WEAPON VIDEO DISPLAY SYSTEM EMPLOYING SMARTPHONE OR OTHER PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20150041538A1
• Filed: 02/08/2013
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wilcox Industries Corp.
• Original Assignee: Wilcox Industries Corp.
• Inventors: Teetzel, James W., Goupil, Dominic R., Celona, Marc J., Harris, Justin D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,978,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/404
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 23/08 Bipods
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/345 for illuminating the sights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/35 for illuminating the target , e.g. flash lights
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/36 with infrared light source
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/473 for lead-indicating or range-finding, e.g. for use with rifles or shotguns
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 11/003 Mountings with a dove tail element, e.g. "Picatinny rail systems"
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/06 with rangefinder rangefinders per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/165 using a TV-monitor

Abstract

A video display system for a weapon includes a removably attachable optical range finder for calculating a distance to a selected target. The optical range finder includes an optical emitter for sending an optical signal to a target and an optical detector for detecting the signal reflected from the target. A fire control system is removably attachable to the weapon and associated with the optical range finder. The fire control system includes a ballistics computer for calculating a ballistics solution based on the distance to the target. A portable electronic device associated with the fire control system has a display screen and is removably attachable to the weapon. The portable electronic device includes a processor and a memory storing program instructions, the program instructions configured to display the ballistics solution in human viewable form on the display screen. In another aspect, a weapon video display housing configuration is provided.

Claims

1. A video display system for a weapon, comprising:

an optical range finder removably attachable to the weapon for calculating a distance to a selected target, said optical range finder including an optical emitter for sending an optical signal to a target and an optical detector for detecting the signal reflected from the target;

a fire control system removably attachable to the weapon associated with the optical range finder, said fire control system including a ballistics computer for calculating a ballistics solution based on the distance to the target, said ballistics solution representative of a ballistic trajectory path of a projectile to be fired by the weapon; and

a portable electronic device associated with the fire control system and having a display screen, the portable electronic device removably attachable to the weapon, the portable electronic device including and a processor and a memory storing program instructions, the program instructions configured to display the ballistics solution in human viewable form on the display screen.

2. The video display system of claim 1, the portable electronic device including:

an accelerometer for sensing an angular orientation of the portable electronic device; and

the program instructions configured to display a video representation of a displaced reticle on the display screen, wherein the displaced reticle is movable responsive to movement of the weapon.

3. The video display system of claim 2, further comprising:

the displaced reticle including a movable element and a fixed element, such that a barrel of the weapon will be aligned with a trajectory angle that will cause the projectile fired by the weapon to reach the target when the movable element is aligned with the fixed element on the display screen.

4. The video display system of claim 3, wherein the portable electronic device is selected from a smartphone, a mobile telephone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a hand-held computer.

5. The video display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first fastener adapted to removably attach the optical range finder to a weapon rail interface;

a second fastener adapted to removably attach the fire control system to the weapon rail interface; and

a third fastener adapted to removably attach the portable electronic device to the weapon rail interface.

6. The video display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing receiving the portable electronic device, the housing pivotable between an open, viewable position and a closed position.

7. The video display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a reticle on the fire control system.

8. The video display system of claim 7, further comprising:

an optical scope removably attachable to the weapon in optical alignment with the reticle.

10. The video display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a handgrip removably attachable to the weapon; and

one or more switches on the handgrip and coupled to the portable electronic device, said one or more switches for generating an input device signal to the processor.

11. The video display system of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device includes a global positioning system receiver.

12. The video display system of claim 1, further comprising:

said program instructions further configured to receive position information representative of a position of one or more entities and display a graphic representation of the position information on the display.

13. The video display system of claim 12, wherein said one or more entities include friendly forces, enemy forces, or both.

14. The video display system of claim 12, further comprising:

the portable electronic device including a global positioning system receiver for determining a position of the user; and

said program instructions configured to display a graphic representation of the position of the user relative to said one or more entities.

15. The video display system of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more physiological sensors worn by a user; and

said program instructions configured to display data representative of a physiological condition of the user responsive to said one or more physiological sensors.

16. The video display system of claim 1, further comprising:

said portable electronic device having an sensor sensing movement of the weapon resulting from firing the weapon; and

the program instructions further including instructions for logging in the memory any one or more of (i) a count of the number of times the weapon has been fired;

(ii) position information associated with each sensed movement of the weapon resulting from firing the weapon; and

(iii) date and time information associated with each sensed movement of the weapon resulting from firing the weapon.

17. The video display system of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing including a first housing shell pivotally attached to a second housing shell, the second housing shell removably receiving the portable electronic device;

a fastener attached to the housing and adapted to removably attach to a weapon rail interface;

the first housing shell extending parallel to a first axis aligned with a barrel of a weapon when the housing is attached to the weapon rail interface; and

the second shell pivotable between a first, closed position and a second, open position, about a second axis orthogonal to the first axis.

18. The video display system of claim 17, further comprising:

the second shell rotatable about a third axis extending generally transversely with respect to the first axis, the first, second, and third axes being mutually orthogonal.

19. The video display system of claim 17, wherein the weapon rail interface is a Picatinny rail interface.

20. The video display system of claim 17, wherein the weapon rail interface is a powered rail interface and further comprising:

electrical contacts on the housing for electrically coupling one or both of charging contacts on the portable electronic device and data contacts on the portable electronic device to electrical conductors on the powered rail interface.

9. The video display system of claim 9, further comprising:

an auxiliary rail member removably attachable to a weapon rail interface;

said fire control system and said optical scope removably attached to the auxiliary rail member, whereby the fire control system and said optical scope may be removed from and attached to the weapon as a unit while maintaining a fixed position relative to each other.