APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CALCULATING AIMING POINT INFORMATION FOR RIFLE SCOPES

• US 20030010190A1
• Filed: 06/14/2001
• Published: 01/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HVRT Corp
• Original Assignee: Horus Vision LLC (Horus Vision Reticle Technologies)
• Inventors: Buell, Dickinson, Sammut, Dennis J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,516,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 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 battery means 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 scope, said program requiring the shooter to input in response to queries information regarding external conditions, information regarding the weapon and ammunition being used, and information regarding the range to, and movement of, the target.

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 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.

7. The ballistics calculator of claim 6 wherein said type of telescopic gunsight being used is a conventional gunsight using as an 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 said intersection of said cross-hairs for striking said target.

8. The ballistics calculator of claim 6 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 aiming point for hitting the target.

9. A method for accurately hitting a target with a firearm shooting a cartridge having predetermined characteristics, said firearm equipped with telescopic gunsight mounted in a predetermined position relative to a gun barrel, said gunsight having a reticle including at least an optical center, a primary vertical cross-hair intersecting said optical center and having a predetermined thickness, and a primary horizontal cross-hair having a predetermined thickness intersecting said primary vertical cross-hair, said firearm used by a shooter having a rangefinder for determining a range to a target, and a lightweight, hand-held computing device which includes a controller, memory, data input means, data output means, and a portable power source for powering the device;

and, a targeting program installed in said memory for generating output needed to correctly aim the weapon at a target of known range using the telescopic gunsight, said program requiring the shooter to input data in response to queries, said data including information regarding external conditions, information regarding the firearm and cartridge, and information regarding the range to, and movement of, the target, the method comprising the steps of;

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

inputting data regarding temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, windspeed, wind direction, ground slope, and speed of the target in response to queries by the program;

inputting data regarding the telescopic gunsight, the range at which weapon 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 and determining distance to the target using the rangefinder;

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

,

using the aiming point information output from the program to sight on and shoot the target.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said aiming point information is the number of clicks the 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 primary vertical and primary horizontal cross-hair forms the correct aiming point for the target.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said reticle 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.

13. The target shooting system of claim 12 wherein said data needed for the program includes range conditions, information regarding the characteristics of the firearm and cartridge, and target information.

14. The target shooting system of claim 13 wherein said range conditions include temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, windspeed, wind direction, and slope of the ground over which a bullet will travel.

15. The target shooting system of claim 14 wherein said barometric pressure and relative humidity are calculated by the program using temperature and altitude information input by the user.

16. The target shooting system of claim 13 wherein said information concerning the characteristics of the firearm and cartridge includes the distance between the optical center of the telescopic gunsight and the axial center of the gun barrel, weight of the bullet, ballistic coefficient of the bullet, muzzle velocity of the cartridge, and a range at which the weapon was zeroed.

17. The target shooting system of claim 13 wherein said information regarding the target includes range to the target and target speed.

18. The target shooting system of claim 12 wherein said program produces a targeting grid for calibrating the horizontal cross-hairs of the reticle for range.

19. The target shooting system of claim 12 wherein a range to a specific target can be provided to said program and said program will identify an exact aiming point on said reticle for said target.

20. The target shooting system of claim 12 wherein said computer is a hand-held, light weight, computing device powered by a portable power source.

12. A target shooting system for accurately hitting targets comprising:

a firearm for firing cartridges of predetermined characteristics including bullet weight, ballistic coefficient, and muzzle velocity;

an improved telescopic gunsight mounted in a predetermined position relative to a gun barrel, said gunsight having a reticle including an optical center, rangefinder markings, a primary vertical cross-hair intersecting said optical center, and 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 secondary horizontal cross-hairs being marked for identification and range calibration purposes, 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;

a computer including a controller, memory accessible by said controller, a program stored in memory for calculating information for calibrating a range for each secondary horizontal cross-hair and for calibrating aiming points on the reticle, means for inputting data needed by the program, output means for providing information generated by the program to a user, and power for running the computer.