US3792354A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Velocity measuring system
Assignee: Department of National Defence
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Filing: 1972-02-04
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Granted: 1974-02-12
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Expires: 1992-02-04
Abstract
Abstract A system and method for determining the relative velocities of a projectile at different portions of its path in which a plurality of signalling detector stations are arranged at predetermined intervals along such path, a common receiving station is arranged to receive signals from the detector stations through a common communication channel and has a memory unit capable of storing pulses corresponding to the signals received, and a calculator capable of analyzing adjacent pairs of the pulses which have been produced by passage of the projectile over two or more of the path intervals monitored by the detector stations to determine the relative velocities of the projectile as it traverses the path intervals monitored by different pairs of detector stations. This information is valuable for example in studying retardation properties of a projectile.
Inventors
- 👤 W Slaght
- 👤 J Boutin
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 03:55
CPC Classifications
G; G04; G04F; G04F10/00; G04F10/04; G01; G01P; G01P3/00; G01P3/64; G01P3/66; G01P3/665
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
207 words
A system for determining the relative velocities of a projectile at different portions of its flight path, including: a. a number of projectile detector stations located at predetermined intervals along said flight path and each capable of transmitting a signal on detection of a projectile; b. a common receiving station for receiving the signals transmitted by the detector stations; c. a common communication channel linking said detector stations to said common receiving station; d. said common receiving station having a memory storage capable of storing pulses corresponding to the received signals; and e. Calcuator means capable of analyzing adjacent pairs of said pulses and determining the relative velocities of each projectile when traveling over two or more of said predetermined intervals; wherein each detector station includes means to generate a pair of R.F. pulses in response to each passage of a projectile, said R.F. pulses having a predetermined spacing between them arranged so that any pair arriving at the common receiving station is received in full before any portion of a different pair of pulses arrives at the common receiving station, and the common receiving station includes means to identify the pulses by sensing the predetermined spacing between them before transmitting a signal to the memory storage.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
207 words
A system for determining the relative velocities of a projectile at different portions of its flight path, including: a. a number of projectile detector stations located at predetermined intervals along said flight path and each capable of transmitting a signal on detection of a projectile; b. a common receiving station for receiving the signals transmitted by the detector stations; c. a common communication channel linking said detector stations to said common receiving station; d. said common receiving station having a memory storage capable of storing pulses corresponding to the received signals; and e. Calcuator means capable of analyzing adjacent pairs of said pulses and determining the relative velocities of each projectile when traveling over two or more of said predetermined intervals; wherein each detector station includes means to generate a pair of R.F. pulses in response to each passage of a projectile, said R.F. pulses having a predetermined spacing between them arranged so that any pair arriving at the common receiving station is received in full before any portion of a different pair of pulses arrives at the common receiving station, and the common receiving station includes means to identify the pulses by sensing the predetermined spacing between them before transmitting a signal to the memory storage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
81 words
A system according to claim 1 wherein: a. said common receiving station includes a pulse space analyzer unit for determining if each received pair has Said predetermined spacing and for producing a single pulse corresponding to each of said pairs; b. said memory storage unit being capable of storing said single pulses; and c. the time interval between the pulses stored in said storage unit being indicative of the time interval between the corresponding signals received by the common receiving station.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
113 words
A system according to claim 2 wherein: a. a first single pulse corresponding to the passage of a projectile past a first detector station is supplied to a first pulse synchronizing unit capable of emitting a first identification pulse synchronized therewith; b. said first identification pulse initiating a counting operation; c. said first sychronizing unit being capable of providing a second identification pulse corresponding to the next occurring single pulse and corresponding to the passage of the projectile past a second detector station; and d. said second identification pulse being operative to stop said counting operation to provide an indication of the velocity of the projectile between said first and second detector stations.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
67 words
A system according to claim 3 wherein the first identification pulse initiates the operation of a time interval totalizer unit for totalizing the time intervals between oscillator pulses at a predetermined frequency supplied to it, said second identification pulse stopping operation of said totalizer whereby a counter velocity unit connected to said totalizer unit indicates the velocity of the projectile between said first and second detector stations.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
116 words
A system according to claim 3 wherein the first identification pulse initiates the operation of a time interval totalizer unit for totalizing the time intervals between succeeding pairs of pulses supplied to it, until a totalized time of one second is reached, a counter velocity unit for counting the number of times pulses corresponding to the passage of a projectile past a detector station are provided at the output of said first pulse synchronizer unit, means for stopping said counting by said counter velocity unit when said time interval totalizer unit indicates said time of one second is reached whereby said counter velocity unit indicates the velocity of the projectile in units of distance per second.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
A system according to claim 5 wherein a base multiplier unit is provided to multiply the reading said counter velocity unit by an amount equal to the predetermined interval between adjacent projectile detecting stations measured in said units of distance.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
88 words
A system according to claim 2 including: a. the first of said single pulses being inserted into a memory unit for storage by circulation; b. a counter for counting the number of times said first single pulse circulates in said memory unit before the second single pulse arrives; and c. means for utilizing the product of the delay time of said memory unit and the count in said counter plus the time interval between the pulses stored in said memory unit to calculate the velocity of the projectile.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
73 words
A system according to claim 2 wherein: a. said single pulses are supplied to a ring counter having a plurality of outputs; b. a separate memory unit in series with a first encoder unit being connected to each output of the ring counter; and c. a stepping switch for selecting the outputs of said first encoder units in turn and connected to a velocity calculator capable of calculating the velocity of a projectile.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system according to claim 1 wherein each detector station includes an S band microwave transmitter to generate the pairs of R. F. pulses, and each receiving station includes an S band horn antenna to receive the pairs of R. F. pulses.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-02-11 | 1977-08-13 | 1978-02-12 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-02-11 | 1981-08-13 | 1982-02-12 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-02-11 | 1985-08-13 | 1986-02-12 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |