Retro-encoded missile guidance system
US5848763A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 3, 1997 |
| Grant date | Dec 15, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 3, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S3/788
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The retro-encoded guidance system guides a flying object in its flight tod its destination by measuring and correcting the angular displacement of its actual trajectory from the straight line-of-sight to the destination. A beam of infrared light emanating from a beacon on the flying object is received and angularly encoded by retro-encoder located at the launcher prior to being returned to the missile. The incident beam and returned beam travel on optical paths that are parallel to each other but opposite in direction. The angular encoding is achieved by a reticle of the retro-encoder imparting frequency modulation to the incident beam, the degree and phase of the modulation depending on the location on the reticle on which the beam is incident.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.