Patent Publication Number: US-11385014-B2

Title: Weapon testing and verification chamber

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to weapons testing and verification, and in particular to the safe testing of the operation, discharging or unloading of a weapon. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Conducted energy weapons or conducted electrical weapons (CEW) have become prevalent tools by law enforcement agencies. CEWs are devices that use electrical energy to induce pain or to immobilize or incapacitate a person. Prior to starting a shift officers can be required to verify the operation of their CEW to ensure proper charge and operation. During this testing the CEW may inadvertently discharge the barbed darts of the CEW causing damage or injury to the operator. As disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 3,042,331 A1, commonly owned by the Applicant, the camber can provide a means of testing the operation a weapon while limiting the impact of possible inadvertent discharge to the operator or surrounding area. Similarly advertent discharge of a firearm such as a handgun can occur during verification that the weapon chamber. In an enclosed environment an accidental discharge can have deadly consequences. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for an improved device that enables safe testing or unloading of weapons by ensuring that an accidental discharge does not occur. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a front perspective view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber; 
         FIG. 2  shows a front view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber; 
         FIG. 3  shows a side view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber; 
         FIG. 4A  shows a cross-sectional view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber with a conducted energy weapon is being tested; 
         FIG. 4B  shows a cross-sectional view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber with a conducted energy weapon is being tested when a discharge of the darts occurs; 
         FIG. 5  shows a front view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber with a conducted energy weapon is being tested; 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a weapons testing chamber with a hinged cover; 
         FIG. 7  shows a front view of a weapons testing chamber with a hinged cover; 
         FIG. 8  shows a side view of a weapons testing chamber with a hinged cover; 
         FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a weapons testing chamber with a sliding cover; 
         FIG. 10  shows a front view of a weapons testing chamber with a sliding cover; 
         FIG. 11  shows a side view of a weapons testing chamber with a sliding cover; 
         FIGS. 12A-D  shows varying sliding cover configurations; 
         FIG. 13  shows a top view of a weapons testing chamber for CEW testing and handgun verification; and 
         FIG. 14  shows a pedestal mount for weapons testing chamber. 
     
    
    
     It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention will now be described in detail with reference to various embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without using some of the implementation details set forth herein. It should also be understood that well known operations have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the invention. Embodiments are described below, by way of example only, with reference to  FIGS. 1-14 . 
     One general aspect includes a weapon testing chamber comprising a plurality of sides forming a chamber; a removable cover on one side of the chamber, having an opening there through, for receiving an operative end of a weapon pointed into the chamber, the removable cover retained by at least two sides of the plurality of sides forming the chamber having respective receiving slots provided therein; an absorption surface opposite of the cover within the chamber on at least one of the plurality of sides for receiving or absorbing a projectile if propelled from the weapon; and a reflective surface within the chamber to enable an operator to view an end of the weapon inserted within the opening; where the absorption surface contains the projectile when discharged from the weapon and the removable cover can be removed by to retrieve the projectiles. 
     The weapons testing chamber may also be required to accommodate different types and models of weapons, each having different end profiles. Having dedicated chambers to each type of weapon can consumer significant amount of space and a particular chamber may be used with an unintended weapon type. The ability to easily accommodate different weapon models and even different weapon types, such as CEW or handguns with one chamber is advantageous. An interchangeable cover allows a single chamber to accommodate multiple weapon types while ensure safe use of the testing chamber. 
       FIG. 1  shows a front perspective view of the conducted energy weapon (CEW) testing chamber  100 . The CEW testing chamber  100  having at least one viewing cover  120  at least a portion of which providing transparent pane such as Plexiglas to enable the operator to view the discharge of the CEW which can be placed in opening  122 . The interior of the CEW testing chamber  100  has reflective surface  160 , such as a mirror, which can be angled to allow the operator to view the discharge of the CEW. The reflective surface can be made of a reflective acrylic surface or any reflective surface that can withstand the impact of a dart. An absorption surface  150  at the back of the chamber can be a material or surface which can absorb the impacted of barbed darts when discharged from the CEW. The absorption surface may comprises one or more layers. One layer can be a fabric to capture the barbs or probes, second layer can be provided to absorb and dissipate the impact of the barb such as but not limited to nylon, Kevlar™, rubber, Cordura® or foam. The viewing cover  122  is surrounded by sides  112  including a rear surface  110 . The viewing cover  120  may further include a hinge at an edge surface connected to one of the sides  112  to allow easy access to the interior of the CEW testing chamber  100 . A retaining mechanism such as a clip or latch can be provided on one or more of the unhinged sides. Alternatively the viewing cover may slide into slots formed on the interior of the chamber or at the edges of the sides  112 , wherein the viewing cover can be slid up or to a side to access the interior of the chamber  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3  where  FIG. 2  shows a front view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber  100  and  FIG. 3  shows a side view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber  100 . The viewing cover  120  can be secured or retained by fasteners  202  to sides  112 . The viewing cover  120  may be affixed to or inserted into a frame by various fastening methods. The rear surface  110  can have mounting holes  210  to enable the CEW testing chamber  110  to be affixed to a wall surface  330  by screws  310 . The CEW testing chamber  100  may alternatively be affixed to a mounting surface by clamps, brackets or adhesives. The sides of the CEW testing chamber may be made all from the same material or from different types of material. Alternatively the chamber may be formed by an injection molding process or metal forming process. The chamber may be formed a non-conducting material such as wood, NAUF/ULEF MDF board (No Added Urea Formaldehyde Medium Density Fibreboard), a polycarbonate, plastic, or composite material or a metal that is non-conductive or coated with a non-conductive material. 
       FIG. 4A  shows a cross-sectional view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber with a conducted energy weapon is being tested. The CEW  400  is positioned by an operator in the opening  122  into the interior of the chamber  410 . The opening is dimensioned to receive the CEW  400  and limit the possibility that a dart may leave the chamber  410 . The CEW  400  can be tested to verify an electrical discharge arcing  402  at the operative end of the CEW  400  by viewing the arcing in the reflective surface  160 . The reflective surface  160  can be angled between the absorption surface  150  and an outer wall  112  to provide a viewing angle to the operator. The reflective surface  160  can also be positioned to the side away from the center of the chamber so that any discharge of the darts will not directly impact the reflective surface. 
       FIG. 4B  shows a cross-sectional view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber  100  with a conducted energy weapon  400  being tested when a discharge of the darts occurs. The darts  420  and  422  can leave the CEW  400  at high velocity and embed in the absorption surface  150 . Due to the high velocity the darts  420  and  422  may be deflected and not embed in the absorption surface  150  but are contained within the chamber  410 . The CEW  400  may discharge the barbs by operator error or malfunction of the CEW  400  mechanism. The CEW testing chamber  100  provides a safe environment to test the CEW  400  without exposing the operator to potential injury. The electrical discharge is dissipated within the chamber  410 . The chamber is made of non-conductive material to contain any electrical discharge. The darts  420  and  422 , or probes, can be removed from the chamber by withdrawing the CEW  400  and wires connecting the darts to the CEW  400 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a front view of the conducted energy weapon testing chamber  100  with a CEW  400  is being tested. In the front view the operators hand  500  grips the CEW  400  and positions the CEW  100  within the opening the CEW testing chamber  100 . The arc  402  can be seen from the operative end of the CEW  400  in the reflective surface  160 . Alternatively the operator will see if the darts have been accidentally discharged when testing the device. 
       FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of a weapons testing chamber  600  with a hinged cover. The hinged cover  620  provides easier access to retrieve darts or projectiles from the interior of the chamber.  FIG. 7  shows a front view of a weapons testing chamber  600  with a hinged cover, and  FIG. 8  shows a side view of a weapons testing chamber  600 . A securing mechanism  640  such as a latch or clamp can enable the cover  620  to be secured when the chamber is being utilized. The hinge  630  can be located on any side of the chamber (top, bottom, left, right) with one or more latching mechanisms. 
       FIG. 9  shows a perspective view of a weapons testing chamber  900  with a sliding cover  920 . The edges of the cover  922  can engage with slots  950  in the with the side  912 .  FIG. 10  shows a front view of the chamber  900  and  FIG. 11  shows a side view. The slots may alternatively be at the bottom of the chamber  900  with one or more retention means on the top or sides of the chamber  900 . The sliding cover  920  may be removed from the chamber  900  and replaced with different covers having different opening sizes  122  to received the weapon. For example, different CEWs models have different profiles and a handgun profile would be smaller than a CEW. 
       FIGS. 12A-12D  shows examples of the sliding cover  920  with different openings  122 ,  1240 ,  1242 ,  1244 . The size and the shape of the opening can vary to accommodate different weapons. For example openings  122 ,  1240  and  1242  of  FIGS. 12A-120  may accommodate different models of CEW weapons and opening  1244  of  FIG. 12D  may be utilized for firearms which have a smaller front profile. Each of the covers may be made of different materials depending on the type of weapon being utilized. For example material that can withstand ballistic impact may be used for when firearm unloading is performed in the event of a discharge where as a CEW only chamber does will only have to contain CEW projectiles. The differing sizes in profiles reduces the possibility of projectiles passing between the weapon and the cover. 
       FIG. 13  shows a top view of a weapons chamber  1300  for CEW testing or handgun verification. In this embodiment, the weapons chamber  1300  can also operate as a handgun unloading system to mitigate the impact of an accidental discharge and to ensure the chamber of the handgun is empty in addition to CEW testing. Similarly to the CEW testing, the barrel of the handgun  1302  is placed within the opening  122  of the cover  120  and the clearance of the handgun chamber can be safely verified by the user. The chamber provides an absorption surface  1350  is provided that in additional to absorbing the impact of a CEW projectile, is capable of containing a bullet impact safely without deflecting the bullet. The absorption surface  1350  may comprise materials such as, but not limited to, Kevlar™, ballistic nylon, shredded soft body armour or ballistic rubber when utilized for firearm unloading. The absorption surface may comprise multiple layers of material with differing properties to accommodate different types of weapons with the same weapons chamber. 
     An angled portion  1360  of the absorption surface  1350  may also provide a reflective surface for viewing the barrel of the weapon, however the reflective surface of the angled portion  1360  can be place on top of the absorption surface  1350  to allow for absorption of an impact. Although the reflective surface has been illustrated as being provided vertically it may be provided as a horizontal surface within the chamber but may also be provided by a spherical reflecting surface. 
     Sensors may be provided with the chamber to confirm proper procedures are followed, to detect or confirm discharges, or identify a user or a particular weapon being used. For example a radio frequency identifier (RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC) or QR code scanner  1310  may be utilized to identify the user or the weapon. The chamber  1300  may also include one or more sensors  1314  or a camera  1312  to detect a discharge or impact. A camera  1312  may be utilized to verify a discharge or record usage of the chamber. If an accidental discharge does occur, a notification can be provided to identify that the chamber should be inspected for possible damage or replacement. The sensors can be directly coupled or wirelessly coupled to a computing device  1320  to record information from the chamber  1300 . Alternatively, or additionally, a QR code may be provided on the exterior of the chamber to enable a user to check-in for verification and to confirm that verification or clearance procedures have been performed. The chamber and cover may be made of a material capable of withstanding a projectile such as a bullet, for example it may be made of metal or bullet resistant polycarbonate materials. 
       FIG. 14  shows an alternate mounting for the weapons chamber  1400  on a pedestal mount. The weapons chamber  1402  can be mounted on a stand  1404  coupled to a base  1406  forming the pedestal mount. The base  1406  provides appropriate weight to maintain stability of the chamber during use if an accidental discharge occurs. 
     It would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the system and components shown in  FIGS. 1-14  may include components not shown in the drawings. For simplicity and clarity of the illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily to scale, are only schematic and are non-limiting of the elements structures. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Numerous additional variations on the apparatus of the various embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the above description. Such variations are to be considered within the scope.