Combat vehicle having an observation system

• US 20030136253A1
• Filed: 01/24/2003
• Published: 07/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH (Rheinmetall AG)
• Original Assignee: Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH (Rheinmetall AG)
• Inventors: Grosch, Hermann, Moser, Hans
• Granted Patent: US 7,032,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 89/41.17
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 1/00 Sighting devices for indirect laying of fire F41G3/16; bombsights F41G3/24 ; structurally associated with laser telemeters F41G3/065; mounting tubular or beam shaped aiming devices on firearms F41G11/001
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/22 for vehicle-borne armament, e.g. on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/326 for checking the angle between the axis of the gun sighting device and an auxiliary measuring device F41G3/323 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/02 Land vehicles with enclosing armour, e.g. tanks endless-track vehicles, steering thereof B62D ; vehicles for placing portable or sectional bridges E01D15/127; vehicles carrying floating bridges E01D15/22

Abstract

A combat tank is converted into an artillery observation tank without requiring removal of the main gun. The combat tank is converted by integrating retrofitted equipment necessary for the artillery observation, especially the navigation system (12), into the vehicle turret (4) such that it does not collide with the main gun. The navigation system (12) is installed with an arbitrary orientation at an arbitrary location in the vehicle turret (4), and adjusted at this location, without requiring a complicated adjustment mechanism for the observation system, or attachment to the elevating mass. The necessary elevation values for the line of sight (21) are obtained through the evaluation of the angular values of a mirror in the mirror head, such as of a primary-target telescope (20), or through evaluation of gun-position angles.

Claims

1. A combat vehicle having a primary weapons system and an artillery observation system, with said vehicle including a vehicle turret, in which a fire-control computer is housed, as well as a primary weapon system, a range-measuring device, a thermal-imaging device and at least one primary-target telescope mounted on the turret;

and wherein the fire-control computer is connected via a signal adapter to a control device that connects the fire control computer to a navigation system that is installed in the vehicle turret and that is adjusted such that a fixed reference between a line of sight of the primary-target telescope and the coordinate system of the navigation system and measured elevation values is created.

2. The combat vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the reference system is the earth'"'"'s coordinate system, in which the navigation system performs measurements.

3. The combat vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a bearing value of north, an associated position of the optical line of sight and the position of the navigation system in the vehicle turret are determined for the adjustment of the navigator system.

4. The combat vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the navigation system includes means for automatically determining the navigation system'"'"'s canting and tilting angles in the vehicle turret relative to its position in the vehicle turret, and for determining a plane of reference.

5. The combat vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the bearing value of the line of sight relative to north is determined through sighting of a measured reference point (P_ref) in the area, or the sighting of a measured theodolite, in which case the eigenposition and the position of the remote reference point (P_ref) are determined.

6. The combat vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the line of sight is guided exactly to the reference point (P_ref), and after the two points and the range have been entered into the control computer;

and wherein the position of the line of sight in the earth'"'"'s coordinate system is calculated in the control computer.

7. The combat vehicle according to claim 1 further comprising a quadrant bubble level mounted on the turret for additional determining the canting and tilting angles of the vehicle turret with respect to the earth'"'"'s coordinate system.

8. The combat vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment of the navigation system is supported by software.

9. The combat vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fire control system includes a radio device with an aerial;

and, further comprising at least one further radio device for data communication with combat vehicles by the control device.

10. The combat vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the additional radio device is coupled to the aerial for the radio device of the fire control system via an aerial coupler, thereby obviating the use of an additional aerial.

11. The combat vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a Global Positioning System (GPS) having a receiver and an aerial integrated into the vehicle turret and connected to the navigation system for enhancing navigating precision.

14. The combat vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the control device is a control computer having a monitor.

15. The combat vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the control device is a laptop computer.

13. The combat vehicle according to claim 12, wherein:

the fire control system includes a radio device with an aerial;

at least one further radio device for data communication with combat vehicles by the control device is provided;

the additional radio device is coupled to the aerial for the radio device of the fire control system via an aerial coupler, thereby obviating the use of an additional aerial; and

, the additional radio device and the aerial coupler likewise are retrofitted in the region of the gun-loading area of the turret.