# US 10,866,070 B2 · Systems and methods for detecting a distance between a conducted electrical weapon and a target

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- Number: US 10,866,070 B2
- Document ID: US10866070B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/025,300
- Filed: 2018-07-02
- Published: 2019-12-12
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2018-06-08
- Assignees: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
- Applicants: Axon Enterprise, Inc.
- Inventors: Magne Nerheim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10866070B2

## CPC

- F41H 13/0025: {for remote electrical discharge via conducting wires, e.g. via wire-tethered electrodes shot at a target}
- F41G 1/473: for lead-indicating or range-finding, e.g. for use with rifles or shotguns
- G01S 17/04: Systems determining the presence of a target
- G01S 17/48: Active triangulation systems, i.e. using the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
- G01S 17/88: Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
- F41A 9/37: Feeding two or more kinds of ammunition to the same gun; Feeding from two sides
- F41H: ARMOUR; ARMOURED TURRETS; ARMOURED OR ARMED VEHICLES; MEANS OF ATTACK OR DEFENCE, e.g. CAMOUFLAGE, IN GENERAL
- F41G: WEAPON SIGHTS; AIMING (optical aspects thereof G02B)
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- F41A: FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS COMMON TO BOTH SMALLARMS AND ORDNANCE, e.g. CANNONS; MOUNTINGS FOR SMALLARMS OR ORDNANCE

## Abstract

A shield cooperates with a detector to determine the distance between a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) and a target. The CEW includes a laser for aiming the CEW. The shield cooperates with the detector to block or pass laser light that reflects from a target. The position of the shield with respect to the detector may be used to determine the distance between the CEW and the target. The detected distance between a CEW and a target may be used to select a deployment unit with a suitable range for launching electrodes toward a target. The detected distance between a CEW and a target may be used to determine a spread between launched electrodes at the target. The spread may be used to determine a likely effectiveness of a stimulus signal on the target. The detected distance, and any information associated with the detected distance may be stored in a memory.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”), comprising:
a processing circuit;
a laser;
a detector; and
a shield;
one or more first electrodes having a first range; and
one or more second electrodes having a second range; wherein:
the laser is configured to provide a beam of light for illuminating a spot on a target, wherein the beam of light scatters from the spot on the target to provide a scattered light;
the detector is configured to detect the scattered light;
the processing circuit is configured to move the shield from a first position relative to the detector to a second position relative to the detector to block all of the scattered light while the target is positioned less than a first distance away from the detector;
in accordance with the detector detecting none of the scattered light from the target, the processing circuit is configured to launch the one or more first electrodes having the first range; and
the first range is less than the second range.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The CEW of claim 1 wherein the processing circuit controls a position of at least one of the shield and the detector with respect to each other.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The CEW of claim 1 wherein a position of the shield and the position of the detector are fixed with respect to each other.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The CEW of claim 1 wherein:
the shield includes an axis and a curved edge;
the detector is positioned inside the shield; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the curved edge with respect to the detector to block the all of the scattered light.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The CEW of claim 1 wherein:
the shield includes a cylinder having an axis that is not central to the cylinder; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the cylinder with respect to the detector to block the all of the scattered light.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The CEW of claim 1 wherein:
the shield includes an axis and an edge; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the edge with respect to the detector to block the all of the scattered light.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The CEW of claim 1, wherein in accordance with the detector detecting at least some of the scattered light from the target, the processing circuit is configured to launch the one or more second electrodes having the second range.

### Claim 8

A conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) comprising:
a processing circuit;
a laser configured to provide a beam of light for illuminating a target, the beam of light reflects from the target to provide a reflected light;
a detector for detecting the reflected light;
a shield; and wherein:
the processing circuit is configured to move the shield between a first position and a second position;
the shield is configured to block the reflected light from reaching the detector;
responsive to the processing circuit moving the shield to the first position and the detector receiving no reflected light, and responsive to the processing circuit moving the shield to the second position and the detector detecting the reflected light, the processing circuit is configured to determine a range of distances between the CEW and the target; and
responsive to determining the range of distances, the processing circuit is configured to launch one or more electrodes having a range that is equal to or greater than the range of distances.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The CEW of claim 8 wherein:
the shield includes an axis and a curved edge;
the detector is positioned inside the shield; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to the first position to position the curved edge with respect to the detector to block all the reflected light.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The CEW of claim 8 wherein:
the shield includes an axis and an edge; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to the first position to position the edge with respect to the detector to block all the reflected light.

### Claim 11

A conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) comprising:
a processing circuit;
a detector; and
a shield, the shield configured to be positioned in a plurality of positions relative to the detector, wherein the processing circuit is configured to:
rotate the shield between each position of the plurality of positions;
determine a first position of the plurality of positions at which the detector detects none of a light scattered from a target;
determine a distance from the CEW to the target in accordance with whether or not the light scattered from the target is detected at each position of the plurality of positions; and
in accordance with the first position at which the detector detects none of the light scattered from the target, select one or more electrodes for launching toward the target to provide a stimulus signal to impede locomotion of the target.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The CEW of claim 11 wherein the processing circuit selects the one or more electrodes having a range in accordance with the first position at which the detector detects none of the light scattered from the target.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The CEW of claim 11 wherein:
the shield includes an axis and a curved edge;
the detector is positioned inside the shield; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the curved edge so that the detector detects none of the light scattered from the target.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The CEW of claim 11 wherein:
the shield includes a cylinder having an axis that is not central to the cylinder; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the cylinder with respect to the detector so that the detector detects none of the light scattered from the target.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The CEW of claim 11 wherein:
the shield includes an axis and an edge; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the edge with respect to the detector so that the detector detects none of the light scattered from the target.

### Claim 16

A method performed by a conducted electrical weapon (“CEW”) for, the method comprising:
illuminating a spot on a target with a beam of light, wherein the beam of light reflects from the spot to provide a scattered light;
moving a shield of the CEW between each position of a plurality of positions;
determining a first position of the plurality of positions at which the that a shield of the CEW blocks all the scattered light whereby a detector of the CEW detects none of the scattered light;
in accordance with determining, selecting one or more electrodes having a first range from a group of electrodes, each electrode of the group of electrodes has one of a first and a second range respectively; and
launching the one or more electrodes.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein:
the shield includes an axis and a curved edge;
the detector is positioned inside the shield; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the curved edge so that the detector detects none of the scattered light.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein:
the shield includes a cylinder having an axis that is not central to the cylinder; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the cylinder with respect to the detector so that the detector detects none of the scattered light.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein:
the shield includes an axis and an edge; and
the shield is configured to rotate around the axis to position the edge with respect to the detector so that the detector detects none of the scattered light.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein the first range is less than the second range.