Missile guidance systems

Claim 2

A television missile guidance system comprising means for taking four different fields of view in the horizontal plane, and means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, four corresponding views, one above another, two of said fields of view originaing from one side of the missile and two from the other.

Claim 3

A system as claimed in claim 1 and wherein four fields of views are provided.

Claim 4

A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for combining comprises a screen on which said fields of view are imaged one above another and a single television comera tube provided to view said screen to develop picture signals for transmission from the missile to base stations.

Claim 5

A television mission guidance system comprising means for taking four different fields of view in the horizontal plane, and means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, four corresponding views, one above another, two of said fields of view originating from one side of the missile and two from the other.

Claim 6

A television mission guidance system comprising means for taking four different fields of view in the horizontal plane, and means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, four corresponding views, one above another, two of said fields of view originating from one side of the missile and two from the other.

Claim 7

A system as claimed in claim 4 and wherein the fields of view are contiguous except for the two inner fields of view originating from opposite sides of the missile which two inner fields of view overlap each other.

Claim 8

A system as claimed in claim 4 and wherein each field of view subtends an angle of between 10° and 20° in the horizontal plane and approximately 2° in the vertical plane.

Claim 9

A system as claimed in claim 4 and wherein said two inner fields of view overlap each other by at least one half of a degree.

Claim 10

A television missile guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane, and imaging means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, a corresponding plurality of views, one above another, said imaging means comprising a screen on which said fields of view are imaged one above another and a single television camera provided to view said screen to develop picture signals for transmission from the missle to a base station, said imaging means also comprising two bifurcated fibre optic bundles, the first arranged to collect two fields of view side-by-side from one side of the missile and the second arranged to collect two fields of view side-by-side from the other side of the missile and both arranged to reproduce said fields of view one above another on a fibre optic face plate forming said screen viewed by said camera.

Claim 11

A television missile guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane, and imaging means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, a corresponding plurality of views, one above another, said imaging means comprising a screen on which said fields of view are imaged one above another and a single television camera provided to view said screen to develop picture signals for transmission from the missle to a base station, said imaging means also comprising two bifurcated fibre optic bundles, the first arranged to collect two fields of view side-by-side from one side of the missile and the second arranged to collect two fields of view side-by-side from the other side of the missile and both arranged to reproduce said fields of view one above another on a fibre optic face plate forming said screen viewed by said camera.

Claim 12

A system as claimed in claim 8 and wherein the fields of view on each side of the missile are provided by a lens system in the image plane of which is arranged the collecting ends of the respective fibre otic bundles.

Claim 13

A system as claimed in claim 9 and wherein said lens systems are situated behind suppressed windows provided in either side of the nose of the missile.

Claim 14

A television missile guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane, means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, a corresponding plurality of views, one above another, and means for providing an enlarged image of part of the display, selectable for example when a target has been chosen.

Claim 15

A television missile guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane, means for combining said fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, a corresponding plurality of views, one above another, and means for providing an enlarged image of part of the display, selectable for example when a target has been chosen.

Claim 16

A system as claimed in claim 11 and wherein said means are such as to increase the scale of the television display over a selected portion thereof.

Claim 17

A system of claimed in claim 11 and wherein said means are such as to effect a reduction in the field of view to provide a telescopic effect thereby effectively enlarging the image of the chosen target.

Claim 18

A television missle guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane and a further, relatively narrow field of view in a direction aligned with the axis of said missile, and means for combining said further field of view and said plurality of different fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, said plurality of views, one above another, and said further field of view adjacent said plurality of views.

Claim 19

A television missle guidance system comprising means for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane and a further, relatively narrow field of view in a direction aligned with the axis of said missile, and means for combining said further field of view and said plurality of different fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller, said plurality of views, one above another, and said further field of view adjacent said plurality of views.

Claim 20

A system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein said last mentioned view, as displayed, is magnified compared with said first mentioned plurality of views.

Claim 21

A system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein said last mentioned view is displayed beneath said first mentioned plurality of views.

Claim 22

A system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein said relatively narrow field of view subtands an angle of 21/2° in the horizontal plane.

Claim 23

A system as claimed in claim 14 and wherein a fibre optic bundle is utilised to collect light from a centrally disposed lens system providing said relatively narrow field of view and transmit said collected light to said screen.

Claim 24

A system as claimed in claim 18 and wherein said last mentioned lens system is provided to have a telescopic effect.

Claim 27

A television missile guidance system wherein means are provided for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane ahead of a missile at least one of said plurality of different fields of view originating from one side of the missile and another of said plurality of different fields of view originating from the other side of said missile and means for provided for combining said plurality of different fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller a corresponding plurality of views one above another.

Claim 28

A television missile guidance system wherein means are provided for taking a plurality of different fields of view in the horizontal plane ahead of a missile at least one of said plurality of different fields of view originating from one side of the missile and another of said plurality of different fields of view originating from the other side of said missile and means for provided for combining said plurality of different fields of view to provide in a television display for an observer or missile controller a corresponding plurality of views one above another.

Claim 29

A missile-carried guidance system comprising, in combination: a television camera and means for transmitting the scene viewed by said camera to a base station for observation of that scene by an observer or missile controller; and means for generating said scene, comprising means for imaging a plurality of different fields of view in a horizontal plane ahead of the missile one above another to form at least part of said scene.

Claim 30

A missile-carried guidance system comprising, in combination: a television camera and means for transmitting the scene viewed by said camera to a base station for observation of that scene by an observer or missile controller; and means for generating said scene, comprising means for imaging a plurality of different fields of view in a horizontal plane ahead of the missile one above another to form at least part of said scene.

Claim 31

A guidance system as defined in claim 22 wherein there are at least two of said different fields of view, one of which is taken to one side of the missile axis and the other of which is taken to the other side of the missile axis.

Claim 32

A guidance system as defined in claim 23 wherein said two fields of view overlap.

Claim 33

A guidance system as defined in claim 22 including further means for taking a narrow field of view directing ahead of the missile and which overlaps two of said different fields of view, said means for imaging operating to image said narrow field of view separately in said scene.

Claim 34

A guidance system as defined in claim 25 wherein there are at least two of said different fields of view, one of which is taken to one side of the missile axis and the other of which is taken to the other side of the missile axis.

Claim 35

A guidance system as defined in claim 26 wherein said two fields of view overlap.