System and method for calculating a projectile impact coordinates

Abstract

A training system and method to calculate actual coordinates of a projectile impact at one or more screens has been disclosed. A projectile is launched at a screen. One or more targets are projected onto the screen. A calibrated sensor is directed at the screen surface. The sensor continually captures thermal images of the screen surface. The sensor comprises software to detect and isolate thermal images of the projectile impacting the screen. These impact images are transmitted to a computer connected to the sensor. The computer comprises software to calculate the actual impact coordinates relative to a projected target. The calculated coordinates are digitally sent to feedback devices for display purposes. The system further comprises virtual training scenarios that are triggered upon notification of actual impact coordinates. These training scenarios simulate real life situations.

1 . A training system to detect impact coordinates of one or more projectiles launched from one or more projectile launchers, the system comprising: 
 one or more targets displayed on one or more screens;    a sensor directed at the one or more screens, the sensor capable of capturing thermal images of a projectile impact on the one or more targets;    means for calculating actual coordinates of the projectile impact from the thermal images captured by the sensor; and    means for providing immediate feedback of the projectile impact coordinates.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the screens comprise a surface capable of receiving one or more targets projected onto the screen.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the screens comprise an elastomeric material.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the projectiles comprise bullets, lead bullets, copper jacketed bullets, steel jacketed bullets, plastic bullets, frangible bullets, rockets, missiles, BB pellets, softair pellets and arrows.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more projectile launchers are adapted to fire one or more projectiles comprising lasers.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the system comprises means to determine the location of the projectile launcher from which the lasers were fired.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor further comprises means to compare currently captured thermal images of the screen with previously captured baseline thermal images of the screen to detect deviations from the baseline due to a heat signature left by the projectile impact.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the sensor further comprises software to isolate images comprising deviations from the previously captured images.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein each image detected by the sensor comprises a plurality of pixels.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises means to transmit thermal images of the projectile impact to a computer connected to the sensor.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the computer comprises software to calculate actual pixel coordinates of the projectile impact relative to the projected targets from the isolated impact images transmitted by the sensor.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer further comprises software to trigger simulated training scenarios on the one or more screens based on the calculated pixel coordinates.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer comprises software for digitally illustrating the projectile impact coordinates relative to the one or more projected targets.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the computer transmits digital images of the impact coordinates to a projector or monitor for immediate visual feedback.  
   
   
       15 . A training system to detect impact coordinates of a projectile launched from a projectile launching apparatus, the system comprising: 
 one or more targets displayed on one or more screens, the screens comprising an elastomeric material for receiving a projectile impact;    a thermal camera facing the screens for capturing thermal images of the screen;    a computer for determining projectile impact coordinates by calculating pixel coordinates of the projectile impact from the thermal images captured by the thermal camera, the computer connected to the thermal camera; and    a projector for projecting visual images of the calculated pixel coordinates relative to the one or more targets, the projector connected to the computer.    
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more projected targets comprise live video, computer graphics, digital animation, three-dimensional images, two dimensional images, virtual targets and moving targets.  
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the thermal camera comprises a frame rate of at least 30 frames per second to capture thermal images of the projectile impact.  
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the thermal camera comprises a frame rate of at least 60 frames per second to capture thermal images of the projectile impacting the screen.  
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the thermal camera is calibrated to compensate for radial distortion and tangential distortion in the captured images caused by the camera lens.  
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising software to compensate for screen distortion.  
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the thermal camera comprises software to detect a projectile impact by comparing current thermal images of the screen with baseline thermal images of the screen.  
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the thermal camera further comprises means to isolate images of the projectile impact from other captured screen images.  
   
   
       23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the thermal camera comprises means to transmit the isolated projectile impact images to the computer.  
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the computer comprises software to calculate actual pixel coordinates of the projectile impact relative to the one or more projected targets.  
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the computer comprises means to convert the calculated projectile impact coordinates into digital signals for transmission to one or more feedback devices.  
   
   
       26 . A system for detecting actual coordinates of a projectile impact, the system comprising: 
 one or more targets, the targets projected onto one or more elastomeric screens adapted to receive the projectile impact;    a thermal camera directed at the screen, the thermal camera continually capturing thermal images of the one or more screens;    means for a computer to receive images captured by the thermal camera, the computer connected to the thermal camera    means for the computer to calculate actual impact coordinates relative to the projected targets from the images received from the thermal camera;    means for the computer to digitally illustrate the impact coordinates;    a projector for visually illustrating the impact coordinates on the screen, the projector connected to the computer; and    one or more simulated training scenarios to be displayed on the screen and one or more feedback devices.    
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the projectiles comprise bullets, lead bullets, copper jacketed bullets, steel jacketed bullets, plastic bullets, frangible bullets, rockets, missiles, BB pellets, softair pellets and arrows.  
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the one or more projected targets comprise live video, computer graphics, digital animation, three-dimensional images, two-dimensional images, moving targets and virtual targets.  
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the computer further comprises means to process the thermal images received from the thermal camera to detect images of a projectile impact.  
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the computer detects a projectile impact by comparing the thermal images of the screen with previously captured baseline thermal images of the screen images to observe deviations from the baseline.  
   
   
       31 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the system further comprises software to display the pixel coordinates of the projectile impact along a virtual X-axis and a Y-axis superimposed on the screen.  
   
   
       32 . The system of  claim 26 , wherein the system further comprises means for creating one or more simulated training scenarios.  
   
   
       33 . The system of  claim 32 , wherein the computer comprises software means to select and run one or more training scenarios, the training scenarios selected dependent upon the calculated pixel coordinates of the projectile impact.  
   
   
       34 . The system of  claim 33 , wherein the system further comprises means to project the one or more training scenarios on the one or more screens.  
   
   
       35 . A method for determining the position of a live projectile impact, the method comprising: 
 (a) calibrating a thermal camera to compensate for lens distortion;    (b) capturing baseline thermal images of screen coordinates;    (c) launching the projectile at one or more targets projected on a screen;    (d) detecting a heat signature left by a projectile impact on the screen using a thermal camera;    (e) calculating actual pixel coordinates of the projectile impact;    (f) displaying visual images of the pixel coordinates along a X-axis and a Y-axis transposed on the screen; and    (g) projecting simulated training scenarios onto the screen based upon the position of the pixel coordinates.    
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising the step of the thermal camera detecting and isolating images of the one or more projectiles impacting the one or more screens.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising the step of the thermal camera transmitting the isolated projectile impact images to an attached computer.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the computer calculates the actual coordinates of the projectile impact relative to the projected targets.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 38 , wherein the computer creates digital images of the calculated projectile impact coordinates relative to the screen.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 35  further comprising providing immediate feedback of the projectile impact coordinates.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 40  where feedback is provided through a computer monitor.  
   
   
       42 . A containerized training system to detect impact coordinates of a projectile launched from a projectile launching apparatus, the system comprising: 
 a housing comprising a metallic surface;    one or more targets displayed on one or more screens, the screens located within the housing;    a thermal camera facing the screens for capturing thermal images of the screens;    a computer for determining projectile impact coordinates by calculating pixel coordinates of the projectile impact from the thermal images captured by the thermal camera, the computer connected to the thermal camera; and    a projector for projecting visual images of the calculated pixel coordinates relative to the one or more targets, the projector connected to the computer.