Extended fire mux control with polling source

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025277652-A1
Application number	US-202418591228-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 29, 2024
Priority date	Feb 29, 2024
Publication date	Sep 4, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A countermeasure dispensing system (CMDS) that expands a legacy set of firing lines to a set of expanded firing lines and a set of polling lines. CMDS includes a sequencer, a breechplate that has a set of fire pins, an embedded fire select multiplexing (EFSM) assembly that is operatively connected with the breechplate and the sequencer. The EFSM assembly includes a set of firing lines that operatively connects with the sequencer and the set of fire pins of the breechplate, wherein at least one firing line is configurable for a desired state. The EFSM assembly also includes a set of polling lines that operatively connects with the sequencer and a control logic circuit (CLC) of the EFSM to configure the desired state for the at least one firing line.

First claim

1 . A countermeasure dispensing system comprising:
a sequencer; a breechplate having a set of fire pins; and an embedded fire select multiplexing (EFSM) assembly operatively connected with the breechplate and the sequencer, wherein the EFSM assembly comprises:
a set of firing lines operatively connected with the sequencer and the set of fire pins of the breechplate, wherein at least one firing line is configurable for a desired state; and
a set of polling lines operatively connected with the sequencer and a control logic circuit (CLC) of the EFSM to configure the desired state for the at least one firing line.

2 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 1 , wherein the sequencer further comprises:
a polling source; and a fire select multiplexer (mux) operatively connected with the polling source and the EFSM assembly.

3 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 2 , wherein the CLC comprises:
a set of dividers operatively connected with the fire select mux by the set of polling lines; a set of comparators operatively connected with and in series with the set of dividers; and a latch integrated circuit operatively connected with the set of comparators by the set of polling lines.

4 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 3 , wherein the CLC further comprises:
a set of first latch inputs of the latch integrated circuit operatively connected with a first group of dividers of the set of dividers, a first group of comparators of the set of comparators, and a set of first mux outputs of the fire select mux by a first group of polling lines of the set of polling lines; and a set of second latch inputs of the latch integrated circuit operatively connected with a second group of dividers of the set of dividers, a second group of comparators of the set of comparators, and a set of second mux outputs of the fire select mux by a second group of polling lines of the set of polling lines.

5 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 4 , wherein the CLC further comprises:
a set of first bank lines operatively connecting a set of first latch outputs of the latch integrated circuit with a set of first inputs of a first switch of a set of switches; and a set of second bank lines operatively connecting the set of first latch outputs with a second set of inputs of the first switch of the set of switches.

6 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 5 , further comprising:
a first set of outputs of the first switch operatively connecting with a first group of firing lines of the set of firing lines; a second set of outputs of the first switch operatively connecting with a second group of firing lines of the set of firing lines.

7 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 6 , further comprising:
a first set of fire pins operatively connected with the first group of firing lines and is configurable between active states and deactivated states by the CLC and the first switch; and a second set of fire pins operatively connected with the second group of firing lines and is configurable between active states and deactivated states by the CLC and the first switch.

8 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 5 , wherein the CLC further comprises:
a set of third bank lines operatively connecting a set of second latch outputs of the latch integrated circuit with a set of first inputs of a second switch of a set of switches; and a set of fourth bank lines operatively connecting the set of second latch outputs with a second set of inputs of the second switch of the set of switches.

9 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a first set of outputs of the second switch operatively connecting with a third group of firing lines of the set of firing lines; and a second set of outputs of the second switch operatively connecting with a fourth group of firing lines of the set of firing lines.

10 . The countermeasure dispensing system of claim 9 , further comprising:
a third set of fire pins operatively connected with the third group of firing lines and is configurable between active states and deactivated states by the CLC and the second switch; and a fourth set of fire pins operatively connected with the fourth group of firing lines and is configurable between active states and deactivated states by the CLC and the second switch.

11 . An embedded fire select multiplexing (EFSM) assembly operatively connected with a breechplate and a sequencer the EFSM assembly comprises:
a set of firing lines operatively connected with the sequencer and a set of fire pins of the breechplate, wherein the firing lines are configurable between an active state and a deactivate state; a set of polling lines operatively connected with the sequencer; a control logic circuit (CLC) operatively connected with the sequencer and the breechplate by the set of polling lines; and a set of switches operatively connected with the CLC and the set of fire pins of the breechplate.

12 . The EFSM assembly of claim 11 , wherein the CLC comprises:
a set of dividers operatively connected with a fire select mux of the sequencer by the set of polling lines; a set of comparators operatively connected with and in series with the set of dividers; and a latch integrated circuit operatively connected with the set of comparators and the set of switches by the set of polling lines.

13 . The EFSM assembly of claim 11 , wherein the set of switches comprises:
a first switch operatively coupled with the CLC; a first group of fire pins of the set of fire pins; and a second group of fire pins of the set of fire pins; wherein the first switch is configured to set one of (i) first high bank lines of the first group of fire pins and (ii) first low bank lines of the first group of fire pins at the active state; and wherein the first switch is configured to set one of (i) second high bank lines of the second group of fire pins and (ii) second low bank lines of the second group of fire pins at the active state.

14 . The EFSM assembly of claim 13 , wherein the set of switches comprises:
a second switch operatively coupled with the CLC; a third group of fire pins of the set of fire pins; and a fourth group of fire pins of the set of fire pins; wherein the second switch is configured to set one of (i) third high bank lines of the third group of fire pins and (ii) third low bank lines of the third group of fire pins at the active state; and wherein the second switch is configured to set one of (i) fourth high bank lines of the fourth group of fire pins and (ii) fourth low bank lines of the fourth group of fire pins at the active state.

15 . A method, comprising:
providing a countermeasure dispensing system with a platform; the system comprises:
a sequencer;
a breechplate having a set of fire pins; and
an embedded fire select multiplexing (EFSM) assembly operatively connected with the breechplate and the sequencer, wherein the EFSM assembly comprises:
a set of firing lines operatively connected with the sequencer and a set of fire pins of the breechplate; and
a set of polling lines operatively connected with the sequencer and a control logic circuit (CLC) of the EFSM to configure desired states for the set of firing lines;

effecting at least one polling pulse to be output from a polling source of the sequencer to a fire select multiplexer (mux); effecting the at least one polling pulse to be sent to the CLC by a first group of polling lines of the set of polling lines; effecting the CLC to be configured to a desired state such that a selected group of firi

Assignees

• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ

Inventors

• Lindsey Alexander L
• Kohl Christopher E

Classifications

• F42B4/26

  Flares; Torches {(mines for practice or training containing flares or illuminating charges F42B8/28; projectiles of illuminating type F42B12/42)} · CPC title

• F42B5/15 Primary

  for creating a screening or decoy effect, e.g. using radar chaff or infrared material (infrared flares F42B4/26) · CPC title

• B64D7/00

  Arrangement of military equipment, e.g. armaments, armament accessories or military shielding, in aircraft; Adaptations of armament mountings for aircraft (dropping bombs or the like B64D1/00) · CPC title

• F41A19/68 Primary

  for multibarrel guns {or multibarrel rocket launchers or multicanisters}(F41A19/65 takes precedence) · CPC title