiming and activating said firing bays for sequentially firing said darts and applying a high-voltage discharge to disable the nearby personnel.

2. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said means for observing comprises a television camera pointed in the same direction as the selected direction of the dart being fired.

3. The device recited in claim 2 wherein said means for observing further comprises a remotely positioned television monitor receiving a video signal from said television camera.

4. The device recited in claim 2 wherein said means for observing further comprises at least one gimbal and motor drive for selectively changing the selected direction of said television camera and said dart.

5. The device recited in claim 4 wherein said means for observing further comprises a remote activator for selectively activating said motor drive for changing said selected direction about said gimbal.

6. The device recited in claim 4 wherein said means for observing comprises motor drives and gimbals for remote activation of housing motion about at least two orthogonal axes.

7. The device recited in claim 1 wherein said means for observing nearby personnel comprises motor drives and gimbals for remotely rotating said housing in both elevation azimuth.

8. The device recited in claim 1 further comprising a sequencing plate for positioning each said firing bay in said selected direction after the dart of a previous firing bay has been fired.

9. The device recited in claim 1 further comprising means for removing voltage from said darts at a selected period of time after firing.

10. A defensive security system having non-lethal electrically energized wire-tethered darts for firing at hostile personnel by remote aiming and activation;

the system comprising;

a multiple firing bay device having a plurality of sequentially alignable firing bays each having said darts;

a television camera mechanically connected to said device so that the camera and the device share a common boresight direction; and

a remotely controlled directional controller and firing initiator for altering the boresight direction of said camera and said device in accordance with the relative position of said personnel and then firing said darts.