Raytheon Company

The University of Texas System

Michael B McFarland

Arthur J Schneider

Wayne V Spate

Robert W Adams

Anthony J Calise

Frank L Lewis

Stanton L Winetrobe

Michael J Kaiserman

Rastko R Selmic

A multi-staged missile includes a booster and a submunition delivery vehicle that has one or more submunitions. The booster rapidly accelerates the submunition vehicle, and then separates from the submunition vehicle. The submunition delivery vehicle is then maneuvered to approach a target. Individual submunitions finally separate, and are individually guided to the target. By providing multiple, independently-targeted submunitions, the missile greatly increases the chances of hitting the target.

Missile system with multiple submunitions

Methods and systems for backlash compensation. Restrictive assumptions on the backlash nonlinearity (e.g. the same slopes of the lines, etc.) are not required. The compensator scheme has dynamic inversion structure, with a neural network in the feedforward path that approximates the backlash inversion error plus filter dynamics needed for backstepping design. The neural network controller does not require preliminary off-line training. Neural network tuning is based on a modified Hebbian tuning law, which requires less computation than backpropagation. The backstepping controller uses a practical filtered derivative, unlike the usual differentiation required by earlier backstepping routines. Rigorous stability proofs are given using Lyapunov theory. Simulation results show that the proposed compensation scheme is an efficient way of improving the tracking performance of a vast array of nonlinear systems with backlash.

Backlash compensation using neural network

A spin-stabilized missile includes two or more spin nozzles along a perimeter of the missile, the nozzles being operatively coupled to a pressurized gas source. The pressurized gas source provides pressurized gas which passes through the nozzles and external to the missile, thereby providing circumferential thrust which causes a torque on the missile that results in the missile rolling or spinning. The pressurized gas source may be a pressure container containing solid rocket fuel. The pressurized gas source for spinning the missile may be the same as that for the missile's main propulsion system.

Propulsive torque motor

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Michael B McFarland