Weapon guidance system
View Patent ↗The centroid of the discrete components forming the overall radar return from a target onto which a homing weapon is being guided may not coincide with a desired aimpoint on the target. Herein proposed is the discrimination and comparison of returns from different portions of the weapon sensor's field-of-view, i.e. different portions of the target and guidance of the weapon in dependence upon the relative values of the differences between those returns. As a result, the weapon can hit say the center of a tank turret roof rather than the probably heavily armored area forward of the turret roof.
1. A system for guiding a weapon onto a preferred aim point upon a target, the system comprising:
target sensing means having a field of view for discriminating between signals received from within a first portion of said field-of-view of said sensing means and signals received from within respective ones of two further portions of said field-of-view, the two further portions being at respective opposite sides of said first portion, said target sensing means including receiving means, responsive to reflected radiation from said target, having a movable look direction;
means for controlling said look direction of said receiver means by a pitch input and a yaw input, and
guidance signal forming means for forming a weapon guidance signal which is dependent upon the relative values of differences between the signals from said first portion and respective ones of the signals from the two further portions.
2. A system for forming a pitch guidance signal for a weapon travelling in an inclined direction down onto a target, the system comprising:
target sensing means having a field of view, for discriminating between signals received from within respective ones of first, second and third portions of the field-of-view of the sensing means, said portions being displaced one from another along the direction crossing said field-of-view parallel to a pitch plane of the weapon with the first portion between the second and third portions said target sensing means including receiving means, responsive to reflected radiation from said target, having a movable look direction;
means for controlling said look direction of said receiver means by a pitch input and a yaw input, and
means for combining said signals to form a pitch guidance signal which is dependent upon the relative values of the difference between the signals from the first and second portions and the difference between the signals from the first and third portions.
3. A system for guiding a weapon travelling in an inclined direction down onto a target, the system comprising:
target sensing means for providing a sensing means signal, said target sensing means including receiving means, responsive to reflected radiation from said target, having a movable look direction;
means for controlling said look direction of said receiver means by a pitch input and a yaw input;
means for determining the change in the sensing means signal along a direction crossing the target; and
guidance signal forming means for guiding the weapon towards an aim point referenced to the position of maximum rate of said change.