Missile flight control system

Claim 2

A logic flight control system for a missile comprising at least four jets each with an identical jet control surface actuated by a GO NO GO output signal, said control surfaces combined so as to simultaneously generate a moment in one or the other direction about the missile symmetry axis and one or both of two gyrating moments in two principal planes of the missile, said four jets control surfaces evenly spaced on a plane normal to the missile symmetry axis with said plane passing through the missile symmetry axis at a point spAced from the center of gravity of the missile, said four control surfaces being controlled by a combination of three binary command input signals, each of said control surfaces being actuated by a binary output signal which locks in one of two positions at an angle to the radial plane of the missile; and a jet deflector which continuously imparts a gyrating moment to the missile in one direction or the other, the combination of said four jets allowing the imparting to the missle a rolling and yawing or pitching motion by means of three binary signals.

Claim 3

A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the four output signals to the four control surfaces are combined to produce a moment and a resultant force where four binary signals of position a,b,c, and d are respectively emitted on each of said four jet control surfaces with said signals controlled by the combination of three binary command input signals Alpha , Beta , and gamma , the effect of the moment being to restore a missile reference plane into a fixed plane in space and that of the resultant force being to impart a yawing or pitching motion to the missile.

Claim 4

A system according to claim 2, characterized in that eight combinations of the four output signals corresponding to the combining of a nose-down, nose-up, rightward and leftward motion with a rolling motion in one or the other direction, are commanded as required by one of eight triplet arrangements of the three binary input signals.

Claim 5

A system according to claim 3, characterized in that provision is made for independently and simultaneously generating the command for the sign of each of the three components of the resultant moment applied to the missile by the four control surfaces, respectively about three mutually perpendicular axes passing through the centre of gravity, of which one is adjacent the longitudinal axis of the missile and the other two inclined at approximately 45* to the directions parallel to the two diagonals of the square substantially at the corners of which are the points of application of the control surface forces, each of said forces acting in a direction substantially parallel to the diagonal on which the corner through which that force is applied does not lie.

Claim 6

A system according to claim 4, characterized in that one of said binary input signals corresponds to the commanding of an angular motion of the missile about its longitudinal roll axis, and the other two binary input signals to producing a combined yawing/pitching motion with respect to one of the two planes bisecting the two principal planes, that is to say along which occur the gyrating effects due to the combined deflections of two diametrically opposed control surfaces lying in those planes and which further contain the longitudinal axis of the missile.

Claim 7

A system according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes four groups of electric circuits on the four output lines respectively, three lines for controlling twinned switches on said circuits being controlled, in either of two YES or NO positions, by the three input signals whereby to deliver on each output line a signal in the form of Alpha ( Beta + gamma ) + ( Beta gamma ) in the classic Boolean notation where Alpha , Beta , and gamma mean the opposite binary signals of Alpha , Beta , and gamma respectively.

Claim 8

A system according to claim 6, characterized in that each of said groups of circuits includes one of the lines Beta gamma , Beta gamma , Beta gamma , and Beta gamma to the exclusion of the others.

Claim 9

A system according to claim 7, characterized in that said any line is parallel-connected with two lines in parallel ( Alpha Beta , Alpha gamma ), ( Alpha Beta , Alpha gamma ), ( Alpha Beta , Alpha gamma ) or ( Alpha Beta , Alpha gamma ).

Claim 10

A system according to claim 2, characterized in that the three input signals control the four output signals by means of a modular electronic circuit based on a single NOR gate whereby to furnish a combination of signals of the form Alpha ( Beta + gamma ) + ( Beta gamma ).

Claim 11

A system according to claim 8, including four output gates, four intermediate gates, four primary gates and two reversing gates, the signal Alpha being applied to one input of each of the four intermediate gates, the symetrical signals Beta and gamma being applied together to a first primary gate and each to a reversing gate, second and third primary gates receiving the Beta gamma and Beta gamma signals respectively and the fourth primary gate receiving the inputs Beta , gamma formed by the two reversing gates, each intermediate gate receiving the output signal from an associated primary gate and delivering its output to an associated output gate, each output gate receiving as its second input signal the signal from a primary gate lying in opposition to the associated intermediate gate.

Claim 12

A system according to claim 2, characterized in that it includes a computer of the function a Alpha ( Beta + gamma ) + ( Beta gamma ), each of the four outputs occurring to determine combinations a, b, c, d as a function of Alpha and Beta gamma on a diagonal of the square table.

Claim 13

A system according to claim 6, characterized in that the three input signals control the four output signals or the movable members of the four control surfaces directly by means of a pneumatic circuit comprising four stepped slide-valves having four seals the successive diameters of which are in the ratios of 1, Square Root 2, Square Root 3 and Square Root 1.5 respectively, the feed pressure being invariably supplied between the two seals the diameters of which are in the ratio of Square Root 1.5 and Square Root 3 to the reference diameter, the other face of the seal the diameter of which is in the ratio of Square Root 1.5 being always vented together with that portion of the slide-valve bounded by it, the seal the sliding diameter of which is in the ratio of Square Root 3 and the seal the diameter of which is in the ratio Square Root 2 being determined as being either at the feed pressure or vented according as the value of the binary command is gamma or its complement gamma , depending on the slide-valve being considered, the pressure between the seals having sliding diameters in the ratios Square Root 2 and 1 to the reference diameter being determined likewise according as the value of the binary input is Beta or its complement Beta , depending on the slide-valve being considered, the values Beta or Beta and gamma or gamma being so chosen as to produce upon the several four slide-valves a particular one of the four moments Beta gamma , Beta gamma , Beta gamma and Beta gamma , and lastly the other face of the seal having a sliding diameter in the ratio of unity with respect to the reference diameter being, in the case of each of the four slide-valves, either subjected to pressure or vented dependently only on the binary input value Alpha .

Claim 14

A flight control system according to claim 1 further characterized by said control surfaces lying on planes bisecting the angles between the principal planes in space passing through the flight vector of the missile and of said jets being directed at right angles to the associated bisecting plane.

Claim 15

A system according to claim 13, characterized in that the binary input signal Alpha corresponds to a command for an angular motion of the missile about its longitudinal roll axis, and the two other binary input signals Beta and gamma to commanding a combined yawing and pitching motion substantially in one of the two planes bisecting said two principal planes where four binary signals of position a, b, c, and d are respectively emitted on each of said four jet control surfaces with said signals controlled by the combination of three binary command input signals Alpha , Beta , and gamma .

Claim 16

An system for a flight control system according to claim 14, characterized in that it includes four groups of electric circuits on the four output lines respectively, each of which corresponds to a jet control surface, three control lines oF twinned switches on said circuits being activated into two YES or NO positions by the input signals Alpha , Beta , gamma , whereby to deliver on each output line a signal of the form Alpha ( Beta + gamma ) + ( Beta gamma ) in the classic Boolean notation that automatically and continuously corrects the missile attitude.

Claim 17

A system according to claim 14, characterized in that the three input signals activate the four output signals by means of a modular electronic circuit based on a single NOR gate whereby to deliver a combination of signals of the form Alpha ( Beta + gamma ) + ( Beta gamma ).

Claim 18

A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the three input signals activate the four output signals by means of a pneumatic circuit having stepped slide-valves.