Weapon on-board velocity and range tracking
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorsMichael J. CHOINIERE, Jason H. BATCHELDER, Matthew F. CHROBAK
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The system and method of weapon on-board range and velocity tracking using a synchronized clock and a pulse beacon on a fire control system, or the like, coupled with an on-board rear-facing detector and processor. A round or a UAS may use this system to accurately estimate range with respect to the fire control system, over time, and the round's or UAS's velocity at various times along its flight path. The system provides for smaller miss distances, and the like.
Claims14
A moving object, comprising:
- a rear-facing receiver for receiving RF or EO/RF signals;
- a computer program product including one or more machine-readable mediums encoded with instructions that when executed by one or more on-board processors cause a process to be carried out for range and velocity tracking, the process comprising
- receiving a synchronized pulsed waveform transmitted via a pulse beacon on a fire control system along with a code used to identify the synchronized pulsed waveform;
- generating a time stamp upon arrival of the synchronized pulsed waveform at the rear-facing receiver;
- comparing an arrival time of the received pulse to the synchronized waveform to determine an initial time delay (T1 received−T1 master);
- calculating the time delay and determining a position of the moving object relative to the fire control system;
- and
- determining a velocity of the moving object at launch and over time by analyzing a plurality of positions of the moving object relative to the fire control system using the synchronized pulsed waveform.
A method of on-board range and velocity tracking, comprising:
- synchronizing a pulsed waveform using a master clock located on a fire control system;
- transmitting the synchronized pulsed waveform via a pulse beacon located on a fire control system;
- transmitting a code used to identify the synchronized pulsed waveform via the pulse beacon located on the fire control system;
- launching a moving object from the fire control system, wherein the moving object generates a distance from the fire control system over time;
- receiving, via a rear-facing receiver on-board the moving object, the transmitted synchronized pulsed waveform;
- generating a time stamp upon arrival of the transmitted synchronized pulsed waveform at the rear-facing receiver;
- comparing, via an on-board processor, an arrival time to the synchronized pulsed waveform to the synchronized pulsed waveform to determine a time delay;
- calculating the time delay and determining a position of the moving object relative to the fire control system;
- and
- determining the moving object's velocity by analyzing a plurality of positions relative to the fire control system using the synchronized pulsed waveform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.