Back to results
US 8,800,913 B2Granted
Methods and apparatus for a tandem divert and attitude control system
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsPhilip W. Pagliara, Michael A. Leal, Justin C. Jenia, Teryn Dalbello, John M. Hitner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An aeronautical vehicle includes at least one set of tandem divert thrusters incorporated into the body. Each set of tandem divert thrusters includes a first divert thruster and a second divert thruster, each configured to provide substantially equal thrust forces at substantially the same time and in substantially opposite directions such that the moment reference point lies between the first and second divert thrusters.
Claims15
A divert and attitude control system for an aeronautical kill vehicle having a moment reference point lying along a longitudinal axis, comprising:
- a first thruster configured to produce a first force on the aeronautical kill vehicle proximate a first end of the aeronautical vehicle and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis within a first plane;
- a second thruster configured to produce a second force on the aeronautical kill vehicle proximate a second end of the aeronautical kill vehicle opposite the first end and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis within the first plane in a direction opposite that of the first force, and wherein the moment reference point lies between the first and second thrusters;
- a third thruster configured proximate the first end of aeronautical vehicle to produce a third force in the first plane substantially collinear with the first force in the opposite direction;
- a fourth thruster configured proximate the second end of the aeronautical vehicle to produce a fourth force in the first plane substantially collinear with the second force, and wherein the moment reference point lies between the third and fourth divert thrusters;
- wherein said first, second, third and fourth thrusters are each at a fixed and non-rotating position in the first plane,
- wherein said first, second, third and fourth thrusters produce first, second, third and fourth forces that are co-planar in the first plane and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis in the first plane, and
- a common gas source communicating with each of the first, second, third, and fourth thrusters, said common gas source comprising a gas generator with solid propellant grain;
- and
- a controller communicatively coupled to the common gas source and the thrusters to control the forces produced by the first, second, third and fourth thrusters to perform both divert and attitude control maneuvers only in the first plane.
6 more elements
A method of adjusting the attitude of an aeronautical kill vehicle having a moment reference point lying along a longitudinal axis, comprising:
- receiving a command associated with a required attitude adjustment within a first plane intersecting the longitudinal axis of the aeronautical kill vehicle;
- generating a first thrust force from a fixed and non-rotating position on the aeronautical vehicle proximate a first end of the aeronautical kill vehicle within the first plane, wherein the first thrust force has an orientation substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aeronautical kill vehicle;
- generating a second thrust force from a fixed and non-rotating position on the aeronautical kill vehicle proximate a second end of the aeronautical kill vehicle opposite the first end within the first plane, wherein the second thrust force has an orientation substantially opposite that of the first thrust force;
- wherein the first and second thrust forces are substantially equal and are generated substantially simultaneously on opposite sides of the moment reference point to produce only the required attitude adjustment in the first plane;
- receiving a command associated with a required divert adjustment within the first plane;
- generating a third thrust force from a fixed and non-rotating position on the aeronautical kill vehicle proximate the first end of the aeronautical kill vehicle within the first plane, wherein the third thrust force has an orientation substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aeronautical kill vehicle;
- and
- generating a fourth thrust force from a fixed and non-rotating position on the aeronautical kill vehicle proximate the second end of the aeronautical kill vehicle opposite the first end within the first plane, wherein the first thrust force has an orientation substantially the same as that of the third thrust force;
- wherein the third and fourth thrust forces are substantially equal and are generated substantially simultaneously on opposite sides of the moment reference point to produce only the required divert adjustment in the first plane.
6 more elements
An aeronautical kill vehicle comprising:
- a body having a moment reference point lying along a longitudinal axis;
- and
- at least four sets of tandem divert thrusters incorporated into the body;
- wherein each set of tandem divert thrusters includes a first divert thruster and a second divert thruster positioned at opposite ends of the kill vehicle to either side of the moment reference point, each said thruster configured to provide substantially equal thrust forces in substantially opposite and fixed directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis,
- wherein the first and second sets effecting rotation only in a first plane, and the third and fourth sets effecting rotation only in a second plane orthogonal to the second plane, wherein the first and second planes intersect along the longitudinal axis of the body,
- wherein the first and second thrusters in said first and second sets are each at a fixed and non-rotating position in the first plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis,
- wherein the first and second thrusters in said third and fourth sets are each at a fixed and non-rotating position in the second plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis;
- and
- a controller configured to provide paired thrust signals to produce paired thrust forces to substantially only divert the kill vehicle in said first or second planes or to substantially only rotate the kill vehicle in said first or second planes.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.