The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 13, 2004
Filed:
Sep. 07, 2001
Robert A. Rauscher, Jr., Moorestown, NJ (US);
Alliant Techsystems Inc., Edina, MN (US);
Abstract
An ordnance control and initiation system is provided. The system includes a plurality of ordnance devices which may be segregated into a plurality of sets. Each set of the ordnance devices has at least one ordnance device and further includes an ordnance device interface, which preferably includes an optical-to-electrical converter. A controller issues state commands to a master ignition control module operatively coupled to the controller, which retransmits the state commands to a plurality of slave ignition control modules. Each of the slave ignition control modules associated with one of the sets of the ordnance devices and preferably is optically coupled to each of the ordnance devices within that set. The slave ignition control modules re-transmit the state commands optically to the ordnance devices of the associated the ordnance device set of that slave ignition control module. A capacitive device may be used at the optical-to-electrical converter to store the electrical energy received through the state signal and to selectively discharge that energy into an initiator at the ordnance device to initiate the device. Related devices and methods are disclosed as well.