Fluorescent Tracer Coating for Ballistic Aim Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fire control systems for weaponry face limitations in precision and accuracy due to factors like gun jump, wind turbulence, ammunition irregularities, and bore sight misalignment, and they consume excessive power and have complex sensor arrays.
Innovation Solution
A projectile with a fluorescent dye coating that re-emits radiation when excited by laser light, combined with a system including a radiation source, detector, signal processor, and computer to calculate and correct for lateral and vertical drift, improving aim accuracy and reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an optical emitter with LED strobe signals is used to track projectile position, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy by moving object increases due to battery power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the active LED optical emitter system with a passive fluorescent tracer coating on the projectile. Instead of using powered LEDs that consume battery energy, the system uses fluorescent material that passively emits light when excited by external illumination, eliminating the need for power-consuming electronic components on the projectile itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary fluorescent coating material between the projectile surface and the optical detection system. This fluorescent tracer acts as a mediator that converts external light into detectable optical signals, enabling position tracking without requiring active power sources on the projectile.
2Measurement precision
If a complex sensor array is used to detect projectile position, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex active sensor arrays with a simpler optical detection system that detects passive fluorescent emissions. The fluorescent tracer coating simplifies the detection mechanism by providing inherent optical contrast that can be detected with less complex instrumentation compared to active LED-based systems.
3Measurement precision
If real-time optical strobe signals are emitted from the projectile, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of manufacture worsens due to integration complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex integration of electronic LED emitters, batteries, and circuitry within the projectile with a simple fluorescent coating application. This coating can be applied using standard manufacturing processes without requiring integration of complex electronic subsystems, significantly improving ease of manufacture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the precision and reliability of subsequent projectile launches by accurately correcting for aiming errors, simplifying the sensor array, and minimizing power usage, while providing stealthy operation through optimized signal processing.
Implementation Method 1
A projectile with a fluorescent dye coating that re-emits radiation when excited by laser light
Implementation Method 2
The fluorescent dye, optimized to luminance in response to laser radiation, exploits a natural phenomenon known as 'laser-induced-fluorescence'
Data Source
AI summary
A system for correcting the aim of a weapon which is operative to launch a projectile from a barrel on a ballistic path toward a target. A rear surface of the projectile is coated with a fluorescent dye that re-emits radiation when excited by laser radiation. The system includes a source of laser radiation (strobe) pulses that form a cone of light intersecting the ballistic path of the projectile. The strobe pulses are emitted at predetermined times (T1, T2, T3, . . . Tn) following firing of the projectile (at time T0). An optical detector receives the radiation re-emitted by a the fluorescent dye at the rear of the projectile at times (T1z, T2z, T3z, . . . Tnz) producing measurable location signals allowing the system to measure the vertical and lateral positions of the projectile at said times, where “z” is a re-emission delay and T1z, T2z, T3z, . . . Tnz are the respective times T1, T2, T3, . . . Tn each delayed by amount z.