Apparatus for synthetic weapon stabilization and firing
First Claim
1. An apparatus for determining when to fire a weapon, comprising:
- a motion detector configured for tracking motion of the weapon by analyzing relative motion of a barrel of the weapon;
a memory configured for storing computer instructions; and
a processor operably coupled to the motion detector and the memory and configured for executing the computer instructions to;
determine a range of motion of the weapon over a time period of interest while the weapon is directed substantially toward a target, responsive to the tracking by the motion detector, and without an identification of a target by the apparatus; and
generate a fire control signal responsive to a direction of the weapon being within an offset threshold of a centroid of tracked motion, the threshold being below the range of motion of the weapon.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In methods and apparatuses, a weapon includes a trigger module for sensing trigger input from a shooter and generating a trigger signal, and a firing module for controlling firing of a projectile responsive to a fire control signal. The weapon also includes an image sensor configured for mounting on the weapon and sensing a series of images over a time period of interest while the trigger signal is in a motion-estimation state. A controller is configured for determining when to fire the weapon by receiving the images from the image sensor and generating a motion-estimation history over the time period of interest responsive to changes in the images. The controller is also configured for determining a centroid of the motion-estimation history and asserting the fire control signal when the trigger signal is in a fire-enable state and a current image is within an offset threshold from the centroid.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus for determining when to fire a weapon, comprising:
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a motion detector configured for tracking motion of the weapon by analyzing relative motion of a barrel of the weapon; a memory configured for storing computer instructions; and a processor operably coupled to the motion detector and the memory and configured for executing the computer instructions to; determine a range of motion of the weapon over a time period of interest while the weapon is directed substantially toward a target, responsive to the tracking by the motion detector, and without an identification of a target by the apparatus; and generate a fire control signal responsive to a direction of the weapon being within an offset threshold of a centroid of tracked motion, the threshold being below the range of motion of the weapon. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of determining a firing time for a weapon, comprising:
using a motion detector and a processor executing computer instructions stored in a memory to cooperatively perform the acts of; tracking motion of the weapon by analyzing relative motion of a barrel of the weapon; determining a range of motion of the weapon over a time period of interest while the weapon is directed substantially toward a target, responsive to the tracking, and without an identification of a target by the motion detector or the processor; and generating a fire control signal when a direction of the weapon is within an offset threshold of a centroid of tracked motion, the threshold being below the range of motion of the weapon. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of determining a firing time for a weapon, comprising:
using a motion detector and a processor executing computer instructions stored in a memory to cooperatively perform the acts of; tracking motion of the weapon by analyzing relative motion of a barrel of the weapon; determining a range of motion of the weapon over a time period of interest while the weapon is directed substantially toward a target, responsive to the tracking, and without an identification of a target by the motion detector or the processor; sensing a plurality of images over the time period of interest with an image sensor fixedly coupled to the weapon while the weapon is pointed at the target; processing the plurality of images to determine a motion-estimation history over the time period of interest responsive to changes in the plurality of images; determining a centroid of the motion-estimation history; and generating a fire control signal when a direction of the weapon is within an offset threshold of the centroid of the motion-estimation history, the threshold being below the range of motion of the weapon and responsive to a current image position being within the offset threshold from the centroid. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
Specification