Firearm safety and training aid

Abstract

There are several important aspects to the use of firearms and other projectile weapons, whether for self-defense, target practice, hunting, or other lawful purposes. These aspects include recognizing the target; proper aiming, firing, and follow through, as well as recognizing other considerations related to safe firearm use such as the possibility causing unintentional injury or damage, ensuring the proper firearm is in use, engaging or disengaging any safety mechanisms. Herein, a novel system for addressing all these concerns related to safe and effective firearm use is disclosed. The system, in various embodiments, allows sensing the motion of a firearm at the time the trigger is pulled and for estimating the point of impact of a projectile, alerting the user of the status of the firearm, sensing the differences between proper and improper targets, locating a lost or stolen firearm, and other features.

1 . A firearm vision system comprising:
 an image sensor configured to capture an image; and   a processor having executable code that when executed analyzes the image, compares the image with image data stored in a database, and identifies the presence of a target in the image based on the comparison.   
     
     
         2 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the target is a physical target having a predefined geometry. 
     
     
         3 . The firearm vision system of  claim 2 , wherein the physical target is one of a bullseye target, a metal target, a sight-in target, and a competition target. 
     
     
         4 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the target is a steel target having a predefined geometry. 
     
     
         5 . The firearm vision system of  claim 4 , wherein the predefined geometry has a shape of an animal. 
     
     
         6 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the target is a living target and wherein the image data includes humanoid and animal shapes. 
     
     
         7 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the vision system is configured to provide a warning to a user based on the comparison with the database. 
     
     
         8 . The firearm vision system of  claim 7 , wherein providing the warning includes the firearm vision system establishing communication with a user computing device and communicating the warning via the user computing device. 
     
     
         9 . The firearm vision system of  claim 7 , wherein the firearm vision system is configured to emit one or more of a visual warning and an audible warning. 
     
     
         10 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the firearm vision system is configured to operably connect to one or more fire control components of the firearm when installed. 
     
     
         11 . The firearm vision system of  claim 10 , wherein the firearm vision system is configured to disable the firearm based on the comparison with the database. 
     
     
         12 . The firearm vision system of  claim 11 , wherein the firearm vision system is configured to block movement of the one or more fire control components. 
     
     
         13 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the image sensor includes an infrared light sensor. 
     
     
         14 . The firearm vision system of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to analyze temperature information of the image and identify a living target in the image. 
     
     
         15 . The firearm vision system of  claim 14 , wherein identifying the living target includes identifying a humanoid form having a temperature from 90-110° F. 
     
     
         16 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the image sensor is configured for visible light. 
     
     
         17 . The firearm vision system of  claim 16 , wherein comparing the image with the database includes performing facial recognition. 
     
     
         18 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the image sensor includes a LIDAR sensor. 
     
     
         19 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the image sensor includes a RADAR sensor. 
     
     
         20 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , further comprising a GPS sensor in communication with the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to compare a location of the handgun with a location database. 
     
     
         21 . The firearm vision system of  claim 20 , wherein the firearm vision system is configured to operably connect to one or more fire control components of the firearm when installed and to disable the firearm based on the comparison with the location database. 
     
     
         22 . The firearm vision system of  claim 21 , wherein disabling the firearm includes blocking movement of the one or more fire control components. 
     
     
         23 . The firearm vision system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to communicate, based on recognizing a target, with at least one of another firearm, a computer, a remote computer, a mobile device, and an electronic device having wireless connectivity.