System for guiding a missile toward a moving target

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR GUIDING A REMOTE-CONTROLLABLE MOVING OBJECT TOWARD A FREELY MOVING TARGET ALONG A TARGET PATH FROM A CONTROL STATION INLCUDING CONTROL MEANS FOR LOCATING SAID MOVING TARGET AND SAID MOVING OBJECT AND FOR GENERATING AND TRANSMITTING GUIDANCE CONTROL SIGNALS TO SAID MOVING OBJECT FOR GUIDING SAID MOVING OBJECT INTO SAID TARGET PATH, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOCATING MEANS AT SAID CONTROL STATION HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE ORIENTATION AXIS FOR GENERATING GUIDANCE CONTROL SIGNALS WHICH CONTINUALLY CORRESPOND TO THE VECTORIAL ANGULAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MOMENTARY LINE-OF-SIGHT TO SAID MOVING OBJECT AND THE ORIENTATION AXIS OF SAID AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOATING MEANS, SAID GUIDANCE CONTROL SIGNALS BEING TRANSMITTED TO SAID MOVING OBJECT VIA SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVING OBJECT TO CAUSE COINCIDENCE OF SAID PATH OF MOVEMENT WITH THE ORIENTATION AXIS OF SAID AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOCATING MEANS; OPTICAL MEANS AT SAID CONTROL STATION FOR SUBJECTIVELY VISUALLY DETERMINING THE POSITION ERROR OF SAID MOVING OBJECT RELATIVE TO THE LINE-OF-SIGHT FROM SAID CONTROL STATION TO SAID MOVING TARGET; MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE GUIDANCE MEANS COUPLED TO SAID OPTICAL MEANS; AND MOVEMENT TRANSMISSION MEANS COUPLING SAID GUIDANCE MEANS WITH SAID AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOCATING MEANS FOR VARYING SAID ORIENTATION AXIS, SAID MOVEMENT TRANSMISSION MEANS INCLUDING LOW PASS FILTER MEANS THROUGH WHICH MOVEMENT IS TRANSMITTED FROM SAID GUIDANCE MEANS TO SAID AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOCATING MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE TRANSMISSION OF ADJUSTMENT MOVEMENTS OF SAID GUIDANCE MEANS OCCURRING AT FREQUENCIES EXCEEDING A PREDETERMINED UPPER LIMIT.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR GUIDING A REMOTE-CONTROLLABLE MOVING OBJECT TOWARD A FREELY MOVING TARGET ALONG A TARGET PATH FROM A CONTROL STATION INLCUDING CONTROL MEANS FOR LOCATING SAID MOVING TARGET AND SAID MOVING OBJECT AND FOR GENERATING AND TRANSMITTING GUIDANCE CONTROL SIGNALS TO SAID MOVING OBJECT FOR GUIDING SAID MOVING OBJECT INTO SAID TARGET PATH, SAID SYSTEM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOCATING MEANS AT SAID CONTROL STATION HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE ORIENTATION AXIS FOR GENERATING GUIDANCE CONTROL SIGNALS WHICH CONTINUALLY CORRESPOND TO THE VECTORIAL ANGULAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MOMENTARY LINE-OF-SIGHT TO SAID MOVING OBJECT AND THE ORIENTATION AXIS OF SAID AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOATING MEANS, SAID GUIDANCE CONTROL SIGNALS BEING TRANSMITTED TO SAID MOVING OBJECT VIA SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVING OBJECT TO CAUSE COINCIDENCE OF SAID PATH OF MOVEMENT WITH THE ORIENTATION AXIS OF SAID AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOCATING MEANS; OPTICAL MEANS AT SAID CONTROL STATION FOR SUBJECTIVELY VISUALLY DETERMINING THE POSITION ERROR OF SAID MOVING OBJECT RELATIVE TO THE LINE-OF-SIGHT FROM SAID CONTROL STATION TO SAID MOVING TARGET; MANUALLY ADJUSTABLE GUIDANCE MEANS COUPLED TO SAID OPTICAL MEANS; AND MOVEMENT TRANSMISSION MEANS COUPLING SAID GUIDANCE MEANS WITH SAID AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOCATING MEANS FOR VARYING SAID ORIENTATION AXIS, SAID MOVEMENT TRANSMISSION MEANS INCLUDING LOW PASS FILTER MEANS THROUGH WHICH MOVEMENT IS TRANSMITTED FROM SAID GUIDANCE MEANS TO SAID AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING LOCATING MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE TRANSMISSION OF ADJUSTMENT MOVEMENTS OF SAID GUIDANCE MEANS OCCURRING AT FREQUENCIES EXCEEDING A PREDETERMINED UPPER LIMIT.