Missile guidance systems

• US 4,152,724 A
• Filed: 05/03/1976
• Issued: 05/01/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GEC Marconi Limited (Gooding Consumer Electronics Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Elliott Brothers London Ltd (Cornhill Corp. Holdings LLP)
• Inventors: Hunter, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Coles, Edward L.
• Application Number:
  US05/682,783
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 358/87, 358/103, 358/108, 358/109, 358/200, 358/226, 358/901, 358/107, 244/3.10, 244/3.11, 244/3.16, 244/3.17, 235/61.5 R, 235/61.5 S
• US Class Current: 348/144
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2206 using a remote control station
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2253 Passive homing systems, i.e. comprising a receiver and do not requiring an active illumination of the target
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2293 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/30 Command link guidance systems homing F41G7/2206
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A missile guidance system uses a television system for viewing targets, and is primarily intended for sea craft. Sectors of the horizon view are displayed one above the other on a television display. Individual sectors can be magnified as required.

Claims

1. A television missile guidance system comprising means for taking four different fields of view in the horizontal plane, and means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, four corresponding views, one above another, two of said fields of view originaing from one side of the missile and two from the other.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein four fields of views are provided.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for combining comprises a screen on which said fields of view are imaged one above another and a single television comera tube provided to view said screen to develop picture signals for transmission from the missile to base stations.

4. A television mission guidance system comprising means for taking four different fields of view in the horizontal plane, and means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, four corresponding views, one above another, two of said fields of view originating from one side of the missile and two from the other.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 and wherein the fields of view are contiguous except for the two inner fields of view originating from opposite sides of the missile which two inner fields of view overlap each other.

6. A system as claimed in claim 4 and wherein each field of view subtends an angle of between 10°

and 20°

in the horizontal plane and approximately 2°

in the vertical plane.

7. A system as claimed in claim 4 and wherein said two inner fields of view overlap each other by at least one half of a degree.

8. A television missile guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane, and imaging means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, a corresponding plurality of views, one above another, said imaging means comprising a screen on which said fields of view are imaged one above another and a single television camera provided to view said screen to develop picture signals for transmission from the missle to a base station, said imaging means also comprising two bifurcated fibre optic bundles, the first arranged to collect two fields of view side-by-side from one side of the missile and the second arranged to collect two fields of view side-by-side from the other side of the missile and both arranged to reproduce said fields of view one above another on a fibre optic face plate forming said screen viewed by said camera.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 and wherein the fields of view on each side of the missile are provided by a lens system in the image plane of which is arranged the collecting ends of the respective fibre otic bundles.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9 and wherein said lens systems are situated behind suppressed windows provided in either side of the nose of the missile.

11. A television missile guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane, means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, a corresponding plurality of views, one above another, and means for providing an enlarged image of part of the display, selectable for example when a target has been chosen.

12. A system as claimed in claim 11 and wherein said means are such as to increase the scale of the television display over a selected portion thereof.

13. A system of claimed in claim 11 and wherein said means are such as to effect a reduction in the field of view to provide a telescopic effect thereby effectively enlarging the image of the chosen target.

14. A television missle guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane and a further, relatively narrow field of view in a direction aligned with the axis of said missile, and means for combining said further field of view and said plurality of different fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, said plurality of views, one above another, and said further field of view adjacent said plurality of views.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein said last mentioned view, as displayed, is magnified compared with said first mentioned plurality of views.

16. A system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein said last mentioned view is displayed beneath said first mentioned plurality of views.

17. A system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein said relatively narrow field of view subtands an angle of 21/2°

in the horizontal plane.

18. A system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein a fibre optic bundle is utilised to collect light from a centrally disposed lens system providing said relatively narrow field of view and transmit said collected light to said screen.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18 and wherein said last mentioned lens system is provided to have a telescopic effect.

20. The method of displaying target information to an observer or missile controller, which comprises the steps of:

(a) optically generating left and right fields of view with respect to the axis of a missile, said fields of view overlapping at said axis;

(b) transferring said views upon a television camera tube so that one field of view is disposed above the other and transmitting said fields of view in such orientation; and

(c) displaying said fields of view, one above the other, to an observer or missile controller whereby two separate fields of view are observed, each of which contains visual information concerning the axial heading of the missile.

21. A television missile guidance system wherein means are provided for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane ahead of a missile at least one of said plurality of different fields of view originating from one side of the missile and another of said plurality of different fields of view originating from the other side of said missile and means for provided for combining said plurality of different fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller a corresponding plurality of views one above another.

22. A missile-carried guidance system comprising, in combination:

a television camera and means for transmitting the scene viewed by said camera to a base station for observation of that scene by an observer or missile controller; and

means for generating said scene, comprising means for imaging a plurality of different fields of view in a horizontal plane ahead of the missile one above another to form at least part of said scene.

23. A guidance system as defined in claim 22 wherein there are at least two of said different fields of view, one of which is taken to one side of the missile axis and the other of which is taken to the other side of the missile axis.

24. A guidance system as defined in claim 23 wherein said two fields of view overlap.

25. A guidance system as defined in claim 22 including further means for taking a narrow field of view directing ahead of the missile and which overlaps two of said different fields of view, said means for imaging operating to image said narrow field of view separately in said scene.

26. A guidance system as defined in claim 25 wherein there are at least two of said different fields of view, one of which is taken to one side of the missile axis and the other of which is taken to the other side of the missile axis.

27. A guidance system as defined in claim 26 wherein said two fields of view overlap.