Weapon integrated controller

• US 7,818,910 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2004
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Young, Stuart H.
• Primary Examiner(s): CLEMENT, MICHELLE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US10/956,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,218 Days
• Field of Search: 42/710.1, 42/72, 42/84, 421/06, 89/370.5
• US Class Current: 42/71.01
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 23/16 Forestocks; Handgrips; Hand guards pump-action guns F41C7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

The present disclosures are systems, apparatus and methods for communicating with a robot via a weapon. In one embodiment, the weapon comprises a barrel, a receiver assembly, a handgrip, and a first controller. The receiver assembly is coupled to an end of the barrel and to the handgrip. The first controller is integrated into the handgrip and inputs a first controller signal to a processing device. A transmitter receives a processing signal from the processing device according to the first controller signal. Preferably, the transmitter sends the processing signal to a robot, which responds accordingly to the received processing signal.

Claims

1. A weapon comprising:

a barrel;

a receiver assembly coupled to the barrel;

a first handgrip coupled to the receiver assembly;

a first controller that provides a first control signal, the first controller integrated into the first handgrip;

a second handgrip;

a second controller that provides a second control signal, the second controller integrated into the second handgrip;

a processing device that receives the first control signal from the first controller and the second control signal from the second controller; and

a transmitter that receives a processing signal from the processing device in accordance with the first control signal and the second control signal.

2. The weapon as defined in claim 1 designed and adapted so that a soldier holding the weapon with a first hand on the first grip and a second hand on the second grip can operate the first controller with the first hand and the second controller with the second hand without disengaging the first hand the second hand from the weapon.

3. The weapon as defined in claim 1, wherein the transmitter sends the processing signal to a robot, wherein the robot is a device that receives the transmitted signal from the transmitter and responds to the transmitted signal.

4. The weapon as defined in claim 1, further comprising a display coupled to the receiver assembly and electrically coupled to the processing device.

5. The weapon as defined in claim 4, wherein the display is capable of displaying one of video images from a robot, a graphic user interface, and a geographical layout for a navigational system.

6. The weapon as defined in claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits a command signal to a robot that controls the direction of the robot, further wherein the robot is an unmanned aerial vehicle or an unmanned ground vehicle that receives the command signal transmitted from the transmitter and responds to the command signal.

20. The weapon as defined in claim 2, wherein one of the first controller and the second controller operates a computing device that is designed and adapted to be mounted on a soldier.

21. The weapon as defined in claim 2, wherein the second handgrip is a foregrip.

22. The weapon as defined in claim 1, wherein the second controller comprises a handle that can be twisted to control a video imaging device mounted on a robot.

23. The weapon as defined in claim 1, wherein one of the first controller and the second controller controls the direction of the robot and the other of the first controller and the second controller controls a device mounted on the robot.

7. A system that communicates to a robot via a weapon, the system comprising:

a robot and

a weapon comprising;

a barrel;

a receiver assembly coupled to an end of the barrel;

a first handgrip coupled to the receiver assembly;

a first controller that provides a first control signal, the first controller integrated into the first handgrip;

a second handgrip;

a second controller capable of providing a second control signal, the second controller integrated into the second handgrip; and

a transmitter that receives a processing signal in accordance with the first controller signal and the second controller signal and then transmits a command signal to the robot wherein the robot responds to the command signal.

8. The system as defined in claim 7, wherein the robot receives the processing signal from the transmitter, the robot being a device that receives the transmitted signal from the transmitter and processes the received signal.

9. The system as defined in claim 7, wherein the robot transmits robot signals to the weapon, the weapon further comprising a receiver that receives the robot signals from the robot.

10. The weapon as defined in claim 7, wherein the second handgrip is foregrip.

11. The system as defined in claim 7, further comprising a display coupled to the receiver assembly and electrically coupled to the processing device.

12. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein the command signal controls left and right movement of the robot or backward and forward movement of the robot.

13. The system as defined in claim 7 designed and adapted so that a soldier holding the weapon with a first hand on the first grip and a second hand on the second grip can operate the first controller with the first hand and the second controller with the second hand without disengaging the first hand the second hand from the weapon.

14. The system as defined in claim 7, further comprising a headsup display that displays one of a video image from a robot, a graphic user interface, and a geographical layout for a navigational system.

15. The system as defined in claim 7, further comprising a microphone that has speech control capabilities that can control the robot.

16. The system as defined in claim 7, further comprising a display that displays one of a graphic user interface, a video image from the robot, and a geographical layout for a navigation system.

18. The system as defined in claim 7, further comprising a data glove that controls the robot.

19. The system as defined in claim 7, further comprising a personal area network that couples the weapon with one of a heads-up display, a microphone, a personal digial assistant, a tablet display, and a data glove.

17. A system that communicates to a robot via a weapon, the system comprising:

a robot and

a weapon comprising;

a barrel;

a receiver assembly coupled to an end of the barrel;

a first handgrip coupled to the receiver assembly;

a first controller capable of providing a first control signal, the first controller integrated into the first handgrip;

a second handgrip that is a foregrip;

a second controller capable of providing a second control signal, the second controller integrated into the second handgrip;

a processing device capable of receiving a first controller signal from the first controller and a second controller signal from the second controller; and

a transmitter that receives a processing signal in accordance with the first controller signal and the second controller signal

further comprising a display that displays one of a graphic user interface, a video image from the robot, and a geographical layout for a navigational system.