Weapon firing computer

Claim 2

A weapon site gunner operated computer for determining the range and direction angle from a weapon positioned at known grid coordinates to a target, said computer comprising: handset data means for converting gunner handset data into computer instrumented representations thereof; first circuit means responsive to a first portion of said representations of said handset data which are a measure of known factors in the trigonometric relation between an observer''s position, the target position, and the weapon position for providing signals representative of the target grid coordinates in relation to the weapon grid coordinates; second circuit means responsive to a second portion of said representations of said handset data which are a measure of unknown factors in said trigonometric relation and to the signals of said first circuit means, for providing a null balance signal when said second portion of said representations comprises a correct representation of the range from the weapon to the target and the direction angle from the weapon to the target.

Claim 3

A computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first circuit means includes means for converting the range and direction angle from an observer at known grid coordinates relative to the weapon, to signals representative of the target grid coordinates in relation to the weapon grid coordinates.

Claim 4

A computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second circuit means includes a circuit coupled to receive the signals of said first circuit means for providing a first signal representative of the direction angle from the weapon to the target and a second signal representative of the range from the weapon to the target, signal detecting means for detecting when one of the second portion of said representations of said handset data is a correct representation of the direction angle represented by the first signal of said circuit; and signal detecting means for detecting when another one of the second portion of said Representations of said handset data is a correct representation of the range represented by the second signal of said circuit.

Claim 5

A computer as claimed in claim 3 which further comprises: means for providing a fixed offset of the first signal of said circuit in response to one of the first portion of said representations of said handset data; and means for providing a proportional offset for the second signal of said circuit in response to another one of the first portion of said representations of said handset data.

Claim 6

A computer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first circuit means comprises: a first potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the range from an observer position to the target; a first resolver having the angular position of its shaft provided by said handset data means, the angular position of the resolver shaft being representative of the direction angle from the observer to the target; said first resolver being coupled to receive the analog signal of said first potentiometer for providing a first signal representative of the range from the observer position to the target times the cosine of the direction angle from the observer to the target, and a second signal representative of the range from the observer position to the target times the sine of the direction angle from the observer to the target; a second potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the observer grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a third potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the observer grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; a first summing means coupled to receive the first signal of said resolver and the analog signal of said second potentiometer for providing an output signal representative of the difference between the target grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a second summing means coupled to receive the second signal of said resolver and the analog signal of said third potentiometer for providing an output signal representative of the difference between the target grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; a fourth potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the target grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a fifth potentiometer having shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the target grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; and manual switching means coupled to provide a first output and a second output, said first output being the output signal of said first summing means when said manual switching means is in a first position and said first output being the analog signal of said fourth potentiometer when said manual switching means is in a second position; said second output being the output signal of said second summing means when said manual switching means is in a first position and said second output being the analog signal of said fifth potentiometer when said manual switching means is in a second position.

Claim 7

A computer as claimed in claim 5 wherein said second circuit means comprises: a second resolver having the angular position of its shaft provided by said handset data means, and being coupled to receive the first and second outputs of said manual switching means for providing a first signal equal to zero when the angular position of the shaft of said second resolver represents the direction angle from the weapon to the target, and a second signal representative of the range from the weapon to the Target; and signal detecting means coupled to receive the first signal of said second resolver for detecting when the signal is essentially equal to zero.

Claim 8

A computer as claimed in claim 6 which further comprises: a sixth potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the range from the weapon position to the target; a third summing means coupled to receive the analog signal of said sixth potentiometer and the second signal of said second resolver for providing an output signal which is the difference between the two input signals; and signal detecting means coupled to receive the output signal of said third summing means for detecting when the signal is essentially equal to zero.

Claim 9

A gunner operated weapon firing computer for determining the range and direction angle from a weapon positioned at known grid coordinates to a target, said weapon firing computer comprising: handset data means for converting gunner handset data into shaft position; a first potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the range from an observer position to the target; a first resolver having the angular position of its shaft provided by said handset data means, the angular position of the resolver shaft being representative of the direction angle from the observer to the target; said first resolver being coupled to receive the analog signal of said first potentiometer for providing a first signal representative of the range from the observer position to the target times the cosine of the direction angle from the observer to the target, and a second signal representative of the range from the observer position to the target times the sine of the direction angle from the observer to the target; a second potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the observer grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a third potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the observer grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; a first summing junction coupled to receive the first signal of said resolver and the analog signal of said second potentiometer for providing an output signal representative of the difference between the target grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a second summing junction coupled to receive the second signal of said resolver and the analog signal of said third potentiometer for providing an output signal representative of the difference between the target grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; a fourth potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the target grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a fifth potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the target grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; manual switching means coupled to provide a first output and a second output, said first output being the output signal of said first summing junction when said manual switching means is in a first position and said first output being the analog signal of said fourth potentiometer when said manual switching means is in a second position; said second output being the output signal of said second summing junction when said manual switching means is in a first position and said second output being the analog signal of said fifth potentiometer when said manual switching means is in a second position; a second resolver having the angular position Of its shaft provided by said handset data means and coupled to receive the first and second outputs of said manual switching means for providing a first signal equal to zero when the angular position of the resolver shaft represents the direction angle from the weapon to the target, and a second signal representative of the range from the weapon to the target; and signal detecting means coupled to receive the first signal of said second resolver for detecting when the signal is essentially equal to zero.

Claim 10

A gunner operated weapon firing computer for determining the range and direction angle from a weapon positioned at known grid coordinates to a target, said weapon firing computer comprising: handset data means for converting gunner handset data into shaft position; a first potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the range from an observer position to the target; a first resolver having the angular position of its shaft provided by said handset data means, the angular position of the resolver shaft being representative of the direction angle from the observer to the target; said first resolver being coupled to receive the analog signal of said first potentiometer for providing a first signal representative of the range from the observer position to the target times the cosine of the direction angle from the observer to the target, and a second signal representative of the range from the observer position to the target times the sine of the direction angle from the observer to the target; a second potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the observer grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a third potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the observer grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; a first summing junction coupled to receive the first signal of said resolver and the analog signal of said second potentiometer for providing an output signal representative of the difference between the target grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a second summing junction coupled to receive the second signal of said resolver and the analog signal of said third potentiometer for providing an output signal representative of the difference between the target grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; a fourth potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the target grid north coordinate and the weapon grid north coordinate; a fifth potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the difference between the target grid east coordinate and the weapon grid east coordinate; manual switching means coupled to provide a first output and a second output, said first output being the output signal of said first summing junction when said manual switching means is in a first position and said first output being the analog signal of said fourth potentiometer when said manual switching means is in a second position; said second output being the output signal of said second summing junction when said manual switching means is in a first position and said second output being the analog signal of said fifth potentiometer when said manual switching means is in a second position; a second resolver having the angular position Of its shaft provided by said handset data means and coupled to receive the first and second outputs of said manual switching means for providing a first signal equal to zero when the angular position of the resolver shaft represents the direction angle from the weapon to the target, and a second signal representative of the range from the weapon to the target; and signal detecting means coupled to receive the first signal of said second resolver for detecting when the signal is essentially equal to zero.

Claim 11

A weapon firing computer as claimed in claim 8 which further comprises: a sixth potentiometer having its shaft position provided by said handset data means for providing an analog signal representative of the range from the weapon position to the target; a third summing junction coupled to receive the analog signal of said sixth potentiometer and the second signal of said second resolver for providing an output signal which is the difference between the two input signals; and signal detecting means coupled to receive the output signal of said third summing junction for detecting when the signal is essentially equal to zero.