Apparatus for maximizing the firing field of a rotatable gun

For use with a vehicle having a gun mounted on a gun turret rotatable in a horizontal plane and having a plurality of barriers on the deck of said vehicle, said vehicle having means for moving said gun in a horizontal plane about the vertical axis of said turret and means for independently pivoting said gun upwardly and downwardly in a vertical plane, a method of controlling the operation of said gun to maximize its field of fire comprising the steps of:

• checking the azimuth and elevation positions of said gun at regular intervals of time;
• calculating the azimuth and elevation distances traveled by said gun during one of said intervals of time by comparing the current and the last azimuth and elevation positions;
• calculating the current azimuth and elevation velocities of said gun by dividing said azimuth and elevation distances, respectively, by said time interval;
• calculating the time required to elevate the gun at a fixed elevation speed to clear the next barrier in the direction of azimuth travel of the gun by comparing the present gun elevation with the barrier height and modifying such comparison by the reduced or added time caused by the projected movement of the gun in the vertical plane based on the current elevation velocity;
• calculating the azimuth distance from said barrier at which said gun must be elevated based on said calculated time and the current azimuth velocity;
• and
• elevating the gun at said fixed elevation speed when said last calculated azimuth distance equals the azimuth distance of the gun from said barrier whereby control of the gun becomes a function of elevation position below said barrier and current elevation velocity.

A method of controlling a gun mounted in a gun turret on a vehicle, said vehicle having controls and apparatus for moving the gun in azimuth about the vertical axis of the turret and for independently pivoting the gun in elevation within a vertical plane, wherein the vehicle has at least one barrier on the deck thereof lying across a path along which the gun may be controlled, comprising the steps of

• monitoring the azimuth and elevation positions of the gun,
• monitoring the azimuth velocity of the gun,
• comparing the present gun elevation with the height of the barrier,
• calculating the time required to elevate the gun from the present gun elevation height at a fixed elevation velocity to clear the barrier,
• determining when the gun must be elevated at said fixed elevation velocity at it approaches the barrier to narrowly clear the barrier based on the calculated time and the current azimuth velocity,
• and elevating the gun at said fixed elevation velocity when said elevation determination is made,
• whereby control of the elevation position of the gun becomes a function of elevation position below the height of the barrier and is retained until the gun reaches an azimuth position which maximizes the gun field of fire.

A gun control system for a gun which is controllable simultaneously in azimuth and elevation and is mounted on a deck having at least one barrier extending thereabove which lies in a path along which the gun may be controlled, said system comprising

• means for providing signals representative of the size and location of the barrier,
• means for sensing the azimuth and elevation positions of the gun and for providing signals indicative thereof,
• means for comparing successive position signals from the means for sensing and for providing an output indicative of current gun azimuth velocity from said comparisons,
• means for calculating the time required to elevate the gun from a current elevation position at a fixed elevation velocity to clear the barrier when the gun is approaching the barrier at an elevation below the height thereof and for determining whether elevation of the gun must be initiated at the fixed elevation velocity to clear the barrier based on the calculated time required to elevate the gun and the current azimuth velocity, whereby the gun may be automatically controlled as a function of elevation position to narrowly clear the barrier and thereby maximize the gun's field of fire.

A gun control system for a gun which is controllable simultaneously in azimuth and elevation and is mounted on a deck having at least one barrier extending thereabove which lies in a path along which the gun may be controlled, said system comprising

• means for providing signals representative of the size and location of the barrier,
• means for sensing the azimuth and elevation positions of the gun and for providing signals indicative thereof,
• means for comparing successive position signals from the means for sensing and for providing an output indicative of current azimuth and elevation gun velocities from said comparisons,
• means for calculating the time required to elevate the gun from a current elevation position at a fixed elevation velocity to clear the barrier when the gun is approaching the barrier at an elevation below the height thereof and for determining whether elevation of the gun must be initiated at the fixed elevation velocity to clear the barrier based on the calculated time required to elevate the gun and the current azimuth velocity, and means for modifying the calculated time required to elevate the gun at a fixed elevation velocity in accordance with a reduced or added amount of time dependent upon the projected movement of the gun in the vertical direction based on current elevation velocity, whereby the gun may be automatically controlled to narrowly clear the barrier and thereby maximize the gun's field of fire.