FIREARM-SAFETY-SENSING CAMERA-LIGHT-LASER SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

A firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus and method, providing a camera that is automatically activated upon the release of the firearm's safety control, and providing a light and a laser pointer, each of which can be automatically activated upon the release of the safety, ensuring that the camera will record events in the firearm's line of fire, starting with the anticipation of discharge of the weapon, associated with release of the safety, and optionally to log and notify an appropriate authority of the release of the safety.

Claims

1. A firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus for automatically capturing a photographic recording along the line of fire of a firearm, where said firearm features a safety, during periods when the safety is released, the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system comprising: (i) a unit body adapted to extend the receiver section of the firearm, said unit body having a front face, rear face, bottom face, and right and left side faces; (ii) a safety-disengaged sensor adapted to sense the disengagement of the safety of the firearm and to activate other components; (iii) a camera installed in said unit body close to and essentially co-planar with said front face, adapted to record the scene along the line of fire; (iv) a light installed in said unit body close to and essentially co-planar with said front face, adapted to cast a beam of light along the line of fire; (v) a laser pointer installed in said unit body close to and essentially co-planar with said front face, adapted to cast a laser beam along the line of fire; (vi) a battery installed in said unit body adapted to provide electrical energy to other components; (vii) a transfer port installed in said unit body adapted to the transfer of recorded data to an external device, and to the transfer of electrical power for charging of said battery; and (viii) a plurality of manual controls installed on said unit body close to said rear face, adapted to provide manual activation and deactivation of said light and said laser pointer, and to provide manual activation of said camera; where, in use, upon said safety-disengaged sensor discerning the disengagement of the safety, said camera begins recording the scene along the line of fire; and where such recordings are subsequently transferred to an external device for subsequent viewing, analyzing, and storing.

2. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: (ix) a transceiver installed in said unit body, adapted to transmit photographic recordings and other data.

3. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, where said unit body is built into the receiver of the firearm at the time of manufacture.

4. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, where said unit body is a separate retrofit unit attached to the receiver of the firearm.

5. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, where said transfer port is a socket adapted to accept a plug.

6. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, where said transfer port further comprises a wireless means of data communication.

7. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, where said transfer port further comprises an inductive wireless means of re-charging said battery.

8. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, where said camera is sensitive to infrared light.

9. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, where said light provides light outside of the visible spectrum.

10. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system apparatus of claim 1, where said unit body is further adapted for use on a semi-automatic pistol.

11. A firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method for automatically capturing a photographic recording along the line of fire of a firearm, where said firearm features a safety, during periods when the safety is released, the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method comprising: (i) providing a firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system, further comprising: (a) a unit body adapted to extend the receiver section of the firearm, said unit body having a front face, rear face, bottom face, and right and left side faces; (b) a safety-disengaged sensor adapted to sense the disengagement of the safety of the firearm and to activate other components; (c) a camera installed in said unit body close to and essentially co-planar with said front face, adapted to record the scene along the line of fire; (d) a light installed in said unit body close to and essentially co-planar with said front face, adapted to cast a beam of light along the line of fire; (e) a laser pointer installed in said unit body close to and essentially co-planar with said front face, adapted to cast a laser beam along the line of fire; (f) a battery installed in said unit body adapted to provide electrical energy to other components; (g) a transfer port installed in said unit body adapted to the transfer of recorded data to an external device, and to the transfer of electrical power for charging of said battery; and (h) a plurality of manual controls installed on said unit body close to said rear face, adapted to provide manual activation and deactivation of said light and said laser pointer, and to provide manual activation of said camera; (ii) using said firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system in such a way that, upon said safety-disengaged sensor discerning the disengagement of the safety, said camera begins recording the scene along the line of fire; (iii) subsequently transferring the resulting recordings to an external device; and (iv) subsequently viewing, analyzing, and storing said resulting recordings.

12. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, further comprising (i) a transceiver installed in said unit body, adapted to transmit photographic recordings and other data.

13. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, where said unit body is built into the receiver of the firearm at the time of manufacture.

14. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, where said unit body is a separate retrofit unit attached to the receiver of the firearm.

15. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, where said transfer port is a socket adapted to accept a plug.

16. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, where said transfer port further comprises a wireless means of data communication.

17. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, where said transfer port further comprises an inductive wireless means of re-charging said battery.

18. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, where said camera is sensitive to infrared light.

19. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, where said light provides light outside of the visible spectrum.

20. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system method of claim 11, where said unit body is further adapted for use on a semi-automatic pistol.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein:

[0017] FIG. 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a built-in embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system incorporated into a pistol;

[0018] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a built-in embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system incorporated into a pistol;

[0019] FIG. 3 is a schematic rear perspective view of a built-in embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system incorporated into a pistol;

[0020] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a retrofit embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system;

[0021] FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of a retrofit embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system;

[0022] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a retrofit embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system mounted onto a pistol;

[0023] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a retrofit embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system not mounted onto a pistol;

[0024] FIG. 8 is a perspective see-through view of a retrofit embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system mounted onto a pistol; and

[0025] FIG. 9 is rear perspective schematic view of a retrofit embodiment of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system before and after being mounted onto a pistol.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, & FIG. 3, and all figures generally, the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system 10 of the invention is shown schematically with indications of light rays and a laser beam, for the purpose of aiming, emanating from the invention, and with an indication of the field of view of a camera recording videos or photographs of the area in the line of fire. The embodiment illustrated is a built-in embodiment incorporated into a firearm at the time of manufacture. The firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system 10 is illustrated in relation to a semi-automatic pistol, but is intended for use in or on other firearms, such as other handguns, rifles, and shotguns.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 4 & FIG. 5, a retrofit embodiment, in the form of a separate unit to be mounted onto a pistol, is shown.

[0028] The elements of the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system 10 are a unit body 1, either built into the firearm at the time of manufacture or provided as a separate retrofit unit. The unit body 1 is either built into or retrofit-mounted upon the receiver section of the firearm. For reference, the unit body 1 has a front face aligned essentially perpendicular to the firearm's barrel, so that the front face faces the line of fire. A rear face faces the firearm's trigger, and a bottom face faces downward in use. The unit body 1 has two side faces, designated left and right with reference to the firearm in shooting position.

[0029] The unit body 1 provides a safety-disengaged sensor 9 to determine when the safety of the firearm is disengaged, readying the weapon for firing. There are a large variety of safety mechanisms among the different firearms, and the safety-disengaged sensor 9 needs to be able to sense the state of the specific type of safety in a specific brand or type of firearm. For the built-in embodiment, incorporated into the firearm at the time of manufacture, the proper configuration of safety-disengaged sensor 9 can be chosen, and direct access to the safety mechanism itself is possible. For the retrofit embodiment, the safety-disengaged sensor 9 needs to be matched to specific types of safety mechanisms by sensing either the safety “catch” itself or by sensing some resulting movement or change in related parts of the firearm. It is possible to have the safety-disengaged sensor 9 sense the presence of, for instance, a finger inside the trigger guard, or the unholstering or raising of the firearm, as a proxy for disengagement of the safety. The appropriate safety-disengaged sensor 9 for a given firearm might be a microphone or vibration sensor to sense a click, sound, or vibration caused by disengagement of the safety. The appropriate safety-disengaged sensor 9 might be an accelerometer or similar device for sensing either movements within the gun or movements of the gun itself, such as unholstering or raising to a firing position.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 7, & FIG. 8, the unit body 1 provides a camera 2, a light 3, and a laser pointer 4, each with its lens located on or closely in front of or behind the front face, so that the field of view of the camera 2 and the beam of the light 3 are essentially co-axial with the firearm's barrel, and so that the beam of the laser pointer 4 essentially tracks the path of a bullet, making any necessary adjustments for parallax and distance.

[0031] Many standard cameras provide an IR-cut filter to filter out infrared light when taking pictures in sufficient daylight or ambient light. For nighttime use, the IR-cut filter can be removed, and the camera can respond to ambient IR light and to provided IR lighting. Without the IR-cut filter, daylight pictures will have an off-color cast because the IR light is also reaching the sensor, and that off-color cast is aesthetically unpleasant and not an accurate representation of the normal human perception of colors. The purpose of the camera 2 in the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system 10 is to capture analytical and possibly forensic information, with small concern for aesthetics, and a camera 2 having no IR-cut filter, or a minimal IR-cut filter, will perform better and capture more information in low-ambient-light conditions, and will not suffer a loss of detail, as opposed to color information, in higher-ambient-light conditions. The IR-cut filter, and a mechanism to insert and remove the IR-cut filter in changing lighting conditions, can accordingly be safely omitted from the camera 2 here.

[0032] The light 3 can be useful for illuminating a subject for the camera 2, but there are arguable disadvantages of having the light 3 be automatically activated. If the camera 2 is capable of utilizing infrared light, then additional light should not be required. Visible-spectrum light from the light 3 can be useful for helping the human operator see, and the light 3 can be turned on and off as needed. Also, the light 3 can be configured to provide infrared light to better illuminate a subject for the camera 2, and for whatever night-vision equipment might be available. The light 3 can also be configured to provide ultraviolet light which highlights and reveals certain materials and conditions, which might be useful information in the circumstances. The light 3 can be a wide-spectrum light providing ultraviolet, visible, and infrared illumination.

[0033] The unit body 1 provides a battery 5 for operation of the camera 2, light 3, and laser pointer 4. The battery can be rechargeable, in which case the specific placement within the unit body 1 is less restricted than for replaceable batteries, which would require placement near an outer surface of the unit body 1 and the provision of an access method, such as a battery cover. The camera 2 also provides memory for storage of videos or photos. Optionally, a microphone can be provided for the capture of sound.

[0034] The unit body 1 optionally provides a transmitter or transceiver 6 to send or receive information, either in real time or as a means of later off-loading the stored videos, photos, or other information. An encrypted RF transmission protocol such as BLUETOOTH is appropriate.

[0035] The unit body 1 provides a transfer port 7 that can serve two functions: (1) to provide communications between the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system 10 and external computer or storage systems, and (2) to provide a connection for electrical power for purposes such as re-charging the power source or battery. The transfer port 7 can be in the form of a socket for receiving a plug, or can be an inductive or wireless connection, such as a wireless charger or near-field communications, both presently known and available for portable telephones. Optionally, the transfer port 7 can be placed in a location and orientation which provides for contact with a plug or an inductive-charging surface when a firearm is in a case or in a holster, which allows for charging or data transfer in the field. If a socket-type transfer port 7 is used, placement on the front face of the unit body 1 will allow for connection to a corresponding plug placed at the far end of a holster.

[0036] Referring additionally to FIG. 9, a set of manual controls 8 is placed on or near the rear face of the unit body 1, nearest the trigger. Ideally, duplicate manual controls 8 are placed on both the right and left sides in order to accommodate right- and left-handed operation. Placement close to the trigger promotes ease of locating and manipulating the manual controls 8 in the field. Although the firearm-safety-sensing camera-light-laser system 10 can be configured to automatically activate the light 3 or the laser pointer 4 upon release of the safety, such automatic activation might be undesirable in some circumstances, such as a stealthy approach or a non-obvious covered position. The light 3 and the laser pointer 4 can also be activated and deactivated with the manual controls 8, allowing the light 3 and the laser pointer 4 to be easily activated. Also, the camera 2 can be activated even when the safety is engaged by using a manual control 8.

[0037] Many other changes and modifications can be made in the system and method of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.