Spin dispensing method and apparatus

Claim 1

An airborne apparatus for dispensing a plurality of sub-units in a predetermined sequence such that the ground plane impact pattern of the plurality of sub-units substantially corresponds to a particular geometric ground target comprising in combination: a vehicle framework having a longitudinal axis and defining a forward end, a rearward end, and a payload section between the forward and rearward ends; a plurality of sub-units individually mounted in the payload section in a balanced pattern about the longitudinal axis; means associated with each sub-unit to maintain the sub-unit in the payload section during flight of the apparatus and adapted for releasing the sub-unit in response to an electrical signal; means at the rearward end to impart a spinning motion to the payload of sub-units about the longitudinal axis; control means including a microprocessor having a store of particular sub-unit ejection sequences indicative of various specific target geometries; sensor means providing flight data and spin rate data to the microprocessor as the apparatus approaches the particular target; and means providing selected target data indicative of a particular geometric target to the microprocessor; said sensor means flight and spin rate data and selected target data effecting an output signal from the microprocessor store of sub-unit ejection sequences to the means for releasing the sub-units such that the plurality of sub-units are ejected from the spinning dispensing apparatus in a manner which results in a ground impact pattern corresponding to the particular geometric target.