System and method for communicating between countermeasure dispensers and expendables
AssigneeBAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
InventorsJason H. Branch, Mark J. Dube, Danny L. Plemons
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A countermeasure dispenser system has a dispenser with a fire pin and a smart expendable housed in the dispenser awaiting to be fired upon a fire command. The smart expendable has features that need power and communication signals from the dispenser. The communication signals and power sent from the dispenser to the smart expendable are sent through an interface that is different than the fire pin in the dispenser. The interface may be a dedicated wired interface or the interface may be a wireless interface. If wireless, the wireless interface may use near field communications, RF signaling, or near field magnetic induction.
Claims20
A countermeasure dispensing system (CMDS) comprising:
- a sequencer unit;
- a first dispenser operably connected to the sequencer unit, and the first dispenser having a fire pin adapted to transmit fire signals therethrough;
- and
- a first expendable that is fired in response to receiving a fire signal from the fire pin;
- and
- a power and communication interface that is different than the fire pin and connects the first expendable to the dispenser, wherein the sequencer communicates with the first expendable via the power and communication interface.
A method comprising:
- generating a communication signal in sequencer unit in a countermeasure dispenser system (CMDS);
- determining that an expendable having a center pin is housed within a dispenser of the CMDS, wherein the dispenser includes a fire pin contacting the center pin on the expendable;
- transferring power from the sequencer unit to the expendable via a power and communication interface that is different than the fire pin;
- transferring the communication signal from the sequencer unit to the expendable via a power and communication interface that is different than the fire pin;
- and
- launching the expendable from the dispenser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.