Vehicle command systems

Claim 2

A vehicle command system comprising: a movable controlling vehicle; a controlled vehIcle referred to as a missile, and means for controlling the missile in flight after launching from the controlling vehicle including a transmitter transmitting command signals from the transmitter in the controlling vehicle to cause the missile to fly along a given line of sight from the controlling vehicle, the missile including, a flight control system responsive to the said command signals including an attitude reference system, an analogue reference system of the missile attitude reference system mounted in the controlling vehicle and maintained with the axes of its directional components in the same attitudes in space as the axes of the corresponding components of the missile attitude reference system both before and after the instant of launch of the missile and during its flight, and means for correcting the command signals transmitted from the transmitter by reference to the analogue reference system in the controlling vehicle so as to compensate for changes in the attitude of the controlling vehicle relative to the missile attitude reference system after the launch of the missile.

Claim 3

A command system as claimed in claim 1 in which the analogue reference system in the controlling vehicle comrpises a two-axis free gyroscope the rotor of which is mounted in inner and outer free gimbals, the outer free gimbal being pivotally supported in a further gimbal system comprising inner and outer controlled gimbals, and servo means being provided for maintaining the controlled gimbals in attitudes in which they support the free gyroscope with its outer gimbal pivotal axis in a predetermined directional relationship with, and approximately parallel to, the said given sight line.

Claim 4

A command signal as claimed in claim 2 including means for deriving a signal from the analogue reference system which represents the angular displacement of the inner controlled gimbal relatively to the outer free gimbal of the free gyroscope about the pivotal axis of the latter, and means for utilising the said signal for correcting the command signals to compensate for changes in attitude of the controlling vehicle.

Claim 5

A command system as claimed in claim 3 which includes an optical sighting system in the controlling vehicle, and a manually-operated joystick control for the command signal transmitter, and in which the sighting system includes means for generating output signals representing its angular displacement in elevation and azimuth relatively to attitude reference axes of the controlling vehicle, and in which the output signals from the sighting system are fed into the servo means so as to cause corresponding angular displacements of the controlled gimbals.

Claim 6

A command system as claimed in claim 4 in which the optical sighting system includes means for providing a visual image which shows the missile in flight and lateral displacement relative to the sight line, means for compensating the command signals for errors caused by the apparent tilting of the image as seen in the sight in response to a signal representing relative roll displacement of the inner controlled gimbal relative to the controlling vehicle due to roll of the controlling vehicle.

Claim 7

A command system as claimed in claim 5 in which in response to command movements of the joystick control from a centralized position in radial directions the transmitter transmits command signals, representing an analogue of corresponding radial vectors, for correcting the course of the missile in corresponding radial directions as seen in the optical sight, and electrical means responsive to the signal representing relative roll displacement of the inner controlled gimbal, is actuated thereby to cause the transmitter output to transmit signals representative of a relative rotation of the angular phase of the radial vectors, in relation to the phase of the corresponding radial command movements of the joystick control.

Claim 8

A command system as claimed in claim 4 in which the optical sighting system provides a visual imagE which shows the missile in flight and the lateral displacement of the flying missile from the sight line, and in which the signal representing relative angular displacement of the inner controlled gimbal is employed to rotate the image optically so as to compensate for tilting of the controlling vehicle and to maintain the image untilted relatively to the controlling vehicle as viewed by an operator therein.

Claim 9

A command system as claimed in claim 7 in which the signal representing relative angular displacement of the inner controlled gimbal energises a motor which rotates an optical prism assembly interposed in the light path of the sight to rotate the light beam emerging from the prism assembly about its longitudinal axis, the said light beam defining the image as viewed by the operator.

Claim 10

A command system mounted in a controlling vehicle for controlling a guided missile carrying an attitude reference system, the command system including in combination a transmitter device in the controlling vehicle for transmitting command signals to control the flight of the missile, a mechanical analogue reference system of the missile attitude reference system supported in inner and outer controlled gimbals in the controlling vehicle, an electrical pick-off and motor mounted in each of the pivotal axes of support of the inner and outer controlled gimbals, an optical sight in the controlling vehicle which is rotatable about its transverse axes of support in the vehicle, electrical pick-offs mounted in each of the axes of support of the sight for supplying position signals representative of the rotational movements of the sight, electrical servo devices with position feedback connecting the pick-offs associated with the axes of the sight to the pick-offs and motors of the inner and outer controlled gimbals to form servo loops by which the attitudes of the controlled gimbals are controlled in accordance with the attitude of the sight, means for actuating the analogue reference system and coupling the analogue reference system to the sight through the said servo loops simultaneously with the activation of the missile reference system in response to a firing signal used to launch the missile from the controlling vehicle, and an attitude compensating device for correcting the command signals to the missile in a manner determined by an output signal from the analogue reference system to compensate for tilting movement of the controlling vehicle after the launching of the missile.

Claim 11

A command system mounted in a controlling vehicle for controlling a guided missile carrying an attitude reference system, the command system including in combination a transmitter device in the controlling vehicle for transmitting command signals to control the flight of the missile, a mechanical analogue reference system of the missile attitude reference system supported in inner and outer controlled gimbals in the controlling vehicle, an electrical pick-off and motor mounted in each of the pivotal axes of support of the inner and outer controlled gimbals, an optical sight in the controlling vehicle which is rotatable about its transverse axes of support in the vehicle, electrical pick-offs mounted in each of the axes of support of the sight for supplying position signals representative of the rotational movements of the sight, electrical servo devices with position feedback connecting the pick-offs associated with the axes of the sight to the pick-offs and motors of the inner and outer controlled gimbals to form servo loops by which the attitudes of the controlled gimbals are controlled in accordance with the attitude of the sight, means for actuating the analogue reference system and coupling the analogue reference system to the sight through the said servo loops simultaneously with the activation of the missile reference system in response to a firing signal used to launch the missile from the controlling vehicle, and an attitude compensating device for correcting the command signals to the missile in a manner determined by an output signal from the analogue reference system to compensate for tilting movement of the controlling vehicle after the launching of the missile.