Claims
- 1. A controller for a paint ball gun magazine agitator motor comprising:
- a firing sensor which uses pressure variations transmitted through a medium to sense a gun firing event and, in response thereto, generate an electrical firing indicator signal;
- means for prolonging said electrical firing indicator signal to produce a signal indicating a demand for paint balls which is of greater duration than said firing event;
- means for activating said paint ball magazine agitator motor responsive to said paint ball demand signal.
- 2. The controller of claim 1 further comprising an amplifier for amplifying said electrical firing indicator signal prior to said prolonging.
- 3. The controller of claim 2 wherein said amplifier performs a threshold detection function in addition to basic amplification.
- 4. The controller of claim 2 wherein said amplifier comprises an op-amp.
- 5. The controller of claim 1 further comprising a filter means for receiving said electrical firing indicator signal and selectively filtering a frequency range therefrom, and for providing said selectively filtered frequency range as a filtered electrical firing indicator signal output.
- 6. The controller of claim 5 further comprising a means for counting each electrical firing indicator signal and providing a count indicator signal after counting a predetermined number of electrical firing indicator signals, wherein said predetermined number is greater than one.
- 7. The controller of claim 6 further comprising means for adjusting said prolonging means to change a duration of said paint ball demand signal, said adjusting means performing said adjusting responsive to said count indicator signal.
- 8. The controller of claim 1 wherein said firing sensor further comprises a microphone.
- 9. The controller of claim 8 wherein said controller is mounted adjacent said agitator motor and said microphone is physically located within a housing surrounding said controller.
- 10. The controller of claim 8 wherein said controller is mounted adjacent said agitator motor and said microphone is physically located adjacent a housing surrounding said controller.
- 11. A sound activated relay for powering a paint ball magazine agitator comprising:
- a microphone for receiving pressure waves and converting them to microphonic electrical waves;
- an envelope threshold detector which detects when an envelope of said microphonic electrical waves exceeds a threshold voltage and provides a threshold output voltage representative thereof;
- a timer responsive to said threshold output voltage for generating an extended duration pulse; and
- a relay which responds to said extended duration pulse and provides electrical energy to an agitator motor, said motor consequently providing motive power to said agitator.
- 12. The relay of claim 11 further comprising a filter for receiving electrical waves and filtering therefrom electrical waves characteristic of the firing of a paint ball gun.
- 13. The relay of claim 12 wherein said filter performs said filtering prior to said envelope detection.
- 14. A method of refilling a paint ball gun magazine feeder tube comprising the steps of:
- detecting pressure waves in a medium;
- initiating an electrical pulse responsive to said pressure waves of duration greater than a duration of said pressure waves;
- activating a paint ball agitator responsive to said electrical pulse and thereby moving paint balls into said feeder tube,
- whereby said paint ball agitator is activated irrespective of the presence or absence of paint within said feeder tube and wherein said paint ball agitator activates responsive to firing.
- 15. The method of claim 14 comprising the further step of distinguishing waves in said medium originating from a firing of said paint ball gun from other waves in said medium; and
- using said firing waves to trigger said electrical pulse.
- 16. The controller of claim 6 wherein said predetermined number of electrical firing indicator signals equals in count a maximum quantity of paint balls contained within a paint ball magazine feed tube.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/846,574 filed Apr. 30, 1997, allowed to issue as U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,325 on Aug. 11, 1998.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
846574 |
Apr 1997 |
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