Electronic scoring systems or electronic targets are automated scoring systems used for

sport shooting Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

where the shot placement and score is automatically calculated using

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

and presented on screens to the organizer and shooters. The score may also be shown on a big screen for audience at the

shooting range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by militar ...

, and this has in many ways revolutionized the shooting sport. With traditional paper targets, the audience of a shooting match may have to understand the signals used for scoring and monitor the scores of multiple targets at once, whereas, with electronics, the current scores can be shown on screens immediately after the shot is fired, allowing the audience to quickly see how different shooters compare to each other. Electronic targets automatically gauge the hits so that no physical inspection of hits is needed. Some systems even allow real time publishing on the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...

. Scoring can also be held back by the Range Officer (the shooting supervisor) until the string of fire is finished in order to show the scores for each competitor in ascending order.

Usage

Paratrooper Firing at a Target On Exercise MOD 45158237

Electronic targets are used for all types of sport shooting. Guns range from 10 meter air rifles to over 1000 meter

long range shooting Long range shooting is a collective term for shooting disciplines where the distance to target is significant enough that shooter has to put effort into calculating various ballistic factors, especially in regards to the deviating effects ...

competitions; targets range from "running targets" (targets that move on rails), like the ISSF

50 meter running target 50 meter running target or 50 meter running boar is an ISSF shooting event, shot with a .22-calibre rifle at a target depicting a boar moving sideways across a 10-meter wide opening. It was devised as a replacement for 100 meter running deer in the ...

or those used in running moose competitions, to electronic knock down targets, which are often used by many militaries. Targets are available for calibers ranging from

air gun An air gun or airgun is a gun that fires projectiles pneumatically with compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized ''without'' involving any chemical reactions, in contrast to a firearm, which pressurizes gases ''chemical ...

pellets up to the 105 mm

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful e ...

shell.

Advantages

Some advantages of electronic scoring systems are that: * It makes organizing matches easier, since the scores are calculated automatically. * It provides the shooter immediate and precise feedback, and can be used for training and competition. * Real time scoring is often more exciting to the audience, as they do not have to wait for scores to come in.

Disadvantages

Some disadvantages of electronic scoring systems are that: * There are relatively high construction costs, and often a need for continuous maintenance. * They can be vulnerable to

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...

strikes because of long cables in the ground combined with sensitive

. * The cables around the target stand are vulnerable to bullets. This can especially be a problem in speed shooting competitions where some of the shots may miss the target. To protect the cables, brackets made of

hardened steel The term hardened steel is often used for a medium or high carbon steel that has been given heat treatment and then quenching followed by tempering. The quenching results in the formation of metastable martensite, the fraction of which is reduc ...

have been used in Stang shooting (Stangskyting) and Nordic field rapid shooting (Felthurtigskyting).

Mechanism

All types of electronic targets use some form of trigonometric equations to triangulate the position of bullet impact.

Sound triangulation

Sound-chamber targets are the oldest type of electronic targets, and use the

Mach wave In fluid dynamics, a Mach wave is a pressure wave traveling with the speed of sound caused by a slight change of pressure added to a compressible flow. These weak waves can combine in supersonic flow to become a shock wave if sufficient Mach waves ...

of the bullet to determine its position as it passes through the target. The first sound-chamber system for big-bore rifles was

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an sufficiency of disclosure, enabling disclo ...

ed in 1975, and was used for the first time in a world championship in 1982. It functions by using

microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and pub ...

s to measure the sound wave of the projectile as it passes through the target. The target is built like a frame and covered with rubber sheets on the front and back, providing an almost sound-tight chamber. Inside the chamber there are microphones, either three in the bottom of the frame, or one in each of the four corners. Additionally, the air

temperature Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer. Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied on ...

inside the target is measured to precisely calculate the

speed of sound The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. At , the speed of sound in air is about , or one kilometre in or one mile in . It depends strongly on temperature as ...

. To avoid large temperature fluctuations, the target is insulated in the front and back using insulating material such as

styrofoam Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), commonly called "Blue Board", manufactured as foam continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and water barrier ...

, and the target seen by the shooter is painted on the insulation material. To keep the sound-chamber somewhat tight, there is an additional rubber liner outside the main rubber liner, which can be turned manually or with an electric motor at certain intervals to prevent the holes in the sound chamber from becoming too large.

Light triangulation

In 2010, Sius Ascor released Laserscore, the first electronic target system using

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The firs ...

s: it is able to determine the position of a bullet with a claimed accuracy of a few hundredths of a

millimeter file:EM Spectrum Properties edit.svg, 330px, Different lengths as in respect to the electromagnetic spectrum, measured by the metre and its derived scales. The microwave is between 1 meter to 1 millimeter. The millimetre (American and British Eng ...

by using three infrared lasers. Since the measuring method is optical and there are no moving parts, the target is almost free from wear and maintenance.

Piezoelectric sensors triangulation

In 2018, Sport Quantum released an impact measuring technology using

piezoelectric sensors A piezoelectric sensor is a device that uses the piezoelectric effect to measure changes in pressure, acceleration, temperature, strain, or force by converting them to an electrical charge. The prefix ''piezo-'' is Greek for 'press' or 'squeeze' ...

on a plate. This enabled new generation interactive shooting targets : plate protected screens for pellets, or armored still plates for large calibres. Interactive shooting screens combine precise impact measurement and an unlimited choice of targets.

Data transmission

Data can be transferred either

wireless Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The mos ...

ly or through cables. Cables are often used for permanent installations, while wireless radio transmissions are used for targets placed provisionally in the field and for running targets.

Manufacturers

Some well known manufacturers are: * Ariosoren of Iran
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* Disag of Germany
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* Elite scorer of India
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* ETSys (Electronic Target Systems) of Great Britain
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* HEX Systems of Australia
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* INTARSO (formerly Häring) of Germany
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* Kongsberg Target Systems (formerly Kongsberg Mikroelektronikk) of Norway
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* Megalink of Norway
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* Meyton Elektronik of Germany
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* SETA Target Systems of Germany
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* SIUS AG Switzerland
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* Sport Quantum of France
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* Tachus of India

) * TrueZeroTarget of Norway
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* Polytronic of Switzerland
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* Secapem of France
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) * Silver Mountain Targets of Canada
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* Spieth of Germany
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* Suooter Tech of China
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Distributors

Open source

freETarget
is an open source project for an electronic target using acoustic detection with a projected build cost of under 100 United States dollar, USD.
BidaSius
is an open source project for electronic target. It uses webcam and computer for image processing. For now it is available for 10m Air Pistol only. Hobbyist can build an electronic target for less than US$50.
E-Targ
is an

open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...

project with the goal of publishing free research, designs, schematics and software, etc. so that hobbyists can build an electronic target for under 50 United States dollar, USD. The system is supposed to be portable, accurate within 5 mm, plot impact locations quickly and transmit the data wirelessly to a laptop or smartphone. A beta version was presented by Matthew Waterman and Donato Salazar as a school project at the

Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a Public university, public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of ...

in 2011, and from there the plan is to involve others to develop the project further. The thesis includes building instructions and complete programming, together with a more in depth explanation of the physics and mathematical formulas used, which gives a good foundation for further development. During the project both "soft targets" (targets with a sound chamber) and "hard targets" (without sound chamber) were tested, and hard targets were the most successful giving an electronic precision of 2 cm (.8 inches).E-Targ Open Source Electronic Targets - Presentation - Matt Waterman, Donato Salazar, Dr. Abul Azad (Advisor), Tech 478 – Senior Design II
/ref> To function satisfactorily, E-Targ suggests that the electronic precision should be at least 10 times better than the expected precision of the shooter.

References

{{reflist

External links

Video: Kongsberg Target Systemt - Animation of How It Works

Video: Silver Mountain Targets How It Works

Video: An Overview of SIUS Electronic Target and Scoring SystemsVideo: Sport Quantum SQ10 Interactive Target

Scatt online viewer and database
Shooting sports