USOO5343795A

Umted States Patent [ 1 9] [ 1 1 ] Patent N u mb er : 5, 343, 795

Ziemb a et al . [ 45] Date o f Patent: Sep . 6 , 1 994
[ 54] SETTABLE ELECTRON IC FUZIN G SYSTEM 4, 1 44, 8 1 5 3/ 1 979 Cu mming et a1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 2 / 2 1 4
FOR CAN N ON AMMUN ITION 4, 2 54, 475 3/ 1 98 1 Co o ney et a1 . 1 0 2 / 2 1 5
_ 4, 2 6 7, 776 5/ 1 98 1 Eicker man 1 0 2 / 2 1 5
[ 75] Inv ento r s: Richar d T. Z1 emb a, Bu r hngto n; 4, 38 7, 6 49 6 / 1 98 3 Weidner et a1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 2 / 2 1 s
Dav id G. Ho yt, Mil to n, b o th o f Vt. 4, 495, 8 51 l / 1 98 5 Ko er ner et a1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9/ 6 5
. . 4, 577, 56 1 3 1 98 6 P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 2 2 1 5
Assl gnecz Gener al El ectr ic Co . Bu r l ingto n, . _ t ~ . . ' " 2 1 A 1 . N J 78 8 91 1 4, 8 6 2 , 78 5 9/ 1 98 9 Ettel et a1 . . . 8 9/ 6 5
[ 1 p p 0 4, 955, 2 79 9/ 1 990 N ahr wo l d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9/ 6 5
[ 2 2 ] Fil ed: N o v . 7, 1 991 _ _
Pr zmar y Exammer Char 1 es T. Jo r dan
[ 51 ] Int. Cl . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F42 C 1 7/ 0 4 Atto r ney, Agent, 0 , - Fir m_ s_ A_ Yo u ng
[ 52 ] US. Cl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9/ 6 5; 1 0 2 / 2 1 5
[ 58 ] Fiel d Of Sear ch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9/ 6 , 6 . 5; 1 0 2 / 2 0 6 , [ 57] ABSTRACT
1 0 2 / 2 1 5 2 1 6 In an ammu nitio n f u zing system, a f u ze setter is indu c
[ 56 ] Ref er ences Cited tiv el y co u p l ed with an el ectr o nic f u ze inco r p o r ated in
Us. PATEN T DOCUMEN TS thel p r o j ectl l e o f an ammu nl ' tl o n r o u nd b emg f ed to a
r ap l d- ? r e canno n to tr ansm1 t p o wer su p p l y char ging
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ener gy and f u ze_ setting data ther eto . A deto natio n
31 2 2 2 1 ;? gl l ngmsm """"" " ' co u nter is incr emented at a high co u nting r ate to accu
, , a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3, 6 70 , 6 52 6 / 1 972 Ziemb a 1 0 2 / 70 1 P mu l ate a p r o j ectil e ? l ght tu ne- co u nt l ndicatr v e o i: the
3, 71 4, 398 2 / 1 973 Ziemb a _ _ _ _ _ _ u 1 0 2 / 70 2 R f u ze- setting data. A co nf o r matl o n signal 1 8 tr ansmitted
3, 76 0 , 732 9/ 1 973 Schu ster er a1 , 1 0 2 / 70 , ; R to the f u ze setter f o r deter minatio n that the ? ight time
3, 777, 6 6 5 1 2 / 1 973 Ziemb a . . . . . . . . 1 0 2 / 70 . 2 P co u nt accep tab l y co r r esp o nds to the setting data. Up o n
3, 8 44, 2 1 7 1 0 / 1 974 Ziemb a 1 0 2 / 70 1 R p r o j ectil e l au nch, the deto natio n co u nter is decr e
4, 0 2 2 , 1 0 2 5/ 1 977 E1 1 8 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9/ 6 5 mented at a l o w co u nting r ate and f u nctio ns the p r o j ec_
4, 0 2 6 , 2 1 5 5/ 1 977 Zl emb a et a1 . 1 0 2 / 70 . 2 R f l h d when d r e ted to em
4, 0 44, 6 8 0 8 / 1 977 Ziemb a . . . . . . . . 1 0 2 / 70 . 2 R 3 war ea 6 em 1 Z '
4, 0 8 3, 30 8 4/ 1 978 Lev is 1 0 2 / 2 0 6
4, 1 42 , 442 3/ 1 979 Tu ten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 9/ 6 5 2 0 Cl aims, 5 Dr awing Sheets
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1
SE' I' I ABLE ELECI' RON IC FUZIN G SYSTEM FOR
CAN N ON AMMUN ITION
The p r esent inv entio n r el ates to o r dnance systems
and p ar ticu l ar to an imp r o v ed el ectr o nic f u ze system f o r
r ap id- ? r e canno n ammu nitio n.
BACKGROUN D OF THE IN VEN TION
El ectr o nic f u zing systems f o r co ntr o l l ing the deto na
tio n o f a p r o j ectil e war head ar e wel l - kno wn in the ar t.
One ap p r o ach is to u til ize p r o j ectil e- b o r ne senso r s o f
v ar io u s typ es, e. g. , r adar , inf r a- r ed, el ectr o static, etc. ,
f o r signal l ing an el ectr o nic f u ze to deto nate the war
head when the p r o j ectil e is p r o ximate the tar get. A
v ar iant o f this ap p r o ach is to signal the el ectr o nic f u ze
to deto nate the war head v ia a micr o wav e l ink when ? r e
co ntr o l r adar deter mines that the p r o j ectil e is within
kil l ing r ange o f the tar get.
Ano ther ap p r o ach is to deter mine tar get r ange u sing,
f o r examp l e, a r adar o r l aser r ange ? nder , and then set
the el ectr o nic f u ze f o r an ap p r o p r iate time- o f - ? ight
b ased o n the deter mined tar get r ange. Once the p r o j ec
til e is ? r ed, the el ectr o nic f u se co u nts o u t the ? ight time
and deto nates the war head when the p r e- set time- o f
? ight exp ir es. Timed f u ze deto natio n, r ather that imp act
o r p o int deto natio n (PD), is mo r e ef f ectiv e f o r so me
tar gets, su ch as entr enched gr o u nd tr o o p s, wher e war
head deto natio n whil e the p r o j ectil e is o v er head wil l
typ ical l y hav e mo r e dev astating ef f ects.
One extr emel y imp o r tant co nsider atio n in setting
el ectr o nic f u zes is the setting time r eq u ir ed, p ar ticu l ar l y
with the cu r r ent emp hasis o n r ap id- ? r e canno ns. Thu s,
enter ing the time- o f - ? ight inf o r matio n into the el ec
tr o nic f u ze mu st b e acco mp l ished du r ing an extr emel y
sho r t time windo w so as no t to j eo p ar dize ? r ing r ate.
Mo r eo v er , the setting inf o r matio n mu st b e accu r atel y
r egister ed in the el ectr o nic f u ze, o ther wise that p r o j ec
til e b eco mes a du d inso f ar as the intended tar get is
co ncer ned. Var io u s techniq u es hav e b een u til ized f o r
enter ing the time- o f - ? ight data f r o m the f u ze setter into
the f u ze, incl u ding micr o wav e l inks to enter this data
whil e the p r o j ectil e is in ? ight to the tar get o r tr av el l ing
do wn the gu n b ar r el , o r indu ctiv e co u p l ing l inks al so
whil e the p r o j ectil e tr ansits the gu n b ar r el . Al ter nativ e,
a wir e data l ink b etween the f u ze setter and the f u ze has
b een emp l o yed.
SUMMARY OF THE IN VEN TION
It is acco r dingl y an o b j ect o f the p r esent inv entio n to
p r o v ide an imp r o v ed el ectr o nic f u zing system f o r can
no n ammu nitio n, wher ein an el ectr o nic f u ze can b e
r eadil y set to o p er ate in sev er al sel ected deto nating
mo des dep ending o n the natu r e o f the tar get. F u ze
setting is acco mp l ished exp editio u sl y p r io r to the am
mu nitio n r o u nds b eing l o aded into a r ap id- ? r e canno n
witho u t sacr i? cing ? r ing r ate. The el ectr o nic f u ze is
p r eco nditio ned to a p o int deto natio n (PD) mo de which
p r ev ail s if no time- o f - ? ight data is set into the f u ze o r
the entr y o f su ch f u ze- setting data is deter mined to b e in
er r o r . With the entr y o f setting data, the el ectr o nic f u ze
f u nctio ns in a timed deto natio n (TD) mo de, either to
exp l o de the p r o j ectil e in p r o ximity to the tar get (air
b u r st) o r to sel f - destr u ct (SD) the p r o j ectil e in the ev ent
a tar get is no t imp acted to f u nctio n the f u ze in the TD
mo de.
To achiev e these o b j ectiv es, the p r esent inv entio n
co mp r ises a f u ze setter which incl u des a tr ansmitter f o r
1 5
2 0
2 5
30 '
35
40
45
55
6 5
2
dr iv ing an indu ctio n co il to tr ansmit p r o j ectil e time- o f
? ight data. An el ectr o nic f u ze inco r p o r ated in the p r o
j ectil e o f each o f a su ccessio n o f ammu nitio n r o u nds
incl u des an indu ctio n co il which b eco mes magnetical l y
l inked with the f u ze setter indu ctio n co il as each r o u nd
tr ansits a co u p l ing zo ne in the ammu nitio n f eedp ath to a
r ap id- ? r e canno n. The time- o f - ? ight data is co u p l ed
into the el ectr o nic f u ze, and a deto natio n co u nter is
incr emented at a high co u nting r ate to a p r o j ectil e ? ight
time co u nt indicativ e o f the time- o f - ? ight data. When a
r o u nd is ? r ed, the deto natio n co u nter o f its f u ze is dec
r emented at a l o w co u nting r ate and, u p o n r eaching a
zer o co u nt, f u nctio ns the p r o j ectil e war head in the TD
mo de.
To co n? r m that the time- o f - ? ight data was co r r ectl y
r eceiv ed, a co nf o r matio n signal indicativ e o f the ? ight
time co u nt accu mu l ated in the deto natio n co u nter is
tr ansmitted b ack to the f u ze setter . If a co r r esp o ndence
b etween the ? ight time co u nt and the tr ansmitted time
o f - ? ight data is f o u nd to exist, the f u se setter co nditio ns
the f u ze to the TD mo de p r io r to p r o j ectil e ? r ing. If
no t, the f u ze setter l eav es the el ectr o nic f u ze in the PD
mo de. In additio n to tr ansmitting time- o f - ? ight data, the
f u ze setter tr ansmits b u r sts o f el ectr ical ener gy to
char ge u p a p o wer su p p l y in the f u ze, which then p o w
er s u p the f u ze el ectr o nics to accep t the time- o f - ? ight
data and to then co u nt o f f the p r o j ectil e ? ight time, if
the f u ze setter deter mines that the time- o f - ? ight data
was co r r ectl y enter ed in the deto natio n co u nter . To
co nditio n a sel f - destr u ct (SD) mo de, a f l ight time co u nt
is enter ed in the deto natio n co u nter in excess o f the
tar get r ange, and thu s the war head is f u nctio ned in the
SD mo de, u nl ess the tar get is imp acted to f u nctio n the
war head in the PD mo de.
The inv entio n acco r dingl y co mp r ises the f eatu r es o f
co nstr u ctio ns, co mb inatio ns o f el ements and ar r ange
ments o f p ar ts, al l as detail ed her einaf ter , and the sco p e
o f the inv entio n wil l b e indicated in the cl aims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWIN GS
Fo r a f u l l u nder standing o f the natu r e and o b j ects o f
the inv entio n, r ef er ence may b e had to the f o l l o wing
Detail ed Descr ip tio n taken in co nj u nctio n with the
acco mp anying dr awings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cir cu it b l o ck diagr am o f an ammu nitio n
el ectr o nic f u zing system co nstr u cted in acco r dance
with the p r esent inv entio n;
FIG. 2 is a f r agmentar y l o ngitu dinal sectio nal v iew o f
an ammu nitio n r o u nd inco r p o r ating the el ectr o nic f u ze
incl u ded in the system o f FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagr am il l u str ating imp l emen
tatio n o f the system o f FIG. 1 to ammu nitio n r o u nds
mo v ing al o ng a f eedp ath f r o m a magazine to a r ap id- ? r e
canno n;
FIG. 4 is a cir cu it schematic, p ar tial l y in b l o ck dia
gr am f o r m, o f an el ectr o nic f u ze in FIG. 1 , which is
co nstr u cted in acco r dance with o ne emb o diment o f the
inv entio n;
FIG. 5 is a signal diagr am il l u str ating the o p er atio n o f
the el ectr o nic f u ze in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a cir cu it schematic, p ar tial l y in b l o ck dia
gr am f o r m, o f an el ectr o nic f u ze in FIG. 1 , which is
co nstr u cted in acco r dance with an al ter nativ e emb o di
ment o f the p r esent inv entio n; and
FIG. 7 is a signal diagr am il l u str ating the o p er atio n o f
the el ectr o nic f u ze in FIG. 6 .
Co r r esp o nding r ef er ence nu mer al s r ef er to l ike p ar ts
thr o u gho u t the sev er al v iews o f the dr awings.
5, 343, 795
3
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The el ectr o nic f u zing system o f the p r esent inv entio n
incl u des, as seen in FIG. 1 , a f u ze setter , gener al l y indi
cated at 1 0 , and an el ectr o nic f u ze, gener al l y indicated
at 1 2 and inco r p o r ated in an ammu nitio n r o u nd 1 4.
Co mmu nicatio n b etween the f u ze setter and the el ec
tr o nic f u ze is p r o v ided b y a magnetic co u p l ing l ink
b etween an indu ctio n co il 1 6 dr iv en b y the f u ze setter
and an indu ctio n co il 1 8 dr iv en b y the el ectr o nic f u ze.
The f u ze setter is seen to incl u de a r ange ? nder 2 0 , su ch
as a l aser r ange ? nder , which is sighted o n a tar get 2 2 .
Tar get r ange inf o r matio n dev el o p ed b y the r ange ? nder
is sent to a ? r e co ntr o l co mp u ter 2 4, which so l v es the
p r o j ectil e b al l istics eq u atio n to p r o du ce a time- o f - ? ight
so l u tio n f o r the sighted tar get. This so l u tio n, in the f o r m
o f p r o j ectil e time- o f - ? ight data, is co mmu nicated to a
co ntr o l l er 2 6 which then tr igger s a tr ansmitter 2 8 , in the
f o r m o f a o scil l ato r , to gener ate a b u r st o f timing p u l ses
at su itab l y high tr ansmissio n f r eq u ency, e. g. 1 0 0 KHz.
The nu mb er o f timing p u l ses in the b u r st, i. e. , the b u r st
inter v al , co nstitu tes a co nv er sio n o f the time- o f f - f l ight
data b y the co ntr o l l er and thu s p r o v ides a dir ect r ep r e
sentatio n ther eo f . This timing p u l se b u r st dr iv es indu c
tio n co il 1 6 and is co mmu nicated to the el ectr o nic f u ze
v ia indu ctio n co il 1 8 whil e the two co il s ar e l inked in
magnetical l y co u p l ed r el atio n. The f u ze setter al so in
cl u des a r eceiv er 30 enab l ing the el ectr o nic f u ze to
co mmu nicate with co ntr o l l er 2 6 whil e the indu ctio n
co il s ar e magnetical l y l inked. Pr o j ectil e senso r s 32 indi
cate to the co ntr o l l er when the indu ctio n co il s ar e
l inked and thu s when co mmu nicatio n b etween the f u ze
setter and the el ectr o nic f u ze can take p l ace.
As seen in FIG. 2 , each ammu nitio n r o u nd 1 4 in
cl u des a p r o j ectil e 34 and a casing 36 . Inco r p o r ated
within the p r o j ectil e ar e el ectr o nic f u ze 1 2 , an igniter o r
deto nato r 38 , a sa? ng and ar ming dev ice 40 , a b o o ster
char ge 42 , an exp l o siv e war head 44, and an imp act
switch 46 f o r PD mo de war head f u nctio ning. The saf
ing and ar ming dev ice may b e o f a co nv entio nal design
to incl u de a r o to r b al l which is eq u ip p ed with a sp in
l atch to p r ev ent the r o to r b al l f r o m assu ming an o r ienta
tio n al igning its exp l o siv e char ge p assage with the deto
nato r and b o o ster u ntil af ter the p r o j ectil e is wel l al o ng
in its ? ight. Exp l o sio n o f the p r o j ectil e is achiev ed
when the el ectr o nic f u ze tr igger s the ignitio n o f deto na
to r 38 , which sets o f f the r o to r b al l char ge, the b o o ster
char ge and then the war head in r ap id chain r eactio n.
Indu ctio n co il 1 8 is seen in FIG. 2 to b e co il ed ab o u t a
cyl indr ical p o r tio n o f the steel p r o j ectil e b o dy, p r ef er a
b l y at a l o catio n b eneath a mo l ded p l astic r o tating b and
48 .
In acco r dance with a f eatu r e o f the p r esent inv entio n,
setting o f the el ectr o nic f u ze, i. e. , enter ing the time- o f
? ight data ther ein, is ef f ected p r io r to the ? r ing o f the
ammu nitio n r o u nds, in f act, p r io r to the r o u nds b eing
l o aded in a r ap id- ? r e canno n. Thu s, as seen in FIG. 3,
ammu nitio n r o u nds 1 4 ar e f ed f r o m a magazine 50 al o ng
a f eed p ath 51 to a r ap id- ? r e canno n 52 . Statio ned at a
co nv enient l o catio n al o ng this f eedp ath, su ch as at a 90
tu r n, is a co u p l ing zo ne, gener al l y indicated at 54, f o r
acco mmo dating f u ze setter indu ctio n co il 1 6 . Pr o j ectil e
senso r s 32 signal co ntr o l l er 2 6 o f FIG. 1 as each ammu
nitio n r o u nd enter s and then exits the co u p l ing zo ne. In
the inter v al b etween these senso r signal s, the setter co il
1 6 and f u ze co il 1 8 o f each r o u nd ar e in co ntigu o u s,
tight tr ansf o r mer co u p l ed r el atio n to acco mmo date
5
2 5
35
45
50
55
6 0
6 5
4
b ack and f o r th co mmu nicatio n as the r o u nd p r o gr esses
thr o u gh the co u p l ing zo ne.
In the emb o diment o f the el ectr o nic f u ze 1 2 seen in
FIG. 4, indu ctio n co il 1 8 is co nnected to gr o u nd at o ne
end, with its o ther end co nnected to a send/ r eceiv e
so l id state switch 56 . This switch is co nv er ted b etween
its r eceiv e co nditio n co nnecting the co il to l ine 57 and
its send co nditio n co nnecting the co il to l ine 58 b y a
signal f r o m seq u ence l o gic cir cu itr y 6 0 o v er l ine 6 1 . In
the r eceiv e co nditio n, p o sitiv e hal f cycl es o f the signal s
co u p l ed into co il 1 8 ar e p assed b y dio de D1 to char ge a
p o wer su p p l y 6 2 and b y dio de D2 as time- o f - ? ight data
to a demo du l ato r 6 4.
Tu r ning to FIG. 5, p r io r to sending the b u r st o f time
o f - ? ight timing p u l ses P3 du r ing a p er io d T3, the f u se
el ectr o nics mu st b e p o wer ed u p . Thu s, u p o n entr y o f an
ammu nitio n r o u nd into co u p l ing zo ne 54 (FIG. 3), co n
tr o l l er 2 6 o f the f u ze setter activ ates tr ansmitter 2 8 to
send a b u r st o f ener gy p u l ses P1 du r ing a p er io d T1 .
These ener gy p u l ses ar e r o u ted thr o u gh switch 56 in its
r eceiv e co nditio n and dio de D1 to char ge an ener gy
sto r age cap acito r C1 f o r a p o wer su p p l y 6 2 . By the
co ncl u sio n o f p er io d T1 , cap acito r C1 is b r o u ght u p to
f u l l char ge, enab l ing the p o wer su p p l y to p r o v ide a
r egu l ated p o sitiv e DC su p p l y v o l tage o f , f o r examp l e 5
v o l ts. Du r ing a deadb and inter v al T2 , the p o wer su p p l y
initial izes o r r esets seq u ence l o gic cir cu itr y 6 0 , demo du
l ato r 6 4, an echo co u nter 6 6 , and a deto natio n co u nter
6 8 o v er l eads 6 9.
With the f u ze el ectr o nics f u l l y p o wer ed u p f r o m the
p o wer su p p l y, the f u ze is p r ep ar ed to r eceiv e the b u r st
o f timing p u l ses P3 o v er the p er io d T3, the l ength o f
which b eing r ep r esentativ e o f the time- o f - ? ight data
der iv ed f o r the sighted tar get. Up o n r eceip t o f the initial
timing p u l se thr o u gh dio de D2 b y demo du l ato r 6 4,
which is in the f o r m o f a o ne- sho t mu l tiv ib r ato r , its
o u tp u t o n l ine 70 go es high and stays high as l o ng as
timing p u l ses ar e r eceiv ed. Thu s, the o u tp u t o f the de
mo du l ato r is in the f o r m o f a singl e p u l se who se l ength
is p r ecisel y eq u al to the p er io d T3. This demo du l ato r
p u l se is ap p l ied to the seq u ence l o gic cir cu it, which, in
r esp o nse, co ncu r r entl y enab l es the deto natio n co u nter
o v er l ead 71 , co nditio ns the deto natio n co u nter to the
co u ntu p mo de o v er l ead 72 , and tr igger s a du al r ate
o scil l ato r 74 o v er l ead 75 to gener ate high f r eq u ency
cl o ck p u l ses o v er l ead 76 to the cl o ck inp u t o f the deto
natio n co u nter . Thu s du r ing the p er io d T3, the deto na
tio n co u nter is incr emented b y each o f these high f r e
q u ency cl o ck p u l ses. At the co ncl u sio n o f p er io d T3,
the deto natio n co u nter r egister s an accu mu l ated cl o ck
p u l se co u nt r ep r esentativ e o f the T3 p er io d l ength and
thu s co nstitu tes a p r o j ectil e ? ight time co u nt r ep r esent
ing the time- o f - ? ight data tr ansmitted b y the f u ze setter .
It wil l b e no ted that, du r ing this f u ze setting p hase T3,
the r eceiv ed timing p u l ses ar e al so u til ized to co ntinu e
char ging the p o wer su p p l y.
To co n? r m that the ? ight time co u nt co r r esp o nds to
the time- o f - ? ight data, the co ntents o f the l ast sev en
stages o f the ten- stage deto natio n co u nter ar e co ntinu
o u sl y r ead in p ar al l el into the sev en stages o f echo
co u nter 6 6 , su ch that thr ee l east signi? cant b its o f the
co u nt in the deto natio n co u nter ar e tr u ncated f r o m the
co u nt in the echo co u nter . At the co ncl u sio n o f the
p er io d T3, the seq u ence l o gic cir cu it r esp o nds to the
f al l ing edge o f the demo du l ato r o u tp u t p u l se b y en
ab l ing the echo co u nter o v er l ine 77 to b egin a co u nt
do wn o f high f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l ses ap p l ied o n l ead 78
f r o m o scil l ato r 74. When the echo co u nter is decr e
5, 343, 795
5
mented to zer o , a tr igger signal is issu ed o v er l ead 77 to
the seq u ence l o gic cir cu it. In r esp o nse, the seq u ence
l o gic cir cu it gates a sho r t b u r st o f high f r eq u ency cl o ck
p u l ses p r o v ided b y the o scil l atio n o n l ead 8 0 o u t o nto
l ine 58 and thr o u gh cap acito r C2 to switch 56 which
was p r ev io u sl y switched to its send co nditio n. This
p u l se b u r st, indicated at P4 in FIG. 5, is co u p l ed b ack as
an echo signal into the f u ze setter and to the co ntr o l l er
v ia the magnetical l y l inked indu ctio n co il s and r eceiv er
30 (FIG. 1 ). The inter v al b etween the l ast cl o ck p u l se
P3 and the ? r st cl o ck p u l se P4 def ines a p er io d T4
who se l ength is p r o p o r tio ned to the ? ight time co u nt
r esiding in the deto natio n co u nter div ided b y a b inar y
f acto r deter mined b y the tr u ncated co u nt r esiding in the
echo co u nter at the co ncl u sio n o f p er io d T3. Since, in
the il l u str ated emb o diment, the thr ee l east signi? cant
hits wer e tr u ncated, this b inar y div isio n f acto r (X ) is
eight. Thu s, the co ntr o l l er mu l tip l ies the detected
l ength o f p er io d T4 b y this b inar y div isio n f acto r . If the
r esu l ting p r o du ct su b stantial l y co r r esp o nds to the
l ength o f p er io d T3, the co ntr o l l er has co nf o r matio n
that the deto natio n co u nter did indeed co u nt high f r e
q u ency cl o ck p u l ses thr o u gho u t p er io d T3, and thu s the
tr ansmitted time- o f - ? ight data is accu r atel y r ep l icated
in the deto natio n co u nter as a p r o j ectil e ? ight time
co u nt.
It wil l b e ap p r eciated that p r o v iding a co nf o r matio n
signal b ack to the f u ze setter in the f o r m o f a v ar iab l e
deadb and p er io d T4 r edu ces f u ze p o wer r eq u ir ements,
since the echo p u l se b u r st need incl u de o nl y o ne o r
sev er al p u l ses P4 at the mo st. Mo r eo v er , tr u ncating the
? ight time co u nt in the echo co u nter dr amatical l y r e
du ces the time r eq u ir ed to f o r mu l ate a co n? r matio n
signal f o r tr ansmissio n b ack to the f u ze setter . Since the
f u ze is set whil e the ammu nitio n r o u nd is o n the mo v e
thr o u gh the co u p l ing zo ne, ab b r ev iatio n o f the f u ze
setting and setting co nf o r matio n times is a v er y imp o r
tant co nsider atio n.
If the co nf o r matio n signal indicates that the f u ze has
b een co r r ectl y set, the f u ze setter gener ates a ? nal b u r st
o f timing o r ener gy p u l ses P6 to r echar ge the p o wer
su p p l y cap acito r du r ing a p er io d T6 and thu s p r ep ar e
the el ectr o nic f u ze f o r ? ight. I
When an ammu nitio n r o u nd is ? r ed o f f b y the canno n
to l au nch its p r o j ectil e, an iner tial setb ack switch 8 2
cl o ses to ap p l y a gr o u nd p o tential signal to the seq u ence
l o gic cir cu it. In r esp o nse, the seq u ence l o gic cir cu it
enab l es the deto natio n co u nter o v er l ine 71 , co nditio ns
the deto natio n co u nter in the co u ntdo wn mo de o v er
l ine 72 , and co nditio ns the o scil l ato r 74 o v er l ine 75 to
b egin issu ing l o w f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l ses o v er l ead 76 to
the deto natio n co u nter . The deto natio n co u nter thu s
b egins co u nting l o w f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l ses do wn f r o m
the ? ight time co u nt r esiding ther ein at the co ncl u sio n
o f p er io d T3.
Al so co incident with p r o j ectil e l au nch, a setb ack
gener ato r 8 4 gener ates a l ar ge negativ e p u l se which
p asses thr o u gh dio de D3 to char ge a ? r ing cap acito r
C3. This setb ack gener al l y may b e o f the co nstr u ctio n
descr ib ed in U. S. Pat. N o . 3, 8 44, 1 2 7 to incl u de a p er ma
nent magnet and an indu ctio n co il . In r esp o nse to p r o
j ectil e l au nch, the magnet is p r o p el l ed b y iner tial f o r ces
thr o u gh the co il to gener ate the l ar ge ? r ing cap acito r
char ging p u l se.
When the deto nato r co u nter has b een decr emented to
zer o b y the l o w f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l ses, a ? r e co mmand
signal ap p ear s o n l ead 8 5 co nnected to the b ase o f a
tr ansisto r Q 1 thr o u gh a r esisto r R1 . This tr ansisto r tu r ns
1 5
2 0
2 5
30
35
40
50
55
6 5
6
o n to ap p l y v ia its emitter - co l l ecto r cir cu it, the p o sitiv e
su p p l y v o l tage to the gate o f a sil ico n co ntr o l l ed r ecti
? er SCR. This SCR is tr igger ed into co ndu ctio n to
dischar ge the ? r ing cap acito r into deto nato r 38 , ther eb y
f u nctio ning the p r o j ectil e war head in the TD mo de. If
the p r o j ectil e imp acts an o b j ect b ef o r e the deto natio n
co u nter is decr emented to zer o , imp act switch 46 cl o ses
to gr o u nd, and the r esu l ting initial dischar ge o f ? r ing
cap acito r C3 dev el o p s a gate tr igger ing v o l tage acr o ss
r esisto r R2 . The SCR is then gated into co ndu ctio n to
f u l l y dischar ge the ? r ing cap acito r into the deto nato r to
exp l o de the p r o j ectil e. It is thu s seen that the f u ze setter
can l eav e the el ectr o nic f u ze in a def au l ted PD mo de
simp l y b y no t setting the f u ze. If a SD mo de is cal l ed f o r
the f u ze setter mer el y sets the f u ze to a ? ight time co u nt
in excess o f the detected tar get r ange. If the tar get is
missed, the p r o j ectil e is destr o yed when the deto natio n
co u nter is zer o ed at so me p o int b eyo nd the tar get.
It wil l b e ap p r eciated that, b y u til izing du al r ate o scil
l ato r 74 to incr ement the deto natio n co u nter at a high
cl o ck p u l se r ate to a ? ight time co u nt r ep r esentativ e o f
the f u ze- setting time- o f - ? ight data tr ansmitted to the
f u ze and then to decr ement the deto natio n co u nter to
zer o at a l o w cl o ck p u l se r ate, the f u ze setter do es no t
need to kno w the p r ecise time b ase o f this o scil l ato r
when f o r mu l ating the time- o f - ? ight data, as l o ng as it
takes into acco u nt the kno wn inher entl y ? xed f r e
q u ency r el atio nship b etween the high and l o w cl o ck
p u l se r ates. Thu s, the time to co u nt do wn the deto na
tio n co u nter to zer o wil l co nf o r m to the f u ze- setting
time- o f - ? ight data with accep tab l e accu r acy. Mo r e
o v er , the high f r eq u ency co u ntu p and l o w f r eq u ency
co u ntdo wn o f the deto natio n co u nter p er mits a su b stan
tial co mp r essio n o f the f u ze setting time.
The al ter nativ e el ectr o nic f u ze emb o diment, gener
al l y indicated at 1 2 a in FIG. 6 , dif f er s f r o m the emb o di
ment 1 2 o f FIG. 4 in r esp ect to the manner in which the
deto natio n co u nter is incr emented and in the f o r mu l a
tio n o f the f u ze setting co nf o r matio n signal . The v ast
maj o r ity o f the el ements in the two emb o diments co r r e
sp o nd and thu s ar e indicated b y the same r ef er ence
nu mer al s. The f u ze setter p o wer s u p the el ectr o nics o f
f u ze 1 2 a in the same manner b y tr ansmitting a b u r st o f
ener gy p u l ses P1 o v er a p r echar ging p er io d T1 (FIG.
7), which char ges sto r age cap acito r C1 o f p o wer su p p l y
6 2 . When the p o wer su p p l y v o l tage go es into r egu l a
tio n, seq u ence l o gic cir cu it 6 0 and deto natio n co u nter
6 8 ar e r eset (initial ized). In co ntr ast to f u ze 1 2 o f FIG.
4, the deto natio n co u nter in f u ze 1 2 a actu al l y co u nts the
nu mb er o f high f r eq u ency timing p u l ses r ep r esenting
the time- o f - ? ight data tr ansmitted b y the f u ze setter .
Thu s, it is seen in FIG. 6 that these p u l ses r eceiv ed b y
f u ze 1 2 a ar e ap p l ied to the deto natio n co u nter v ia
switch 56 , dio de D2 , r esisto r R4 and a p u l se shap er 90 .
On the l eading edge o f the ? r st p u l se, the seq u ence l o gic
cir cu it enab l es the deto natio n co u nter to b e incr e
mented b y each timing p u l se P3 r eceiv ed o v er the p er
io d T3 (FIG. 7). Thu s, the deto natio n co u nter co u nts u p
to a ? ight time co u nt which is eq u al to the nu mb er o f
timing p u l ses P3. The f u ze setter l ikewise tr ansmits a
b u r st o f ener gy p u l ses P5 du r ing a p er io d T5 (FIG. 7) to
r echar ge sto r age cap acito r C1 in p r ep ar atio n f o r p r o j ec
til e l au nch. When an ammu nitio n r o u nd is ? r ed o f f , as
signal l ed b y setb ack switch 8 2 , the seq u ence l o gic cir
cu it co nditio ns the deto natio n co u nter to the co u nt
do wn mo de and to b egin co u nting l o w f r eq u ency cl o ck
p u l ses gener ated b y an o scil l ato r 92 . When the deto na
tio n co u nter is co u nted do wn to zer o , the SCR is gated
5, 343, 795
7
into co ndu ctio n to dischar ge the setb ack gener ato r
char ged ? r ing cap acito r C3 into the deto nato r to f u nc
tio n the war head in the TD mo de, al l in the manner
descr ib ed ab o v e in the case o f f u ze 1 2 .
Ho wev er , in co ntr ast to the f u ze 1 2 emb o diment, the
f u ze setter , in o r der to co r r ectl y f o r mu l ate the time- o f
? ight data, i. e. , deter mine the co r r ect nu mb er o f data
p u l ses P2 f o r tr ansmissio n to f u ze 1 2 a, mu st kno w the
time b ase o f o scil l ato r 92 . To p r o v ide this inf o r matio n,
du r ing the p er io d T2 b etween p er io ds T1 and T3 in
FIG. 7 the seq u ence l o gic cir cu it sends a cal ib r atio n
signal in the f o r m o f a singl e l o w f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l se
v ia l ine 93 and p u l se shap er 94 to switch 56 which has
b een p u t in its send co nditio n. In r esp o nse to this shap ed
cl o ck p u l se, indu ctio n co il 1 8 and cap acito r C2 act to
dev el o p a ? r st p u l se P3 o n the l eading p u l se edge and a
seco nd p u l se 95 o n the tr ail ing p u l se edge. Kno wing the
du ty cycl e o f the f u ze o scil l ato r , the co ntr o l l er in the
f u ze setter then can deter mine the f r eq u ency o f the l o w
cl o ck p u l ses f r o m the inter v al 96 b etween p u l ses 94 and
95. N o w kno wing the f r eq u ency o f the deto nato r
co u nter co u ntdo wn cl o ck p u l ses, the co ntr o l l er can
accu r atel y f o r mu l ate the time- o f - ? ight data f o r tr ans
missio n to the f u ze.
To p r o v ide an accep tab l e co nf o r matio n that the time
o f - ? ight data p u l ses wer e f u l l y accu mu l ated in the deto
natio n co u nter du r ing p er io d T3, the co ntent o f the l ast
six stages o f the deto nato r co u nter ar e sensed b y the
seq u ence l o gic cir cu it o v er l ines 97 to deter mine which
o f these stages co ntains the mo st signif icant b it o f the
? ight time co u nt r egister ed in the co u nter . Based o n this
deter minatio n, the seq u ence l o gic cir cu it sends a p air o f
o scil l ato r cl o ck p u l ses 98 and 99 (FIG. 7) to the f u ze
setter du r ing p er io d T4, with the inter v al 1 0 0 b etween
p u l ses set to indicate the mo st signi? cant b it l o catio n in
the deto natio n co u nter . The f u ze setter co ntr o l l er de
tects the co n? r matio n signal p u l se inter v al to deter mine
that the indicated mo st signi? cant b it l o catio n in the
deto natio n co u nter is p r o p er f o r the p ar ticu l ar time- o f
? ight data tr ansmitted to the f u ze. If so , ther e is an
accep tab l e co nf o r matio n that the deto natio n co u nter
co u nted al l o f the data p u l ses, and thu s the ? ight time
co u nt r esiding ther ein is accu r ate f o r the sighted tar get.
The f u ze setter then gener ates the b u r st o f ener gy p u l ses
P5 o v er the p er io d T5 to r echar ge sto r age cap acito r C1
p r ep ar ato r y to l au nch. It wil l b e u nder sto o d that the
time p er io ds in FIG. 7 ar e no t indicated in accu r ate
r el ativ e time scal e to f acil itate il l u str atio n and that the
p u l ses 98 and 99 r ep r esent either the l eading o r tr ail ing
edges o f the time sp aced cl o ck p u l ses.
It is seen f r o m the f o r ego ing that the o b j ectiv es o f the
inv entio n ar e ef ? cientl y attained, and, since cer tain
changes may b e made in the co nstr u ctio ns set f o r th
witho u t dep ar ting f r o m the inv entio n, it is intended that
matter s o f detail b e taken as il l u str ativ e and no t in a
l imiting sense.
Hav ing descr ib ed the inv entio n, what is cl aimed is
new and desir ed to secu r e b y Letter s Patent is:
1 . A system f o r setting a p r o j ectil e f u se o f each o f a
su ccessio n o f ammu nitio n r o u nds b eing f ed to a r ap id
? r e canno n, said system co mp r ising, in co mb inatio n:
A. a f u ze setter incl u ding
1 ) a co ntr o l l er ,
2 ) a tr ansmitter co nnected with said co ntr o l l er , and
3) a ? r st indu ctiv e co il co nnected with said tr ans
mitter and l o cated in a co u p l ing zo ne situ ated
al o ng an ammu nitio n r o u nd f eedp ath l eading to
the canno n; and
1 5
2 0
2 5
30
35
40
45
55
6 0
6 5
8
B. an el ectr o nic f u ze inco r p o r ated in the p r o j ectil e o f
each ammu nitio n r o u nd and incl u ding
1 ) a seco nd indu ctiv e co il assu ming an indu ctiv el y
co u p l ed r el atio nship with said ? r st indu ctiv e co il
du r ing mo v ement al o ng the ammu nitio n r o u nd
f eedp ath thr o u gh said co u p l ing zo ne, so as to
r eceiv e time- o f - ? ight data tr ansmitted b y said
tr ansmitter u nder the co ntr o l o f said co ntr o l l er ,
2 ) ? r st means f o r r egister ing a p r o j ectil e f l ight time
co u nt indicativ e o f said time- o f - ? ight data,
3) a deto nato r ,
4) seco nd means f o r timing the ? ight o f the p r o j ec
til e, and
5) thir d means f o r tr igger ing said deto nato r to ex
p l o de the p r o j ectil e when the p r o j ectil e ? ight
time achiev es co r r esp o ndence with said ? ight
time co u nt.
2 . The system de? ned in cl aim 1 , wher ein said f u ze
setter f u r ther incl u des a r eceiv er co nnected with said
co ntr o l l er and said ? r st indu ctio n co il , and said el ec
tr o nic f u se f u r ther incl u ding f o u r th means f o r f o r mu l at
ing a co nf o r matio n signal f o r tr ansmissio n b ack to said
co ntr o l l er v ia said ? r st and seco nd indu ctio n co il s and
said r eceiv er to co n? r m that said ? ight time co u nt r egis
ter ed in said ? r st means su b stantial l y co r r esp o nds to
said time- o f - ? ight data tr ansmitted b y said tr ansmitter .
3. The system de? ned in cl aim 1 , wher ein said f u ze
setter f u r ther incl u des a senso r r esp o nsiv e to the entr y
o f said seco nd indu ctio n co il into said co u p l ing zo ne f o r
signal l ing said co ntr o l l er to b egin sending said time o f
? ight data v ia said tr ansmitter .
4. The system de? ned in cl aim 3, wher ein said seco nd
indu ctiv e co il is l o cated at a su b stantial l y cyl indr ical
p o r tio n o f the p r o j ectil e so as to maximize the magnetic
co u p l ing with said ? r st indu ctio n co il whil e said seco nd
indu ctio n co il is in said co u p l ing zo ne.
5. The system de? ned in cl aim 2 , wher ein said el ec
tr o nic f u ze f u r ther incl u des a p o wer su p p l y hav ing a
sto r age cap acito r , said co ntr o l l er co ntr o l l ing said tr ans
mitter to tr ansmit a ? r st b u r st o f el ectr ical ener gy f o r
char ging said sto r age cap acito r p r io r to tr ansmitting
said time- o f - ? ight data and to tr ansmit a seco nd b u r st o f
el ectr ical ener gy f o r r echar ging said sto r age cap acito r
when said co nf o r matio n signal indicates su b stantial
co r r esp o ndence b etween said time- o f - ? ight data and
said ? ight time co u nt.
6 . The system de? ned in cl aim 5, which f u r ther in
cl u des an imp act switch f o r tr igger ing said deto nato r to
exp l o de the p r o j ectil e u p o n imp act with an o b j ect p r io r
to the tr igger ing o f said deto nato r b y said thir d means.
7. The system de? ned in cl aim 2 , wher ein said ? r st
means incl u des a deto natio n co u nter , said deto natio n
co u nter b eing incr emented at a high f r eq u ency r ate to
co u nt u p to said p r o j ectil e ? ight time co u nt, and said
seco nd means incl u des an o scil l ato r f o r gener ating
cl o ck p u l ses to decr ement said deto natio n co u nter at a
l o w f r eq u ency r ate, said deto natio n co u nter initiating
tr igger ing o f said deto nato r b y said thir d means u p o n
b eing co u nted do wn to zer o .
8 . The system de? ned in cl aim 7, wher ein said time
o f - f l ight data is tr ansmitted to said f u ze in the f o r m o f a
b u r st o f timing p u l ses o v er a p er io d who se l ength is
indicativ e o f said time- o f - f l ight data, and wher ein said
f u ze f u r ther incl u des a so u r ce o f high f r eq u ency cl o ck
p u l ses and a l o gic cir cu it r esp o nsiv e to said timing p u l se
b u r st f o r co nditio ning said deto natio n co u nter to co u nt
said high f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l ses o v er the l ength o f said
5, 343, 795
p er io d, wher eb y to incr ement said deto natio n co u nter
to said ? ight time co u nt.
9. The system de? ned in cl aim 8 , wher ein said o scil l a
to r is a du al f r eq u ency o scil l ato r f o r gener ating said
high and l o w f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l ses to incr ement and
decr ement said deto natio n co u nter u nder the co ntr o l o f
said l o gic cir cu it, the f r eq u ency r el atio nship b etween
said high and l o w f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l ses b eing ? xed.
1 0 . The system de? ned in cl aim 9, wher ein said f o u r th
means and said l o gic cir cu it f o r mu l ate said co nf o r ma
tio n signal as at l east o ne echo p u l se tr ansmitted b ack to
said co ntr o l l er to mar k a time p er io d hav ing a du r atio n
indicativ e o f said ? ight time co u nt r egister ed in said
deto natio n co u nter .
1 1 . The system de? ned in cl aim 1 0 , wher ein said echo
p u l se is tr ansmitted b ack to said co ntr o l l er in time
sp aced r el atio n to the co ncl u sio n o f said timing p u l se
b u r st tr ansmitted to said f u ze.
1 2 . The system de? ned in cl aim 1 1 , wher ein said
f o u r th means incl u des an echo co u nter co nnected with
said deto nato r co u nter to r egister a tr u ncated co u nt o f
said ? ight time co u nt, u p o n the co ncl u sio n o f said tim
ing p u l se b u r st, said echo co u nter b eing decr emented b y
said high f r eq u ency cl o ck p u l ses to co u nt do wn to zer o
f r o m said tr u ncated co u nt and ther eu p o n to signal said
l o gic cir cu it to tr ansmit said echo p u l se.
1 3. The system de? ned in cl aim 2 , wher ein said time
o f - ? ight data is tr ansmitted to said f u ze in the f o r m o f a
b u r st o f high f r eq u ency timing p u l ses in nu mb er indica
tiv e o f said time- o f - ? ight data, and wher ein said ? r st
means incl u des a deto natio n co u nter co nditio ned to
co u nt the nu mb er o f timing p u l ses in said b u r st and to
ther eb y r egister said ? ight time co u nt, and said seco nd
means incl u des an o scil l ato r f o r gener ating l o w f r e
q u ency cl o ck p u l ses to decr ement said deto natio n
co u nter , said deto natio n co u nter initiating tr igger ing o f
said deto nato r u p o n b eing co u nted do wn to zer o .
1 4. The system de? ned in cl aim 1 3, wher ein said
f o u r th means incl u des a l o gic cir cu it f o r tr ansmitting a
cal ib r atio n signal to said co ntr o l l er p r io r to the tr ans
missio n o f said timing p u l se b u r st, said cal ib r atio n signal
b eing indicativ e o f the f r eq u ency o f said cl o ck p u l ses.
1 5. The system de? ned in cl aim 1 4, wher ein said
cal ib r atio n signal is in the f o r m o f a p air o f cal ib r atio n
p u l ses tr ansmitted co incident with the l eading and tr ail
ing edges o f o ne o f said cl o ck p u l ses.
1 6 . The system de? ned in cl aim 1 5, wher ein said l o gic
cir cu it is co nnected with said deto natio n co u nter to
detect the l o catio n o f the mo st signi? cant b it o f said
? ight time co u nt in said deto natio n co u nter , said l o gic
cir cu it tr ansmitting said co nf o r matio n signal s as a p air
o f echo p u l ses at a sel ected inter v al indicativ e o f said
mo st signi? cant b it l o catio n.
1 7. An ammu nitio n f u zing system co mp r ising, in
co mb inatio n:
A. a f u ze setter incl u ding
2 0
2 5
30
35
45
50
55
6 5
1 0
1 ) a co ntr o l l er ,
2 ) a tr ansmitter co nnected with said co ntr o l l er ,
3) a r eceiv er co nnected with said co ntr o l l er , and
4) a ? r st indu ctiv e co il co nnected with said tr ans
mitter and r eceiv er ; and
B, an el ectr o nic f u ze inco r p o r ated in an ammu nitio n
r o u nd p r o j ectil e and incl u ding
1 ) a p o wer su p p l y incl u ding an ener gy sto r age
cap acito r ,
2 ) a seco nd indu ctiv e co il f o r r eceiv ing, whil e in
indu ctiv el y co u p l ed r el atio nship with ? r st indu c
tiv e co il , a b u r st o f ener gy p u l ses f o r char ging
said cap acito r f o l l o wed b y time- o f - ? ight data as
tr ansmitted b y said tr ansmitter u nder the co ntr o l
o f said co ntr o l l er ,
3) a deto natio n co u nter f o r accu mu l ating at a high
co u nting r ate a p r o j ectil e ? ight time co u nt indic
ativ e o f said time- o f - ? ight data,
4) a l o gic cir cu it f o r f o r mu l ating a co nf o r matio n
signal indicativ e o f said ? ight time co u nt and
tr ansmitting said co nf o r matio n signal b ack to
said co ntr o l l er f o r co nf o r matio n that said ? ight
time co u nt accep tab l y co r r esp o nds to said time
o f - f l ight data,
5) a deto nato r ,
6 ) an o scil l ato r f o r gener ating cl o ck p u l ses, said
deto natio n co u nter co u nting said cl o ck p u l ses
do wn f r o m said ? ight time co u nt at a l o w co u nt
ing r ate, and
7) means f o r tr igger ing said deto nato r to exp l o de
the p r o j ectil e when said deto natio n co u nter is
co u nted do wn to zer o .
1 8 . The ammu nitio n f u zing system de? ned in cl aim
1 7, wher ein said time- o f - ? ight data is in the f o r m o f a
b u r st o f timing p u l ses, and wher ein said o scil l ato r is a
du al f r eq u ency o scil l ato r co ntr o l l ed b y said l o gic cir cu it
to gener ate said cl o ck p u l ses at said high co u nting r ate
to incr ement said deto natio n co u nter u p to said ? ight
time co u nt o v er the p er io d o f said timing p u l se b u r st
and then to gener ate said cl o ck p u l ses at said l o w co u nt
ing r ate to decr ement said deto natio n co u nter to zer o ,
1 9. The ammu nitio n f u zing system de? ned in cl aim
1 7, wher ein, p r io r to the tr ansmissio n o f said time- o f
? ight data in the f o r m o f a b u r st o f timing p u l ses in
nu mb er indicativ e ther eo f , said l o gic cir cu it tr ansmits a
cal ib r atio n signal to said co ntr o l l er indicativ e o f the
f r eq u ency o f said cl o ck p u l ses and then co ntr o l s said
deto natio n co u nter to accu mu l ate said timing p u l ses,
ther eb y to r egister said ? ight time co u nt.
2 0 . The system de? ned in cl aim 1 9, wher ein said l o gic
cir cu it is co nnected with said deto natio n co u nter to
detect the l o catio n o f the mo st signi? cant b it o f said
? ight time co u nt in said deto natio n co u nter , said l o gic
cir cu it tr ansmitting said co nf o r matio n signal as a p air o f
echo p u l ses at a sel ected inter v al indicativ e o f said mo st
signi? cant b it l o catio n.
* * * * *