Methods and apparatuses for aerial interception of aerial threats

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10436554-B2
Application number	US-201715411324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2017
Priority date	Mar 2, 2012
Publication date	Oct 8, 2019
Grant date	Oct 8, 2019

Abstract

Embodiments include active protection systems and methods for an aerial platform. An onboard system includes radar modules, detects aerial vehicles within a threat range of the aerial platform, and determines if any of the aerial vehicles are an aerial threat. The onboard system also determines an intercept vector to the aerial threat, communicates the intercept vector to an eject vehicle, and causes the eject vehicle to be ejected from the aerial platform to intercept the aerial threat. The eject vehicle includes alignment thrusters to rotate a longitudinal axis of the eject vehicle to substantially align with the intercept vector, a rocket motor to accelerate the eject vehicle along an intercept vector, divert thrusters to divert the eject vehicle in a direction substantially perpendicular to the intercept vector, and attitude control thrusters to make adjustments to the attitude of the eject vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An eject vehicle, comprising:
pitch thrusters configured to perform a pitch maneuver to generate a perpendicular force on the eject vehicle relative to a body axis of the eject vehicle after ejection of the eject vehicle to rotate and substantially align the eject vehicle with a vector pointed toward an interception point for an identified aerial threat;
a rocket motor configured to perform a thrust maneuver to accelerate the eject vehicle after the pitch maneuver toward the interception point along a flight path while maintaining an angle of attack between the body axis and a velocity vector for the flight path to be within a predetermined limit; and
divert thrusters configured to perform a divert maneuver on the eject vehicle in a direction transverse to the flight path.

2. The eject vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the divert thrusters' center of thrust is substantially aligned with a center of gravity for the eject vehicle.

3. The eject vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined limit for the angle of attack is within a range of about 10 degrees to about 20 degrees.

4. The eject vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the angle of attack maintains the divert thrusters to be oriented approximately normal to the velocity vector during flight.

5. The eject vehicle of claim 4 , further comprising attitude control thrusters configured to fire and maintain the angle of attack within the predetermined limit.

6. The eject vehicle of claim 5 , further comprising a processor that is configured to:
receive position data and velocity data from a remote engagement management unit;
determine a roll angle for the eject vehicle based, at least in part, on the position and velocity data; and
fire an attitude thruster at a time determined to be when an available attitude thruster is in a position for a determined direction of thrust needed to maintain the angle of attack within the predetermined limit.

7. The eject vehicle of claim 6 , further comprising an onboard inertial management unit configured to determine at least one of an acceleration or an angular velocity of the eject vehicle.

8. The eject vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the inertial management unit includes at least one 3-axis gyro, 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis magnetometer, or a field programmable gate array.

9. The eject vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured maintain a record of attitude thrusters that have already been fired or that are available to be fired.

10. The eject vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the processor is configured to maintain and update a record for at least one of a total mass or a center of gravity for the eject vehicle responsive to an attitude thruster or a divert thruster being fired.

11. The eject vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a nose thruster module including the pitch thrusters.

12. The eject vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the attitude control thrusters include micro-thrusters sized smaller than the pitch thrusters and located within the nose thruster module.

13. The eject vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising an airframe shell carrying the pitch thrusters, the rocket motor, and the divert thrusters, wherein the rocket motor is configured to detach from the airframe shell after exhaustion thereof.

14. The eject vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a heat-generating payload configured to be activated responsive to a received command.

15. The eject vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the heat-generating payload is a warhead.

16. A method of modifying orientation of an eject vehicle along a flight path, the method comprising:
performing a pitch maneuver after ejection of the eject vehicle by firing one or more pitch thrusters to orient a body axis of the eject vehicle to point substantially toward a projected intercept point with a targeted object;
performing a thrust maneuver by firing a rocket motor of the eject vehicle to accelerate the eject vehicle while maintaining an angle of attack between the body axis and a velocity vector for the flight path to be within a predetermined limit;
performing a divert maneuver by firing one or more divert thrusters of the eject vehicle to divert the eject vehicle in a direction transverse to the flight path to adjust a course of the eject vehicle during flight.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the divert maneuver is performed responsive to receiving an updated intercept point.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising ejecting the eject vehicle from a dispenser responsive to the targeted object being identified as an aerial threat.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein maintaining the angle of attack includes performing an attitude control maneuver by firing one or more attitude control thrusters.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein performing the attitude control maneuver includes determining a roll estimation of the eject vehicle to determine an appropriate time to fire one or more of the attitude control thrusters.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein determining a roll estimation includes determining at least one of acceleration, velocity, and position information in at least an angular coordinate of the eject vehicle with an inertial management unit of the eject vehicle.

22. A control system for an eject vehicle, the control system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
determine selection and timing for firing one or more attitude control thrusters of the eject vehicle based, at least in part, on a roll angle of the eject vehicle while traveling along a flight path of the eject vehicle being accelerated by a rocket motor and while maintaining an angle of attack between a body axis of the eject vehicle and a velocity vector for the flight path to be within a predetermined limit; and
generate a first firing signal to cause the one or more attitude control thrusters of the eject vehicle to fire while the eject vehicle is traveling along the flight path.

23. The control system of claim 22 , further comprising instructions stored by the at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
determine selection and timing for firing one or more divert thrusters of the eject vehicle oriented in a direction that is transverse to a velocity vector of the current flight path; and
generate a second firing signal to cause the one or more divert thrusters of the eject vehicle to fire and orient the eject vehicle in the direction that is transvers to the velocity vector of the current flight path.

24. The control system of claim 22 , further comprising instructions stored by the at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
determine selection and timing for firing one or more pitch thrusters of the eject vehicle to perform a pitch maneuver prior to at least substantially align the body axis of the eject vehicle to point toward a targeted object prior to firing the rocket motor; and
generate a third firing signal to cause the one or more pitch control thrusters of the eject vehicle to fire and cause the eject vehicle to perform a pitch maneuver prior to generating a firing signal to fire the rocket motor.

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Inc

Inventors

• Kolanek James
• Baseghi Behshad
• Sharpin David
• Visco Anthony
• Shieh Falin

Classifications

• F41H11/02 Primary

  Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile {or anti-torpedo} defence installations or systems (cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; {informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00}) · CPC title

• G06T7/246

  using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments · CPC title

• F42B10/661

  using several transversally acting rocket motors, each motor containing an individual propellant charge, e.g. solid charge · CPC title

• F41G7/303

  Sighting or tracking devices especially provided for simultaneous observation of the target and of the missile · CPC title

• F41G7/007

  Preparatory measures taken before the launching of the guided missiles · CPC title