Patent Application
20080178859
The present invention relates to mechanisms and methods for activating a motor or other agitator or feed system in a paintball marker loader. In particular, this invention relates to a method and mechanism for sensing a firing or other operation of the paintball marker and activating the loader in response thereto.
Present day paintball markers are capable of high rates of fire. Higher firing rates also, however, require faster loading rates in order to provide a sufficient supply of paintballs to the paintball marker. Conventional loaders have utilized various methods and mechanisms to assist in feeding paintballs from the loader into the paintball marker at higher speeds. Typically, these may rely on an electronic “eye” (optical sensor) or sound sensor to detect a firing operation of a paintball marker and to agitate a supply of paintballs in the loader to ensure that paintballs are arranged in the neck of the loader in proximity to a feed neck of the paintball marker. Unfortunately, electronic “eyes” may have difficulty sensing the presence or absence of a paintball under various situations. In particular, the ambient lighting and the color of the paintballs can affect the ability of the “eyes” to detect paintballs. The optical sensors may also become dirty and have difficulty sensing paintballs. Sound activation mechanisms are also subject to error as they may respond to the sound of other paintball markers firing or other ambient noises. A more reliable loader activation system and method is therefore desirable.
When a paintball marker is activated or fired, a sequence of internal mechanical events occurs to propel the paintball out of the marker. The internal mechanical movements of the firing mechanism and the resulting release of the paintball create forces which cause movement (acceleration) of the marker body and attached paintball loader assembly during a shot sequence. By sensing these accelerations (such as by means of an acceleration sensor with appropriate signal filtering, signal amplification and signal processing), it can be determined when a paintball marker firing event (or other desired activation event) occurs. This processed activation event signal can then be used to activate the feed mechanism of a paintball loader to initiate the paintball loading process. The acceleration sensor may, for instance, be used as part of the marker control system or it may be integrated directly into a paintball loader control system.
According to principles of the present invention, an acceleration sensing mechanism may include an acceleration sensor located on or within the paintball marker body or on or within a paintball loader body. A signal filter circuit can be arranged in communication with the acceleration sensor to receive and filter signals responsive to movement of the acceleration sensor. A signal amplifier circuit can be arranged in communication with the signal filter circuit to amplify a signal from the signal filter circuit and transmit the amplified signal to a signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit can be programmed to evaluate the incoming signal and determine whether it corresponds to a desired actuation event (e.g., a firing event) or some other type of marker movement. If the signal processing circuit determines that a desired activation event has occurred, it can then send an activation or control signal to a motion control circuit to activate an agitation or other feed device of the loader to help move paintballs into a neck of the loader in communication with a feed neck of the paintball marker.
A method of activating a loader assembly therefore preferably includes using an acceleration sensor to detect movement of a paintball marker or loader's operating mechanisms and/or body and to output an electrical signal proportional to the magnitude and periodicity of the movement. The resulting signal is then preferably processed using filtering, amplification, and digital signal processing circuitry to determine whether the movement corresponds to a desired activation event and, if so, to provide an activation signal to activate a loading operation of the paintball loader's internal mechanisms.
The foregoing and additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description, made with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, exemplary, non-limiting embodiments illustrating various principles of the present invention and how it may be practiced.
The acceleration sensor 110 is preferably configured to detect movement of the loader, a paintball marker, and/or an operating component of the marker or loader. The signal filter circuit 120 can be arranged in communication with the acceleration sensor 110 to receive and filter signals from the acceleration sensor 110 that are generated responsive to movement of the acceleration sensor 110. The amplifier circuit 130 can be arranged in communication with the signal filter circuit 120 to amplify signals received from the signal filter circuit 120 and in further communication with the signal processing circuit 140 to transmit the amplified signal to a signal processing circuit 140. The signal processing circuit 140 preferably communicates with the control circuit 150. Throughout this description, where the specified communication is an electrical communication, that communication, can, for instance, be a wired or wireless communication. The communication can either be direct or through one or more intermediary circuits, components, or devices.
The signal processing circuit 140 can be a microcontroller based signal processor programmed to evaluate the incoming signal and determine whether it corresponds to a desired activation event (e.g., a firing event) or to some other type of movement. In operation, if the signal processing circuit 140 determines that a desired activation event has occurred, it can then send an activation (or control) signal to the control circuit 150 (or directly to the feed mechanism) to activate a feeding mechanism of the loader. Any type of agitation or other feed device (such as a vibrator, or a motor-driven paddle, drive cone, or other impeller, for example) could be used in the loader to help move paintballs into a neck of the loader in communication with a feed neck of the paintball marker. In one embodiment, for instance, the control circuit 150 is a motor control circuit which sends a control signal to a drive motor in the loader to rotate a paddle, drive cone, or other impeller and move paintballs into the loader neck.
Referring to
In this embodiment, the acceleration sensor 110 is also preferably arranged in the loader housing 202. The acceleration sensor 110 can be arranged directly on the circuit board 230, mounted to the housing 202, or arranged in any other desired location in the loader 200. The acceleration sensor 110 can, for instance, communicate with the circuit board 230 through either a wired or wireless communication. The circuit board 230 preferably includes a signal filter 120, an amplifier 130, a signal processing circuit 140, and a motor control circuit 150, such as was described previously with reference to
In this embodiment, the acceleration sensor 110 preferably detects movement of the paintball loader 200 and sends a signal corresponding to the magnitude and periodicity of that movement to the signal filter 120 for filtering. The filtered signal from the signal filter 120 is then passed on to the amplifier 130 which amplifies the signal and sends it to the signal processor 140 for evaluation. The signal processor 140 determines whether or not the signal corresponds to a desired actuation event (e.g., a firing event). If the signal processor 140 determines that a desired actuation event has occurred, it sends a control signal to the motor control unit 150 to activate the motor and drive paintballs into the feed neck 210.
Referring to
In operation, the acceleration sensor 110 detects movement of the bolt 315 and preferably sends a signal corresponding to the magnitude and periodicity of the bolt movement to the signal filter 120. As in the previously described embodiment, the signal filter 120, amplifier 130, and signal processor 140 work together to determine whether the bolt movement corresponds to a desired loader activation event, such as a firing event of the paintball marker 300. If it is determined that a desired loader activation event has occurred, the signal processor 140 can instruct the control unit 150 to activate the loader motor 222 (or other feed device).
Referring to
In operation, the acceleration sensor 110 in this embodiment detects movement of the paintball marker 300. A signal corresponding to the paintball marker movement is sent to the signal filter 120, which can be arranged, for example, either in the loader 200 or the paintball marker 300. As in the other embodiments, the signal filter 120, amplifier 130, and signal processor 140 preferably process the acceleration-based signal to determine whether the detected movement corresponds to a desired loader activation event (e.g., a firing event). If the detected movement corresponds to an activation event, the signal processor 140 instructs the control unit 150 to send an activation signal to the feed device 220 to drive paintballs into the feed neck 210.
Having described and illustrated principles of the present invention in various preferred embodiments thereof it should be apparent that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. For instance, it should be recognized that the principles of this invention can be implemented with any electronic or mechanical paintball marker and that the loader size, shape, and design can take any desired configuration. In addition, one or more of the circuit elements could be combined with other circuit elements or be omitted altogether. Furthermore, in the described method, one or more of the steps can be combined with other steps, separated into additional steps, rearranged with other steps, or omitted altogether. We therefore claim all modifications and variations coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
This application is a non-provisional application of and claims priority from copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/886,605, filed Jan. 25, 2007, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60886605 | Jan 2007 | US |
