U.S. patent application number 12/573114 was filed with the patent office on 2010-04-08 for firearm having central power source and integrated data bus to both power and control multiple accessories.
This patent application is currently assigned to NanoMaterials Discovery Corporation. Invention is credited to Donald D. Montgomery.
Application Number | 20100083553 12/573114 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42073931 |
Filed Date | 2010-04-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100083553 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Montgomery; Donald D. |
April 8, 2010 |
Firearm Having Central Power Source and Integrated Data Bus to both
Power and Control Multiple Accessories
Abstract
There is disclosed an automatic or semiautomatic firearm having
one or a plurality of parallel rail attachments for weapon
attachments (accessories) with a central power source capable of
powering the accessory devices electrically connects through a
series of parallel rails circumferentially surrounding a barrel of
the firearm. More specifically, there is disclosed a central power
source to power up one or a plurality of rail accessories that
provides power to each rail accessory through, preferably, a copper
or brass strip located on each rail element. In addition, there is
disclosed a method for transmitting information among and between
weapon attachments using the rails as an antenna and radio
frequency transmission of digital or analog signals to receiver
units in each attachment of within a central bus.
Inventors: |
Montgomery; Donald D.;
(Cheyenne, WY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JEFFREY B. OSTER
8339 SE 57TH ST
MERCER ISLAND
WA
98040
US
|
Assignee: |
NanoMaterials Discovery
Corporation
|
Family ID: |
42073931 |
Appl. No.: |
12/573114 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61102703 |
Oct 3, 2008 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
42/84 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41G 11/001 20130101;
F41C 27/00 20130101; F41G 1/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
42/84 |
International
Class: |
F41A 35/00 20060101
F41A035/00 |
Claims
1. A firearm comprising one or a plurality of mounting fixtures
circumferentially surrounding a barrel, wherein each mounting
fixture comprises one or a plurality of common conductors, and
wherein each common conductor is electrically connected to a power
source.
2. The firearm of claim 1 wherein the common conductors comprise a
copper or brass strip of metal in electrical contact with a power
source.
3. The firearm of claim 2 wherein the power source is a portable
device that produces voltage or current power.
4. The firearm of claim 1 wherein the power source is selected from
the group consisting of a battery, a Lithium ion rechargeable
battery, a fuel cell, a grid power transformed, and combinations
thereof.
5. The firearm of claim 1 wherein the power source is located on a
mounting fixture as an accessory device, within an ammo clip,
within the stock of the firearm or attached to another location
surrounding the barrel of the firearm.
6. The firearm of claim 1 wherein the common conductors are a data
transmission means that allow accessories in contact with the
common conductors to transmit or receive analog or digital signals
from and to other accessories in contact with the common
conductors.
7. The firearm of claim 1 wherein the common conductors further
carry RF (radio frequency) signals to communicate between the
accessories.
8. The firearm of claim 1 wherein two or more common conductors are
located on opposite sides of the mounting fixture or two or more
common conductors are located on the same side of a mounting
fixture.
9. The firearm of claim 1 wherein the power source provides voltage
or current that is either direct or alternating.
10. The firearm of claim 9 wherein the power source provides
voltage output from about 2 volts to about 12 volts.
11. The firearm of claim 1 wherein the accessory mounting rail
further comprises a data transmission means that is separate from
the common conductors and capable of allowing accessories mounted
to the rail to transmit or receive data from each other or
both.
12. The firearm of claim 11 wherein the data transmission means
further comprises both the common conductors and one or a plurality
of separate data transmission means, wherein the accessories may or
may not be attached to the mounting fixtures as a source of
power.
13. A firearm or small weapons system having a plurality of
fixtures, comprising (a) one or a plurality of mounting fixtures
circumferentially surrounding a barrel, wherein each mounting
fixture comprises one or a plurality of common conductors, and
wherein each common conductor is electrically connected to a power
source; and (b) a radio frequency (RF) antenna embedded within the
plurality of common conductors, wherein each RF antenna is capable
of transmitting or picking up radio frequency signals.
14. The firearm or small weapons system having a plurality of
fixtures of claim 13, wherein the common conductors comprise a
copper or brass strip of metal in electrical contact with a power
source.
15. The firearm or small weapons system having a plurality of
fixtures of claim 14, wherein the power source is a portable device
that produces voltage or current power.
16. The firearm or small weapons system having a plurality of
fixtures of claim 13, wherein the power source is selected from the
group consisting of a battery, a Lithium ion rechargeable battery,
a fuel cell, a grid power transformed, and combinations
thereof.
17. The firearm or small weapons system having a plurality of
fixtures of claim 13, wherein the power source is located on a
mounting fixture as an accessory device, within an ammo clip,
within the stock of the firearm or attached to another location
surrounding the barrel of the firearm.
18. The firearm or small weapons system having a plurality of
fixtures of claim 13, wherein two or more common conductors are
located on opposite sides of the mounting fixture or two or more
common conductors are located on the same side of a mounting
fixture.
19. The firearm or small weapons system having a plurality of
fixtures of claim 13, wherein the power source provides voltage or
current that is either direct or alternating.
20. The firearm or small weapons system having a plurality of
fixtures of claim 13, wherein the power source provides voltage
output from about 2 volts to about 12 volts.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This patent application claims priority from U.S.
Provisional Patent Application 61/102,703 filed 3 Oct. 2008.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure provides a firearm having one or a
plurality of rails for mounting weapon attachments (accessories),
said rails having a central power source capable of powering the
accessory devices that electrically connects through a series of
parallel rails circumferentially surrounding a barrel or otherwise
attached to a firearm. More specifically, the present disclosure
provides a central power source that provides electric power to one
or a plurality of rail accessories and that provides electric power
to each rail-mounted accessory through one or a plurality of
conducting strips located on each rail element. In addition, the
present disclosure provides a method for transmitting information
among and between rail-mounted weapon attachments using the rails
as a data bus or as an antenna. Digital or analog signals can be
transmitted and received by and between attachments mounted to the
rails by means of the rails.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Various accessory devices are often used together with
firearms, particularly, automatic or semiautomatic firearms. Such
accessories often utilize electric power and generally need DC
electric power in the 3 volt or 6 volt range and include, for
example, flashlights, laser target designators, laser optical
scopes and launchers of ordinance. Each such accessory typically
comes with its own independent electric power source, often primary
or secondary batteries. These batteries may or may not need
changing or recharging during a specific mission.
[0004] Firearms, such as carbines of the "M" series or even AK47
type weapons, have a central barrel with the ability to integrate
accessory mounting rails circumferentially surrounding the barrel
and barrel housing element. Additional opportunities exist for
placing rails on other places on the firearm. However, each
accessory is independent and operates independently of others due
to a lack of electrical communication by and between the
accessories that are mounted to the one or a plurality of
accessory-mounting rails. Therefore, there is a need to be able to
centrally control and provide electric power to accessories rather
than having to operate each accessory independently.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need in the field of firearms to be
able to centralize the electric power needs of one or a plurality
of accessories through a common "hot" rail system that transmits
power to the accessories through its attachment to the firearm
through a mounting rail.
[0006] Various means of communication have been developed between
trains using the train tracks to transmit radio frequencies (U.S.
Pat. No. 6,830,224, the disclosure of which is incorporated by
reference herein). The conducting strips in the present invention
can serve a similar purpose allowing accessories mounted to the
rails to transmit and receive information by and between each
accessory. However, many issues of significant distances and large
masses of metal exist for railroads that do not exist in the much
smaller environment of firearms and weapons systems carried by
individuals. Therefore, there is a need in the art to coordinate
the performance of, and transmit information between, multiple
accessories in firearms and weapons systems. The present disclosure
was made to also address this issue.
SUMMARY
[0007] The present disclosure provides a firearm having a one or a
plurality of mounting fixtures, preferably circumferentially
surrounding a barrel, wherein each mounting fixture comprises one
or a plurality of common electric conductors, and wherein each
common conductor is electrically connected to a power source,
wherein the power source is AC or DC. Preferably, the common
conductors comprise a copper or brass strip of metal in electrical
contact with a power source. More preferably, the power source is a
portable device that produces voltage or current power. More
preferably, the power source is selected from the group consisting
of a battery, a Lithium ion rechargeable battery, a fuel cell, a
grid power transformed, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the
power source is located on a mounting fixture as an accessory
device, within an ammo clip, within the stock of the firearm or
attached to another location surrounding the barrel of the firearm.
Preferably, two or more common conductors are located on opposite
sides of the mounting fixture or two or more common conductors are
located on the same side of a mounting fixture. Preferably, the
power source provides voltage or current that is either direct or
alternating. More preferably, the power source provides voltage
output from about 2 volts to about 12 volts. Preferably, the common
conductors further carry RF (radio frequency) signals to
communicate between the accessories. Preferably, the common
conductors are a data transmission means that allow accessories in
contact with the common conductors to transmit and/or receive
analog and/or digital signals from and to other accessories in
contact with the common conductors. Alternatively, the accessory
mounting rail may incorporate a data transmission means that is
separate from the common conductors that will allow accessories
mounted to the rail to transmit and/or receive data from each
other. Such a separate means may be, for example, a fiber optic
bus, a two wire Ethernet bus, a serial communications bus and other
means that will be evident to one skilled in the art.
Alternatively, the data transmission means may incorporate both the
common conductors and one or a plurality of separate data
transmission means. The accessories may or may not need to be
attached to the mounting fixtures as a source of power. Preferably,
the common conductors are coated with a silicon lubricant so that
the conductors will not short if the firearm is carried through
water.
[0008] The present disclosure further provides a firearm or weapons
system having a plurality of fixtures, comprising
[0009] (a) one or a plurality of mounting fixtures
circumferentially surrounding a barrel or otherwise attached to the
body of a firearm or weapons system, wherein each mounting fixture
comprises one or a plurality of common conductors, and wherein each
common conductor is electrically connected to a power source;
and
[0010] (b) a radio frequency (RF) antenna embedded within the
plurality of common conductors, wherein each RF antenna is capable
of transmitting or picking up radio frequency signals; or
[0011] (c) a data transmission means that allows accessories in
contact with the data transmission means to transmit and/or receive
data from other accessories in contact with the data transmission
means.
[0012] Preferably, the common conductors comprise a copper or brass
strip of metal in electrical contact with a power source. More
preferably, the power source is a portable device that produces
voltage or current power. More preferably, the power source is
selected from the group consisting of a battery, a Lithium ion
rechargeable battery, a fuel cell, a grid power transformed, and
combinations thereof. Preferably, the power source is located on a
mounting fixture as an accessory device, within an ammo clip,
within the stock of the firearm or attached to another location
surrounding the barrel of the firearm. Preferably, two or more
common conductors are located on opposite sides of the mounting
fixture or two or more common conductors are located on the same
side of a mounting fixture. Preferably, the power source provides
voltage or current that is either direct or alternating. More
preferably, the power source provides voltage output from about 2
volts to about 12 volts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0013] FIG. 1 (top) shows a side view of part of the barrel of a
firearm showing the rails ("mounting fixture") mounted thereon.
More specifically, the top view of FIG. 1 shows a common conductor
strip (brass or copper) mounted within the mounting fixture (rails)
and the outline of possible accessories (two) attached to the
mounting fixture and in electronic connection to the central power
supply, in this side view located with a clip of ammo. The lower
view of FIG. 1 shows the central power supply is provided in the
form of an accessory.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows a side view of a mounting fixture having two
common current or electrical conductors (shown with a plus or minus
sign). More specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, on the
left side is shown three common conductors and on the right side,
two common conductors.
[0015] FIG. 3 top panel shows two conductors are affixed to a
mechanical mounting fixture, also known as a "Piccatiny rail." The
left top panel is an end view of a rail having two common
conductors, preferably in the form of copper or brass strips. The
top right panel shows a more detailed view of a common conductor
with an insulating layer. FIG. 3 bottom panel left side, the common
conductors are on opposite sides of the mounting fixture and
consist of copper or brass strips adhering to an insulating layer
or a mounting fixture made from an insulating material. In the
bottom panel right side, an end view is shown wherein the common
conductors are shown on the same side as the mounting fixture.
[0016] FIG. 4 shows external views of the electrical connections
made as between a power source and the common conductors. More
specifically, the left panel shows internal means and an end view
of a power supply (labeled) to common conductors located on
opposite sides of a mounting fixture (shown in an end view). The
right panel of FIG. 4 shows another end view of the mounting
fixture with common conductors on either side with a power supply
located above the fixture.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The power supply may be a voltage supply or a current supply
provided by batteries (such as Li ion batteries that are
rechargeable), a fuel cell or an external power source. The power
can be AC (alternating current), DC (direct current) or a mixture
of both. The power supply can be of a fixed polarity or different
polarities that can be switched. With regard to FIG. 1, the top
view shows a side view of part of the barrel of a firearm showing
the rails ("mounting fixture") mounted thereon. More specifically,
the top view of FIG. 1 shows a common conductor (brass or copper
strip) mounted within the mounting fixture (rails) and the outline
of possible accessories (two) attached to the mounting fixture and
in electronic connection to the central power supply, in this side
view located with a clip of ammo. The lower view of FIG. 1 shows
much like the top panel except the central power supply is provided
in the form of an accessory. In this way, power supplies can be
attached and removed by sliding on and off on a rail or mounting
fixture attachment.
[0018] FIG. 2 also shows a side view of a mounting fixture having
two common current or electrical conductors (shown with a plus or
minus sign). More specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2,
on the left side is shown three common conductors and on the right
side, two common conductors.
[0019] The common conductors (preferably comprising copper or brass
strips on a surface of a rail of mounting fixture) provide electric
power for accessories mounted to a fixture for mechanically
attaching to a firearm, weapon or other device having or having the
potential for multiple accessories attached thereto and utilizing a
central power source.
[0020] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 top panel, two conductors
are affixed to a mechanical mounting fixture, also known as a
"Piccatiny rail." The left top panel is an end view of a rail
having two common conductors, preferably in the form of copper or
brass strips. The top right panel shows a more detailed view of a
common conductor with an insulating layer. It should be noted that
a common conductor is isolated from a mounting fixture by an
insulating layer. Alternatively, the mounting fixture may be made
from and insulating material such as carbon fiber reinforced
polymer or other hard plastic.
[0021] In FIG. 3 bottom panel left side, the common conductors are
on opposite sides of the mounting fixture and consist of copper or
brass strips adhering to an insulating layer or a mounting fixture
made from an insulating material. In the bottom panel right side,
an end view is shown wherein the common conductors are shown on the
same side as the mounting fixture.
[0022] With regard to FIG. 4, external views show the electrical
connections made as between a power source and the common
conductors. More specifically, the left panel shows internal means
and an end view of a power supply (labeled) to common conductors
located on opposite sides of a mounting fixture (shown in an end
view). The right panel of FIG. 4 shows another end view of the
mounting fixture with common conductors on either side with a power
supply located above the fixture.
* * * * *