Search and protect device for airborne targets
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorGary L. Viviani
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a search and protect device for airborne targets including projectiles. The disclosure is directed to a search and protect device for airborne threats of interest within a 360-degree field of view via a spinning device with range finders. The disclosure relates to a search and protect device that can autonomously determine threats and engage said threats with appropriate counter-measures by determining its future location through the use of range finders within an at least three sensor array with a rotating path of a given speed to protect a target. The location of the projectile may be determined using a distance formula and further trigonometry.
Claims14
A search and protect device comprising:
- a rangefinder including:
- a first transmitter transmitting energy in a pattern about a first angle, said first transmitter operatively coupled to a first receiver;
- a second transmitter transmitting energy in a pattern about a second angle, said second transmitter operatively coupled to a second receiver;
- and
- at least one third transmitter transmitting energy in a pattern about at least one third angle, said at least one third transmitter operatively coupled to at least one third receiver, said first, second and at least one third transmitter constituting a transmitter array, said transmitter array transmitting energy by the first, second and at least one third transmitter in succession towards an object, wherein reflected energy from the object is received by the first, second and at least one third receiver;
- at least one processor operative to receive the reflected energy and determine if the object is an actual threat;
- at least one alternative effector operative to be deployed towards the object if deemed an actual threat;
- and
- an electromagnetic radiation detector coupled to the processor, the electromagnetic radiation detector being operative to use image recognition to look at the object and for the processor to determine if the object is the actual threat, independent of the reflected energy.
A method of eliminating a threat comprising:
- transmitting energy from a transmitter array;
- wherein said transmitter array comprises:
- a first transmitter for transmitting energy in a pattern about a first angle, said first transmitter operatively coupled to a first receiver,
- a second transmitter for transmitting energy in a pattern about a second angle, said second transmitter operatively coupled to a second receiver, and
- at least one third transmitter for transmitting energy in a pattern about at least one third angle, said at least one third transmitter operatively coupled to at least one third receiver, said first, second and at least one third transmitter constituting said transmitter array, said transmitter array transmitting energy by the first, second and at least one third transmitter in succession towards an object, wherein reflected energy from the object is received by the first, second and at least one third receiver;
- at least one processor operative to receive the reflected energy and determine if the object is an actual threat;
- receiving portions of energy back from the transmitted energy by a plurality of receivers corresponding to the object;
- prior to determining if the object is the actual threat, calculating a velocity and trajectory of the object as a function of movement from a geospatial location of the object and determining whether a future position of the object is proximate a target;
- determining that the object is the actual threat;
- and
- deploying countermeasures in response to the actual threat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.