GUIDED DELIVERY OF SMALL MUNITIONS FROM AN UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE
First Claim
1. A system for delivering and guiding a light munition from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a target, comprising:
- a passive sensor mounted on the UAV, the passive sensor providing a sensor output corresponding to a sensed condition associated with an area being traversed by the UAV, and the passive sensor capable of being articulated with respect to the UAV as controlled by a gimbal controller;
a command transmitter for transmitting commands from the UAV to the light munition, the light munition having at least one command receptor for receiving the commands, and the commands assisting in guiding the light munition to the target;
a first radio mounted on the UAV for transceiving communications to and from a ground control system, the ground control system including an operator control unit having a second radio, a display, and a user input mechanism to allow a user to select and transmit to the first radio at least one image feature corresponding to the target; and
a feature processing device for operating the UAV processing sensor data received from the gimbaled sensor, and determining commands to be transmitted by the command transmitter based on the received sensor data.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for accurate guidance of small munitions to a target. The guidance for the small munition is mainly provided by a device external to the small munition, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The UAV may provide external guidance commands by use of a command transmitter to the small munition. The small munition is equipped to receive the guidance commands and consequently use a maneuvering mechanism to react to the guidance commands. The UAV may determine a successful release point of the small munition and track a flight path from a release point toward the target of the small munition using a passive sensor mounted in a gimbaled mount, which is controlled by use of a closed-loop control system. The UAV may be controlled by a ground control device, such as an operator control unit (OCU), to release small munitions.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for delivering and guiding a light munition from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to a target, comprising:
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a passive sensor mounted on the UAV, the passive sensor providing a sensor output corresponding to a sensed condition associated with an area being traversed by the UAV, and the passive sensor capable of being articulated with respect to the UAV as controlled by a gimbal controller; a command transmitter for transmitting commands from the UAV to the light munition, the light munition having at least one command receptor for receiving the commands, and the commands assisting in guiding the light munition to the target; a first radio mounted on the UAV for transceiving communications to and from a ground control system, the ground control system including an operator control unit having a second radio, a display, and a user input mechanism to allow a user to select and transmit to the first radio at least one image feature corresponding to the target; and a feature processing device for operating the UAV processing sensor data received from the gimbaled sensor, and determining commands to be transmitted by the command transmitter based on the received sensor data. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14)
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9. A method of sending commands to a light munition, comprising:
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determining the target; releasing the light munition; using a passive sensor, observing a flight path of the light munition; determining if the light munition is on target based on the observed flight path; and responsive to determining the light munition is not on target, sending a command to the light munition while the light munition is in flight. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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15. A feature processing device, comprising:
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a sensor payload, comprising a passive sensor mounted in a gimbaled mount; a gimbal controller, configured to use a closed-loop control technique to control the gimbaled mount; and a control processor, configured to process sensor data from the passive sensor and to generate guidance commands for a small munition. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification