Apparatus and method for calculating aiming point information

• US 7,832,137 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HVRT Corp
• Original Assignee: Horus Vision LLC (Horus Vision Reticle Technologies)
• Inventors: Buell, Dickinson, Chao, Lawrence, Sammut, Dennis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELDRED, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US11/646,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20090235570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 421/11, 421/22, 421/30, 235/411, 235/412, 235/413, 235/404, 235/414, 235/416, 332/97, 356/3, 89/411.7
• US Class Current: 42/111
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/473 for lead-indicating or range-finding, e.g. for use with rifles or shotguns
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/06 with rangefinder rangefinders per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/08 with means for compensating for speed, direction, temperature, pressure, or humidity of the atmosphere measuring G01
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/32 Fiducial marks and measuring scales within the optical system

Abstract

The present invention relates to target acquisition and related devices, and more particularly to telescopic gunsights and associated equipment used to achieve shooting accuracy at, for example, close ranges, medium ranges and extreme ranges at stationary and moving targets.

Claims

1. A ballistics calculator system for computing targeting information to hit a target, comprising a computer processor, said processor comprising:

a ballistics computer program on a computer-readable medium for analyzing information needed to accurately aim a firearm at a target using a target acquisition device with a reticle comprising;

a) a plurality of secondary horizontal cross-hairs intersecting at predetermined distances a primary vertical cross-hair; and

b) a plurality of secondary vertical cross-hairs intersecting at predetermined distances at least some of said secondary horizontal cross-hairs; and

a binocular device attached to said target acquisition device, said program using information regarding one or more of;

1) external conditions wherein said information regarding external conditions is selected from one or more of date, time, temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, target image resolution, wind-speed, wind direction, hemisphere, latitude, longitude and altitude;

2) a firearm wherein said information regarding a firearm is selected from one or more of the rate and direction of the barrel twist, barrel length, internal barrel caliber and internal barrel diameter;

3) a projectile wherein said information regarding a projectile is selected from one or more of projectile weight, projectile caliber, projectile configuration, propellant type, propellant amount, propellant potential force, powder, primer, one or more ballistic coefficients of a projectile, and the muzzle velocity of a projectile;

4) said target acquisition device and said reticle wherein said information regarding said target acquisition device and said reticle is selected from one or more of type of reticle, power of magnification, plane of function, the positional relationship between said target acquisition device and said firearm, and the range at which said target acquisition device was zeroed using said firearm and said projectile;

5) a shooter wherein said information regarding a shooter is selected from one or more of a shooter'"'"'s heart rate and rhythm, visual acuity, visual idiosyncrasies, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, muscle activity, brain wave activity, and number and positional coordinates of spotters assisting a shooter;

6) a relation of said shooter and a target wherein said information regarding said relation between said shooter and said target is selected from one or more of the distance between said shooter and said target, the speed and direction of movement of said target relative to said shooter, the angle formed between the barrel of said firearm and an axis perpendicular to the force of gravity, and the direction of fire from true North;

7) a ballistics drag model and a ballistic coefficient; and

8) said binocular device attached to said target acquisition device; and

c) an output using an intersection of a least one of said secondary horizontal cross-hairs and at least one of said secondary vertical cross-hairs to identify an aiming point for hitting said target.

2. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein said binocular device is an illuminated night vision device.

3. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein said binocular device contains glass optics.

4. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein said binocular device contains electronic components.

5. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein said binocular device contains electro-chemical components.

6. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein said binocular device comprises at least one component selected from the group consisting of a sighting unit, a laser rangefinder, a non-laser rangefinder, a wind reading doper device, a slope indicator, a compass, a global positioning system (GPS), and a ballistic aiming computer.

7. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein information from said binocular device is displayed internally within said binocular device.

8. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein information from said binocular device is displayed externally upon the surface of said binocular device.

9. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein information provided by said binocular device is transmitted to said target acquisition device by at least one method selected from the group consisting of video transmission, physical cable or wire transmission, infrared transmission, radio wave transmission, cellular connections transmission, laser pulse transmission, optical transmission, 802.11b and wireless transmission using a protocol selected from one or more of html, SML, SOAP, X.25, SNA, Bluetooth.TM., Serial, and USB.

10. The ballistics calculator system of claim 1, wherein said processor is integrated into an external device wherein said external device is selected from one or more of a weather monitor, a spotting scope, a rangefinder, a GPS, a compass, a remote sensor, a cellular phone, a radio, a satellite receiver, a navigational system and a compass.

11. A method for shooting a target, comprising:

a) providing a target acquisition device, comprising;

1) a housing;

2) a means for mounting said housing in a fixed, predetermined position relative to a firearm;

3) an objective lens mounted in one end of said housing;

4) an ocular lens mounted in the opposite end of said housing; and

b) providing said ballistics calculator system of claim 1; and

c) using said information displayed by said ballistics calculator system to aim said firearm using said target acquisition device so as to hit said target.

12. The method for shooting a target of claim 11, wherein said target is tracked with said aiming point.

13. The method of shooting a target of claim 11, wherein said ballistics calculator system projects a reticle specific for information regarding one or more of:

a) said firearm;

b) said projectile;

c) said binocular device; and

d) said target acquisition device.