Portable shipboard gunnery training/diagnostic apparatus

• US H613 H
• Filed: 07/09/1984
• Issued: 04/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1984
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: James M. Johnson, Jones J. Harold, Samuel L. Stello
• Original Assignee: James M. Johnson, Jones J. Harold, Samuel L. Stello
• Inventors: Stello, Samuel L., Johnson, James M., Jones, J. Harold
• Primary Examiner(s): Tudor, Harold J.
• Application Number:
  US66/292,90
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 073167, 08904101, 08904114, 08904117, 08904119, 235404, 235411, 235413, 235414, 364131, 434001, 434017, 434019, 434027
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/26 Teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying shooting games A63F9/02; light- or radiation-emitting guns F41A33/02; targets therefor F41J; responders, transponders for radar, sonar, lidar G01S13/767, G01S15/74, G01S17/74

Abstract

A rugged portable diagnostic apparatus is configured for temporary installation and operation on board Naval ships. The apparatus provides gunnery training support by allowing a comprehensive empirical assessment and feedback of individual, team and equipment performance on an economical and environmentally responsible basis.

Claims

1. A detachable portable shipboard gunnery/diagnostic apparatus for simulation, analysis and assessment of simulated and actual live ordnance firings comprising:

a target information unit for measuring the range information from an associated ship on which said portable shipboard gunnery/diagnostic apparatus is placed to a desired shore target;

a range interface unit operatively connected to said target information unit for multiplexing the range information therefrom and conditioning it for subsequent transmission,

a projectile velocity measurement-unit for measuring the initial velocity of projectiles as they exit the barrels of guns on the associated ship;

a data collection unit operatively connected to said range interface unit and said projectile velocity measurement unit for storing and retrieving data therefrom, said collection unit including detachable interfacing means for detachably interfacing information from the "machinery" of the associated ship for deriving gunnery, diagnostic and ballistic parameters, and

a simulation/analysis unit operatively connected to said data collection unit and being configured to simulate, summarize and interpret training exercise results, said simulation/analysis unit being operatively connected to said main processor and having a predetermined program for processing the actual gunnery data from said data collection unit and for simulating an actual gunnery exercise.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said target information unit comprises:

a plurality of target location transponders being located in a predetermined fashion so as to bracket the desired shore target so that triangulation techniques can be used to determine real-time, ship-target position information;

a receiver/transmitter operatively connected to said plurality of target location transponders and being configured to interrogate said plurality of target location transponders so as to receive identifiable signals corresponding to the real-time, ship-target position information; and

a range processor operatively connected to said receiver/transmitter for determining the range information of said plurality of target location transponders alternately from the position of the associated ship on a continuous basis.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said range interface unit comprises:

a multiplexer operatively connected to said range processor for interleaving the range information corresponding to the location of the desired shore target into a simultaneous transmission thereof; and

a range information unit modem operatively connected to said multiplexer for modulating the range information for transmission to said data collection unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said projectile velocity measurement unit comprises:

a plurality of projectile sensors each mounted on corresponding gun barrels of the associated ship for generating a signal corresponding to the motion of the projectiles as they exit the gun barrels;

a plurality of projectile velocity processors operatively connected to corresponding ones of said plurality of projectile sensors for converting the signal corresponding to the motion of the projectiles on a continuous basis into the initial velocities thereof; and

a plurality of velocity modems operatively connected to corresponding ones of said plurality of projectile velocity processors for modulating the initial velocity information for transmission to said data collection unit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said data collection unit comprises:

a data collection unit range modem for demodulating the modulated range information from said range information unit modem;

a plurality of data collection unit velocity modems operatively connected to corresponding ones of said plurality of velocity modems of said projectile velocity measurement unit for demodulating the modulated initial velocity information therefrom; and

a data base collection unit multiprocessor operatively connected to said simulation/analysis unit, said data collection unit range modem, said plurality of data collection unit velocity modems, and said means for interfacing information from the "machinery" of the associated ship for the simultaneous storaging and retrieving of the information therefrom.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said data collection unit further comprises a data collection unit display/keyboard operatively connected to said data collection unit multiprocessor for monitoring and directing the operating modes thereof.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said data collection unit further comprises a data collection unit recorder operatively connected to said data collection unit multiprocessor for collecting data for post test analysis.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said data collection multiprocessor comprises:

a first secondary processor operatively connected to said data collection unit range modem and said plurality of data collection unit velocity modems and having a predetermined program for the data collection operation required, which is the collecting of range and velocity data;

a second secondary processor operatively connected to said data collection unit recorder and having a predetermined program for the data operation required, which is the collecting of data for post test analysis;

a third secondary processor operatively connected to said means for interfacing the information from the "machinery" of the associated ship and having a predetermined program for the data operation required, which is the collecting of data from the "machinery" of the associated ship; and

a main processor operatively connected to said first, second and third secondary processors, to said simulation/analysis unit and said data collection display/keyboard and having a predetermined program for controlling the timing and interpreting commands therefor.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for interfacing information from the "machinery" of the associated ship comprises:

a data collection unit digital interface operatively connected to said third secondary processor for converting information from the "machinery" of the associated ship, in the form of digital data, into the proper format for use thereby; and

a data collection unit analog interface operatively connected to said third secondary processor for converting information from the "machinery" of the associated ship, in the form of analog data, into the proper format for use thereby.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said simulation/analysis unit comprises:

a simulation/analysis unit display/printer operatively connected to said simulation/analysis unit computer for displaying the processed data therefrom and for printing a hard copy of the simulated or actual gunnery exercise;

a simulation/analysis unit recorder; and

a simulation/analysis unit interface operatively connected between said simulation/analysis computer and said simulation/analysis recorder for formatting the data processed by said simulation/analysis unit computer into a form suitable for recording in said simulation/analysis unit recorder.