Patent Application
20100291513
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for training or instructing in the use of an optically-aimed, projectile-firing firearm.
Instruction in the proper use of firearms is an important part of the training of military, law enforcement and security personnel. It is also of interest to sportsmen, particularly instruction which promotes safer use of firearms in recreational settings.
In conventional firearm training, the student is instructed as to the proper stance, aiming and firing of the firearm. This may involve firing in various positions or while moving with respect to the target. Accuracy can be determined by examining the location of bullet holes in the target. Some students, however, have difficulty developing the skills necessary to properly position the firearm through aiming, the instant of firing and the follow-through. These difficulties greatly increase instructional costs and may prevent otherwise well-qualified candidates from entering some military, law enforcement or security services.
Depicted in
It would be desirable to provide such training methods and apparatus which provide the shooter with a more natural view of the target.
Disclosed is a process for training a shooter in the aiming of a firearm toward a target, comprising the steps of:
Also disclosed is an apparatus for training a shooter of a firearm which includes head gear adapted to be worn by the shooter. The head gear has a carrier, a housing mounted on a lower portion of the carrier, a beam splitter mounted to the housing, and an adjustment mechanism for positioning the beam splitter in front of an eye of the shooter so that the beam splitter is operable to divide an image of the target into a first portion oriented toward the shooter's eye, and a second portion oriented in a different second direction. A camera is mounted on the head gear in line with the second direction for generating a video signal from the second beam portion. A monitor receives a video signal from the camera for displaying the video image.
Improved methods and apparatus are described below in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Depicted in
At a mid-region of the support band 24 there is provided a bracket 28 in which is mounted a generally T-shaped carrier 32. The carrier includes an upper horizontal cross-piece 34 hinged to the bracket 28 by a hinge pin to enable the carrier member to pivot about a horizontal axis defined by the hinge pin. Screws 35 at each end of the hinge enable the hinge to be locked in position. Projecting downwardly from the headband 10 is a shank portion 38 which carries a first ball 40 at its lower end. Mounted on the first ball is a first end of a first clamp 42. A second end of the first clamp 42 receives a second ball 44 carried by a support member 46. The first clamp 42 can be loosened by means of a threaded rotary knob 48 to enable the first clamp to swing about the first ball 40, and enable the second ball 44 to swing about the second end of the first clamp, thereby adjusting the vertical and horizontal position of the support member 46.
The support member 46 is in the form of a second clamp which receives the upper portion of a housing 54. By loosening the second clamp 46, the housing can be adjusted by vertical movement and/or by rotation about a vertical axis.
A video camera 56 is mounted within the upper end of the housing 54 (see
Any conventional beam splitter can be used which allows some light to pass through to the shooter's eye while reflecting the other light toward the camera 56. Although a 50-50 ratio is preferred (i.e., 50% of light to the eye and 50% to the camera), other ratios could be used. One suitable beam splitter is an elliptical plate beam splitter, minor axis 25.0 mm, major axis 35.36 mm, visible spectrum, available from Edmund Optics Inc.
Advantageously, the camera 56 may be of the miniature variety, for example, a 7 mm CCD camera with 180,000 pixel resolution producing 60 fields or 30 frames per second. Associated control and power circuitry for the camera (not shown) may be integrated in the camera, mounted on the headband 10, worn on the body of the shooter, or placed away from the shooter. Also, advantageously the camera may be provided with means for adjusting the focus and focusing depth of the camera, so that the image displayed to the shooter replicates the natural focus and focusing depth of the shooter when using the unaided eye to aim the firearm.
In practice, the head gear 10 is placed on the shooter's head and adjusted for a proper fit. Then, the housing 54 is adjusted so that the shooter can view a target T through the hole 60. This is normally done by pivoting the first clamp 42 about the first ball 40 and/or pivoting the support member 46 and its second ball 44 relative to the first clamp 42. It will be appreciated that the housing can be adjusted vertically and horizontally, i.e., in roll, pitch and yaw directions with respect to the direction of aiming. Once the centers of the holes 60 of the housing 54 are substantially aligned with the shooter's line of sight LS in his/her dominant eye, the first clamp 42 is tightened to lock the housing in position.
When the shooter initially sights the target T through the housing 54, it may occur that the field of view through the hole 60 (shown for example in
In this way, the holes through which the shooter sights a target can be adjusted between large and small diameters.
The viewing of the target T through the large holes 68a is shown in
As shown in
It will be appreciated that the beam splitter/camera combination delivers a horizontally and/or vertically reversed image to the monitor/computer. Using conventional software or hardware, the image is reversed before being displayed on the monitor, so the display shows the same image as by the shooter.
It will be appreciated that the afore-described method and apparatus provides advantages not present in prior art devices of this type, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,868 in which an eyewear-mounted camera provides an image that the shooter sees only on display panels disposed in the eyewear. Instead, with the improved apparatus described herein, the shooter directly views the target itself and has a wide range of vision in both eyes which is not restricted to the range of the camera as in the prior art device. Furthermore, since the shooter's non-dominant eye is not forced to look at the same view as the dominant eye, the shooter's field of view has a more natural feel to him/her.
The method and apparatus are adapted for use with projectile-firing firearms such as pistols, rifles, shotguns, and any other optically-aimed, projectile-firing firearm where enough physical space exists between the shooter's eye and the firearm, or between the shooter's eye and the firearm's scope, if any, to accommodate the wearing of the head gear.
It will be appreciated that only a preferred embodiment is disclosed above, and that additions, deletions, modifications, and substitutions not specifically described may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
