WO2016055991A1

WO2016055991A1 - Systems and methods for fire sector indicator

Info

Publication number: WO2016055991A1
Application number: PCT/IL2015/050779
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giora Kutz
Original assignee: Giora Kutz
Priority date: 2014-10-05
Filing date: 2015-07-29
Publication date: 2016-04-14

Abstract

Systems and methods for A fire sector indicator mounted on a weapon, comprising: a computing device comprising: at least one sensor; at least one user interface; and at least one indicator, wherein said fire sector indicator allow a user to virtually mark a fire sector and to indicate when said weapon point out side of said fire sector.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FIRE SECTOR

INDICATOR

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

[0001 ] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to systems and methods for fire sector indicator.

2. Description of Related Art

[0002] There are many cases in which a shooter must keep his weapon pointed only inside specific boundaries, for example in a firing range, while hunting with other people or animals, while part of an army platoon etc.

[0003] Now days, such a shooter will evaluate the filing sector and will have to remember it by heart or using a map etc. However, it is difficult to assess and remember those firing sector boundaries while shooting or in the heat of a battle. The lack of indication is unfortunately, in many cases, results in fratricide (aka "friendly fire" or "blue on blue").

[0004] Hence, an improved systems and methods as described in this application are still a long felt need.

BRIEF SUMMARY [0005] According to an aspect of the present a fire sector indicator mounted on a weapon, comprising: a computing device comprising: at least one sensor; at least one user interface; and at least one indicator, wherein said fire sector indicator allow a user to virtually mark a fire sector and to indicate when said weapon point out side of said fire sector.

[0006] It is further within provision of the invention to allow the device wherein said at least one sensor comprise at least one sensor capable of providing azimuth, pitch and roll angles of said weapon.

[0007] It is further within provision of the invention to allow the device wherein said at least one sensor comprise digital magnetic compass.

[0008] It is further within provision of the invention to allow the device wherein said at least one sensor comprise accelerometer.

[0009] It is further within provision of the invention to allow the device wherein several fire sectors are marked.

[0010] It is further within provision of the invention to allow the device wherein each fire sector is indicated by different indication allowing said user to identify which fire sector is breached.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for indicating breaching of a fire sector, comprising steps of: providing a device mounted on a weapon comprising a computing device comprising: at least one sensor; at least one user interface; and at least one indicator; allow a user to point said weapon with said mounted device to a first boundary of said fire sector; mark the location of said first boundaiy using said user interface and said sensor; allow said user to point said weapon with said mounted device to a second boundary of said fire sector; mark the location of said second boundary using said user interface and said sensor; and monitor the location on which said weapon point and indicate to said user using said indicator when said weapon point out side of said marked boundaries. [0012] It is further within provision of the invention to have the method wherein said at least one sensor comprise at least one sensor capable of providing azimuth, pitch and roll angles of said weapon.

[0013] It is further within provision of the invention to have the method wherein said at least one sensor comprise a digital magnetic compass.

[0014] It is further within provision of the invention to have the method wherein said at least one sensor comprise an accelerometer.

[0015] It is further within provision of the invention to further comprise step of allow user to further mark several fire sectors.

[0016] It is further within provision of the invention to have the method wherein each fire sector is indicated by different indication and wherein said different indication allow said user to identify which fire sector is breached.

[0017] According to an aspect of the present invention a non-transitory computer- readable medium storing processor executable instructions on a computing device for indicating regarding a fire sector breach, adapted to: receive direction information from a weapon mounted sensor; allow a user to indicate fire sector boundaries using a user interface by recording said direction information; monitor the direction of said weapon using the said direction information received from said weapon mounted sensor; compare said direction to said recorded fire sector information; and indicate to said user using indication means regarding breach of said fire sector, wherein said computing device is mounted on a weapon.

[0018] These, additional, and/or other aspects and/or advantages of the present invention are: set forth in the detailed description which follows; possibly inferable from the detailed description; and/or learnable by practice of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be implemented in practice, a plurality of embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the components of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a fire sector assignment of a platoon; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a fire sector assignment and process of a specific user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The following description is provided, alongside all chapters of the present invention, so as to enable any person skilled in the art to make use of said invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out this invention. Various modifications, however, will remain apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined specifically to provide means and methods for fire sector indicator.

[0021] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will understand that such embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Just as each feature recalls the entirety, so may it yield the remainder. And ultimately when the features manifest, so an entirely new feature be recalled. Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention.

[0022] The phrases "at least one", "one or more", and "and/or" are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of A, B and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, or C" and "A, B, and/or C" means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

[0023] The term 'plurality' refers hereinafter to any positive integer (e.g, 1,5, or 10).

[0024] The term 'breaching' refers hereinafter to approaching, reaching or actually moving beyond a predefined point.

[0025] The invention relates to systems and methods for fire sector indicator.

[0026] Generally speaking, the system and method may allow a user pointing a weapon to receive an indication when approaching, reaching or breaching a predefined firing sector boundaries.

[0027] The device of this disclosure may, in some embodiments comprise several key elements including a computing device adapted to be mounted on a weapon and further comprise one or more sensors, user interface and indication means.

[0028] In some embodiments, said user interface may comprise a button or buttons allowing a user to operate said device. Said buttons may be, for example, adapted to allow marking of firing sector boundaries and allow starting and stopping of the monitoring. In other embodiments of the invention, the user interface may be more sophisticated and include a touch screen and in some embodiments such a user interface may even include voice recognition means or the ability to connect to external devices such as smartphones, hand held computing device etc.

[0029] In some embodiments, said indication means may include audio, video and vibration output means. Hence allow the user to receive indication of breach in several methods. [0030] In some embodiments of the invention, the device may be mounted with or next to scope or sights of the weapon. In further embodiments, the device may be a part of the weapon's sight.

[0031] Figure 1 depict an embodiment of the invention, where the device in mounted on a weapon 101, having within a sensor 102, a visual interface 103, an operating button located close to the weapon's hand grip 104 and indication means 105.

[0032] In specific embodiments of the invention the use of the device may be described in several stages.

[0033] The first stage may be the mounting of the device on a specific weapon and adjusting the user interface to allow easy and comfortable use by a user.

[0034] The next stage would be to virtually mark the boundaries of a firing sector. In one example, as depict in figure 2, where the device is mounted on an assault weapon carried by a soldier who is part of a platoon. Usually, in such a scenario, the commanding officer or sergeant of the platoon will issue each soldier a firing sector 201, in most cases such an assignment will be using hand gestures indicating "from- to" angels. The user may then repeat those gestures while pointing the weapon and mounted device to the sector's boundaries and whenever reaching a boundary use the user interface to record the boundary.

[0035] As depict in figure 3, the user 301 first move the weapon so it is pointing on the left boundary of the specific firing sector 302, mark the point or direction using the user interface and then continue to the right boundary 303 and do the same. As mentioned, the user may further mark boundaries as required, which in some cases may be "3d" boundaries taking into account up and down aiming angles as well as left and right angels. [0036] The device will keep record of the boundary and when the monitoring stage commence, the device will use its indication means to alert the user of such breach of firing sector boundary.

[0037] As mentioned, breaching may include the actual passing over a predefined point or boundary or even approaching such point. In some embodiments of the invention, the device may alert on several occasions for each predefined boundary. For example, when pointing 5 degrees from the point predefined, when pointing 1 degree from it and when touching it (0 degrees). In further embodiments, each indication may be different or intensifying. For example, the first indication may comprise a short and weak sound, the second may comprise a louder sound and visual indication such as a light (colored led light, for example) and the third may further include a vibration.

[0038] In some embodiments of the invention, the fire sector indicator sensor may comprise at least one sensor capable of providing the azimuth, pitch and roll angles of the weapon. In further embodiments, the sensor may be a digital magnetic compass or a 3 dimensions digital magnetic compass. In other embodiments of the invention, the sensor may be based on an accelerometer.

[0039] The device may further allow the user to define and virtually mark several fire sectors. For example, when in the middle of a soldier firing sector there is civilian building which is not to be harmed, the user may mark the beginning of the firing sector, end it before the building, resume it after the building and finally mark the other end of the firing sector.

[0040] In further embodiments, the device may allow different indications, such as different sounds, lights or vibration textures for different firing sectors.

[0041] The method for indicating breaching of a fire sector may, in some embodiments, comprise the following steps: [0042] First, providing a device mounted on a weapon comprising a computing device comprising at least one sensor; at least one user interface; and at least one indicator.

[0043] Allowing a user to point the weapon with the mounted device to a first boundary of the fire sector.

[0044] Mark the location of the first boundary using the user interface and the information provided by the sensor or sensors.

[0045] Allow the user to point the weapon the mounted device to a second boundary of the fire sector.

[0046] Once again, mark the location of the second boundary using the user interface information provided by the sensor or sensors.

[0047] Allow the user to define different indication means and method for each sector of firing defined.

[0048] Further allow the user to mark further boundaries, as required.

[0049] And finally, monitor the location on which the weapon points to and indicate to the user using the indicator means when the weapon is pointing out side of said marked boundaries or breaching said boundaries.

[0050] The device comprising a computing device mounted on a weapon comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor executable instructions for indicating regarding a fire sector breach. Those instruction adapted to: receive direction information from a weapon mounted sensor; allow a user to indicate fire sector boundaries using a user interface by recording the direction information; monitor the direction of the weapon using the direction information received from the weapon mounted sensor; compare the direction to the recorded fire sector information; and indicate to the user using indication means regarding breach of the fire sector.

[0051 ] Although selected embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Instead, it is to be appreciated that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A fire sector indicator mounted on a weapon, comprising:

a computing device comprising:

at least one sensor;

at least one user interface; and

at least one indicator,

wherein said fire sector indicator allow a user to virtually mark a fire sector and to indicate when said weapon point out side of said fire sector.

2. The fire sector indicator of claim 1 wherein said at least one sensor comprise at least one sensor capable of providing azimuth, pitch and roll angles of said weapon.

3. The fire sector indicator of claim 1 wherein said at least one sensor comprise digital magnetic compass.

4. The fire sector indicator of claim 1 wherein said at least one sensor comprise accelerometer.

5. The fire sector indicator of claim 1 wherein several fire sectors are marked.

6. The fire sector indicator of claim 4 wherein each fire sector is indicated by different indication allowing said user to identify which fire sector is breached.

7. A method for indicating breaching of a fire sector, comprising steps of:

providing a device mounted on a weapon comprising a computing device comprising: at least one sensor; at least one user interface; and at least one indicator; allow a user to point said weapon with said mounted device to a first boundary of said fire sector; mark the location of said first boundary using said user interface and said sensor; allow said user to point said weapon with said mounted device to a second boundary of said fire sector; mark the location of said second boundary using said user interface and said sensor; and monitor the location on which said weapon point and indicate to said user using said indicator when said weapon point out side of said marked boundaries.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said at least one sensor comprise at least one sensor capable of providing azimuth, pitch and roll angles of said weapon.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein said at least one sensor comprise a digital magnetic compass.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein said at least one sensor comprise an accelerometer.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprise steps of: allow user to further mark several fire sectors.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein each fire sector is indicated by different indication and wherein said different indication allow said user to identify which fire sector is breached.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor executable instructions on a computing device for indicating regarding a fire sector breach, adapted to: receive direction information from a weapon mounted sensor; allow a user to indicate fire sector boundaries using a user interface by recording said direction information; monitor the direction of said weapon using the said direction information received from said weapon mounted sensor; compare said direction to said recorded fire sector information; and indicate to said user using indication means regarding breach of said fire sector, wherein said computing device is mounted on a weapon.

14. The instructions of claim 13 wherein said recording and comparing comprise at least the azimuth, pitch and roll angles of said weapon.

15. The instructions of claim 13 wherein said direction indication comprises information received from a digital magnetic compass.

16. The instructions of claim 13 wherein said direction indication comprises information received from an accelerometer.

17. The instructions of claim 13 wherein several fire sectors are marked.

18. The instructions of claim 17 wherein each fire sector is indicated by different indication allowing said user to identify which fire sector is breached.