Abstract:
A location and guidance system including a flying craft and a reception device. The flying craft includes a plurality of antennas distributed around its fuselage and emitting rearwards with rectilinear polarization, the emitted signals being specific to each antenna, the positions and the dimensions of the antennas being configured such that the body of the flying craft avoids by masking for at least one antenna the reflections of the signal emitted by this antenna off the ground or off lateral obstacles whatever the position of the flying craft. The reception device is placed substantially on a trajectory axis of the flying craft and configured to be oriented to sight the rear thereof and includes at least two single-pulse antennas operating in orthogonal planes determines a position of the flying craft by analysing the emitted signals received by the antennas of the reception device.
Abstract:
The invention concerns a method and a device for producing an optical link with laser pulses for locating a mobile. The invention is characterized in that it consists in varying the energy of said successive laser pulses (4) as an increasing function of the time (t) elapsing from the start of the emission of said laser pulses more or less in the direction of said receiver. The start of the emission of said laser impulse is delayed relative to the start of the mobile.
Abstract:
A system and method that guides a device to an object using periodically adaptive guidance. The guidance and control system creates a reconstructed line-of-sight (LOS) vector to avoid system destabilization associated with small angle approximation during high bore sight engagements. The guidance system adaptively estimates the periodic maneuver of evasive objects with a set of harmonically balance Kalman filter banks. The Harmonically Balanced Kalman filter banks generate a set of probabilities that weight the effect of each individual Kalman filters on a resultant guidance command signal. The guidance command signal generated by the system acts perpendicular to the object LOS. The guidance and control system uses vectored proportional navigation guidance laws, optimal proportion navigation laws and periodically adaptive augmented guidance laws to generate a guidance command signal to supply to an autopilot.
Abstract:
A device for guiding an aircraft includes an image sensor mounted on the aircraft, a data transmission unit for transmitting the images provided by the image sensor, a guide station for receiving the images which includes a touch-sensitive screen for displaying the images sensed by the image sensor. The touch-sensitive screen permits touch selection of a guide point representing a specific location displayed on the screen to which the aircraft is guided. A calculating unit calculates the instructions to guide the aircraft to the area represented by the guide point. The touch sensitive screen can include a light pen for selection of the guide point.
Abstract:
A method and system for limiting missile guidance correction within the physical control capabilities of the missile, while fully utilizing missile maneuver and control capabilities. The method and system of the present invention are applied through missile guidance control electronics. First, a dynamic rate limit is calculated to prevent aerodynamic trim limit overshoot, which is directly related to body attitude rate. Second, a dynamic angle of attack limit is calculated to control aerodynamic trim limit based on thrust deflection and/or aerodynamic control surface deflection. Third, a dynamic angular acceleration limit is calculated to balance control moments produced by mechanisms such as thrust deflection and/or aerodynamic control surface deflection with vehicle moments of inertia. Fourth, the dynamic limit on rate of change of angular acceleration is set to maintain control system margins in terms of maximum enforceable moment in excess of the trim moment at the current angle of attack and maximum slew rate of the thrust deflector.
Abstract:
A tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire guided (TOW) portable guided missile system (10) includes a launch tube (16) mounted on a tripod (18) or vehicle, and an optical/thermal sighting and tracking assembly (22) mounted on and aligned with the launch tube (16). The system operator (20) mechanically trains the assembly (22) to maintain a target (38) visually centered in a reticle, thereby establishing a line-of-sight (40) to the target (38). The assembly (22) tracks the target (38) optically or thermally, and feeds guidance signals to the missile (14) through a wire (46) to maintain the missile flight path coincident with the line-of-sight (40). An improved missile guidance electronics unit (44) is environmentally sealed in a small housing (60) which removably fits into a compartment (52) in the sighting and tracking assembly (22), thereby enabling the optical/thermal sighting and tracking elements (26,28) and guidance electronics (88) to be integrated into a compact, unitary assembly (22).
Abstract:
1. A Doppler decoy protection device comprising a missile capable of being launched from a space craft whose protection is sought, and to travel in advance thereof and at a speed greater than the speed of said space craft, guide means extendable rearwardly from said missile, Doppler decoy means slidable on said guide means for simulating the Doppler characteristics of the craft whose protection is sought, means for damping the speed of travel of said decoy means rearwardly on said guide means so that the resultant forward speed of said decoy means will substantially equal the speed of the craft whose protection is sought.
Abstract:
A feedback PDM encoder and method is presented which permits utilization ofneumatic pulse duration modulation (PDM) actuators with potentiometer position pickoffs in a digital autopilot loop. The actuator is directly driven by a signal derived in the digital autopilot which is in the pulse duration modulation (PDM) format. This signal is derived within the autopilot digital computer using conventional digital techniques. Analog feedback from the potentiometer which indicates angular excursion of the actuator is formatted into a PDM format. This method yields all signals necessary to operate the actuator in a closed loop missile control system.
Abstract:
An improved flight control system for use in guided missiles having a plurality of individually actuable control surfaces is shown. In order to overcome the deleterious effects of aerodynamic cross-coupling between control surfaces at a high angle of attack, the disclosed system includes means for first determining the lift force and roll moment of each control surface, and then, in accordance with the determined values of such forces and moments, controlling separately the total pitch lift force, yaw lift force and roll moment generated by all control surfaces. Any desired maneuver, either in pitch or yaw (or both), may therefore be executed without causing any unwanted motion of the missile, such as motion in an undesired plane or rolling of the missile.