Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for guiding a rotating moving body

US4149686A · kind A · utility

10Cited by
4References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 19, 1976
Grant dateApr 17, 1979
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 19, 1996

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF41G7/266
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

The present invention is a method and an apparatus for guiding a rotating moving body to keep it on course towards a target, this method and apparatus comprising emitting electromagnetic radiation, with the aid of a radiation emitter having a variable-focus optical system enabling the body to be followed during its flight, having a very short wave length and in the form of a beam which is amplitude modulated in such a way that different areas over a cross section of the beam in a plane passing through the body being guided contain respectively radiation of high and low intensity, sweeping this beam with at least one radiation detector mounted on the body being guided and calculating, from the signals emitted by one or more detectors, the data necessary for automatically guiding the body along an axis extending between the center of the amplitude modulated beam and the target.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.