Sensor system for a high precision gimbal indicator
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorMichael K. Burkland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sensor system includes a seeker ball and a plurality of targets including variable pitch diffraction gratings disposed at different positions on a surface of the seeker ball relative to each other. The sensor system also includes a plurality of cylindrically-symmetric high precision gimbal indicator (HPGI) sensors, each HPGI sensor including a corresponding stop radially aligned with a center of the seeker ball and configured to track a position of a corresponding target of the plurality of targets. In addition, the sensor system includes a controller configured to receive outputs from the HPGI sensors and determine, based on the outputs, an instantaneous and absolute angular position of the seeker ball.
Claims20
A sensor system comprising:
- a seeker ball;
- a plurality of targets including variable pitch diffraction gratings disposed at different positions on a surface of the seeker ball relative to each other;
- a plurality of cylindrically-symmetric high precision gimbal indicator (HPGI) sensors, each HPGI sensor including a corresponding stop radially aligned with a center of the seeker ball and configured to track a position of a corresponding target of the plurality of targets;
- and
- a controller configured to receive outputs from the HPGI sensors and determine, based on the outputs, an instantaneous and absolute angular position of the seeker ball.
A method of operating a sensor system, the method comprising:
- receiving outputs from a plurality of cylindrically-symmetric high precision gimbal indicator (HPGI) sensors;
- and
- determining, based on the outputs, an instantaneous and absolute angular position of a seeker ball of the sensor system;
- wherein:
- the seeker ball includes a plurality of targets including variable pitch diffraction gratings disposed at different positions on a surface of the seeker ball relative to each other;
- and
- each HPGI sensor includes a corresponding stop radially aligned with a center of the seeker ball and configured to track a position of a corresponding target of the plurality of targets.
A non-transitory machine readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
- receive outputs from a plurality of cylindrically-symmetric high precision gimbal indicator (HPGI) sensors;
- and
- determine, based on the outputs, an instantaneous and absolute angular position of a seeker ball of a sensor system;
- wherein:
- the seeker ball includes a plurality of targets including variable pitch diffraction gratings disposed at different positions on a surface of the seeker ball relative to each other;
- and
- each HPGI sensor includes a corresponding stop radially aligned with a center of the seeker ball and configured to track a position of a corresponding target of the plurality of targets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.