Patent ID: 6467722
Filing Date: 2002-10-22
Classification: F42B

Abstract:
A system for guiding the flight of a missile in any given direction, the missile having a movable nosecone and an elongated body with an axis, by deflecting the nosecone by a pre-determined angle, said guiding system residing within said missile and comprising: a plurality of variable-length actuators; a means for generating a desired nosecone command signal; a means for varying the lengths of said actuators by pre-selected amounts, said varying means being further coupled to said generating means; a means for sensing the current position of said nosecone and, in response thereto, producing a corresponding position signal, said sensing means being coupled to said generating means, said generating means further receiving said position signal from said sensing means and processing said position signal with said nosecone command signal to produce an error signal, said error signal serving to motivate said generating means to determine the angle of nosecone deflection necessary to nullify said error signal, said varying means then responding to said deflection angle to cause the growth in the length of at least one of said actuators by a pre-selected amount; and a plurality of motion amplifiers, said amplifiers being coupled between said nosecone and said actuators, such that there is one of said amplifiers between one of said actuators and said nosecone, said amplifiers translating said growth in length of said actuators into motion and amplifying and transmitting said motion to said nosecone, thereby causing said nosecone to deflect in response to said motion until said pre-determined angle of deflection is achieved and a desired change in the direction of the missile flight is ultimately effected.