Projectile with inertial sensors oriented for enhanced failure detection
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorChris E. Geswender
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A guided projectile may include a projectile body, an inertial measurement unit disposed within the projectile body, one or more control surfaces extendable from the projectile body, and a controller which controls the one or more control surfaces in response, at least in part, to measurement data received from the inertial measurement unit. The inertial measurement unit may include sensors to measure motion parameters relative to first, second, and third mutually orthogonal axes, wherein each of the first, second and third mutually orthogonal axes is oblique to a longitudinal axis of the projectile body.
Claims12
A guided projectile, comprising:
- a projectile body
- an inertial measurement unit disposed within the projectile body, the inertial measurement unit including sensors to measure motion parameters relative to first, second, and third mutually orthogonal axes, wherein each of the first, second and third mutually orthogonal axes is oblique to a longitudinal axis of the projectile body
- one or more control surfaces extendable from the projectile body, the one or more control surfaces stowed within the projectile body before and during launch
- a controller which controls the one or more control surfaces in response, at least in part, to measurement data received from the inertial measurement unit, wherein
- the control unit is adapted to compare measurement data relative to the first, second, and third mutually orthogonal axes to determine if the inertial measurement unit is functioning within predetermined tolerances after launch and before extension of the one or more control surfaces, and
- the control unit is further adapted to inhibit extension of the one or more control surfaces if a determination is made that the inertial measurement unit is not functioning within predetermined tolerances.
A method for operating a projectile, comprising:
- launching the projectile with one or more control surfaces extendable from a body of the projectile
- after launch, measuring motion parameters relative to first, second, and third mutually orthogonal axes with an inertial measurement unit, wherein each of the first, second and third mutually orthogonal axes is oblique to a longitudinal axis of the body of the projectile
- after launch and before extension of the one or more control surfaces, determining if the inertial measurement unit is functioning within predetermined tolerances based on the measured motion parameters relative to the first, second, and third, mutually orthogonal axes
- when a determination is made that the inertial measurement unit is not functioning within predetermined tolerances, inhibiting extension of the one or more control surfaces whereby the projectile continues on a ballistic flight path
- when a determination is made that the inertial measurement unit is functioning within predetermined tolerances, extending the one or more control surfaces from the projectile body and controlling the control surfaces, at least in part, in response to measured motion parameters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.