Gun fire control system
AssigneeHughes Aircraft Company
InventorMillard M. Frohock, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fire control system (10) for a gun (12) pivotally mounted in elevation and in azimuth employs optical sighting of a target (16) manually via a telescope (26) fixedly directed substantially parallel to an axis of the gun (12). A laser range finder (24) directs its laser beam in a direction parallel to the telescope (26) to obtain target range. The system includes a control unit (42) which employs elevation, azimuth and range data to predict target track. The control unit (42) includes electric circuitry for offsetting the gun to provide for an intercept of the target by a projectile fired from the gun, and delay circuitry which delays a firing of the gun until the gun has been offset. Gun orientation is directed manually during tracking of the target, and passes to automatic control in response to a firing command.
Claims9
A gun fire control system for directing a launcher of a projectile at a target, comprising:
- means for commanding a firing of said projectile;
- means for directing said launcher towards said target, said launcher being pivotally supported about a first axis and a second axis;
- gyro means locked to said launcher for providing rate signals designating rates of rotation of said launcher about said first axis and said second axis;
- motor means for positioning said launcher;
- optical sighting and ranging means having an orientation locked to an orientation of said launcher for outputting target coordinate signals;
- and wherein
- said directing means includes predicting means responsive to the target coordinate signals of said sighting and ranging means for predicting a future track of said target, and offsetting means responsive to a firing command of said commanding means for offsetting said launcher relative to a sight line to said target for interception of said target by a projectile fired from said launcher;
- said offsetting means develops further rate signals combined with said rate signals of said gyro means for driving said motor means during an offsetting of said launcher;
- and
- said directing means includes means responsive to the firing command of said commanding means for disconnecting said sighting means and ranging means from said predicting means during an offsetting of said launcher, said offsetting being based on target track obtained prior to the firing command.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.