Missile director

Details Missile director Missile director

1975-04-18

1977-03-29

Engle, Samuel W.

Aeronautics and astronautics

Missile stabilization or trajectory control

Remote control

250203R, 356 4, F41G 146, F42B 1510, G02B 2700

Patent

active

040144828

ABSTRACT:
A line of sight guidance system is provided in which the radiated output of a pulsed laser is spatially modulated to produce a beam radiated from an optical projector containing all informational requirements to enable a missile launched into the beam to determine its position with respect to beam center. The guidance system includes a single beam projector at a launch site, and a single beam receiver and signal decoder carried by the missile. The beam projector includes a laser diode source, laser pulse driver circuits, beam encoder, optic means for projecting the encoded beam, and electronic circuits for controlling the optic means operation. The beam encoder includes a reticle having a plurality of spokes formed in it, an opto-interrupter for sensing reticle center rotation rate, and drive motor control electronics. The reticle has a center mounted for rotation about the generated beam so that at least a portion of the reticle intersects the beam in all positions of the reticle. The laser diode source is pulsed at two different rates, which rates are coordinated with the angular position of the reticle. The laser beam is encoded by rotating the center of the reticle about an axis of the optical system in conjunction with the variation of the pulse repetition rate of the laser source, to produce a spatial modulation of the radiated beam. The projected beam, consequently, is a binary coded coordinate grid and reference data pattern which contains in itself all of the magnitude and phase components necessary for a properly equipped missile to define its location with respect to the beam coordinate center, once the missile is launched into the beam pattern. The receiver and decoder are utilized to derive signals for positioning the missile along the beam center by separating the incoming pulse train into an information channel and a phase reference channel. The optic means for projecting the beam includes a zoom optic system designed to permit use of a low power beam, the beam radiation being spread over a large angle at missile launch. The beam angle is decreased as the missile flies towards a target, thus maintaining approximately constant beam power density at the missile throughout flight, while minimizing the beam power density at the target.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3676003 (1972-07-01), Naiman et al.
patent: 3690594 (1972-09-01), Menke
patent: 3807658 (1974-04-01), Miller et al.

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