FR2597226A1 - Guidance computer for a launch installation - Google Patents

Abstract

Guidance computer for an installation for launching missiles which can be fired from a vehicle or from an aircraft and may be steered onto a designated target by following a flight trajectory which is determined by the guidance computer. An address and data bus BUS is connected to circuits supplied by a current source NT and consisting of computers (processors) CTRL, PROS via memories RAM, ROM as well as by various circuits 1 to 10.

Description

GUIDANCE CALCULATOR FOR AN INSTALLATION
LAUNCH
The invention relates to a guidance computer for a missile launching installation which can be fired from a vehicle or an airplane and which can be directed at a designated objective by following a flight path determined by the flight computer. guidance using localization and / or aiming devices.

 Such guidance computers are used for guided weapons, for example missiles, which are used by land vehicles or helicopters in particular against armored vehicles over a range of up to a few kilometers. the operation is carried out by acquiring a possible target by means of known suitable location facilities, after which the shooter on board the vehicle or aircraft points an aiming device at the objective and, after firing, directs the missile on this one. The missile is then automatically maintained by the guidance computer on the line of sight while respecting determined guidance laws. The currently known embodiments of these guidance computers however lack a lack of flexibility when using different weapon systems, are too slow in their reaction and too imprecise and, moreover, their structure is too complicated and inflexible.

 The object of the invention is therefore to develop a guidance computer for missiles which can easily adapt functionally to the various missiles, a shorter unwinding time and greater precision having to be obtained at the same time for the unwinding of all the necessary functions.

This result is achieved according to the invention by the fact that to an address and data bus known per se are connected the following circuits supplied by a current source
a) one or more computers (processors) for
controlling the flow of data on the
address and data bus and for processing
data;
b) one or more memories (random access memory
roof, read only memory) with fixed or modified content
ble for memorizing program variables
mes as well as the operating system, the pro
work gram, tables, programs
test and control
c) at least one circuit for selection and calling
status and / or control signals of one or
several localization and / or tracking devices
sighting devices
d) at least one circuit for selection and calling
of typical state quantities for the state of mar
che or flight, such as course, position and vi
tesse and / or control signals for these large
reporters of state as well as indications and elé
control elements of the vehicle crew or
the plane ;;
c) at least one circuit for selection and calling
state quantities and / or control signals
of the launch facility
d) at least one circuit for selection and calling
state quantities and / or control signals
of the firing device belonging to the ins
launch tallation
g) at least one circuit for selection and calling
state quantities and / or control signals
of the missile guidance system.

 According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the address and data bus can be connected to at least one circuit for the selection and interrogation of control and / or measurement devices as well as a circuit for the selection and interrogation of the launch facility, the firing device and the guidance device of other weapon systems.

 The guidance computer according to the invention can, in addition, be supplemented by connecting to the address and data bus at least one circuit for the selection and interrogation of analog / digital converters and / or digital / analog converters, and at least one circuit for the selection and interrogation of auxiliary devices.

 In another embodiment of the invention, at least one circuit can be connected to the address and data bus for adapting other subsets via an address and data bus which presents a different standard than the address and data buses used in the guidance computer.

The invention will be better understood using the description of an embodiment taken as an example, but not limiting, and illustrated by the appended drawing, in which
- Figure i is a block diagram of the guidance computer
- Figure 2 is a simplified assembly plan of the launch installation comprising a guidance computer.

 In Figure 1, there is shown a simplified block diagram of a digital guidance computer CG rOalized by way of example according to the invention. The central component of this guidance computer is the address and data bus BUS. All other circuit elements are connected to this data bus which transmits all address and data information in a known manner. The supply of energy to the entire device is ensured by a central NT power supply.

 CG guidance computers of this type are generally used in land vehicles or helicopters to drive the commanded missiles to a localized and designated objective. A known embodiment of this type of guided weapon is the HOT system.

The main quality required of such a weapon system is the speed of response. For this reason, the guidance computer according to the invention has the standard bus structure which guarantees data processing as fast as possible and effective. All the other necessary circuits are connected to the central address and data BUS, either in the form of autonomous circuits or in the form of link circuits. In this regard, we can cite in particular
the CTRL bus controller which controls the flow of data on the BUS which links the different modules to each other.

 The processor PROC in this embodiment is a 16-bit digital computer serving as a microprogrammable central unit.

 For the storage of the fixed or modifiable contents of the memories, the random access memories RAM serve as memories for the program variables and the ROM read-only memories of memories for the operating system, the work programs, the tables and the programs of 'test and control.

LOC and aiming devices and
VIS necessary for the preparation and execution of a guided weapon launch are connected to the BUS data bus via one or more link circuits 1. Circuit l includes the call here as well of output signals from the localization and aiming devices which their control for aiming at a target as well as the regulation of the synchronism (servo signals) between the sighting device VIS and the AAL shooting installation. Furthermore, status and control signals can be transmitted by circuit i. The circuits can be equipped if necessary with signal processing sub-assemblies, for example analog / digital and digital / analog converters. A drift calculator for the location device
LOC can also be installed in circuit l.

 Circuit (s) 2 serve (s) as link circuits for the devices to be interrogated and to be controlled, which can be classified into functional groups for determining course and position and into functional groups for command and signaling of the vehicle or helicopter. The devices of the first group are used for determining the position, the speed and the heading of the vehicle or of the plane, which carries the guidance computer and the launching installation, with respect to the position of the localized objective. . From there the circuit (s) 2 calculates correction signals which, appearing on an appropriate GIS display panel, for example a display screen, indicate to the pilot (driver) and the shooter the The second group mentioned above includes all the necessary control devices and the optical and acoustic signaling devices. In this case, the interrogation as well as the control of the cited devices can be done using the circuit (s) 2. This applies as well to normal operation as to state control and test operation .

 Circuit 3 allows selection. and calling up position, status and control signals from the AAL launch facility. Of course, on the guidance computer it is also possible to install several identical or analogous launching installations which are connected to the guidance computer in the same way and with the same operational process by a Bquivalent circuit 7.

 Similarly, one or more circuits 4 are used for selecting and calling up state quantities and / or control signals from all the firing devices MF belonging to the launching installation.

 Circuit (s) 5 are used to connect the missile guidance device (s) fired from the AAL launch facility. Here we call in particular the status signals and we control the speed of response of the system. In addition, the missile is identified here and, finally, the transmission of all guidance orders after launch.

 The other circuits are used to complete and perfect the guidance computer described so far.

 Thus, for example, circuit 6 is used to connect external control and test devices to the address and data bus BUS. This makes it possible to control the operating condition and the operating capacity of the guidance computer and of the sub-assemblies which are attached to it in an even more in depth manner than with the control means already provided in the operating system.

 The additional circuit 8 is used to connect analog / digital and / or digital / analog converters as an additional possibility of signal transmission to the aforementioned link circuits, in particular for all external devices which supply analog signals or which need them for controlling.

 The circuit 9 makes it possible to connect to the address and data bus BUS auxiliary devices which may be necessary, such as for example special measuring devices for physical quantities or operants for carrying out measurements.

 Finally, circuit 10 is used to adapt ZBUS bus systems of different standards to the BUS address and data bus.

 FIG. 2 represents a simplified assembly plan of the guidance computer and of the launching installation for a weapon system, other weapon systems of the same type or of analogous type capable of operating with the same guidance computer. For this purpose, it suffices to introduce into the software specific parameters of each weapon system considered. The different weapons systems use in this case the same devices such as the locating installation, the sighting device, the determination of the heading and also of the control and signaling elements for the shooter.

 The CG block of Figure 2 includes the guidance computer shown in Figure 1. To this are connected, on the one hand, an electric power supply as well as position and heading control devices already existing in the vehicle or the plane and, on the other hand, the localization, sighting, control and signaling devices. Depending on the nature of the mission, the launch facilities for different weapon systems can be linked to the guidance computer. If necessary, the external control and test devices as well as other auxiliary devices are connected to the guidance computer.

 The particular advantages of a guidance computer thus constituted reside, on the one hand, in its extremely compact, flexible and capable of extension construction and, on the other hand, in the greater precision of the guidance process capable of be obtained by using more precise adjustment parameters and more precise coordinate transformations, by better compensation for influence quantities such as temperature variations and finally by the more precise and faster calculation of the guidance process.

Claims (6)

 1. Guidance computer for a missile launching installation capable of being fired from a vehicle or an airplane and capable of being directed at a designated objective by following a flight path determined by the guidance computer using of location and / or aiming devices, characterized in that to an address and data bus (BUS) known per se are connected the following circuits supplied by a current source (NT)  a) one or more computers (processors) (CTRL,  PROS) for ordering the circulation of donations  born on the address and data bus (BUS) and  for data processing  b) one or more memories (random access memory  roof RAM, ROM) with fixed content or  modifiable for the storage of variables of  programs as well as the operating system,  work program, tables, programs  test and control  c) at least one circuit (l) for selection and ap  pel of status and / or control signals of one or  multiple localization devices (LOC)  and / or sighting devices (VIS)  d) at least one circuit (2) for selection and ap  pel of typical state quantities for the state of  walking or flying (CAP), such as heading, posi  tion and speed and / or control signals  for these state and indica quantities  crew members and controls  vehicle or aircraft (COM, GIS)  e) at least one circuit (3) for selection and ap  pel of state quantities and / or con signals  launch facility (AAL)  f) at least one circuit (4) for selection and ap  pel of state quantities and / or con signals  control of the firing device belonging to  the launch facility (MF)  g) at least one circuit (5) for selection and ap  pel of state quantities and / or con signals  missile guidance device (DG).  2. Guidance computer according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one circuit (6) is connected to the address and data bus (BUS) for the selection and interrogation of control devices and / or of measurement (CONT).  3. Guidance computer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one circuit (7) is connected to the address and data bus (BUS) for the selection and interrogation of the installation of launch, the firing device and the guidance device for other weapon systems.  4. Guidance computer according to any one of claims l to 3, characterized in that at the address and data bus (BUS) is connected at least one circuit (8) for the selection and the interrogation of analog / digital and / or digital / analog converters.  5. Guidance computer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at the address and data bus (BUS) is connected at least one circuit (9) for the selection and the interrogation of auxiliary devices (DA).  6. Guidance computer according to any one of claims l to 5, characterized in that at least one circuit (10) can be connected to the address and data bus (BUS) for adapting other sub-assemblies via an address and data bus (ZBUS) which has a different standard than the address and data buses (BUS) used in the guidance computer (CG).