AR/VR crossbow system
An innovative augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) crossbow system that includes a bow frame assembly, a stock, a sight assembly, a cocking assembly, a resistance assembly and an electronic device assembly with a mobile device. These components are configured to structurally interact to provide the user with an experience of loading, aiming and firing a virtual crossbow arrow that closely simulates real-life archery and crossbow scenarios without firing an actual crossbow arrow. Due to its unique components and their layout, the AR/VR crossbow system is not configured to fire real arrows. An interactive crossbow application is loaded on the mobile device and simulate real life archery scenarios such as hunting scenarios or target competition scenarios. The mobile device also includes a gyroscope to analyze the orientation of the crossbow frame assembly and a microphone to determine when a simulated arrow is fired within the crossbow application.
1. An AR/VR crossbow system that is incapable of firing real arrows but that simulates real-life crossbow scenarios that an archer may face during an archery competition or a hunt, the AR/VR crossbow system comprising:
a crossbow frame assembly including:
a central member with (i) a rail, (ii) a trigger assembly, (iii) a frontal frame assembly having opposed left and right limbs that extend outward from the frontal frame assembly, and (iv) a cocking assembly;
a serving receiver;
a resistance assembly operably connected to the left and right limbs, the resistance assembly including a resistance element with a serving segment, wherein an extent of the serving segment is received within the serving receiver in a cocked state of the crossbow system or a ready to fire state of the crossbow system;
an electronic device assembly including a mobile device; and,
wherein the trigger assembly is designed to allow the archer to: (i) release the resistance assembly from a drawn position, (ii) move the crossbow system from the ready to fire state to a fired state, and (iii) fire a simulated arrow on the mobile device.
2. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein the trigger assembly includes: (i) a trigger, (ii) a trigger guard, and (iii) an actuator, and
wherein the trigger:
is configured to interact with the archer and includes: (a) a main body, (b) a downwardly extending projection with a contact surface, and (c) an upwardly extending projection with an interactive surface, and
is designed to pivot about a trigger pivot pin received in an extent of the main body, while being biased by a trigger spring.
3. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 2 , wherein the actuator is positioned above the trigger and is configured to interact with the trigger and the serving segment of the resistance element.
4. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 2 , wherein the actuator includes: (i) a main body having a serving engagement surface, and (ii) an actuator projection having a trigger engagement surface.
5. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 4 , wherein when a sufficient amount of force is applied by the trigger, the actuator pivots about the actuator pivot pin while being biased by an actuator spring.
6. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein the serving receiver is a receptacle formed between (i) the trigger assembly, (ii) a serving retention element formed from the central member, and (iii) a frontal extent of a sight assembly affixed to an upper portion of the central member.
7. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein the central member has an upper surface that includes the rail, and a cocking assembly channel that receives an extent of the cocking assembly.
8. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 7 , wherein the cocking assembly channel is a recess formed in opposed side walls of the central member.
9. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 7 , wherein said received extent of the cocking assembly is positioned within the cocking assembly channel whereby said received extent of the cocking assembly is slidingly displaced along an extent of the cocking assembly channel when the crossbow system is moved between various states of operation.
10. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 7 , wherein the cocking assembly channel is disposed at an angle alpha a in relation to the rail of the central member of the crossbow frame assembly, and wherein the angle alpha a is between 0.1° and 5°.
11. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein the frontal frame assembly is coupled to a frontal extent of the central member and includes: (i) a riser with a mount port configured to receive an electronic device assembly with a mobile device, and (ii) opposed left and right limbs that extend outward from the central member.
12. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 11 , wherein the riser abuts the cocking assembly when the crossbow is in the ready to fire state or the fired state.
13. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 12 , wherein the riser includes a mount port for the mobile device that is positioned in a central portion of the riser, whereby the mobile device is aligned with a sight assembly affixed to an upper portion of the central member such that the archer can view the mobile device through the sight assembly during operation of the crossbow system.
14. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 13 , wherein the sight assembly includes: (i) a sight rail, and (ii) a sight, wherein the sight assembly is configured to allow the archer to focus on the mobile device during operation of the crossbow system.
15. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein the cocking assembly is slidingly displaced along the central member to move the crossbow system from a ready to use state, to the cocked state, and then to a ready to fire state.
16. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein the cocking assembly is slidingly displaced along the central member to move the resistance assembly from an undrawn position to the drawn position.
17. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 16 , wherein the cocking assembly includes (i) a hand grip having left and right members that are coupled together by at least one connecting element, and (ii) a cradle having a first cradle element and a second cradle element, both of which engage the resistance assembly under certain operating conditions.
18. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 17 , wherein the central member has an upper surface that includes the rail, and a cocking assembly channel that receives an extent of the cocking assembly, and
wherein said connecting element is positioned substantially within the cocking assembly channel to allow the hand grip to slide downward and rearward within the cocking assembly channel and in relation to the rail and the frontal frame assembly.
19. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 18 , wherein during movement from a ready to use state to the cocked state, said downward and rearward sliding movement of the hand grip within the cocking assembly channel causes the cradle to apply a downwardly directed force F to the serving segment of the resistance element to force the serving into the serving receiver.
20. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein the serving segment is positioned between a first portion of the resistance element and a second portion of the resistance element.
21. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the resistance element includes a first securing element operably connected to a left securement housing affixed to the left limb, and a second portion of the resistance element includes a second securing element operably connected to a right securement housing affixed to the right limb.
22. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein the cocking assembly includes (i) a hand grip having left and right members that are coupled together by at least one connecting element, and (ii) a cradle that engages the resistance assembly under certain operating conditions; and
wherein when the AR/VR crossbow system is in a ready to use state: (i) a hand grip of the cocking assembly is in a forward position, and (ii) the resistance element is in an undrawn position.
23. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 22 , wherein the trigger assembly includes: (i) a trigger, (ii) a trigger guard, (iii) a trigger spring, and (iv) an actuator having: (a) a main body with a serving engagement surface, (b) an actuator spring and (c) an actuator projection having a trigger engagement surface; and,
wherein in the ready to use state, the trigger assembly is in a first position where the actuator spring and the trigger spring apply biasing forces on the trigger and the actuator in order to cause the serving engagement surface to be parallel with the rail of the central member.
24. The AR/VR crossbow system of claim 1 , wherein a crossbow application is loaded on the mobile device, and wherein the crossbow application simulates real life archery scenarios.