Method and apparatus for aiming artillery with GPS NAVSTAR
First Claim
1. An apparatus for aiming a ballistic trajectory launcher or other ordenance, comprising:
- first and second geopositioning system (GPS) ground stations for determining first and second positions, respectively, said first and second positions being remote from each other, said first GPS ground station being integral with a first piece of artillery;
means for communicating the position of said second GPS ground station to said first GPS ground station;
a first Receiver Processor Unit (RPU) for determining an external reference direction from said first and second position determinations at said first GPS ground station;
means for computing a first azimuthal angle of said second GPS ground station relative to said external reference direction at said first GPS ground station; and
first means for transferring said first azimuthal angle to the first piece of artillery, including means for aligning said second GPS ground station at said first azimuthal angle.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for aiming artillery by incorporating the GPS NAVSTAR system directly into a mobile artillery unit such as a howitzer. A firts GPS ground station is incorporated into a howitzer. A second GPS ground station is located at a distance from the first station. A Receiver Processor Unit at the first GPS ground station receives the position of both first and second ground stations, as well as any other GPS ground stations that are in range, and determines an external reference direction and a reference angle for the second GPS station with respect to the reference direction. An azimuth transfer mechanism is aligned with the second GPS station at the reference angle so that the howitzer shares a common alignment with all guns in an artillery battery and the entire artillery battery may be aimed at a single target. Preferably the second GPS station also comprises a howitzer so that the artillery battery disperses in tactically preferred groups of two howitzers each.
71 Citations
29 Claims
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1. An apparatus for aiming a ballistic trajectory launcher or other ordenance, comprising:
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first and second geopositioning system (GPS) ground stations for determining first and second positions, respectively, said first and second positions being remote from each other, said first GPS ground station being integral with a first piece of artillery; means for communicating the position of said second GPS ground station to said first GPS ground station; a first Receiver Processor Unit (RPU) for determining an external reference direction from said first and second position determinations at said first GPS ground station; means for computing a first azimuthal angle of said second GPS ground station relative to said external reference direction at said first GPS ground station; and first means for transferring said first azimuthal angle to the first piece of artillery, including means for aligning said second GPS ground station at said first azimuthal angle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of aiming a ballistic trajectory launcher or other ordenance, comprising the steps of:
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determining first and second positions of first and second geopositioning system (GPS) ground stations, respectively, said first and second positions being remote from each other, said first GPS ground station including a first piece of artillery; communicating the position of said second GPS ground station at said first GPS ground station; determining the external reference direction from said first and second position determinations at said first GPS ground station with a first Receiver Processor Unit (RPU); computing a first azimuthal angle of said second GPS ground station relative to said external reference direction at said first GPS ground station; and transferring said first azimuthal angle to the first piece of artillery by aligning said second GPS ground station at said first azimuthal angle. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification