Rifle accessory rail, communication, and power transfer system - communication

Abstract

The present invention is related to weapons systems. In particular, the present invention is directed to accessory attachment systems for rifles and small arms weapons that enable attached accessory devices to draw power from a central power source and communicate with the user and/or other devices.

1 . A firearm system comprising:
 at least one mounting rail comprising an electrical contact;   at least one power source;   at least one rail accessory;   and wherein the at least one rail accessory receives electrical power from the power source.   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the power source is a battery pack. 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one rail receives power across a central DC bus 
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising a power switch for controlling the flow of electrical power from the power source to the rail accessory. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one powered mounting rail is a detachable mounting rail. 
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one powered mounting rail a Picatinny rail. 
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a butt stock assembly wherein the buttstock assembly comprises the power source. 
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising an external power pack wherein the external power pack comprises the power source. 
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a foregrip assembly wherein the foregrip assembly comprises the power source. 
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the external power pack attaches to the mounting rail. 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the power source is located in a pistol grip. 
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 1  further comprising: a first rail accessory mechanically connected to the at least one mounting rail and electrically connected to the at least one power connection; a second rail accessory mechanically connected to the at least one mounting rail and electrically connected to the at least one power connection. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one mounting rail is a detachable mounting rail. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the accessory contains a power converter to transform the rail power into power suitable for the accessory. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 1 , where the power converter is controlled by a microprocessor. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 12 , communications between mounted accessories is performed through the power bus. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 12 , a modem in each accessory translates the bus signals for accessory communications and control. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 12 , each accessory has configurable hardware or software switches to identify the desired user interface functionality. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 1 , the accessory contains a microprocessor to execute control functions and transfer data between other accessories.