Passive impact sensor for high velocity projectiles

Abstract

A passive impact sensor for a projectile configured to explode, destroy with kinetic energy, embed or pass through an object with a closing velocity greater than 1,000 m/s. The passive impact sensor includes an energy generating system comprised of a crystalline structure that stores latent polarized electrical energy. The crystalline structure is responsive to an impact generated shock wave that propagates at least partially through the crystalline structure to consume and depolarize the crystalline structure and release at least a portion of the stored energy to generate a voltage pulse across output terminals. An onboard antenna is configured to transmit an RF pulse responsive to the voltage pulse (direct or integrated) external to the impact sensor (and projectile) before the sensor is destroyed by the shock wave. Multiple energy generating systems can be positioned either together or fore and aft and their voltage pulses summed to transmit the RF pulse. The benefits of this device include the ability to determine impact force, impact velocity, impact angle, target mass, target density, and direct or glancing impact.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.