Patent Publication Number: US-2021164760-A1

Title: Integrated shooting simulation system using fisheye lens camera

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an integrated shooting simulation system using a fisheye lens camera, and more particularly, to an integrated shooting simulation system using a fisheye lens camera, in which the fisheye lens camera is used to integrally configure shooting simulation system devices, so that an installation space may be minimized, and reinstallation may be simplified. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     In general, as multimedia technologies and computer programming technologies develop, virtual experience devices which allow a user to have the same impression as in a real situation in a virtual space simulating the real situation and to experience situations that are difficult to be implemented in real situations are being developed. 
     For example, aircraft pilot training, indoor vehicle driving practice, or the like is performed in a virtual space simulated to be the same as a real situation. 
     In addition, such a scheme is applied in the field of sports/entertainment. 
     Application fields of a simulation technology have expanded because of advantages of the simulation technology such as training cost reduction and accident prevention effects. Recently, the simulation technology is also used in image shooting such as gun shooting training and shooting games. 
     Conventionally, screen shooting simulation technologies that allow soldiers, polices, and ordinary persons to experience realistic shooting with a simulation gun through a simulation in which an image on which a target is indicated is projected on a screen with a beam projector installed at a long distance, and the simulation gun is used to shoot an invisible laser at the target shown on the screen to hit the target have been disclosed. 
     As one example, Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2016-0002258 (2016 Jan. 7) discloses a virtual shooting simulation apparatus capable of precisely controlling a simulation image correspondingly to a relation between a virtual figure on a screen and an aiming point position. 
     Korean Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0001114 (2011 Jan. 6) discloses a method, a system, and a recording medium for a clay shooting simulation, in which software executed on a computer is used to process graphics using realistic actual background images in real time so as to allow a shooter performing shooting to aim and shoot a clay pigeon flying on a screen, the software controls hardware to interwork with the software so as to generate recoil of a gun during the shooting, and the screen displaying an aiming point of a laser inserted in a muzzle of the gun is captured and recognized to immediately determine whether a target is hit and inform a result thereof, so that the shooter may play a game by using a simulation gun that has an appearance of a real gun and a pigeon release scaffold for releasing the pigeon on the screen so as to practice the shooting while experiencing the shooting exactly the same as real shooting. 
     However, in the conventional shooting simulation system, there were many inconvenient problems that the distance and space of 3 M to 10 M or more are required to install devices such as a screen, a beam projector for projecting a target image onto the screen, and a camera for recognizing an impact point of an invisible laser shot from a simulation gun to the screen, a trajectory of a muzzle of the gun, and the target image to provide a recognition result to a control device, and the devices have to be individually reinstalled and set according to a location. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an integrated shooting simulation system using a fisheye lens camera, in which shooting simulation system devices are integrally configured, the fisheye lens camera is mounted to minimize an installation space, and mounting or installation may be facilitated. 
     Technical Solution 
     In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an integrated shooting simulation system using a fisheye lens camera, the integrated shooting simulation system including: a main body for implementing a shooting simulation by executing a shooting program; a display device for receiving an image, which is related to the shooting simulation, from the main body to display the received image; the fisheye lens camera mounted on the display device to capture a shooting image displayed on the display device; and a simulation gun, wherein the main body and the display device are integrally formed. 
     Advantageous Effects of the Invention 
     According to the present invention, the integrated shooting simulation system using the fisheye lens camera has an integrated system structure, and the fisheye lens camera is mounted on the screen so that a separation distance between the camera and the screen is unnecessary, and thus the installation space can be minimized, free movement can be ensured, and reinstallation can be simplified. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a view showing an overall configuration of an integrated shooting simulation system using a fisheye lens camera according to the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2 a  to 2 c    are views illustrating a mounting position of the fisheye lens camera of the system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a detailed view showing an internal configuration of a main body of the system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart for describing a shooting simulation method of the system of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     BEST MODE 
     The best mode for implementing the present invention provides an integrated shooting simulation system using a fisheye lens camera, the integrated shooting simulation system including: a main body for implementing a shooting simulation by executing a shooting program; a display device for receiving an image, which is related to the shooting simulation, from the main body to display the received image; the fisheye lens camera mounted on the display device to capture a shooting image displayed on the display device; and a simulation gun, wherein the main body and the display device are integrally formed. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the fisheye lens camera may be mounted at one of an upper end, a lateral side, and a rear end of the display device. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the integrated shooting simulation system may further include a sensor for detecting a distance to a shooter. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the sensor may include an ultrasonic sensor, and may be mounted on the main body. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the main body may include: a control board for storing a shooting program, performing and managing the shooting simulation, and determining whether the distance to the shooter, which is detected by the sensor, is a valid shooting distance to generate an alarm when distance adjustment is required; a wired/wireless transceiver for receiving a trigger signal from the simulation gun, and transmitting a shooting result; a sound output device for outputting a sound generated when shooting the gun, and generating the alarm for adjusting a shooting position of the shooter; and a power supply device for supplying an operating power. 
     In a preferred embodiment, the control board may control the fisheye lens camera to capture an image screen of the display device and correct distortion of the captured image screen when the trigger signal is received, may detect an invisible laser signal, which is shot from the simulation gun, from the corrected image screen to calculate coordinates of the invisible laser signal, and may displays an impact point on the image screen of the display device corresponding to the calculated coordinates. 
     MODE FOR INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a view showing an overall configuration of an integrated shooting simulation system using a fisheye lens camera according to the present invention,  FIGS. 2 a  to 2 c    are views illustrating a state in which the fisheye lens camera of the system of  FIG. 1  is mounted, and  FIG. 3  is a view showing an internal configuration of a main body of the system of  FIG. 1 . 
     As shown in the drawings, in a shooting simulation system  100  according to the present invention, a main body  110  for implementing a shooting simulation by executing a shooting program and a display device  120  for receiving an image, which is related to the shooting simulation, from the main body  110  to display the received image may be integrally configured. 
     A fisheye lens camera  130  for capturing an impact point of an invisible laser shot from a simulation gun  150  to the display device  120 , a trajectory of a muzzle of the gun, and a target image may be mounted on the display device  120 . 
     A fisheye lens refers to a super-wide-angle retrofocus lens with an angle of view exceeding 180°, in which, unlike general wide-angle lenses, an image is distorted when captured, that is, an image of a uniform brightness is formed on an entire screen with a barrel-shape curvature. Since the fisheye lens may capture an image in a wider angle than a general wide-angle lens, in the present invention using the fisheye lens camera  130 , an image may be captured even without installing a camera to face a screen at a predetermined distance as in a conventional shooting simulation system using a general camera. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 a  to 2 c   , the fisheye lens camera  130  may be mounted on various positions such as an upper end, a lateral side, or a lower end of the display device  120 , but the positions are not limited thereto. 
     In the present embodiment, when the display device  120  has a horizontally-elongated structure as shown in  FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b   , the fisheye lens camera  130  may be mounted on the upper end or the lateral side of the display device  120 , and when the display device  120  has a vertically-elongated structure as shown in  FIG. 2 c   , the fisheye lens camera  130  may be mounted on the lower end of the display device  120 . 
     A sensor  140  for detecting a separation distance to a shooter may be mounted on the main body  110 . 
     The sensor  140  may serve to monitor whether the shooter complies with a shooting reference distance. 
     In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic sensor may be used as the sensor  140 . 
     In general, an ultrasonic sensor refers to a sensor for detecting a distance, a thickness, a movement, and the like by using characteristics of ultrasonic waves or by generating ultrasonic waves. 
     The simulation gun  150  may be provided to face the display device  120  at a position spaced apart from the display device  120  by a predetermined distance, may detect triggering of a trigger to output a trigger signal, and may generate and shoot the invisible laser toward a target displayed on the display device  120  when the trigger signal is output. 
     In this case, the simulation gun  150  may be connected to the main body  110  through wired or wireless communication. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the main body  110  may include a control board  111 , a transceiver  113 , a sound output device  115 , and a power supply device  117 . 
     The control board  111  may store the shooting program, and may control each component to perform and manage the shooting simulation. The transceiver  113  may receive the trigger signal from the simulation gun  150  through the wired or wireless communication. 
     The sound output device  115  may process a sound, which is almost identical to an equipment sound effect generated during actual gun shooting, to output the processed sound to a speaker. 
     The power supply device  117  may supply a power required for an operation of each component. 
     Meanwhile, a management server  200  of  FIG. 1  may be connected to each of the components of the shooting simulation system  100  through a network, in which shooting results of shooters may be registered in a database (DB) so as to be comprehensively managed. 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart for describing a shooting simulation method of the integrated shooting simulation system using the fisheye lens according to the present invention. 
     As shown in the drawing, when a shooting simulation program stored in the control board  111  of the main body  110  is executed, each hardware component constituting the system may be set, and a shooting program payment request screen may be displayed on the display device  120  (step  401 ). 
     The shooter may perform payment according to a shooting program payment request displayed on the display device  120 . In this case, a payment scheme is not specifically limited. 
     The control board  111  of the main body  110  may confirm shooting program payment (step  402 ). 
     Next, the control board  111  may output a shooting program type selection screen to the display device  120 , and may recognize a type selected by the shooter from the shooting program type selection screen (step  403 ). 
     As one example, there are various types of shooting programs including clay shooting for shooting a target flying at a high speed, shooting range for shooting targets that are vertically and horizontally arranged and stand up momentarily, and terror buster for annihilating terrorists armed with mortars and high-performance weapons in a virtual city for a predetermined period of time. 
     After the shooter selects the type of the shooting program, the shooter may stand in a shooting position with the simulation gun  150 . At this time, the ultrasonic sensor  140  installed in the main body  110  may detect the distance to the shooter. 
     The control board  111  may determine whether the distance to the shooter, which is detected by the ultrasonic sensor  140 , is a shooting distance valid for the selected type of the shooting program (step  404 ). 
     When the distance to the shooter is determined to be too short or too long, the control board  111  may generate an alarm through the sound output device  115  (step  405 ). The shooter may adjust the shooting position of the shooter as the alarm is generated. 
     When the distance to the shooter becomes valid, the control board  111  may perform a simulation of the selected type of the shooting program, and may display a target image suitable for the selected shooting program on the display device  120  (step  406 ). 
     The shooter may shoot the simulation gun  150  on a screen of the display device  120  (step  407 ). In this case, the shooter may aim a target displayed on the screen of the display device  120  with the simulation gun  150  and cause the triggering by pulling the trigger, and the triggering may cause the invisible laser to be shot toward the target on the screen of the display device  120 . 
     The transceiver  113  of the main body  110  may receive the trigger signal of the simulation gun  150  and output the received trigger signal to the control board  111 , and the control board  111  may control the fisheye lens camera  130  installed on the display device  120  to capture an image screen of the display device  120  when the trigger signal is input to the control board  111  (step  408 ). 
     The control board  111  may correct distortion of the captured image screen (step  409 ). Since the image screen captured by the fisheye lens camera  130  is distorted due to characteristics of the lens, the control board  111  may correct the image screen as if the image screen is taken with a general camera. 
     The control board  111  may detect an invisible laser signal from the corrected image screen (step  410 ), and may calculate coordinates of the detected laser signal (step  411 ). 
     Thereafter, the control board  111  may process an event to display an impact point on the image screen of the display device  120  corresponding to the calculated coordinates so that the shooter may determine whether the target is hit in real time (step  412 ). 
     The control board  111  may repeat the steps from step  406  until termination of the simulation of the selected type of shooting program is recognized (step  413 ). 
     When the selection program is terminated, the control board  111  may display a shooting result on the screen of the display device  120  (step  414 ). The shooting result may include a score according to accuracy of the laser hitting the target, a ranking of the shooter when there are multiple shooters, and the like. 
     The control board  111  may output a result management selection screen to the display device  120 , and may recognize result management selected by the shooter from the result management selection screen (step  415 ). 
     When the shooter selects “register on the management server  200 ”, the control board  111  may communicate with the management server  200  to store the shooting result in the DB. 
     In addition, the control board  111  may receive the shooting result of the shooter registered in the DB of the management server  200 . 
     The control board  111  may transmit the shooting result to a mobile phone  300  so that the shooter may receive the shooting result in the mobile phone  300  when the shooter selects “load to the mobile phone  300 ”. Meanwhile, the shooter may access the management server  300  through a login of the mobile phone  300  to load the shooting result stored in the management server  300  to the mobile phone  300  and observe the loaded shooting result at any time. 
     After the management of the shooting result, the control board  111  may terminate the program and proceed to a standby mode. 
     The shooting simulation system according to the present invention has an integrated structure, so that free movement can be ensured even if the shooting simulation system is reinstalled after changing an installation location, it is unnecessary to individually install system devices, and an occupied space can be reduced. 
     Although the integrated shooting simulation system using the fisheye lens camera according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. It is understood that various changes and modifications can be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as disclosed in the appended claims. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     As described above, the integrated shooting simulation system using the fisheye lens camera according to the present invention may be utilized in industries in the fields of military/police shooting training and leisure shooting sports.