Camera device to capture and generate target lead and shooting technique data and images

• US 8,908,045 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: David Alexander Stewart
• Original Assignee: David Alexander Stewart
• Inventors: Stewart, David Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Czekaj, Dave
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beck, Leron
• Application Number:
  US13/420,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20130169820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 999 Days
• Field of Search: 348/169
• US Class Current: 348/169
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/473 for lead-indicating or range-finding, e.g. for use with rifles or shotguns
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2605 using a view recording device cosighted with the gun F41G3/2616 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules

Abstract

A novel system and process is described for the capturing of the images of a target, and/or the shooter, at the time around the discharge of a gun, bow, or shooting device and the display of the images prior to discharge, around point of discharge, and post discharge in a manner that allows the shooter to analyze the images and data. More particularly, the process is directed to shooting a moving target that must be led in order that the projectile (or projectiles) arrives on target after the point in time where the shoot decision is made and the projectile reaches the target area. This process aids the shooter by letting them see images and sight pictures of successful and unsuccessful shots and how much lead, if any, they had given the targets at the point in time they decided to shoot. It also allows for the shooters technique to be recorded and analyzed.

Claims

1. A camera device comprising:

a camera mounted on a shooting device to capture video discharge data of the shooting device associated with at least one of a sight picture, a target lead, and a shooting technique, the camera is independent of a targeting system of the shooting device, and the video discharge data allows a shooter to estimate a lead given to a target in both a case where the target was hit and where the target was missed, and also to estimate a shooting device alignment relative to a target in both the case where the target was correctly aimed at and where the target was incorrectly aimed at;

at least one of

a reticule generating system to add a reticule in a field of view towards a discharge end of the shooting device, and

an indicator generating system to add a graticule in the field of view towards the discharge end of the shooting device, to indicate an aim point of the camera; and

an alignment system to adjust a position of the aim point of the camera relative to the aim point of the shooting device.

2. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the camera device has system of recording a video stream in a range of 0 to a maximum time allowed by available memory during one or more of:

a time prior to shooting device discharge;

a time around shooting device discharge; and

a time after shooting device discharge.

3. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the camera records a video with at least one of still images and slow motion at selectable points in time, the selectable points in time include one or more of:

a sight image point in time when a trigger of the shooting device is about to be activated;

a discharge image point in time when the shooting device is discharged; and

an image point in time when a projectile impacts a target.

4. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the reticule generating system and the indicator generating system enables a video Iomega capture of a lead given to a moving target.

5. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first area of memory for continuous overwrite with newest data while in a recording loop; and

a second area of memory second identified as write-protected associated with a discharge of the shooting device.

6. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the shooting device is at least one

a shotgun,

a pistol,

a revolver,

a rifle,

a bow, and

a crossbow.

7. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the aim point of the camera is aligned with the aim point of the shooting device using at least one of

optical alignment with one or more of an optical bore sighting, a shooting device'"'"'s fixed sight, a scope mounted on the shooting device, the graticule generated by the indicator generating system;

and

laser alignment with one or more of laser bore sighting, a laser integral to the camera device, a laser separate from the camera device.

8. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an integrated laser for adjustment of the aim point of the camera relative to the aim point of the shooting device.

9. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light source for field of view illumination which is activated by a discharge sensor.

10. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the camera further includes a first image sensor and a second image sensor;

and;

a mount for holding the camera on the shooting device with the first image sensor positioned to capture a field of view towards a discharge end of the shooting device and the second image sensor positioned to capture a field of view towards a shooter using the shooting device.

11. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising

a discharge sensor, the discharge sensor is at least one of:

an accelerometer;

a vibration sensor;

a microphone;

a muzzle flash sensor;

an optical sensor;

a mechanical mechanism coupled to a trigger mechanism of the shooting device; and

an electrical switching mechanism coupled to a trigger mechanism of the shooting device.

12. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one of

an orientation sensor to orient a capture of images, and

an image processor to orient captured images,

independent of a rotation of the camera with respect to a horizon in which the earth surface and the sky appear to meet.

13. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the reticule generating system generates a plurality of different reticules to represent a plurality of different projectile characteristics including one or more of

a type of the projectile;

a spread of projectiles;

a drop of the projectile;

a strike zone of the projectile;

a flight path error of the projectile;

a weight of the projectile; and

a speed of the projectile.

14. The camera device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an image processor programmed to transition the indicator to be fixed in space relative to an image reference point, thereby providing images of

a first indicator to indicate a position of the aim point the shooting device, and

a second indicator to indicate the point in space where a projectile is anticipated to travel towards, whereby a second indicator is added to the video after the discharge of the shooting device.

15. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the camera includes an adjustable focal length to match a distance at which the target is expected to be struck with a projectile.

16. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the shooting device is a bow with a riser, and the mount is slidably mounted on the bow at different distances away from the riser to act as a customizable stabilizer.

17. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the camera goes into a low power sleep mode after a selectable time and is woken up by at least one of:

a bump;

a shake;

a closing action of a gun;

a closing action of a semi-automatic long gun; and

a pumping action of a gun.

18. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the mount includes ridges for orienting the camera in only one orientation with respect to the shooting device.

19. A camera device comprising:

a camera with a mount for mounting on a shooting device;

a generating system to create an indicator of an aim point of the shooting device on an image being captured by the camera prior to shooting device discharge and referenced to image data at some point after shooting device discharge

an image processor programmed to transition the indicator to be fixed in space relative to an image reference point, thereby providing a display of

a first indicator to indicate a position of the aim point the shooting device, and

a second indicator to indicate the point in space where a projectile is anticipated to travel towards, whereby the second indicator is added to the image after a discharge of the shooting device.

20. A point of aim compensation and correction system comprising:

a camera device mounted on a shooting device for capturing an image;

at least one of

an optical alignment mechanism includes one or more of an optical bore sighting, a shooting device'"'"'s fixed sight, a scope mounted on the shooting device, a generated indicator, and a generated overlay, and

a laser alignment mechanism with one or more of laser bore sighting, a laser integral to the camera device, a laser separate from the camera device, to adjust and offset an aim point indicator of the camera device and an aim point of the shooting device by programming a correction offset data into the camera device; and

wherein the offset data is processed by the camera device to align the aim point of the camera to the aim point of the shooting device.