Target locating and missile guidance system
First Claim
1. In a missile guidance system for guiding one of a plurality of missiles to a surface target or targets the combination comprising:
- (a) an aircraft having target location equipment including a laser range finder, an altimeter, and a microwave pulse transmitter that are operated in synchronism for transmitting data for fixing a target location with respect to an artificial coordinate system;
(b) a plurality of ground stations, each of which receives the microwave pulse signals from the aircraft, and supplies output signals from which the target location relative to the ground station positions can be determined based on pulse time of arrival data and the said laser ranging and altimeter data;
(c) transmission means associated with at least one of the said ground stations for transmitting guidance information to at least one missile;
(d) receiving, sorting, and signal processing means within said missile for receiving and extracting said guidance information from said ground station in order to direct the missile in yaw toward a point approximately above the target and then downward toward the target in pitch; and
(e) directional information resolver circuit means for using the differences in times of arrival of pulses in order to establish the instantaneous position of the missile in terms of coordinates that constitute said artificial coordinate system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A target locating and missile guidance system comprising reconnaissance araft equipped with laser or radar range-measuring apparatus in conjunction with a plurality of selectively predetermined ground stations. Range and altitude of the aircraft relative to a detected surface target are obtained at two or more points on its flight path. The positions of the aircraft with respect to the ground stations are simultaneously determined by pulse-time-of-arrival technique. Using triangulation techniques the location of the target is determined with respect to a pulse grid coordinate system associated with the ground stations. At any time after the determination of the location of the target, properly timed signals from the ground stations or command signals based upon time-of-arrival data with respect to pulses from the missile are used to provide accurate guidance of the missile to the target.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. In a missile guidance system for guiding one of a plurality of missiles to a surface target or targets the combination comprising:
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(a) an aircraft having target location equipment including a laser range finder, an altimeter, and a microwave pulse transmitter that are operated in synchronism for transmitting data for fixing a target location with respect to an artificial coordinate system; (b) a plurality of ground stations, each of which receives the microwave pulse signals from the aircraft, and supplies output signals from which the target location relative to the ground station positions can be determined based on pulse time of arrival data and the said laser ranging and altimeter data; (c) transmission means associated with at least one of the said ground stations for transmitting guidance information to at least one missile; (d) receiving, sorting, and signal processing means within said missile for receiving and extracting said guidance information from said ground station in order to direct the missile in yaw toward a point approximately above the target and then downward toward the target in pitch; and (e) directional information resolver circuit means for using the differences in times of arrival of pulses in order to establish the instantaneous position of the missile in terms of coordinates that constitute said artificial coordinate system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification