Steerable rotating projectile
First Claim
1. A flying projectile, comprising:
- an inertial mass, configured to spin during flight, about an axis of rotation to gyroscopically stabilize the flying projectile;
an aerodynamic surface having a circular periphery, configured to interact and generate lift from forward movement of the flying projectile with respect to surrounding air during flight, to produce aerodynamic forces having an aerodynamic force profile having a center of pressure;
a control system, configured to produce at least one control signal varying selectively in dependence on at least a rotation of the inertial mass about the axis of rotation; and
at least two actuators, responsive to the control signal varying selectively in dependence on, and synchronized with, at least the rotation of the inertial mass about the axis of rotation, configured to selectively alter the aerodynamic forces produced by the aerodynamic surface by independently controlling an aerodynamic property of at least two different portions of the aerodynamic surface, to change a relationship between the axis of rotation and the center of pressure, to selectively generate a torque about the axis of rotation and steer the flying projectile.
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Abstract
A method for controlling a flying projectile which rotates during flight, comprising: determining an angle of rotation of an inertial mass spinning about an axis during flight; and controlling at least one actuator for altering at least a portion of an aerodynamic structure, selectively in dependence on the determined angle of rotation and a control input, to control aerodynamic forces during flight. An aerodynamic surface may rotate and interact with surrounding air during flight, to produce aerodynamic forces. A sensor determines an angular rotation of the spin during flight. A control system, responsive to the sensor, produces a control signal in dependence on the determined angular rotation. An actuator selectively alters an aerodynamic characteristic of the aerodynamic surface in response to the control signal.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A flying projectile, comprising:
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an inertial mass, configured to spin during flight, about an axis of rotation to gyroscopically stabilize the flying projectile; an aerodynamic surface having a circular periphery, configured to interact and generate lift from forward movement of the flying projectile with respect to surrounding air during flight, to produce aerodynamic forces having an aerodynamic force profile having a center of pressure; a control system, configured to produce at least one control signal varying selectively in dependence on at least a rotation of the inertial mass about the axis of rotation; and at least two actuators, responsive to the control signal varying selectively in dependence on, and synchronized with, at least the rotation of the inertial mass about the axis of rotation, configured to selectively alter the aerodynamic forces produced by the aerodynamic surface by independently controlling an aerodynamic property of at least two different portions of the aerodynamic surface, to change a relationship between the axis of rotation and the center of pressure, to selectively generate a torque about the axis of rotation and steer the flying projectile. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for controlling a gyroscopically-stabilized flying projectile having an inertial mass and a smooth peripheral edge which rotates about an axis of rotation during flight, comprising:
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determining an angle of rotation of the inertial mass spinning about the axis of rotation during flight; and controlling at least two actuators, to selectively alter a relationship between a center of gravity of the flying projectile with respect to a center of pressure of an aerodynamic force acting on the flying projectile, by independently controlling an aerodynamic characteristic of at least two different portions of an aerodynamic surface of the flying projectile, in response to at least one control signal which is synchronized to vary with a rotation of the inertial mass about the axis of rotation.
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20. A rotating aerodynamic flying object, comprising:
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an aerodynamic surface having a circular peripheral edge, configured to produce an aerodynamic lift force with respect to air moving over the rotating aerodynamic flying object during flight; an orientation sensor configured to generate a sensor signal responsive to a rotational angle of the rotating aerodynamic flying object with respect to an external reference, the sensor signal having a periodic variation dependent on rotation of the rotating aerodynamic flying object during flight; a control system responsive to at least the sensor signal having a periodic variation dependent on rotation of the rotating aerodynamic flying object during flight and a control algorithm, to produce a control signal; and at least two actuators responsive to the control signal, configured to alter a flight path of the rotating aerodynamic flying object, by at least varying an aerodynamic property of each of at least two independently controllable aerodynamic surfaces, which varies in a manner synchronized to the rotational angle of the rotating aerodynamic flying object with respect to an external reference, to alter a relation of a center of gravity of the rotating aerodynamic flying object and an aerodynamic force distribution, dependent on the rotational angle.
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Specification