Grid munition pattern utilizing orthogonal interferometry reference frame and range radio frequency code determination
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorsMichael J. Choiniere, Ira B. Ekhaus, Quang M. Lam
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Abstract
The system and method of projectile flight management using a combination of radio frequency orthogonal interferometry for the long range navigation and guidance of one or more projectiles that does not need to be accurate all the way to the ground based on the use of larger artillery. The system provides for more accurate targeting, especially in GPS-denied and GPS-limited environments.
Claims15
A flight management system, comprising:
- a radio frequency orthogonal interferometry array configured to generate a reference frame projected in the direction of one or more targets having radio frequency orthogonal interferometry waveforms and to further provide radio frequency (RF) communications;
- at least one projectile configured to receive the radio frequency orthogonal interferometry waveforms and the RF communications;
- a short range guidance system on the projectile configured to provide guidance of the projectile from a hand-off point to the targets;
- and
- a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carried by the projectile having a set of instructions encoded thereon that when executed by one or more processors, provide guidance and navigation of the projectile, the set of instructions being configured to cause the one or more processors to perform:
- processing azimuth and elevation information from the radio frequency orthogonal interferometry waveforms;
- processing at least one of range information and mission data from the RF communications;
- determining coordinates of the projectile using the azimuth, elevation and range information, wherein the coordinates are relative to the radio frequency orthogonal interferometry array;
- guiding the projectile along a trajectory within the reference frame to the hand-off point;
- switching to the short range guidance system at the hand-off point;
- and
- guiding the projectile from the hand-off point to the targets using a ballistic guidance or glide slope.
A method of guiding multiple projectiles towards one or more targets, comprising:
- receiving target locations and waveform mission codes via an RF communication link at each of the multiple projectiles;
- collecting, via an radio frequency receiver located on each of the multiple projectiles, radio frequency waveforms from a radio frequency orthogonal interferometry array;
- determining azimuth, elevation, and range to target data for each of the multiple projectiles, via an on-board processor;
- calculating individual target navigation waypoints for each of the multiple projectiles via the on-board processor;
- and
- guiding each of the multiple projectiles to the one or more targets.
A computer program product including one or more non-transitory machine-readable mediums with instructions encoded thereon, that when executed by one or more processors cause a process for guidance and control of a plurality of projectiles to be carried out, the process comprising:
- processing, via a radio frequency (RF) receiver on the projectiles, radio frequency orthogonal interferometry waveforms obtained from a reference frame, the reference frame being generated by a radio frequency orthogonal interferometry array;
- receiving mission data and range information from radio frequency communications by the radio frequency orthogonal interferometry array;
- determining, via an on-board processor, azimuth and elevation of the projectiles from the radio frequency orthogonal interferometry waveforms and further determining latitude and longitude of the projectiles using the range information;
- calculating individual target navigation waypoints for a plurality of targets via the on-board processor;
- and
- guiding the projectiles to the targets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.