Electronic grip-frame for a paintball marker

20 A grip frame 21 replaces an existing grip frame 1 on a paintball marker in order to convert said paintball marker from a mechanically operated paintball marker into an electro-pneumatic paintball marker. The electronic grip frame 21 utilizes an optical sensor in order to detect the operation of a trigger 29 and a second optical sensor to detect the presence of objects within the breech of the paintball marker. Electrical signals from these sensors are taken to an electronic circuit board 24, which controls the operation of two solenoids (one shown 26) in order to fire and recock the paintball marker. A user interface comprising pushbuttons 12, 13, 14 and a multi-character display 16, allows the user to define how the grip frame 21 functions.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.K. Patent Application Serial No. 0217099.1, filed on Jul. 24, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a grip frame. The frame is intended to form an integral part of a paintball marker and to be supplied as an upgrade for existing paintball markers.

A paintball marker, also known as a paintball gun or paintball launcher, is a device used to propel paintballs. A paintball is a spherical object typically 0.68 inch diameter, comprised of a fragile shell which encapsulates a coloured liquid. When a paintball that has been launched from a paintball marker comes into contact with a hard surface, the shell of the paintball ruptures and the coloured liquid is released, leaving a bright mark on the surface.

One type of paintball marker is a mechanically operated marker. With this type of marker the user pulls a trigger which, through the use of a mechanical linkage, releases a spring-loaded hammer. This hammer is pushed forward by the compressed spring and strikes a spring loaded valve pin, causing the valve to open for a short time and release a burst of compressed gas. This gas burst is internally diverted through the marker such that it passes through a bolt and into the breech of the marker behind a paintball. The expanding gas accelerates the paintball out of the breech, along a barrel and out of the end of that barrel. The continued pull on the trigger actuates a mechanically operated pneumatic valve, which supplies compressed gas to one side of a pneumatic cylinder. This cylinder pushes the hammer back to its starting position and also retracts the bolt to reveal a feed aperture through which a second paintball can drop into the breech. The release of the trigger switches the pneumatic valve back to its original position, supplying compressed gas to the opposite side of the pneumatic cylinder and pushing the bolt back to its original position thus causing the second paintball to be pushed into its firing position, ready for the cycle to start again.

Another type of paintball marker is an electro-pneumatic marker. This type of marker functions in much the same way as the mechanically operated marker with the exception that the trigger no longer provides the mechanical action required to operate the marker. The trigger in this type of marker operates an electrical switch, which is interpreted by an electrical circuit as the signal to start the firing cycle. This electrical circuit typically employs electro-pneumatic solenoid valves, which drive pneumatic cylinders in order to create the movement necessary to fire and re-cock the marker.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The electro-pneumatic paintball marker of the present invention has a much higher rate of fire than a mechanically operated paintball marker and this is a major advantage in modern paintball. The grip frame of the invention is intended for fitting onto a mechanically operated paintball marker in order to convert that marker into an electro-pneumatic marker and thus increase the rate of fire of the marker. The inventive grip frame replaces the entire grip frame of an existing paintball marker along with the hammer release mechanism and the mechanically operated pneumatic valve.

According to the present invention there is provided a grip frame for a paintball marker or the like comprising a handle, a trigger mechanism associated with the handle comprising a trigger and an electronic sensor associated with the trigger for determining when the trigger has been activated.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the sensor may be optical. Stop means may be provided for limiting the travel of the trigger. The stop means may comprise two adjustable stops limiting travel in opposite directions. Magnetic means may be provided to urge the trigger back to its rest position. Display means may be provided for providing information to the user disposed on that face of the handle facing the user in normal use. These display means may comprise an LED or a liquid crystal display. Advantageously, the display is a multicharacter display. Pushbuttons may be provided in the handle for calibration purposes. The frame may be made of metal or plastics or a combination of both but other materials may also be used. The invention also comprises a paintball marker including a grip frame as defined above. The marker comprises a breech and barrel connected to the grip frame. Advantageously a sensor for sensing the presence of an object in the breech is provided.

Specifically the breech sensor is used to detect the presence of objects at a position in the breech below the feed aperture through which the paintballs enter the breech. This sensor is used to detect that a paintball is in the breech before the bolt can travel forwards thus preventing the bolt from breaking a ball that has not completely passed through the feed aperture, a major problem when trying to operate other paintball markers at high rates of fire. The sensor is also used to detect that the bolt is fully forwards prior to the marker being fired, thus preventing gas from escaping the breech through the feed aperture and ensuring maximum gas efficiency.

As the trigger does not operate an electrical switch, as in the case in other paintball markers, but senses the movement of the trigger by means of a sensor, moving parts are reduced which makes the marker more reliable than other paintball markers.

The use of a magnet and adjustable screw in order to set the amount of force required to actuate the trigger is an improvement over other paintball markers where the trigger operating force can only be varied by replacing a trigger return spring.

The LED display provides improved viewing in low light conditions over the LCD displays used on other paintball markers. Mounting the display at the rear of the grip frame allows the user to view the display without having to move the paintball marker from its shooting position. This is an improvement over the other paintball markers where displays are mounted on either the side of the marker or the side of the grip frame.

Electrical elements form parts of an electronic circuit which is advantageously battery powered. The battery used to power the electronic circuit makes electrical contact with the related circuit board by means of leaf spring contacts. This is an improvement over other paintball markers which use battery straps on flying leads as these leads often break with use. Longevity for the original marker is increased by providing a means to upgrade rather than replace the marker.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring toFIG. 1, the mechanically operated paintball marker comprises a grip frame1firing mechanism comprising body2defining a breech2aand barrel3. Referring toFIGS. 2,3a3band3c, an electronic grip frame21to replace the mechanical grip frame1is shown. Grip frame21comprises a handle22defining a cavity23in which an electronic circuit board24and an electrical battery25are located. Above this cavity23is a second cavity in which a hammer release assembly comprising a sear solenoid26, pin28and sear27is disposed. This hammer release assembly is controlled by a trigger29which is protected by a trigger guard30to reduce the possibility of accidental operation. The hammer release assembly will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG.6.

The trigger29can be operated by either one or two fingers, the trigger guard30being large enough to accommodate two fingered operation. At the rear of the grip frame three recessed holes9,10and11provide access to three tactile pushbuttons12,13,14mounted on the electronic circuit board24. This recessing prevents accidental operation of the pushbuttons. Also at the rear of the grip frame, below the pushbutton holes9,10and11is a transparent window15through which can be viewed a multi-character, alphanumeric LED (light emitting diode) display16. A slider type switch17is located towards the rear of the frame21and is used to switch the electrical supply to the electronic circuit board24. Channels18are cut into the grip frame for the purpose of routing interconnecting cables.

Referring toFIGS. 4aand4b, trigger29pivots on a pin19that passes through the body of the grip frame21. The trigger29is held onto the pin19by means of a set screw20. A second set screw31locates in a threaded hole through the front of the trigger and acts as a trigger stop. This set screw31can be screwed into or out from the hole in order20to vary the maximum travel of the trigger29. A third set screw32locates in a threaded hole through the top of the trigger and also acts as a trigger stop. This set screw32can be screwed into or out from the hole in order to vary the rest position of the trigger29. A small magnet135is located in the grip frame above a fourth set screw33. This magnet135attracts the set screw33, ensuring that the trigger29returns to its rest position when released. A prong34protrudes from the -rear of the trigger29passing through a slot in the grip frame21. When the trigger29is operated, the prong34passes through a slotted optical sensor35, which is mounted on the electronic circuit board24, causing the sensor35to detect that the trigger29has been operated.

Referring toFIGS. 5a,5b,5cand5d, the cocking solenoid assembly is shown. This comprises an electro-pneumatic solenoid valve36mounted onto a protective manifold137. The manifold137would10normally be attached to the front of the paintball marker in place of the existing mechanically operated valve, but it could possibly be mounted elsewhere on the marker. The manifold137has pneumatic connections38that connect to the existing pneumatics on the paintball marker. The solenoid valve36is electrically connected to the electronic circuit board24by means of insulated wire39and the switching of the valve36is controlled by the electronics on the circuit board24.

Referring toFIG. 6the hammer release assembly is diagrammatically shown. This comprises the sear solenoid26which is an electro mechanical solenoid, which is connected to the electronic circuit board24and is controlled by the electronics on that board. When the sear solenoid26is energised it pushes onto one end of the sear27against the action of a sear spring37which pivots on pin28and releases a spring loaded hammer40located in the main body2of the paintball marker. When the sear solenoid26is de-energised both the sear27and the sear solenoid26are returned to their rest positions by the sear spring37.

Referring toFIG. 7, a paintball feed tube42leads to breech2a.An optical breech sensor43is disposed in the breech2a.The firing mechanism comprises a bolt44which is shown in its rest position inFIG. 7and in its cocked position inFIG. 8. In both of these Figures a paintball45is shown in the paintball feed tube42just above the breech2a.In the position shown inFIG. 7, the bolt44prevents movement of the paintball45into the breech2a.Cocking the bolt44by withdrawing it (to the left inFIG. 7 and 8) as shown inFIG. 8permits the paintball45to drop from the paintball feed tube42into the breech2aas shown inFIG. 9.

The electronics on the electronic circuit board24comprise a microprocessor50which operates to control the functions of the paintball marker under the control of a number of control parameters which are stored in the microprocessor50and which may be modified through the pushbuttons12,13and14. The operation of the paintball marker will now be described with additional reference toFIG. 10which shows a functional block circuit diagram,FIGS. 7–9which show the paintball marker in its operative positions andFIGS. 11aand11bwhich show timing diagrams. Each timing diagram shows voltage as the ordinate plotted against time on the abscissa for the trigger sensor35, sear solenoid drive26, cocking solenoid drive36and breech sensor43. The diagram ofFIG. 11ashows the position which obtains when a paintball is present in the breech and the diagram ofFIG. 11bshows the position when there is no paintball present in the breech. In the former case, the cocking solenoid is de-energised when a paintball is sensed and in the latter case the cocking solenoid is de-energised after a predetermined time if no paintball is sensed.

FIG. 7shows the operative position of the paintball marker prior to the user pulling the trigger29. When the user pulls the trigger29, the movement of the trigger29is detected by the trigger sensor35and a digital signal is passed to the microprocessor50. The microprocessor50then starts the firing cycle by energising the sear solenoid26for a short period of time referred to as the sear solenoid on time (SON). This causes the sear27to be pivoted and the hammer40to be released. The hammer40strikes a pin valve and releases a burst of gas, causing the paintball45in the breech2ato be propelled from the marker. A short time later after the cocking solenoid on delay (CDEL), the microprocessor50energises the cocking solenoid valve36, which passes compressed gas to one side of a pneumatic cylinder which pushes the hammer40back into its rest position whilst retracting the bolt44and opening an aperture that allows a second paintball45to fall into the breech2aas shown inFIG. 8. Prior to the fall of the second paintball45into the breech2a,the breech sensor43detects that the bolt44has retracted and that the breech is empty and an analogue signal is passed to the microprocessor50. Some time later a paintball passes through the feed aperture and is detected by the breech sensor43as shown inFIG. 9.

The microprocessor50de-energises the cocking solenoid valve36which returns the bolt44to its rest position, closing the aperture and pushing the paintball45further into the breech2aas shown inFIG. 7. If no paintball45is detected (seeFIG. 7) then the microprocessor will de-energise the cocking solenoid valve36after a predefined time referred to as the cocking solenoid on time1(CON1). The breech sensor43detects that the bolt44is closed and, a short time later, the firing cycle is completed and can be restarted with another trigger pull.

As mentioned above, the way in which the marker operates is defined by number of control parameters which are stored within the microprocessor50. The user can modify these control parameters by means of the pushbuttons12,13,14and the LED display16. Each control parameter is accessed through a series of menus andFIG. 10shows one possible menu layout. This comprises a main menu60and a number of subsidiary menus61,62,63. To scroll down through the options on each menu, the user presses the lower pushbutton14. To scroll up through the options the user presses the upper pushbutton12. To select an option the user presses the centre pushbutton13. Each subsidiary menu comprise a BACK option. Selecting the BACK option from any menu takes the user back to the previous menu. Once a control parameter is selected then the current value of that control parameter is displayed. Pressing either of the upper or lower pushbuttons at this time takes the user back to the menu from which the control parameter was selected, whereas pressing the centre pushbutton13causes the value to flash. When flashing, the parameter can be incremented by pressing the upper pushbutton12or decremented by pressing the lower pushbutton14. Pressing the centre pushbutton sets the control parameter to the displayed value and the value stops flashing.

In the exemplary menu ofFIG. 12, main menu60provides three selectable subsidiary menu options61,62and63respectively designated Eye Menu, Cycle Menu and Display Menu. The Eye menu61provides three selectable options in addition to the back option which enable the bolt detection level, empty breech detection level and ball detection level to be calibrated. Detection is optical and optical characteristics can vary from paintball marker to paintball marker causing variation in generated signal levels. Calibration takes account of these variations.

The Cycle menu62provides five selectable options in addition to the back option. They are the sear solenoid on time, cocking solenoid on delay, cocking solenoid on time1, which have already been referred to earlier in the description of the operation of the sear and cocking solenoids26and36, and cocking solenoid on time2and sear solenoid on delay which relate to an operating mode where the breech sensor is switched off. The Display menu63enables the brightness level of the display16to be altered to suit personal requirements.

It will be appreciated that the above embodiment has been described by way of example only and that many variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the paintball marker may be operated in other modes than those described.