BIOMETRIC DETECTION OF AIMING POINT AND BARREL STABILIZATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FIREARMS

Abstract

At least one sensor is configured to detect a user aiming at a point and movement of the firearm. A processor is provided to process and analyse movement data obtained wherein the at least one sensor is adapted to measure a movement deviation from the line of sight between an eye of the user and the point of aim of the firearm. At least one electro-mechanical actuator to apply a correction to the barrel as to maintain aim on the intended point of aim.

Description

FIELD

The invention relates to the field of small arms such as handguns and rifles and the like. In particular the invention relates to a system and method for correcting aim when using such small arms.

BACKGROUND

A person firing a small firearm weapon will cause inaccuracies to the firearms intended ballistic trajectory due to human factors in at least four basic categories: natural muscle and body movement when holding on a static target, movement imparted to the firearm while pulling the trigger, natural muscle and body movement while tracking a movement target, the brains ability to align sights with a target, and subconscious movements such as anticipation of the firearms recoil.

There have been a number of aiming and barrel stabilization systems for firearms developed in the art. Some such systems attempt to stabilize the barrel of a firearm by automatically countering movement when in an aiming state. Other systems attempt to use metrics related to the target to try to recognize what the firer is aiming at and adjust the barrel accordingly. However this requires digital optical sights on a firearm making the system complex and is dependent on the target being of a recognizable pattern to the programmed definitions of a target. Other systems allow you to tag a feature of the target in a digital image and attempt to track that feature in future images which has to assume a certain evolution of the tracked feature and that the feature will not disappear behind any other feature in the image which leads to poor results. Examples of prior art systems are disclosed in WO2014/102536; EP1 862 840; EP 1 510 775 and US20160169621.

Heretofore no effective system has been developed to improve or correct aim and accuracy automatically when a firearm weapon is discharged.

It is therefore an object to provide an improved system and method.

SUMMARY

According to the present invention there is provided, as set out in the appended claims a system and method to automatically correct a point of aim associated with a user aiming a firearm comprising a housing and a barrel, the system comprising. At least one sensor is configured to detect a user aiming at a point and movement of the firearm. A processor is provided to process and analyse movement data obtained wherein the at least one sensor is adapted to measure a movement deviation from the line of sight between an eye of the user and the point of aim of the firearm. At least one electro-mechanical actuator to apply a correction to the barrel as to maintain aim on the intended point of aim.

The present invention provides methods and systems applied to the design to small firearms such as a handgun or a rifle used to detect a point of aim while a user is aiming a firearm and allows the barrel of a firearm to be adjusted accurately to the detected aiming point. The aiming data of the firearm is directly related to the user's biometric data and the trigonometric relationship the user creates with a target when holding a firearm in an aiming position by the position of the firearm in relation to the user. The present invention does not use any target-facing sensors for the determination of point of aim. Trigonometric calculations based on user's biometric data allows for a more accurate determination of where the user is aiming. In one embodiment the present invention augments a traditional firearm design with integrated electronics, including a rear-facing camera aligned to the central (uncorrected) bore alignment of the firearm, a processor, 9 axis IMU, actuators for barrel correction, battery, and moveable barrel portion.

In one embodiment the at least one sensor comprises a camera adapted to measure the movement deviation from the line of sight between the eye of the user and the intended point of aim.

In one embodiment the at least one sensor and processor is configured to:

• • detect a first parameter associated with the position of an eye of the user;
  • detect a second parameter associated with movement of the firearm;
  • detect a third parameter associated with the user being in physical contact with the firearm;
  • determine the firearm being aimed by the user based on at least one of the first, second or third parameter.

In one embodiment the at least one sensor and processor is configured to:

• • detect a first parameter associated with the position of the user's dominant eye with respect to the central axis of the firearms orientation;
  • detect a second parameter associated with the movement data, within fixed thresholds, of the firearm;
  • determine the users point of aim based on at least the first or second parameter.

In one embodiment the at least one sensor and the processor is configured to:

• • detect the deviation of the position of a user's dominant eye from the central axis of a firearms orientation; and
  • calculate a user's point of aim by inverting the detected deviation vectors.

In one embodiment the at least one sensor and the processor is configured to:

• • detect the movement data of the firearm;
  • calculate the centroid of motion for the threshold of movement that indicates that the firearm is being aimed, excluding movement data which may be calculated to be a shooting error such as trigger pull movement, recoil anticipation or intended movement by a user between aiming points or tracking a moving target.

In one embodiment the at least one sensor and the processor is configured to:

• • scale the magnitude of the determined point of aim vectors according to a system specific determination; and
  • apply an output signal to electro-mechanical actuator to move the firearms barrel.

In one embodiment the at least one sensor and the processor is configured to:

• • detect the distance between the firearm and a target;
  • calculate the deviation of the ballistic trajectory from the central axis of the firearms orientation at the targets distance; and
  • apply an additional offset to the output signal to the electro-mechanical actuator for moving the firearms barrel.

In one embodiment determination of the firearm being in an aim position can be calculated by a processor by detecting the pressing of a trigger.

In one embodiment determination of the firearm being in an aim position can be by detecting a low threshold of movement indicative of the firearm being held steady before discharge.

In one embodiment high threshold movement data, while the trigger is being pressed, combined with a sudden deviation of the users dominant eye from the central axis, indicates a subconscious flinching movement of a user hand in anticipation of the recoil of the firearm and is corrected for.

In one embodiment low threshold data during an aiming state indicates that the user is adjusting the aim of the firearm.

In one embodiment the electro-mechanical actuator for moving the barrel is positioned at any point along the axis of the barrel.

In one embodiment the electro-mechanical movement can be controlled by the processor configured to keep the barrel aimed in real-time at the determined intended point of aim.

In a further embodiment there is provided a method to automatically correct a point of aim associated with a user aiming a firearm comprising a housing and a barrel, the method comprising the steps of:

• • detecting a user aiming at a point and movement of the firearm;
  • processing and analysing movement data obtained by measuring a movement deviation from the line of sight between an eye of the user and the point of aim of the firearm; and
  • applying a correction to the barrel as to maintain aim on the intended point of aim.

In one embodiment wherein detecting a firearm being aimed the method further comprises:

• • detecting a first parameter associated with the position of an eye of a user;
  • detecting a second parameter associated with movement of the firearm;
  • detecting a third parameter associated with a user being in physical contact with the firearm;
  • determining the firearm being aimed by a user based on at least one of the first, second or third parameter.

In one embodiment determining a user's point of aim further comprises:

• • detecting a first parameter associated with the position of a user's dominant eye with respect to the central axis of the firearms orientation;
  • detecting a second parameter associated with the movement data, within fixed thresholds, of the firearm;
  • determining the users point of aim based on at least the first or second parameter.

In one embodiment determining a user's point of aim based on a user's dominant eye position further comprises:

• • detecting the deviation of the position of a user's dominant eye from a central axis of a firearms orientation;
  • calculating a user's point of aim by inverting the detected deviation vectors; and
  • scaling the magnitude of the vectors according to a system specific layout.

In one embodiment determining a user's point of aim based on movement data of the firearm further comprises:

• • detecting the movement data of a firearm;
  • calculating a centroid of motion for the threshold of movement that indicates that a firearm is being aimed, excluding movement data which may be calculated to be a shooting error such as trigger pull movement, recoil anticipation or intended movement by a user between aiming points or tracking a moving target; and
  • scaling the magnitude of the vectors according to a system specific determination.

In one embodiment applying a correction to the barrel of the firearm further comprises:

• • scaling the magnitude of the determined point of aim vectors according to a system specific determination; and
  • applying an output signal to electro-mechanical means of moving the firearms barrel.

In one embodiment applying an output signal to electro-mechanical means of moving the firearms barrel may further comprise:

• • detecting the distance between the firearm and the target;
  • calculating the deviation of the ballistic trajectory from the central axis of the firearms orientation at the targets distance; and
  • applying an additional offset to the output signal to an electro-mechanical means of moving the firearms barrel.

In another embodiment there is provided a method of correcting a point of aim associated with a user aiming a firearm, the method comprising:

• • detecting a user aiming a firearm;
  • determining a user's line of sight; and
  • applying a correction to the barrel of the firearm.

There is also provided a computer program comprising program instructions for causing a computer program to carry out the above method which may be embodied on a record medium, carrier signal or read-only memory. There is also provided one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by the at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of any of claims 15 to 22.

In another embodiment system of correcting a point of aim associated with a user aiming a firearm, the system comprising:

• • at least one sensor configured to detect a user aiming a firearm;
  • a processor to determine a user's line of sight; and
  • at least one electro-mechanical actuator configured to apply a correction to
  • a barrel of the firearm.

The system can include a memory module to log firing events.

In a further embodiment there is provided system to correct aim in a firearm weapon, such as a handgun housing a barrel portion, said system comprising

• • a module configured for detecting movement in the handgun;
  • a module configured for detecting a user aiming the handgun;
  • a module to process and analyse movement data obtained from at least one sensor and determining an intended point of aim; and
  • a module configured to electro-mechanically move the barrel independently of the housing so as to maintain aim on the intended point of aim wherein a sensor, such as a camera, is adapted to measure the movement deviation from the line of sight between the eye of the user and the axis of the gun.

The system can be in wireless electronic communication with a computing device such as a smartphone, a tablet or a laptop. Such computing devices can be used to adjust the aiming point of the firearm to a user's requirements. Such a system could be built to work with any firearm sights including iron sights, optical sights, red dot sights or holographic sights on firearms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of the invention showing a side view and front view of a firearm incorporating the invention which can make use of a camera to measure the movement deviation from the line of sight between the dominant eye of the firer and the axis of the firearm;

FIG. 2 illustrates the camera view when a firearm is aligned to a user's line of sight;

FIG. 3 illustrates the camera view at a certain point when a firearm is not correctly aligned with a user's line of sight;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow chart depicting the steps in one example of a method to determine the aim and intended target as well as adjustments necessary to maintain accuracy despite subtle movements;

FIG. 5 is a non-limiting example of methods and apparatus involved in each core stage of the inventions functions;

FIG. 6. illustrates a plot of eye tracking data on an x and y axis and the matching inverted and scaled data necessary to adjust the moveable barrel portion to a users intended point of aim;

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternative embodiment that makes use of a retro-reflective sensor configured to measure the movement deviation from the line of sight of a firer wearing protective eyewear; and

FIG. 8 is an example of a single sight designed to give a general orientation of +−2 degrees when a user is aiming a firearm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the present description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be inferred therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes only and are intended to be broadly construed. The different methods and systems described herein may be used alone or in combination with other methods and systems. Various equivalents, alternatives, and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

A firearm has two main types of movement: rotation and lateral movement. Both are detected by the present invention; a camera, or other sensor, detects a combination of rotation and lateral movement, while both types of movement can also separately be detected by the gyroscope and accelerometer features of the IMU.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary firearm handgun with an adjustable aim system according to one aspect of the invention indicated generally by the reference numeral 100. The handgun 100 may include each of the noted items or any combination of noted items but not limited to these items to accomplish the improved adjustable aim system. The handgun 100 has a single sight 101 used by the human eye to aim the handgun at an intended target 203 (as shown in FIG. 2). At least one VCM actuator 106 is used to adjust a moveable bore 102, a trigger when pressed fires a projectile out of the moveable bore 102. A trigger pressure sensor 103 is used to detect the depression of the trigger. A rear-facing camera, or other image capture device, 104 is located at the rear of the handgun 100, such that it is aligned with the moveable bore 102 in an uncorrected or neutral position. The rear-facing camera 104 is used to detect and track the dominant eye of the user (or firer) to determine the aiming point 203 and via calculated line-of-sight 202, as illustrated in FIG. 2. A 9-axis IMU in electronic components 105 is used to detect subtle movements that can affect the hold an aiming point at the intended target. Each sensor is input to the processor in electronic components 105 where algorithms reside in software to determine which sensors and which actions if/any to take and an output command to the VCM actuator 106 to adjust the moveable bore 102 is made to bring the barrel axis in line with the users intended point of aim 203. The processor 105 and all necessary peripheral inputs and outputs will be powered by a battery also included in electronic components 105.

FIG. 2 illustrates device when perfectly aligned with the users aiming point 203. The rear-facing camera 104 view when the handgun 100 is exactly aligned to a user's line of sight 21 and the determination of the intended target 203. The rear-facing camera 104 will monitor the user's dominant eye 201 while the user is aiming at a target through the single sight 101. The processor 105 will use a combination of sensors to determine when the user is aiming and where the intended target is 203. This line of sight 202 will be used as a reference point for any adjustments to be made by the processor 105 to command the VCM actuator 106 to adjust the moveable bore 102 to ensure the intended target 203 will be struck.

FIG. 3 illustrates a situation where the present invention is not correctly aligned the intended target 203 and the processor 105 determines how to adjust the moveable bore 102 via the VCM actuator 106 in order to maintain accuracy to the intended target 203. This is accomplished by a combination of reading the rear-facing camera 104 that is no longer aligned with the user's line of sight 202 as well as using the 9-axis IMU 105 to determine that the alignment of the handgun 100 is off target. Data from the sensors is gathered and used to calculate the magnitude of the movement and consequently how much the moveable bore 102 should be adjusted via the VCM actuator 106 to insure the intended target 203 is accurately struck.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example flow chart depicting the steps in one example of a method to determine the aim and intended target as well as adjustments necessary to maintain accuracy despite subtle movements, indicated by the reference numeral 400. The algorithm represented by this flow chart resides in the processor 105 and reads sensor inputs and controls actuator outputs. The first step in the process is to detect the user is aiming or is in a state of aiming in step 401. This is done by using at least one or a combination of the trigger sensor 103, eye detection using the rear-facing camera 104, and/or the data from the 9-axis IMU 105. This data is used to determine that the user is in fact aiming and unlocks the moveable bore 102. In step 402, the rear-facing camera 104, detects the dominant eye-position as the user is looking down the single sight 101 and determines the eye position in relation to the central axis 107. The central axis 107 being aligned with the moveable bores 102 central position and the rear-facing cameras central axis 104. From the relation of the user's eye to the devices central axis, a line-of-sight can be determined in step 403. Data obtained from the rear-facing camera, as shown in graphs 601, is inverted and scaled so that the trigonometric relationship 108 between the user and the aiming point 203, about the device is observed due to them facing opposite directions is corrected 602 and applied to the actuators 106 which aligns the moveable barrel portion 102. The 9-axis IMU 105 data and the eye position data from the rear-facing camera 104 can be put through a Kalman filter and a smoothing algorithm to reduce signal noise. In step 404, the processor 105 determines if an adjustment to the moveable bore 102 is needed to correct for any deviation from the line-of-sight that was previously determined. If an adjustment is necessary, a command is sent to the VCM actuator 106 to facilitate the adjustment of the moveable bore 102 for the accuracy correction. This process repeats itself and continues to do adjust in real-time for as long as it is determined that the user is in the process of aiming. By real-time the process can operate and adjust the bore 102 at a speed that is imperceptible and unattainable by a user.

FIG. 5 is an action/method/apparatus table containing non-limiting examples of methods and apparatus that can be used in different variations of the invention. The table in FIG. 5 is used to show in greater detail the four main functions of this invention. It shows the variety of sensors and actuators that can be used individually or in any combination with each other to complete each of the intended actions.

FIG. 6 illustrates the XY measurements of the position of the dominant eye of a firer or a user over a 15 second aiming period, and the inverted scaled signal which is a component of the output signal to the actuators.

FIG. 7 is an example of an alternative embodiment may make use of a sensor which can measure the movement deviation from the line of sight of a firer wearing protective eyewear using a retro-reflective sensor 700 and the axis of the firearm 100. A reflector for the photoelectric sensor located in the vicinity of the firer's master, or dominant, eye returns the beam to the receiver in the firearm 100. This allows the deviation from the line of sight to be calculated and adjustments made to the barrel of the firearm 100 to keep the barrel stabilised along the line of sight at all times during aiming.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example embodiment of a single sight 800 designed to give a general orientation of +−2 degrees when a user is aiming a firearm. The single sight 801 is different from a typical outer appearance of a traditional handgun because it has no front sight and only a single aiming post at the rear, aligned with the central axis of the uncorrected bore alignment. A front and rear sight is required in a traditional firearm to align the bore axis of the firearm with the user's line of sight to the aiming point. The noted difference in operation required to aim the present invention is that a single sighting post 801 is required to be placed at point on a user's line of sight. The ergonomic design of the handgun ensures that a user is always pointing it within a reasonable degree of accuracy which can be corrected by the present inventions systems and methods. The single sighting post can be designed in ways to give a user a general perspective of the firearms orientation. The single sighting post 801 has a number of advantages, for example with a traditional handgun with iron sights, the accuracy of the shot fired is determined by the position of the front and rear sight at the firing event. The front and rear iron sights of a traditional handgun are typically four to six inches apart depending on the model. The sight's accuracy is limited by the human limitations of eye and the brain's ability to determine when the front sight is centered to, and level with, the rear sight, as well as by the human limitations of the body to make fine adjustments. With the present invention, the two reference points are the user's dominant eye position in reference to the central bore axis of the gun and the single sighting post. The reference points being about eighteen inches apart makes finer accuracy possible. The use of a single post does not require the brain to determine a center-point, eliminating a source of human inaccuracy and the movement required by the user is simpler, so fine adjustments are easier.

Example Operation

In one example of operation for a firearm designed in the format of FIG. 1, a user would keep the firearm 100 in a holster attached to the user in a position most suitable for accessibility, such as waist worn holster (not shown). The firearm 100 can be kept in a low power state during such carried periods. When the user detects a situation that requires them to draw and aim their firearm 100, one or more biometric sensors, such as a grip sensor, trigger sensor, eye position detection algorithm or IMU data can be used in conjunction to detect the change in state and activate an aiming state.

If an aiming state is detected and thus aiming corrections can be applied to the moveable barrel portion, the barrel is unlocked from it's central axis. It remains in a locked state outside of this condition so that it will fire along the central axis in extraordinary situations where precise aiming cannot be detected.

As per the exemplary example description, the aiming state uses the camera and IMU data detected to determine a user's point of aim. As a user continues to hold the firearm on aim, the algorithms described continually apply corrections to the barrel of the firearm in real-time. Thus, the barrel of the firearm will continually adjust to a user's point of aim. If a user fires the firearm, any movement errors associated with the mechanics of firing will be detected and corrections applied to the barrel in real-time using the methods and systems described in the exemplary embodiment.

The one or more sensors may be activated when the user has taken up first pressure on the trigger and the firearm is being held steady. At that stage, the user is deemed to have aligned the single sight post 801 with the target and is attempting to keep it aligned while continuing to pull the trigger. The processor calculates the users mean point of aim for the duration of the aiming period but excludes certain movements, such as movements that are likely to be unintentional subconscious flinching movements or in timing with the trigger pull to indicate a jerking movement. The processor outputs the necessary adjustments to the electro-mechanical means of movement to control the movement of the barrel of the firearm, keeping it centered on the determined intended point of aim. As the firearm is fired the system continues to operate in the same manner for subsequent shots.

It will be appreciated that lateral movement is much less important to accuracy; if a firearm is aimed directly on target and moved laterally one inch in any direction without affecting the rotation of the firearm, the bullet will strike one inch from the original aiming point. As a wrist of a user is the pivot point for a handgun, rotational movement affects the position of the front of the handgun more than the rear. By placing the sight at the rear of the firearm, when rotation occurs, the reference points are minimally moved from the user's line of sight, however the rotation, measured by the deviation of the eye position from the center of a camera image and the IMU gyroscope values allows a computation of the difference between the aiming point and the orientation of the handgun.

Most of the larger causes of human inaccuracy when firing a handgun are characterized by rotating the gun immediately prior to the firing event in such a close timing to the firing event that often the firer is unware that the error occurred. As well as the aiming point being better detected by the present invention, it also captures other movements which contribute to inaccuracy:

• • Natural human movement which is a combination of small rotational and lateral movements in the 10-20 Hz range.
  • Imparting movement to the handgun while firing such as trigger pull errors or grip errors.
  • Subconscious movements, such as recoil anticipation, that usually occurs as a wrist based rotational movement.

The system of the present invention can detect different types of movement using the data from a six or nine axis IMU which can be assessed once an “aiming detection” condition has been met.

Different types of movement of the firearm can be differentiated and corrected where appropriate. The normal movement that happens while a person tries to hold the firearm on target can be distinguished by the position of the user's dominant eye and augmented by the IMU data. Movement caused by pulling the trigger quickly, usually causing downward rotation on the firearm, can also be differentiated from other movements by assessing the movement of the main body of the firearm in combination with the speed of the trigger being pulled through its full range. In general, a faster trigger pull will cause a larger downward movement. The movement can be algorithmically discounted from the calculations of the users intended point of aim.

If a firearm is being aimed at a moving target, the combination of eye position detection and IMU data can accurately detect the moving point of aim. If you assume that a person holds a firearm perfectly on target even while it's moving, the eye position detection from the central uncorrected bore axis of the firearm changes very little while the accelerometer values change substantially.

The eye gaze, or orientation of the users eye in relation to users head, during aiming is always directed at the sight and for most shots, the eye gaze position will be a similar position, meaning there is no significant difference in the accuracy of the determined aiming point.

As most of the movement associated with tracking a moving target horizontally occurs at the users hips, there is little difference in the eye position deviation during any horizontal tracking. In most stances and techniques, both a user's head and firearm rotate around the same pivot point in unison. Vertical tracking of an aiming point tends to be combination of both shoulder movement and eye gaze adjustment. If a user was to fire at a point on the ground, for example 0.5 meters, in front of them, the users would rotate their shoulders and head downwards but would also rotate the eye gaze downwards as well. Eye gaze is an additional offset which can be accounted for to further improve accuracy. The detected orientation of the gun as compared to a horizontal (1G) position will determine expected facial feature detection and eye gaze detection for any angle of aiming a firearm.

The firearm can detect the short period, high threshold movement, caused by anticipation of recoil, from other types of movement and discount that movement from the calculations of the users intended point of aim.

The moveable barrel of the firearm requires XY axis degrees of freedom in a number of degrees of movement independent to the main body of the firearm to allow for accuracy corrections. Normal low threshold movements can be compensated for by a freedom of movement of 1 to 2 degrees off the barrels central uncorrected bore axis in all directions, while subconscious movements can be more severe and may require 4 degrees of XY movement from the center axis.

The moveable barrel portion can move designed to move independently to the body of the firearm in a number of methods. Non-limiting examples include placing a pivot point for a firearms barrel at the breach end of the barrel and movement actuators at the exit end of the barrel. In another embodiment, the pivot point can be placed towards the exit end of the barrel and movement actuators towards the breach end of the barrel move the barrel. In another embodiment, two sets of movement actuators can move the barrel without the requirement of a defined pivot point.

The barrel can be designed to be reset to the central uncorrected bore axis of the firearm with the movement of the slide rearwards during recoil operation so that if there is any failure with the present inventions detection, the barrel will remain sighted to the central, uncorrected bore axis of the firearm. In other embodiments, the mechanical slide recoil operation can be eliminated and replaced with motor actuation to remove spent cartridges and load new rounds.

It will be appreciated that the firearm hereinbefore described can use mechanical or electronic ignition of rounds.

It will be further appreciated that the above refer to handgun design, but combinations of described elements can be applied to revolvers, rifles or any other small arms design.

The embodiments in the invention described with reference to the drawings comprise a computer apparatus and/or processes performed in a computer apparatus. However, the invention also extends to computer programs, particularly computer programs stored on or in a carrier adapted to bring the invention into practice. The program may be in the form of source code, object code, or a code intermediate source and object code, such as in partially compiled form or in any other form suitable for use in the implementation of the method according to the invention. The carrier may comprise a storage medium such as ROM, e.g. CD ROM, or magnetic recording medium, e.g. a memory stick or hard disk. The carrier may be an electrical or optical signal which may be transmitted via an electrical or an optical cable or by radio or other means.

In the specification the terms “comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising” or any variation thereof and the terms include, includes, included and including” or any variation thereof are considered to be totally interchangeable and they should all be afforded the widest possible interpretation and vice versa.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described but may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims

1. A system to automatically correct a point of aim associated with a user aiming a firearm comprising a housing and a barrel, the system comprising: at least one sensor configured to detect a user aiming at a point and movement of the firearm;a processor to process and analyse movement data obtained wherein the at least one sensor is adapted to measure a movement deviation from the line of sight between an eye of the user and the point of aim of the firearm; andat least one electro-mechanical actuator to apply a correction to the barrel as to maintain aim on the intended point of aim.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor comprises a camera adapted to measure the movement deviation from the line of sight between the eye of the user and the intended point of aim.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor and processor is configured to: detect a first parameter associated with the position of an eye of the user;detect a second parameter associated with movement of the firearm;detect a third parameter associated with the user being in physical contact with the firearm;determine the firearm being aimed by the user based on at least one of the first, second or third parameter.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor and processor is configured to: detect a first parameter associated with the position of the user's dominant eye with respect to the central axis of the firearms orientation;detect a second parameter associated with the movement data, within fixed thresholds, of the firearm;determine the users point of aim based on at least the first or second parameter.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor and the processor s configured to: detect the deviation of the position of a user's dominant eye from the central axis of a firearms orientation; andcalculate a user's point of aim by inverting the detected deviation vectors.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor and the processor is configured to: detect the movement data of the firearm;calculate the centroid of motion for the threshold of movement that indicates that the firearm is being aimed, excluding movement data which may be calculated to be a shooting error such as trigger pull movement, recoil anticipation or intended movement by a user between aiming points or tracking a moving target.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least o sensor and the processor is configured to: scale the magnitude of the determined point of aim vectors according to a system specific determination; andapply an output signal to electro-mechanical actuator to move the firearms barrel.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one sensor and the processor is configured to: detect the distance between the firearm and a target;calculate the deviation of the ballistic trajectory from the central axis of the firearms orientation at the targets distance; andapply an additional offset to the output signal to the electro-mechanical actuator for moving the firearms barrel.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein determination of the firearm being in an aim position can be calculated by a processor by detecting the pressing of a trigger.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein determination of the firearm being in an aim position can be by detecting a low threshold of movement indicative of the firearm being held steady before discharge.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein high threshold movement data while the trigger is being pressed, combined with a sudden deviation of the users dominant eye from the central axis, indicates a subconscious flinching movement of a user hand in anticipation of the recoil of the firearm and is corrected for.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein low threshold data during an aiming state indicates that the user is adjusting the aim of the firearm.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the electro-mechanical actuator for moving the barrel is positioned at any point along the axis of the barrel.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the electro-mechanical movement is controlled by the processor configured to keep the barrel aimed in real-time at the determined intended point of aim.

15. A method to automatically correct a point of aim associated with a user aiming a firearm comprising a housing and a barrel, the method comprising the steps of: detecting a user aiming at a point and movement of the firearm;processing and analysing movement data obtained by measuring a movement deviation from the line of sight between an eye of the user and the point of aim of the firearm; andapplying a correction to the barrel as to maintain aim on the intended point of aim.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein detecting a firearm being aimed further comprises: detecting a first parameter associated with the position of an eye of a user;detecting a second parameter associated with movement of the firearm;detecting a third parameter associated with a user being in physical contact with the firearm;determining the firearm being aimed by a user based on at least one of the first, second or third parameter.

17. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein determining a user's point of aim further comprises: detecting a first parameter associated with the position of a user's dominant eye with respect to the central axis of the firearms orientation;detecting a second parameter associated with the movement data, within fixed thresholds, of the firearm;determining the users point of aim based on at least the first or second parameter.

18. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein determining a user's point of aim based on a user's dominant eye position further comprises: detecting the deviation of the position of a user's dominant eye from a central axis of a firearms orientation;calculating a user's point of aim by inverting the detected deviation vectors; andscaling the magnitude of the vectors according to a system specific layout.

19. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein determining a user's point of aim based on movement data of the firearm further comprises: detecting the movement data of a firearm;calculating a centroid of motion for the threshold of movement that indicates that a firearm is being aimed, excluding movement data which may be calculated to be a shooting error such as trigger pull movement, recoil anticipation or intended movement by a user between aiming points or tracking a moving target; andscaling the magnitude of the vectors according to a system specific determination.

20. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein applying a correction to the barrel of the firearm further comprises: scaling the magnitude of the determined point of aim vectors according to a system specific determination; andapplying an output signal to electro-mechanical means of moving the firearms barrel.

21. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein applying an output signal to electro-mechanical means of moving the firearms barrel may further comprise: detecting the distance between the firearm and the target;calculating the deviation of the ballistic trajectory from the central axis of the firearms orientation at the targets distance; andapplying an additional offset to the output signal to an electro-mechanical means of moving the firearms barrel.

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)