Safe and arm system for a robot

• US 7,905,177 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Huggins, Joshua, Deguire, Daniel R., Bergeron, Pierre, St. Lawrence, Mark, Wells, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Carone; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weber; Jonathan C
• Application Number:
  US11/543,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20080083344A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 86/50, 102/262
• US Class Current: 102/262
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/005 Unmanned ground vehicles, i.e. robotic, remote controlled or autonomous, mobile platforms carrying equipment for performing a military or police role, e.g. weapon systems or reconnaissance sensors F41H11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 33/00 Manufacture of ammunition; Dismantling of ammunition; Apparatus therefor F42B5/188 takes precedence; manufacturing processes for hollow charges F42B1/036; manufacture of blasting cartridge initiators F42B3/195
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 15/40 wherein the safety or arming action is effected electrically
• CPC Class Codes: F42C 15/42 from a remote location, e.g. for controlled mines or mine fields
• CPC Class Codes: F42D 1/045 Arrangements for electric ignition dynamo-electric generators H02K

Abstract

A safe and arm system includes an operator control subsystem including a first arm switch, a second arm switch, and a fire switch. A fire control subsystem is responsive to the operator control subsystem and includes at least a pair of terminals for connection to a munition. The terminals are initially shorted together and without a ground. A power supply control circuit is configured to supply power to the terminals. A ground supply circuit is configured to ground one said terminal. A terminal shorting circuit is configured to remove the short across the pair of terminals. The power supply control circuit, the ground supply circuit, and the terminal shorting circuit are configured to ground one terminal, remove the short across the pair of terminals, and to supply power to the terminals only if the first and second arm switches and the fire switch are all activated in a predetermined sequence.

Claims

1. A safe and arm system comprising:

an operator control subsystem including;

a first arm switch including a safe state and at least one armed state,

a second arm switch including a safe state and an armed state, and

a fire switch including a safe state and a firing state; and

a fire control subsystem responsive to the operator control subsystem and including;

at least a pair of terminals for connection to a munition, the terminals initially shorted together and without a ground,

a power supply control circuit including a first microcontroller configured to supply power to the terminals,

a ground supply circuit including a second microcontroller configured to ground one said terminal, and

a terminal shorting circuit including a third microcontroller configured to remove the short across the pair of terminals,

the power supply control circuit, ground supply circuit, and terminal shorting circuit configured to ground one terminal, remove the short across the pair of terminals, and to supply power to the terminals only if the first and second arm switches and the fire switch are all activated from the corresponding safe state in a predetermined sequence, each microcontroller configured to monitor at least one other microcontroller to ensure the microcontrollers agree said predetermined sequence has occurred within a predetermined time before said one terminal is grounded, the short across the pair of terminals is removed, and power is supplied to the terminals.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the operator control subsystem includes a microcontroller programmed to monitor activation of the first arm switch, the second arm switch, and the fire switch and to monitor feed back from the power supply control circuit, the ground supply circuit, and the terminal shorting circuit to confirm the predetermined sequence has been followed.

3. The system of claim 2 in which the microcontroller is programmed to provide an error message if the second arm switch is activated before the first arm switch or the fire switch is activated before the second arm switch.

4. The system of claim 2 in which the microcontroller is programmed to provide a power up test to determine a state of the switches.

5. The system of claim 1 in which the fire control subsystem includes two isolated power supply inputs, a first power supply input for supplying power to the circuitry of the fire control subsystem and a second power supply input for supplying power to the terminals.

6. The system of claim 5 in which the first power supply input is connected to the fire control subsystem only when the first arm switch is activated.

7. The system of claim 6 in which the power supply control circuit includes a first relay between the first power supply input and the three independent processors.

8. The system of claim 7 in which the ground supply circuit and the terminal shorting circuits include a relay controlled by one or more of the three independent processors.

9. The system of claim 1 in which the operator control subsystem includes indicators confirming the fire control subsystem has received and acted on predetermined commands via the first arm switch, the second arm switch, and the fire switch.

10. The system of claim 1 in which the fire control subsystem further includes a test mechanism for testing the fire control subsystem.

11. The system of claim 1 in which the first arm switch includes two or more channels each having an armed state.

12. The system of claim 11 in which the fire control subsystem further includes a channel steering circuit for determining which of two or more channels has been selected.

13. A method of safely and securely initiating munition connected to a pair of terminals, the method comprising:

initially shorting the terminals together;

initially removing any ground from the terminals;

initially providing no power to the terminals;

connecting the munition to a pair of terminals;

using a third microcontroller to remove the short across the terminals, using a second microcontroller to supply a ground to one terminal, and using a first microcontroller to provide power to the terminals to initiate the munition only if three activations occur in a predetermined sequence; and

for each microcontroller, monitoring at least one other microcontroller to ensure the microcontrollers agree said predetermined sequence has occurred within a predetermined time before said one terminal is grounded, the short across the pair of terminals is removed, and power is supplied to the terminals.

14. The method of claim 13 further including supplying an operator control unit with a first arm switch, a second arm switch, and a fire switch, the three activations including activating the first arm switch, the second arm switch, and the fire switch in order.