Method and apparatus to provide precision aiming assistance to a shooter

Abstract

An aiming system provides precision aiming assistance to a user based on the availability of a windage variable that is used in the computation of a windage hold-off. In an exemplary embodiment, the aiming system comprises a processing module, a wind-reading scope, and a windage compensation table comprising tabulated windage variables. In one or more other embodiments, the aiming system further comprises a security module, which may be used to store the windage compensation table in electronic form, store an authorization code, or otherwise serve as an enabling device for operation of the aiming system. Regardless, unless a valid windage variable as obtained from the windage compensation table is made available to the processing module, the aiming system does not compute a precision hold-off. If the windage variable is available, along with any other needed parameter, such as target range and wind speed, the processing module computes the hold-off value.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An aiming system to provide aiming assistance to a shooter comprising: 
 a wind-reading scope to determine a wind speed;    a windage compensation table to provide a windage variable, wherein the windage table is based on ballistic coefficients compensated for at least one of an ambient temperature and an ambient pressure; and    a processing module comprising: 
 an interface circuit to receive the windage variable; and  
 a processor circuit programmed to compute a hold-off value for the wind-reading scope based on at least the wind speed and the windage variable.  
   
     
     
         2 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor circuit does not enter an active mode, in which the processor computes the hold-off value, unless the windage variable is received, and otherwise remains in a standby mode, wherein the hold-off value is not computed.  
     
     
         3 . The aiming system of  claim 2 , wherein the processor circuit standby and active modes comprise a security feature whereby the aiming system denies aiming point assistance to a user of the aiming system unless a windage variable is received by the processor circuit.  
     
     
         4 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , wherein the windage compensation table comprises one or more printed tables, and wherein the interface circuit includes a user interface to receive the windage variable as data input by a user of the shooting system having access to the one or more printed tables.  
     
     
         5 . The aiming system of  claim 4 , wherein the user interface comprises a keypad to receive the windage variable as keypad inputs from the user.  
     
     
         6 . The aiming system of  claim 5 , wherein the processor circuit computes the hold-off value further based on one or more additional parameters, including a target range, and wherein the processor circuit is programmed to at least the target range as additional keypad inputs from the user.  
     
     
         7 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor circuit is programmed to compute the hold-off value based on a defined set of parameters including the wind speed, the windage variable and a target range.  
     
     
         8 . The aiming system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor circuit is programmed to operate in a standby mode until all of the parameters in the defined set of parameters are received, and then, responsive to receiving a last one of the defined parameters, to transition to an active mode in which the processor circuit computes the hold-off value.  
     
     
         9 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , further comprising a security module communicatively coupled to the processing module to authorize computation of the hold-off value.  
     
     
         10 . The aiming system of  claim 9 , wherein the security module comprises: 
 a transmitter circuit to transmit an authorizing value to the processing module, wherein the authorizing value enables computation of the hold-off value by the processor circuit; and    a logic circuit to provide the authorizing value to the transmitter circuit.    
     
     
         11 . The aiming system of  claim 10 , wherein the processing module further comprises a receiver circuit communicatively coupled to the processor circuit to receive the authorizing value from the security module.  
     
     
         12 . The aiming system of  claim 11 , wherein the authorizing value comprises the windage variable, and wherein the logic circuit within the security module includes a memory circuit to store the windage compensation table.  
     
     
         13 . The aiming system of  claim 11 , wherein the authorizing value comprises an authorization code, and further wherein the processing module includes a memory circuit to store the windage compensation table, and wherein the processor circuit is programmed to access the memory circuit responsive to receiving a valid authorization code.  
     
     
         14 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , wherein the interface circuit comprises a memory interface circuit associated with the processor circuit, and wherein the processing module further comprises: 
 a memory circuit to store the windage compensation table; and    a user interface to receive an authorization code from a user of the aiming system;    said processor circuit programmed to obtain the windage variable from the memory circuit responsive to receiving a valid authorization code from the user.    
     
     
         15 . The aiming system of  claim 14 , wherein the processor circuit is programmed to obtain the windage variable from the stored windage compensation table by indexing into the table based on at least one or more defined parameters, including a target range, a muzzle velocity, an ambient temperature, and an ambient pressure.  
     
     
         16 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor circuit is programmed to compute the hold-off value based on a defined set of parameters including the windage variable, the wind speed, and a target range.  
     
     
         17 . The aiming system of  claim 16 , wherein the defined set of parameters further includes a muzzle velocity, and at least one of an ambient temperature and ambient pressure.  
     
     
         18 . The aiming system of  claim 17 , wherein the interface circuit comprises a user interface to receive at least one of the parameters in the defined set of parameters as data input by a user of the aiming system.  
     
     
         19 . The aiming system of  claim 18 , further comprising one or more parameter sensors to determine one or more of the parameters in the defined set of parameters, such that one or more parameters are received as data input by the user via the user interface, and one or more parameters are determined by the one or more parameter sensors.  
     
     
         20 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor circuit receives an encoded windage variable, and wherein the processor circuit is programmed to decode the encoded windage variable to use in computing the hold-off value.  
     
     
         21 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , further comprising a scope interface circuit communicatively coupling the processing module and the wind-reading scope.  
     
     
         22 . The aiming system of  claim 21 , wherein the processing module determines the wind-speed by controlling a wind-reading function of the wind-reading scope.  
     
     
         23 . The aiming system of  claim 21 , wherein the processing module receives the wind speed as determined by the wind-reading scope.  
     
     
         24 . The aiming system of  claim 21 , wherein the processing module provides the wind-reading scope with the hold-off value or with a control signal corresponding to the hold-off value.  
     
     
         25 . The aiming system of  claim 24 , wherein the wind-reading scope displays an indicia corresponding to the hold-off value or control signal received from the processing module within a field of view provided by the wind-reading scope.  
     
     
         26 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , wherein the wind-reading scope displays wind-matching indicia having an adjustable translation speed and an adjustable translation direction relative to a field of view provided by the wind-reading scope, and wherein the wind-matching indicia are responsive to one or more adjustment controls included as part of the aiming system, thereby allowing a user to determine wind speed by matching the translation speed and direction of the wind-matching indicia to actual wind conditions as observed through the field of view.  
     
     
         27 . The aiming system of  claim 26 , wherein the wind-reading scope includes a data interface communicatively coupled to the processing module.  
     
     
         28 . The aiming system of  claim 27 , wherein the adjustment controls comprise part of the processing module, and wherein the processing module controls the wind-matching indicia responsive to user operation of the adjustment controls.  
     
     
         29 . The aiming system of  claim 27 , wherein the adjustment controls comprise part of the wind-reading scope.  
     
     
         30 . The aiming system of  claim 27 , wherein the wind-reading scope determines the wind-speed based on the translation speed of the wind-matching indicia and transfers a corresponding wind speed value to the processing module.  
     
     
         31 . The aiming system of  claim 1 , wherein the processing module computes the hold-off value in mils.  
     
     
         32 . The aiming system of  claim 31 , wherein the wind-reading scope displays the computed hold-off value as a mils-based offset indicator.  
     
     
         33 . An aiming system to provide aiming assistance to a shooter comprising: 
 a processing module to compute a hold-off value to assist aiming by a shooter based on a defined set of parameters, including at least a windage variable and a wind speed;    said processing module operating in a standby mode if less than all of the defined parameters are available for computing the hold-off value, and operating in an active mode if all of the defined parameters are available, including a valid windage variable, and wherein the processing modules computes the hold-off value in the active mode; and    a windage compensation table to provide a valid windage variable and thereby enable computation of the hold-off value, and wherein the windage table is based on ballistic coefficients compensated for at least one of an ambient temperature and an ambient pressure.    
     
     
         34 . The aiming system of  claim 33 , further comprising a wind-reading scope to obtain the wind speed.  
     
     
         35 . The aiming system of  claim 34 , wherein the wind-reading scope is communicatively coupled to the processing module, and wherein the wind-reading scope provides the wind speed under control of the processing module.  
     
     
         36 . The aiming system of  claim 33 , wherein the windage compensation table comprises one or more printed tables and wherein the processing module includes a keypad for entry of the windage variable.  
     
     
         37 . The aiming system of  claim 33 , wherein the aiming system further comprises a security module for transmitting an authorizing value to the processing module, and wherein the processing module further comprises a receiver circuit to receive the authorizing value.  
     
     
         38 . The aiming system of  claim 37 , wherein the processing module receives the windage variable as the authorizing value.  
     
     
         39 . The aiming system of  claim 37 , wherein the processing module receives an authorization code as the authorizing value, and wherein the processing module does not compute the hold-off value unless a valid authorization code is received from the security module.  
     
     
         40 . A method of providing aiming assistance to a shooter comprising: 
 operating an aiming system in a standby mode if a valid windage variable is not available, and wherein no aiming assistance is provided to a user of the aiming system in standby mode;    operating the aiming system in active mode if a valid windage variable is available, and wherein a hold-off value is provided to the user as aiming assistance in the active mode; and    in active mode: 
 obtaining a valid windage variable from a windage table that is based on ballistic coefficients that are compensated for at least one of an ambient temperature and an ambient pressure; and  
 computing the hold-off value based on a defined set of parameters that includes the valid windage variable.  
   
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the windage table comprises one or more printed tables, and wherein obtaining a valid windage variable comprises receiving the valid windage variable as data input by a user of the aiming system.  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the windage compensation table comprises a look-up table stored in a memory circuit, and wherein obtaining a valid windage variable is based on accessing the stored look-up table.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the aiming system includes a processing module that includes the memory circuit, and wherein obtaining a valid windage variable comprises the processing module accessing the stored look-up table responsive to receiving an authorization code.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein receiving an authorization code comprises receiving data input from a user of the aiming system.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the aiming system further comprises a security module communicatively coupled to the processing module, and wherein receiving an authorization code comprises receiving the authorization code from the security module.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein receiving the authorization code from the security module comprises receiving a wireless signal from the security module.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the aiming system includes a processing module to compute the hold-off value, and a security module that includes the memory circuit to store the look-up table, and wherein obtaining a valid windage variable comprises accessing the stored look-up table to obtain the windage variable and transferring the windage variable from the security module to the processing module.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 47 , further comprising accessing the stored look-up table at the security module responsive to receiving an authorization code input by a user of the security module.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein operating an aiming system in a standby mode it a valid windage variable is not available comprises remaining in standby mode until all of the defined set of parameters are available, including the windage variable.  
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein operating the aiming system in active mode if a valid windage variable is available comprises transitioning from standby mode to active mode and computing the hold-off value responsive to all of the defined parameters, including the windage variable, becoming available.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein the defined parameters include a wind speed, a target range, the windage variable, and at least one of an ambient temperature and an ambient pressure.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 51 , further comprising obtaining the wind speed from a wind-reading scope.  
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein obtaining the wind speed from a wind-reading scope comprises matching a speed and a direction of translating indicia displayed within a field of view of the wind-reading scope to actual wind conditions as observed through the wind-reading scope.  
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , further comprising providing the hold-off value or a control signal corresponding to the hold-off value to the wind-reading scope to provide aiming assistance within the field of view of the wind-reading scope.