Device for the surveillance of a weapon system, particularly of missile type

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9784547-B2
Application number	US-201314385522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Mar 22, 2012
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

Aspects provide a surveillance device that is autonomous and includes data processing components which, in real time, process values measured by measurement components and transmit the results of processing operations to logging components for logging, the measurement components including elements that measure values of parameters representative of a mechanical environment and elements that measure values of parameters representative of a climatic environment. Aspects also include restitution components that enable restitution of the logged data and results of processing operations at any time.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for the surveillance of a weapon system, the system comprising:
means for measuring parameter values comprising components for measuring values of parameters representative of a mechanical environment and components for measuring values of parameters representative of a climatic environment;
a first memory device;
data logging means for logging results data to the first memory device;
means for restoring logged results data from the first memory device;
power supply means;
data processing means that processes in real time via processing operations the parameter values measured by said measurement means, and transmits results of the processing operations to said logging means for logging to the first memory device as the logged results data;
a rigid housing that defines a hermetic space comprising the data logging means, the means for restoring logged data, the data processing means and mechanical sensors of said components for measuring values of parameters representative of mechanical environment of said means for measuring parameter values;
the rigid housing further defining a non-hermetic space comprising climatic sensors of said components for measuring values of parameters representative of a climatic environment of said means for measuring parameter values;
an activation tab that is accessible from outside the rigid housing and is capable of being removed by an operator;
means associated with the activation tab that, in response to removal of the activation tab, provides a power supply to electrical components of the system using at least one internal battery in order to activate functions of said system, wherein said activation is irreversible;
wherein the means for measureing parameter values comprises an internal real-time clock;
means for dating the measured parameter values that comprises a factory-set real-time clock that is supplied with power from the at least one internal battery;
wherein, in response to removal of the activation tab, the internal clock id initialized with and regularly synchronizes to a time of the factory-set real-time clock;
wherein the logging means stores the transmitted results of the processing operations on the first memory device as the logged results data without storing the parameter values measured by said measurement means on the first memory device, wherein storing the logged results data requires a volume amount of storage memory of the first memory device that is smaller than a volume amount of the storage memory of the first memory device that is required to store the parameter values measured by said measurement means; and
wherein the system is autonomous, and said restoration means enables the logged results data of the processing operations to be restored at any time.

2. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data processing means processes in real time via the processing operations the measured parameter values as a function of date data generated by the means for dating.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein said rigid housing comprises a location for at least one optional printed circuit board.

4. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
hermetic connectors that enable connection of the system to external equipment in order to perform at least one of the following actions: communicating with the system and supplying electric power to the system.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein said means for measuring parameter values further comprises at least one of:
an impact measurement sensor;
a vibration measurement sensor;
a movement measurement sensor;
a temperature measurement sensor;
a humidity measurement sensor; and
a pressure measurement sensor.

6. The system according to claim 4 , wherein said power supply means further comprise:
an internal battery; and
means by which external power can be supplied.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the means by which external power can be supplied is an external power supply that is connected via an external bus connector of the hermetic connectors; and
wherein the power supply selects the external power supply over the internal battery for providing power in response to determining that the external power supply is supplying between 2.4 V and 3.6 V of power.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the power supply means, in response to determining a connection to a personal computer via a USB connector of the hermetic connectors, removes a power supply load from the external power supply and from the internal battery.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the power supply means supplies power by automatically switching to a one of the USB connection to the personal computer, the external power supply and the internal battery, by:
switching to the USB connection to the personal computer in response to determining that the USB connection to the personal computer is available;
switching to the external power supply in response to determining that the USB connection to the personal computer is not available and that the activation tab is removed; and
switching to the internal battery in response to determining that the USB connection to the personal computer is not available and that the activation tab is removed and that the external power supply is not available.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the automatic switching by the power supply means to the one of the USB connection to the personal computer, the external power supply and the internal battery does not cause the system to be reset.

11. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one interrogation means that enable an operator to generate a request to obtain information from said means for restoring logged data.

12. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
information presentation means that are connected to said means for restoring logged data and enable logged information to be provided to an operator.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein said information presentation means include at least one light-emitting diode enabling an operator to obtain status information.

14. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the system is a weapon system.

15. The weapon system according to claim 14 , wherein the rigid housing is fixed to a missile container.

16. The weapon system according to claim 15 , wherein a shape of said rigid housing is suited to a shape of said missile container within a fixing zone.

17. A system for the surveillance of a weapon system, the system comprising:
means for measuring parameter values comprising components for measuring values of parameters representative of a mechanical environment and components for measuring values of parameters representative of a climatic environment;
a first memory device;
data logging means for logging results data to the first memory device;
means for restoring logged results data from the first memory device;
power supply means;
data processing means that processes in real time via processing operations the parameter values measured by said measurement means, and transmits results of the processing operations to said logging means for logging to the first memory device as the logged results data;
a rigid housing that defines a hermetic space comprising the data logging means, the means for restoring logged data, the data processing means and mechanical sensors of said components for measuring values of parameters representative of mechanical environment of said means for measuring parameter values;
the rigid housing

Assignees

• Mbda France

Inventors

• Masse Pascal

Classifications

• F42B35/00 Primary

  Testing or checking of ammunition {(apparatus for measuring the energy of projectiles G01L5/14)} · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title