Contraves Ag

Walter Eicher

C Friso Van Mansvelt

Hansruedi Ritter

A theodolite for target tracking and target measuring with a telescope composed of a mirror objective and a collimator. The real image produced by the mirror objective is projected to infinity by the collimator, so that there is formed an afocal beam of light. This beam of light is delivered by means of a partially permeable mirror surface to a television camera and at least one other image evaluation device (camera). The television camera is arranged at the telescope at an unlaterable position with respect to the telescope tube. The partially permeable mirror surface, branching-off part of the beam of light to the television camera, is arranged between the collimator and a further mirror surface serving for fading-in the image of a crosshair at the beam of light. The invention advantageously serves for constructng a theodolite having a control of the target tracking by the signals emanating from the television camera (TV-tracking).

Theodolite for tracking and measuring a flying object with a TV camera

A switching method for measuring or tracking two neighboring flying targets in succession by means of a measuring installation having a television system. A regulation system receives course signals, which correspond to the deviation of the image of a flying target or object from the image center, and aligns the line of sight of the television camera at the flying target. An electronic window limits the formation of the deviation signals to the contribution of the image point of the flying target located in the window. During measurement of the first flying target by means of first deviation signals and a first window there is produced about the image center a second window and second deviation signals which are delimited by the second window. The first deviation signals are added, by actuating a control handle or stick to additional signals, in order to shift the line of sight and thus bring the image of the second flying target into the image center. Thereafter the regulation system is switched into operative relationship with a control by the second deviation signals. The invention is used to eliminate the effects of alignment errors and transient phenomena upon switching the measurement from one flying target to another flying target.

Switching method for measuring two neighboring flying targets or objects

A self-adjusting regulation system comprising a regulator embodying an input adder for forming the difference of the feedback magnitude and the command magnitude as well as a regulation device for forming an adjustment magnitude from such difference. A linearity detector produces a control signal upon the occurrence of a non-linear behaviour of the regulation circuit. A supplementary adder is arranged between the input adder and the regulation device and has its first input connected with the output of the input adder and its output connected with the input of the regulation device, whereas its second input is connected with the output of a supplementary device composed of a number N of similar integration stages forming a series. Each stage contains an integrator and an auxiliary adder, the output of which is connected with an input of the integrator via a control switch which can be actuated by the control signal. Further, the first input of the auxiliary adder is connected via a first multiplier with the first input of the supplementary adder and its second input is connected via a second multiplier with the output of the supplementary adder, whereas the output of the integrator of the last integration stage of the series forms the output of the supplementary device and for the remaining integration stages in each instance the output of the integrator of a given integration stage is connected with the third input of the auxiliary adder of the next following integration stage of the series.

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Gockhausen, Switzerland

Walter Eicher