Despun wing control system for guided projectile maneuvers

A method of guiding to a target a projectile including a chassis extending from a tail portion to a body portion, the chassis defining a sidewall of the body portion, the projectile further including a control support portion extending axially from a nose portion and connecting to the body portion and a collar assembly having a collar pivotally mounted to the control support portion, the collar having a circumferentially and axially extending exterior sidewall with a plurality of fixed aerodynamic surfaces thereon for spinning the collar and the collar having a plurality of variable sweep wings canted at a fixed angle with respect to the central axis of the projectile for directional control of the projectile, the plurality of variable sweep wings each having a first end portion pivotally mounted to an interior of the collar and coupled to a wing actuator configured to rotate a second end portion between and including a first position, where the wings are oriented having a lengthwise wing axis generally parallel to the central axis of the projectile to a second position, where the second end portion of the wings are rotated outwardly from the sidewall of the collar and where the lengthwise wing axis of the plurality of wings are oriented generally perpendicular to the central axis of the projectile, the method comprising:

• firing the projectile from a projectile firing platform, the projectile having the plurality of variable sweep wings configured in the first position;
• determining the projectile has reached a first altitude threshold;
• and
• deploying, in response to determining the projectile has reached the first altitude, the plurality of variable sweep wings from the first position to the second position for gliding and maneuvering.

A system for guiding a projectile, the system removably attachable to a chassis of a projectile to configure the projectile for guided flight, the system comprising:

• a projectile nose portion and a control support portion extending axially from the nose portion;
• a collar assembly having a collar pivotally mounted to the control support portion, the collar having a circumferentially and axially extending exterior sidewall and the collar having a plurality of variable sweep wings for directional control of the projectile, the plurality of variable sweep wings each having a first end portion pivotally mounted to an interior of the collar and coupled to a wing actuator configured to rotate a second end portion between and including a first position, where the wings are oriented having a lengthwise wing axis generally parallel to the central axis of the projectile to a second position, where the second end portion of the wings are rotated outwardly from the sidewall of the collar and where the lengthwise wing axis of the plurality of wings are oriented generally perpendicular to the central axis of the projectile;
• and
• a processor and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium includes a set of instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
• determine that the projectile has reached a first altitude threshold, and in response, deploying the plurality of variable sweep wings from the first position to the second position for gliding and maneuvering;
• determine that the projectile has reached a second altitude threshold, and in response configuring the plurality of variable sweep wings from the second position to a third position, between the first and second position, where the longitudinal wing axis has a wing sweep angle with the central axis that is an acute angle.