Ball-trapping device with electronic detection of impact on a target and detection method used therewith

Abstract

It comprises an impact resistant casing ( 1 ) having a frontal opening and means for removably fastening a target ( 2 ) covering such opening, the target ( 2 ) being of a sheet material through which projectiles can go and having an external face with a depicted motive to be shot. Electronic means are provided for detecting the position of impact on said target ( 2 ), comprising an electronic camera ( 3 ) arranged to obtain successive images of a face of target ( 2 ) after each shot, an image treating unit ( 4 ) for determining the geometric center of the projectile at each impact from a treatment of the obtained images, and a data receiving and/or retransmitting center ( 6,7 ) for displaying the results on a viewing screen ( 13, 14 ) and/or for retransmit them through a telecommunication network.

1 .- Ball-trapping device with electronic detection of the impact on the target of the kind comprising a casing ( 1 ) made of a material having impact strength and with a front face having an opening and means for removably fastening a target ( 2 ) covering such opening, the target ( 2 ) being in the form of a sheet material through which the projectiles can go, on which external face a motive to be shot is depicted, electronic means being provided for detecting the position of at least one impact on said target ( 2 ), characterized in that said electronic means comprise an electronic camera ( 3 ) having a focusing lens for picking-up images, an image treating unit ( 4 ), and a data receiving and/or retransmitting center ( 6 , 7 ) susceptible to be associated with a viewing screen ( 13 ,  14 ), said electronic camera ( 3 ) being arranged to encompass in its focal field a face of the target ( 2 ) and to obtain after each shot successive images of said face on which new holes or modifications of previous holes produced by successive impacts appear, said image treating unit ( 4 ) being adapted for determining the geometric center of the projectile at each successive impact from a treatment of the obtained images, and said data receiving and/or retransmitting center ( 6 , 7 ) being adapted for displaying the results on said viewing screen ( 13 ,  14 ) and/or retransmit them through a telecommunication network.  
     
     
         2 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said electronic camera ( 3 ) is housed in a protected chamber ( 8 ) associated with the casing ( 1 ) and encompasses in its focal field the internal back face of the target ( 2 ) through a transparent wall ( 9 ).  
     
     
         3 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said electronic camera is housed in a protected chamber associated with the casing ( 1 ) and encompasses in its focal field the external front face of the target ( 2 ) a support of said chamber being stiff enough to provide stability to the image.  
     
     
         4 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that it includes a microphone ( 10 ) within the casing ( 1 ) to pick-up a noise produced by each successive impact, said noise in combination with the image corresponding to same shot serving to determine when the target ( 2 ) is so damaged that it is necessary to replace it.  
     
     
         5 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that such image treating unit ( 4 ) is integrated in a protected chamber ( 8 ) associated with the casing ( 1 ) and comprises a digital signal processor DSP with associated memories for storing images and processing them based on neuronal networks.  
     
     
         6 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 5 , characterized in that such data receiving and/or retransmitting center ( 6 ,  7 ) is a local computing center ( 6 ) having an associated viewing screen ( 13 ) located close to a user who is shooting, means being provided for transmitting the results of said image treatment from the image treating unit ( 4 ) in the box ( 1 ) to said local computing center ( 6 ).  
     
     
         7 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 6 , characterized in that said transmitting means comprise a connection cable ( 5 ) for connecting to said local computing center ( 6 ), the local computing center ( 6 ) being selected from a group including a Personal digital assistant PDA and a personal computer PC, in each case provided with an input port for connecting the cable.  
     
     
         8 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 6 , characterized in that said transmitting means comprise an infrared ray emitter to said local computing center ( 6 ), the local computing center ( 6 ) being selected from a group including a Personal digital assistant PDA and a personal computer PC, in each case provided with an infrared ray receiving port.  
     
     
         9 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 6 , characterized in that said transmitting means comprise a radio-frequency waves emitter to said local computing center ( 6 ), the local computing center ( 6 ) being selected from a group including a Personal digital assistant PDA and a personal computer PC, in each case provided with a radio-frequency waves receiver  
     
     
         10 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 1 , characterized in that said image treating unit ( 4 ) is located at a place outside the casing ( 1 ) and comprises a digital signal processor DSP with associated memories for storing image and treating them based on neuronal networks, memories an external connection, such as via cable, between the electronic camera ( 3 ) and the image treating unit ( 4 ) being provided.  
     
     
         11 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 10 , characterized in that the image treating unit ( 4 ) is integrated in a personal digital assistant PDA or personal computer PC which also acts as a data receiving and/or retransmitting center ( 6 ,  7 ).  
     
     
         12 .- Ball-trapping device according to any one of preceding claims, characterized in that it includes one or more batteries or cells ( 12 ) associated with said casing ( 1 ) for providing power supply to the systems requiring it, thereby the ball-trapping device is energetically autonomous.  
     
     
         13 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 7 , characterized in that said connection cable ( 5 ) includes an electric line, those systems in the ball-trapping device requiring it being supplied with power from the power supply of said local computing center ( 6 ) itself.  
     
     
         14 .- Ball-trapping device according to any of  claims 1  to  11 , characterized in that said casing ( 1 ) includes an input for connection to an external power supply to supply with power the systems of the ball-trapping device requiring it.  
     
     
         15 .- Ball-trapping device according to any of  claims 6  to  11 , characterized in that said local computing center ( 6 ) is connected to a remote computing center ( 7 ) through a telecommunication network.  
     
     
         16 .- Ball-trapping device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said electronic camera is constituted by a CCD device having MOS technology.  
     
     
         17 .- Ball-trapping device according to  claim 2 , characterized in that said sheet material of which the target ( 2 ) is made is sufficiently opaque in order that the electronic camera ( 3 ) can differentiate said holes or modifications thereof by the light coming from outside, which enters through them, in contrast with the rest of the dark sheet.  
     
     
         18 .- Ball-trapping device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes an external auxiliary illumination source which is applied on the external front face of the target ( 2 ).  
     
     
         19 .- Method of detection applicable to a ball-trapping device having electronic detection of the impact on a target, the ball-trapping device being of the type comprising a casing ( 1 ) of a material with strength to the impacts, having a front face provided with an opening and means for removably fastening a target ( 2 ) covering said opening, the target ( 2 ) being in the form of a sheet material through which the projectiles can go, on which external face a motive to be shot is depicted, electronic means being provided for detecting the position of at least an impact on said target ( 2 ), characterized in that it comprises following steps: 
 a) obtaining, by means of an electronic camera ( 3 ) provided with a system of focusing lens arranged within the casing ( 1 ), at least one image of one face of the target ( 2 ) after each shot, on which face successive new holes or modifications of previous holes produced by successive impacts appear;    b) treating, by means of an image treating unit ( 4 ), the images obtained for improving its definition and processing the treated images for determining the geometric center of the projectile at each successive impact from the obtained, handled and processed images; and    c) displaying the results in a viewing screen ( 13 ,  14 ).    
     
     
         20 .- Method, according to  claim 19 , characterized in that it comprises transferring, using communication means ( 5 ), the result of said treatment carried out by said image treating unit ( 4 ), which is located within the casing ( 1 ), to a data receiving and/or retransmitting center, which is a local ( 6 ) or remote ( 7 ) computing center.  
     
     
         21 .- Method, according to  claim 19 , characterized in that said processing of the treated images is carried out through image treatment algorithms and artificial intelligence operations, and by comparing the obtained images with images stored in a memory associated with said image treating unit ( 4 ).  
     
     
         22 .- Method, according to  claim 21 , characterized in that it comprises a prior step of calibrating the position of the image as a function of a parameter such as a printed mark on the target face picked-up by the camera ( 3 ) or target control holes.  
     
     
         23 .- Method, according to  claim 19 , characterized in that the electronic camera ( 3 ) encompasses the internal back face of the target ( 1 ) and said algorithm comprises first storing in a memory the image obtained after a first shot; then passing the successive obtained images to a treating unit in which comparing their intensity in gray scale between each new in-coming image and the last image stored in the memory; and last, storing each new image resulting from comparison rejecting the image of the former shot.  
     
     
         24 .- Method, according to  claim 23 , characterized in that it comprises making a projection on horizontal and vertical axes of the image of the impact resulting from said comparison, thereby obtaining two vectors X and Y which are filtered with a filtering pattern depending on the kind of ammunition and shot to be detected, with the assistance of an empiric database for retrieving said filtering patterns and counterbalancing according to former impacts, and in that after said filtering the central point of the impact is determined from thresholds in the gray scale.  
     
     
         25 .- Method, according to  claim 24 , characterized in that it comprises the use of a second database to carry out a relocation of the central point determined with techniques of artificial intelligence based on neuronal networks of the back-propagation kind, said point being obtained with reference to a corner of the image.  
     
     
         26 .- Method, according to  claim 19 , characterized in that the electronic camera ( 3 ) encompasses the external front face of the target ( 1 ) and said algorithm comprises first storing in a memory the image obtained after a first shot; then passing the successive obtained images to a treating unit in which black points are compared between each in-coming image and the last image stored in the memory; and storing each new image resulting from comparison rejecting the image of the former shot.  
     
     
         27 .- Method, according to  claim 26 , characterized in that it comprises to make a projection on horizontal and vertical axes of the image of the impact resulting from said comparison, thereby obtaining two vectors X and Y which are filtered with a filtering pattern depending on the kind of ammunition and shot to be detected, with the assistance of an empiric database for retrieving said filtering patterns and counterbalancing according to former impacts, and in that after said filtering the central point of the impact is determined from thresholds in the gray scale.  
     
     
         28 .- Method, according to  claim 27 , characterized in that it comprises the use of a second database to carry out a relocation of the central point determined by techniques of artificial intelligence based on neuronal networks of the back-propagation kind, said point being obtained with reference to a corner of the image.  
     
     
         29 .- Method, according to  claim 19 , characterized in that it includes a function for determining when the target ( 2 ) is so damaged that it is necessary to replace it, comprising following steps: 
   1 ) picking-up by means of a microphone ( 10 ) a noise produced by each successive impact within the casing ( 1 );      2 ) comparing the image obtained corresponding to same shot that produced last noise with the image stored corresponding to the former shot; and in case that a given level of difference is not assessed between said two consecutive images,      3 ) issue a warning about the convenience to replace the target ( 2 ).