# US 2014/0360072 A1 · Precision Guided Firearm Including an Optical Scope Configured to Determine Timing of Discharge > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0360072 A1 - Document ID: US20140360072A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/913,351 - Filed: 2013-06-07 - Published: 2014-12-11 - Earliest claimed: 2013-06-07 - Assignees: Trackingpoint, Inc. - Inventors: John Hancock Lupher; Stefanie Kwan; Douglas Ainsworth Scott; Michael Toal - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140360072A1 ## CPC - F41G 3/00: Aiming or laying means (sighting devices F41G1/00; determining direction, distance or velocity by use of radio or other waves G01S; computers G06; antennas H01Q) - F41G 1/38: Telescopic sights specially adapted for smallarms or ordnance (telescopic sights in general G02B); Supports or mountings therefor {(Means for mounting sighting or aiming devices on firearms F41G11/001)} - F41G 3/12: with means for compensating for muzzle velocity or powder temperature {with means for compensating for gun vibrations} - F41G 3/06: with rangefinder (rangefinders per se G01C) - F41G 3/08: with means for compensating for speed, direction, temperature, pressure, or humidity of the atmosphere (measuring G01) - F41G 3/165: {using a TV-monitor} - F41G: WEAPON SIGHTS; AIMING (optical aspects thereof G02B) ## Abstract A precision guided firearm (PGF) includes a trigger assembly and an optical device coupled to the trigger assembly. The optical device is to predict a time when an aim point of the PGF is less than a programmable threshold distance from a selected location on a target and to control the trigger assembly to discharge the PGF at the time. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A precision guided firearm (PGF) comprising: a trigger assembly; and an optical device coupled to the trigger assembly, the optical device configured to predict a time when a distance between a ballistic solution of the PGF is less than a programmable threshold distance from a selected location on a target and to control the trigger assembly to discharge the PGF at the time. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The PGF of claim 1, wherein the optical device determines the distance optically. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The PGF of claim 1, wherein the optical device determines the distance using optical data from one or more optical sensors and motion data from one or more motion sensors. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The PGF of claim 1, wherein the optical device comprises: an optical sensor configured to capture video of a view area of the optical device; and a processor coupled to the trigger assembly and to the optical sensor, the processor configured to determine the ballistic solution of the PGF. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The PGF of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to process video frames from the video to determine a change in the distance between the aim point and the selected location on the target from video frame to video frame to determine the time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The PGF of claim 1, wherein the optical interface includes an interface to receive user input corresponding to at least one of the selected location on the target and the programmable threshold distance. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The PGF of claim 1, wherein the programmable threshold distance corresponds to up to one inch of deviation per 100 yards relative to the selected location on the target. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The PGF of claim 1, wherein the optical device: calculates the distance from the aim point to the selected location in video frames of the video; determines a trajectory of the aim point from one video frame to a next video frame; predicts a time when the distance will begin to increase based on the trajectory; and provides a control signal to the trigger assembly to discharge the firearm at the time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The PGF of claim 1, wherein the optical device determines the trajectory based on optical data from the video frames and based on motion data from one or more motion sensors corresponding to movement of the aim point during periods between the video frames. ### Claim 10 A method of controlling discharge of a precision guided firearm (PGF), the method comprising: determining a distance between a selected location on a target and an aim point corresponding to a ballistic solution of the PGF using an optical scope coupled to the PGF; and controlling a trigger assembly of the PGF to discharge at a predicted time when the distance is less than a threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein determining the distance comprises: processing a sequence of video frames of a video captured by the optical scope; determining a first distance from the aim point to the selected location on the target in a first video frame of the sequence of video frames; determining a second distance from the aim point to the selected location on the target in a next video frame of the sequence of video frames; determining a trajectory of the aim point based on a difference between the first distance and the second distance; and predicting the predicted time when the distance is increasing when the trajectory of the aim point will intersect a line normal to the trajectory that intersects the selected location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein controlling the trigger assembly to discharge comprises controlling the trigger assembly to discharge when the distance is less than the threshold and the distance is at approximately a local minima. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein, prior to determining the distance, the method comprises receiving the threshold from an input interface, the threshold corresponding to up to one inch of deviation per 100 yards relative to the selected location on the target. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: determining one or more changes in motion of the PGF from one or more motion sensors; and selectively adjusting the predicted time based on the one or more changes in motion of the PGF. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein determining the distance comprises processing a sequence of video frames to determine a trajectory of the aim point over time based on optical changes of the aim point from one video frame to a next video frame and motion data from one or more motion sensors. ### Claim 16 An optical scope comprising: a trigger assembly interface configurable to couple to a trigger assembly of a firearm; an optical sensor configured to capture video of a view area; and a processor coupled to the trigger assembly interface and the optical sensor, the processor configured to process video frames of the video to determine a trajectory of an aim point of the firearm and to provide a control signal to the trigger assembly interface to control discharge of the firearm according to a predicted time when the aim point is within a programmable distance from a selected location on a target ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The optical scope of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to process video frames from the video to optically determine a change in distance between the aim point and the selected location on the target from video frame to video frame. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The optical scope of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to determine the trajectory based on changes of the aim point from one video frame to a next video frame relative to the selected location. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The optical scope of claim 16, further comprising one or more motion sensors configured to determine motion data associated with the optical scope; and wherein the processor determines the predicted time based on optical data from the video frames and the motion data from the one or more motion sensors. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The optical scope of claim 15, wherein the predicted time corresponds to when the aim point is moving away from a line that intersects the selected location and that is normal to the trajectory of the aim point.