Mortar fire control system

A mortar fire control system for indicating azimuth, elevation and cant angular orientations of a mortar barrel comprising:

• means for determining a first azimuth angular orientation of said barrel relative to a predetermined absolute azimuth;
• means for determining a first elevation angular orientation of said barrel relative to a horizontal reference;
• means for determining a first cant angular orientation of said barrel relative to a vertical reference;
• means for electrically storing each of said first azimuth angular orientation, first elevation angular orientation and first cant angular orientation;
• means for detecting a change in azimuth orientation of said barrel from said first azimuth angular orientation to a second azimuth angular orientation;
• means for electro-optically detecting a change in elevation orientation of said barrel from said first elevation angular orientation to a second elevation angular orientation;
• means for electro-optically detecting a change in cant orientation of said barrel from said first cant angular orientation to a second cant angular orientation;
• means for determining the magnitude of each of said second azimuth angular orientation, second elevation angular orientation and second cant angular orientation;
• means for electrically storing each of said second azimuth angular orientation, second elevation angular orientation and second cant angular orientation;
• means for electrically determining by complement subtraction circuits a difference in each of said first and second azimuth orientations, first and second elevation angular orientations and first and second elevation angular orientations and first and second cant angular orientations;
• and
• means for displaying each of said differences in azimuth, elevation and cant orientations.

A mortar fire control system for aiming a mortar barrel for repetitive firing along the same line, comprising:

• a first aiming stake situated at a first predetermined azimuthal orientation from said mortar barrel and at a first predetermined distance therefrom;
• a second aiming stake situated at said first predetermined azimuthal orientation from said mortar barrel and at a second predetermined distance therefrom, said second predetermined distance being greater than said first predetermined distance;
• a third aiming stake situated at a second predetermined azimuthal orientation from said mortar barrel and at a third predetermined distance therefrom, said second predetermined azimuthal orientation being displaced 90.degree. from said first predetermined azimuthal orientation and said third predetermined distance being substantially equal to said first predetermined distance;
• first, second and third optical transponders and secured to each of said first, second and third aiming stakes respectively;
• means associated with each of said optical transponders for emitting a light pulse signal in response to a light pulse received by said optical transponders;
• an azimuth optical head and an elevation optical head each for being secured adjacent said mortar barrel and each for receiving said light signals emitted from said light emitting means associated with said first and second optical transponders;
• a cant optical head secured adjacent said mortar barrel and for receiving said light signal emitted from said light emitting means associated with said third optical transponder;
• means adjacent to said azimuth and elevation optical heads for emitting at least one initial first light pulse in said first predetermined azimuthal direction;
• means adjacent to said cant optical head for emitting at least one initial second light pulse in said second predetermined azimuthal direction;
• means associated with said azimuth optical head for detecting light signals received by said azimuth head;
• means associated with said elevation and cant optical heads for detecting light signals received by said elevation or said cant head;
• means for encoding said azimuth head detected light signals with data representative of the azimuthal orientation of said first and second optical transponders relative to said azimuth optical head;
• means for encoding said elevation head detected light signals with data representative of the elevational orientation of said first and second optical transponders relative to said elevation optical head;
• means for encoding said cant head detected light signals with data representative of the cant orientation of said third optical transponder relative to said cant optical head;
• means for decoding each of said encoded azimuth, elevation and cant light signals, to determine the azimuthal, elevational and cant orientations of the respective optical transponders relative to the respective optical heads.