Method and apparatus for measuring weapon pointing angles

1. A weapon orientation measuring device, comprising:

a processor configured to:

receive first location information indicative of locations of a first point and a second point on a weapon, the first and second points being a known distance apart in a direction parallel to a pointing axis of the weapon;

receive second location information indicative of the locations of the first and second points on the weapon;

receive information indicative of a first earth orientation; and

determine a second earth orientation corresponding to the weapon based on the first and second location information and the information indicative of the first earth orientation,

wherein the first location information represents location relative to a first sensor at a first location and the second location information represents location relative to a second sensor at a second location, the first and second sensors being separated by a given distance.

2. The weapon orientation measuring device of claim 1 , further comprising a wireless communication subsystem coupled to the processor and configured to transmit information indicative of the second earth orientation toward a remote location.

3. The weapon orientation measuring device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sensors are first and second digital cameras, and the first and second location information comprise information derived from first and second images of the first and second points on the weapon captured by the first and second digital cameras.

4. The weapon orientation measuring device of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

periodically store the first and second location information and the first earth orientation information with associated time stamps;

receive an indication of an activation of the weapon; and

determine respective ones of the stored first and second location information and the stored earth orientation information that correspond to a time at or prior to a time of the detected activation, based on the respective time stamps; and

determine the second earth orientation using the respective ones of the stored information.

5. The weapon orientation measuring device of claim 3 , further comprising:

an image processor coupled to the first and second digital cameras and configured to determine the first and second location information by analyzing the first and second images.

6. The weapon orientation measuring device of claim 5 , wherein the image processor is further configured to:

analyze images of light emitters positioned at the first and second points on the weapon, and

determine the first and second location information by analyzing two images from each of the first and second cameras,

wherein the two images include an image captured while the light emitters are emitting light and another image captured while the light emitters are not emitting light.

7. The weapon orientation measuring device of claim 6 , wherein the image processor is configured to subtract the images captured while the light emitters are not emitting light from the images captured while the light emitters are emitting light to produce enhanced images an to analyze the enhanced images to determine the first and second location information.

8. The weapon orientation measuring device of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are located on an orientation platform and the processor is further configured to determine a three dimensional location of at least one of the first and second points on the weapon with respect to the orientation platform.

9. A method of determining an orientation of a weapon, the method comprising:

receiving first location information indicative of locations of a first point and a second point on a weapon, the first and second points being a known distance apart in a direction parallel to a pointing axis of the weapon;

receiving second location information indicative of the locations of the first and second points on the weapon;

receiving information indicative of a first earth orientation; and

determining a second earth orientation corresponding to the weapon based on the first and second location information and the information indicative of the first earth orientation,

wherein the first location information represents location relative to a first sensor at a first location and the second location information represents location relative to a second sensor at a second location, the first and second sensors being separated by a given distance.

10. The method of determining the orientation of the weapon of claim 9 , further comprising transmitting information indicative of the second earth orientation toward a remote location.

11. The method of determining the orientation of the weapon of claim 9 , wherein the first and second sensors are first and second digital cameras, and the first and second location information comprise information derived from first and second images of the first and second points on the weapon captured by the first and second digital cameras.

12. The method of determining the orientation of the weapon of claim 11 , further comprising:

periodically storing the first and second location information and the first earth orientation information with associated time stamps;

receiving an indication of an activation of the weapon; and

determining respective ones of the stored first and second location information and the stored earth orientation information that correspond to a time at or prior to a time of the detected activation, based on the respective time stamps; and

determining the second earth orientation using the respective ones of the stored information.

13. The method of determining the orientation of the weapon of claim 9 , wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are located on an orientation platform, the method further comprising determining a three dimensional location of at least one of the first and second points on the weapon with respect to the orientation platform.

14. A weapon orientation measuring system, comprising:

a first emitter configured to generate a first output signal, the first emitter located at a first point on a weapon;

a second emitter configured to generate a second output signal, the second emitter located at a second point on the weapon, the first and second points being a known distance apart in a direction parallel to a pointing axis of the weapon;

a first sensor configured to receive the first and second output signals and to generate first information indicative of first relative locations of the first and second points on the weapon relative to the first sensor;

a second sensor configured to receive the first and second output signals and to generate second information indicative of second relative locations of the first and second points on the weapon relative to the second sensor, the first and second sensors being separated by a given distance;

an earth orientation device configured to generate information indicative of a first earth orientation; and

a communication subsystem configured to transmit weapon orientation information indicative of an earth orientation of the weapon toward a data center remote from the weapon, the weapon orientation information being based on the first and second relative locations and the first earth orientation.

15. The weapon orientation measuring system of claim 14 , further comprising:

a processor configured to:

receive the information indicative of the first and the second relative locations;

receive the information indicative of the first earth orientation; and

determine a second earth orientation corresponding to the weapon based on the information indicative of the first and second relative locations and the information indicative of the first earth orientation,

wherein the weapon orientation information transmitted toward the remote data center comprises information indicative of the determined second earth orientation.

16. The weapon orientation measuring system of claim 14 , wherein the weapon orientation information transmitted toward the remote data center comprises information representing the first and second relative locations and the first earth orientation.

17. The weapon orientation measuring system of claim 14 , wherein the first and second sensors are first and second digital cameras, and the first and second location information comprise information derived from first and second images of the first and second points on the weapon captured by the first and second digital cameras.

18. The weapon orientation measuring system of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to:

periodically store the first and second location information and the first earth orientation information with associated time stamps;

receive an indication of an activation of the weapon; and

determine respective ones of the stored first and second location information and the stored earth orientation information that correspond to a time at or prior to a time of the detected activation, based on the respective time stamps; and

determine the second earth orientation using the respective ones of the stored information.

19. The weapon orientation measuring system of claim 14 , wherein the first and second emitters are infrared light emitters.

20. The weapon orientation measuring system of claim 15 , wherein the first sensor and the second sensor are located on an orientation platform and the processor is further configured to determine a three dimensional location of at least one of the first and second points on the weapon with respect to the orientation platform.