Electromagnetic firing system for firearm with interruptable trigger control

A firearm with interruptible electromagnetic trigger system, the system comprising:

• an electronic trigger unit mounted to the firearm and operable to discharge the firearm, the trigger unit including an electromagnetic actuator comprising:
• a rotating member operably coupled with a firing mechanism component movable to discharge the firearm, the rotating member rotatable about a pivot axis to actuate the firing mechanism component for discharging the firearm;
• a trigger operably coupled to the rotating member, the trigger manually movable by a user between first and second positions;
• a permanent magnet generating a static magnetic field in the rotating member, the static magnetic field creating a primary resistance force opposing movement of the rotating member and trigger when pulled by the user;
• the coil when energized generating a secondary magnetic field in the rotating member which overcomes the primary resistance force and rotates the rotating member to discharge the firearm;
• a programmable trigger unit microcontroller operably coupled to the electromagnetic actuator of the trigger unit, the trigger unit microcontroller further operably coupled to an external fire control targeting system and configured to:
• detect user activity on the trigger sensed by a trigger sensor communicably coupled to the trigger unit microcontroller, the user trigger activity comprising an applied trigger force or trigger displacement;
• compare the user activity on the trigger to a preprogrammed first trigger setpoint;
• and
• transmit a shot initiation signal to the fire control targeting system when the user activity on the trigger exceeds the first trigger setpoint.

A method for discharging a firearm with an interruptible firing system, the method comprising:

• providing an electronic trigger unit operably coupled to a power source and mounted to the firearm, the trigger unit comprising a programmable trigger unit microcontroller, a trigger, and an electromagnetic actuator operably coupled to the trigger and a firing mechanism of the firearm, the actuator including a magnetic coil which when energized moves the actuator from a ready-to-fire unactuated position to an actuated firing position which discharges the firearm;
• providing a fire control targeting system comprising an electronic adaptive optics unit mounted to the firearm for sighting a target, the adaptive optics unit including a programmable targeting microcontroller operably coupled to the trigger unit microcontroller;
• the trigger unit microcontroller detecting trigger activity initiated by a user, the trigger activity comprising a trigger pull force or displacement;
• the trigger unit microcontroller sending a shot initiation signal to the targeting microcontroller when the trigger activity exceeds a preprogrammed first trigger setpoint;
• the targeting microcontroller sending a shot authorization control signal to the trigger unit microcontroller in response to receiving the shot initiation signal;
• the trigger unit microcontroller energizing the actuator in response to receiving the shot authorization signal which changes the actuator from the unactuated position to the firing position which discharges the firearm.