1356results about "Direction controllers" patented technology

A missile guidance system designed to operate on GPS signals in an anti-jamming environment. The inventive system includes first, second and third airborne vehicles (20). A GPS receiver (24) is mounted on each of the three vehicles (20) to receive signals transmitted from spaceborne satellites (14). Each vehicle (20) acts as a pseudo-satellite or "pseudolite'. The received GPS signals are processed by a processor (26) to provide a first intermediate signal indicating the position of the vehicle (20). This signal is retransmitted from each vehicle and received by a GPS receiver mounted on a missile. The received intermediate signal is processed on the missile to provide an output signal indicating the position thereof. The pseudolites would be airborne in the vicinity of a target area. Because the pseudolites are relatively close to the targets compared to a satellite in high altitude orbit and because the pseudolites would be able to transmit a kilowatt or more power, the signal strength may be improved significantly. To succeed as a jammer, a jammer, successful against GPS satellites, would need considerably more power to succeed against aircraft carried pseudolites. The pseudolite system delivers GPS signals into the target area 40-70 dB stronger than signals coming directly from GPS satellites. By timing the signals for 100% time coverage, enemy C / A code receivers will be jammed because they are limited to a J / S capability of 30 dB.

An aircraft display and control system generally includes a processor, a cursor control and selection device, an aeronautical information database, a geographic database, and a plurality of display devices. Users, such as an aircraft pilot and copilot, can perform flight plan entry and modification by manipulating graphical information on the display devices using cursor control. In one embodiment, the present invention allows multiple members of an aircraft crew to share control of common flight information display areas, aids the crew's situational awareness by providing software-implemented dynamic symbology and highlighting to indicate cursor location, current panel of entry, and current focus for keyboard and cursor events.

A fast acting active protection system for military vehicles defeats RPG (rocket propelled grenade) threats fired from close ranges. The system minimizes the hazard to troops and civilians nearby. The system uses a plurality of passive sensors to locate the threat and initialize the system. A low cost radar or laser tracker is used as the means to determine range, velocity, and (if required) angular position of the threat. The countermunition used may be one of several choices, with the requisites being that the countermunition provides fast response with low inertia, and is able to damage or destroy the detected threat. A multi-barrel recoilless gun is the weapon of choice. A launching device is used to deploy and aim the countermunition and the tracking means. On board software and electronics are used to control the system.

A system and method for imaging target detection includes scanning a target area to produce an image of the target area and discriminating a target by identifying image pixels of similar intensity levels, grouping contiguous pixels with similar intensity levels into regions, calculating a set of features for each region and qualifying regions as possible targets in response to the features; discriminating the background by identifying image pixels of similar intensity levels, grouping contiguous pixels of similar intensity levels into regions, calculating a set of features for each background region and qualifying background regions as terrain characteristics in response to the features and analyzing the qualified terrain characteristics and qualified target candidates to determine and prioritize targets.

A device network to process signals has target devices, selecting devices that are movable relative to the target devices, and controllers. The controllers are in communication with the target devices and the selecting devices. Each of the selecting devices has a position sensor and an orientation sensor to provide spatial and angular co-ordinates of position and orientation when pointing to a target device and upon receiving a user input. Each of the selecting devices also has a signal processor to generate a control signal having the position and orientation data. This control signal is then transmitted by a transmitter, via a radio frequency channel, to a controller. Upon receiving the control signal, the controller determines whether, for example, a target device has been selected by a selecting device by comparison of the orientation data with a derived orientation based on the position data and the known position of the target devices.

The present invention provides an unpowered low-cost “smart” micromunition unit for a weapon system for defense against an asymmetric attack upon ships and sea or land based facilities. A plurality of air dropped micromunition units are each capable of detecting and tracking a plurality of maneuvering targets and of establishing a fast acting local area wireless communication network among themselves to create a distributed database stored in each deployed micromunition unit for sharing target and micromunition unit data. Each micromunition unit autonomously applies stored algorithms to data from the distributed database to select a single target for intercept and to follow an intercept trajectory to the selected target. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope of the claims.

A vehicle guidance system. The system includes a first mechanism for tracking a vehicle based on time-of-arrival information associated with energy emanating from the vehicle and providing vehicle position information in response thereto. A second mechanism steers the vehicle based on the vehicle position information. In a specific embodiment, the system of further includes a third mechanism for locating the target based on time-of-arrival information associated with energy radiating from the target and providing target location information in response thereto. The second the second mechanism steers the vehicle based on the target location information and the vehicle position information.

A method for intercepting and a defeating rocket propelled grenade (RPG) which includes the steps of detecting a thermal signature from a launch of the RPG; and cueing a narrow beam radar which locates the RPG and develops a ballistic solution and target intercept point for intercepting the PPG with an intercept vehicle.

The present invention relates to a method of controlling an aircraft, missile, munition or ground vehicle with plasma actuators, and more particularly to controlling fluid flow across their surfaces or other surfaces, which would benefit from such a method. The method includes the design of an aerodynamic plasma actuator for the purpose of controlling airflow separation over a control surface of a aircraft, missile, or a ground vehicle, and more particularly to the method of determining a modulation frequency for the plasma actuator for the purpose of fluid flow control over these vehicles. The various embodiments provide the steps to increase the efficiency of aircraft, missiles, munitions and ground vehicles. The method of flow control provides a means for reducing aircraft, missile's, munition's and ground vehicle's power requirements. These methods also provide alternate means for aerodynamic control using low-power hingeless plasma actuator devices.

Higher Order Sliding Mode (HOSM) control techniques are applied to the Guidance Control (G&C) of interceptor missile in which velocity may be steered by combination of main thrust, aerodynamic lift and lateral on-off divert thrusters, and attitude may be steered by continuous or on-off actuators. Methods include the pointing of the seeker, its associated estimation processes, a guidance law that uses concurrent divert mechanisms, and an attitude autopilot. The insensitivity of the controller to matched disturbances allows the concurrent usage of the divert mechanisms without adverse effect on the accuracy. The controller also allows the de-coupling of the control of roll, pitch and yaw channels, and usage quaternions to represent body attitude and it provides control perfect robustness. While it conceivable to design separately the components of the G&C method, it is widely accepted that designing them in an integrated fashion usually produces a better result.

A laser spot tracker comprising a quadrant detector. A portion of a spot of laser light reflected from an object being illuminated (OBI) may be defocused to occupy a significant portion such as one-third of the field of view, while another portion remains focused, therefore allowing for quick calculation of the spot centroid. With such a “composite spot”, multiple target (OBI) positions may simultaneously be defined in elevation and azimuth with respect to null by analyzing the energy in each quadrant. The X and Y angle information (off null) for multiple targets (OBIs), and their codes may be displayed. For a large, defocused spot, two segmented multi-element detectors may be used, one in front of and the other behind the focal plane to reduce the effects of hot spots in a spot of laser light collected from an object being illuminated.

The multi-target tracking and discrimination system (MOST) fuses with and augments existing BMDS sensor systems. Integrated devices include early warning radars, X-band radars, Lidar, DSP, and MOST which coordinates all the data received from all sources through a command center and deploys the GBI for successful interception of an object detected anywhere in space, for example, warheads. The MOST system integrates the optics for rapid detection and with the optical sensor array delivers high-speed, high accuracy positional information to radar systems and also identifies decoys. MOST incorporates space situational awareness, aero-optics, adaptive optics, and Lidar technologies. The components include telescopes or other optical systems, focal plane arrays including high-speed wavefront sensors or other focal plane detector arrays, wavefront sensor technology developed to mitigate aero-optic effects, distributed network of optical sensors, high-accuracy positional metrics, data fusion, and tracking mounts. Field applications include space monitoring, battlefield artillery, battlefield management, ground defense, air defense, space protection, missile defense, gunfire detection, and the like.

The invention provides a method and apparatus for guiding a weapon to a target using an optical seeker having dual semi-active laser (SAL) and laser radar (LADAR) modes of operation. The dual mode seeker incorporates a laser light source, an optical package including a quadrant detector for operating in SAL mode and a LADAR receiver for operating in LADAR mode. The seeker further includes a high speed scanning mirror for switching between modes to guide the weapon to the target. The method for guiding a weapon to a target includes receiving radiation from the target and tracking the radiation to guide the weapon; monitoring the detected radiation such that if the radiation falls below a predetermined level, a laser system on-board the weapon continues guiding the weapon by generating a laser beam; reflecting the laser beam off the target so that the reflected laser radiation is received from the target to track the radiation and guide the weapon to the target.

The present invention provides a position control system for a remote-controlled vehicle, a vehicle operated by the control system, and a method for operating a remote-controlled vehicle. An electromagnetic energy receiver is configured to receive an electromagnetic beam. The electromagnetic energy receiver is further configured to determine a position of the remote-controlled vehicle relative to a position of the electromagnetic beam. The vehicle is directed to maneuver to track the position of the electromagnetic beam.

An integrated infrared and millimeter-wave monolithic focal plane sensor array having a substrate upon which an integrated array of infrared sensors and mm-wave sensors are provided at a first planar level on the same side of the substrate, and a planar antenna for receiving incident millimeter-wave radiation located at a second planar level located between the integrated array of sensors and the surface of the substrates for coupling the mm-wave radiation field to the mm-wave sensor. The antenna receiver of electromagnetic radiation, in one embodiment, is an antenna having a crossed bowtie configuration which efficiently couples the radiation field to the mm-wave sensor. The invention also is directed to a method of fabricating such a radiation sensor.

Automatic homing systems are disclosed, operable between pairs of objects. One or both of the objects in the pair may be moving and / or unmanned. Examples of a pair of objects between which the inventive automatic homing systems may be operated are ground vehicles in leader-follower configuration, as well as aircraft, spacecraft, watercraft. The automatic homing systems are based on a relatively simple, elegant concept of rightness / leftness and a line-of-sight link between a respective leader vehicle and follower vehicle. Complex EO / IR cameras, LIDAR, RADAR, and / or SONAR-based sensor systems can be avoided. Convoys of vehicles in leader-follower configuration advantageously may be operated without needing human operators in the follower vehicles.

A system for determination of kinematics of a moving object comprising: a sensor producing angular data for the object at a number of observation times, a state initialization unit, receiving angular data from the sensor and on basis thereof determining a first kinematic state of the object, and a tracking filter having a prediction unit, arranged to determine a predicted kinematics state of the object on bases of a kinematic model of the object, wherein the kinematic model comprises a guidance law locked on a known position, and at least one previously determined kinematic state of the object, and a state updating unit, receiving angular data from the sensor and the predicted kinematic state of the object, and on basis thereof determining an updated kinematic state of the object.

An agile, high-power, reliable DIRCM system that is easily extended to address sophisticated UV or UV-visible capable multi-band threats includes a missile warner having missile warning receivers (MWRs), one or two-color suitably in the mid-IR range, that detect likely missile launch and pass the threat coordinates to a pointer-tracker having a Roll / Nod gimbal on which the IR laser transmitter is mounted. The pointer-tracker slews the gimbal to initiate tracking based on the threat coordinates and then uses its detector to continue to track and verify the threat. If the threat is verified, the pointer-tracker engages the laser to fire and jam the missile's IR seeker. By slewing the gimbal based on unverified threat coordinates to initiate tracking the system is highly agile and can respond to short and near simultaneous MANPADS shots.

An apparatus for and a method of detecting a flight obstacle (28, 30, 32, 34) in the surroundings (50) of an aircraft (4), in particular for collision warning purposes, wherein images of the surroundings (50) are recorded, the flight obstacle (28, 30, 32, 34) is detected from the images and provided with an identification, and a signal (66, 68, 76) associated with the identification is outputted in a ground station (6). In order to guarantee a high level of certainty in respect to the control of the aircraft (4) which is effected automatically or by a ground control pilot it is proposed that detection and allocation of the identification are effected on board the aircraft (4) and the identification is sent to the ground station (6).

The disclosure relates to a low cost and highly accurate precision guided system suitable for use in conventional aircraft launched bombs. The system includes a kit mounted upon the nose of the conventional bomb which replaces the conventional fuse disposed in a fuse well, the kit including guidance electronics controlling a self-contained jet reaction device and GPS P-code receiver electronics. The bombs are readied for discharge by signals broadcast from the aircraft into the bomb bay which transfer initial GPS data and commence operation of a gas generator which powers the jet reaction device.

A method and system for pointing and stabilizing a device that needs to be pointed and stabilized with a desired direction, are disclosed, wherein current attitude measurement and attitude rate measurement of the device measured by an attitude producer, which includes an inertial measurement unit, and the desired direction information measured by a target coordinates producer are processed by a pointing controller to compute rotation commands to an actuator. An actuator rotates and stabilizes the device at the desired direction according to the rotation commands in the presence of disturbances and parametric uncertainties to account for the undesired vibration due to disturbances. A visual and voice device provide an operator with visualization and voice indication of the pointing and stabilization procedure of the device.

A system, apparatus and method for optimizing the conduct of a close-in air combat are disclosed. A computing device is operative in the analysis of a close-in air combat situation. The computing device stores and utilizes one or more aerial aircraft-specific, weapon systems-specific and close-in air combat-situation-specific information. The computing device is operative in the analysis of the current air combat situation (12) and in the generation of a flight control recommendation (40). Consequently, the recommendation is converted into an indication having visual or audio format to be communicated to the operating crew of the aerial vehicle. The recommendation could further to be converted into specific flight control / energy commands and to be introduced directly to the control systems of the aircraft.

A communications system and method utilizes an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) capable of collecting data about an environment in which the USV resides. At least one micro-aerial vehicle (MAV), equipped for unmanned flight after a launch thereof, is mounted on the USV. Each MAV has onboard radio frequency (RF) communications. Each MAV launched into the air transmits the data collected by the USV using the MAV's RF communications.

A method and apparatus for conducting proximity operations is disclosed. The method called inverser proximity operations includes maneuvering an active vehicle into general proximity to a target vehicle, transmitting from the target vehicle to the active vehicle data representing relative position and velocity between the target vehicle and the active vehicle, and maneuvering the active vehicle in accordance with the data to effect a desired proximity operation. Another method called distributed proximity operations includes maneuvering a carrier vehicle into general proximity to a target vehicle, releasing one or more active vehicles from the carrier vehicle, transmitting from the carrier vehicle to the active vehicle(s) data representing relative position and velocity between the target vehicle and the active vehicle, and maneuvering the active vehicle(s) in accordance with the data to effect a desired proximity operation. The proximity operations are similarly suitable for aeronautical systems, such as when using an active aircraft to re-fuel a target aircraft, such as a drone. Whether for space, air, or other environments, the proximity operations described can be used for re-fueling, repairing, and replacing components and / or systems.

A 2-D correction system uses intermittent deployment of aerodynamic surfaces to control a spin or fin stabilized projectile in flight; correcting both crossrange and downrange impact errors. Intermittent surface deployment develops rotational moments, which create body lift that nudge the projectile in two-dimensions to correct the projectile in its ballistic trajectory. In low spin rate projectiles (“fin stabilized”), the rotational moment directly produces the body lift that moves the projectile. In high spin rate projectiles (“spin stabilized”), the rotational moment creates a much larger orthogonal precession that in turn produces the body lift that moves the projectile. The aerodynamic surfaces are suitably deployed over multiple partial roll cycles at precise on (deployed) and off (stowed) positions in the cycle to nudge the projectile up or down range or left or right cross range until the desired ballistic trajectory is restored.

Pulse integration is utilized on board an optically guided missile or other ordinance device used as a part of a target designation system for extending the lock-on range of the missile by approximately 18%, when a double pulse laser is utilized to illuminate and designate the target. Pulse integration is accomplished with a recirculating delay unit which superimposes the first pulse on the second pulse, such that while the pulses add coherently, noise does not add in phase. The pulse integration technique therefore enhances the signal-to-noise ratio when the missile is at the outer limits of its operating range. When the missile is sufficiently close to the target, doublet decoding is actuated to offer countermeasure resistance. At this point, pulse integration may proceed in lieu of doublet decoding or may be dispensed with in view of the increased signal-to-noise ratio due to the close range of the missile to the target.

A system and method for determining the track of a projectile use a thermal signature of the projectile. Sequential infrared image frames are acquired from a sensor at a given position. A set of frames containing spots with characteristics consistent with a projectile in flight are identified. A possible projectile track solution for said spots is identified. A thermal signature value for each pixel of each spot of the possible solution is determined. The determined thermal signature is then compared to an actual thermal signature for a substantially similar projectile track to ascertain whether the determined thermal signature substantially matches the actual thermal signature, which indicates that the possible projectile track solution is the correct solution.