Apparatus and method for calculating aiming point information for rifle scopes

• US 6,516,699 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2001
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: HVRT Corp
• Original Assignee: Horus Vision LLC (Horus Vision Reticle Technologies)
• Inventors: Buell, Dickinson, Sammut, Dennis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Buckley, Denise J
• Application Number:
  US09/882,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20030010190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• Field of Search: 42/84, 421/22, 731/67, 89/410.3, 89/411.4, 89/411.5, 89/411.6, 89/411.7, 89/411.9, 892/00, 892/04
• US Class Current: 89/41.17
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/38 Telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance telescopic sights in general G02B; Supports or mountings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/06 with rangefinder rangefinders per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/14 Viewfinders for photographic apparatus G03B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/32 Fiducial marks and measuring scales within the optical system

Abstract

An improved shooting system is provided by using a firearm having a telescopic gunsight mounted a predetermined distance above the barrel in conjunction with a computer including a controller, memory; a program stored in memory for calculating targeting information. The computer can be a hand-held, personal digital assistant type device which enables the user to input information regarding weather, gun and ammunition characteristics, and target information, including range to target, and which quickly calculates the adjustments which need to be made to a conventional scope, or the location on the reticle which should be used as an aiming point, in order to hit the target.

Claims

1. A hand-held electronic ballistics calculator for use by a sport shooter with a firearm having a barrel for firing a predetermined cartridge containing a bullet, said firearm equipped with a telescopic gunsight mounted adjacent to said barrel, said gunsight including an aiming reticle, said hand-held electronic ballistics calculator for accurately computing targeting information needed to hit a target at a known range comprising:

(a) a lightweight, hand-held computing device including a controller, memory, a means for inputting data, a means for displaying information, and a portable power source for powering the device;

(b) a ballistics computer program installed in said memory for generating output needed to correctly aim the weapon at a target of known range using the aiming reticle of the gunsight, said program requiring the shooter to input in response to queries information regarding external conditions, information regarding the firearm and cartridge being used, and information regarding the range to, and movement of, the target, and wherein said information regarding the firearm and cartridge includes;

the kind of telescopic gunsight being used;

a distance between an optical center of the telescopic gunsight and an axial center of the barrel;

bullet weight;

ballistic coefficient of the bullet;

muzzle velocity of the cartridge; and

zero range for the firearm.

2. The ballistics calculator of claim 1 wherein said external conditions include temperature, windspeed and wind direction.

3. The ballistics calculator of claim 2 wherein said external conditions additionally include the slope of the ground over which the bullet will be fired.

4. The ballistics calculator of claim 2 wherein said external conditions additionally include barometric pressure and relative humidity.

5. The ballistics calculator of claim 4 wherein said barometric pressure and relative humidity are estimated by the program using altitude in combination with temperature.

6. The ballistics calculator of claim 1 wherein said type of telescopic gunsight being used is a conventional gunsight using as au aiming point an intersection of a primary vertical cross-hair and a primary horizontal cross-hair positioned at the optical center of the telescopic gunsight, and wherein said output consists of the number of clicks an elevation knob and a windage knob must be turned to adjust the position of said gunsight relative to said gun barrel so that said intersection of said primary vertical cross-hair and said primary horizontal cross-hair can be used as the aiming point for striking said target.

7. The ballistics calculator of claim 1 wherein said type of telescopic gunsight being used has a reticle mounted in a housing of said gunsight between an objective lens and an ocular lens, said reticle having an optical center, rangefinding markings, and a plurality of reference points, said reference points formed by a primary vertical cross-hair intersecting said optical center, a primary horizontal cross-hair intersecting said primary vertical cross-hair, a plurality of secondary horizontal cross-hairs intersecting said primary vertical cross hair and evenly spaced a predetermined distance along said primary vertical cross-hair, at least some of said horizontal cross-hairs marked for identification, a plurality of secondary vertical cross-hairs intersecting at least some of said secondary horizontal cross-hairs and evenly spaced a predetermined distance along at least some of said secondary horizontal cross-hairs, and wherein said output uses said horizontal cross-hairs and said secondary vertical cross-hairs to identify an point for hitting the target.

8. The ballistics calculator of claim 7 wherein said means for displaying information is a computer display screen.

9. The ballistics calculator of claim 8 wherein said output is a picture of said reticle on said computer display screen showing the exact position of said aiming point.

10. The ballistics calculator of claim 1 wherein said portable power source is a battery.

11. A method for using a hand-held electronic ballistics calculator with a firearm having a gun barrel for Sing a predetermined cartridge containing a bullet, said firearm equipped with a telescopic gunsight mounted adjacent to said barrel, said gunsight including an aiming reticle, said hand-held electronic ballistics calculator for accurately computing targeting information needed to hit a target at a known range wherein the calculator includes a lightweight, hand-held computing device including a controller, memory;

a means for inputting data;

a means for displaying information, and a portable power source for powering the device and a ballistics computer program installed in said memory for generating output needed to correctly aim the weapon at a target of known range using the aiming reticle of the gunsight, the program requiring the shooter to input in response to queries information regarding external conditions, information regarding the firearm and cartridge being used, and information regarding the range to, and movement of, the target, and wherein said information regarding the firearm and cartridge includes;

the kind of telescopic gunsight being used;

a distance between an optical center of the telescopic gunsight and an axial center of the barrel;

bullet weight;

ballistic coefficient of the bullet;

muzzle velocity of the cartridge; and

zero range for the firearm, the method comprising the steps of;

zeroing the firearm at a known first range so that the intersection of a vertical cross-hair and a primary horizontal cross-hair of the aiming reticle serves as a correct aiming point for any target at said first range;

inputting data regarding external conditions in response to queries by the program;

inputting data regarding the telescopic gunsight, the range at which the firearm was zeroed, bullet weight, ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity, and height of the telescopic gunsight above the barrel in response to queries by the program,

locating a target;

determining distance to the target using a rangefinder;

inputting the distance to target in response to a query by the program; and

,

using the aiming point information output by the program to the means for displaying for using the reticle of the gunsight to correctly aim the firearm so as to hit the target.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said external conditions include temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, windspeed, wind direction, ground slope, and speed of the target.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein temperature and altitude are input in response to queries by the program and are aged by the program to estimate barometric pressure and relative humidity.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein said aiming point information is the number of clicks elevation and windage knobs on the telescopic gunsight must be moved to realign the position of the telescopic gunsight relative to the gun barrel whereby the intersection of the vertical and primary horizontal cross-hair forms the correct aiming point for the target.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the reticle of the gunsight additionally includes a plurality of secondary horizontal cross-hairs intersecting said primary vertical cross hair and evenly spaced a predetermined distance along said primary vertical cross-hair, at least some of said horizontal cross-hairs marked for identification, a plurality of secondary vertical cross-hairs intersecting at least some of said secondary horizontal cross-hairs and evenly spaced a predetermined distance along at least some of said secondary horizontal cross-hairs, and wherein said aiming point information output by the program identifies a correct aiming point on the reticle for hitting the target using the horizontal cross-hair markings and the secondary vertical cross-hairs to map the aiming point on the reticle.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the output is a picture on a computer display of the reticle showing the exact location of the aiming point.