Drone-target hunting/shooting system

• US 9,816,783 B1
• Filed: 03/09/2017
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Duckdrone LLC
• Original Assignee: Duckdrone LLC
• Inventors: Means, Grady, Sigvaldason, Thor
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/454,047
• Time in Patent Office: 250 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0243 Movable targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0252 Shooting devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/05 for sports or gaming, e.g. drone racing
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/104 using satellite radio beacon positioning systems, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• 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: 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 3/2655 in which the light beam is sent from the weapon to the target
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 2/00 Reflecting targets, e.g. radar-reflector targets; Active targets transmitting electromagnetic or acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 5/14 Apparatus for signalling hits or scores to the shooter, e.g. manually operated, or for communication between target and shooter; Apparatus for recording hits or scores
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 9/08 Airborne targets, e.g. drones, kites, balloons aircraft for towing targets B64D3/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude

Abstract

In a target-shooting simulation system, a master control unit issues flight control instructions to a flight-capable drone to cause the drone to fly along a predetermined flight path and receives GPS coordinates transmitted by a control unit of the drone as the drone flies along the predetermined flight path. The master control unit additionally obtains GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to a replica firearm, detects actuation of a trigger of the replica firearm and, in response to detecting actuation of the trigger, determines, based on the GPS coordinates of the drone and the GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to the replica firearm, whether a trajectory of a theoretical shot fired by the replica firearm at time of the trigger actuation will intercept the drone as it flies along the predetermined flight path.

Claims

1. A target-shooting simulation system for simulating hunting, the target shooting simulation system comprising:

a plurality of flight-capable drones, each including a global positioning system (GPS) unit to obtain GPS coordinates of the drone during flight and a drone control unit to transmit the GPS coordinates;

a first replica firearm including a trigger, firearm GPS unit, motion and orientation sensors; and

a master control unit to;

transmit flight control instructions to each of the drones to cause the drones to fly along respective flight paths without colliding to simulate live hunting targets;

receive the GPS coordinates transmitted by the drone control unit of each of the drones as the drones fly along their respective flight paths;

obtain GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to the first replica firearm from the firearm GPS unit, orientation and motion sensors, respectively;

detect actuation of the trigger of the first replica firearm; and

in response to detecting actuation of the trigger, determine, based on the GPS coordinates of the drones and the GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to the first replica firearm as aimed by a user, whether a trajectory of a theoretical shot fired by the first replica firearm at time of the trigger actuation will intercept any one or more of the drones as the drones fly along their respective flight paths.

2. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 1 wherein the master control unit is mounted within the first replica firearm.

3. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 1 wherein the master control unit is further to signal a user of the first replica firearm that the theoretical shot has hit one or more of the drones in response to determining that the theoretical shot will intercept one or more of the drones as the drones fly along their respective flight paths.

4. The target-shooting system of claim 3 wherein signaling the user that the theoretical shot has hit one or more of the drones comprises at least one of (i) instructing the one or more of the drones to visibly deviate from its previously instructed flight path without colliding with any others of the drones, (ii) generating, via a speaker mounted within the first replica firearm or within the master control unit, a sound audible to the user to indicate that the theoretical shot has hit at least one of the drones, (iii) generating, within a display element mounted within the first replica firearm or within the master control unit, a visual indicator to indicate that the theoretical shot has hit at least one of the drones, or (iv) wirelessly transmitting, to a user-specified computing device, information indicating that the theoretical shot has hit at least one of the drones.

5. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 1 wherein the first replica firearm is a replica of a shotgun, and wherein the master control unit to determine whether the theoretical shot fired by the first replica firearm will intercept one or more of the drones as the drones fly along respective flight paths comprises logic to model the theoretical shot in the form of multiple projectiles emerging from a shotgun and, as part of determining whether the theoretical shot will intercept one or more of the drones, to determine a spread of the multiple projectiles as they progress along a theoretical trajectory.

6. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 1 further comprising a second replica firearm having a trigger, firearm GPS unit, motion and orientation sensors, and wherein the master control unit is further to (i) obtain GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to the second replica firearm from the firearm GPS unit, orientation and motion sensors thereof, (ii) detect actuation of the trigger of the second replica firearm, and (iii) in response to detecting actuation of the trigger of the second replica firearm, determine, based on the GPS coordinates of the drones and the GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to the second replica firearm as aimed by a user, whether a trajectory of a theoretical shot fired by the second replica firearm at time of trigger actuation will intercept any one or more of the drones as the drones fly along their respective flight paths.

7. A target-shooting simulation system for simulating hunting, the target-shooting simulation system comprising:

a first drone, including one or more propulsion units to enable flight, a global positioning system (GPS) unit to obtain GPS coordinates of the drone during flight and a drone control unit to transmit the GPS coordinates;

a plurality replica firearms each including a trigger, firearm GPS unit, motion and orientation sensors; and

a master control unit to;

issue flight control instructions to the drone to cause the drone to fly along a flight path to simulate a hunting target;

receive the GPS coordinates of the drone from the drone control unit as the drone flies along the flight path;

obtain GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to each of the replica firearms from the respective firearm GPS unit, orientation and motion sensors thereof;

detect trigger actuation with respect to each of the replica firearms; and

in response to detecting trigger actuation with respect to any one of the replica firearms, determine, based on the GPS coordinates of the drone and the GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to the one of the replica firearms, whether a trajectory of a theoretical shot fired by the one of the replica firearms at time of the trigger actuation will intercept the drone as it flies along the flight path.

8. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 7 wherein the master control unit is mounted within a first replica firearm of the plurality of replica firearms.

9. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of replica firearms comprises a programmed processor capable of instantiating the master control unit, and wherein the programmed processor within the first replica firearm of the plurality of replica firearms is enabled to instantiate the master control unit.

10. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 9 wherein, upon enabling the programmed processor within the first replica firearm to instantiate the master control unit, the programmed processors within the replica firearms other than the first replica firearm are transitioned to a slave mode in which those programmed processors responds to instructions from the master control unit.

11. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 10 wherein the master control unit issues instructions to the programmed processors transitioned to slave mode to obtain the GPS coordinates, orientation and motion information with respect to at least a subset of the replica firearms.

12. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 7 wherein the master control unit is further to signal a user of the one of the replica firearms for which trigger actuation is detected that the theoretical shot has hit the drone in response to determining that the theoretical shot will intercept the drone as it flies along the flight path.

13. The target-shooting simulation system of claim 7 wherein the one of the replica firearms for which trigger actuation is detected is a replica of a shotgun, and wherein the master control unit to determine whether the theoretical shot fired by the one of the replica firearms will intercept the drone comprises logic to model the theoretical shot in the form of multiple projectiles emerging from a shotgun and, as part of determining whether the theoretical shot will intercept the drone, to determine a spread of the multiple projectiles as they progress along a theoretical trajectory.