Settable electronic fuzing system for cannon ammunition
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRichard T. Ziemba, David G. Hoyt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an ammunition fuzing system, a fuze setter is inductively coupled with an electronic fuze incorporated in the projectile of an ammunition round being fed to a rapid-fire cannon to transmit power supply charging energy and fuze-setting data thereto. A detonation counter is incremented at a high counting rate to accumulate a projectile flight time count indicative of the fuze-setting data. A conformation signal is transmitted to the fuze setter for determination that the flight time count acceptably corresponds to the setting data. Upon projectile launch, the detonation counter is decremented at a low counting rate and functions the projectile warhead when decremented to zero.
Claims20
A system for setting a projectile fuse of each of a succession of ammunition rounds being fed to a rapid-fire cannon, said system comprising, in combination:
- A. a fuze setter including
- 1) a controller,
- 2) a transmitter connected with said controller, and
- 3) a first inductive coil connected with said transmitter and located in a coupling zone situated along an ammunition round feedpath leading to the cannon;
- and
- B. an electronic fuze incorporated in the projectile of each ammunition round and including
- 1) a second inductive coil assuming an inductively coupled relationship with said first inductive coil during movement along the ammunition round feedpath through said coupling zone, so as to receive time-of-flight data transmitted by said transmitter under the control of said controller,
- 2) first means for registering a projectile flight time count indicative of said time-of-flight data,
- 3) a detonator,
- 4) second means for timing the flight of the projectile, and
- 5) third means for triggering said detonator to explode the projectile when the projectile flight time achieves correspondence with said flight time count.
An ammunition fuzing system comprising, in combination:
- A. a fuze setter including
- 1) a controller,
- 2) a transmitter connected with said controller,
- 3) a receiver connected with said controller, and
- 4) a first inductive coil connected with said transmitter and receiver;
- and
- B. an electronic fuze incorporated in an ammunition round projectile and including
- 1) a power supply including an energy storage capacitor,
- 2) a second inductive coil for receiving, while in inductively coupled relationship with first inductive coil, a burst of energy pulses for charging said capacitor followed by time-of-flight data as transmitted by said transmitter under the control of said controller,
- 3) a detonation counter for accumulating at a high counting rate a projectile flight time count indicative of said time-of-flight data,
- 4) a logic circuit for formulating a conformation signal indicative of said flight time count and transmitting said conformation signal back to said controller for conformation that said flight time count acceptably corresponds to said time-of-flight data,
- 5) a detonator,
- 6) an oscillator for generating clock pulses, said detonation counter counting said clock pulses down from said flight time count at a low counting rate, and
- 7) means for triggering said detonator to explode the projectile when said detonation counter is counted down to zero.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.