The present disclosure provides for a system and method for measuring, characterizing, and making recommendations for improving the performance of a shooter (also referred to herein as an “operator”) and one or more associated firearms. The present disclosure overcomes the limitations of the prior art by providing a complete environment, or ecosystem, by which hardware, software, and data analytics, which may be diagnostic, condition based, preventative, predictive, prescriptive, and cognitive in nature, work together to achieve this result. Improvements over the prior art specifically include, the modular nature of the hardware (which holds the firearm also referred to herein as the “rig”), the addition of sensor(s) suites to the rig and/or the operator, and the combination of the hardware, software, and data collection to create a complete ecosystem that can be used to characterize and validate manufacturers of firearms, firearm components/accessories/performance features, and ammunition, as well as firearm operators and their trainers/instructors and related operator performance and enhancement manufacturers.
The system and method disclosed herein are non-intrusive and do not require any modifications, additional accessories, or other special firearm for use as is required by the prior art. The system and method provide for a mechanism for holding the firearm the way a human would hold the firearm, eliminating the disadvantages of the prior art in which a firearm is simply strapped or clamped down without specificity and which affects operation. By collecting impartial and objective data from both the operator and the rig, the system and method provide for a means to eliminate human, firearm, ammunition, and accessory choice-based errors when firing a firearm.
The present disclosure provides for a system comprising an operator device configured to receive and transmit one or more data sets over a network and a server and data management module configured to receive and transmit one or more data sets over a network. The server and data management module further comprises a registration customer service submodule and a partner services submodule.
In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides for a system comprising a base assembly, a safety lanyard assembly, a grip/trigger assembly, a remote trigger assembly, a forend assembly, a stock assembly, a grip cradle subassembly, and a Picatinny-style mount. The base assembly further comprises a dog bone assembly, a longitudinal rail assembly, and a plurality of swivel leveling mounts affixed to a plate of the dog bone assembly.
The stock assembly is operably connected to the longitudinal rail assembly and comprises a stock cradle, a brace, a first extension tube and a second extension tube, a plate configured to couple the first and second extension tubes, and a link base configured to connect the brace with the first and second extension tubes.
A grip/trigger assembly is operably connected to the longitudinal rail assembly and further comprises an adjustable upright grip/trigger tower affixed to the longitudinal rail assembly via a corner brace, a trigger guard holding mechanism affixed to the adjustable upright grip/trigger tower, a trigger guard gripper affixed to the trigger guard holding mechanism, a grip cradle subassembly, and a trigger engagement mechanism, part of the remote trigger assembly, affixed to the longitudinal rail assembly, comprises a plurality of gears configured to engage a trigger when activated.
A forend assembly is operably connected to the longitudinal rail assembly and further comprises an adjustable upright forend tower affixed to the longitudinal rail assembly via a corner brace, and a forend clamp mechanism, which is affixed to the adjustable upright forend tower. A Picatinny-style mount maybe alternatively and operably connected to the adjustable upright forend tower instead of the forend clamp mechanism.
A remote trigger assembly comprises a trigger engagement subassembly operably connected to the longitudinal rail assembly and comprises a plurality of gears configured to engage a trigger when activated is operably connected to remote pistol grip assembly comprises a remote pistol grip, a trigger handle, a pin, and a spring, coupled to a holder and a cable where the cable is further affixed to the pin.
A safety lanyard assembly comprising a lanyard, a pin operably connected to the lanyard via a cable, and an anchor end, where the anchor end is operably coupled to the longitudinal rail assembly. The pin is inserted into the remote pistol grip to prevent unintended operation when not ready to fire the firearm.
The system and method disclosed herein are configured for use by consumers (for recreational, competition, and long-range/high accuracy), manufacturers (for R&D/D, test, and QA/QC), and/or for use by first responders, law-enforcement, and the military. The system and method are designed to be compatible with all manufactured firearms and for use by operators with a wide variety of skill level and experience.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification illustrate embodiments of the disclosure, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the specification to refer to the same or like parts.
The present disclosure provides for a complete ecosystem, comprising software, hardware, and intelligence gathering in the form of data from a rig and/or operator. Each component of the ecosystem provides advantages over the prior art not only as part of the ecosystem as a whole, but also as individual elements. The ecosystem: (1) creates a user community and provides opportunities for receiving relevant content (such as advertising, retailer links, and other valuable content); (2) provides opportunities for engaging with other users (i.e., forum, contests and game); (3) provides opportunities for engaging with instructors and trainers; (4) provides opportunities for advertisers to reach these users with targeted messages or sponsorship; and (5) provides opportunities for manufacturers of firearms, firearm components/accessories/performance features, and ammunition as well as operator accessories and performance features to share data. Any/all these opportunities may be gained locally or at a remote location/distance.
The present disclosure provides for a system and method for measuring and characterizing the performance of a shooter, with and/or without accessories and/or performance features, and one or more associated firearms, with and/or without accessories and/or performance features, and making recommendations for improving the performance of each. Software may enable the connection between hardware (the rig) and operator via one or more sensor(s) suites to enable data gathering from the rig and/or operator and feedback (via direct or indirect means) to be provided regarding each and/or both. In one embodiment, the sensor(s) suite may comprise use of a LASER for alignment and LIDAR for displacement measurements among the other sensors within the sensor suite, and combinations thereof.
For example, the software may enable one or more data sets to be collected from the rig and/or the operator and processing this data to determine a target position for the rig and/or the operator. The software may also enable additional data sets to be collected each time the operator uses the rig or firearm or steps in to position to shoot. Such software may process the data collected from the various sensor(s) suites and compare the data with the target position saved for the rig and/or operator. This comparison may generate a number of different notifications to the user such as: (1) how far off their current rig and/or operator position is from the target position; and (2) what adjustments should be made correct their stance, firearm alignment, and/or body alignment so that the rig and operator are in the target position. Once an operator has fired the firearm, the software may enable the collection of post-firing data such as accuracy to target, providing immediate feedback on performance to enable the operator to make the necessary adjustments, as well as firearm and accessory information such as performance and predictive/preventative service and maintenance.
The present disclosure provides for an improved rig design that is configured so as to hold a firearm in place at the same points as an operator while returning the firearm to an original resting start position that is practically impossible for a human to accomplish after each cycle of operations of the firearm. Such positioning enables the most realistic and accurate data matching in terms of performance and can be used to generate data related to firearm performance managing predicted maintenance and service and preventing firearm failure. Due to the flexibility and modular nature of the rig design, it can be easily manipulated to hold a wide variety of different types of firearms and provides for uncorrupted operation of the firearm including ammunition and magazine changes. The design allows the firearm to operate as designed with translation and recoil mitigation. In one embodiment, the hardware is also configured with a variable recoil system that matches the platform while considering a “return to battery” and human retention and response. Unlike systems of the prior art, the present rig design does not rely on a mounted optic element as the centroid element.
It is also contemplated that the system of the present disclosure can be used in an indoor or an outdoor environment and can be used with a single user or configured with interconnectivity so that multiple users can interact while using the system, such as for competition or gaming.
The design also enables magazine changes without removing the firearm and does not touch the barrel but allows any/all barrels to float freely. In one embodiment, actual recoil may be measured by determining the mass of the firearm by first measuring the entire mass of the rig with the firearm in-place, then subtracting/taring the constant or known weight of the rig and applying F=MA to the displacement and accelerometric data and physically measuring the actual recoil compared with the data obtained through the sensor(s) suite in the stock cradle assembly used to determine felt recoil.
The combination of software and hardware enables robust intelligence gathering to support a complete ecosystem including firearms platforms (and their manufacturers of firearms, firearm components/accessories/performance features, and ammunition), as well as their operators and other individuals. Such an ecosystem may support targeted marketing campaigns by retailers, virtual competitions between rigs, and/or operators, and valuable operability information to manufacturers regarding the firearms, accessories, and components they manufacturer. Examples of data that may be generated include, but are not limited to:
Referring now to the drawings,
The base assembly 200 is illustrated in detail in
The system further comprises a safety lanyard assembly 300 which is illustrated in
The system 100 further comprises a grip/trigger assembly 400 which is operably connected to the longitudinal rail assembly 208 of base assembly 200. The grip/trigger assembly is illustrated by
The trigger pull assembly 400A illustrated by
The system 100 further comprises a remote pistol grip assembly 500 which is illustrated in
Referring now to
The system 100 further comprises a stock assembly 700, illustrated by
The present disclosure also provides for a system 1000. This ecosystem is illustrated by
In another embodiment, illustrated by
In another embodiment, illustrated by
In another embodiment, illustrated by
In alternative embodiments, additional data sets may be collected and transmitted using a plurality of rig sensors 1412 and operator sensors 1416. Registration data 1406, data collected from industry partners 1408, and data from a plurality of rig sensors may also be collected and transmitted via the network 1006 to the operator. Additional rig sensors 1422 and operator sensors 1420 may also be implemented on one embodiment. Comparative data 1418 may also be used in analyzing data obtained from an operator and/or a rig to determine thresholds and baselines relevant for providing performance feedback to the operator. There are a couple options for using comparison data: Assist operator to determine if they are performing better or worse relative to previous times; Assist operator to compare their performance to other operators using various categories such as demographic, firearm, distance, etc.
While the disclosure has been described in detail in reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. Additionally, while the examples provided herein related to specific analytes, the present disclosure is not limited to these analytes and may be used to detect a wide variety of analytes of interest. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover the modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/954,873, filed Dec. 30, 2019 and entitled “System and Method for Increasing Accuracy of Shooter and Firearm,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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