Optically tracked projectile
AssigneeNostromo Ltd.
InventorKevin Michael Sullivan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A projectile, that can be tracked by optical means, is fitted with a special tracer incorporated into the projectile's trailing edge. The rearward facing special tracer is incorporated into a metal disk which is crimped to the projectile's metal jacket. The special tracer includes micro-prismatic features that reflect light at the incidence angle. Alternatively, the disk incorporates a fluorescent dye that is responsive to a laser emission. External emitted radiation is reflected or re-emitted from the trailing edge of the projectile, allowing for an external electro-optic tracking device to identify the position of the projectile in flight.
Claims18
An ammunition cartridge configured to be fired from a weapon's barrel, the cartridge incorporating a projectile comprising:
- (1) an elongated metal jacket having a trailing edge;
- (2) a swaged core encapsulated by the elongated metal jacket;
- and
- (3) a non-pyrotechnic tracer formed into a metal disk, the disk having been crimped to, and incorporated into the trailing edge of a jacketed projectile, precisely incorporating and securing the crimped tracer disk, to be oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the projectile, wherein the tracer is embossed with a retroreflective morphology, having an array of retroreflectors, oriented in the jacketed bullet so that the focal apertures, in the disk, of the arrayed retroreflectors, in the tracer, are oriented to have a parallel alignment of the rotation of axis of the projectile, and
- wherein observable projectile assembly maximizes the intensity of light returned along the axis of rotation of the projectile that when illuminated by an observer or tracking instrument in the vicinity of the weapon optimizes the intensity of light reflectance allowing for measurement and observation of actual drift and drop of the projectile in flight.
An ammunition cartridge, comprising:
- a projectile formed with a metal jacket having a trailing edge;
- a ductile core included within the metal jacket;
- and
- an embossed disk having a reflective surface and a retroreflective morphology on the exterior thereof, the disk being configured to be crimped to the trailing edge of the projectile, perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the projectile, the disk crimped in place retained by the metal jacket, forming the aft end of the projectile having retroreflective characteristics and a sealed metal jacket surrounding the interior components of the projectile, the crimping securing the retroreflective morphology to be positioned perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the projectile using a propellant that has minimal off-gassing, reducing the erosive effect on the surface of the metal disk, when the ammunition is stored for extended periods, wherein the retroreflective morphology is configured to, based at least in part on the perpendicular positioning of the retroreflective morphology, maximize the intensity of light returned along the axis of rotation of the projectile and provide reflectance allowing for observation of actual drift and drop of the projectile in flight from the vicinity of a gunner of the projectile, and wherein the tracer is embossed with a retroreflective morphology, having an array of retroreflectors, oriented in the jacketed bullet so that the focal apertures, in the disk, of the arrayed retroreflectors, in the tracer, are oriented to have a parallel alignment of the rotation of axis of the projectile.
A method for fabricating a projectile, comprising:
- combining a metal jacket with a swaged ductile core, the metal jacket having a trailing edge;
- incorporating a metal plate with a retroreflective surface formed on a disk that functions as a tracer when illuminated, enclosing a projectile;
- and
- crimping the disk to the trailing edge of the metal jacket and forming a full metal jacketed projectile surrounding the interior components of the projectile, wherein the tracer is embossed with a retroreflective morphology, having an array of retroreflectors, oriented in the jacketed bullet so that the focal apertures, in the disk, of the arrayed retroreflectors, in the tracer, are oriented to have a parallel alignment of the rotation of axis of the projectile, and the process of crimping the tracer in the aft end of the metal jacketed projectile precludes causation of damage to the reflective surface of the disk and secures the disk to be positioned perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the projectile, wherein the reflective surface configured in aft trailing edge of the jacketed bullet forms the tracer and is configured to, based at least in part on the perpendicular positioning of the disk, maximize the intensity of light returned along to the axis of rotation of the projectile and provide reflectance allowing for observation of actual flight drop and drift of the projectile in flight from the vicinity of a gunner of the projectile.
A trackable projectile having a metal jacket and a core, the projectile being fit with a disk having a tracer, configured to optimize light return when the trackable projectile is illuminated at a distance that coincides with the nominal bore-sighting range for a weapon that is kitted with emitters and detectors, and oriented in a jacketed bullet, the disk having the tracer having been crimped to the trailing edge of a metal jacket and forming the aft trailing end of the projectile and a sealed metal jacket surrounding the interior components of the projectile, the crimping securing the tracer to be positioned perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the projectile, wherein the tracer is embossed with a retroreflective morphology, having an array of retroreflectors, oriented in the jacketed bullet so that the focal apertures, in the disk, of the arrayed retroreflectors are oriented to have a parallel alignment of the rotation of axis of the projectile, and wherein the aligned array of retroreflectors configured in aft trailing edge of the jacketed bullet forms the tracer and is configured to, based at least in part on the perpendicular positioning of the tracer, maximize the intensity of light returned along the axis of rotation of the projectile and provide reflectance allowing for observation of actual drift and drop of the projectile in flight from the vicinity of a gunner of the projectile.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.