Method and apparatus for increasing the effectiveness of projectiles

US4987832A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• ELTRO GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Paul Klink · Greenfield, US
• Gunter Wichmann · Heidelberg, DE
• Gerhard Dahm · Höhr-Grenzhausen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 22, 1983
• Grant date: Jan 29, 1991
• Expiry date: Apr 22, 2003

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S17/58
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

In order to improve the attack capabilities against armor or combat vehicles and combat aircraft, projectiles (2) must be detonated at a small distance ahead of the impact point on the target (1). This distance cannot be determined mechanically or even with the customary pulse time-of-flight method. In order to insure the resolution of such distances, lying mostly in the region from 0.5 to 2.0 meters, the projectile is equipped with a laser range finder (3) that operates on the sampling principle and permits exact measurements. The range finder may be used as a distance detector or as an approach sensor. In the latter case, the most favorable point of time is determined in that the sampling pulses are used to set several distance gates by means of which additional information for target analysis can be obtained.