Method and apparatus for improving the aim of a weapon station, firing a point-detonating or an air-burst projectile
AssigneeNostromo Holdings, LLC
InventorKevin Michael Sullivan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The method and apparatus for a remote weapon station or incorporated into manually-aimed weapons. The methodology requires use of a muzzle velocity sensor that refines the aiming of the second and subsequent fires or volleys fired from weapon systems. When firing the first volley a weapon uses an estimated velocity and, at firing, the muzzle velocity of a projectile is measured. When firing the second volley a weapon's fire control calculates an aiming point using the measured velocity of the first volley.
Claims35
A system located in the vicinity of a weapon having a barrel for firing a succession of projectiles that follow extenuated curved ballistic trajectories toward a distant target, said system being operative when each projectile is fired from the weapon to record its changing vertical and lateral positions over its ballistic path during its ballistic flight after barrel exit, said system comprising, in combination;
- a radiation source at the location of the weapon for transmitting radiation toward the rear surface of the projectile during its ballistic flight, where said radiation source is a steerable laser beam with a control for causing the radiation emitted from the laser to intersect with the ballistic path of the projectile;
- a radiation detector at the location of the weapon for detecting return radiation received from the rear surface of the projectile in response to said radiation emitted by said radiation source and capturing said changing vertical and lateral positions of the projectile during its ballistic flight, said detector producing measurable output signals representing said changing vertical and lateral positions of the projectile;
- and
- an output device, coupled to the radiation detector and receiving said output signals, for recording said changing vertical and lateral positions of the projectile as it exits the barrel transitioning to the apogee, and for calculating an adjustment in the aim of the weapon toward the target, prior to firing a subsequent projectile, the output device further comprising a sensor measuring drop and drift of the projectile, wherein the sensor tracks said extenuated ballistic curve, and
- wherein said projectile has an elongate circular body with side and rear surfaces and a photo-luminescent material, disposed on the rear surface that re-emits radiation at when excited by receipt of radiation from the radiation source.
A system located in the vicinity of a weapon having a barrel for firing a succession of projectiles that follow extenuated curved ballistic trajectories-toward a distant target, said system being operative when each projectile is fired from the weapon to record its changing vertical and lateral positions over its ballistic path during its ballistic flight after barrel exit, said system comprising, in combination;
- a radiation source at the location of the weapon for transmitting radiation toward the rear surface of the projectile during its ballistic flight, where said radiation source is a steerable laser beam with a control for causing the radiation emitted from the laser to intersect with the ballistic path of the projectile;
- a radiation detector at the location of the weapon for detecting return radiation received from the rear surface of the projectile in response to said radiation emitted by said radiation source and capturing said changing vertical and lateral positions of the projectile during its ballistic flight, said detector producing measurable output signals representing said changing vertical and lateral positions of the projectile;
- and
- an output device, coupled to the radiation detector and receiving said output signals, for recording said changing vertical and lateral positions of the projectile as it exits the barrel transitioning to the apogee, and for calculating an adjustment in the aim of the weapon toward the target, prior to firing a subsequent projectile, the output device further comprising a sensor measuring drop and drift of the projectile, wherein the sensor tracks said extenuated ballistic curve, and
- wherein said projectile has an elongate circular body with side and rear surfaces a retro-reflective element, disposed on the rear surface, that reflects radiation received from a radiation source in the direction of the radiation source.
A system for correcting the aim of a weapon which is operative to launch a projectile from a barrel on a ballistic path toward a target, the projectile having an elongate housing with a rear end and fluorescent dye material disposed on the rear end that produces radiation at a first frequency when excited by receipt of radiation at a second frequency, said aim correcting system comprising, in combination;
- (1) a radiation source of pulsed light at said first frequency directed toward the ballistic path of the projectile and emitted at predetermined times (T1, T2, T3 . . . ) following firing of the projectile (at time T0);
- (2) a radiation detector at the location of the weapon for receiving light radiation signals re-emitted by the fluorescent dye on the projectile at times (T1z, T2z, T3z . . . Tnz) and producing electronic signals representing the vertical and lateral positions of the projectile at said times (T1z, T2z, T3z, . . . Tnz), where “z” is a re-emission delay and T1z, T2z, T3z . . . are the respective times T1, T2, T3, . . . Tn each delayed by amount z;
- (3) a signal processor, coupled to the radiation detector, for processing said electronic signals to determine the spatial (X and Y) coordinates of the projectile at said times (I′ T2z, T3z, . . . Tn) during flight;
- (4) a computer, coupled to the processor, for calculating a lateral correction and a vertical correction in the aim of the weapon;
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- (5) an output device, coupled to the computer, for facilitating an adjustment in the aim of the weapon toward the target, prior to firing the next projectile;
- wherein said aim of the weapon may be adjusted after launch of the projectile to compensate for errors prior to launch of another projectile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.