Multiple missile and bomb carriage system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10501183-B2
Application number	US-201615068304-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2016
Priority date	Mar 11, 2016
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system employs a carriage mountable to an air to ground (AG) bomb release unit (BRU) on an aircraft pylon. A single MIL-STD-1760 electrical interface is integral to the carriage and has a first power connection and first signal connection. Onboard carriage avionics are supported within the carriage and connected to the MIL-STD-1760 electrical interface. The onboard carriage avionics are adapted to receive communications from an aircraft central computer through the first power connection and first signal connection and provide store specific communications independent of specific original aircraft wiring to at least one ejector and store.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system comprising:
a carriage having
an upper beam on which attachments lugs and sway brace pads are mounted;
a lower beam having an avionics compartment, said lower beam attached to the upper beam and incorporating side engagement interfaces to receive the at least one ejector;
a forward fairing attached to a forward portion of the lower beam; and,
an aft fairing attached to an aft portion of the lower beam; and
side fairings positionally engaged forward or aft of the first ejector and second ejector to allow staggering;
said carriage mountable to an air to ground (AG) bomb release unit (BRU) on an aircraft pylon;
a single MIL-STD-1760 electrical interface integral to the carriage having at least a first power connection and at least a first signal connection;
onboard carriage avionics supported within the carriage and connected to the MIL-STD-1760 electrical interface, said onboard carriage avionics adapted to receive communications from an aircraft central computer through the at least a first power connection and at least a first signal connection and provide store specific communications to a first ejector and a second ejector each with a store.

2. The multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system as defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one ejector comprises an advanced missile and bomb ejection rack (AMBER) and the store is selected from the set of universal armament interface (UAI) air to air (AA) stores, non-UAI AA stores, and air to ground (AG) stores.

3. The multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system as defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one ejector comprises an AA launcher (LAU).

4. The multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system as defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one ejector comprises an AG ejector (BRU).

5. The multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system as defined in claim 1 wherein the onboard carriage avionics comprise control electronics receiving 28V power through a first AC circuit and communications signals through a MIL-STD-1553 bus and further comprising a first AC/DC power converter (APC) receiving 115VAC, 400 HZ, 3 phase power on a second AC circuit.

6. The multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system as defined in claim 5 wherein the control electronics comprise:
a carriage processor communicating with a weapon interface and an ejector/power control, said weapon interface and ejector/power control receiving power from the first AC circuit;
a second APC integral to the carriage processor and providing 28VDC power through a first DC circuit to the weapons interface, said ejector/power control receiving 28VDC power from the first APC on a second DC circuit, the weapon interface providing communications from the control electronics through a communications bus to the at least one ejector and store and the ejector/power control providing 28VDC power through a weapon power circuit to the at least one ejector and store.

7. The multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system as defined in claim 6 further comprising a telemetry system connected to provide telemetry signals through the communication bus to the at least one ejector and store.

8. The multiple advanced missile and bomb ejector rack carriage system as defined in claim 1 wherein the at least one ejector rack comprises at least one store optimized rack and wherein the store is selected from the set of Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), 500 lbs Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), multiple small diameter bombs (SDB) and multiple miniature air launched decoys (MALD).

9. A method for operational deployment of selected stores of varying configuration comprising:
mounting a carriage having an upper beam on which attachment lugs and sway brace pads are mounted, a lower beam having an avionics compartment, said lower beam attached to the upper beam and incorporating side engagement interfaces to receive the at least one ejector, a forward fairing attached to a forward portion of the lower beam and an aft fairing attached to an aft portion of the lower beam, and side fairings positionally engaged forward or aft of the first ejector and second ejector to allow staggering, to an aircraft pylon having an AG BRU connected through a single MIL-STD-1760 connector integral to the carriage having at least a first power connection and at least a first signal connection;
communicating from an aircraft central computer to onboard carriage avionics, supported within the carriage and connected to the MIL-STD-1760 electrical interface, with store specific communications, said onboard carriage avionics adapted to receive communications from an aircraft central computer through the at least a first power connection and at least a first signal connection; and
transmitting instructions via a communication bus from the onboard carriage avionics independent of specific original aircraft wiring to a first ejector and a second ejector each with a mounted store.

10. A method for operational deployment of selected stores of varying configuration comprising 9 wherein the step of communicating from an aircraft central computer comprises communicating to a carriage processor, and providing store specific communications from the carriage processor to a weapon interface and ejector/power control for transmission to each mounted store;
and the step of transmitting comprises transmitting instructions from the weapon interface and ejector/power control to one of the first and second ejector and the mounted store.

11. The method for operational deployment of selected stores of varying configuration of claim 10 wherein the at least one ejector rack comprises an AMBER ejector rack adapted for deployment of an AG store or an AA store.

12. The method for operational deployment of selected stores of varying configuration of claim 10 wherein the weapon interface and ejector/power control transmit instructions via a communication bus through an AA LAU for deployment of an AA store.

13. The method for operational deployment of selected stores of varying configuration of claim 10 wherein the weapon interface and ejector/power control transmit instructions via a communication bus from the AG BRU directly through an AA ejector rack for deployment of an AA store.

14. The method for operational deployment of selected stores of varying configuration of claim 10 via a communication bus from the AG BRU directly through a standard AG ejector rack for deployment of an AG store.

15. The method for operational deployment of selected stores of varying configuration of claim 10 wherein the step of communicating further comprises providing a first power connection, first signal connection, second power connection and second signal connection from the aircraft central computer through the single MIL-STD-1760 electrical interface to provide store specific communications.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Foster John K
• Jakubowski Thaddeus M
• Binkholder Ryan

Classifications

• G06F3/00

  Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements · CPC title

• B64D1/04 Primary

  the articles being explosive, e.g. bombs · CPC title