U.S. patent application number 11/906682 was filed with the patent office on 2012-06-07 for training firearm with trigger finger position sensing.
This patent application is currently assigned to The Board of Trustees of the University of Illino. Invention is credited to Willard M. Miller.
Application Number | 20120141957 11/906682 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46162582 |
Filed Date | 2012-06-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120141957 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Miller; Willard M. |
June 7, 2012 |
TRAINING FIREARM WITH TRIGGER FINGER POSITION SENSING
Abstract
A training firearm including a body that has or replicates the
look and feel of a real firearm where the body includes handle,
trigger and barrel portions. The training firearm includes at least
one sensor for sensing separate ready and trigger positions of a
trainee's trigger finger and at least one indicator for providing
distinguishable indications of the ready and trigger positions of
the trainee's trigger finger sensed by the sensor.
Inventors: |
Miller; Willard M.; (Philo,
IL) |
Assignee: |
The Board of Trustees of the
University of Illino
|
Family ID: |
46162582 |
Appl. No.: |
11/906682 |
Filed: |
October 3, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
434/16 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41G 3/26 20130101; F41A
33/02 20130101; F41G 3/2655 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
434/16 |
International
Class: |
F41G 3/26 20060101
F41G003/26 |
Claims
1. A training firearm comprising: a body having or replicating the
look and feel of a real firearm, the body including handle, trigger
and barrel portions; at least one sensor for sensing separate ready
and trigger positions of a trainee's trigger finger; and at least
one indicator for providing distinguishable indications of the
ready and trigger positions of the trainee's trigger finger sensed
by said sensor.
2. The training firearm of claim 1, wherein said at least one
sensor further senses when the trainee's trigger finger is in a
firing position and said at least one indicator provides
distinguishable indications of the ready, trigger and firing
positions of the trainee's trigger finger.
3. The training firearm of claim 2, wherein said at least one
indicator comprises a plurality of indicators, at least one of said
plurality of indicators providing an indication of when the
trainee's trigger finger is in the ready position, at least one of
said plurality of indicators providing an indication of when the
trainee's trigger finger is in the trigger position and at least
one of said plurality of indicators providing an indication of when
the trainee's trigger finger is in the firing position.
4. The training firearm of claim 1, wherein said at least one
sensor comprises a plurality of sensors, at least one of said
plurality of sensors sensing when the trainee's trigger finger is
in the ready position and another one of said plurality of sensors
sensing when the trainee's finger is in the trigger position.
5. The training firearm of claim 1, wherein said at least one
indicator includes a colored light.
6. The training firearm of claim 1, wherein said at least one
indicator includes a plurality of indicators, each of said
indicators including a colored light.
7. The training firearm of claim 6, wherein at least two of said
colored lights are different colors.
8. The training firearm of claim 1, wherein said at least one
indicator includes a light.
9. The training firearm of claim 8, further comprising a switch
attached to said body for adjusting a brightness intensity level of
said light.
10. The training firearm of claim 8, wherein said light is a
light-emitting diode.
11. The training firearm of claim 1, further comprising a power
source.
12. The training firearm of claim 11, wherein said power source is
at least one of a disposable battery and a re-chargeable
battery.
13. The training firearm of claim 1, which includes an impact
indicator attached to said body.
14. A training firearm including a body that replicates the look
and feel of a real firearm, said training firearm comprising: means
for sensing a position of a trainee's trigger finger on the body;
and means for providing distinguishable indications of at least two
different sensed positions of the trainee's trigger finger.
15. The training firearm of claim 14, further comprising means for
indicating a potential impact location.
16. The training firearm of claim 14, further comprising means for
providing power to said sensing means and said indication means.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This application relates generally to the field of firearms,
and more specifically, to the field of training firearms.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Firearm training programs teach trainees the safe use of
firearms for self-protection and the protection of others. Training
programs are available for private citizens and professionals, such
as police officers, military personnel and private security
professionals. Firearm maintenance, handling, firing, etc. are
covered in training programs. The handling of an unholstered
firearm when preparing for action in response to a potential threat
is an issue of particular importance. Potential threats must be
evaluated before a weapon is discharged. The tension inherent to
such situations makes the handling of an unholstered firearm a
particularly critical aspect of training.
[0003] For example, a substantial part of standard police officer
firearm training programs is devoted to unholstered weapon
training. A police officer must have their firearm in their hands
and ready to be used if necessary. In such situations, their
trigger finger, typically the index finger, may be on or off the
trigger. A police officer's trigger finger is typically held on the
trigger in more dangerous or threatening situations where it may be
necessary to shoot their firearm to defend the officer or other
people with little or no notice. In situations where the safety of
innocent people is concerned or where there is only a potential
threat, a police officer may have a trigger finger on the side of
the gun or otherwise off the trigger to avoid accidental discharge
of the weapon.
[0004] In the past, real firearms were used to train police
officers. Training with real or live firearms, however, caused
accidental injuries or fatalities. To increase safety, many
training facilities started using inoperable, training firearms
that replicate the physical details of real firearms during
training exercises. The training firearms are inoperable and made
to replicate the look, weight, size and feel of a real firearms,
including particular firearm models.
[0005] Police officers are trained to have a trigger finger on the
trigger of the firearm only in particular circumstances and should
have the trigger finger off of the trigger, such as on the side of
the firearm, in other circumstances. This is a difficult aspect of
the training program. Typically, this portion of training relies on
instructors, who must visually locate the position of a trainee's
trigger finger during an exercise to determine whether the trainee
has their finger in the proper position on the firearm. Typical
training solutions involve quick and sudden movements, making it
difficult, if not impossible, for an instructor to accurately
monitor the position of a trainee's trigger finger.
[0006] Some training firearms include indicators, e.g., lasers,
that emit light toward a target to identify a potential bullet
impact location. Such indicators are useless to indicate proper
trigger finger positions during many important firearm training
exercises.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] An embodiment of the invention provides a training firearm
including a body that has or replicates the look and feel of a real
firearm where the body includes handle, trigger and barrel
portions. The training firearm includes at least one sensor for
sensing separate ready and trigger positions of a trainee's trigger
finger and at least one indicator for providing distinguishable
indications of the ready and trigger positions of the trainee's
trigger finger sensed by the sensor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a right side view of an embodiment of the training
firearm of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the training firearm of FIG.
1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, front perspective view of the
training firearm of FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, bottom perspective view of the
training firearm of FIG. 1 with the battery cover removed.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the training firearm of
FIG. 1 where a person is holding the training firearm and their
finger is on the side sensor.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of the training firearm of
FIG. 1 where a person is holding the training firearm and their
finger is on the trigger.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a side view of another embodiment of the training
firearm of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] A training firearm of the invention provides separate
identifiable and distinguishable indicators that enable an
instructor to easily determine a trainee's trigger finger position
on the training firearm. In preferred embodiments, the indicators
provide at least two distinguishable visible displays that are
responsive to the trainee's trigger finger positions.
[0016] A training firearm of the invention senses a trainee's
trigger finger position and provides a clear indication of a ready
position and a trigger position to an instructor. This allows
instructors to immediately correct a trainee's finger position on
their firearm and thereby provide immediate feedback to trainees.
The training firearm of the present invention therefore allows
trainees and instructors to identify and correct trigger finger
position issues.
[0017] Preferred embodiments will now be discussed with respect to
the drawings. The drawings may include schematic figures that are
not to scale, which will be fully understood by skilled artisans
with reference to the accompanying description. Features may be
exaggerated for purposes of illustration. From the preferred
embodiments, artisans will recognize additional features and
broader aspects of the invention.
[0018] FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a training firearm 100 of the
invention. The training firearm 100 preferably replicates the
physical characteristics of an actual particular model firearm. For
example, the training firearm 100 replicates a semi-automatic
pistol. The invention is equally applicable to training firearms
that replicate any other type of firearm, including, for example,
handguns, rifles, and semi- and fully automatic weapons.
[0019] In the illustrated embodiment, the training firearm 100
includes a body 102 that replicates the look and feel of a real
firearm, where the body includes a slide 104, a handle 106 and a
trigger assembly 108. The body 102 is made of a durable rubber or
other suitable material that replicates the weight and size of a
real firearm, which helps a trainee to transfer the skills they
learn on the training firearm to a real firearm. Other materials or
combinations of materials may also be used to manufacture the
training firearm such as different types of metal.
[0020] The handle 106 enables a trainee to securely grip the
training firearm. Specifically, the handle 106 includes a grip
portion 107 having a plurality of ridges or bumps which help to
improve the grip between a trainee's hand and the handle 106.
Although a particular grip portion is shown, other grip portions
are contemplated such as bumps, grooves, finger slots or ridges and
any other configurations that may be formed on the handle 106 to
enhance the trainee's grip of the firearm. The grip portion 107
preferably replicates a grip portion of a particular model
firearm.
[0021] The trigger assembly 108 includes a trigger guard 109 and a
trigger 110 and replicates the feel and action of a trigger on a
real firearm. Specifically, the trigger 110 is movably connected to
the body 102 and moves between a non-firing position and a firing
position. To simulate the firing of the firearm, a trainee presses
the trigger 110 to move the trigger 110 from the non-firing
position to the firing position. The trigger guard 109 is attached
to the body 102 in front of the trigger 110. Because the training
firearm 100 is not operable as a real firearm, the trigger guard
109 on the training firearm replicates the trigger guard on a real
firearm to help enhance the realistic look and feel of the training
firearm.
[0022] A sensor 112 is located on each side of the body 102 and
senses when a trainee's trigger finger is on the side of the
firearm in the ready position. The sensors 112 may be in any
suitable location on the body such as on the top, bottom and side
surfaces of the body. The opposing sensors 112 allow both
right-handed and left-handed people to operate the training
firearm. In the illustrated embodiment, the sensors 112 are
switches that must be physically pressed by the trainee's trigger
finger to sense the trainee's finger. Alternatively, the sensors
112 may be proximity or pressure sensors that sense when the
trainee's trigger finger is proximate to or in contact with one of
the sensors 112. The trigger assembly 108 also includes a sensor
113 that senses when a trainee's trigger finger contacts the
trigger 110 but is not pressing or squeezing the trigger (i.e., the
trigger position) and also when the trainee's finger is squeezing
the trigger 110 (i.e., the firing position).
[0023] Several indicators 114, 116 and 118 are attached to the body
102 of the training firearm 100 and provide a visual indication to
an instructor of when a trainee's trigger finger is in a specific
position sensed by the sensors 112, 113. In the illustrated
embodiment, each of the indicators 114, 116 and 118 includes at
least one light such as a light emitting diode (L.E.D.) that
activates or illuminates when the trainee's trigger finger is
sensed by the corresponding sensor. An additional indicator,
indicator 120, emits a light beam such as a laser light beam, to
identify a potential impact location of a bullet.
[0024] As an example, indicator 114 illuminates when the trainee's
trigger finger is sensed by either one of the sensors 112.
Indicator 114 therefore provides a visual indication to an
instructor of when the trainee's trigger finger is on the side of
the firearm 100 or in the ready position. Similarly, indicator 116
illuminates when the trainee's trigger finger contacts the trigger
110 but is not squeezing or moving the trigger. Indicators 118 and
120 respectively illuminate and emit a beam of light when a trainee
contacts and squeezes the trigger 110. The illustrated sensors 112
and 113 are electrically connected to the respective indicators
114, 116, 118 and 120 via one or more electrical wires. It is also
contemplated that the sensors and indicators can communicate
wirelessly via radio signals or using other types of wireless
technology, or through controller circuits.
[0025] Indicator 114 and indicators 116, 118 and 120 preferably
include different colored lights to distinguish the indicators
during a training exercise. For example, indicator 114 may include
a green light to indicate that the trainee's trigger finger is in
the ready position and indicators 116 and 118 may include red
lights to indicate that the trainee's trigger finger is in the
trigger position and the firing position, respectively.
Alternatively, indicators 116 and 118 may include different colored
lights to further distinguish between the trigger and firing
positions. It is contemplated that other colors and color
combinations can be used to distinguish the different
indicators.
[0026] The positioning of the indicators on the body may also be
used to help an instructor distinguish between the indicators. For
example, indicator 114 could be located on top of the body 102 and
indicator 116 could be on the side of the body, or vice versa. In
such a configuration, the indicators may include the same colored
lights or different colored lights. Other types of indicators are
also contemplated such as audio indicators or indicators that
transmit electronic data to a remote devices such as a laptop
computer or handheld device.
[0027] Impact indicator 120 marks or identifies a potential impact
location of a bullet if it had been fired from an operable firearm.
The impact indicator 120 is attached to the front of the training
firearm. In the illustrated embodiment, the impact indicator 120 is
a lighting device such as a laser beam generator that emits a beam
of light. The laser beam contacts a target and identifies the
potential impact location of a bullet if it had been fired from a
working model of the training firearm. The impact indicator 120 may
be any suitable lighting device, laser device or other device.
[0028] Sensors 112 and 113, and indicators 114, 116, 118 and 120,
are powered by a battery 122 or other power source positioned
within the handle 106 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. The battery 122
is preferably a replaceable battery that may be replaced by a new
battery, re-chargeable battery, or other suitable power source. The
battery is connected to the indicators and sensors using electrical
wires. Alternatively, the training firearm 100 can be constructed
to receive one or more disposable batteries to provide power to the
firearm. Also in an embodiment, a removable battery cover 123 is
attached to the bottom of the handle to secure and protect the
battery 122.
[0029] FIGS. 5 and 6 show the training firearm 100 being used by a
trainee such as a police officer trainee. The trainee securely
holds the firearm 100 in one or both hands as shown in FIG. 5 and
places one of their fingers, typically their trigger finger, on the
training firearm. In FIG. 5, the trainee's finger is contacting
sensor 112 on the right side of the firearm, which is the ready
position. The positioning of the trainee's finger on sensor 112
causes indicator 114 to activate or illuminate to enable an
instructor to know that the trainee's trigger finger is in the
ready position. The other indicators 116, 118 and 120 do not
illuminate.
[0030] In FIG. 6, the trainee's finger contacts trigger 110 (i.e.,
the trigger position), which illuminates indicator 116. When the
trainee also presses against the trigger 110, sensor 113
illuminates indicators 118 and 120 on the front of the training
firearm 100. Indicator 116 allows an instructor to easily identify
that a trainee has their trigger finger on the trigger but is not
pressing the trigger. Indicator 118 allows the instructor to know
that the trainee is pressing the trigger 110 to simulate the firing
of the training firearm 100. Additionally, impact indicator 120
informs the trainee and the instructor of the potential impact
location of a bullet if fired from a working model of the training
firearm.
[0031] The training firearm 100 of the present invention thereby
allows an instructor or other person viewing the training exercises
to easily identify the position of a trainee's trigger finger on
the training firearm. This enables the instructor to provide
immediate correction and guidance to a trainee as necessary to
properly train the trainee on the proper use of a real firearm.
[0032] FIG. 7 shows an adjustable switch 124 attached to the handle
106 of the training firearm 100. The switch 124 enables a trainee
to adjust the brightness intensity level of one or more of the
indicators 114, 116, 118 and 120. The switch 124 includes a lever
126 that moves upward or downward within channel 128. A user moves
the lever 126 upward to increase the brightness intensity level,
and downward to decrease the brightness intensity level of the
indicators. The switch 124 specifically allows a trainee to adjust
the brightness of the indicators to account for different lighting
conditions at a training facility or area. For example, a user may
increase the brightness intensity level of the indicators during
daylight hours to increase the visibility of the indicators. In
darker conditions, such as at night or in a poorly lit room, a user
may decrease the brightness intensity level of the indicators
because the indicators are easier to see in darker conditions and
to save battery power. The switch 124 is connected directly to one
or more of the indicators using one or more electrical wires and
may be attached to any suitable location on the body 102. It is
also contemplated that one or more switches 124 may be used to
control the brightness intensity levels of the indicators.
[0033] Many real firearms and training firearms include a light
rail under the slide of the firearm. In an embodiment, a lighting
system, including one or more of the sensors described above, and a
compact, self-contained housing is fastened onto the light rail of
a real firearm to convert the real firearm into a training firearm
of the invention. Regarding real firearms, in an embodiment, the
lighting system renders these firearms inoperable to enhance safety
during training sessions. It is also contemplated that the sensors
can be connected to a real firearm or a training firearm using
Velcro.RTM., double-sided tape or any other suitable connector.
[0034] While various embodiments of the present invention have been
shown and described, it should be understood that other
modifications, substitutions, and alternatives are apparent to one
of ordinary skill in the art. Such modifications, substitutions,
and alternatives can be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention, which should be determined from the
appended claims. Various features of the invention are set forth in
the appended claims.
* * * * *