Small smart weapon and weapon system employing the same
A weapon and weapon system, and methods of manufacturing and operating the same. In one embodiment, the weapon includes a warhead including destructive elements and a guidance section with a seeker configured to guide the weapon to a target. The seeker includes a detector configured to receive a distorted signal impinging on an objective lens from the target, memory configured to store target criteria and a correction map, and a processor configured to provide a correction signal based on the distorted signal, the target criteria and the correction map to guide the weapon to the target.
1. A method, comprising:
receiving a distorted-signal impinging on an objective lens from a target, said objective lens comprising a boundary with a pseudo-random pattern formed by a continuous concentric circle with random perturbations therein,
storing target criteria and a correction map, and
providing a correction signal based on said distorted signal, said target criteria and said correction map to guide a weapon to said target.
2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said objective lens comprises a front surface and a back surface configured to provide a complementary corrective curvature to said front surface.
3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said objective lens comprises a front surface with a central region being a non-planar cone and outer regions being sharper cones.
4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said objective lens is integrated with a hemi-dome of a seeker housing said objective lens.
5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said objective lens includes a fast fresnel lens.
6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said objective lens comprises a back surface with at least a portion formed by a conic surface.
7. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising providing environmental protection for said objective lens.
8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising deriving said correction map in accordance with a response map from a calibration array in comparison to known angles of illumination.
9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said correction map provides a more accurate line-of-sight estimate for said correction signal to guide said weapon to said target.
10. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising validating said target with said target criteria.
11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said objective lens comprises a plurality of boundaries with pseudo-random patterns therein.
12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said plurality of boundaries with pseudo-random patterns comprise a plurality of continuous concentric circles with random perturbations therein.