Method and apparatus for determining the roll angle position of a rotating flying body

US5661555A · kind A · utility

Assignees

• Rheinmetall Industrie AG · DE
• TZN Forschungs-Und Entwicklungszentrum Unterlüss GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Rudolf Romer · Kaarst, DE
• Gerd Wollmann · Celle, DE
• Helmut Misoph · Lauf an der Pegnitz, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 8, 1995
• Grant date: Aug 26, 1997
• Expiry date: May 8, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC F): Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
• CPC primary: F41G7/305
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining the roll angle position of a rotating flying body (2) relative to a fixed station (1) with the aid of a laser (3) light beam (4, 24) emitted by the fixed station (1) and received by the flying body (2). To determine the roll angle position of the flying body located at an arbitrary position within the guide beam (4) precisely and simply, a phase-coded laser light beam (guide beam) is produced with the aid of an optical element, particularly a holographic optical element (6). This guide beam (14) is then decoded in a receiving apparatus (8) of the flying body by means of a further holographic element (11) that is rigidly connected to the flying body (2). The further holographic element (11) is configured such that maximum brightness or intensity only occurs at the receiving detector (13) if it is located parallel to the holographic element (11) on the side of the laser (3), i.e., non-mirror-symmetric information must be impressed upon the guide beam (4).