RU2331834C1 - Method of guided missile directing - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: weapons.

SUBSTANCE: in directing the guided missile, additional features are introduced, i.e. a line of aim, an initial range of the said missile from the target and an availability of control signal of the circumference aligned with the line of aim and the said circumference size and colour. The guided missile flight along the line of aim is simulated by varying the introduced circumference size in proportion to the current range from the target. Adjusting the line of aim is made more accurate by using the line of aim as an additional laying mark, its position is made symmetric about the aim point, its brightness is varied periodically, while the colour is changed when the control signal appears/disappears.

EFFECT: 20-25% higher noise immunity and target destruction probability in the conditions of light interferences.

2 cl, 1 ex

Description

The invention relates to military equipment, and more specifically to methods for guiding guided missiles, in particular those installed as part of anti-tank missile systems (ATGMs) of guided missile weapons, both on ground installations and at various objects, such as, for example, tanks, military vehicles infantry, self-propelled launchers, etc. Guiding missiles during their flight can significantly increase the effectiveness of firing of weapons systems of the ground forces, in which ammunition includes guided missiles. Currently, various methods of guiding guided missiles are known. The effectiveness of weapon systems of combat vehicles as a whole depends on their effectiveness.

There is a known method of pointing anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) of the first generation, which consists in pointing the aiming line at the target, the eye measuring the deviation of the guided missile from it, and influencing the missile control in accordance with these deviations before combining the guided missile with the target (see ., for example, A.N. Latukhin. Anti-tank weapons, M.: Military Publishing, 1974, pp. 192-236). The first generation includes guided (anti-tank) missiles with manual guidance systems: French SS-10, SS-11, SS-12, "Entak", English "Vigilent", "Malkara", West German "Cobra", Swedish "Bantam", Swiss "Mosquito-64", domestic "Bumblebee". "Phalanx", "Baby" and others.

The first-generation ATGMs and their guidance methods have obvious drawbacks: the low speed of the missile’s movement, realized in them, and, consequently, a very long flight time (20-25 s), the presence of an unaffected zone in front of the firing position 300-600 m deep, low rate of fire compared to other anti-tank weapons and others. Training personnel in shooting rules and practical skills is very expensive and difficult, as manual control requires rigorous selection and thorough training of operators. The low flight speed of the rocket requires the operator to continuously monitor the rocket and the target and control the rocket along the entire trajectory. Therefore, gunners (operators) ATGM are subject to strict requirements. For training and periodic training of guided missile gunners with a manual guidance system, sophisticated electron-optical simulators are required. In addition, with this control method it is practically impossible to eliminate one of the main disadvantages: the low flight speed of the guided missile. The fact is that with an increase in the flight speed of the rocket, the work of the gunner is greatly complicated, since control is usually carried out using commands based on the relative position of the rocket and the target. The gunner physically does not have time to timely respond to changes in the direction of flight of a high-speed rocket. There is no objective information about the current distance of the guided missile from the target and the moment the guided missile reaches the target plane, which causes operator tension. The operator also experiences significant difficulties in bringing the rocket to the line of sight. In order to avoid pecking the rocket on the ground near the launcher (firing object), the latter give a significant elevation angle. As a result, an unshielded zone is formed (see above) (600-700 m in size).

There is also a method of guiding a guided missile complex guided missile weapons 9K112-1 "Cobra" (see, for example, the armament of the tank - T-64B. Materials of the training manual. - M. - VABTV. 1977, S. 8-51). This method according to the technical essence and essential features is the closest to the claimed and adopted for its prototype. At the same time, it is also the basic object of the proposed method. The guidance method of the 9K112-1 “Cobra” guided missile includes forming an aiming line and aligning it with the target, measuring the deviation of the guided missile from the aiming line during its flight by the guidance system, automatically generating a control command corresponding to this deviation, automatically generating and delivering to organs control the missile control signal corresponding to this command.

This method differs from the previous one in that the gunner (operator) conducts continuous tracking of the target, combining the aiming line with it, and tracking the missile, measuring its deviations from the aiming line, generating and transmitting commands on board the flying rocket, and then on it controls are made by the guidance system automatically. This method in comparison with the previous one provides (see ibid.):

increase in missile flight speed up to 220-500 m / s;

reducing the flight time of the rocket to the maximum range;

reduction of the "dead zone" to 75 m or less;

higher firing efficiency and stability;

simplification of the operator’s work (its functions are reduced only to combining the aiming line with the target, and control commands are generated and transmitted to the rocket automatically), which increases the accuracy of shooting and minimizes the impact on the results of individual operator data;

facilitating the selection of operators, simplifying the process and reducing the cost of training.

However, this method also has disadvantages. The need for a relatively long retention of the aiming line on the target, the lack of objective information about the moment of approaching the guided missile to it, the lack of information about the current (and in some cases the initial) distance of the guided missile from the target leads to operator tension and the risk of losing the guided missile , especially when light or dust interference appears in the operator’s field of vision, often causing the target and sighting to lose visibility, when acting on a guided missile in the field those air flows (crosswind, ascending air flows), in the absence or imperfection of the rocket weight compensation algorithm, etc. If there is a radiation source on board the rocket necessary for the formation of light feedback and a closed control loop, tracking the target is even more difficult degree due to the creation of powerful light interference to the gunner. As a result of all this, significant errors in combining the aiming line with the target remain, which often leads to miss or missile loss (due to cutting into the ground) and constant operator tension. When a missile is lost at the beginning of control, and when firing at maximum range, the operator may not be aware of its disruption until the end of the control process due to interference in the field of view, which leads to significant loss of time. For example, in a prototype, a single missile control program is 17 seconds, and control failure often occurs at the moment of its capture (at the 3rd second). That is, the loss of time can exceed 10 seconds (the flight time of a guided missile to its maximum range).

The aim of the present invention is to increase the efficiency of guidance of the rocket by increasing the noise immunity of the visual channel, the accuracy of guidance of the guided missile and the introduction of additional information about the parameters of the guidance process of the guided missile in the target.

This goal is achieved by the fact that in a known method of guiding a guided missile, including the formation of an aiming line and combining it with a target, measuring by means of a guidance system the deviation of a guided missile from an aiming line during a flight, automatic generation of a control command corresponding to this deviation, automatic generation and delivery on the missile control elements of the control signal corresponding to this command, additional signs of the position of the aiming line are additionally introduced, the initial distance of the guided missile from the target and the presence of a control signal in the form of a circle, its size and color, respectively adjusted to the aiming line, simulate the movement of the guided missile along the aiming line by changing the size of the entered circle in proportion to the current distance of the guided missile from the target, refine the aiming line using an additional sign of the position of the aiming line as an additional aiming mark, the position of which is symmetrical about in relative boresight, its brightness change periodically, and color - the appearance or disappearance of a control signal. In the presence of a control signal, the brightness of the additional reticle in the form of a circle is changed in accordance with the expression

B = Bo (1-ka Sinωt),

where B is the brightness of the additional reticle;

Кя = 0,1 ÷ 0,5 - coefficient of proportionality;

In - the initial brightness of the additional reticle;

ω is the frequency of the brightness change of the additional reticle;

t is the current time, and in its absence, the frequency of changing the brightness of the additional aiming mark is doubled.

The introduction of new essential features provides an increase in the noise immunity of the operator’s visual channel and an increase in the accuracy of guiding the guided missile at the target. This is achieved primarily by introducing additional features: the position of the aiming line in the form of a circle and its size, resizing this circle and its brightness. In addition, changing the color and frequency of changing the brightness of the additional aiming mark in the presence or absence of a control signal promptly informs the operator of the presence or failure of the control, which improves the reliability of control (due to the availability of additional information) and speed (by reducing the time for restarting) .

Implementation of the proposed method can be carried out as follows. Having received a command to defeat a target in a given sector (direction), the gunner of the ATGM complex (TOUR) combines the aiming line of his sight with the target, acting on the controls of the guidance system. Simultaneously with the movement of the line of sight, a launcher with a guided missile placed on it also moves. Combining the line of sight with the target, the gunner determines and enters the value of the initial removal of the Do rocket into the system. In accordance with the removal introduced by the blocks for the formation of an additional aiming mark and modeling the movement of the guided missile along the aiming line, an image of a circle is formed in the field of view of the operator, aligned with the aiming line and dimensions corresponding to the initial distance.

To eliminate the loss of visibility of the circle and increase its contrast against the background of the terrain and the target, its brightness is periodically changed. It has been experimentally established that it is most expedient to change the brightness in accordance with the expression:

B = Bo (1-ka Sinωt),

where B is the current brightness of the additional reticle,

Кя - proportionality coefficient,

In - the initial brightness of the additional reticle,

ω is the frequency of the brightness of the additional reticle,

t is the current time.

After making sure that the primary and secondary aiming marks are visibly reliable, that the sizes of the additional aiming mark do not exceed the permissible ones, that is, the distance of the guided missile is not greater than the maximum range of firing of this missile, the gunner presses the firing button located on the gunner’s control panel and thereby gives a signal for production launch guided missiles. After launching a guided missile, it is captured by the guidance system, generating commands and control signals. When a control signal appears, the color and frequency of changing the brightness of the additional aiming mark are changed by the corresponding color and frequency changing units, which informs the operator about the correct functioning of the guidance system, regardless of the presence of interference in its field of view and thereby reduces its tension. The capture of a guided missile in the prototype is carried out by installing a light radiation source on the missile.

In accordance with the direction and magnitude of deviations of the guided missile from the aiming line by its guidance system, control commands are generated and transmitted to the missile, fulfilling which it is combined with the aiming line. In the absence of external disturbances (air flow, missile weight compensation errors), the guided missile during the flight to the target performs close to sinusoidal oscillations with a small amplitude (5-15) cm relative to the aiming line and a significant frequency (high frequency). The mathematical expectation (MOF) of the deflection of the guided missile from the line of sight is zero (or close to zero). If in this case the aiming line is exactly aligned with the aiming point, then the probability of hitting will be close to one. This is possible if the operator clearly sees both the target and the central reticle, and the effect of external disturbances does not exceed the permissible ones and does not significantly affect the accuracy of alignment of the aiming line with the aiming point. In cases of poor visibility, the effects of light and dust interference along the aiming line between the aiming mark and the target, as well as in the case of identical brightness of the target and the aiming mark, the operator loses the true position of the aiming line and cannot accurately hold the central aiming mark on the target. As a result of this, additional discrepancies (interference errors) appear between them, which the operator does not see, and cannot eliminate. Consequently, firing efficiency is reduced. To prevent this, an additional sign of the position of the aiming line is introduced. To eliminate the loss of both signs of the position of the aiming line at the same time due to the action of the same interference, they are placed at a relatively significant distance from each other. So, for example, if the central aiming mark is usually located in the center of the operator’s field of view, then the additional aiming mark (additional aiming mark) should initially be placed on its periphery, especially if the additional aiming mark is made in the form of a circle and corresponds to firing at maximum range for guided missile used. In this case, the probability of the presence in the field of view of at least one sign of the position of the aiming line will be close to unity.

As the guided missile approaches the target, the size of the additional aiming mark (circle) decreases in proportion to its distance (distance) from the target, and it approaches the main aiming mark. The appearance of interference in this case increases the likelihood of losing not only the main aiming mark, but also the additional one. To prevent this from happening, the brightness of the circle is periodically changed and thereby the probability of its loss on complex (in terms of brightness) terrain and targets is reduced. For the same purpose, its pair of colors can be changed (in the presence and absence of a control signal). Upon reaching the missile-guided target, an image of an additional reticle is taken out of the operator's field of vision.

At a subsequent start-up, the implementation of the method is similar. In the event of a change in the brightness of the terrain and background, the values of the initial brightness In the additional aiming mark and the coefficient of proportionality Qa are specified. The value of the initial brightness of the additional aiming mark is specified on the basis of the condition of its reliable visibility against the background of the terrain and target, and the proportionality coefficient - from the condition of the absence of discomfort in the range: Кя = 0.1-0.5.

The application of the proposed method for guiding guided missiles allows practically without a significant change in its characteristics to increase noise immunity under the conditions of external disturbances, primarily light interference, and thereby increase the accuracy of firing guided missiles. So, for example, compensation for the effects of light noise shielding the central reticle makes it possible to increase the likelihood of a guided missile hitting a Leopard-type tank by 20–25%. In addition, timely informing the operator of a control interruption can reduce the time (in some cases, up to 60%) for the transition to a subsequent start-up.

Claims (2)

1. A method for guiding a guided missile, including forming an aiming line and aligning it with a target, measuring through a guidance system a deviation of a guided missile from an aiming line during a flight, automatically generating a control command corresponding to this deviation, automatically generating and delivering a control signal to the missile controls corresponding to this command, characterized in that they introduce additional signs of the position of the line of sight, the initial removal of guided missiles s from the target and the presence of the control signal in the form of a circle, its size and color, respectively adjusted to the aiming line, simulate the movement of the guided missile along the aiming line by changing the size of the entered circle in proportion to the current distance of the guided missile from the target, and specify the aiming line using an additional position indicator aiming lines as an additional aiming mark, the position of which is symmetrical relative to the aiming point, its bright They change periodically, and the color changes when a control signal appears or disappears. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that in the presence of a control signal, the brightness of the additional aiming mark in the form of a circle is changed in accordance with the expression B = Bo (1-ka Sinωt), where B is the brightness of the additional reticle; Кя = 0,1 ÷ 0,5 - coefficient of proportionality; In - the initial brightness of the additional reticle; ω is the frequency of the brightness change of the additional reticle; t is the current time, and in its absence, the frequency of changing the brightness of the additional aiming mark is doubled.