Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik Gmbh

Bodenseewerk Ger&auml;tetechnik Gmbh

Ulrich Hartmann

Dirk Jansen

Thomas Schilli

Jürgen Schnatz

Herbert Fisel

Hartmut Goseberg

Reinhard Fessel

A target tracking device for target tracking missiles having an electro-optical seeker assembly mounted in a missile structure through gimbals. The seeker assembly responds to target radiation and provides target deviation signals. Actuators, controlled by the target deviation signals, cause the seeker assembly to track the target. The electro-optical seeker assembly is pivotally mounted in the missile structure about a roll axis and a pitch axis only, the pitch axis being orthogonal to the roll axis. First and second pick-offs, providing pick-off signals, are provided for picking off angles of rotation of the seeker assembly about the roll and pitch axes. A structure-fixed inertial sensor unit is provided for measuring the angular rates about three mutually orthogonal axes and providing angular rate signals. The target deviation signals from the seeker assembly, the pick-off signals from the pick-offs and the angular rate signals from the inertial sensor unit are applied to a computer, which is programmed to define a seeker reference system with three degrees of freedom. This seeker reference system is decoupled from movements of the missile and the seeker assembly. The roll movement of the seeker reference system is zero. The seeker reference system is caused to track a target detected by the seeker assembly. The computer, in addition, generates positioning commands for the actuators depending on the position of the seeker reference system. The device for generating the positioning command is a case discriminating logic for selecting one of a plurality of specific positioning commands, when the target approaches the roll axis.

Seeker for target-tracking missiles

The invention relates to a method and a device for triggering a warhead in a target-tracking guided missile. The guided missile has an impact fuse and a proximity fuse for triggering detonation of the warhead. The invention triggers the warhead such that the damage caused to the target, such as an enemy fighter aircraft, becomes maximal. To this end, the miss disdance is predicted from influencing variabled detected during the flight of the guided missile. The warhead triggering delay time of the proximity fuse is set dependent on the predicted miss distance to achieve such maximum damage.

Warhead triggering in target-tracking guided missiles

The invention relates to a seeker head for target tracking missiles having an image resolving seeker being gimbal suspended in a seeker gimbal assembly and adapted to be aligned to a target by target deviation signals, and inertial sensors. A virtual inertially stabilized reference coordinate system is adapted to be defined from signals from the image resolving seeker and from the seeker gimbal assembly, said stabilized reference coordinate system having an axis aligned to said target. The stabilized reference coordinate system is adapted to be aligned to predicted target positions in case of deterioration of the tracking function of the seeker to the target in accordance with the line of sight information (e.g. direction, angular rate, angular acceleration) of the reference coordinate system then present. The seeker is adapted to be aligned to the axis of the reference coordinate system when the deterioration ceases, the signals from the seeker taking over the tracking function of the seeker again.

Seeker head for target tracking missiles

An inertial sensor arrangement comprises two electrically restrained gyros with three mutually orthogonal input axes. After A/D-conversion pick-off signals are supplied to a digital computer which forms part of the restraining loop of the gyros and provides digital output signals. The output signals are applied to a D/A-converter which supplies corresponding currents to the torquer of the gyros. Thereby integrating quantization errors are avoided. The cross-coupling behavior and gyro errors can be compensated in the computer. The inertial sensor arrangement can be measured as an entirety. The gyro parameters measured thereby are memorized in an EEPROM and are taken into account in the computer.

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Uhldingen, Germany

Ulrich Hartmann