GPS guided munition

• US 6,237,496 B1
• Filed: 06/03/1999
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Abbott, Anthony Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone, Michael J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Semunegus, Lulit
• Application Number:
  US09/324,748
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 102/384, 102/385, 102/386, 244/3.11, 244/3.15, 244/3.19, 244/3.24
• US Class Current: 102/384
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 10/64 of fins
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/93 Run-length coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A tail fin assembly for a munition having a housing configured for attachment to the munition, at least one flight control surface, an actuator for effecting movement of the flight control surface(s), so as to facilitate guiding of the munition, and a guidance system for controlling the actuator mechanism. The guidance system has a global positioning system (GPS) receiver for effecting control of the actuator mechanism.

Claims

1. A retrofit tail fin assembly for converting a munition into a global positioning system (GPS) guided munition for guidance to a selected target via a transition of at least one flight control surface, the tail fin assembly comprising:

a tail fin housing engageable to the munition without disturbing activatable components thereof, the tail fin housing having a tail fin inside compartment;

a GPS receiver disposed within the tail fin compartment, the GPS receiver being operative to autonomously generate GPS navigational signals; and

an actuator mechanism disposed within the tail fin compartment and in communication with the GPS receiver and the flight control surface, the actuator mechanism being operative to regulate movement of the flight control surface in response to the GPS navigational signals.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the flight control surface is engaged to the tail fin housing.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the munition is a bomb.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the munition is releasibly attachable to an aircraft.

5. The assembly of claim 4 further comprising a radio receiver disposed within the tail fin compartment, and wherein the aircraft comprises an autonomous control unit having a radio transmitter antenna, the control unit being operative to generate orientational guidance information independent of aircraft on-board targeting processing unit for communication to the radio receiver via the transmitter antenna thereof to avoid disturbance of the aircraft avionics.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the orientational guidance information is representative of orientation of the munition.

7. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the control unit comprises a strap mechanism for attachment to a leg of a crew member of the aircraft.

8. The assembly of claim 5 wherein the aircraft mounts an aircraft radio transmitter antenna thereon, and the orientational guidance information is relayable to the radio receiver from the control unit via the mounted aircraft transmitter antenna.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the conventional munition has a munition body, and the tail fin assembly is removably engageable thereto without disturbing the activatable components of the conventional munition.

10. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the activatable components of the munition comprise electrical and translatable mechanical components thereof.

11. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the GPS receiver is a civilian GPS receiver.

12. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the GPS navigational signals are representative of target coordinates of the selected target.

13. A global positioning system (GPS) guided weapon system for an aircraft for guidance to a selected target, the system comprising:

an autonomous control unit disposed in the aircraft, the control unit being operative to generate guidance information independent of aircraft on-board targeting processing unit to avoid disturbance of the aircraft avionics;

a retrofitable munition releasibly attached to the aircraft;

a tail fin assembly engaged to the munition without disturbing activatable components thereof, the tail fin assembly being operative to autonomously generate GPS navigational signals for guidance to the selected target, the tail fin assembly further being operative to receive the guidance information from the control unit when released from the aircraft.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the munition is a bomb.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the control unit comprises a strap mechanism for attachment to a leg of a crew member of the aircraft.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the tail fin assembly comprises a GPS receiver, the GPS receiver being operative to autonomously generate the GPS navigational signals.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the GPS navigational signals are representative of target coordinates of the selected target.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the tail fin assembly comprises at least one flight control surface attached thereto.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the tail fin assembly comprises an actuator mechanism, the actuator mechanism being in communication with the GPS receiver and the flight control surface, the actuator mechanism being operative to regulate movement of the flight control surface in response to the GPS navigational signals.

20. The system of claim 13 wherein the control unit has a radio transmitter antenna and the tail fin assembly comprises a radio receiver, the control unit being operative to generate the guidance information independent of aircraft on-board targeting processing unit for communication to the radio receiver via the transmitter antenna thereof to avoid the disturbance of the aircraft avionics.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the guidance information is representative of orientation of the munition.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the aircraft mounts an aircraft radio transmitter antenna thereon, and the guidance information is relayable to the radio receiver from the control unit via the mounted aircraft transmitter antenna.

23. The system of claim 13 wherein the GPS receiver is a civilian GPS receiver.

24. The system of claim 13 wherein the munition has a munition body, and the tail fin assembly is removably engageable thereto without disturbing the activatable components of the munition.

25. The system of claim 13 wherein the activatable components of the munition comprise electrical and translatable mechanical components thereof.

26. A method of converting a munition into a global positioning system (GPS) guided munition for use in a strategic weapon system upon a selected target, the system defining a GPS receiver, an actuator mechanism, at least one flight control surface and a munition body attachable to an aircraft, the method comprising the steps of:

a) removing an original tail fin assembly from the munition body;

b) engaging a GPS guidable tail fin assembly to the munition body without disturbing activatable components thereof;

c) engaging the munition body to the aircraft;

d) autonomously generating GPS navigational signals representative of target coordinates of the selected target via the GPS receiver of the guidable tail fin assembly;

e) releasing the munition when the aircraft is in flight;

f) regulating movement of the flight surface via the actuator mechanism in response to the generated GPS navigational signals for guidance of the munition to the selected target;

g) generating guidance information representative of orientation of the munition independent of aircraft on-board targeting processing unit to avoid disturbance of the aircraft avionics; and

h) communicating the guidance information to the actuator mechanism to further regulate the movement of the flight surface for guidance of the munition to the selected target.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the munition is a bomb.

28. The system of claim 26 further comprising a radio receiver disposed within the tail fin compartment, and wherein the aircraft comprises an autonomous control unit having a radio transmitter antenna, the control unit being operative to generate the guidance information independent of the aircraft on-board targeting processing unit for communication to the radio receiver via the transmitter antenna thereof to avoid the disturbance of the aircraft avionics.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein the control unit comprises a strap mechanism for attachment to a leg of a crew member of the aircraft.

30. The system of claim 28 wherein the aircraft mounts an aircraft radio transmitter antenna thereon, and the guidance information is relayable to the radio receiver from the control unit via the mounted aircraft transmitter antenna.

31. The system of claim 26 wherein the GPS receiver is a civilian GPS receiver.

32. The system of claim 26 wherein the GPS guidable tail fin assembly is removably engageable to the munition body without disturbing the activatable components of the conventional munition.

33. The system of claim 26 wherein the activatable components of the munition comprise electrical and translatable mechanical components thereof.