US 6,006,145 AGranted

Method and apparatus for directing a pursuing vehicle to a target with intelligent evasion capabilities

AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy

InventorAnthony F. Bessacini

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for directing a pursuing vehicle, such as a torpedo, on an intercept trajectory from a launching vehicle to a target vehicle th evasion capabilities. Models of the pursuing vehicle and evading target provide proposed trajectories based upon various environmental considerations. A guidance system uses estimates of initial operating parameter solutions, such as gyro angle, alertment time and intercept time, to begin a convergent, iterative process that defines final operating parameter solutions from which the guidance parameters are determined and transferred to the pursuing vehicle at launch. During each iteration, the solution determines an alertment time and an alertment bearing from the target vehicle to the pursuing vehicle at the alertment time. A selected evasive strategy includes a turn that is calculated relative to the alertment bearing.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A control method for directing a pursuing vehicle from a launching vehicle to a target vehicle by supplying to guidance means in the pursuing vehicle operating parameters prior to launching wherein the launching vehicle includes identification means for establishing predetermined target vehicle operating characteristics including an expected alertment range at which the target vehicle is expected to detect the presence of the pursuing vehicle after its launch, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a representation of a characteristic trajectory from a generic model of pursuing vehicle trajectory;
generating, in response to data from the identification means, a representation of a characteristic trajectory from a generic model of target vehicle trajectory including the expected alertment range and a plurality of possible evasive actions for the target vehicle;
providing initial values for operating parameters;
iteratively propagating the characteristic trajectories to intercept in response to the initial values of the operating parameters according to a plurality of approximation relationships until the solutions converge, said iterative propagation including, during each iteration, determining an alertment bearing from the target vehicle to the pursuing vehicle at the alertment time;
selecting an evasive maneuver in response to and relative to the alertment bearing;
and
transferring the operating parameters that produce the convergence to the pursuing vehicle guidance means.

4 more elements

A control system for directing a pursuing vehicle from a launching vehicle to a target vehicle by supplying, to guidance means in the pursuing vehicle, guidance parameters prior to launching wherein the launching vehicle includes identification means for establishing predetermined target vehicle operating characteristics including an expected alertment range at which the target vehicle is expected to detect the pursuing vehicle after its launching, said control system comprising:

means for generating a representation of a characteristic trajectory from a generic model of pursuing vehicle trajectory;
means for generating, in response to data from the identification means, a representation of a characteristic trajectory from a generic model of target vehicle trajectory including the expected alertment range and a plurality of evasive maneuvers;
means for providing initial values for the operating parameters;
means for iteratively propagating the characteristic trajectories in response to the initial operating parameters according to a plurality of approximation relationships until the solutions converge said propagating means including means for determining an alertment time, means for determining the alertment bearing from the target vehicle to the pursuing vehicle at the alertment time and means for determining course changes as a result of an evasive maneuver relative to the alertment bearing;
and
means for transferring the operating parameters that produce the convergence to the pursuing vehicle guidance means.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.