Patent Publication Number: US-2002000172-A1

Title: Optronic fuse device for a flying object

Description:
[0001] The invention concerns an optronic fuse device, as set forth in the classifying portion of claim  1 .  
       [0002] When optronic fuse devices are used in relation to flying objects which involve long mission times or which cover great distances in those long mission times, the optical arrangement can suffer from fouling for example due to insects, or from icing-up, that is to say, the optical arrangement becomes covered with ice microcrystals. Such contamination or icing has the result that it is no longer possible to guarantee reliable functioning of the fuse device.  
       [0003] In order to prevent such contamination or icing, the optical arrangement of the optronic fuse device of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification is hitherto provided for example with a dome cover which can be blown off.  
       [0004] Dome covers of that kind which can be blown off require suitable explosives and electrical cabling. That has an effect on the production costs involved.  
       [0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an optronic fuse device of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, which is relatively inexpensive without the effectiveness thereof being adversely affected thereby.  
       [0006] In accordance with the invention that object is attained by the features of claim  1 . Developments of the optronic fuse device are characterised in the appendant claims.  
       [0007] The fact that, in accordance with the invention, associated with the sensor window of the optical arrangement of the optronic fuse device is an air-deflection device which deflects the air flow over the flying projectile past the sensor window and which is preferably in the form of a spoiler nose giving rise to a transverse air flow, affords the advantage that neither movable parts nor explosives or electrical cabling are required, thus resulting in an inexpensive optronic fuse device.  
       [0008] As the optronic fuse device according to the invention is used in relation to weapon carriers, that is to say in relation to flying objects such as drones, rockets or aircraft which move relatively fast, it is possible in accordance with the invention to have recourse to an optimised aerodynamic configuration of the air deflection device. The air deflection device which is preferably in the form of a spoiler nose and which is mounted laterally of the sensor window produces a transverse air flow during the mission of the flying object, that is to say the air is moved past the sensor window at a spacing therefrom. As a result consequently particles such as insects, crystallisation seeds and so forth which are transported with the flowing air are kept away from the sensor window and impact for example in a region of the flying object which is non-critical in terms of the optical arrangement. Consequently, contamination and/or icing of the sensor window is advantageously prevented without the need for movable parts, without the need for an explosive and an electrical cabling arrangement, just by virtue of the air deflection device being of a suitable configuration. 
     
    
    
     [0009] An embodiment of an optronic fuse device according to the invention is described hereinafter and diagrammatically illustrated in the drawing in which:  
     [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of part of a configuration of the optronic fuse device, and  
     [0011]FIG. 2 is a side view in the direction of the arrow II in FIG. 1 on to the part of the optronic fuse device illustrated therein. 
    
    
     [0012]FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the optronic fuse device  10  for a flying object which can be a rocket, a drone or an aircraft. The optronic fuse device  10  has an optical arrangement  12  of which a portion is shown, with a sensor window  14 . The optical arrangement  12  serves with its sensor window  14  to detect a target to be attacked. In order to prevent the sensor window  14  from suffering from fouling and/or icing, associated with the sensor window  14  is an air deflection device  16  which keeps the flow of air over the in-flight flying object away from the sensor window  14  and deflects it therepast. That is indicated by the dash-dotted line  18 .  
     [0013] The air deflection device  16  is in the form of a spoiler nose  20  which projects forwardly from the sensor window  14  or from the optical arrangement  12  of the optronic fuse device  10 . In the illustrated embodiment, the spoiler nose  20  is designed with a side edge contour  22  which extends in a forwardly obliquely inclined configuration and which is stepped in shape. It will be appreciated that the side edge contour  22  of the spoiler nose may also not be stepped or may be of a different configuration, that is to say adapted to the aerodynamic factors involved and may be for example of a concavely recessed configuration. The concave recess may be for example in the form of the surface of a sphere. Such a concavely recessed afflux surface in the form of a spherical surface causes the air flow to be kept away from the sensor window  14  even if the air flow flows thereto not parallel to the axis but inclinedly.