Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1
A NETWORKED BATTLE SYSTEM OR FIREARM
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application
No. 61/976,157, filed April 7, 2014; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
61/875,468, filed
September 9, 2013; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/003,006,
filed May 26, 2014.
Reference is also made to U.S. Patent Application Serial No.13/968,882 filed
August 16, 2013,
which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No.
61/684,062, filed
August 16, 2012.
[0002] Reference is also made to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 13/956,582
filed August 1, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Serial No.
61/684,062, filed August 16, 2012.
[0003] Reference is also made to the following applications, U.S. Patent
Application Serial No. 12/688,256 filed January 15, 2010; U.S. Patent
Application Serial No.
13/372,825 filed February 14, 2012; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial
No. 61/443,085
filed February 15, 2011; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No.
61/528,728 filed
August 29, 2011.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Embodiments of the invention relate generally to systems and method of
providing information between one or more different battlefield participants.
[0005] Communication of information between different battlefield participants
(e.g., soldiers) may improve battle results. Further, the more information
communicated, the
more the improvement.
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[0006] During battle several different components may be used. These
include, for example, rifles, scopes, grenade launchers and communication
devices.
Some of these components may provide for different views and angles of attack
in a
battlefield situation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In one exemplary embodiment, a weapon is disclosed that provides
information regarding its position and orientation to a central location that
can interpret
and display this information
[0008] In one embodiment, a networked battle system includes a
communication network, a first rifle that includes at least one accessory
coupled thereto
that determines a bearing of the first rifle and a communication element
allowing the at
least one accessory to provide bearing information to the communication
network. The
system also includes a battle management system in communication with the
first rifle
through the communication network that receives the bearing information from
the
accessory and updates a battle plan based on the bearing information to form
an updated
battle plan.
[0009] In another embodiment a networked battle system includes a
communication network, a battlefield device that includes at least one
accessory coupled
thereto that determines a location of the first battlefield and a display
device, and a
distance determining device separate from the first battlefield device, the
distance
determining providing a distance from it to a target and a location of the
distance
determining device to the communication network. The system also includes a
battle
management system in communication with the first battlefield device and the
distance
determining element through the communication network that receives the
distance
determining device location and the distance to the target and updates a
battle plan based
the information from the distance determining device to form an updated battle
plan.
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[0010] In another embodiment, an indirect firing system includes a
firearm having a communication system, an inclinometer that measures an
inclination of
the firearm, a roll sensor that measures the roll angle of the firearm, and a
bearing sensor
that measures a bearing of a projectile that the firearm launches. The system
also
includes a computing device in communication with the communication system,
the
computing device, in operation, receiving bearing, roll and inclination
information for the
firearm from the communication system and displaying a map in a region near
the
firearm and a projected impact location of the projectile based on the
bearing, roll and
inclination information.
[0011] Other aspects and features of embodiments of the invention will
become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the
following
description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the
accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by
way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of firearm embodied as a rifle
according to one embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 2 shows an example of a rail configuration according to one
embodiment;
[0015] FIG. 3 is high-level system diagram illustrating a network formed
between a firearm and another device;
[0016] FIG. 4 is an example of display screen of an accessory that may be
coupled to a firearm;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating different possible communication
paths in a firearm;
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[0018] FIG. 6 is a dataflow diagram illustrating data transfer from rifle
accessories to a central location and back;
[0019] FIG. 7 shows one configuration of how power and data
connections may be arranged rail according to one embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 8 illustrates electronics contained in the powering rail that
may be utilized to determine the presence of an accessory coupled to the rail;
[0021] FIGS. 9A-9B show connections location on a rail for the transfer
of power and data between the rail and an accessory;
[0022] FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate more detailed versions of the
components located in the rail/accessory utilized to determine when/how the
accessory is
coupled to the rail according to one embodiment;
[0023] FIGS. 11-14 illustrate the pins of an accessory and how that
accessory may be coupled to a rail;
[0024] FIGS. 15-19 show different configuration of rail/accessory pins;
[0025] FIG. 20 shows an example of an adapter that may be connected
between an accessory and a rail;
[0026] FIG. 21 is a cross section vertical view of a primacy U-Core and a
secondary U-Core;
[0027] FIG. 22 is a longitudinal cross section side view of an accessory
mounted to an inductively powering rail;
[0028] FIG. 23 is a block diagram of the components of one embodiment
of an inductively powered rail system;
[0029] FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a primary Printed Circuit Board
(PCB) contained within an inductively powering rail;
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[0030] FIG. 25 is a block diagram of a PCB contained within an
accessory;
[0031] FIGS. 26-35 illustrate portions of the rifle, weapon or firearm in
accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 36 is a schematic illustration of a network powered system in
accordance with various non-limiting embodiments of the present invention;
[0033] FIG. 37 illustrates a component of the network powered system
illustrated in at least FIGS. 5 and 36;
[0034] FIG. 38 illustrates a top plan view of a powered rail;
[0035] FIG. 38A is a view along lines 38A ¨ 38A of FIG. 38;
[0036] FIG. 38B illustrates a top plan view of a powered rail;
[0037] FIG. 38C is a view along lines 38C ¨ 38C of FIG. 38B;
[0038] FIG. 39 illustrates a bottom view of the powered rail illustrated in
FIG. 38;
[0039] FIG. 40 illustrates an insert configured for use with the plurality of
contacts of the powered rail; and
[0040] FIGS. 41A-41C illustrates the insert of FIG. 40 and the plurality of
contacts secured to a printed circuit board.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0041] The term "firearm" as used herein, refers at least to a rifle,
machine gun, weapon, and pistol and may be automatic, semi-automatic or
otherwise.
Another example of a firearm includes a grenade launcher, mortar launcher or
the like. A
power or non-powered rail on a firearm may have certain accessories attached
to it. The
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accessories include, for example, telescopic sights, tactical sights, laser
sighting modules,
Global Positioning Systems (GPS), bearing sensors, inclination sensors, laser
distance
measuring devices, accelerometers and night vision scopes. This list is not
meant to be
exclusive, merely an example of accessories that may utilize a rail. Any of
the devices
(e.g., rifles, firearms, spotter scopes, etc.) disclosed herein may be
referred to from time
to time as a battlefield device.
[0042] Referring now to FIG 1, a perspective view of a rifle, weapon,
firearm, (automatic, semi-automatic or otherwise) 10 is illustrated. Rifle,
weapon,
firearm, etc. 10 has a plurality of rails 12. In one embodiment, rails 12 may
be anyone of
a MIL-STD-1913 rail, Weaver rail, NATO STANAG 4694 accessory rail or
equivalents
thereof. Rails 12 are configured to allow a plurality of accessories 14 to the
rifle 10.
Rails 12 are mounted at the 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock
positions with
respect to a longitudinal or firing axis of the rifle and/or a barrel 16 of
the rifle 10.
[0043] Accessories 14 may be any one of telescopic sights, tactical sights,
laser sighting modules, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and night vision
scopes or any
type of sensor. The aforementioned accessories are merely an example of
contemplated
accessories for use with rifle or firearm 10. A specific example of an
attached accessory
is shown as personal data assistant (PDA) 140 or cellular telephone in FIG. 1.
In
accordance with an exemplary embodiment, accessories 14 are items that require
a source
of power and/or require data communication with another component of the rifle
or
firearm 10 or a system in which rifle or firearm 10 is employed. Of course,
one or more
the accessories may have its own power supply and may be able to communicate
data
independent of the firearm.
[0044] A portion of a powering rail configured as a MIL-STD- 1913 rail is
shown generally as 12. Rail 12 is a MIL-STD-1913 rail, such as a Weaver rail,
NATO
STANAG 4694 accessory rail or the like. Sliding over rail 12 is a powered or
powering
rail 18.
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[0045] With reference to FIG. 2, rail 12 has a plurality of rail slots 20 and
rail ribs 22, which are utilized in receiving an accessory of another rail
such as powering
rail 18. Powering rail 18 comprises a plurality of rail slots 24 and rail ribs
26 in a
configuration that allows for the mating of accessories with powering rail 18.
[0046] In one embodiment, powering rail 18 is mounted to rail 12 via a
cross pin 28 or other device received within a pin hole 30 of powering rail
18. The pin
hole 30 accepts the cross pin 28 so that the pin 28 locks and secures the
rails 12 and 18
together. Although FIG. 1 illustrates rail 18 secured to a top rail 12 of an
upper receiver
31 of rifle or firearm 10 rail 18 can also be secured in additional locations
such as the 3, 6
and 9 o'clock rail 12 locations. Still further, rail 18 may be secured to
anyone or any
combination of the 3, 6 and 9 o'clock rail 12 locations. In addition and in
one alternative
embodiment, powering rail 18 may be formed into anyone of rails 12 such that a
separate
rail 18 is not necessary. In other words and in this embodiment, the rail 12
is now the
networked power and/or data transmitting rail.
[0047] As discussed further below, the rail 18 may also provide a path for
transferring data from any or all of the accessories 14 to one or more
processors carried in
the firearm 10. Such processors may be located, for example, in the rail 18 or
the pistol
grip 212 or both. It is further understood that the one or more processors
carried in the
firearm 10 may be located anywhere on the firearm (e.g., upper receiver, lower
receiver,
pistol grip, buttstock, removable accessories attachable to any portion of the
firearm and
any combination of the aforementioned).
[0048] Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic illustration of a system 130,
using various embodiments of the present invention is illustrated. As
illustrated, a
firearm 10 includes a barrel 1 and has a plurality of powering rails 18 (e.g.,
3 o'clock, 6
o'clock, 9 o'clock and 12 o'clock locations with respect to a longitudinal
axis of the
firearm 10 are provided, of course, any other locations are also
contemplated). The
powering rails 18 are attached, in one embodiment, to rail 12.
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[0049] Each of the powering rails 18 are configured to transmit power to
an associated accessory 14 via conductive couplings. The same or different
couplings
may also allow for the transmission of data though the rails 18 to/from the
accessories.
The couplings can be any type of coupling including, for example, inductive
couplings
and/or galvanic couplings including direct contact between two conductive
materials. In
one embodiment, one of data or power is transmitted via inductive couplings
and the
other of data or power is transmitted via galvanic couplings. More detailed
description of
the powering rails 18 and the manner in which power/data may be transferred is
described in one or more the patents/patent applications mentioned above.
[0050] Each of the rails 18 are also configured to communicate with a rail
master control unit or processor or microprocessor 42 via a data bus, which in
turn allows
all of the accessories 14 to communicate information to other processors in
the firearm.
For example, the firearm 10 may further include a processor or microprocessor
51
disposed in the grip 212 (FIG. 1) of the firearm. As discussed more fully
below, the
processor 51 may serve as the master control unit. In one embodiment, the
processor or
microprocessor 42 may be omitted.
[0051] To the extent that the processor 42 is included, it may be referred
to as a bus processor herein and it controls access to the data bus formed by
the powering
rails to allow for the processor 51 to communicate information to and from the
accessories 14. The bus processor 42 may be located in either the upper or
lower receiver
of the firearm 10 or may be disposed in/on rails 12 or power rails 18.
[0052] As illustrated, processor 51 is coupled via communication link 133
to a communication device 132 that may be worn, for example, in backpack or
vest. This
allows for the processor 51 to communicate with other devices 136/200 in the
system as
more fully described below. The communication link 133 may be wired or
wireless or a
combination thereof. The communication device 132 may communicate in any known
manner including, but not limited to, rf communications, cellular
communications,
Bluetooth, and ZigBee and the communication path is generally shown as passing
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through a communication network 131. The communication network 131 can be any
type of now known or later created network and may include one or more
additional
processors for routing or storing the information.
[0053] In one non-limiting embodiment the observer system 136 is
illustrated as a spotter scope 136 that may be able to determine the location
of a potential
target. This may include determining the location of the scope 136 and the
distance/direction to the target for instance, by combining a GPS location of
the scope
136 with distance from a laser range finder and means for determining pointing
direction
as discussed below this information may then be transferred form the scope 136
to the
firearm 10 and then routed through the rails and a location of the target
displayed on a
map shown on an accessory 14 such as a PDA. In this embodiment, firearm 10 of
the
system 130 is a sniper rifle, which is networked or communicates with observer
system
136 through the communication network 131. In one embodiment, the
communication
between the firearm and the scope 136 (or the tablet 200 discussed below) may
be direct
point-to-point contact. It shall be understood that one or more of the
accessories 14 may
also communicate directly to the communication network 131 in any known manner
including, but not limited to, if communications, cellular communications,
Bluetooth, and
ZigBee and these communication devices may be any one of accessories 14 or
peripheral
device 132 which may be worn by an operator of one of the components. In one
embodiment, the communication network is a wireless LAN network. The
communication devices also being networked or in communication with other
devices
coupled to the powered rail(s) 18. Although only two items (e.g., firearm 10
and
observer system 136) are illustrated it is understood that numerous items
(e.g., more than
two) may be networked to communicate with each other. For example, multiple
firearms
10, observer systems 136 and numerous other devices or items may be networked
through system 130 and data can be exchanged between any of the items through
the
communication network 131. Each item may target, identify, or exchange data
(either
unique to that item or common between items) with respect to multiple targets,
locations,
persons, or other items.
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[0054] Another example of a scope 138 is shown in FIG. 37. In this
embodiment, the spotter system 136 may have a device 138 that communicates
with an
associated accessory 14 or device 140 illustrated in at least FIG. 1. For
example, devices
138 and 140 may be GPS, laser range finder, PDA or targeting devices capable
of
communicating (e.g., wireless or otherwise) with each other and thus
exchanging data
and information.
[0055] The system illustrated in FIG. 3 shows aversion of the system 130
capable of communication with and/or part of a battlefield management system
(BMS)
illustrated as tablet computer 200. Of course, the BMS could be implanted on
other types
of devices. Further, it shall be understood that the PDA 140 could be part of
the system.
In general, a battlefield management system is a system that integrates
information
acquired from multiple inputs and can be used coordinate movement/actions of
multiple
actors (e.g., soldiers).
[0056] As illustrated, one of the accessories 14 is coupled to an adapter
205 that allows it to communicate with the rail. The adapter 205 could
condition power
into a form desired by the accessory. For example, the adapter could be
utilized to
convert power into a form or particular pin layout used by a PDA or scope.
Further, the
adapter could include formatting logic to convert PDA or scope data into a
form
conductive for transmission through the rail 18. For example, parallel data
could be
converted into serial format. FIG. 20 shows an example of an adapter 205
mounted to
rail 18. The illustrated adapter 205 includes two peripheral ports 206, 207
that can be
used, for example, to connect to a PDA and a scope. Of course, the ports could
connect
to other devices such as cameras (still or video) or any other device.
[0057] In one embodiment, the system 130 includes a sensor 220 capable
of determining a bearing of firearm 10. Such a sensor may be a compass or part
of a GPS
device or other device. In one embodiment, the angular (bearing, pitch and
roll)
information may be determined from sensors contained in PDA 140. In other
embodiments, the angular sensors may be formed by one or more rotationally
sensitive
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sensors such as inclinometers, rate gyros, accelerometers and magnometer
mounted on
the firearm 10. In one embodiment the firearm 10 includes at least one set of
angular
sensors 222 to determine the inclination, roll and bearing with respect to the
horizontal
axis of the firearm. The processor 51 may combine the data from the sensors
(e.g., 220,
222) as well as information from another other accessory 14 on the firearm and
then
cause it to be transmitted via communication device 132 to the battle
management system
200 or any other observer system 136. It shall be understood that any of the
capabilities
disclosed herein with respect to the rifle 10 may be applicable to the scope
136 or any
other device included in system 130.
[0058] In one embodiment, the processor 51 collects data from the
accessories 14 (herein, accessories will also include any sensor on the
firearm) in either a
polled or interrupt method via the data bus. The data bus can be either wired
or wireless
interfaces. The processor 51 may utilize a real time clock to routinely
interrogate
accessories 14 at a predetermined schedule. During these predetermined
intervals the
processor 51 reads the data and stores it into memory. In one embodiment, the
data is
tagged with a real time clock stamp to facilitate data processing. In one
embodiment, one
or more of the accessories 14 are interrupt driven. In such a case, an event
causes the
accessory 14 to send an interrupt to the processor 51 which, in turn, causes
the processor
51 to collect data from the accessory 14.
[0059] Regardless of how collected, the data is transmitted from
communication device 132 to the tablet 200, the observer system 136 or both.
Further,
either of observer 136 or the tablet 200 can send information back to the
firearm 10.
[0060] In operation, processor 51 draws power from the power supply 84
and may discover connected accessories 14 In one embodiment, the discovery may
include verifying that the accessory 14 is operable. In the case that the
accessory 14 is a
sensor, the processor 51 may configure the sensor based on its location on the
firearm and
function. The sensors can be navigation, acoustic or optical devices. The
sensors all
communicate to the processor via the data bus and report sensor data and
status. The
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navigation sensors could be individual or integrated into a single package,
and are GPS
(military or commercial), accelerometer, rate gyro, magnometer (compass) or
gyro scope
and may sense and report in all three axial planes (x, y & z). The acoustic
sensor may
provide an acoustic signature of the environment around the firearm as well as
of the
firearm itself. The optical sensor may capture the optical spectrum in front
of the
weapon. The optical spectrum could be the visual, infrared, thermal, Short
Wave Length,
Medium Wave Length and Long Wave Length, etc.
[0061] It shall be understood that the format of the data stored/transmitted
by the processor 51 can be varied and adapted to meet any preferred receiving
performance. Further, while there are several different accessories 14
disclosed above, it
shall be understood that the processor 51 may include the ability to
synthesize the data
from these accessories before transmitting the data. For example, if a camera
is used to
form a digital image of a target, the time and the position and orientation of
the rifle 10
can be attached to that image before it is transmitted. Further, in some
cases, the rifle 10
may include a video camera attached as an accessory. In such a case, the data
(e.g.,
images) could be streamed in real-time with time/position data appended
thereto or sent
in periodic or interrupt driven intervals.
[0062] In some cases, the processor 51 may include the ability to process
the data collected from the accessories 14. For example, the processor 51 may
include
instructions that allow it perform ballistics calculations, target range and
angular offset
calculation, and target tracking. Further, based on collected data, the number
of shots
taken, remaining ammunition, firearm performance and maintenance
determinations and
other firearm related calculations may be made. In one embodiment, the
accessories
14/processor 51 monitor the internal ballistic life cycle and internal
mechanisms of the
firearm. As a firearm's mechanisms wear or become fouled, previously recorded
events
can be compared to determine the percentage of difference. Dependent on the
parameter
be monitored, such comparisons may determine the usefulness of the firearm.
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[0063] Either in real time or at a prior time, map information related to an
area in which the firearm 10 is, or in the future may be, located is provided
to one or
more of: microprocessor 84, PDA 140, and tablet 200. The map information may
be in
the form of an overhead aerial view in one embodiment and may be received from
any
source including, but not limited to reconnaissance information taken by
satellite or other
overhead device such as a drone Of course, publicly available maps could be
used in
one embodiment. Based on a GPS location of the firearm 10, a portion of the
map may
be selected. Given the bearing of the firearm 10, a view of the map in the
region in front
of the firearm 10 may be selected and displayed on the PDA 140. Further, with
the
information the location of "friendlies" can be displayed on the maps as the
table 200
includes information from all of the weapons in the system 130 and can place
indicators
on the map at those locations. Further, as an example, the location of a
hostile party may
be added to the map based, for example, the location of a friendly and a
distance
measured to the hostile by a laser range finder.
[0064] In one embodiment, the firearm 10 includes an inclinometer as one
of the accessories 14. Assuming that ballistic information is known about a
projectile
(e.g., a bullet or grenade) that the firearm 10 (or an attachment thereto)
fires, a projected
impact point on the map be displayed.
[0065] With reference to FIG. 4, an example of a display 201 of PDA 140
is illustrated. The bearing information (shown by compass 203) described above
can be
used to position a possible impact location 202 of the projectile in along
they axis.
Similarly, information from an angular sensors and the ballistic information
can be used
to determine how far the projectile will travel and the, thus, determines the
location of the
impact location 202. As the firearm as raised upward, the impact location 202
translates
up on the map 201.
[0066] FIG.5 schematically illustrates communication between various
components on a firearm as disclosed herein. The firearm includes at least one
rail 18
onto which several accessories 14 are coupled. The system includes three
different
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communication channels shown as a low speed channel 502, a medium speed
channel
504 and a high speed channel 506. The low speed channel 502 extends from and
allows
communication between the master processor 76 and any of the accessories 14.
The low
speed channel 502 can be driven by a low speed transmitter/receiver 510 in
processor 51
that includes selection logic 512 for selecting which of the accessories 14 to
route the
communication to.
[0067] Each accessory 14 includes low speed decoding/encoding logic
514 to receive and decode information received over the low speed channel 502.
Of
course, the low speed decoding/encoding logic 514 can also include the ability
to transmit
information from the accessories 14 as described above.
[0068] In one embodiment, the low speed channel 502 carries data at or
about 100 kB/s. Of course, other speeds could be used. The low speed channel
502
passes through a coupling 520. The coupling 520 could be galvanic or via
inductive coil
pairs. In one embodiment, the inductive coil pair could be replaced include a
two or
more core portions about which the coil pair is wound. In another embodiment,
the cores
can be omitted and the inductive coil pair can be implemented as an air core
transformer.
As illustrated, the couplings 520 are contained within the powering rail 18.
Of course,
one or more of the portions of the coupling can be displaced from the rail 18.
[0069] The medium speed channel 504 is connected to couplings 520 and
shares them with low speed channel 502. For clarity, branches of the medium
speed
channel 504 as illustrated in dashed lines. As one of ordinary skill will
realize, data can
be transferred on both the low speed channel 502 and the medium speed channel
at the
same time. The medium speed channel 504 is used to transmit data between the
accessories 14.
[0070] Both the low and medium speed channels 502, 504 can also be
used to transmit data to or receive data from an accessory (e.g. a tether) not
physically
attached to the rail 18 as illustrated by element 540. The connection between
the
processor 51 can be either direct or through an optional inductive coil pair
520'. In one
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embodiment, the optional inductive coil pair 520' couples power or data or
both to
processor 51 which may be located in or near a handle portion (e.g., pistol
grip) of a
firearm.
[0071] To allow for communication between accessories 14 over the
medium speed channel 504, the processor 51 can include routing logic 522 that
couples
signals from one accessory to another based on information either received on
the
medium speed channel 504. Of course, in the case where two accessories coupled
to the
rail 18 are communicating via the medium speed channel 502, the signal can be
boosted
or otherwise powered to ensure is can drive couplings 520 between the
accessories.
[0072] In another example, the accessory that is transmitting the data first
utilizes the low speed channel 502 to cause the processor 51 sets the routing
logic 522 to
couple the medium speed channel 504 to the desired receiving accessory. Of
course, the
processor 51 itself (or an element coupled to it) can be used to separate low
and medium
speed communications from one another and provide them to either the low speed
transmitter/receiver 510 or the routing logic 522, respectively. In one
embodiment, the
medium speed channel 504 carries data at 10 MB/s.
[0073] FIG. 5 also illustrates a high speed channel 506. In one
embodiment, the high speed channel 506 is formed by an optical data line and
runs along
at least a portion of the length of the rail 18. For clarity, however, the
high speed channel
506 is illustrated separated from the rail 18. Accessories 14 can include
optical
transmitter/receivers 542 for providing signals to and receiving signals from
the high
speed channel 506. In one embodiment, a high speed signal controller 532 is
provided to
control data flow along the high speed channel 506. It shall be understood
that the high
speed signal controller 532 can be located in any location and may be
provided, for
example, as part of the processor 51. In one embodiment, the high speed signal
controller
532 is an optical signal controller such as, for example, an optical router.
[0074] FIG. 6 shows a dataflow of information as it may be transferred
according to one embodiment. Accessory data 1200a, 1200b and 1200c is
representative
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of data that may be transferred to or from accessories coupled to a rail
system 1202
coupled to a firearm. The rail system 1202 may be formed as herein described.
Of
course other rail systems capable of supporting one or more accessories on a
firearm may
be utilized. The rail system 1202 may provide power to the accessories in one
embodiment but that is not required. The rail system 18 may also provide a
physical
conduit for transmitting data to and from the accessories. As mentioned above
and as
more fully discussed below, the data 1200a-1200c passes through a coupling 520
that
provides for inductive or galvanic transfer of the data from the accessory to
the
communication pathway (e.g., bus) 1204 provided by the rail system 1202. Of
course,
other energy transfer methods such as capacitive coupling may be utlilized.
Processor 42
controls communication over the bus 1204 and as such may be referred to as a
bus
processor in one embodiment. The bus processor 42 may be located in the rail
system
1202 itself or in the upper or lower receiver of a firearm. The bus processor
may be
above to determine, in one embodiment, when an accessory is coupled to the
rail system
1202. It should be noted that another processor (e.g. processor 51) may
perform the bus
control functions in one embodiment and, in such and embodiment, the bus
processor 42
may be omitted.
[0075] The bus processor can allow, for example, for first accessory data
1200a to be transferred to the processor 51 first, followed by data 1200b and
then 1200c
in one embodiment. Of course, any ordering a data can be provided for. The
data
reaches processor 51 and then transformed into an output data set 1200d. In
one
embodiment, the output data set is a compilation of portions of the data 1200a-
c, Output
data set 1200d could also include additional information such as a time stamp.
For
example, assume data 1200a is GPS data from a GPS device coupled to the rail
system
1200, data 1200b is bearing information and data 1200c is a target distance
value. This
data could be combined and time stamped to provide an accurate time sensitive
location
of a potential target. Data 1200d may also include manipulated data as well.
Regardless,
data 1200d is provided to computing device 200 (e.g., a battle management
system).
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[0076] Computing device 200 may also receive data from other battlefield
devices (e.g., other rail systems) as generally indicated by data 1200n. The
computing
device takes some or all of the data that it has received and may, in one
embodiment
create mission data 1200e. This data is then transferred to processor 51 and
subsequently
provided to one or more of the accessories. An example (following from above)
includes
mission data 1200e that includes a map showing all of the targets identified
by any of the
rifles and data 1200e could be sent to any or all of the rifles that are
connected to a
particular network. The format and content of the each of the different data
elements
shown in FIG. 6 may be platform agnostic in one embodiment so that the system
1202
may integrated into any preexisting or later developed battle management
system.
[0077] As referred to above, the rails 18 can be used to deliver power
and/or data to the accessories 14. The power and/or data can be transferred
bidirectionally to and from the rail to the accessory inductively or via a
direct electrical
(galvanic) connection. Referring now to FIG. 7, a rail pinout is shown for
rail 18. The
rail 18 includes the rail slot 24 disposed between each of the rail ribs 26.
The rail slot 24
includes either a power contact 32 or a ground contact 34 and either a first
data contact
DO or a second data contact Dl. In one embodiment, the power contact 32 and
ground
contact 34 cannot be easily shorted together since they are in alternate slots
24 of
powering rail 18. Also, if an accessory 14 is secured to the rail 18 in an
incorrect fashion
(e.g., backwards) no power/data will be provided as the accessory 14 will have
a
corresponding pattern configured to match the rail pin configuration as
illustrated in FIG.
7. As illustrated in FIG. 7, two slots 24 are required at a minimum to connect
an
accessory 14 to power, ground, and data (DO and D1).
[0078] A non-limiting example, the electronics contained in the powering
rail 18 are shown in FIG. 8. In one non-limiting embodiment and before an
accessory 14
is installed and fully enabled, power (e.g., 16.5 Volts or any other desirable
voltage) is
supplied through a sense resistor 38 that limits the short-circuit current to
several
milliamps. This is enough power to allow an accessory 14 to communicate to the
system
through an op amp 40 but not enough to take the system down if the power 32
and
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ground pins 34 are shorted. This communication to the accessory 14 allows the
system to
detect if the accessory 14 is correctly installed on the rail 18 via the op
amp and permitted
to use full power. After the system determines that the accessory 14 is
correctly installed
and permitted, the system can provide full power by bypassing the sense
resistor 38. For
example, processor 42 will bypass the sense resistor 38 by changing the
conductive states
of MOSFETs 44 and 46.
[0079] In addition, the sense resistor 38 is also used to detect and measure
the current supplied to the accessory 14. If the power exceeds a predetermined
threshold
the accessory 14 can be returned to a low-power mode to protect the system's
battery
from being drained.
[0080] As shown, an I2C bus is used by the system to communicate with
the rail processor 42. As is known in the related arts the I2C (Inter-IC) bus
is a bi-
directional two-wire serial bus that provides a communication link between
integrated
circuits (ICs). There are three data transfer speeds for the I2C bus: low,
medium and
high-speed modes. All modes are backward compatible.
[0081] The 100kb/s data channel, also called the low-speed data
communication channel, is distributed within the system. Similarly to the
conductive
power transfer, the low speed channel is transferred conductively through the
data pins.
This is used to control the different accessories and transfer low speed data
between the
processor 51 and the accessories 14.
[0082] The 10Mb/s data channel, also called the medium-speed data
communication channel, is distributed within the system. It is sharing
communication
between rail slots with the low speed data channels and the data is
transferred to the
accessories in the same manner. The medium speed data channel path provides
communication from one accessory to another accessory.
[0083] The 500Mb/s data channel, also called the high-speed data
communication channel, is distributed within the system electrically and in
one
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embodiment may be also optically. This channel may use a dedicated optical
data
port/data port (not shown).
[0084] Accordingly, the rail 18 provides a simple differential pair for all
data communication between accessories. As such, high-frequency narrow-band
signaling between accessories may be possible. Different frequencies
(Frequency
Division Multiplexing) can be used to provide independent low-speed and high-
speed
links if desired. Future accessories with even higher bandwidth requirements
can be
accommodated easily by using new frequencies.
[0085] One example of a suitable narrow-band signaling that is very low
in cost and power is the ZigBee protocol. ZigBee signals at 700M1-Iz will be
used for
low-speed communication (250kbps) between the system and accessories. The
differential signaling is used to ensure that the system does not emit any
detectable
signals and is less susceptible to any interference signals that may be
present.
[0086] The system shown in FIG. 8 may employ a direct galvanic
connection With reference to FIGS. 9-19, details of a rail configuration
designed to
mount accessories such as sights, lasers and tactical lights is provided.
This, as well as
others rail configurations detailed herein, may be referred to as a Networked
Powered
Data System (NPDS) and is/are configured to provide power and data through a
weapon
coupled to accessories. Furthermore and in additional embodiments, the power
and data
may be exchanged between the weapon and/or a user coupled to the weapon by a
tether
and in some applications the user is linked to a communications network that
will allow
data transfer to other users who may or may not also have weapons with rail
configurations that are coupled to the communications network.
[0087] In this embodiment, the conductively powering rail 1014 similar to
the above embodiments comprises a plurality of rail slots 1020, rail ribs 1022
and pins
1024, in a configuration that allows for the mating of accessories with
conductively
powering rail 1014. However power and data transfer is facilitated by a
conductive
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connection or coupling via power and data pins 1015 embedded into the rail
1014 and
power and data pins 1017 embedded into an accessory 1042.
[0088] It shall be understood that the specific rail configuration is not
limiting, as it may be adapted to any rail configuration. The preceding serves
only as an
example of several embodiments to which the conductively powering rail 1014
may be
mated.
[0089] Pins 1024 and 1025 in one embodiment are formed of metal. For
example, the pins may be formed of stainless steel pins of grade 430 and have
configurations similar to those illustrated in the cross-sectional views
illustrated in FIGS
12 and 13.
[0090] With reference to FIG. 10, when an accessory is connected to
conductively powering rail 1014, pins 1024, 1025 connect to magnets 1046, 1047
and
trigger magnetic switch 1048, 1051 to indicate to the conductively powering
rail 1014
that an accessory 1042 has been connected.
[0091] Pins 1024 are offset from the center of conductively powering rail
1014 to ensure an accessory is mounted in the correct orientation, for example
a laser
accessory or flashlight accessory could not be mounted backward, and point in
the users
face as it would be required to connect to pins 1024, to face away from the
user of the
firearm.
[0092] Referring now to FIGS. 10A and 10C when an accessory 1042 is
connected to conductively powering rail 1014, pins 1024 and 1025 are
magnetized by
magnets 1046 located within each portion of the accessory configured to be
positioned
over the ribs 1022 of the rail 1014 such that pins 1024 and 1025 are
magnetized by the
magnets 1046. As illustrated in FIG. 10A, which is a cross sectional view of a
portion of
an accessory coupled to the rail, each pin 1025 is configured such that a
first end 1045 is
located on top of rib 1022, an intermediate portion 1047 of pin 1025 is
located above
magnetic switch 1048 and a second end 1049 is also located on rib 1022.
Accordingly
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and when pin 1025 is magnetized by magnet 1046 in accessory 1042 when the
accessory
is placed upon the rail, the magnetized pin 1025 causes magnetic switch 1048
to close to
indicate to the conductively powering rail 1014 that an accessory has been
connected to
the data slot D. An example of a magnetic switch is a hall effect sensor.
[0093] In addition and in this embodiment, accessory 1042 is provided
with a magnetic accessory switch 1051 that is also closed by the magnetized
pin 1025
which now returns to the surface of rib 1022. Here, the accessory via a signal
from
magnetic switch 1051 to a microprocessor resident upon the accessory will be
able to
determine that the accessory electronics 1053 associated with the switch 1051
in FIG.
10A is located above a data slot D and these electronics or equivalent items
will be
dedicated to data transfer only via conductive coupling. Accordingly, the data
slot is
different from the power slot (FIG. 10C) in that the associated pin is
extended to become
a fabricated clip to conduct the magnetic circuit from the accessory to the
rail and back
again to the accessory. The clip will provide a magnetic field which, will
activate the
solid state switch or other equivalent item located within the rail on the one
side and then
will provide a path for the magnetic field on the other side of the rail
reaching up to the
accessory. Similarly, the accessory will have a solid state switch or
equivalent item
located at each slot position which, will be closed only if it is in proximity
with the
activated magnetic field of the data slot. This provides detection of the
presence and
location of the adjacent data slot. In accordance with various embodiments
disclosed
herein, the accessory circuitry and software is configured to interface with
the rail in
terms of power and data communication.
[0094] In contrast and referring to FIG. 10C, which is a cross sectional
view of an another portion of the accessory secured to the rail, the accessory
electronics
or other equivalent item 1053 associated with switch 1051 of the portion of
the accessory
illustrated in FIG. 10C will be able to determine that the accessory
electronics 1053
associated with the switch 1051 in FIG. 10C is located above a power slot P
and these
electronics or equivalent items will be dedicated to power transfer only via
conductive
coupling. As mentioned, above the complimentary accessory may alternatively be
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configured to have a secondary electronics or equivalent item 1053, magnet
1046 and
switch 1051 for each corresponding rib/slot combination of the rail they are
placed on
such that the accessory will be able to determine if it has been placed on a
data only D of
power only P slot/rib combination according to the output of switch 1051.
[0095] It being understood that in one alternative embodiment the
electronics associated with a rib containing pin 1024 or pin 1025 (e.g., data
or power)
may in one non-limiting embodiment be on either side of the associated rib and
accordingly the electronics or equivalent item of the accessory associated
with switch
1051 will be located in a corresponding location on the accessory. For
example, if the
data slots are always forward (from a weapon view) from the rib having pin
1025 then the
accessory will be configured to have the corresponding electronics forward
from its
corresponding switch 1051. Of course and in an alternative configuration, the
configuration could be exactly opposite. It being understood that the ribs at
the end of
the rail may only have one slot associated with it or the rail itself could
possible end with
a slot instead of a rib.
[0096] Still further and in another alternative embodiment, the slots on
either side of the rib having pin 1025 may both be data slots as opposed to a
single data
slot wherein a data/power slot configuration may be as follows: ....D, D, P,
P, D, D, ... as
opposed to ...D, P, P, D, P, P ... for the same six slot configurations
however, and
depending on the configuration of the accessory being coupled to the rail a
device may
now have two data slots (e.g., secondary electronics on either side of switch
1051 that are
now activated for data transfer). Of course, any one of numerous combinations
are
contemplated to be within the scope of exemplary embodiments of the present
invention
and the specific configurations disclosed herein are merely provided as non-
limiting
examples.
[0097] As in the previous embodiment and should the accessory be
removed and the connection between the accessory and the rail is broken, the
change in
the state of the switch 1051 and switch 1048 is recognized by the system
managing
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conductively powering rail 1014. As in the previous embodiment, pins 1024 can
be
offset from the center of conductively powering rail 1014 to ensure an
accessory is
mounted in the correct orientation.
[0098] In yet another alternative and referring now to FIG. 10B, a pair of
pins 1025 are provided in the data slot and a pair of separate magnets
(accessory magnet
and rail magnet are used). Here the pins are separated from each other and one
pin 1025,
illustrated on the right side of the FIG., is associated with the accessory
magnet 1046 and
rail switch 1048 similar to the FIG.10A embodiment however, the other pin 1025
illustrated on the left side of the FIG., is associated with the accessory
switch 1051 and a
separate rail magnet 1053, now located in the rail. Operation of accessory
switch 1051
and rail switch 1048 are similar to the previous embodiments.
[0099] Power and data to and from the accessory is provided by a plurality
of power and data pins or contacts 1015 embedded into the rail 1014 and power
and data
pins or contacts 1017 embedded into an accessory 1042. Accordingly, a
galvanically
coupled conductive rail power and communication distribution method for the
rail system
is provided.
[00100] Referring to FIGS. 11-13, in one embodiment, the exposed
conductive metal rail contacts or contact surfaces 1035 and 1037 of pins 1015
and 1017
are formed by coating copper pins with nickel or a nickel alloy for excellent
durability
and corrosion resistance to most environmental elements. Alternatively, they
may be
coated with a tungsten or a tungsten alloy. Accordingly and as described
herein, power
and/or data may be transferred bidirectionally to and from at least one
accessory and the
rail via direct contact of the conductive contact surfaces 1035 and 1037 of
pins 1015 and
1017. In one embodiment, the contact surfaces are round pads, pressed against
each
other to make good galvanic contact. In another embodiment, copper pins coated
with
nickel are used. The pads, both in the rail and the accessory, are permanently
bonded to
short posts of copper or other metal, that in turn, are electrically bonded to
PCB
substrates, rigid in the rail and flex in the accessory so that there is some
give when the
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two surfaces are brought together. Accordingly, at least one of the pads in
each contact
pair provides some mechanical compliance, and in one embodiment the accessory
is the
item that have the mechanical compliance. Of course, this could also be in the
rail or
both.
[00101] In one embodiment and as illustrated in at least FIGS.
15-
19 the pin/pad assemblies use an X-section ring 1019 as a seal and
compressible bearing
1021, with the internal connection end attached to a flex PCB. The pin/pad
construction
is shown in at least FIG. 17. The pads provide durability where the extreme G-
forces of
weapon firing vibrate the accessory attachment structure. The hardness of the
touching
contact surfaces ensures that little if any abrasion will take place as the
surfaces slip
minutely against each other. The pressure of the seal bearing (x-ring) will
keep the pads
firmly pressed together during the firing vibration, keeping electrical
chatter of the
contacts at minimal levels.
[00102] As illustrated and in one embodiment, the slot contacts
are
composed of small "pucks" that are press-fit or brazed to a metal pin. Nickel
or nickel
alloy exhibits a conductivity of roughly 5-10% that of copper and is
considered a
practical conductor. Assuming a good electrical bond between the puck and the
pin,
resistance introduced into the power path, accounting two traversals per round
trip
(Positive and Negative contacts).
[00103] FIG. 16 illustrates the rail side pins and caps
installed in the
rail at each slot position. FIG. 18 also illustrates a rail side pin.
[00104] Non-limiting examples of suitable copper alloys for the
pins are provided as follows: Copper Alloy 99.99% Cu Oxygen Free; 99.95% Cu
0.001
%O; and 99.90% Cu 0.04 %0 of course, numerous other ranges are contemplated.
[00105] Non-limiting examples of suitable Nickel to coat the
pins
may have: Electrical Conductivity: 9-15 kS/cm; Electrical Resistivity: 65-115
1.tS2-cm;
Hardness: 490-570 Vickers Hardness; and Density: 8.1-8.3 g/cm3
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[00106] Nickel is desired for its hardness and
corrosion/oxidation
resistance. The ultra-hard contact surface will ensure excellent abrasion
endurance
under the extreme acceleration stresses of weapon firing. In one embodiment,
unpolished
contact surfaces may be used.
[00107] Moreover, the hardness of nickel or nickel alloy has
virtually no malleability or sponginess, unlike softer metals like copper and
lead. This
means that two surfaces forced together will touch at the tallest micro-level
surface
features with little or no deformation of the peaks. This consequently small
contact area
will yield a resistance level that is much higher, possibly by orders of
magnitude, over the
expected theoretical resistance. Of course, other metals, alloys or materials
are
contemplated for use with various embodiments of the present invention.
[00108] In one embodiment, the conductive networked power and
data system (CNPDS) is a four-rail (top, bottom, left, right) system that
distributes power
and provides communication service to accessories that are mounted on any of
the rails as
well as the base of the grip.
[00109] In one embodiment and wherever possible, semiconductor
elements associated with the power transfer path will be moved to locations
external to
the CNPDS. Presumably, those external elements can be viewed and managed as
field
replaceable items of far less cost and effort to replace than the rail system
itself.
[00110] All elements of system communication will have the
ability
to be powered down into standby mode. Slot power control is in one embodiment
a
desired feature for meeting power conservation goals, and the operation will
be largely
based on the magnetic activation principle mentioned above.
[00111] In one embodiment, each power slot is unconditionally
OFF when there is no activating magnet present on its respective magnetic
switch (e.g.
Hall effect sensor). When an accessory with an appropriately located magnet is
installed,
the Hall effect sensor permits activation of the slot power but does not
itself turn the
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power ON while the system is in normal operating state. The actual activation
of the
power switches is left to the MCU, allowing it to activate slots that are
understood to be
occupied, while keeping all others OFF.
[00112] In one embodiment, there are two primary system states
that define the operating mode of the slot power switches. The first state is
normal
operating mode, either during maintenance/configuration, or in actual use. In
this state,
the processor (e.g., processors 42 or 51) I/O extension logic controls the
power switch
and the switch is only activated when commanded to do so.
[00113] The second state is defined as the Safe Power Only (SPO)
mode, where the processor assumed to be incapacitated and is unable or not
sane enough
to control the slot power directly. The condition is signaled to the rails
from the
processor through a failsafe watchdog hardware mechanism, using either the
absence of
logic supply or a separate SPO flag signal. Under SPO state, the Hall effect
sensor signal
overrides the logic control to activate the respective slot power
unconditionally where an
accessory is attached, assuming the system main power is also present. The
primary
consequence of this mode is loss of light load efficiency, since the
processors would
normally shut down the Hall effect sensors to conserve power. Accessory ON-OFF
control under the SPO condition is expected to be through a manual switch in
the
accessory.
[00114] In one embodiment, the rails, and any other CNPDS
element that may be found to exceed +85C under operations heavy use, may have
a
temperature sensor embedded into it and readable by the MCU. Still further,
the rails
may actually have multiple sensors, one per 6-slot segment. With this
provision, the
system software can take protective actions when the rail temperature exceeds
+85C.
[00115] In other embodiments, other weapon systems may feature
an electromechanical trigger, the system can be allowed to automatically limit
the
generation of heat by pacing the rate of fire to some predetermined level. In
cases where
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the heat sensor participates in the fire control of the weapon, the sensor
system would be
necessarily engineered to the same reliability level of the Fire-by-Wire
electronics.
[00116] The battery pack, now fully self-contained with charging
system and charge state monitoring, will also contain a temperature sensor.
Many
battery chemistries have temperature limits for both charging and discharge,
often with
different temperature limits for each. The inclusion of a local temperature
sensor in the
battery pack will eliminate the need for the battery to depend on the CNPDS
for
temperature information, and thus allow the charge management to be fully
autonomous.
[00117] The CNPDS will have slot position logic such that any
accessory can be installed at any slot position on any of the rails, and can
expect to
receive power and communication access as long as the activation magnet is
present.
[00118] In order to meet certain power transfer efficiencies and
in
one embodiment target, power and communication will not be shared among slot
contacts, and will instead be arranged in a suitable power/comm. slot
interleave on the
rails.
[00119] In one non-limiting implementation, the CNPDS will be
configured such that the slots are groups of six, which defines the basic
kernel of slot
count per rail. Here all four rails will be built up in multiples of the six
slot kernel,
where Side rails will be 6 or 12 slots each, the top rail will be 24 or 30
slots, and the
bottom rail will be 12 or 18 slots. This aggregation is done to provide
logical grouping of
internal rail control logic resources and does not impact slot occupation
rules.
[00120] In one embodiment, the CNPDS direct galvanic coupling
can be engineered to provide over 15 Watts per slot on a single pair of
contacts of course
ranges greater or less than 15 Watts are contemplated.
[00121] The CNPDS provides a low impedance galvanic
connection path between the battery pack and the contacts in the slots of the
rails. Power
at each slot is individually switched, using local magnetic sense activation
combined with
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processor commands. In one embodiment, CNPDS slot arrangement on each rail
will be
an interleave of power and data slots. A structure for the CNPDS will
aggregate groups
of six slots into units that are concatenated to make up rail units of desired
lengths. The
management logic used to control the slot power is based on the grouping, thus
the longer
top and bottom rails may have several management logic blocks.
[00122] In one embodiment, the CNPDS will have an emergency
power distribution mode in the event that the intelligent management and
control systems
(primarily the MCU) are incapacitated due to damage or malfunction. Under this
mode,
system control is assumed to be inoperative and the battery power is
unconditionally
available through individual slot Hall sensor activation.
[00123] In another embodiment, the CNPDS will have an
alternative tether power connection which is a unidirectional input to the
CNPDS,
allowing the system to be powered and batteries to be charged from a weapon
"Dock".
The Tether connection provides direct access to the lower receiver power
connector,
battery power port, and MCU power input. By using a properly keyed custom
connector
for the Tether port, the OR-ing diode and any current limiting can be
implemented off-
weapon at the tether power source. The tether source should also contain
inherent current
limiting, same as the battery packs. These measures move protective components
outside
of the MCU to where they can be easily replaced in case of damage from power
source
malfunctions, rail slot overloads, or battle damage.
[00124] In another embodiment, the CNPDS will have a reverse
power, mode wherein the slots on the rails can accept DC power that could run
the
system. The CNPDS is can be used with high-density rechargeable chemistry
batteries
such as Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) or any other equivalent power supply.
[00125] The CNPDS communication infrastructure may comprise
two distributed networks between the rails and the processor 51 which may be
located in
the grip. The primary communication network, defined as the data payload net,
may be
implemented as a 10Base2-like CSMA/CD line operation, supplying a 10Mbit/sec
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Ethernet packet link from accessories on the rails to each other and/or to the
Tether. The
secondary network is defined as the system management net on which the
processors
42/51 are masters and the rails are slave devices. Both networks operate in
parallel
without any dependencies between them. Accessories will only ever receive the
primary
packet bus and all accessory bound control and data transactions will funnel
through that
connection The following diagram details the basic structure of the two
networks within
the CNPDS.
[00126] The communication structure has a very similar
architecture to the power distribution structure of the CNPDS. The six slot
grouping will
similarly affect only the control subsystem aggregation and not impose limits
on
accessory slot alignment.
[00127] The accessory base illustrated in FIG. 11 can take on
many
forms with respect to footprint size. Depending on the power draw of the
accessory, it
may straddle several rail cores or one. An example of a three slot device is
shown in the
illustration of FIG. 11
[00128] Accessory clamping can be semi-permanent or quick
release. In the semi-permanent scenario, this is achieved with a fork lock
system
illustrated in at least FIGS. 11-14 where the forks are pulled in to the rail
with a thumb
screw. Depending on the mass and geometry of the accessory, one or two fork
assemblies may be required to securely mount it to the rail.
[00129] In the quick release scenario shown in FIG. 11B, a lever
1033 is employed to effectively move the lock system (prong) into place and
hold
position. As mentioned above, the weight and center of gravity will define
which type is
used and how many are required for mechanical strength.
[00130] In one non-limiting embodiment, electronic means of
ensuring the accessory is installed correctly will be employed. In this
scenario the system
will identify the type and location of the accessory and provide power,
communication or
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both. The accessory and the rail both have a 10mm pitch such as to allow the
lining up of
accessory to rail slots and a shear area between accessory and rail to lock
longitudinal
relative movement between the two assemblies.
[00131] As discussed above, as an alternative to utilizing
galvanic
connections to transmit power or data, the coupler 520 (FIG. 6) could utilize
inductive
coupling to transmit power, data or both.
[00132] As such, disclosed is a firearm that includes an upper
receiver; a lower receiver; a powered accessory mounted to a rail of the upper
receiver;
and an apparatus for inductively providing power and data to the powered
accessory. In
one embodiment, data is exclusively provided to the powered accessory from one
of a
plurality of coils located within the rail. In this embodiment, the powered
accessory may
include a plurality of coils and be configured to determine when one of the
plurality of
coils of the powered accessory is adjacent to the one of the plurality of
coils of the rail.
[00133] In another embodiment, a weapon or firearm is provided,
the weapon having: an upper receiver; a lower receiver; a powered accessory
mounted to
a rail of the upper receiver; and an apparatus for inductively networking a
processor of
the powered accessory to a processor of the upper receiver and a processor of
the lower
receiver (e.g., in the grip). In still another alternative embodiment, a
method of
networking a removable accessory of a weapon to a microcontroller of the
weapon is
provided, the method including the steps of: inductively transferring data
between the
accessory and the microcontroller via a first pair of coils exclusively
dedicated to data
transfer; inductively transferring power to the accessory via another pair of
pair of coils
exclusively dedicated to power transfer; and wherein the accessory is capable
of
determining the first pair of coils by magnetizing a pin located on the
weapon.
[00134] In these embodiments connection between an accessory
and the inductively powering rail is achieved by having electromagnets, which
we refer
to as "primary U-Cores" on the inductively powering rail and "secondary U-
Cores" on the
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accessory. Once in contact with the inductively powering rail, through the use
of primary
and secondary U-cores, the accessory is able to obtain power though induction.
[00135] Embodiments avoid the need for exposed electrical
contacts, which may corrode or cause electrical shorting when submerged, or
subjected to
shock and vibration. This eliminates the need for features such as wires,
pinned
connections or watertight covers.
[00136] Accessories may be attached to various fixture points on
the inductively powering rail and are detected by the firearm once attached.
The firearm
will also be able to detect which accessory has been attached and the power
required by
the accessory.
[00137] Referring now to FIG. 21, a cross section vertical view
of a
primacy U-Core and a secondary U-Core is shown. Primary U-Core 26 provides
inductive power to an accessory when connected to inductively powering rail
18. Each of
primary U-core 26 and secondary U-core 50 are electromagnets. The wire
wrappings 60
and 62 provide an electromagnetic field to permit inductive power or data to
be
transmitted bi-directionally between inductively powering rail 18 and an
accessory.
Power/data sources for each primary U-core 26 or secondary U-core 50 may be
provided
by a plurality of sources. A power source may be within the firearm, it may be
within an
accessory or it may be provided by a source such as a battery pack contained
in the
uniform of the user that is connected to the firearm, or by a super capacitor
connected to
the system. These serve as examples of diverse power sources that may be
utilize by
embodiments of the invention.
[00138] Referring now to FIG. 22, a longitudinal cross section
side
view of an accessory 14 mounted to an inductively powering rail 18 is shown
Accessory
14 in this example is a lighting accessory, having a forward facing lens 44.
Accessory 14
connects to inductively powering rail 18, through magnets 46 which engage pins
24 and
trigger magnetic switch 48 to establish an electrical connection, via primary
PCB 54, to
inductively powering rail 18.
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[00139] As shown in FIG. 22, three connections have been
established to inductively powering rail 18 through the use of magnets 46. In
addition,
three secondary U-cores 50 mate to three primary U-cores 26 to establish an
inductive
power source for accessory 42. To avoid cluttering the Figure, the connection
of
secondary U-core 50 and primary U-core 26 as an example of one such mating.
This
connection between U-cores 50 and 26 allows for the transmission of power to
and from
the system and the accessory. There may be any number of connections between
an
accessory 14 and an inductively powering rail 18, depending upon power
requirements.
In one embodiment each slot provides on the order of two watts. Of course,
power
transfers greater or less than two watts are considered to be within the scope
of
embodiments disclosed herein.
[00140] In both the accessory 14 and the inductively powering
rail
18 are embedded Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), which contain computer hardware
and
software to allow each to communicate with each other. The PCB for the
accessory 14 is
shown as accessory PCB 52. The PCB for the inductively powering rail 18 is
shown as
primary PCB 54. These features are described in detail with reference to FIG.
24 and 25.
[00141] Referring now to FIG. 4 a block diagram of the
components of an inductively powered rail system is shown generally as 70.
[00142] System 70 may be powered by a number of sources, all of
which are controlled by master controller 72. It shall be understood that MCU
72 could
be either the bus processor 42 or processor 51 described above. Hot swap
controller 74
serves to monitor and distribute power within system 7. Hot swap controller 74
monitors
power from multiple sources. The first in one embodiment being one or more
18.5V
batteries 78 contained within the system 70, for example in the stock or
pistol grip of a
firearm. This voltage has been chosen as optimal to deliver two watts to each
inductively
powering rail slot 20 to which an accessory 14 is connected. This power is
provided
through conductive power path 82. A second source is an external power source
80, for
example a power supply carried external to the system by the user. The user
could
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connect this source to the system to provide power through conductive power
path 82 to
recharge battery 78. A third source may come from accessories, which may have
their
own auxiliary power source 102, i.e. they have a power source within them.
When
connected to the system, this feature is detected by master CPU 76 and the
power source
102 may be utilized to provide power to other accessories through inductive
power path
90, should it be needed. It shall also be understood that CPU 76 may be either
the bus
processor 42 or processor 51 described above.
[00143] Power is distributed either conductively or inductively.
These two different distribution paths are shown as features 82 and 90
respectively. In
essence, conductive power path 82 powers the inductively powering rail 18
while
inductive power path 90 transfers power between the inductively powering rail
18 and
accessories such as 14.
[00144] Master CPU 76 in one embodiment is a Texas Instrument
model MSP430F228, a mixed signal processor, which oversees the management of
system 70. Some of its functions include detecting when an accessory is
connected or
disconnected, determining the nature of an accessory, managing power usage in
the
system, and handling communications between the rail(s), accessories and the
user.
[00145] Shown in FIG. 23 are three rails. The first being the
main
inductively powering rail 18 and side rail units 94 and 96. Any number of
rails may be
utilized. Side rail units 94 and 96 are identical in configuration and
function identically
to inductively powering rail unit 18 save that they are mounted on the side of
the firearm
and have fewer inductively powered rail slots 20. Side rail units 94 and 96
communicate
with master CPU 76 through communications bus 110, which also provides a path
for
conductive power. Communications are conducted through a control path 86. Thus
Master CPU 76 is connected to inductively powering rail 18 and through rail 18
to the
microcontrollers 98 of side rails 94 and 96. This connection permits the
master CPU 76
to determine when an accessory has been connected, when it is disconnected,
its power
level and other data that may be useful to the user, such as GPS feedback or
power level
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of an accessory or the system. Data that may be useful to a user is sent to
external data
transfer module 84 and displayed to the user. In addition data such as current
power
level, the use of an accessory power source and accessory identification may
be
transferred between accessories. Another example would be data indicating the
range to
a target which could be communicated to an accessory 14 such as a scope.
[00146] Communications may be conducted through an inductive
control path 92. Once an accessory 14, such as an optical scope are connected
to the
system, it may communicate with the master CPU 76 through the use of inductive
control
paths 92. Once a connection has been made between an accessory and an
inductively
powering rail 18, 94 or 96 communication may be established from each rail via
frequency modulation (for example) on an inductive control path 92, through
the use of
primary U-cores 26 and secondary U-Cores 50. Accessories such as 14 in turn
communicate with master CPU 76 through rails 18, 94 or 96 by load modulation
on the
inductive control path 92, for example.
[00147] An example frequency modulation is Frequency Shift Key
Modulation (FSK). A rail 18, 94, or 96 sends power to an accessory 42, by
turning the
power on and off to the primary U-core 26 and secondary U-core 50. This is
achieved by
applying a frequency on the order of 40kHz. To communicate with an accessory
14
different frequencies may be utilized. By way of example 40kHz and 50kHz may
be used
to represent 0 and 1 respectively. By changing the frequency that the primary
U-cores
are turned on or off information may be sent to an accessory 42. Types of
information
that may be sent by inductive control path 92 may include asking the accessory
information about itself, telling the accessory to enter low power mode, and
asking the
accessory to transfer power. Further, as described above, any information that
the
accessory may have may be provided to the CPU 76 and vice versa.
[00148] By the term load modulation the inventors mean
monitoring the load on the system 70. If an accessory 14 decreases or
increases the
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amount of power it requires then master CPU 76 will adjust the power
requirements as
needed.
[00149] Accessory 104 serves as an example of an accessory,
being
a tactical light. It has an external power on/off switch 106, which many
accessories may
have as well as a safe start component 108. Safe start component 108 serves to
ensure
that the accessory is properly connected and has appropriate power before
turning the
accessory on.
[00150] Multi button pad 88 may reside on the firearm containing
system 70 or it may reside externally. Multi button pad 88 permits the user to
turn
accessories on or off or to receive specific data, for example the distance to
a target or the
current GPS location. Multi-button pad 88 allows a user to access features the
system
can provide through external data transfer module 84.
[00151] Referring now to FIG. 24 a block diagram of a primary
Printed Circuit Board (PCB) contained within an inductively powering rail is
shown as
feature 54. Power is received by PCB 54 via conductive power path 82 from
master
controller 72 (see FIG. 23). Hot swap controller 74 serves to load the
inductively
powering rail 18 slowly. This reduces the amount of in rush current during
power up. It
also limits the amount of current that can be drawn from the inductively
powering rail 18.
Conductive power is distributed to two main components, the inductively
powering rail
slots 20 and the master CPU 76 residing on PCB 54.
[00152] Hot swap controller 74 provides via feature 154, voltage
in
the range of 14V to 22V which is sent to a MOSFET and transformer circuitry
156 for
each inductively powering rail slot 20 on inductively powering rail 18.
[00153] Feature 158 is a 5V switcher that converts battery power
to
5V for the use of MOSFET drivers 160. MOSFET drivers 160 turn the power on and
off
to MOSFET and transformer circuitry 156 which provides the power to each
primary U-
Core 26. Feature 162 is a 3.3V Linear Drop Out Regulator (LDO), which receives
its
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power from 5V switcher 158 LDO 162 provides power to master CPU 76 and
supporting logic within each slot. Supporting logic is Mutiplexer 172 and D
Flip Flops
176.
[00154] The Multiplexer 172 and the D Flip-Flops 176, 177 are
utilized as a serial shift register. Any number of multiplexers 172 and D Flip-
Flops 176,
177 may be utilized, each for one inductively powered rail slot 20. This
allows master
CPU 76 to determine which slots are enabled or disabled and to also enable or
disable a
slot. The multiplexer 172 is used to select between shifting the bit from the
previous slot
or to provide a slot enable signal. The first D Flip Flop 176 latches the
content of the
Multiplexer 172 and the second D Flip-Flop 177 latches the value of D Flip-
Flop 177 if a
decision is made to enable or disable a slot.
[00155] Hall effect transistor 164 detects when an accessory is
connected to inductively powering rail 18 and enables MOSFET driver 160.
[00156] Referring now to FIG. 25 a block diagram of a PCB
contained within an accessory such as 42 is shown generally as 52 Feature 180
refers to
the primary U-Core 26 and the secondary U-Core 50, establishing a power
connection
between inductively powering rail 18 and accessory 42. High power ramp
circuitry182
slowly ramps the voltage up to high power load when power is turned on. This
is
necessary as some accessories such as those that utilize XEON bulbs when
turned on
have low resistance and they draw excessive current. High power load 184 is an
accessory that draws more than on the order of two watts of power.
[00157] Full wave rectifier and DC/DC Converter 186 rectifies
the
power from U-Cores 180 and converts it to a low power load 188, for an
accessory such
as a night vision scope. Pulse shaper 190 clamps the pulse fi am the U-Cores
180 so that it
is within the acceptable ranges for microcontroller 98 and utilizes FSK via
path 192 to
provide a modified pulse to microcontroller 98. Microcontroller 98 utilizes a
Zigbee
component 198 via Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter component (UART
196) to communicate between an accessory 42 and master controller 72. Examples
of the
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types of information that may be communicated would include asking the
accessory for
information about itself, instructing the accessory to enter low power mode or
to transfer
power.
[00158] Referring now to FIGS. 26-32 a portion of the upper
receiver 31 is illustrated secured to a lower receiver 70 of rifle, firearm or
weapon 10. As
illustrated, the rifle, firearm or weapon 10 has a buffer tube/receiver
extension 72. A
buttstock portion 74 is removably and movably secured to buffer tube/receiver
extension
72 such that the location of buttstock portion 74 can be adjusted with respect
to the buffer
tube/receiver extension 72 by for example, a latch means 76 configured to
allow a spring
biased protrusion to engage one of a plurality of detents 78 located on a
buffer tube
housing portion 80 that is configured to be received upon buffer tube/receiver
extension
72. It being understood that in various non-limiting embodiments, buttstock
portion 74
may have any configuration and may be integral with the firearm, fixedly
secured thereto
or removably or adjustably secured thereto.
[00159] As illustrated, a lower portion 82 of buffer tube
housing
portion 80 is configured to removably receive and engage a battery pack or
power supply
84. A top surface 86 of the battery pack 84 is provided with a plurality of
contact pins
88. Contact pins 88 are configured to make contact with a plurality of
contacts 90
located on lower portion 82 of buffer to housing portion 80 so that when the
battery pack
84 is secured to buffer tube housing portion 80 power can be supplied to the
networked
powered rail system via a conductive path(s) 92 that extend from contacts 90
to a rail
connector 94 located on the lower receiver 70 that is configured to contact a
complementary connector 96 when the upper receiver 31 is secured to the lower
receiver
70. FIG. 31 shows connectors 94 and 96 between the upper 31 and lower receiver
70.
[00160] Connector 96 provides a conductive path to the processor
51 and other components of the powered rail 18. This will allow power to be
transferred
from the battery pack 84 as well as data to be transferred to external tether
connection 81
of the lower receiver. The location of the connection 81 may be moved to any
desired
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location. In addition, connector 96 is configured to disengage when the upper
receiver 31
is removed from the lower receiver 70.
[00161] In order to provide a means for securing and removing
battery pack 84 to buffer tube housing 80, a mechanical interface is
contemplated. In one
non-limiting embodiment, the battery pack 84 has a first contact feature 98
located at a
rear portion of the battery pack 84. First contact feature 98 is configured to
engage a rear
abutment 100 of the buffer tube housing 80 In addition an alignment pin 102
may also
be provided to engage a rear alignment feature or opening 104.
[00162] The battery pack 84, also has a second contact feature
or
front alignment feature 106. The second contact feature or front alignment
feature 106
includes an opening 108 configured to receive a protrusion or feature 110,
located on the
lower surface 82 of the buffer tube housing 80. Accordingly, a user can secure
battery
pack or power supply 84 to the rifle, firearm or weapon 10 by simply causing
the first
contact feature 98 to engage the rear abutment 100 so that alignment pin 102
is received
within alignment opening 104 and then the battery pack is pivoted upwardly in
the
direction of arrow 112, so that protrusion or feature 110 of the second
contact feature a
front alignment feature 106 is received within opening 108 of the battery pack
or power
supply 84. Once this occurs, the battery pack or power supply 84 is fixedly
secured to
the lower surface 82 of the buffer tube housing 80 via a retaining screw 114
that
threateningly engages a threaded opening 116 of front alignment feature 106.
In one
embodiment, a head portion 118 of retaining screw 114 is slightly larger than
opening
108 of the battery pack or power supply 84 such that when the battery pack 84
is secured
to the lower portion 82 of the buffer tube housing 80 head portion 118
prevents the
battery pack 84 from being disengaged from the buffer tube housing 80.
[00163] Of course, alternative arrangements for securing the
battery
pack 84 to the lower portion 82 of the buffer to housing are contemplated. For
example,
a snap fit interface can be provided at either or both the contact feature 98
the second
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contact feature such that a user can simply snap battery pack 84 onto lower
surface 82 of
the buffer to the housing 80.
[00164] As mentioned above, the upper surface of the battery
pack
84 has a plurality of contacts 88 configured to contact complementary contacts
90 located
on the lower surface 82 of the buffer tube housing portion 80. Once the
battery pack 84
is secured to the buffer to the housing 80, a galvanic or conductive contact
is made
between contacts 88 and contacts 90 illustrated by arrows 120 and 122 of FIG.
10
[00165] This conductive coupling or contact is approximately 90
off set with respect to a longitudinal axis 124 of the rifle 10. This
positioning prevents
disengagement of contacts 88 and 90 due to recoil of the rifle, weapon or
firearm in the
directions of arrows 124.
[00166] As mentioned above with regard to the powered rail 18,
contacts 88 and 90 may comprise nickel coated materials. In yet another
alternative non-
limiting embodiment the contact surfaces of the contacts 88 and 90 are coated
with a
nickel composite, which in one non-limiting embodiment may be a nano-coat
blend of
primarily nickel and other materials such as cobalt which will exhibit similar
or superior
properties to nickel.
[00167] It is further understood that in another non-limiting
embodiment, the buttsock or any portion thereof may also house anyone of bus
processor
42 or processor 51 or MCU 72 or CPU 76 or any combination thereof. If in one
non-
limiting embodiment, the buttstock or portion thereof is removable, this would
allow for
any of the aforementioned bus processor 42, processor 51, MCU 72, CPU 76 or
any
combination thereof to be easily removed from the rifle, firearm or weapon 10.
[00168] In yet another non-limiting embodiment, the upper
receiver
31 may be configured with any combination of: integrated with power (either
internal or
supplied); data (either internal or supplied); and navigation features (either
internal or
supplied); as well as any one of the aforementioned features described herein
and above
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including but not limited to any previously described sensors and/or
accessories. Still
further, the aforementioned upper receiver 31 with the integrated with power
(either
internal or supplied), data (either internal or supplied) and navigation
features (either
internal or supplied) as well as any of the aforementioned features including
but not
limited to any previously described sensors and/or accessories may also be
used with or
configured in another non-limiting embodiment to have a buttstock portion that
has a
master control unit 72 or bus processor 42 or processor 51 or CPU 76 or any
combination
thereof as well as a power supply (e.g., battery back 84 or any other
equivalent device)
and external tether connection or umbilical interface 81.
[00169] It being understood, that the buttstock of the rifle,
firearm
or weapon 10 may house (either integrally or removably) the aforementioned
master
control unit 72 or bus processor 42 or processor 51 or CPU 76 or any
combination thereof
and power and/or data may be bi-directionally transferred to and from the
buttstock and
its associated devices via galvanic or conductive contact or any other
suitable means of
transfer.
[00170] Referring now to FIGS. 38-41C portions of a powered rail
18 are illustrated. In one non-limiting embodiment, rail 18 may be configured
to be
secured to any one of rails 12 of the rifle, firearm or weapon 10.
Alternatively, the
configuration of rail 18 may be incorporated into any one of the rails 12 of
the rifle,
firearm or weapon 10 thus negating the need for a separately attached rail 18.
[00171] Although FIGS. 38, 38A-38C and 39 illustrates pin
openings 209 in rail 18 it is understood that rail 18 may be configured
without pin
openings 209 as they are not necessary when the rail 18 is used with the
accessory
detection methods disclosed herein. Pin openings 209 allow for the use of pins
to be
inserted into openings 209, the pins are used with magnets and Hall effect
sensors to
detect the securement of an accessory secured to the powered rail 18, wherein
the
detection method is any of those described in co-pending patent applications
referenced
above.
41
[00172] Accordingly and in an alternative embodiment, the
powered rail
18 of at least FIGS. 38-41C may also be used with the detection methods
described in the above
referenced pending patent applications (e.g. Hall effect sensors, magnets, and
corresponding pins
in addition to the data and power transfer pins).
[00173] As illustrated, each slot 24 has a pair of contacts one
of which is
either a power contact 32 or a ground contact 34 while the other one is one of
the data contacts
Dl or DO as described above. In this embodiment, the rail 18 is considered to
have a plurality of
elongated openings 210 that are configured to receive a portion of a non-
conductive rail insert
211 or in other words an insert 211 formed from a non-conductive material.
More particularly,
each opening 210 is configured to receive a complementary shaped feature 214
of insert 211.
Each feature 214 has a pair of openings 216 and 218 that are configured to
receive one of the
plurality of pins 1015 and their associated contacts 1035 that are used for
the aforementioned
power, ground and data contact points located within the slots 24 of the
powered rail 18. The
openings 216, 218 of the insert 211 are configured such that the surface of
the contacts 1035 of
pins 48 are located on a surface within slots 24 so that they may be contacted
by corresponding
contacts 54 of an accessory 14 when it is secured to powered rail 18.
[00174] As shown and in one non-limiting embodiment, the insert
211 is
molded as a single component and each of the features 214 are secured to each
other via a bridge
member 215. In other embodiments and depending on the length of rail 18, two
or more inserts
211 are used together.
[00175] FIG. 39 illustrates a bottom view of the rail 18 (e.g.,
the portion
that is secured to rail 12 or is covered when rail 18 is secured to rail 12)
wherein openings 210
are formed therein and a portion of the rail under rib 26 is removed to form a
channel 217.
Channel 217 is configured to receive bridge member 215 so that insert 211 can
be secured to the
rail 18 from its bottom side. Accordingly, the insert 211 with its associated
contacts 1035 from
pins 48, which are secured to a printed circuit board, can
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be easily installed into the underside of rail 18 when insert 211 and its
associated pins are
secured to the printed circuit board illustrated in at least FIGS. 26A-26C.
[00176] Accordingly and as illustrated in at least FIGS. 38 and
41A-41C, when the pins 48 and their associated contact surfaces 1035 are
inserted into
openings 216 and 218 of insert 211 they are electrically insulated from the
inner
peripheral edges of openings 210 of rail 18 via a portion of feature 214 that
defines
openings 216 and 218 when insert 211 is secured to rail 18.
[00177] FIGS 41A-41C illustrate the insert 211 secured to a printed circuit
board
221 which includes some of the necessary electronics for operating the powered
rail. In
one non-limiting embodiment the insert 211 is formed from an easily molded
plastic or
polymer material for example a high temperature resistant and/or chemically
resistant
polymer or equivalents thereof. One non-limiting example of such a material is
a PEEK
plastic or poly ether ether ketone or equivalent thereof. Poly ether ether
ketone (PEEK)
is an organic polymer thermoplastic in the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) family,
[00178] In yet another embodiment, the entire rail 18 or
significant
portions thereof can be manufactured from a molded plastic or polymer material
for
example a high temperature resistant and/or chemically resistant polymer or
equivalents
thereof. One non-limiting example of such a material is a PEEK plastic or poly
ether
ether ketone or equivalent thereof.
[00179] For 5.56mm calibers a polymer rail 18 is contemplated.
The polymer rail 18 allows for a reduction of weight over an aluminum rail.
For larger
calibers (higher impulse) than 5.56mm such as 7.62mm, .338, 50 cal., it may be
desirable
to provide an aluminum rail 18 or an aluminum rail with the above described
insert 211,
as illustrated and described with respect to FIGS. 38-41C, which utilizes the
strength of
an aluminum rail and inserting a polymer (PEEK) strip or insert 211 to house
the contact
pins. In these embodiments, the electronics are assembled or secured to the
rail from the
bottom of the rail. Accordingly, the pins with nickel or nickel alloy contact
in a polymer
insert secured to the bottom of the rail does not compromise the strength of
the rail.
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[00180] While the
invention has been described with reference to an
exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that
various
changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof
without
departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may
be made
to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention
without
departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the
invention not
be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode
contemplated for
carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all
embodiments falling
within the scope of the present application.
