High speed electro-optic payout system incorporating a stationary optical terminus

Abstract

A system and apparatus for deployment of a decoy from a moving object, such as an aircraft, to protect the aircraft from an enemy missile. The decoy is stored in a housing mounted on the aircraft and is connected by a cable containing fiber optics and high voltage conductors. The cable is stored on a spool which is reciprocally moveable along a rotating shaft provided with a double helix and which is located coaxially within an outer rotatable de-bailer. The cable is drawn through a passage formed in an outer cylindrical side wall and end wall of the de-bailer as the decoy is deployed from the aircraft. The cable causes the de-bailer to rotate about the spool which reciprocates back and forth along the double helix shaft. The spool is connected to the helix of the shaft by a pawl and a brake mechanism controls the rotational speed of the shaft, and thus the payout speed of the cable. The control cable extends continuously from the decoy to a stationary terminus at the aircraft avoiding the use of a fiber optic rotary joint or slip ring technology heretofore required.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Technical Field [0002] The invention relates to towed vehicles and particularly to a system and apparatus for deploying a decoy for protection of an aircraft, and even more particular, to such a system in which the decoy is towed by an electro-optical cable having a stationary terminus at the aircraft. [0003] 2. Background Information [0004] Aerial towed objects are used for a variety of purposes, including decoys, testing, and scientific investigations. In one embodiment, the decoys are used to draw various types of guided weapons, such as missiles, away from an aircraft that the weapons are intended to destroy. These towed targets and decoys contain various types of electronic circuits to create an apparent target to a weapon which attracts the weapon to the decoy rather than the aircraft. One such electronic circuit has a traveling wave tube amplifier and antennas to which high voltages must be applied to power the traveling wave tube. Additi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a system and apparatus for rapidly deploying a decoy from an aircraft to disrupt the flight of a weapon guided by radar or other guidance signals. The system includes a cable containing high voltage and fiber optic conductors to provide radar jamming signals to the decoy. The cable is connected to the aircraft without the use of moving components, such as fiber optic rotary joints or slip ring technology. The system also includes an ejection device that rapidly deploys the decoy and an electro-optical cable supply spool that is non-rotational and mounted on a double helix rotatable shaft. The system also includes a brake mechanism to control the speed of the cable payout from the spool. Additionally, the invention provides a rapidly deployed cable severing mechanism for disengaging the decoy from the aircraft after it has performed its intended function.

Problems solved by technology

Additionally, other controls for the traveling wave tube or other electronics in the towed object are transmitted along a fiber optic transmission line, which is both fragile and frangible.

Current military aircraft are vulnerable to attack from IR-guided surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles.

This can result in problems both from the payout velocity and reliability due to its inability to perform rapid deployment to length and to the required relatively large rotary joints and high voltage slip rings required which can fail to be within the volume constraints imposed on such a system.

Thus, these prior systems requiring the fiber optic and high voltage cables lack an efficient manner to provide a satisfactory connection between the cable being unwound from a reel and its stationary connection at the aircraft in a compact assembly.

Although spinning reel-like techniques have existed for fishing, in the area of rapidly deployed decoys they were not used to winch decoys.

Images