Firearm trigger pull training system and methods

• US 9,728,095 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2014
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Triggermaster, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Triggermaster, Inc.
• Inventors: Baxter, Malcom
• Primary Examiner(s): Yip, Jack
• Application Number:
  US14/331,216
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 434 16, 434 21, 434 22, 434 19, 434 11, 434 18, 463 2, 463 51, 463 49, 42 101, 42 7007
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 19/00 Firing or trigger mechanisms; Cocking mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 19/16 Adjustable firing mechanisms; Trigger mechanisms with adjustable trigger pull F41A19/17 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 31/00 Testing arrangements testing mounts F41A23/16
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/00 Adaptations for training adaptations of barrels for recoil reinforcement F41A21/26; Gun simulators teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26 ; shooting games A63F9/02; military simulation G09B9/003
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/02 Light- or radiation-emitting guns ; Light- or radiation-sensitive guns; Cartridges carrying light emitting sources, e.g. laser
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/06 Recoil simulators
• CPC Class Codes: F41C 23/22 Stocks having space for the storage of objects
• 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 3/26 Teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying shooting games A63F9/02; light- or radiation-emitting guns F41A33/02; targets therefor F41J; responders, transponders for radar, sonar, lidar G01S13/767, G01S15/74, G01S17/74
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2605 using a view recording device cosighted with the gun F41G3/2616 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2655 in which the light beam is sent from the weapon to the target
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 5/10 Cinematographic hit-indicating systems cinematographic targets F41J9/14
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 9/14 Cinematographic targets, e.g. moving-picture targets F41G3/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 9/047 the controlling member being movable by hand about orthogonal axes, e.g. joysticks for switches H01H25/04
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 : Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 : Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/003 : for military purposes and tactics

Abstract

A firearm training system provides a firearm body having a trigger and a trigger pull sensor circuit. When the trigger is pulled, the trigger pull sensor circuit provides trigger pull path data allowing monitoring of the actual two-dimensional trigger pull path taken by the trigger during the trigger pull. The trigger pull path is graphed on a predetermined map. The system provides a way to monitor trigger pull path to determine whether the trigger has been pulled laterally and/or if the firearm body has moved with respect to a longitudinal axis of the firearm body during the trigger pull. By repeatedly monitoring trigger pulls using the system, a user can train to improve trigger pull technique.

Claims

1. A firearm training system comprising:

a firearm body;

a trigger on the firearm body, the trigger moveable relative to the firearm body;

a trigger pull sensor circuit including at least one trigger pull path sensor, the trigger pull sensor circuit operable to provide trigger pull path data in response to a user pulling the trigger of the firearm training system, the trigger pull path data being representative of the actual two dimensional pull path of the trigger relative to the firearm body; and

a processor operable to;

receive the trigger pull path data from the trigger pull sensor circuit; and

generate a graph based on the trigger pull path data, wherein the processor graphs the trigger pull path data by plotting a line representative of the actual two dimensional pull path of the trigger relative to the firearm body in a predetermined map, wherein the predetermined map is a two dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

2. The firearm training system of claim 1, further comprising a display operable to receive the generated graph from the processor and to display the received graph to the user.

3. The firearm training system of claim 2, wherein the display is remote from the firearm body.

4. The firearm training system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined map comprises:

a plot in the two dimensional Cartesian coordinate system of an ideal trigger pull path corresponding to ideal trigger pull path data representative of an ideal pull path of the trigger;

a first boundary plot on a first side of the ideal trigger pull path, said first boundary plot representative of a predetermined threshold of difference between the ideal trigger pull path data and the received trigger pull path data; and

a second boundary plot representative of the predetermined threshold on a second side of the ideal trigger pull path opposite the first side, said second boundary plot representative of the predetermined threshold of difference between the ideal trigger pull path data and the received trigger pull path data.

5. The firearm training system of claim 1, further comprising a memory operable to store a plurality of sets of trigger pull path data, wherein each set of trigger pull path data includes trigger pull path data provided from a distinct pull of the trigger by the user.

6. The firearm training system of claim 5, wherein the processor generates the graph based on the plurality of sets of trigger pull path data by plotting a line representative of one at least of the sets of trigger pull path data in the predetermined map in a different color.

7. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, wherein said instructions are executable by a computing device in a firearm training system, said instructions for performing the steps of:

storing a predetermined map in a memory of the computing device, wherein the map is a two dimensional Cartesian coordinate system;

capturing, in the memory, trigger pull path data from a trigger pull sensor circuit of the firearm training system, the trigger pull sensor circuit including at least one trigger pull path sensor, the trigger pull path data being representative of the actual two dimensional pull path of a trigger in the firearm training system;

generating a graph by plotting the captured trigger pull path data as a line representative of the actual two dimensional pull path of the trigger on the predetermined map; and

displaying the generated graph to a user on a display associated with the computing device;

wherein generating the graph comprises retrieving, from the memory, trigger pull path data and the predetermined map, wherein the predetermined map corresponds to a plane perpendicular to the trigger of the firearm training system.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 7, wherein capturing trigger pull path data from the trigger pull sensor circuit comprises:

initiating data capture when the trigger of the firearm training system is moved from a trigger default position; and

ending data capture when the trigger returns to the trigger default position or reaches a trigger stop position.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 7 wherein:

generating the graph comprises;

retrieving, from the memory, ideal trigger pull path data;

plotting an ideal trigger pull path on the retrieved map as a function of the retrieved ideal trigger pull path data;

plotting a first boundary plot on the retrieved map as a function of the skill level and the ideal trigger pull path data, wherein the first boundary plot is on a first side of the plotted ideal trigger pull path and is representative of a predetermined threshold of difference between the ideal trigger pull path data and the received trigger pull path data; and

plotting a second boundary plot on the retrieved map as a function of skill level and the ideal trigger pull path data, wherein the second boundary plot is on a second side of the plotted ideal trigger pull path opposite the first side and is representative of the predetermined threshold of difference between the ideal trigger pull path data and the received trigger pull path data.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 7, further comprising:

capturing barrel displacement data from a barrel displacement sensor of the firearm training system; and

generating the graph comprises;

retrieving, from the memory a predetermined barrel displacement map, wherein the predetermined barrel displacement map is a two dimensional Cartesian coordinate system corresponding to a plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the firearm training system, wherein an origin of the two dimensional Cartesian coordinate system of the predetermined barrel displacement map corresponds to a reference point of the captured barrel displacement data; and

plotting a barrel displacement boundary plot on the retrieved barrel displacement map as a function of the reference point and the skill level, wherein the barrel displacement boundary plot on the retrieved map is representative of a predetermined threshold of difference between the barrel displacement data and the reference point of the barrel displacement data.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 7, further comprising storing a plurality of trigger pull path data sets in the memory, wherein each trigger pull path data set of the plurality of trigger pull path data sets is captured from a distinct pull of a trigger of the firearm training system.

12. A method of training a user via a firearm training system, said method comprising:

storing a predetermined map in a memory of the firearm training system, wherein the map is a two dimensional Cartesian coordinate system;

capturing, in the memory, trigger pull path data from a trigger pull sensor circuit of the firearm training system in response to the user pulling a trigger of the firearm training system, the trigger pull path data including data representative of an actual two dimensional pull path taken by a trigger of the firearm training system during a trigger pull;

generating a graph by plotting the captured trigger pull path data as a line representative of the actual two dimensional pull path taken by the trigger on the predetermined map; and

displaying the generated graph to the user on a display associated with the firearm training system.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the trigger is located on a firearm body and the display is remote from the firearm body.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein capturing trigger pull path data from the trigger pull sensor circuit comprises:

initiating data capture when the trigger of the firearm training system is moved from a trigger default position; and

ending data capture when the trigger returns to the trigger default position or reaches a trigger stop position.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

capturing trigger pull path data from the trigger pull sensor circuit comprises capturing trigger pull path data from at least one trigger pull path sensor of the firearm training system; and

generating the graph comprises;

retrieving, from the memory, ideal trigger pull path data, and the predetermined map;

plotting an ideal trigger pull path on the retrieved map as a function of the retrieved ideal trigger pull path data;

plotting a first boundary plot on the retrieved map, wherein the first boundary plot is on a first side of the plotted ideal trigger pull path and is representative of a predetermined threshold of difference between the ideal trigger pull path data and the received trigger pull path data; and

plotting a second boundary plot on the retrieved map, wherein the second boundary plot is on a second side of the plotted ideal trigger pull path opposite the first side and is representative of the predetermined threshold of difference between the ideal trigger pull path data and the received trigger pull path data.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating an error signal if the captured trigger pull path data deviates from ideal trigger pull path data by more than a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is a function of a skill level and the skill level is a function of an active user profile.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising storing a plurality of trigger pull path data sets in the memory, wherein each trigger pull path data set of the plurality of trigger pull path data sets is captured from a distinct pull of the trigger of the firearm training system by the user.