Projectile system with environmental hazard sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9964386-B2
Application number	US-201514792961-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

In one aspect, a modular air sampling system includes a sensor module defining a nose, the sensor module including a sensor for sampling contaminants in the atmosphere. A processing and sending module includes processing electronics in communication with the sensor for receiving a signal from the sensor representative of sampled contaminants in the atmosphere. The processing and sending module further includes a radio frequency transmitter operably coupled to the processing electronics for transmitting a radio frequency signal representative of one or more contaminants sensed by the sensor. In another aspect, a modular air sampling system includes a sensor module containing the sensor, processing electronics, and radio frequency transmitter within the sensor module housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modular air sampling system, comprising:
a sensor module defining a nose, said sensor module including a sensor for sampling contaminants in the atmosphere;
a processing and sending module including processing electronics in communication with the sensor for receiving a signal from the sensor representative of sampled contaminants in the atmosphere, said processing and sending module further including a radio frequency transmitter operably coupled to the processing electronics for transmitting a radio frequency signal representative of one or more contaminants sensed by the sensor; and
a shell casing and a propelling charge contained within the shell casing for firing the modular air sampling system.

2. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , wherein the sensor module includes a housing, said housing including one or more inlets allowing ambient air to pass into the interior of the housing.

3. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more air directing surfaces for directing ambient air into each of the one or more inlets.

4. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , further comprising a flight control module attached to the sensor module and containing a flight control system for guiding said air sampling system toward a target.

5. The modular air sampling system of claim 4 , further comprising:
said flight control module removably attachable to the sensor module; and
said flight control module including a plurality of airfoils, said airfoils being moveable between a retracted state and an extended state.

6. The modular air sampling system of claim 4 , further comprising a rocket module attached to the processing and sending module, said rocket module including a rocket motor configured to propel the modular air sampling system.

7. The modular air sampling system of claim 4 , further comprising:
one or both of a position sensor and a time-of-flight sensor received within the flight control module and operatively coupled to the processing electronics, said processing electronics configured to correlate one or both of a time and a geographic location with the signal from the sensor representative of sampled contaminants in the atmosphere.

8. The modular air sampling system of claim 4 further comprising a data bus received within the flight control module for communicating sensor data to the processing electronics.

9. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or both of a position sensor and a time-of-flight sensor operatively coupled to the processing electronics, said processing electronics configured to correlate one or both of a time and a geographic location with the signal from the sensor representative of sampled contaminants in the atmosphere.

10. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , further comprising a rocket module attached to the processing and sending module, said rocket module including a rocket motor configured to propel the air sampling system.

11. The modular air sampling system of claim 10 , wherein the rocket module includes a plurality of vanes for providing stability during flight.

12. The modular air sampling system of claim 10 , wherein said rocket motor is powered by a rocket fuel material in a form selected from the group consisting of a solid, a liquid, a gel, or any combination thereof.

13. The modular air sampling system of claim 10 , wherein the rocket module is removably attached to the processing and sending module.

14. The modular air sampling system of claim 10 , further comprising:
said shell casing attached to a rearward end of the rocket module, said shell casing including a charge of explosive material configured to propel the modular air sampling system a distance prior to said rocket motor being fired.

15. The modular air sampling system of claim 14 , wherein said shell casing is a 40 mm shell casing.

16. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , wherein the modular air sampling system is configured to fit into a conventional launch platform from which the modular air sampling system can be launched.

17. The modular air sampling system of claim 16 , wherein the launch platform is a grenade launcher.

18. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , further comprising a launch platform for firing the modular air sampling system.

19. The modular air sampling system of claim 18 , wherein the launch platform is a grenade launcher.

20. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , wherein the signal representative of sampled contaminants in the atmosphere is further representative of a concentration of the sampled contaminants in the atmosphere.

21. The modular air sampling system of claim 1 , wherein the contaminants are selected from chemical contaminants and biological contaminants.

22. A modular air sampling system, comprising:
a sensor module having a housing, said sensor module including a sensor for sampling contaminants in the atmosphere;
processing electronics received within the housing in communication with the sensor for receiving a signal from the sensor representative of sampled contaminants in the atmosphere;
a radio frequency transmitter received within the housing and operably coupled to the processing electronics for transmitting a radio frequency signal representative of one or more contaminants sensed by the sensor; and
a shell casing and a propelling charge contained within the shell casing for firing the modular air sampling system.

23. The modular air sampling system of claim 22 , wherein the housing includes one or more inlets allowing ambient air to pass into the interior of the housing.

24. The modular air sampling system of claim 23 , further comprising one or more air directing surfaces for directing ambient air into each of the one or more inlets.

25. The modular air sampling system of claim 22 , further comprising:
one or both of a position sensor and a time-of-flight sensor received within the housing and operatively coupled to the processing electronics, said processing electronics configured to correlate one or both of a time and a geographic location with the signal from the sensor representative of sampled contaminants in the atmosphere.

26. The modular air sampling system of claim 22 , wherein the rocket module is removably attached to the processing and sending module.

27. The modular air sampling system of claim 22 , further comprising:
said shell casing attached to a rearward end of the sensor module, said shell casing including a charge of explosive material configured to propel the modular air sampling system a distance to a remote location to be sampled.

28. The modular air sampling system of claim 27 , wherein said shell casing is a 40 mm shell casing.

29. The modular air sampling system of claim 22 , wherein the modular air sampling system is configured to fit into a conventional launch platform from which the modular air sampling system can be launched.

30. The modular air sampling system of claim 29 , wherein the launch platform is a grenade launcher.

31. The modular air sampling system of claim 22 , further comprising a launch platform for firing the modular air sampling system.

32. The modular air sampling system of claim 31 , wherein the launch platform is a grenade launcher.

Assignees

• Wilcox Ind Corp

Inventors

• Teetzel James W

Classifications

• F42B5/02

  Cartridges, i.e. cases with charge and missile · CPC title

• F42B10/64

  of fins · CPC title

• G01N33/0075

  for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring · CPC title

• G08B21/182

  Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold · CPC title

• F42B15/08 Primary

  for carrying measuring instruments; {Arrangements for mounting sensitive cargo within a projectile}(adaptations for meteorology G01W1/08); {Arrangements for acoustic sensitive cargo within a projectile} · CPC title