Aircraft Pointing Logic for Accurate Aiming During Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aiming systems do not accurately account for roll and pitch angular rates and angles during aircraft maneuvering, leading to errors in aiming devices like drone engagement devices (DEDs), which can result in ineffective targeting.
Innovation Solution
The system determines the position and orientation of both the aircraft and the aiming device, calculating aiming points based on the device's movement range and aircraft orientation, including yaw, pitch, and roll, to accurately orient the aiming device towards the target, using processor circuitry and machine-readable instructions to adjust the aircraft or aiming device's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional gimbal-based aiming systems are used to point devices at targets, then the system can achieve basic aiming capability, but aiming accuracy deteriorates during aircraft maneuvering due to unaccounted roll and pitch angular rates and angles
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously receives real-time data from inertial measurement units (IMUs) regarding aircraft orientation and angular rates, and from sensors detecting target position. This feedback loop enables the control system to dynamically calculate and adjust aiming points, compensating for aircraft maneuvers and maintaining accurate targeting throughout the sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system pre-calculates aiming points by anticipating the effects of aircraft roll, pitch, and yaw on device orientation. By computing compensation values before executing aiming commands, the system proactively corrects for maneuvering effects rather than reacting to errors after they occur.
2Measurement precision
If the system accounts for all aircraft orientation parameters (roll, pitch, yaw) and angular rates, then aiming accuracy improves, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system processes orientation and angular rate data separately for each axis (roll, pitch, yaw) and calculates compensation for each degree of freedom independently. This segmented approach breaks down the complex six-degree-of-freedom problem into manageable components, simplifying the overall computational structure while maintaining comprehensive compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system employs a unified mathematical model that simultaneously handles all orientation parameters and angular rates through a single set of transformation equations. This multi-functional approach allows the same computational framework to address roll, pitch, and yaw effects together, reducing the need for separate complex calculation routines for each parameter.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for pointing logic in aircraft are disclosed. A disclosed example apparatus to aim an aiming device carried by an aircraft includes at least one memory, machine readable instructions, and processor circuitry. The processor is to at least one of instantiate or execute the machine readable instructions to determine a position of a target, determine an orientation of the aircraft, determine aiming points based on the orientation and a movement range of the aiming device, and determine a movement of at least one of the aircraft or the aiming device based on the aiming points and the position to orient the aiming device toward the target.