Thrust vector control for large deflection angles

Claim 1

A thrust vector control system for effecting propulsion as well as selected maneuvering modes of a vehicle having a vehicular frame of reference including a principal axis, said vehicle including a substantially constant-rate thrust gas generator, said system comprising: first, second, third, and fourth thruster means mounted on said vehicle with said first and third thruster means and said second and fourth thruster means diametrically opposite one another; duct means for supplying thrust gas from said thrust gas generator to said thrust means; said thruster means comprising thrust gas valve means operative rapidly between full off and full on flow conditions and said thruster means being fixed at divergent angles relative to said frame of reference so as to generate pulses of thrust forces each having axial and lateral force components relative to said frame of reference; guidance means for generating pulse duration modulated control signals corresponding to each of said valve means, said control signals being varied in accordance with changes in said maneuvering modes; said thruster means being responsive to said control signals during absence of a maneuvering mode such that said first, second, third, and fourth thruster means each operate at substantially a 50% on time duty cycle, whereby said lateral force components all cancel and said axial force components combine to yield a total average axial thrust; said thruster means being responsive to said control signals during a pitch maneuver such that said second and fourth thruster means each operate at 50% duty cycle and one of said first and third thruster means operates at 100% duty cycle while the other thereof operates at 0% duty cycle, said thruster means being responsive to said control signals during a yaw maneuver such that said first and third thruster means each operate at 50% duty cycle and one of said second and fourth thruster means operates at 100% duty cycle while the other thereof operates at 0% duty cycle, whereby two of said lateral force components cancel and two combine during a pitch maneuver or a yaw maneuver while said total average axial thrust remains substantially constant; said first, second, third, and fourth thruster means being responsive to said control signals during a combined pitch and yaw maneuver such that two adjacent ones of said thruster means operate at 0% duty cycle while the other two adjacent ones of said thruster means operate at 100% duty cycle; each of said first, second, third, and fourth thruster means comprising a pair of thruster units, the remote units of each adjacent pair being disposed at fixed angles lying in a common plane parallel to and displaced laterally to one side of the central axis of said vehicle, and the thruster units of antipodal ones of said pairs diverge to opposite sides of an axial plane extending therethrough; and said thruster units of said pairs being individually responsive to said control signals whereby prolonged thrust pulse operation of selected ones of the thruster units of said pairs and correspondingly reduced pulse operation of the others of the thruster units of said pairs provides roll producing moments on said vehicle, while maintaining constant said total average axial thrust.