Personal Rifle-Launched Reconnaisance System

• US 20080196578A1
• Filed: 12/18/2003
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rafael - Armament Development Authority Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Rafael - Armament Development Authority Ltd.
• Inventors: Ben-Horin, Ronen, Eden, Benjamin Z.
• Granted Patent: US 7,679,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 89/1.11
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/365 Projectiles transmitting information to a remote location using optical or electronic means F42B12/385 takes precedence

Abstract

A reconnaissance system that comprises a projectile (10) that has an opening (17) through which images of a target area can be acquired. The projectile (10) is launched from a portable launcher (30) towards the target area, and comprises image acquiring means (13, 14) for acquiring images of the target area through the opening (17) and for transmitting the images to a remote station (70); means for stabilizing the projectile (10) and/or the image acquiring means (13, 14) while flying in a nearly-parabolic trajectory above the target area; and a remote station (70), for receiving and displaying the transmitted images that comprises a monitor (71) for displaying the transmitted images.

Claims

1. A reconnaissance system, comprising:

a projectile having an opening through which images of a target area can be acquired;

a portable launcher capable of being coupled to a rifle, for launching said projectile to fly along and above said target area;

image acquiring means within the projectile for acquiring images of the target area through said opening;

a transmitter within the projectile for transmitting during its flight said acquired images to a remote station;

means for stabilizing said projectile and/or said image acquiring means while flying in a ballistic trajectory above the target area; and

a remote station, which comprises a receiver for receiving the said images transmitted from the projectile, and a monitor comprising a display for displaying the received images.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said stabilizing means are vanes mounted on the rear side of said projectile.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said stabilizing means are gyroscopic means that determines the orientation of said image acquiring means with respect to the projectile and the target area.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquiring means is chosen from among optical camera, infrared camera, CCD and CMOS.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the projectile transmitter comprises an antenna printed on the outer surface of the projectile, thereby maintaining an aerodynamic outline of said projectile.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the projectile is pushed by a cartridge containing a charge in quantity that corresponds to the ballistic properties of said projectile and the distance from the launching point to the target.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the launcher launches the projectile while being coupled to a rifle.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the launcher launches the projectile while being detached from a rifle and independent thereof.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the remote station is a portable computing device.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the computing device is selected from laptop computers, PDAs and Pocket PCs.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquiring means comprise two separate and distanced lenses whereby to generate three-dimensional images.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the means for stabilizing the projectile comprise retractable fins.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the images to one or more remote stations.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the images are transmitted together with a selection code that enables their reception only by predetermined stations.

15. The system according to claim 1, comprising in addition to the image acquiring means—

or instead of such image acquiring means—

one or more sensor(s) suitable to detect the presence or the absence of a sensible condition, and means for generating a signal representative of the sensed conditions and for transmitting a signal corresponding to them to a user'"'"'s receiver.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the sensed condition is the presence or absence of a chemical agent.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the sensed condition is the presence or absence of a biological agent.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the launcher is a standard grenade launcher.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the rifle is an M 16, and the launcher is an M 203 grenade launcher.