Fuze setter interface for powering and programming a fuze on a guided projectile

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10852116-B2
Application number	US-201916294505-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 6, 2019
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A fuze setter interface for substantially simultaneously and wirelessly transferring power and data between a fuze setter and fuze. The fuze setter interface includes separate power and communications interfaces. In the power interface, an induction coil is provided in each of the fuze setter and fuze. Power is transferred by magnetic field coupling between the induction coils. In the communications interface, a communications member is provided in each of the fuze setter and fuze, along with appropriate functions to generate alternating-current (AC) waveforms, and condition, modulate or demodulate signals. In one example, both communications members are induction coils that transfer data by magnetic field coupling. In another example, both communications members are radio-frequency (RF) transceivers that transfer data by radio signal. The RF transceiver in the fuze may be a Height of Burst (HoB) sensor. In another example, both communications members are optical transceivers that transfer data by optical signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for programming and powering an artillery fuze comprising:
a fuze setter;
a fuze configured to be received in a port of the fuze setter;
a data communications interface formed between the fuze setter and fuze; and
an electrical power interface formed between the fuze setter and the fuze, wherein the data communications interface and the electrical power interface are configured for substantially simultaneous operation.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the data communications interface utilizes one of inductive communications, wireless radio frequency communications, and optical communications.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein one or both of the data communications interface and the electrical power interface is a fully wireless interface.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical power interface is an inductively-coupled interface supporting electrical power transfer from the fuze setter to the fuze.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical power interface is a direct-connect interface supporting electrical power transfer from the fuze setter to the fuze.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical power interface and the data communications interface are independent interfaces that are physically separated from each other.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the data communications interface is comprised of:
a first communication member located entirely within an interior cavity of the fuze; and
a second communication member located entirely within an interior cavity of the fuze setter; and when the fuze is received in the port, the fuze and fuze setter are in sufficiently close proximity for a wireless signal generated by one of the fuze and the fuze setter to be detected by the other of the fuze and the fuze setter.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the first communication member and the second communication member are capable of bidirectional communication.

9. The system according to claim 7 , wherein both of the first communication member and the second communication member is one of an induction coil, a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver, and an optical transceiver.

10. The system according to claim 9 , wherein both of the first communication member and the second communication member are RF transceivers, and the RF transceiver in the first communication member is a Height of Burst (HoB) sensor.

11. A fuze setter interface for transferring power and data between a fuze setter and a fuze comprising:
a fuze setter power inductor located within a fuze setter;
a fuze setter data communications member located within the fuze setter;
a fuze power inductor located within a fuze; and
a fuze data communications member located within the fuze;
wherein the fuze setter power inductor and the fuze setter data communications member are located within the fuze setter adjacent to a port and will permit substantially simultaneous communication with the fuze power inductor and the fuze data communications member, respectively, when the fuze is inserted into the port.

12. The fuze setter interface according to claim 11 , wherein both of the fuze setter data communications member and the fuze data communications member are one of an induction coil, a radio-frequency (RF) transceiver, and an optical transceiver.

13. The fuze setter interface according to claim 11 , wherein the fuze setter power inductor and fuze power inductor form a wireless power interface; and the fuze setter data communications member and fuze data communications member form a wireless data communication interface; and the wireless power interface and wireless data communication interface operate essentially simultaneously.

14. A method of performing a fuze setting operation on a guided projectile prior to launch, said method comprising steps of:
inserting a leading end of a fuze of a guided projectile into a port of a fuze setter;
forming an electrical power interface between the fuze and the fuze setter;
forming a wireless data communications interface between the fuze and the fuze setter;
transferring electrical power from the fuze setter to the fuze utilizing the electrical power interface;
transferring data between the fuze and the fuze setter utilizing the data communications interface; and
wherein the transferring of electrical power and the transferring of data occurs essentially simultaneously.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the transferring of electrical power and the transferring of data occurs wirelessly.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the forming of the electrical power interface comprises:
inputting current to an alternating current (AC) waveform generating function of the fuze setter;
generating an alternating current (AC) waveform with the AC waveform generating function;
inputting the generated AC waveform to a fuze setter power inductor;
generating a magnetic field with the fuze setter power inductor;
coupling to the magnetic field with a fuze power inductor;
generating an AC power waveform output in response to the coupled magnetic field;
inputting the AC power waveform output into a power conditioning function in the fuze; and
converting the AC power waveform output to useable fuze power.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the forming of the data communications interface comprises forming a bidirectional data communications interface and using the bidirectional data communications interface to transmit data from the fuze setter to the fuze and to transmit data from the fuze to the fuze setter.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the forming of the data communications interface comprises:
inputting a data signal to a signal conditioning function of the fuze setter;
processing the input data signal to a form a transmission signal compatible with a fuze setter communication member;
transmitting the transmission signal from the fuze setter communication member to a fuze communication member;
demodulating the transmission signal;
extracting data from the demodulated transmission signal; and wherein the fuze utilizes the extracted data.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the step of processing the input data signal through to the step of demodulating of the transmission signal includes:
generating an alternating current (AC) waveform that is modulated by the data communicated across the data communications interface;
inputting the generated AC waveform to a fuze setter communications inductor;
generating a magnetic field with the fuze setter communications inductor;
coupling to the magnetic field with a fuze communications inductor;
generating an AC communications waveform output in response to the coupled magnetic field; and
inputting the AC communications waveform into a signal conditioning function in the fuze that extracts the data.

20. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the forming of the data communications interface includes:
inputting a fuze data signal to a signal conditioning function;
developing an AC waveform based on a frequency of a clock oscillator input;
modulating the developed AC waveform with the input fuze data signal;
applying the modulated AC waveform into a fuze signal inductor;
generating a magnetic field with the fuze signal inductor;
coupling the fuze signal inductor to a fuze setter inductor utilizing the generated magnetic field; and
transferring data to

Assignees

• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ

Inventors

• Feda Francis M

Classifications

• H04B10/807

  Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal · CPC title

• H02J50/12

  of the resonant type · CPC title

• H02J50/10

  using inductive coupling · CPC title

• F41A35/00

  Accessories or details not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F41A23/18

  Rests for supporting smallarms in non-shooting position (racks for storage A47B81/00; racks in vehicles {B60R7/14}) · CPC title