MISSILE ORIENTATION MONITOR

Abstract

A monitor determines, from the ground, the orientation (roll and attitude)f a missile by observation of the character of a transmitted signal(s) therefrom. By transmitting to a ground receiver a linearly polarized signal(s), the missile identifies a given plane fixed with respect to its body frame. This plane is identified at the ground receiver by comparing the ratio of the signal(s) received in any two cross-polarized directions. To resolve the attendant 180° ambiguity, the monitor employs an antenna array disposed on the missile that is switchable, back and forth, between two equal power lobes. The monitor operates with a single transmitter, and the simple lobe structure of the transmitted signal(s) is obtained using a linearly polarized antenna array with electronic phase switching between the aforementioned equal power lobes.

Source: Google Patents

35 USC §181 Secrecy Order

Inventor

• 1LEONARD S. TAYLOR

Technology Domains

Click a domain to browse all patents in this category.