Various types of firearms are known in the prior art. For example, a Gatling gun (Mini-gun) is a six-barrel, electrically driven machine gun capable of firing 7.62 mm projectiles at a fixed rate of 3,000 rounds per minute, such as the Dillon M134D Gatling gun. These machine guns are typically used as helicopter crew-served firearms, or fixed forward fire installations on helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft. The machine gun is also used on board vehicles and ships. The machine gun is advantageous as the gun can fire thousands of rounds per minute towards a target increasing the odds of destroying the target. However, the gun is only as accurate as the operator's skill in aiming the gun. As such, small and fast moving targets (e.g., drones, fighter jets) are particularly difficult to destroy as the gun needs to be quickly adjusted and aimed towards a small target area. Likewise, large targets (e.g., missile launch pads) may be difficult to destroy as the gun needs to be precisely aimed towards several locations on the target to fully destroy the target.
Thus, there exists a need in the art to improve the probability of hitting and destroying a target with a firearm by providing a controllable firing pattern firearm system capable of firing projectiles across a wider area of the target in a controlled fashion.
The present invention generally relates to the field of firearms, and more particularly, to a controllable firing pattern firearm system capable of firing projectiles at a target in a designated firing pattern.
The general purpose of the controllable firing pattern firearm system, described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a controllable firing pattern firearm system which has many novel features that result in a controllable firing pattern firearm system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by prior art, either alone or in combination thereof.
A controllable firing pattern firearm system is provided including a firearm, one or more actuators operatively coupled to the firearm to adjust at least one of a position and orientation of the firearm, and a controller controlling the one or more actuators to produce a designated firing pattern on a target as the firearm is firing. The designated firing pattern may be a spiral firing pattern where the controller commands the actuators to produce the spiral firing pattern by beginning at a center point of a spiral, spiraling the firearm outwards to a maximum diameter, then spiraling the firearm inwards back to the center point.
A control panel includes a plurality of control input mechanisms to permit a user to provide user input to control the firearm. The control panel may include a first control input mechanism to permit a user to adjust projectile firing density, a second control input mechanism to toggle between a non-pattern firing mode and a pattern firing mode, a third control input mechanism to permit a user to input a size of the firing pattern (i.e., size of the target), a fourth control input mechanism to toggle between a single cycle firing mode and a continuous cycle firing mode, and a fifth control input mechanism to permit the user to adjust a distance measurement between the firearm and a target. A joystick is further provided for facilitating the aiming of the firearm towards a target. The joystick further includes a dial to input/adjust at least one of a size of the firing pattern (i.e. size of target), projectile firing density, a firing pattern mode, a cycle firing mode, or a distance from the firearm to a target. A distance measurement sensor is also provided in data communication with the controller. The distance measurement sensor measures a distance from the firearm to a target, where the controller utilizes a measured distance from the firearm to a target to produce the designated firing pattern on the target.
The controllable firing pattern firearm system may further include a heads-up-display unit, said heads-up-display unit in data communication with the controller to provide data to the user including at least one of a designated firing pattern, a distance of a target from the firearm, a size of the firing pattern, projectile firing density, firing cycle, available ammunition, and an amount of ammunition to be expended in a next firing cycle.
The controllable firing pattern firearm system may further include a platform and a stand. A rotary actuator is positioned between the platform and the stand to rotate the stand relative to the platform. A support assembly is disposed on the stand and supports a first portion of the firearm. A linear actuator is also disposed on the stand and coupled to a second portion of the firearm. The rotary actuator and linear actuator adjusts an orientation of the firearm to produce the designated firing pattern based on commands from the controller. The support assembly may include one or more brackets each having a first end connected to the stand and a second end assembled to the firearm by a hinge to permit the firearm to rotate about the hinge relative to the one or more brackets. The linear actuator may further be coupled to the second portion of the firearm by a second hinge.
Alternatively, the controllable firing pattern firearm system may include a Gough-Stewart platform operated by the one or more actuators, wherein the firearm is operatively coupled to the Gough-Stewart platform to adjust at least one of a position and orientation of the firearm to produce the designated firing pattern based on commands from the controller.
A method for firing a spiral firing pattern on a target with the controllable firing pattern firearm is also provided. The method includes determining a distance from the firearm to a target and inputting that distance in the controller. Inputting a desired projectile firing density in the controller, and a desired size of the firing pattern in the controller based on a size of the target. Calculating commands for the one or more actuators to produce a spiral firing pattern based on the distance, the size, and the firing density. And firing the firearm at the target, wherein the actuators, based on commands from the controller, adjust the firearm to produce the spiral firing pattern on the target.
Thus has been broadly outlined the more important features of the present controllable firing pattern firearm system so that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
Objects of the present controllable firing pattern firearm system, along with various novel features that characterize the invention are particularly pointed out in the claims forming a part of this disclosure. For better understanding of the controllable firing pattern firearm system, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, refer to the accompanying drawings and description.
In the figures, identical structures, elements or parts that appear in more than one figure are generally labeled with a same numeral in all the figures in which they appear. Dimensions of components and features shown in the figures are generally chosen for convenience and clarity of presentation and are not necessarily shown to scale. The figures are listed below.
The present invention has utility as a controllable firing pattern firearm system for firing projectiles across a wider area of a target in a controlled fashion to more evenly distribute the projectiles on the target area, making the most efficient and effective use of ammunition, better than what can be achieved by manual operation. The present invention is particularly advantageous for the war on terror, against terrorist combatants, terrorist operated ground vehicles, ships, aircraft, unmanned drones, and in traditional military operations. The following description of various embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to those specific embodiments, but rather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this invention through exemplary aspects thereof. Further, it should be appreciated that although embodiments of the invention described herein are illustrated with reference to the use of a Gatling gun, any firearm, and more specifically, any rapidly firing firearm, may be substituted for the Gatling gun without deviating from the scope of the present invention.
It is to be understood that in instances where a range of values are provided that the range is intended to encompass not only the end point values of the range but also intermediate values of the range as explicitly being included within the range and varying by the last significant figure of that range. By way of example, a recited range of 1 to 4 is intended to include 1-2, 1-3, 2-4, 3-4, and 1-4.
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular
Referring to
The controller 14 is configured to generate commands for the one or more actuators (18a, 18b) to adjust the firearm 16 to produce a desired firing pattern on the target based on one or more inputs from a user and/or other sensors. The controller 14 may include hardware (e.g., processor, memory, I/O), software, data, and utilities, for converting input from the user and other sensors into the plurality of commands for the one or more actuators (18a, 18b). In specific embodiments, the controller 14 includes a firing pattern software module that utilizes user-specified inputs and/or sensor inputs, as further described below, into the commands for the actuators (18a, 18b). The software module may further include a kinematic model of the actuators (18a, 18b) and the firearm 16 and use inverse kinematics, along with the user-specified inputs and/or sensor inputs, to calculate the commands for the actuators (18a, 18b) to produce the designated firing pattern on the target.
The designated firing pattern may vary extensively based on several factors illustratively including, a user's preference, the type of target, the size of a target, the distance of a target from the firearm 16, how fast a target is travelling, and a direction in which the target is travelling. Illustrative examples of firing patterns include a star pattern, a zigzag pattern, a circular pattern, a square pattern, and an X-pattern. In specific embodiments, the designated firing pattern is a spiral firing pattern 20 as shown in
With reference to
In a particular embodiment, the one or more securement features 22 are configured to removably secure the firearm 16 to the support assembly 19 and/or actuators (18a, 18b). The one or more securement features 22 may illustratively include a coupler, a clip, a clamp, a latch, a zip-tie, a pivot-pin, a hinge, a bayonet mount, a dovetail joint, a sleeve, adhesives, fastening elements such as screws, rivets, pins, and combinations thereof. In specific embodiments, the securement feature 22 is custom made for a particular firearm, while in other embodiments the securement feature 22 is adaptable to several types of firearms. As shown in
With reference to
The controllable firing pattern firearm system 10′ may further include at least one targeting joint 35 as part of the platform 21 on which the actuators (18a, 18b) and firearm 16 can pivot. The targeting joint 35 may be a spherical joint, pivot pin, or other rotational or linear joint that can be adjusted and locked into a position and/or orientation. The targeting joint 35 permits the actuators (18a, 18b) and firearm 16 to be adjusted in at least one of a position and orientation to aim the actuators (18a, 18b) and firearm 16 towards a target independent of the execution of the firing pattern. The targeting joint 35 may further be part of a more complex targeting system (e.g., a manipulator arm) having one or more links and joints that are manually or automatically controlled to aim the actuators (18a, 18b) and firearm 16 towards a target. Therefore, an operator can grossly aim and follow a target by way of the targeting joint 35 while the controllable firing pattern firearm system 10′ produces the designated firing pattern.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
The controllable firing pattern firearms (10, 10′, 10″, 10′″) may further include a linear bearing (not shown) situated between: a) at least one of the securement feature 22, the actuators (18a, 18b), or the support assembly 19; and b) the firearm 16. The linear bearing is disposed to allow the firearm 16 to naturally recoil, to an extent, without worry that a securement feature 22, support assembly 19, and/or actuators (18a, 18b) will disconnect from the firearm 16.
With reference now to
The control panel 32, with reference to
Based on the firing parameter inputs from the user, the controller 14 determines the commands for the actuators (18a, 18b) to produce the designated firing pattern. For example, in one embodiment, with reference to projectile firing density, if the user chooses a higher projectile firing density (e.g., projectiles spaced 8 inches apart) compared to a lower projectile firing density (e.g., projectiles spaced 12 inches apart), then the actuators (18a, 18b) are commanded to actuate at a slower rate to achieve said higher projectile density on the target. In another example, with reference to adjusting the size of the firing pattern (i.e., size of the target), if the user increases the target diameter, then the maximum diameter of the firing pattern produced on the target is increased. The user may likewise set the size of a target, where the maximum diameter of the firing pattern remains the same on the target, but the angle of deviation from the center of the firing pattern is varied based on the distance of the firearm 16 to the target. For instance, if the distance from the firearm 16 to the target decreases, then the angle of deviation is increased because the target is closer to the firearm 16. This is advantageous as the same amount of ammunition can be expended for a single firing cycle regardless of the distance between the target and the firearm 16. In a further example, the degree to which the actuators (18a, 18b) adjust the firearm 16 is dependent on the distance to the target and the inputted size of the target. A longer distance to the target will inherently produce smaller movements of the firearm 16 to produce the designated firing pattern on the target. The controllable firing pattern firearm system 10 may further include a tracking system to track the target and adjust the firing parameters accordingly.
The control panel 32 may further include one or more displays (38a, 38b, 38c) to display information regarding the controllable firing pattern firearm system 10. The control panel 32 may include a first display 38a for displaying the range of a target from the firearm 16, a second display 38b displaying the available rounds remaining, and a third display 38c for displaying the number of rounds to be expended in the next firing cycle. Display 38c may also display which firing cycle mode is selected. For example, in the event the continuous cycle firing mode is selected, then ‘CONT’ appears on the display 38c.
In specific inventive embodiments, the controllable firing pattern firearm system 10 further includes a distance measurement sensor 48 (as shown in
In a particular embodiment, the controller 14 may further receive input from a moving vessel (e.g., aircraft, helicopter, vehicle, boat) on which the controllable firing pattern firearm system 10 is situated thereon. For example, if the firearm system 10 is situated on an aircraft, then the controller 14 may further receive input as to the aircrafts velocity and altitude. The velocity and altitude may be updated in the controller 14, in real-time, to aid in generating the commands for the actuators (18a, 18b) to produce the designated firing pattern on the target, as the vessel is moving.
With reference to
Operation of the Controllable Firing Pattern Firearm System
In a specific inventive embodiment, a method for firing a spiral firing pattern 20 on a target with the controllable firing pattern firearm 10 is provided. The method includes determining a distance from the firearm to a target and inputting the distance in the controller. Inputting a desired projectile firing density in the controller 14 and a desired size of the firing pattern (i.e., size of the target) in the controller 14. The controller 14 then calculates commands for the one or more actuators (18a, 18b) to produce a spiral firing pattern 20 based on the distance, the size, and the firing density. The user then engages the target by firing the firearm 16 at the target, wherein the actuators (18a, 18b), based on commands from the controller 14, adjust the firearm 16 to produce the spiral firing pattern 20 on the target.
The following is but one example of operating the controllable firing pattern firearm system 10 as described above. First, a user selects a fixed or spiral firing pattern mode. The fixed mode is a conventional firing mode, where the firearm 16 fires projectiles towards a single point on a target. The spiral firing pattern mode will produce a spiral firing pattern 20 on the target. Next, if a spiral firing pattern mode was chosen, the user selects a single cycle or a continuous cycle. If a single cycle is chosen, the controllable firing pattern firearm system 10 will execute a single spiral firing pattern 20 (i.e., start the firing at a center point of the spiral or 0 degrees, spiraling the firearm outwards to a maximum diameter, then spiraling the firearm inwards back to the center point). If a continuous mode is chosen, then the controllable firing pattern firearm system 10 will continuously repeat the spiral firing pattern 20 until the user terminates the firing. Next, the user selects the projectile firing density (e.g., projectiles spaced 8, 12, or 18 inches apart), and the diameter of the target area to be covered (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 feet). If the user chooses to have the dial 46 on the joystick 34 adjust the diameter, then the user can select the diameter with the dial 46 on the joystick 34 and update the diameter while firing if needed. Subsequently, the user sets the measurement distance sensor 48 to auto or manual. If the user selects manual, then the range is entered manually. Next, the user identifies the target in space, and places crosshairs 56 on the target using the HUD 50. The range to the target appears on the HUD 50, as well as any other firing parameters (as shown at 52 in
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detail description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the described embodiments in any way. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.
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