U.S. patent application number 16/181153 was filed with the patent office on 2019-05-09 for semi-autonomous motorized weapon systems.
This patent application is currently assigned to Aimlock Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is AimLock Inc.. Invention is credited to Bryan Sterling Bockmon, Henry Matthew Dittmer, Jason R. Gallia, Corbin Chase Johnston, George Lee Krasovec, Jay David Marks, Christopher James Owens.
Application Number | 20190137219 16/181153 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 66328447 |
Filed Date | 2019-05-09 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190137219 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bockmon; Bryan Sterling ; et
al. |
May 9, 2019 |
SEMI-AUTONOMOUS MOTORIZED WEAPON SYSTEMS
Abstract
Various techniques are described herein for controlling
autonomous and semi-autonomous motorized weapons systems. In
various embodiments, semi-autonomous motorized weapons systems may
perform automated target identification, selection and
prioritization techniques. Dynamic target tracking may be
performed, for both primary and secondary targets, in cases of
stationary and moving targets and weapon systems. A motorized
weapon system then may be actuated automatically toward a firing
solution target point, during which the operator-controlled firing
mechanism may be enabled or disabled based on the projected point
of impact of the weapon in comparison to a determined boundary area
associated with the target.
Inventors: |
Bockmon; Bryan Sterling;
(Morrison, CO) ; Johnston; Corbin Chase;
(Littleton, CO) ; Gallia; Jason R.; (Littleton,
CO) ; Krasovec; George Lee; (Littleton, CO) ;
Dittmer; Henry Matthew; (Thornton, CO) ; Marks; Jay
David; (Westminster, CO) ; Owens; Christopher
James; (Littleton, CO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AimLock Inc. |
Littleton |
CO |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Aimlock Inc.
Littleton
CO
|
Family ID: |
66328447 |
Appl. No.: |
16/181153 |
Filed: |
November 5, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62581280 |
Nov 3, 2017 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41G 3/165 20130101;
F41A 17/08 20130101; F41G 5/06 20130101; F41G 5/16 20130101; F41G
5/14 20130101; F41G 3/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F41G 3/16 20060101
F41G003/16 |
Claims
1. A semi-autonomous motorized weapon system, comprising: a weapon
capable of firing munitions; a two-axis or three-axis mount
configured to support and position the weapon; a motor coupled to
the mount and configured to move the mount to specified positions,
thereby controlling the direction to which the weapon is aimed; a
manual firing mechanism coupled to the weapon; a processing unit
comprising one or more processors; and memory coupled with and
readable by the processing unit and storing therein a set of
instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, causes
the semi-autonomous motorized weapon system to: determine a target
point associated with a target, at a remote location from the
weapon system; determine an area having a boundary surrounding the
target point, wherein the boundary of the area is determined by
comparing a likelihood of the weapon hitting the target when aimed
at the boundary to a predetermined likelihood threshold, such that
the weapon, when aimed at any point within the area, has a
likelihood of hitting the target higher than the predetermined
likelihood threshold; after determining the target point, engage
the motor with instructions to move the mount from an initial
position to a target position at which the weapon is aimed at the
target point; during the engagement of the motor: (1) periodically
determine, during the movement of the mount toward the target
position, whether the weapon is aimed at a position within the area
surrounding the target point; (2) in response to determining,
during the movement of the mount toward the target position, that
the weapon is not aimed at a position within the area surrounding
the target point, disable the manual firing mechanism of the weapon
system to prevent firing of the weapon; and (3) in response to
determining, during the movement of the mount toward the target
position, that the weapon is aimed at a position within the area
surrounding the target point, enable the manual firing mechanism to
allow firing of the weapon by an operator; receive a firing command
from an operator, via the manual firing mechanism; and in response
to firing command being received at a time when the manual firing
mechanism is enabled, firing the weapon.
2. The semi-autonomous motorized weapon system of claim 1, wherein
determining the area surrounding the target point comprises:
calculating an angular distance, from the perspective of the weapon
system, between the target point and the boundary of the area
surrounding the target point.
3. The semi-autonomous motorized weapon system of claim 2, wherein
the angular distance is calculated based on a first determined
distance between the weapon system and the target point, and a
second spherical radius distance determined based on
characteristics of the target.
4. The semi-autonomous motorized weapon system of claim 1, wherein
determining the area surrounding the target point comprises:
calculating a distance between the target point and the boundary of
the area surrounding the target point, wherein the distance is
calculated based on the size of the target..
5. The semi-autonomous motorized weapon system of claim 1, wherein
determining the area surrounding the target point comprises:
calculating a distance between the target point and the boundary of
the area surrounding the target point, wherein the distance is
calculated based on characteristics of at least one of: the weapon,
the mount, or the motor of the weapon system.
6. The semi-autonomous motorized weapon system of claim 1, wherein
determining the area surrounding the target point comprises:
calculating a distance between the target point and the boundary of
the area surrounding the target point, wherein the distance is
calculated based on detected movement of the target.
7. The semi-autonomous motorized weapon system of claim 1, wherein
determining the area surrounding the target point comprises:
calculating a distance between the target point and the boundary of
the area surrounding the target point, wherein the distance is
calculated based on movement of the weapon system.
8. The semi-autonomous motorized weapon system of claim 1, further
comprising a display screen, wherein the memory stores additional
instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, further
causes the semi-autonomous motorized weapon system to: output an
augmented reality user interface via a display screen, the
augmented reality user interface displaying an image of the target,
a computer-generated indication of the target point, and a
computer-generated indication of the boundary of the area
surrounding the target point.
9. A method of operating a motorized weapon system, the method
comprising: determining, by a targeting system of the motorized
weapon system, a target point associated with a target, at a remote
location from the motorized weapon system; determining, by the
targeting system of the motorized weapon system, an area having a
boundary surrounding the target point, wherein the boundary of the
area is determined by comparing a likelihood of a weapon of the
motorized weapon system hitting the target when aimed at the
boundary to a predetermined likelihood threshold, so that the
weapon, when aimed at any point within the area, has a likelihood
of hitting the target higher than the predetermined likelihood
threshold; initiating, by the targeting system, engagement of a
motor of the motorized weapon system, to move a mount from an
initial position to a target position at which the weapon is aimed
at the target point; during the engagement of the motor: (1)
periodically determining by the targeting system, during the
movement of the mount toward the target position, whether the
weapon is aimed at a position within the area surrounding the
target point; (2) in response to determining by the targeting
system, during the movement of the mount toward the target
position, that the weapon is not aimed at a position within the
area surrounding the target point, disabling a firing mechanism of
the weapon system to prevent firing of the weapon; and (3) in
response to determining by the targeting system, during the
movement of the mount toward the target position, that the weapon
is aimed at a position within the area surrounding the target
point, enabling the firing mechanism to allow firing of the weapon;
receiving, by the motorized weapon system, a firing command via the
firing mechanism; and in response to firing command being received
when the firing mechanism is enabled, initiating firing of the
weapon.
10. The method of operating a motorized weapon system of claim 9,
wherein determining the area surrounding the target point
comprises: calculating an angular distance, from the perspective of
the motorized weapon system, between the target point and the
boundary of the area surrounding the target point.
11. The method of operating a motorized weapon system of claim 10,
wherein the angular distance is calculated based on a first
determined distance between the motorized weapon system and the
target point, and a second spherical radius distance determined
based on characteristics of the target.
12. The method of operating a motorized weapon system of claim 9,
wherein determining the area surrounding the target point
comprises: calculating a distance between the target point and the
boundary of the area surrounding the target point, wherein the
distance is calculated based on the size of the target.
13. The method of operating a motorized weapon system of claim 9,
wherein determining the area surrounding the target point
comprises: calculating a distance between the target point and the
boundary of the area surrounding the target point, wherein the
distance is calculated based on characteristics of at least one of:
the weapon, the mount, or the motor of the motorized weapon
system.
14. The method of operating a motorized weapon system of claim 9,
wherein determining the area surrounding the target point
comprises: calculating a distance between the target point and the
boundary of the area surrounding the target point, wherein the
distance is calculated based on detected movement of the
target.
15. The method of operating a motorized weapon system of claim 9,
wherein determining the area surrounding the target point
comprises: calculating a distance between the target point and the
boundary of the area surrounding the target point, wherein the
distance is calculated based on movement of the weapon system.
16. The method of operating a motorized weapon system of claim 9,
further comprising: outputting an augmented reality user interface
via a display screen, the augmented reality user interface
displaying an image of the target, a computer-generated indication
of the target point, and a computer-generated indication of the
boundary of the area surrounding the target point.
17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media, comprising
computer-executable instructions, which when executed by one or
more processors, perform actions including: determining, by a
targeting system of a motorized weapon system, a target point
associated with a target, at a remote location from the motorized
weapon system; determining, by the targeting system of the
motorized weapon system, an area having a boundary surrounding the
target point, wherein the boundary of the area is determined by
comparing a likelihood of a weapon of the motorized weapon system
hitting the target when aimed at the boundary to a predetermined
likelihood threshold, so that the weapon, when aimed at any point
within the area, has a likelihood of hitting the target higher than
the predetermined likelihood threshold; initiating, by the
targeting system, engagement of a motor of the motorized weapon
system, to move a mount from an initial position to a target
position at which the weapon is aimed at the target point; during
the engagement of the motor: (1) periodically determining by the
targeting system, during the movement of the mount toward the
target position, whether the weapon is aimed at a position within
the area surrounding the target point; (2) in response to
determining by the targeting system, during the movement of the
mount toward the target position, that the weapon is not aimed at a
position within the area surrounding the target point, disabling a
firing mechanism of the motorized weapon system to prevent firing
of the weapon; and (3) in response to determining by the targeting
system, during the movement of the mount toward the target
position, that the weapon is aimed at a position within the area
surrounding the target point, enabling the firing mechanism to
allow firing of the weapon; receiving, by the motorized weapon
system, a firing command via the firing mechanism; and in response
to firing command being received when the firing mechanism is
enabled, initiating firing of the weapon.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein
determining the area surrounding the target point comprises:
calculating a distance between the target point and the boundary of
the area surrounding the target point, wherein the distance is
calculated based on detected movement of the target.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein
determining the area surrounding the target point comprises:
calculating a distance between the target point and the boundary of
the area surrounding the target point, wherein the distance is
calculated based on movement of the motorized weapon system.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein
the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or
more processors, perform further actions including: outputting an
augmented reality user interface via a display screen, the
augmented reality user interface displaying an image of the target,
a computer-generated indication of the target point, and a
computer-generated indication of the boundary of the area
surrounding the target point.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a non-provisional of and claims
priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/581,280,
filed Nov. 3, 2017, entitled "SEMI-AUTONOMOUS TARGETING OF REMOTELY
OPERATED WEAPONS." The entire contents of provisional application
no. 62/581,280 is incorporated herein by reference for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This disclosure generally relates to autonomous and
semi-autonomous motorized weapons systems. More specifically, the
present disclosure relates to hardware- and software-based
techniques for efficient operation of motorized weapons systems,
via improvements in target identification and selection, autonomous
actuation of motor and targeting systems, dynamic tracking, and
trajectory measurement and assessment.
2. Description of Related Art
[0003] Within the context of motorized weapons systems, the concept
of a "kill chain" refers to the sequence of actions performed
between the first detection of potential targets, and the
elimination of the targets. The sequence of actions within a kill
chain generally may include the following: (1) Find--identifying
and locating a target, (2) Fix or Track--determining the accurate
location of the target, (3) Target--time-critical targeting,
including predicting where the target may pop-up, (4)
Engage--firing on the target, and (5) Assess--determining whether
or not the target has been hit and/or eliminated.
[0004] Conventional weapon systems may include various components
for achieving the above steps of a kill chain, including cameras
and sensors to identify targets, display screens and controls
(e.g., joysticks) to allow an operator to identify targets and aim
the weapon, and a variety of weapons that may be fired at the
target. Such systems may include "fully autonomous" weapons
systems, which are capable of targeting and firing without any
intervention by a human operator, "semi-autonomous" weapons
systems, which may use automated software target tracking tools but
still rely on a human operator for target selection and firing
commands, "supervised autonomous" weapons systems, which may be
granted permission to react to threats autonomously, and/or manual
weapon systems that are operated entirely by the human
operator.
[0005] Typically, conventional weapons systems rely on an "operator
centric" approach to perform the actions in the kill chain
sequence. Such systems often prioritize the interface and
environment provided to the human operator. First, the human
operator may be put in a safe environment, and the operator's
eyesight may be improved using broad spectrum and high-resolution
options. The weapon may be stabilized from motion and vibration, to
allow the operator to find and track the target via a joystick and
cursor or similar interface. After these steps, image recognition
software may be used to attempt to recognize the target that been
selected and tracked by the operator, and trajectory adjustments
may be applied. Such systems and processes may result in a number
of technical problems and inefficiencies, including difficulties of
targeting and tracking when the operator is in a moving vehicle,
difficulties selection and identification of targets and
inefficiencies in selecting follow-on targets, and operator-based
assessment and correction of weapon targeting and firing.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0006] Techniques described herein relate to hardware- and
software-based solutions for operating motorized weapons systems,
including target identification and selection techniques,
autonomous actuation of motor and targeting systems, dynamic
tracking, and trajectory measurement and assessment techniques.
Certain embodiments described herein correspond to semi-autonomous
motorized weapon systems, which may include various combinations of
hardware such as weapons capable of firing munitions, two-axis
and/or three-axis mounts configured to support and position the
weapons, motors coupled to the mounts and configured to move the
mounts to specified positions to control the direction to which the
weapons is aimed, and/or operator interface components such as
operator controls and a target display device. In some embodiments,
such a semi-autonomous motorized weapon system may be implemented
with various hardware-based and software-based components
configured to determine target points associated with targets at a
remote locations, determine one or more areas having boundaries
surrounding the target points, such boundary areas determined based
on the likelihood of the weapon hitting the target when aimed at
the boundary in comparison to predetermined likelihood thresholds.
Such embodiments may be further configured to engage the motor of
the motorized weapon system, with instructions to move the mount
from an initial position to a target position at which the weapon
is aimed at the target point, and during engagement of the motor,
to periodically determine, during the movement of the mount toward
the target position, whether the weapon is aimed at a position
within the boundary area surrounding the target point. When
determining, during the movement of the mount toward the target
position, that the weapon is not aimed at a position within the
area surrounding the target point, the semi-autonomous motorized
weapon system may disable a manual firing mechanism of the weapon
system to prevent firing of the weapon by an operator, whereas when
it is determined during the movement of the mount toward the target
position, that the weapon is aimed at a position within the area
surrounding the target point, the semi-autonomous motorized weapon
system may enable (or re-enable) the manual firing mechanism to
allow firing of the weapon. Finally, the semi-autonomous motorized
weapon system may be configured to receive and execute firing
commands from operators, via the manual firing mechanism, thereby
firing the weapon at times when the manual firing mechanism is
enabled.
[0007] Additional techniques described herein include
weapon-agnostic motorized weapon systems, including weapon-agnostic
targeting/firing systems that may support various different types
or models of weapons, as well as implementation of
operation-specific rules of engagement that may be received and
enforced by the weapon-agnostic targeting and firing systems.
Further techniques described herein include minimum confidence
thresholds for target selection and/or prioritization via
semi-autonomous weapons systems, which may be separate
determinations from target identification confidence and/or target
verification confidence. Still further techniques described herein
may include sensor-based real-time projectile firing assessment and
automatic correction of targeting algorithms based on accuracy
evaluations.
[0008] The various techniques described herein further include
combinations of autonomous target selection, prioritization, and
re-selection by targeting/firing systems within semi-autonomous
motorized weapon systems, dynamic target tracking of both primary
and secondary targets including target movement predictions and
weapon/projectile characteristics, autonomous motor actuation to
automatically orient the weapon toward the primary target before
receiving any operator input, simplified user interfaces and
operator controls, and enabling/disabling of the firing mechanism
depending on the projected point of impact of the weapon, thereby
providing increased system efficiency, increased rate of firing,
improved weapon system accuracy, and reduced operator error, along
with the other technical advantages described herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a depiction of a motorized weapon system, in
accordance with one or more embodiments of the present
invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating example component
architecture diagram of a motorized weapon system, in accordance
with one or more embodiments of the present invention.
[0011] FIGS. 3A-3C are illustrative drawings depicting the mounting
and application of a motorized weapon system in accordance with one
or more embodiments of the present invention, within different
engagement environments.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of
using a motorized weapon system to engage one or more targets, in
accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 5 is an example screen of a user interface displayed to
an operator of a motorized weapon system during engagement of one
or more targets, in accordance with certain embodiments of the
present invention.
[0014] FIG. 6 is another example screen of a user interface
displayed to an operator of a motorized weapon system during
engagement of one or more targets, in accordance with certain
embodiments of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example process of
disabling or enabling a firing mechanism of a motorized weapon
system during engagement of the motor to move the weapon, in
accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.
[0016] FIGS. 8A and 8B are example screens of a user interface
displayed to an operator of a motorized weapon system during
engagement of the motor to move the weapon toward a target point,
in accordance with certain embodiments of the present
invention.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of a computer system
configured to perform techniques in accordance with certain
embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] In the appended figures, similar components and/or features
may have the same reference label. Further, various compo of the
same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by
a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar
components. If only the first reference label is used in the
specification, the description is applicable to any one of the
similar components having the same first reference label
irrespective of the second reference label.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] In the following description, for the purposes of
explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the
present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in
the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced
without some of these specific details. In other instances,
well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram
form.
[0020] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only,
and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or
configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of
the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art
with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary
embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be
made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the
appended claims.
[0021] Specific details are given in the following description to
provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it
will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the
embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For
example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other
components may be shown as components in block diagram form in
order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In
other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms,
structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail
in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.
[0022] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be
described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow
diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block
diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a
sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in
parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations
may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are
completed, but could have additional steps not included in a
figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a
procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process
corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a
return of the function to the calling function or the main
function.
[0023] The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not
limited non-transitory media such as portable or fixed storage
devices, optical storage devices, and various other mediums capable
of storing, containing or carrying instruction(s) and/or data. A
code segment or computer-executable instructions may represent a
procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a
subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any
combination of instructions, data structures, or program
statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment
or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information,
data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information,
arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or
transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing,
message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.
[0024] Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware,
software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description
languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in
software, firmware, middleware or microcode, the program code or
code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a
computer-readable medium. A processor(s) may perform the necessary
tasks.
[0025] Various techniques (e.g., methods, systems, computing
devices, non-transitory computer-readable storage memory storing a
plurality of instructions executable by one or more processors,
etc.) are described herein for hardware- and software-based
solutions for operating motorized weapons systems, including target
identification and selection techniques, autonomous actuation of
motor and targeting systems, dynamic tracking, and trajectory
measurement and assessment techniques. Certain embodiments
described herein correspond to semi-autonomous motorized weapon
systems, which may include various combinations of hardware such as
weapons capable of firing munitions, two-axis and/or three-axis
mounts configured to support and position the weapons, motors
coupled to the mounts and configured to move the mounts to
specified positions to control the direction to which the weapons
is aimed, and/or operator interface components such as operator
controls and a target display device. In some embodiments, such a
semi-autonomous motorized weapon system may be implemented with
various hardware-based and software-based components configured to
determine target points associated with targets at a remote
locations, determine one or more areas having boundaries
surrounding the target points, such boundary areas determined based
on the likelihood of the weapon hitting the target when aimed at
the boundary in comparison to predetermined likelihood thresholds.
Such embodiments may be further configured to engage the motor of
the motorized weapon system, with instructions to move the mount
from an initial position to a target position at which the weapon
is aimed at the target point, and during engagement of the motor,
to periodically determine, during the movement of the mount toward
the target position, whether the weapon is aimed at a position
within the boundary area surrounding the target point. When
determining, during the movement of the mount toward the target
position, that the weapon is not aimed at a position within the
area surrounding the target point, the semi-autonomous motorized
weapon system may disable a manual firing mechanism of the weapon
system to prevent firing of the weapon by an operator, whereas when
it is determined during the movement of the mount toward the target
position, that the weapon is aimed at a position within the area
surrounding the target point, the semi-autonomous motorized weapon
system may enable (or re-enable) the manual firing mechanism to
allow firing of the weapon. Finally, the semi-autonomous motorized
weapon system may be configured to receive and execute firing
commands from operators, via the manual firing mechanism, thereby
firing the weapon at times when the manual firing mechanism is
enabled.
[0026] Additional techniques described herein include
weapon-agnostic motorized weapon systems, including weapon-agnostic
targeting/firing systems that may support various different types
or models of weapons, as well as implementation of
operation-specific rules of engagement that may be received and
enforced by the weapon-agnostic targeting and firing systems.
Further techniques described herein include minimum confidence
thresholds for target selection and/or prioritization via
semi-autonomous weapons systems, which may be separate
determinations from target identification confidence and/or target
verification confidence. Still further techniques described herein
may include sensor-based real-time projectile firing assessment and
automatic correction of targeting algorithms based on accuracy
evaluations.
[0027] The various techniques described herein further include
combinations of autonomous target selection, prioritization, and
re-selection by targeting/firing systems within semi-autonomous
motorized weapon systems, dynamic target tracking of both primary
and secondary targets including target movement predictions and
weapon/projectile characteristics, autonomous motor actuation to
automatically orient the weapon toward the primary target before
receiving any operator input, simplified user interfaces and
operator controls for operating the semi-autonomous motorized
weapon systems, and enabling/disabling of the firing mechanism
depending on the projected point of impact of the weapon, thereby
providing increased system efficiency, increased rate of firing,
improved weapon system accuracy, and reduced operator error, along
with the other technical advantages described herein.
[0028] With reference now to FIG. 1, a depiction of an illustrative
motorized weapon system 100 is shown. As shown in this example,
weapon system 100 may include a weapon 110 with ammunition feed
115, a gimbal mount 120, a camera/sensor unit 125. Additionally, in
this example, the weapon system 100 includes a base/housing 130,
which contains and obscures additional components of the system
100, including the motor, servos, targeting system, processing and
memory components, communications system, firing controls, and
various other components described herein.
[0029] In some embodiments, weapon system 100 may be a remotely
operated weapon stations (ROWS), including stabilization and
auto-targeting technology. The targeting system of weapon system
100 may be configured to perform rapid target selection and
acquisition, and increased hit probabilities. Weapon system 100 may
be compatible with many different types of weapon 110 and different
corresponding types of ammunition, and as discussed below, the
operation of the targeting system and other components of the
weapon system 100 may depend on knowledge of which type of weapon
110 and ammunition is currently in use. As discussed in more detail
below, weapon system 100 may be fully integrated, with
auto-targeting capabilities, and/or remote operation. Weapon system
100 also may be capable of being mounted to various different types
of platforms, including tripods, buildings, ground vehicles (e.g.,
trucks, tanks, cars, jeeps), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), utility
task vehicles (UTVs), boats, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and
drones. As described in further detail below, various embodiments
of weapon systems 100 may include capabilities for automatic target
detection, selection, and re-selection, active stabilization,
automatic ballistic solutions, target tagging, and/or continuous
target tracking.
[0030] As noted above, weapon 110 may any type of gun, armament, or
ordinance, including without limitation, off-the-shelf firearms,
large caliber rifles, machine guns, autocannons, grenade launchers,
rockets, and/or directed energy weapons such as lasers, high-power
microwave emitters, and other undisclosed devices. The weapon 110
may be attached to the weapon system 100 using a 2-axis or 3-axis
mechanical gimbal mount 120, capable of controlling azimuth and
yaw, elevation and pitch, and possibly cant and roll. A closed loop
servomotor within the weapon system 100 may be configured to drive
the gimbal to an identified target. A firing mechanism within the
weapon system may be configured to fire the weapon 110, either
electronically or by manually pulling the trigger, in response to a
firing command from a human operator and/or additional firing
instructions received from a targeting/firing component of the
weapon system 110.
[0031] Camera/sensor unit 125 may include an array of various
different sensors configured to collect data at the weapon system
100, and transmit the sensor/image data back to the internal
software systems of the weapon system 100 (e.g., targeting
system/component, firing control, ballistics engine) and/or to a
display device for outputting to an operator. Cameras/sensors
within the sensor unit 125 may include, for example, cameras
sensitive in various spectrums such as visible and infrared (IR),
for day and night visibility, as well as rangefinders (e.g., LIDAR,
RADAR, ultrasonic, etc.) to determine distance to target.
Additional sensors within the sensor unit 125 may include rate
gyros (e.g., MEMS or fiber optic gyros), which may be used to
stabilize the weapon 110 within the mount 120. Magnetometers and
accelerometers also may be included within the weapon system 100,
and may be used for canceling gyro drift. Accelerometers also may
be used to detect and respond to vehicle accelerations (i.e., when
the weapon system 100 is mounted on a vehicle), and vibrations
caused by vehicle movement and/or terrain and weather. Sensors 125
also may include wind speed sensors, including hot-wire,
laser/LIDAR, sonic and other types of anemometers. Additionally, as
described below, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver or
other positioning devices may be included within the sensor unit
125, in order to determine the weapon location, head, and velocity
to compute firing solutions, and for use in situations where
external target coordinates are provided. It should also be
understood that for each of the cameras and/or sensors described
above and elsewhere herein, the cameras/sensors may be housed
within the sensor unit 125, positioned elsewhere in the weapon
system 100, installed on a structure or vehicle on which the weapon
system 100 is mounted, or installed at a separate remote location
and configured to transmit wireless sensor data back to the weapon
system 100.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram is shown
illustrating various components and systems, and the
computing/communication architecture within a motorized weapon
system. In this example, weapon system 200 may correspond to same
weapon system 100 discussed above, and/or other variations of
weapon systems described herein. As in the example above, weapon
system 200 includes a weapon 225, mount 230, motor 235, and a
camera/sensor unit 245. Weapon system 200 also includes a
targeting/firing system 210, described below in more detail, which
may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of
hardware and software. Additionally, weapon system 200 may include
operator-facing components, including controls 245 and a display
screen 250.
[0033] As indicated by the arrows shown in the diagram of weapon
system 200, the targeting/firing system 210 may be configured to
control drive the motor 235 to a particular target point, and to
initiate firing of the weapon 225. The camera/sensor unit 240 may
collect image and sensor data, and transmit that data back to the
targeting/firing system 210 for use in target detecting, selection,
and tracking functionality. In some cases, image and sensor data
may be transmitted directly from the sensor unit 240 to the display
250 for rendering/use in an operator user interface. The
targeting/firing system 210 also may transmit various targeting
data to the display device 250 for presentation to the operator,
and may receive from the operator firing commands and/or other
control commands via the operator controls 245.
[0034] In some embodiments, all components of a weapon system 200
may be co-located and installed together as a single integrated
system. For instance, weapon systems 200 may include turrets or
platform-mounted guns which include the weapon/motor 225-235,
camera/sensor unit 240, targeting/firing system 210, as well as the
operator controls 245 and display 250. However, in other
embodiments, some or all of the components of a weapon system 200
may non-integrated and located remoted from the others. For
example, in some cases the weapon/motor 225-235 and a subset of the
sensors/cameras 240 may be located near the potential targets,
while the targeting/firing system 210 and operator interface
components 245-250 may be in a distance remote location. Certain
sensors 240 may be located at or near the weapon 225 (e.g., to
measure distance to target, current location, weapon movement and
vibration, wind and weather conditions, etc.), while other sensors
240 may be positioned at or near the target and/or at other angles
to the target, while still other sensors or cameras 240 may be
remotely located (e.g., drone-based cameras, satellite imagery,
etc.). In embodiments in which certain components of a weapon
system 200 are located remotely from others, each of the components
may include network transceivers and interfaces configured for
secure network communication, including components for data
encryption and transmission over public or private computer
networks, satellite transmission systems, and/or secure short-range
wireless communications, etc.
[0035] The targeting/firing system 210 may receive input data from
various data sources, and analyze the data to identify, select, and
prioritize targets, actuate the motor 235, dynamically track
targets, generate firing solutions, and control firing of the
weapon 225. In order to perform these functions, the
targeting/firing system 210 may receive data from one or more
cameras/sensor units 240, including a GPS unit 211. The sensor data
may include images of targets and potential targets, distance/range
data, heat or infrared data, audio data, vehicle or weapon location
data, vehicle or weapon movement and vibration data, wind and
weather condition data, and any other sensor data described herein.
Additionally, one or more data stores may store system
configuration and operation data, including a rules data store 213
and a profiles data store 214. The rules data store 213 may
include, for example, target identification rules, target
selection/priority rules, firing rules, and other rules of
engagement, each of which may depend on the particular operation,
the current location of the weapon system 200, the individual
operator, etc. The profiles data store 213 may include, for
example, individual user profiles with user preferences and
parameters, weapon profiles, and/or ballistic profiles that may
include specifications for individual weapon types and ammunition
types that may be used to calculate maximize ranges and targeting
solutions. Additionally, one or more communication modules 212
within the targeting/firing system 210 may be used to receive
commands and other data from the current operator and/or from a
separate command centers. As discussed below, commands received
from a command center or other higher-level authority may be to
control the target selection and rules of engagement for particular
operations. Communication modules 212 also may be used to receive
or retrieve sensor data from remote sensor systems, including
satellite data, image data from remote cameras, target GPS data,
weather data, etc. The targeting/firing system 210 may include
various components (e.g., targeting component 220) configured to
receive and analyze the various data to performing target functions
including subcomponents for target detection 221, target selection
222, target tracking 223, and firing control 215, among others.
[0036] The operator controls 245 and display screen 250 may
correspond to the input/output interface between the human operator
and the weapon system 200. As noted above, certain weapons systems
200 may be fully autonomous, or may operate in a supervised
autonomous mode, in which case the operator controls 245 and
display screen 250 need not be present. Additionally, the operator
controls 245 and display screen 250 may be remotely located in some
embodiments, allowing the operators to control the weapon system
200 from a separate location that may be a few feet away or across
the globe. The display device 250 may receive and output various
user interview views to the operator, including views described
below for identifying and highlighting targets, obscuring
non-targets, rendering target points, weapon trajectories,
confidence ranges, and providing various additional sensor readings
to the operator. The operator controls 245 may allow the operator
to identify, select, and mark targets, and to fire the weapon 225.
As shown in this example, the operator controls 245 may include a
fire button 246 (to fire the weapon 225), and a "next target"
button 247 to instruct the target component 220 to re-select the
next priority target. In certain embodiments, the operator controls
might include only these two buttons, and need not include a
joystick for aiming tracking, etc.
[0037] Referring briefly to FIGS. 3A-3C, these drawings illustrate
the operation of motorized weapons systems on three different
vehicle-based mounting platforms. In the example of FIG. 3A, a
motorized weapon system is mounted on a stationary or moving
vehicle 306. The remote weapon system 304 holds the firearm 305,
and various sensors may be installed in the frame of reference of
the firearm 305, in the frame of reference of the gimballed remote
control, and/or in the frame of reference of the vehicle 306. In
these examples, the field of view 307 is represented by dotted
lines. A crosshair 301 shows the current projected point of impact.
In each of FIGS. 3A-3C, the crosshair 301 is not yet on target, and
it may be assumed that the motor is engaged driving the firearm to
the target position, or the operator has not yet confirmed the
target. The targeting system in these examples shows a primary
target 302 identified by a doubled-dashed box, and a secondary
target which has been identified but not yet targeted, is shown
within a singled dashed box 303. FIG. 3B shows a similar set of
components, but in this case, the scenario is a maritime use with
an armed boat 306 as the vehicle. FIG. 3C shows yet another
scenario in which the vehicle 306 is a helicopter. FIG. 3C also
illustrates that the system may identify multiple secondary targets
303 within the field of view 307.
[0038] Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram is shown
illustrating a process by which a motorized weapon system may
identify, target, engage, and fire on one or more targets. As
described below, the steps in this process may be performed by one
or more components in the example motorized weapon system 200
discussed above, such as targeting/firing system 210 and the
subsystems thereof, in conjunction with the weapon/mount/motor
components 225-235, one or more sensor units 240, operator
interface components 245-250, and/or various remote and external
systems. However, it should be understood that process steps
described herein, such as target identification and prioritization,
dynamic target tracking, semi-autonomous target selection, motor
actuation and firing control/locking capabilities, and the like,
need not be limited to the specific systems and hardware
implementations described above in FIGS. 1-3, but may be performed
within other motorized weapon systems and environments comprising
other combinations of the hardware and software components
described herein.
[0039] In step 401, the components of the motorized weapon system
200 may identify and verify one or more targets, using sensor units
240 and/or additional data sources. In some embodiments, the
identification and/or verification of targets may be performed
fully autonomously by the system 200. For example, image data from
cameras and sensor data from other sensors 240 (e.g., range to
target data, heat data, audio, etc.) may be used to identify one or
more targets within the range and proximity of the weapon system
200. In some cases, data from additional sources may be used as
well, including imagery or sensor data from remote sensor or
imaging systems (e.g., other weapons systems 200, fixed cameras,
drones, satellites, etc.). For example, if sensor unit 240 does not
include a rangefinder and/or if exact range to target data is not
available, the targeting/firing system 210 may be configured to
calculate approximate range data using passive ranging techniques.
For example, heights of known objects (or presumed heights) may be
used to calculate the distance of those objects from the weapon
system 200. Additional sources of target data also may be received
via communication modules 212, which may include the GPS
coordinates of targets, or bearing to targets, received from a
command center. Such image data and other sensor data received from
additional data sources may be used by the targeting/firing system
210 to triangulate or confirm a target's location, or verify the
identity of a target, etc.
[0040] As used herein, target identification and target
verification refer to related but separate techniques. Target
identification (or target detection) refers to the analysis of
camera images, sensor data, etc., to detect objects and identify
the detected object as potential targets for the weapon system 200
(e.g., vehicles, structures, weapons, individuals, etc.), rather
than generally non-target objects such as rocks, trees, hills,
shadows, and the like. Target verification (or target confirmation)
refers to additional analyses of the same images/sensor data,
and/or additional sources images/sensor data, to determine whether
or not the identified potential target should be selected for
targeting by the weapon system 200. Target verification techniques
may be based on the configuration of the system and priorities of
the particular mission, etc. For example, target verification
techniques for vehicles may include identifying the size of a
vehicle target (e.g., based on image analysis, target range, heat
signatures from engines, etc.), the vehicle type (e.g., based on
image analysis, and comparisons to a database 214 of
target/non-target images), the presence of weapons on a target or
proximate to a target, etc. For example, the size, shape, color,
movement, audio and heat signatures of a vehicle may be analyzed to
determine if that vehicle is a drone, helicopter, aircraft, boat,
tank, truck, jeep, or car, whether the target is a military or
civilian vehicle, the number of individuals and/or weapons on the
vehicle, and the like, all of which may be used be a rules database
213 to determine whether the vehicle is a target non-target. Target
verification also may include identifying particular insignia on
targets, and for human targets, facial recognition and/or biometric
recognition to confirm the identity of the target.
[0041] In some cases, both target identification and target
verification in step 401 may be performed fully autonomously by the
weapon system 200, using the techniques described above. In other
cases, target identification and/or verification may include
semi-autonomous or manual steps. For example, the rules of
engagement for particular operations may require that each target
be visually confirmed by a human operator. Such visual confirmation
may be performed by the operator, as described in steps 406-407
below. Additionally or alternatively, the visual confirmation may
be received from a different user, such as a commanding officer at
a remote command center or other authorized user. In such cases,
the weapon system 200 may be configured to transmit imagery and
other sensor data to one or more remote locations, and then to
receive the instructions identifying the potential target as a
selected target or a non-target, from the remote authorized
user/command center via a communication module 212. These remote
visual confirmation techniques may be entirely transparent with
respect to the operator of the weapon system 200 in some cases,
that is, if a target is not selected/confirmed by a remote
authorized user then that target might not ever be rendered or
selected via the operator display device and/or might not be
selectable by the operator during steps 406-407.
[0042] As noted above, both target identification and target
selection in step 401 may be based on sets of rules received via a
rules database 213 or other sources. Target selection rules may be
based on target type (e.g., types of vehicles, individuals (if
any), and structures, etc.), target size, target distance, the
presence and types of weapons on a target, the uniform/insignia on
a target, and the like. Additional rules may relate to the
probability that the target has been accurately identified (e.g.,
level of confidence of facial recognition, vehicle type
identification, insignia recognition, etc.), the probability that
the weapon system 200 will be able to hit the selected target
(e.g., based on target distance, target movement, weapon and
ammunition type, wind and weather conditions, etc.), and/or the
presence of potential collateral damage that may occur if the
target is fired upon (e.g., based on detection of friendly and
non-targets in the proximity of the identified target). Different
sets of rules may be applied for different operators, different
weapons 225 and ammunition types, different times, and/or different
physical locations for the engagement. For instance, while one set
of target identification, selection, and prioritization rules may
be selected and applied by the targeting/firing system 210 for an
engagement with a particular operator, at a particular date and
time, using a particular weapon/ammunition type, in a particular
country/region of the engagement, having particular lighting or
weather conditions, and so on, an entirely different set of target
identification, selection, and prioritization rules may be selected
and applied by the targeting/firing system 210 if one or more of
these variables (e.g., operator, time, weapon or ammunition type,
engagement location or environmental conditions, etc.) changes.
[0043] In step 402, for scenarios in which multiple targets have
been identified and selected in step 401, the targeting/firing
system 210 of the motorized weapon system 200 may be configured to
prioritize the multiple targets, thereby determining a firing
order. As with the techniques for target identification and
selection described above, target prioritization techniques
similarly may be on imagery and sensor data, as well as sets of
operational rules that may apply to operators, weapons, locations,
etc. Examples of target prioritization rules may include, without
limitation, rules that prioritize vehicles over human targets,
certain types of vehicles over other types of vehicles, armored
vehicles over non-armored vehicles, armed targets over non-armed
targets, uniformed/insignia targets over non-uniformed or insignia
targets, close targets over far targets, advancing targets over
stationary or retreating targets, higher confidence targets (i.e.,
higher probability of weapon being able to hit the target) over
lower confidence targets, targets firing weapons over targets not
firing weapons, and/or any combination of these criteria. In some
examples, the targeting/firing system 210 may evaluate the current
target distance and trajectory of all advancing and armed targets
(e.g., missiles, drones, ground vehicles, and individuals, etc.),
in order to prioritize the targets in the order in which they would
first reach the current position (or future position) of the weapon
system 200. These target prioritization rules also may include
rules determining how particular types of targets may be targeted.
For example, such rules may include the desired point of impact for
a particular target type (e.g., the engine of boat, the center of
mass of an individual, etc.).
[0044] Additionally, different sets of rules or algorithms may be
applied for prioritizing targets, depending on the current
operator, current location, current date/time, and/or based on
predefined operation-specific rules of engagement. Further, rules
or algorithms for prioritization may be based on or adjusted in
view of current conditions, such as the current amount of
ammunition of the weapon system 200 (e.g., lower ammunition
circumstances may cause prioritization of most valuable/important
targets first), the current wind or weather conditions (e.g., in
which closer and/or higher confidence targets may be prioritized),
or based on nearby friendly or non-hostile targets (e.g., in which
closer and/or higher confidence targets may be prioritized).
Additionally, certain prioritizing algorithms may adjust the
priorities of a set of targets to reduce and/or minimize the lag
time between successive firings of the weapon, for instance, by
prioritizing a set of nearby targets successively in the priority
rank order, in order to reduce the firing latency time required to
drive the weapon 225 through the sequence of targets.
[0045] In various embodiments, operators may be permitted to switch
on-the-fly between different rules or algorithms for target
selection and prioritization. Such switching capabilities may be
based the rank and/or authorization level of the operator, and in
some cases may require that a request for approval be transmitted
from the weapons system 200 to a high-level user at a remote
command center.
[0046] Referring briefly to FIG. 5, a display screen is shown
displaying an example user interface 500 that may be generated by a
motorized weapon system 200 during engagement of a set of targets.
In this example, a plurality of targets have been identified and
selected within the range and proximity of the weapon system 200.
The targets have been prioritized to select a primary target 501,
several secondary targets 502, and several non-targets 503 (e.g.,
friendly or non-hostile vehicles or individuals). In this example,
the primary target 501 is indicated with a double dotted line, the
secondary targets 502 are indicated with a single dotted line, and
the non-targets have no lines. It should be understood that
different types of user interface indicators may be used in other
embodiments, such a green border (or other color) for the primary
target 501, and a different color for secondary targets 502. In
some examples, the secondary targets 502 might not be indicated at
all on the user interface 500, until a secondary target 502 becomes
the primary target 501. In other examples, only N number of the
secondary targets 502 might be identified on user interface 500,
such as the only next highest priority target 502, or the two next
highest priority targets, etc. Additionally, non-targets 503 may be
entirely obscured or blocked out, so as not to distract the
operator. Crosshairs 505 are also displayed in this example,
representing the point at which the weapon 225 of the weapon system
200 is currently aimed.
[0047] Finally, example user interface 500 includes two operator
controls: a fire button 510 to allow the user to fire the weapon
225, and a next button 515 to allow the user to select the next
target in the priority list. In this example, fire button 510 is
shaded indicating that the weapon 225 cannot currently be fired. As
described below in more detail, this may represent a feature in
which the operator's firing control mechanism 246 is disabled
whenever the weapon 225 is not currently aimed at a selected
target. However, it will be noted that the next button 515 is
enabled in this example, indicating that the next mechanism 247
that allows the operator to change the primary target 501 to the
next highest priority target 502 in the priority list may be
enabled even when the crosshairs 505 are not yet positioned on the
primary target 501.
[0048] The kill chain sequence may continue by performing the
functionality of steps 403-410 in a continuous loop for each of the
targets selected in step 401, and in the priority order of the
target prioritization performed in step 402. Therefore, the first
iteration of steps 403-410 may be performed for the highest
priority target, the second iteration of steps 403-410 may be
performed for the second highest priority target, and so on.
[0049] In step 404, for the current highest priority target in the
prioritization list, the targeting/firing system 210 may perform a
dynamic tracking technique to determine a firing solution for that
target. A firing solution refers to a precise firing position for
the weapon (e.g., an azimuth/horizontal angle and
altitude/elevation angle) and a precise firing time calculated by
the targeting/firing system 210 to hit the primary target. For
stationary targets, target tracking need not be performed, and the
firing solution may be computed based on a number of factors,
including the target distance and target bearing from the weapon
225, the muzzle velocity of the weapon 225, the aerodynamic drag of
the projectile/ammunition to be fired, the wind and weather
conditions, and gravity (any one of which may vary based on the
current conditions).
[0050] When the target is moving and/or anticipated to be moving,
dynamic target tracking may be required to generate a firing
solution, introducing additional variables which may increase the
complexity and uncertainty of the firing solution calculation.
Initially, dynamic target tracking may involve calculating the
anticipated direction and velocity of the target. In some
embodiments, the targeting/firing system 210 may assume that the
primary target will continue along its current course with the same
velocity and direction. If the target is currently moving along a
curved path, and/or is currently accelerating or decelerating, then
the targeting/firing system 210 may assume the same curved path
and/or the same acceleration/declaration pattern, and may
extrapolate out based on those variables. Further, in some
embodiments, the targeting/firing system 210 may anticipate future
changes in course or speed, based on factors such as upcoming
obstructions in the target's path, curves in roads, previous flight
patterns, etc.
[0051] In addition to dynamically tracking the target in order to
anticipate the future position of the target, the determination of
a firing solution for a moving target also may take into account
the anticipated time to drive the motor 235 so that the weapon is
positioned at the correct firing point, and the anticipated amount
of time between the firing command and when the
projectile/ammunition will reach the target. The time to drive the
motor 235 may be calculated based on the distance the gun is to be
driven, the speed of the motor and/or the weight of the weapon 225.
The amount of time between receiving a firing command and when the
projectile/ammunition will reach the target may be based on the
muzzle velocity of the weapon 225, the aerodynamic drag of the
projectile/ammunition to be fired, the wind and weather conditions,
etc. Additionally, in some cases, an anticipated delay for operator
reaction time (e.g., 0.5 seconds, 1 second) also may be included in
the firing solution calculation.
[0052] Referring briefly to FIG. 6, another example user interface
600 is shown that may be generated by a motorized weapon system 200
during engagement of one or more targets. In this example, only a
single primary target 601 is shown, and the targeting/firing system
210 has assessed that the target 601 is moving toward the
lower-right direction of the interface 600. Based on the factors
discussed above, namely (a) the anticipated movement of the target
601, (b) the time required to engage the motor 235 and drive the
weapon to the firing point, and (c) the time for the
projectile/ammunition to be fired and reach the target, the
targeting/firing system 210 may calculate the firing solution. In
this example, the crosshairs 605 represents the point at which the
weapon 225 is currently aimed, the point 606 represents the desired
point of impact on the target 601, and point 607 represents the
firing solution determined by the targeting/firing system 210. As
shown in user interface 600, the motor 235 is currently
re-positioning the weapon toward the firing solution point 607, and
the firing solution computation has taken into account the time
reposition the weapon 225 and the projectile time-to-target.
Potentially, the firing solution computation also may take into
account a short time delay to fire the weapon, and/or an
anticipated operator decision time delay.
[0053] Further, example interface 600 also includes three operator
controls: a fire button 610, a next button 615, and a safe button
620. As discussed above, the fire button 610 allows the operator to
fire the weapon 225, but in some cases might be enabled only after
the weapon 225 has reached the firing solution point 607. The next
button 615 allows the operator not to fire the weapon 225 at the
primary target 601, but instead to re-select the next highest
priority target in the priority list. In this example, the primary
target 601 may be moved to the back of the priority list or
elsewhere in the priority list, based on the operator's selection
of the next control 615. Finally, the safe button 620 allows the
operator to mark the currently selected primary target 601 as a
friendly or non-target object, thereby removing it from the set of
selected targets determined in step 401 and priority list of step
402. Thus, after an operator has marked a target using the safe
mechanism 615, it may not be selected again by the targeting/firing
system 210, at least during the current engagement by the current
weapon system 200. In some embodiments, the configuration settings
of the targeting/firing system 210 may determine that a target
marked as safe by an operator during one engagement might
thereafter be excluded from target selection/prioritization in
future engagements. Additional or alternatively, weapon system 200
may transmit data identifying any targets marked as safe to other
weapons systems 200 in the same general location, so that those
other weapons systems 200 may automatically remove the target
marked as safe from their target selection/prioritization lists as
well.
[0054] Although step 404 was described above as performed for only
a single target (i.e., the current highest priority target), in
some embodiments, the targeting/firing system 210 may continuously
performing dynamic tracking for all targets selected/prioritized in
steps 401-402. In such cases, by performing dynamic tracking on the
selected secondary target(s), before the completion of the firing
sequence 403-410 for the primary target, the targeting/firing
system 210 may more quickly and efficiently determine the firing
solution for the next primary target as soon as the firing sequence
403-410 is completed for the first primary target. Additionally,
while dynamically tracking a plurality of secondary target(s), the
targeting/firing system 210 may potentially re-order the
prioritization sequence determined in step 402, for example, based
on movement of the secondary targets and/or based on newly received
data about one or more of the secondary targets (e.g., improved
verification information, additional threat information, etc.).
[0055] In step 405, the targeting/firing system 210 may engage the
motor 235 to drive the orientation of the weapon 225 toward the
firing solution determined for the primary target in step 404 Thus,
referring again to FIG. 6, the motor 235 may be engaged to aim the
weapon 225 from its currently aimed position 605, to the determined
firing solution point 607. It may be noted from this example, that
(a) the weapon 225 may be driven not toward the current position
point of the target 606, but instead to the future position point
607, and (b) that the motor 235 may be engaged and the weapon 225
may be driven to this point by the targeting/firing system 210 in a
fully autonomous manner, before any action has been taken by the
operator to view, select, mark, or engage this target.
[0056] In step 406, the targeting/firing system 210 may generate
and transmit a user interface to be rendered for the operator via
one or more display devices 250. As discussed above, the human
operator may be located at the weapon system 200 or remote to the
weapon system 200, in which case the user interface may be
transmitted via the communication module 212 over one or more
secure computer networks, wireless networks, satellite networks,
etc. In various embodiments, the user interface provided in step
406 may correspond to user interfaces 500 and/or 600 discussed
above, although several variations may be implemented in different
embodiments. For instance, as noted above, the primary target 501
may be marked by a particular scheme that is different from the
secondary targets and from non-targets. In some cases, the user
interface may automatically zoom in on the primary target (as in
screen 600) to allow the operator the best possible visual of the
target. Additionally or alternatively, secondary targets and/or
non-targets may be blocked out, hidden, or otherwise obscured to
prevent confusion or distraction by the operator. Further, in
different embodiments, each of the various different target points
discussed above (e.g., crosshairs 605 representing current weapon
aiming point, the current target position point 606, and/or firing
solution target point 607) may or may not be rendered within the
user interface, and/or may be shown in different colors, using
different graphics and icons, etc. Finally, the user interface
generated and rendered in step 406 may include additional
components such as side menus, overlays, and the like, to convey
any relevant sensor information about the target or the firing
environment. Examples of such sensor that may be included in the
operator user interface may include the target type, target
name/identifier of verified (if known) and confidence level of the
verified name/identifier, distance to target, current wind and
weather conditions, current status of weapon 225 and ammunition
supply, number of other secondary targets, etc.
[0057] In step 407, the targeting/firing system 210 may receive
engagement instructions from the operator, via operator controls
245. As illustrated in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the operator
controls might only include two buttons: a fire button and next
button. Or, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the operator controls might
include only three buttons: a fire button, a next button, and safe
button. Although any number of different/additional operator
controls may be included in other embodiments (e.g., mouse/joystick
for aiming, manual override, target selection controls, etc.),
there are certain technical advantages associated with a limited
interface such as a two-button or three-button interface as shown
500-600, including simplification of operator interface, reduction
or real-time operator errors, increased speed to weapon firing,
etc.
[0058] Additionally, as noted above during the discussion of the
dynamic target tracking, there may be time delay between steps 406
and 407, for target analysis, evaluation, and decision-making by
the operator. During this time delay, the dynamic tracking may
continue for the primary target as well as the secondary targets
selected by the targeting/firing system 210. Thus, while the
operator deliberates on whether or not to fire on a target between
steps 406 and 407, for moving targets and/or other circumstances
(e.g., a detected change in the wind), the firing solution may be
updated during this time delay and the motor 235 may be
continuously engaged so that the weapon 225 is continuously aimed
at the most recent firing solution target point. Additionally, for
excess delays or deliberations between steps 406 and 407, the
target identification, selection, and prioritization techniques
discussed above in steps 401 and 402 may be updated, automatically
and entirely transparently to the operator, to re-select and
re-prioritize the targets based on new imagery, sensor data, and
other relevant data received during the time delay between steps
406-407.
[0059] After receiving the firing/engagement instructions from the
operator in step 407, the targeting/firing system 210 may perform
the received instructions in steps 408-410. In this example,
similar to that shown in FIG. 6, there are only three possible
operator instructions with respect to the primary target shown in
the user interface: fire on the target (step 408), do not fire on
the target and proceed to the next target (step 409), and do not
fire on the target and mark the target as a non-target (step 410).
As discussed above, the fire command (408) is an operator
instruction to fire the weapon 225, and in some cases might be
enabled only after the weapon 225 has reached the firing solution
target point. When the operator selects the fire button 246 (or
other fire command) in step 408, the targeting/firing system 210
may initiate firing of the weapon 225, and then return to perform
steps 403-410 for the next highest priority target. Additionally,
in some embodiments, the targeting/firing system 210 may be
configured to evaluate the accuracy of the projectile fired in step
410, and may perform a real-time automatic correction in the
targeting algorithm based on the accuracy evaluation. For example,
upon firing a shot in step 410, the targeting/firing system 210 may
be configured to activate one or more cameras or sensors from
sensor units 240 (which may be local or remote), to detect the
landing time and location of the projectile. Additional sensors
such as audio sensors, heat sensors, etc., also may be used to
determine where the projectile hit/landed. The projectile
landing/hit data may compared to the firing solution/target point
data that was determined by the targeting/firing system 210 prior
to firing the projectile. If the shot was off target by an amount
greater than a predetermined accuracy threshold, then the
targeting/firing system 210 may be configured to adjust its
targeting algorithm in real-time, so that the updated algorithm may
be used in the next iteration of steps 403-410. Additionally, if
the shot was off target by a sufficient amount that the target was
missed, then the targeting/firing system 210 may be further
configured to re-insert the previously fired upon target back into
the priority list of selected targets.
[0060] The next command (step 409) is an operator instruction not
to fire the weapon 225 at the target, but to retain the target
within the set of selected targets/target priority list, and then
to re-select the next highest priority target in the priority list.
In various examples, a next command in step 409 may cause the
target to be placed at the back of the priority list of selected
targets, or may cause the target to placed immediately after the
next highest priority target in the priority list. Finally, a safe
command (step 410) is an operator instruction to mark the target as
a friendly or non-target object, thereby removing it from the set
of selected targets and target priority list. Thus, after step 410,
the target may not be selected again by the targeting/firing system
210, during at least the current engagement by the current weapon
system 200. As noted above, in some embodiments, a target marked as
safe during step 410 during an engagement at one weapon system 200
also might be excluded from target selection in future engagements
of the weapon system 200, and/or during current and future
engagements at different weapons systems 200.
[0061] Thus, the various techniques discussed above with reference
to FIG. 4, including without limitation: (a) autonomous target
selection, prioritization, and re-selection by the targeting/firing
system 210, (b) dynamic target tracking of both the primary target
and secondary targets that takes into account target movement,
weapon/projectile characteristics, etc., (c) autonomous actuation
of the motor to automatically orient the weapon toward the primary
target before receiving any operator input, (d) a simplified user
interface and operator controls, and (e) enabling/disabling of the
firing mechanism depending on the projected point of impact of the
weapon, alone and in combination, provide increased system
efficiency, increased rate of firing, improved weapon system
accuracy, and reduced operator error, along with the other
technical advantages described herein.
[0062] As mentioned above, certain aspects of the present
disclosure relate to techniques for disabling and re-enabling an
operator firing control (e.g., 246), during the period of time when
the motor 235 of a motorized weapon system 200 is engaged and the
weapon 225 is being positioned and oriented toward a determined
target point for firing. The process of engaging the motor 235 of
the weapon system 200 to position the weapon 225 to fire on a
particular target point may take anywhere from a fraction of second
to several seconds, depending on factors size as the motor size and
speed, gun size and weight, angular distance to be traveled, etc.
During the time period when the motor 235 is engaged in positioning
the weapon 225, the projected point of impact of a projectile fired
from the weapon 225 may become closer and closer to the target
point, and similarly, the likelihood of hitting the target may
increase continuously until a maximum likelihood is reached when
the projected point of impact of the weapon 225 (e.g., marked by
crosshairs 505, 605, etc.) is directly on the determined firing
solution target point. Because many unknown variables may exist
during the weapon firing process (e.g., exact target distance and
bearing, exact muzzle velocity and aerodynamic drag of projectile,
future target movement, exact wind and air pressure conditions,
exact weapon vibration, and so on), the probability of hitting the
target might never be 100%. However, when the likelihood of hitting
the target is determined to be sufficiently high, e.g., above a
predetermined likelihood threshold, then the targeting/firing
system 210 may be configured to enable firing of the weapon 225
(and/or automatically fire the weapon 225).
[0063] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the targeting/firing
system 210 may be configured to determine if/when the predetermined
likelihood threshold for hitting the target is reached during the
time period when the motor 235 is engaged in positioning the weapon
225, but before the crosshairs 505 are directly on the target
(i.e., before the projected point of impact of the weapon 225 is
directly on the determined firing solution target point). In such
embodiments, the targeting/firing system 210 may be configured to
disable the operator firing mechanism 246 when the current
likelihood of hitting the target is below the predetermined
likelihood threshold, based on the position/orientation of the
weapon 225 and other factors. The operator firing mechanism 246
then may be re-enabled in response to the targeting/firing system
210 determining that the current likelihood of hitting the target
is above the predetermined likelihood threshold. These aspects are
described below in more detail with reference to FIGS. 7-8.
[0064] Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram is shown
illustrating a process of disabling and/or re-enabling the firing
mechanism of a motorized weapon system while the motor is engaged
to move the weapon to a target point. As described below, the steps
in this process may be performed by one or more components in the
example motorized weapon system 200 discussed above, such as
targeting/firing system 210 and the subsystems thereof, in
conjunction with the weapon/mount/motor components 225-235, one or
more sensor units 240, operator interface components 245-250,
and/or various remote and external systems. However, it should be
understood that process steps described herein, such as
determination of likelihood thresholds for hitting targets, and
corresponding boundary areas for motorized weapons systems, need
not be limited to the specific systems and hardware implementations
described above in FIGS. 1-3, but may be performed within other
motorized weapon systems and environments comprising other
combinations of the hardware and software components described
herein.
[0065] In step 701, a motorized weapon system 200 has identified
and selected a particular target, and determines a firing solution
and/or target point for the selected target. Thus, step 701 may be
similar or identical to step 404 discussed above. As noted above,
one or both of the target and the weapon system 200 may potentially
be moving during this process. When both the targets and the weapon
225 are stationary, target tracking need not be performed, and the
firing solution target point may be computed based on factors
including the target distance, target bearing from the weapon 225,
muzzle velocity of the weapon 225, aerodynamic drag of the
projectile/ammunition to be fired, the wind and weather conditions,
and gravity (any one of which may vary based on the current
conditions). However, when one or both of the selected target and
the weapon 225 are moving and/or are anticipated to be moving,
dynamic target tracking may be required to generate a firing
solution, and additional variables may increase the complexity and
uncertainty of the firing solution calculation. For example,
dynamic target tracking may be used to determine the current
velocity and direction of travel of both the weapon system 200 and
the target, and that data may be used to calculate the anticipated
velocity and direction of travel of both in the near future. In
some cases, the targeting/firing system 210 may assume that both
the weapon system 200 and the target may continue along their
current course with the same velocity and direction, and if either
is currently moving along a curved path and/or is currently
accelerating/decelerating, then the targeting/firing system 210 may
assume the same curved path and/or the same
acceleration/declaration in the near future. As noted above, when
performing dynamical tracking on a moving target, the determination
of a firing solution (e.g., predicted future coordinates at a
future firing time) also may take into account the anticipated time
to engage the motor 235 to position and orient the weapon at the
correct firing point, as well as the anticipated time lag for the
fired projectile to reach the target. Additionally, in some cases,
the targeting/firing system 210 may build in an anticipated delay
for operator reaction time (e.g., 0.5 seconds, 1 second) which may
be included in the firing solution calculations for moving
targets.
[0066] In step 702, the targeting/firing system 210 of the
motorized weapon system 200 may determine a boundary area
surrounding the target point determined in step 701. In some
examples, the boundary area may be referred to as a "confidence
lock" boundary, because as discussed below, the firing mechanism
may be disabled when the projected point of impact of the weapon is
outside of this area. From the perspective of the weapon system
200, the boundary area may be a circle or other two-dimensional
closed shape surrounding the target point. A simple example of a
circular boundary area 807 is shown in FIGS. 8A-8B, discussed in
more detail below. The boundaries of the area may correspond to a
predetermined likelihood threshold of hitting the target and need
not be any particular shape. That is, when the projected point of
impact of the weapon 225 is directly on any point of the boundary
of the area, the likelihood of the weapon 225 hitting the target
may be calculated as a probability P, which may be the same for
every point on the boundary of the area and is also the same as a
predetermined likelihood threshold set by the targeting/firing
system 210. Thus, for any shot taken when the weapon crosshairs are
outside of the boundary area, the likelihood of hitting the target
is less than P, and for any shot taken when the weapon crosshairs
are inside of the boundary area, the likelihood of hitting the
target is greater than P.
[0067] In some embodiments, the boundary area may be circular, as
shown in FIGS. 8A-8B. Circular boundaries may generally apply when
the determined probability P is the probability of the hitting the
target point. However, if the determined probability P is the
probability of hitting any point on the target, then the boundary
area may be target-shaped (e.g., a larger vehicle-shaped boundary
surrounding the target vehicle, a larger person-shaped boundary
surrounding the target person, etc.). When either the target or the
weapon system 200 is current moving, the boundary area may assume a
more elongated shape in the direction of the movement, to account
for the additional targeting uncertainties caused by the movement
of the weapon system 200 or target. For example, for a horizontally
moving target vehicle and/or horizontally moving weapon system, the
boundary area may be shaped like a horizontally-elongated circle
(or horizontally-elongated vehicle shape). In any of these
examples, the boundary area may be defined in terms of angular
coordinates (e.g., azimuth and altitude) from the perspective of
the weapon 225.
[0068] The size of the boundary area determined in step 702 may be
based on any combination of factors that may introduce uncertainty
in the point of impact calculation of the weapon 225 with respect
to the target. For instance, the size of the boundary area (e.g.,
in terms of angular degrees or coordinates) may be based on one or
more of the target size, distance between the weapon 225 and the
target, the general accuracy and precision data for the weapon type
225 and ammunition type, and other factors such as wind, vibration
level of the weapon 225 during movement by the motor, and current
movement of the weapon system 200 and/or the target. In scenarios
where there is a high degree of confidence in the predictive
accuracy of the weapon's crosshairs, the boundary area may be
relatively small. In contrast, for scenarios of greater uncertainty
of the relevant variables, and where the confidence level is in the
predictive accuracy of the weapon's crosshairs is lower, than the
boundary area may be relatively large.
[0069] In step 703, the targeting/firing system 210 engages the
motor 235 to position and orient the weapon 225 toward the target
point identified in step 701. Thus, step 703 may be similar or
identical to step 405, discussed above. For example, referring back
to FIG. 6, if the target 601 is stationary, then the engagement of
the motor 635 may drive the position and orientation of the weapon
225 to a predicted point of impact of the stationary target point
606. If the target 601 is moving, then the engagement of the motor
635 may drive the position and orientation of the weapon 225 to a
separate predicted future target point (e.g., 607) determined by a
firing solution calculation based on predicted target movement and
anticipated time delays until firing and impact.
[0070] In step 704, at a particular point of time when the motor
235 is engaged and the weapon 225 is moving, the targeting/firing
system 210 may compute the projected point of impact if a
projectile were fired from the weapon 225 at that time. The
projected point of impact corresponds to the calculation of the
crosshairs (e.g., 505 and 605) discussed above and shown in FIGS. 5
and 6. The calculation of the projected point of impact may be
based on the specifications of the weapon system 200 and/or
collected sensor data, such as the current position and orientation
of the gun, the distance to target and bearing of the target from
the weapon 225, the muzzle velocity of the weapon 225, the
aerodynamic drag of the projectile to be fired, the current wind
and weather conditions, and gravity (which may vary based on the
current elevation).
[0071] In step 705, the targeting/firing system 210 may compare the
projected point of impact computed in step 704 to the "confidence
lock" boundary area defined in step 702. This may be
straightforward comparison of angular coordinates from the
perspective of the weapon 225. If the current point of impact of
the weapon 225 is projected to fall outside of the defined boundary
area (705:No), then in step 706 the targeting/firing system 210 may
disable the operator firing mechanism 246 thereby preventing the
weapon 225 from being fired. However, if the current point of
impact of the weapon 225 is projected to fall within the defined
boundary area (705:Yes), then in step 707 the targeting/firing
system 210 may enable (or re-enable) the operator firing mechanism
246, thereby allowing the operator to fire the weapon 225.
[0072] In some embodiments, after the operator firing mechanism 246
has been re-enabled in step 707, and the operator fires on the
target, the targeting/firing system 210 may be configured to
perform a rapid post-firing command movement of the weapon 225 in
order to further improve shot confidence. For instance, after the
operator pushes the enabled firing mechanism 246, rather than
immediately firing the weapon 225, the targeting/firing system 210
in some cases may engage the motor 235 for a short amount of time
(e.g., 50 ms, 100 ms, 200 ms, etc.), in response to a determination
that the corresponding small weapon movement may significantly
increase shot confidence. These short post-firing command movements
may be performed in the case of moving targets and/or moving weapon
systems 200, in the event of a sudden change in the trajectory of
the target, to correct for a lag in operator reaction time, and/or
as part of a firing burst to increase hit probability.
[0073] Referring briefly to FIGS. 8A and 8B, two example user
interface screens 800 are shown, during a process of engaging the
motor 235 of a motorized weapon system 200 to position and orient
the weapon 225 at a selected target point 806. In these examples, a
circular "confidence lock" boundary area 807 has been defined by
the targeting/firing system 210, outside of which firing of the
weapon 225 is to be disabled. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the
projected point of impact 805 of the weapon 225 falls outside of
the boundary area 225, the operator may be unable to fire the
weapon 225 (as indicated by the shaded fire button 810). In FIG.
8B, the motor 235 has now oriented the weapon 225 closer to the
target point 806, and the projected point of impact 805 now falls
within the boundary area 807. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, the
fire button is now re-enabled allowing the weapon 225 to be fired
by the user. It is further noted in this example that the next
button 815 and the safe button 820, which are discussed above in
reference to FIGS. 5-6, are active and enabled regardless of the
current orientation of the weapon 225.
[0074] As further shown in FIG. 7, the functionality of steps
704-707 may be performed multiple times while the motor 235 is
engaged and the weapon 225 is moving toward the target point. In
some embodiments, targeting/firing system 210 may perform steps
704-707 on a continuous loop at all times while the motor 235 is
engaged, or in some cases even when the motor 235 is not engaged.
Additionally or alternatively, the targeting/firing system 210 may
be configured to initiate an instance of steps 704 in accordance
with a schedule (e.g., every 100 ms, 200 ms, 500 ms, etc.).
[0075] As mentioned above, these steps may be performed
periodically or continuously even when the motor 235 is not moving
and the crosshairs 805 are fixed on the target point 806. In these
scenarios, a new action such as a change in movement of the target
801 or the weapon system 200, an object obscuring the target 801,
and/or new sensor readings (e.g., a change in wind conditions) may
temporarily cause the probability level of the weapon 225 hitting
the target to drop below the predetermine likelihood threshold and
out of the confidence lock boundary area 807, requiring a minor
adjust via the motor 235 or other corrective action by the weapon
system 200.
[0076] Using similar techniques to those discussed above in
referenced to FIG. 7, certain embodiments of a motorized weapon
system 200 may implement a minimum confidence threshold for target
selection and/or prioritization. In some cases, this minimum
confidence threshold may be a separate determination from the level
of confidence computed by the system 200 for identifying or
verifying a target. Rather, this minimum confidence threshold may
refer to the level of confidence that the weapon system 200 is able
to hit the identified target. For example, if an identified and
verified target is too far away from weapon system 200, is moving
too fast or too erratically, is too small, is not within a
sufficiently direct line-of-sight of the weapon 225, then the
targeting/firing system 210 may determine that the confidence level
that the weapon system 200 will hit the target is not sufficiently
high to fire the weapon 235. Environmental conditions such as wind
or weather conditions, lighting conditions, and/or other objects
potentially obscuring the target object also may lower the
confidence level computed by the targeting/firing system 210 for
hitting the target. In such embodiments, when the confidence level
computed by the targeting/firing system 210 falls below the
predetermined threshold for target, that target may be
automatically deprioritized so that it is not selectable by the
operator (or selectable only via manual override). However, the
targeting/firing system 210 may continue to monitor and dynamically
track the low-confidence target, and may re-enable target selection
and firing capabilities on that target as soon as the confidence
level of hitting the target returns to above the minimum confidence
threshold. The minimum confidence threshold is another
operation-specific variable that may be altered based on the
operation, the particular operator, the location, and other
factors.
[0077] In some embodiments, over the course of a particular
operation (or multiple operations at or near the same location) the
firing/targeting system 210 may continuously assess and evaluate
its target accuracy, which may result the system 210 increasing or
decreasing the confidence levels it had previously computed for one
or more selected targets. As an example, if a first target is
initially determined to be too small and too far away to have a
sufficiently high confidence level for firing on the target, the
firing/targeting system 210 may instead select a number of closer
targets and may fire on those targets. Then, by analyzing the
firing trajectories and accuracies of hitting the closer targets,
the firing/targeting system 210 may be better able to evaluate the
range, lighting, wind conditions, and the like, so that the
confidence level for the hitting the first target now may be
increased based on the accuracy feedback from the closer
targets.
[0078] As demonstrated in the above examples, a motorized weapon
system 200 may be weapon-agnostic, in that a weapon system 200 may
support many different types or models of weapons 235, including
various firearms, large caliber rifles, machine guns, autocannons,
grenade launchers, rockets, and/or directed energy weapons such as
lasers, high-power microwave emitters, and other undisclosed
devices. Further, the targeting/firing system 210 may weapon
profiles in data store 214 and/or weapon-specific rules in data
store 213, that allow the weapon system 200 to perform the
techniques discussed herein in a similar or identical manner
regardless of the current weapon type. In some embodiments, the
targeting/firing system 210, sensor units 240, and the operator
interface 245-250 may function identically regardless of the type
of motor 235, mount 230, and weapon 225 integrated into the system
200. Because systems 200 having different types of weapons 225,
mounts 230, and/or motors 235, may perform differently in some
respects (e.g., time required to re-position and re-orient the
weapon 225, maximum range of weapon, type, size, and speed of
projectiles fired, etc.), the targeting/firing system 210 may be
configured to initially determine these weapon-specific data
factors, and adjust the techniques described herein to provide a
uniform operator experience.
[0079] For instance, the targeting/firing system 210 of a first
weapon system 200 may automatically select targets based on the
firing range of the weapon 225 installed on that system 200,
whereas a different system 200 might select more or less targets
based on its having a weapon 225 with a different range. In other
example, a first weapon system 200 may prioritize a set of selected
targets taking into account the speed of the motor 235 on that
system 200, whereas a different system 200 might prioritize the
same set of targets differently as a result of having a different
motor speed. As yet another example, different sensor units 240
have different numbers, types, and/or qualities of cameras and
other sensors, may result in different sets of input provided to
the targeting/firing systems 210. As a result, a first weapon
system 200 may have sufficient data to select and verify a target
with high confidence, while a second weapon system 200 with
different cameras/sensors 240 would not select because it could not
verify the target with a sufficient confidence level. In all of
these examples, the different behaviors of the weapon systems 200,
resulting from different weapons 225, mounts 230, motors 235,
and/or sensor units 240 may be entirely transparent to the
operator. In some cases, operators of weapons systems 200 need not
ever know what weapon 225 they are firing, and the entire operator
interface may function identically regardless of the particular
weapon, motor, mount, or sensor unit. These similarities may apply
to the operator interface with respect to the kill chain sequence
described in reference to FIG. 4, the enabling/disabling of the
operator's firing mechanism based on the confidence lock area
boundary described in reference to FIG. 7, the related technique of
enforcing a minimum confidence threshold for targeting/firing
discussed above, and all other techniques described herein.
[0080] Additional techniques applicable to the above examples
include the implementation of operation-specific rules of
engagement that may be retrieved/received and enforced by the
targeting/firing system 210. As discussed above, specific rules of
engagement and/or operational parameters for the motorized weapon
system may include different requirements or parameters for target
identification and selection, different minimum confidence
thresholds for firing the weapon 225, different target
prioritization algorithms, and so on. In some embodiments, the
motorized weapon system 200 may be configured to receive a set of
operation-specific rules of engagement from a remote command center
via a secure communication channel, store and apply those
operation-specific rules during the appropriate operation. As noted
above, specific rules of engagement and/or sets of operational
parameters may be associated with specific operators, operator
rank, engagement location (e.g., country, region, etc.). In some
embodiments, operators having sufficient rank and/or authorization
levels may be permitted to manually override certain rules of
engagement and/or operational parameters of the weapon system 200,
and to apply the operator's own preferred rules/parameters in
place. Additionally or alternatively, such overrides may require
outside approval, and thus upon receiving a rule/parameter override
request from the operator, the weapon system may be configured to
transmit a secure request for override approval a remote command
center.
[0081] In several examples above, the target points for selected
targets, including stationary and moving targets, are computed
based on a desired point of impact location on the target (e.g., an
engine of a boat or vehicle, the center of mass of an individual,
etc.). However, in some embodiments, the targeting/firing system
210 may be configured with warning shot capabilities in which the
desired point of impact location is not on the target. For
instance, the rules of engagement enforced by the targeting/firing
system 210 for a particular operation may dictate that only warning
shots are to be fired at particular selected target. Alternatively,
such rules may dictate that at least one initial warning shot is to
be fired at a selected target before an attempt is made to hit the
target. In some cases, the operator controls 245 also may include a
warning shot mode that can be activated by the operator,
independent of the rules of engagement of the operation, to allow
the operator to independently fire one or more warning shots on any
selected target.
[0082] When the targeting/firing system 210 is configured to
operate in a warning shot mode, the firing solution may be adjusted
to assure that the projectiles fired by the weapon 225 will miss
the target. In some embodiments, the targeting/firing system 210
may determine the preferred location of a desired warning shot
based on the type and size of the target (e.g., the number and
position of warning shots for human targets may be different than
for vehicle targets), the orientation and/or the direction of
movement of the target (e.g., it may be desirable to firing a
warning shot directly in front of the target), and so on.
[0083] Implementation of the techniques, blocks, steps and means
described above may be done in various ways. For example, these
techniques, blocks, steps and means may be implemented in hardware,
software, or a combination thereof. For a hardware implementation,
the processing units may be implemented within one or more
application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal
processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),
programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays
(FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers,
microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the
functions described above, and/or a combination thereof.
[0084] Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware,
software, scripting languages, firmware, middleware, microcode,
hardware description languages, and/or any combination thereof.
When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, scripting
language, and/or microcode, the program code or code segments to
perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine readable
medium such as a storage medium. A code segment or
machine-executable instruction may represent a procedure, a
function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a
module, a software package, a script, a class, or any combination
of instructions, data structures, and/or program statements. A code
segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware
circuit by passing and/or receiving information, data, arguments,
parameters, and/or memory contents. Information, arguments,
parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via
any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token
passing, network transmission, etc.
[0085] For a firmware and/or software implementation, the
methodologies may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures,
functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein.
Any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be
used in implementing the methodologies described herein. For
example, software codes may be stored in a memory. Memory may be
implemented within the processor or external to the processor. As
used herein the term "memory" refers to any type of long term,
short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or other storage medium and is
not to be limited to any particular type of memory or number of
memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored.
[0086] Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term "storage medium" may
represent one or more memories for storing data, including read
only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core
memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums,
flash memory devices and/or other machine readable mediums for
storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" includes,
but is not limited to portable or fixed storage devices, optical
storage devices, and/or various other storage mediums capable of
storing that contain or carry instruction(s) and/or data.
[0087] A computer system as illustrated in FIG. 9 may be
incorporated as part of the previously described systems, such as
to execute the client interface, perform the functionality of
orchestration systems and/or datacenters, etc. FIG. 9 provides a
schematic illustration of one embodiment of a computer system 900
that can perform various steps of the methods provided by various
embodiments. It should be noted that FIG. 9 is meant only to
provide a generalized illustration of various components, any or
all of which may be utilized as appropriate. FIG. 9, therefore,
broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be
implemented in a relatively separated or relatively more integrated
manner.
[0088] The computer system 900 is shown comprising hardware
elements that can be electrically coupled via a bus 905 (or may
otherwise be in communication, as appropriate). The hardware
elements may include one or more processors 910, including without
limitation one or more general-purpose processors and/or one or
more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing
chips, graphics acceleration processors, video decoders, and/or the
like); one or more input devices 915, which can include without
limitation a mouse, a keyboard, remote control, and/or the like;
and one or more output devices 920, which can include without
limitation a display device, a printer, and/or the like.
[0089] The computer system 900 may further include (and/or be in
communication with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 925,
which can comprise, without limitation, local and/or network
accessible storage, and/or can include, without limitation, a disk
drive, a drive array, an optical storage device, a solid-state
storage device, such as a random access memory ("RAM"), and/or a
read-only memory ("ROM"), which can be programmable,
flash-updateable and/or the like. Such storage devices may be
configured to implement any appropriate data stores, including
without limitation, various file systems, database structures,
and/or the like.
[0090] The computer system 900 might also include a communications
subsystem 930, which can include without limitation a modem, a
network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device,
a wireless communication device, and/or a chipset (such as a
Bluetooth.TM. device, an 802.11 device, a WiFi device, a WiMax
device, cellular communication device, etc.), and/or the like. The
communications subsystem 930 may permit data to be exchanged with a
network (such as the network described below, to name one example),
other computer systems, and/or any other devices described herein.
In many embodiments, the computer system 900 will further comprise
a working memory 935, which can include a RAM or ROM device, as
described above.
[0091] The computer system 900 also can comprise software elements,
shown as being currently located within the working memory 935,
including an operating system 940, device drivers, executable
libraries, and/or other code, such as one or more application
programs 945, which may comprise computer programs provided by
various embodiments, and/or may be designed to implement methods,
and/or configure systems, provided by other embodiments, as
described herein. Merely by way of example, one or more procedures
described with respect to the method(s) discussed above might be
implemented as code and/or instructions executable by a computer
(and/or a processor within a computer); in an aspect, then, such
code and/or instructions can be used to configure and/or adapt a
general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more
operations in accordance with the described methods.
[0092] A set of these instructions and/or code might be stored on a
non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the
non-transitory storage device(s) 925 described above. In some
cases, the storage medium might be incorporated within a computer
system, such as computer system 900. In other embodiments, the
storage medium might be separate from a computer system (e.g., a
removable medium, such as a compact disc), and/or provided in an
installation package, such that the storage medium can be used to
program, configure, and/or adapt a general purpose computer with
the instructions/code stored thereon. These instructions might take
the form of executable code, which is executable by the computer
system 500 and/or might take the form of source and/or installable
code, which, upon compilation and/or installation on the computer
system 900 (e.g., using any of a variety of generally available
compilers, installation programs, compression/decompression
utilities, etc.), then takes the form of executable code.
[0093] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that
substantial variations may be made in accordance with specific
requirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used,
and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware,
software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or
both. Further, connection to other computing devices such as
network input/output devices may be employed.
[0094] As mentioned above, in one aspect, some embodiments may
employ a computer system (such as the computer system 900) to
perform methods in accordance with various embodiments of the
invention. According to a set of embodiments, some or all of the
procedures of such methods are performed by the computer system 900
in response to processor 910 executing one or more sequences of one
or more instructions (which might be incorporated into the
operating system 940 and/or other code, such as an application
program 945) contained in the working memory 935. Such instructions
may be read into the working memory 935 from another
computer-readable medium, such as one or more of the non-transitory
storage device(s) 925. Merely by way of example, execution of the
sequences of instructions contained in the working memory 935 might
cause the processor(s) 910 to perform one or more procedures of the
methods described herein.
[0095] The terms "machine-readable medium," "computer-readable
storage medium" and "computer-readable medium," as used herein,
refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes
a machine to operate in a specific fashion. These mediums may be
non-transitory. In an embodiment implemented using the computer
system 900, various computer-readable media might be involved in
providing instructions/code to processor(s) 910 for execution
and/or might be used to store and/or carry such instructions/code.
In many implementations, a computer-readable medium is a physical
and/or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take the form of
a non-volatile media or volatile media. Non-volatile media include,
for example, optical and/or magnetic disks, such as the
non-transitory storage device(s) 925. Volatile media include,
without limitation, dynamic memory, such as the working memory
935.
[0096] Common forms of physical and/or tangible computer-readable
media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard
disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any
other optical medium, any other physical medium with patterns of
marks, a RAM, a PROM, EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip
or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read
instructions and/or code.
[0097] Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in
carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to the
processor(s) 910 for execution. Merely by way of example, the
instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk and/or
optical disc of a remote computer. A remote computer might load the
instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions as
signals over a transmission medium to be received and/or executed
by the computer system 900.
[0098] The communications subsystem 930 (and/or components thereof)
generally will receive signals, and the bus 905 then might carry
the signals (and/or the data, instructions, etc. carried by the
signals) to the working memory 935, from which the processor(s) 910
retrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received
by the working memory 935 may optionally be stored on a
non-transitory storage device 925 either before or after execution
by the processor(s) 910.
[0099] 100981 It should further be understood that the components
of computer system 900 can be distributed across a network. For
example, some processing may be performed in one location using a
first processor while other processing may be performed by another
processor remote from the first processor. Other components of
computer system 900 may be similarly distributed. As such, computer
system 900 may be interpreted as a distributed computing system
that performs processing in multiple locations. In some instances,
computer system 900 may be interpreted as a single computing
device, such as a distinct laptop, desktop computer, or the like,
depending on the context.
[0100] The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are
examples. Various configurations may omit, substitute, or add
various procedures or components as appropriate. For instance, in
alternative configurations, the methods may be performed in an
order different from that described, and/or various stages may be
added, omitted, and/or combined. Also, features described with
respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other
configurations. Different aspects and elements of the
configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Also,
technology evolves and, thus, many of the elements are examples and
do not limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.
[0101] Specific details are given in the description to provide a
thorough understanding of example configurations (including
implementations). However, configurations may be practiced without
these specific details. For example, well-known circuits,
processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown
without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the
configurations. This description provides example configurations
only, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or
configurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of
the configurations will provide those skilled in the art with an
enabling description for implementing described techniques. Various
changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements
without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.
[0102] Also, configurations may be described as a process which is
depicted as a flow diagram or block diagram. Although each may
describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the
operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In
addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. A process
may have additional steps not included in the figure. Furthermore,
examples of the methods may be implemented by hardware, software,
firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or
any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware,
middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments to
perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a non-transitory
computer-readable medium such as a storage medium. Processors may
perform the described tasks.
[0103] Having described several example configurations, various
modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be
used without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For
example, the above elements may be components of a larger system,
wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify
the application of the invention. Also, a number of steps may be
undertaken before, during, or after the above elements are
considered.
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