Remote digital firing system

• US 7,559,269 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Flir Detection, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Rudakevych, Pavlo E., Pack, Robert T., Ciholas, Mike E.
• Primary Examiner(s): CLEMENT, MICHELLE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US11/347,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20070119326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 89/271.1, 89/410.1, 89/11.1, 102/206, 700/245, 701/1, 701/2, 235/404
• US Class Current: 89/27.11
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 15/42 from a remote location, e.g. for controlled mines or mine fields

Abstract

A remote digital firing system includes a firing circuit operative to fire remote mission payloads, a firing control panel linked to the firing circuit, and a digital code plug configured to communicate with the firing circuit and firing control panel. The firing circuit can generate, write and store one-time random session variables to the digital code plug. The firing circuit validates digital messages received from the firing control panel by comparing one-time random session variables embodied in the messages with the stored one-time random session variables, before firing the payload.

Claims

1. A method of operating a remote digital firing system that includes a first set of firing circuits and a second set of firing circuits, first and second digital code plugs, and a firing control panel to fire remote mission payloads, each remote mission payload communicatively coupled to a firing circuit, the method comprising:

integrating the first digital code plug in communicative combination with at least two of the firing circuits in the first set, each integrating comprising generating a group of one-time random session variables for the firing circuit, writing the session variables to the first digital code plug, and simultaneously storing the session variables in the firing circuit;

integrating the second digital code plug in communicative combination with at least two of the firing circuits in the second set, each integrating comprising generating a group of one-time random session variables for the firing circuit, writing the session variables to the second digital code plug, and simultaneously storing the session variables in the firing circuit;

integrating the first digital code plug in communicative combination with the firing control panel;

selecting a first remote mission payload and corresponding first firing circuit to be controlled by the firing control panel;

actuating an arming mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit an ARM command message embodying a session variable for the first firing circuit and read from the first digital code plug to arm the first firing circuit;

actuating a firing mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit a first FIRE message embodying another session variable for the first firing circuit and read from the first digital code plug to activate the first firing circuit to fire the first remote mission payload;

integrating the second digital code plug in communicative combination with the firing control panel;

selecting the second remote mission payload and corresponding second firing circuit to be controlled by the firing control panel;

actuating an arming mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit an ARM command message embodying a session variable for the second firing circuit and read from the first digital code plug to arm the second firing circuit; and

actuating a firing mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit a second FIRE message embodying another session variable for the second firing circuit and read from the second digital code plug to activate the second firing circuit to fire the second remote mission payload.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a local message when the first digital code plug is integrated in communicative combination with the firing circuit; and

transmitting the local message to a host of the firing circuit to notify the host that the first digital code plug is integrated with the firing circuit.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a local message when the first digital code plug is removed from communicative combination with the firing circuit; and

transmitting the local message to a host of the first firing circuit to notify the host that the first digital code plug is not integrated with the firing circuit.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a local message when the first digital code plug is integrated in communicative combination with the firing control panel; and

transmitting the local message to a host of the firing control panel to notify the host that the first digital code plug is integrated with the firing control panel.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating a local message when the first digital code plug is removed from communicative combination with the firing control panel; and

transmitting the local message to a host of the firing control panel to notify the host that the first digital code plug is not integrated with the firing control panel.

6. A method of operating a remote digital firing system that includes first and second firing circuits, a digital code plug, and a firing control panel to fire first and second remote mission payloads communicatively coupled to the first and second firing circuits, respectively, the method comprising:

integrating the digital code plug in communicative combination with the first firing circuit to generate first one-time random session variables, writing the session variables to the digital code plug, and simultaneously storing the session variables in the first firing circuit;

integrating the digital code plug in communicative combination with the second firing circuit to generate second one-time random session variables, writing the session variables to the digital code plug and simultaneously storing the session variables in the second firing circuit;

integrating the digital code plug in communicative combination with the firing control panel;

selecting the first remote mission payload to be controlled by the firing control panel;

actuating an arming mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit an ARM command message embodying one first session variable read from the digital code plug to arm the first firing circuit;

actuating a firing mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit a first FIRE message embodying another first session variable read from the digital code plug to activate the first firing circuit to fire the first remote mission payload;

selecting the second remote mission payload to be controlled by the firing control panel;

actuating an arming mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit an ARM command message embodying one second session variable read from the digital code plug to arm the second firing circuit; and

actuating a firing mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit a second FIRE message embodying another second session variable read from the digital code plug to activate the second firing circuit to fire the second remote mission payload.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating a local message when the first digital code plug is integrated in communicative combination with the firing circuit; and

transmitting the local message to a host of the firing circuit to notify the host that the first digital code plug is integrated with the firing circuit.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

generating a local message when the first digital code plug is removed from communicative combination with the firing circuit; and

transmitting the local message to a host of the first firing circuit to notify the host that the first digital code plug is not integrated with the firing circuit.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

generating a local message when the first digital code plug is integrated in communicative combination with the firing control panel; and

transmitting the local message to a host of the firing control panel to notify the host that the first digital code plug is integrated with the firing control panel.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

generating a local message when the first digital code plug is removed from communicative combination with the firing control panel; and

transmitting the local message to a host of the firing control panel to notify the host that the first digital code plug is not integrated with the firing control panel.

11. A method of operating a remote digital firing system that includes first and second firing circuits, first and second digital code plugs, and a firing control panel to fire first and second remote mission payloads communicatively coupled to the first and second firing circuits, respectively, the method comprising:

integrating the first digital code plug in communicative combination with the first firing circuit to generate and write first one-time random session variables and a first remote mission payload identifier to the first digital code plug and simultaneously storing the session variables in the first firing circuit;

integrating the first digital code plug in communicative combination with the firing control panel;

selecting the first remote mission payload to be controlled by the firing control panel;

comparing the selection of the first remote mission payload with the first remote mission payload identifier read from the first digital code plug;

actuating an arming mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit an ARM command message embodying one first session variable read from the first digital code plug to arm the first firing circuit;

actuating a firing mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit a first FIRE command message embodying another first session variable read from the first digital code plug to activate the first firing circuit to fire the first remote mission payload.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising integrating the second digital code plug in communicative combination with the second firing circuit to generate and write second one-time random session variables and a second remote mission payload identifier to the second digital code plug and simultaneously storing the session variables in the second firing circuit.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising integrating the second digital code plug in communicative combination with the firing control panel.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising selecting the second remote mission payload to be controlled by the firing control panel.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising comparing the selection of the second remote mission payload with the second remote mission payload identifier read from the second digital code plug.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising actuating an arming mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit an ARM command message embodying one second session variable read from the second digital code plug to arm the second firing circuit.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising actuating a firing mechanism of the firing control panel to transmit a second FIRE command message embodying another second session variable read from the second digital code plug to activate the second firing circuit to fire the second remote mission payload.