Smart ammunition

Abstract

A smart round of ammunition includes a casing, a primer disposed at a bottom portion of the casing, a projectile mounted at a top portion of the casing and a propellant disposed within an interior portion of the casing between the projectile and primer. The primer includes a piezo generator transducing a mechanical force received at a firing pin portion of the primer into a stored charge, a switch coupling and decoupling a spark gap between the stored charge and the propellant, and a wireless sensor activating the switch responsive to a digital signal received from a component external to the casing. The activation permits a discharge of the stored charge into the spark gap and therefore detonates the propellant.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A smart round of ammunition comprising:
 a casing;   a primer disposed at a bottom portion of the casing;   a projectile mounted at a top portion of the casing; and,   a propellant disposed within an interior portion of the casing between the projectile and primer;   the primer further comprising a piezo generator transducing a mechanical force received at a firing pin portion of the primer into a stored charge, a switch coupling and decoupling a spark gap between the stored charge and the propellant, and a wireless sensor activating the switch responsive to a digital signal received from a component external to the casing, the activation permitting a discharge of the stored charge into the spark gap and therefore detonating the propellant.   
     
     
         2 . The smart round of ammunition of  claim 1 , further comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) receiver receiving the digital signal from an RFID transmitter remotely disposed from the smart round of ammunition. 
     
     
         3 . The smart round of ammunition of  claim 1 , further comprising an accelerometer coupled to a memory and disposed on the projectile, the accelerometer responding to a discharge of the stored charge by storing inertial measurements in the memory measured contemporaneously with the discharge. 
     
     
         4 . The smart round of ammunition of  claim 4 , further comprising a wireless communications transmitter co-located on the projectile with the accelerometer, the wireless communications transmitter wirelessly transmitting to a remote computing device the inertial measurements stored in the memory. 
     
     
         5 . The smart round of ammunition of  claim 1 , wherein the digital signal changes a state of the ammunition to an active state permitting a discharge of the stored charge into the spark gap and therefore detonating the propellant. 
     
     
         6 . The smart round of ammunition of  claim 5 , wherein a subsequently received digital signal changes the state of the ammunition to an inactive state prohibiting a discharge of the stored charge into the spark gap and therefore blocking detonation of the propellant. 
     
     
         7 . The smart round of ammunition of  claim 2 , wherein non-receipt of the digital signal from the RFID transmitter places the smart round of ammunition into an inactive state prohibiting a discharge of the stored charge into the spark gap and therefore blocking detonation of the propellant. 
     
     
         8 . The smart round of ammunition of  claim 2 , wherein receipt of the digital signal from the RFID transmitter places the smart round of ammunition into an active state permitting discharge of the stored charge into the spark gap and therefore detonating the propellant. 
     
     
         9 . A magazine comprising:
 a multiplicity of smart rounds of ammunition, each of the smart rounds comprising:   a casing;   a primer disposed at a bottom portion of the casing;   a projectile mounted at a top portion of the casing; and,   a propellant disposed within an interior portion of the casing between the projectile and primer;   the primer further comprising a piezo generator transducing a mechanical force received at a firing pin portion of the primer into a stored charge, a switch coupling and decoupling a spark gap between the stored charge and the propellant, and a wireless sensor activating the switch responsive to a digital signal received from a component external to the casing, the activation permitting a discharge of the stored charge into the spark gap and therefore detonating the propellant.   
     
     
         10 . The magazine of  claim 9 , wherein the magazine comprises a memory powered by a battery disposed within the magazine, the memory receiving from each of the smart rounds, information pertaining to whether or not a corresponding one of the smart rounds has been discharged. 
     
     
         11 . The magazine of  claim 10 , further comprising a wireless transceiver powered by the battery and transmitting data in the memory wirelessly to a smartphone. 
     
     
         12 . The magazine of  claim 11 , wherein the switch is biased in a closed position rendering the smart ammunition active, the magazine further comprising:
 a processor powered by the battery and executing computer program instructions operable during execution to respond to a receipt of a signal from the smartphone by biasing the switch to an open position.   
     
     
         13 . A smart primer adapted for attachment to a bottom portion of a casing of a round of ammunition comprising a casing, a projectile mounted at a top portion of the casing and propellant disposed within an interior portion of the casing between the projectile and smart primer, the primer comprising:
 a piezo generator transducing a mechanical force received at a firing pin portion of the primer into a stored charge, a switch coupling and decoupling a spark gap between the stored charge and the propellant, and a wireless sensor activating the switch responsive to a digital signal received from a component external to the casing, the activation permitting a discharge of the stored charge into the spark gap and therefore detonating the propellant.