Apparatus, system and method employing arrow flight-data

• US 8,733,168 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Full Flight Technology, Llc
• Original Assignee: Full Flight Technology, Llc
• Inventors: Donahoe, Robert V., Barton, John, Vcelak, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): KERAMET-AMIRCOLA, MOHAMMED E
• Application Number:
  US13/004,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20110226038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• Field of Search: 73/120.5, 734/88, 731/67
• US Class Current: 73/488
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/362 Arrows or darts F42B12/38 takes precedence, having means for implantation, e.g. hypodermic projectiles F42B12/54; arrows or darts in general F42B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/365 Projectiles transmitting information to a remote location using optical or electronic means F42B12/385 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/04 Archery arrows F42B6/08, F41B5/06, F42B12/362 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 6/06 Tail ends, e.g. nocks, fletching
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/02 Measuring two or more variables by means not covered by a single other subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 17/00 Measuring mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves, not provided for in the preceding groups see provisionally also G01H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/665 for projectile velocity measurements

Abstract

In one aspect, a method of determining an instantaneous speed of an arrow, includes determining a time-of-flight of the arrow; determining a distance between a location from which the arrow is loosed and a location of a target-face; providing, with an apparatus included in the arrow, data from at least a portion of a free flight of the arrow; and determining the instantaneous speed of the arrow for at least one point of the free-flight by employing each of: a) the time-of-flight; b) the distance; and c) at least some of the data provided by the apparatus.

Claims

1. A method of determining an instantaneous speed of an arrow shot from a bow having a bow string, the method comprising acts of:

determining a time-of-flight of the arrow, at least in part, by employing an apparatus included in the arrow to determine a moment in time when a start of a free-flight of the arrow occurs, the start of the free-flight occurring when a proximate end of the arrow reaches substantially a neutral position of the bow string;

determining a distance between a location from which the arrow is loosed and a location of a target-face; and

determining the instantaneous speed of the arrow by employing at least each of;

a) the time-of-flight; and

b) the distance.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of determining the time-of-flight with data provided by at least one of a shock sensor and an accelerometer included in the apparatus.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising an act of determining a start of a free-flight of the arrow with data provided by at least one of the shock sensor and the apparatus.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising an act of determining an impact of the arrow with the target-face with data provided by at least one of the shock sensor and the accelerometer.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising an act of determining the time-of-flight with data provided by each of the shock sensor and the accelerometer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising acts of:

determining a time-of-launch based at least in part on a first step-change in an output signal of the accelerometer; and

determining a time-of-impact based at least in part on a second step-change in an output of the accelerometer.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of determining a total time of flight of the arrow, wherein the total time of flight includes the free flight and at least one of a launch-phase and an impact-phase.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the instantaneous speed of the arrow by employing acceleration data provided by the apparatus in combination with the time-of-flight and the distance.

8. A method of analyzing a flight of an arrow, the arrow including an arrow shaft, the method comprising:

collecting data, with a sensing system included in the arrow, during at least one flight of the arrow; and

performing frequency analysis on the collected data to determine a vibration of the arrow shaft.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of collecting includes an act of sampling the data in a time-domain.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the act of performing frequency analysis includes an act of measuring the collected data in the frequency domain.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the act of measuring includes an act of applying a Fast Fourier Transform to the collected data.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of performing frequency analysis includes an act of determining frequency peaks in the collected data.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising evaluating the vibration using vibration data collected for a longitudinal axis of the arrow shaft.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising evaluating the vibration using vibration data collected for at least one axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the arrow shaft.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising evaluating the vibration using vibration data collected for a longitudinal axis of the arrow shaft and vibration collected for at least one axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the arrow shaft.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensing system includes a multi-axis accelerometer, and wherein the method further comprises evaluating the vibration using accelerometer output data for at least two axes of the multi-axis accelerometer.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising performing frequency analysis to identify frequency peaks in the collected data for the at least one axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

18. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining the vibration transmitted to the arrow shaft when shot from a selected bow.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining how to improve a consistency and accuracy of the selected bow based at least in part on the collected data.

20. The method of claim 8, further comprising employing results of the frequency analysis to determine how a flight stability of the arrow changes with different equipment configurations.

22. A method of determining an instantaneous speed of an arrow shot from a bow having a bow string, the method comprising acts of:

determining a time-of-flight of the arrow, at least in part, by employing an apparatus included in the arrow to determine a moment in time when a start of a free-flight of the arrow occurs following a launch phase, the start of free-flight occurring when a proximate end of the arrow reaches substantially a neutral position of the bow string;

determining a distance between a location from which the arrow is loosed and a location of a target-face; and

determining the instantaneous speed of the arrow by employing at least each of;

a) the time-of-flight; and

b) the distance.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining the instantaneous speed of the arrow by employing acceleration data provided by the apparatus in combination with the time-of-flight and the distance.