Patent Document

BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to weapons control systems, and in particular to an integrated weapons stores processor panel for an aircraft. 
         [0002]    Existing military aircraft (e.g., helicopters) may be fitted with a variety of weapons systems, such as guns, rockets, missiles, laser targeting, etc. Prior art designs used complex weapons control systems, often requiring a designated controller and large relay boxes for each weapon type. Outfitting an aircraft with a particular type of weapon required significant retrofit and significant weight added to the aircraft. Weapons installation is further complicated by the limited space on the aircraft control panel console in which to mount weapons control systems. Accordingly, improvements in weapons control systems would be well received in the art. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    One embodiment includes an aircraft weapons control system including a weapons stores processor panel for receiving input signals from a weapons input; a weapons interface for receiving fire signals from the weapons stores processor panel to control firing of aircraft weapons; and a flight management system in communication with the weapons stores processor panel and the weapons interface, the flight management system providing control signals to the weapons interface; wherein the weapons stores processor panel implements safety interlocks to prevent or enable firing of the aircraft weapons. 
         [0004]    Another embodiment is a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) rotary-wing aircraft comprising: an aircraft mounted weapon; and an aircraft weapons control system, the aircraft weapons control system including: a weapons stores processor panel for receiving input signals from a weapons input; a weapons interface for receiving fire signals from the weapons stores processor panel to control firing of the aircraft weapon; and a flight management system in communication with the weapons stores processor panel and the weapons interface, the flight management system providing control signals to the weapons interface; wherein the weapons stores processor panel implements safety interlocks to prevent or enable firing of the aircraft weapon. 
         [0005]    Other aspects, features, and techniques of the invention will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several FIGURES, in which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary rotary wing aircraft for use with embodiments of the invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  depicts a weapons control system in exemplary embodiments; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary control panel. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a general perspective view of an exemplary vehicle in the form of a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) rotary-wing aircraft  10  for use with embodiments of the invention. The rotary-wing aircraft  10  includes a main rotor assembly  12  and tail rotor assembly  14 . Although a particular helicopter configuration is illustrated and described in disclosed embodiments, other configurations and/or machines, such as high speed compound rotary-wing aircraft with supplemental translational thrust systems, dual contra-rotating, coaxial rotor system aircraft, turbo-props, tilt-rotors, tilt-wing aircraft, and fixed-wing aircraft will also benefit from embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0011]    In military applications, aircraft  10  may be fitted with one or more weapons systems. Embodiments provide an integrated weapons stores processor panel and part of a weapons control system to facilitate installation and operation of weapons systems.  FIG. 2  illustrates a weapons control system  100  in exemplary embodiments. Weapons control system  100  includes a weapons stores processor panel  102  that provides weapons control and safety interlocks as described in detail herein. Weapons stores processor panel  102  may be implemented in hardware, software and/or a combination of both. In exemplary embodiments, weapons fire signals and weapons safety interlocks are implemented in hardware (e.g., logic gates, switches). Functional processing (e.g., communications with weapons input and flight management systems) is implemented via a microcontroller, in communication with the hardware. 
         [0012]    Weapons stores processor panel  102  receives inputs from a weapons input  104  and a weapons control panel  200  ( FIG. 3 ). Weapons input  104  may be a flight controls grip used for flight control of a helicopter. Weapons stores processor panel  102  also communicates with flight management systems  106 , which may include redundant flight management systems, as known in the art. Communication between the weapons stores processor panel  102  and flight management system  106  may be performed using know communication protocols (e.g., ARINC-429). One or more weapons interfaces  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  are in communication with both the weapons stores processor panel  102  and the flight management system  106 . Weapons interfaces  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  fire weapons in response to commands from both the weapons stores processor panel  102  and the flight management system  106 . In the embodiment show in  FIG. 2 , the weapons system includes 2.75 inch rockets and a first weapons interface  108  is a rocket interface unit (RIU). The weapons system also includes a .50 caliber gun and a second weapons interface  110  is a gun control unit (GCU). The weapons system also includes a .7.62 caliber gun and a third weapons interface  117  is a gun control unit (GCU). The weapons system also includes 1760 missiles and a fourth weapons interface  119  is a missile control unit. 
         [0013]    First weapons interface  108  includes a controller  109  (e.g., a microprocessor-based controller), second weapons interface  110  includes a controller  111  (e.g., a microcontroller-based controller), third weapons interface  117  includes a controller  118  and fourth weapons interface  119  includes a controller  120 . It certain modes, the weapons interface controllers  109 ,  111 ,  119  and  120  are provided with power, although fire signals from the weapons stores processor panel  102  may be disabled. 
         [0014]    It is understood that other types of weapons may be interfaced with the weapons stores processor panel  102  through an appropriate weapons interface, such that multiple different types of weapons may be mounted to the aircraft and controlled through the weapons stores processor panel  102 . In exemplary embodiments, the weapons stores processor panel  102  is configured to control weapons systems using the MIL-STD-1760 weapons control standard. It is understood that other weapons control standards may be used by weapons stores processor panel  102 . Further, a laser pointer  112  for targeting may also be interfaced to the weapons stores processor panel  102 . 
         [0015]    Weapons control system  100  includes data concentrator unit  114  (which may also be redundant) that conditions outputs from the flight management system  106  for display on a multifunction display (MFD)  116  that is presented to the pilot, and copilot if present. The weapons stores processor panel  102  provides display information for a helmet mounted display, control display unit, and the multifunction function display  116 . The weapons stores processor panel  102  also provides data for a weapons bus controller to implement firing of weapons. 
         [0016]      FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary control panel  200  on the weapons stores processor panel  102 . Control panel  200  includes inputs that dictate how the weapons stores processor panel  102  will process inputs from the weapons input  104  and a weight-on-wheels unit  115 . The weight-on-wheels unit  115  detects when the aircraft is on the ground to disable weapons systems, unless overridden manually. A master arm switch  202  includes three positions. A master arm position instructs the weapons processor panel  102  to provide power to the weapons interface controllers  109 ,  111 ,  118 ,  120  and to enable the weapons stores processor panel  102  to generate fire signals. As described in further detail herein, the weapons stores processor panel  102  generates a fire signal (e.g., a 28 volt signal) necessary for the weapons interfaces  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  to cause the weapon to fire. Through safety interlocks, the weapons stores processor panel  102  can prevent or enable generation of the fire signal. 
         [0017]    The master arm switch  202  also includes a safe position. In the safe position, the weapons stores processor panel  102  provides power to weapons interface controllers  109 ,  111 ,  118 ,  120 , but the weapons stores processor panel  102  cannot generate fire signals needed for the weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  to fire a weapon. This position allows the weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  to still communicate via the weapons interface controller  109 ,  111 ,  118 ,  120  with the weapons stores processor panel  102  and the flight management system  106 , but does not enable firing of the weapon. 
         [0018]    The master arm switch  202  includes an off position. In this position, no power is provided to the weapons interface controller  109 ,  111 ,  118 ,  120  and no fire signals are provided to the weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119 . In this mode, the weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  cannot communicate with flight management system  106 . 
         [0019]    Control panel  200  also includes a laser arm switch  204  having an on and off position. In the on position, a laser targeting device is powered through the weapons stores processor panel  102  and is activated by a trigger on the weapons input  104 . Upon detecting a laser trigger pull on the weapons input  104 , the weapons processor panel  102  provides an enable signal to the laser targeting device. 
         [0020]    Control panel  200  includes an override switch  206 . The default position for the override switch  206  is the weight-on-wheels (WOW) position. In this position, the weapons stores processor panel  102  prevents fire signals from being sent to the weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  if a WOW condition is detected by WOW unit  115 . This prevents the weapons from firing when the aircraft is on the ground. The override switch  206  may be moved to a manual override position to allow the weapons stores processor panel  102  to provide fire signals to the weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  199  even when WOW is present. Moving override switch  206  to the manual override position may require removing a cover guard or other blocking member to prevent inadvertent selection of manual override. In the manual override mode, the weapons stores processor panel  102  commands the weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  directly, without reliance on the flight management system  106 . As such, even if the flight management system  106  is experiencing faults or inactive, the pilot can still command weapons functions directly through the weapons stores processor panel  102 . 
         [0021]    Control panel  200  also includes a weapons select switch  208  which allows the operator to designate which weapons to fire in manual override mode. In the example in  FIG. 3 , the weapons select switch may select between rockets and guns. Based on the position of the weapons select switch  208 , the weapons stores processor panel  102  sends fire signals to the appropriate weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 . Weapons select switch  208  also includes an off position in which the weapons stores processor panel  102  does not send any enable or fire signals to any weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 . 
         [0022]    In operation, the weapons stores processor panel  102  communicates with the flight management system  106  to accomplish weapons control, but the weapons stores processor panel  102  is responsible for generating the fire signals required by the weapons interface  108 ,  110 ,  117 ,  119  to actually fire a weapon. For example, the pilot may pull a trigger on the weapons input  104  to fire a rocket. The flight management system  106  receives this input and provides a command to the weapons interface  108  to fire a rocket. The weapons interface  108  cannot fire a rocket until an enable and fire signal is received from the weapons stores processor panel  102 . In this way, safety interlocks may be implemented in the weapons stores processor panel  102  regardless of commands from the flight management system  106 . 
         [0023]    The weapons stores processor panel  102  provides for integration of multiple weapons systems into one line replaceable unit. This conserves space and weight in the aircraft. The weapons stores processor panel  102  interfaces with the flight management system  106  to transfer data through the aircraft. This further simplifies the aircraft modification and allows for weapons to be installed on any aircraft as a kit, mounted in an aircraft console. The weapons processor panel  102  provides a combination of mission system integration along with system safety. 
         [0024]    The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. While the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, it is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications, variations, alterations, substitutions, or equivalent arrangement not hereto described will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Additionally, while various embodiment of the invention have been described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention may include only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Category: 7