Fire control system for vehicle-mounted weapon

• US 4,172,409 A
• Filed: 06/08/1977
• Issued: 10/30/1979
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefunken Systemtechnik GmbH
• Original Assignee: Licentia Patent-Verwaltungs-GmbH
• Inventors: Looss, Helmut, Eschenburg, Bernd
• Primary Examiner(s): Bentley, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US05/804,794
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 33/236, 33/237, 33/238, 33/239, 33/240, 89/41 D, 89/41 E, 89/41 EA, 89/41 AA, 89/41 CE, 235/407, 364/423
• US Class Current: 89/41.19
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/06 with rangefinder rangefinders per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/22 for vehicle-borne armament, e.g. on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 5/14 for vehicle-borne guns

Abstract

In a fire control system for a weapon installed on a vehicle and including a stabilized sighting mechanism and a stabilized weapon, a range finder coupled to the sighting mechanism, and a fire control computer for calculating the lead and elevation angles to a target, circuitry is provided to automatically compensate for the inherent movement of the vehicle in the computation of the lead angle.

Claims

1. In a fire control system for a weapon which is mounted on a rotatable platform installed on a vehicle and including a stabilized sighting mechanism and a stabilized weapon, a range finder coupled to the sighting mechanism, a fire control computer connected for calculating the lead and elevation angles to a target, and means for automatically compensating for the inherent movement of the vehicle in the computation of the lead angle comprising:

a source of a signal representing the momentary speed of the vehicle;

a source of a signal representing the angular position of said platform relative to the direction of vehicle travel; and

first signal processing means connected to said sources and to the range finder for producing a follow-up signal representative of the mathematical product of the vehicle speed and the platform angular position divided by the target range and constituting a representation of a guiding angular velocity value relating to vehicle movement;

the improvement wherein said source of signal representing the momentary speed of the vehicle includes a tachometer which is connected to the vehicle engine, and which continuously provides an output signal representative of the speed of the vehicle; and

wherein said source of signal representing the angular position of said platform relative to the direction of vehicle travel includes a sensor, driven with said platform, for continuously providing an output signal representative of said angular position of said platform.

2. An arrangement as defined in claim 1 further comprising means deriving a rated value signal representing the angular velocity of said sighting mechanism relative to the vehicle, and means in said sighting mechanism connected for producing a signal representative of the sum of the follow-up signal and the rated value signal.

3. An arrangement as defined in claim 2 further comprising filter means connected for eliminating short time variations in the rated value signal, said filter having a time characteristic optimally adapted to the signal characteristics.

4. An arrangement as defined in claim 2 further comprising a sample and hold circuit connected for eliminating short time variations in the rated value signals.

5. An arrangement as defined in claim 2 wherein said computer is arranged for calculating both azimuth and elevation lead angles.