Side-scatter beamrider missile guidance system
US6568627B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 3, 2001 |
| Grant date | May 27, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 3, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF41G7/26
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
The Side-Scatter Beamrider Missile Guidance System projects into the guidance field a pulsed beam that is spatially encoded with azimuth and elevation scans of pre-determined angles. This pulsed beam is indirectly relayed to side-looking missile-borne receivers by way of scattered radiation effected by atmospheric particles. Multiple optical receivers mounted on the exterior of the missile, each receiver having a different field-of-view from its adjacent receivers, receive light from the transmitting laser that is thusly scattered by atmospheric particles. In response to the received scattered radiation, the missile's signal processor calculates the missile's position within the guidance field by determining which of the receivers detects the scattered energy and when the detection shifts from that receiver to an adjacent receiver. Subsequently, steering commands are generated to guide the missile to or near the center of the guidance field, which center is normally coaxial with the target line-of-sight.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.