Remote Weapon System Fire Control Unit for Airburst Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote weapon systems using airburst ammunition are inefficient and inaccurate when manually adjusting to cover geographical areas, leading to significant ammunition waste.
Innovation Solution
A remote weapon system with a fire control unit that automatically calculates the number of shots and azimuth and elevation directions for airburst ammunition to cover a specified geographical area, incorporating input parameters such as area dimensions, target speed, and climatic conditions, allowing for precise and efficient coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual adjustment of azimuth and elevation is used to cover a geographical area with airburst ammunition, then the operator can control the weapon direction, but the coverage accuracy deteriorates and ammunition waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment of azimuth and elevation with an automated fire control unit that calculates optimal firing parameters. The system uses computational algorithms to determine precise azimuth and elevation angles based on target coordinates, ammunition type, and environmental factors, eliminating the imprecision of manual operator adjustment while maintaining operational control.
Solution Approach 2:
The fire control unit autonomously calculates the number of shots required and the specific azimuth/elevation directions for each shot to cover the geographical area. The system serves itself by automatically processing target data, selecting ammunition parameters, and generating firing solutions without requiring continuous manual intervention, thereby improving coverage accuracy while reducing ammunition waste.
2Reliability
If manual adjustment is used to ensure complete area coverage, then coverage can be achieved, but ammunition consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The fire control unit calculates the precise number of shots needed to cover the geographical area by analyzing the area parameters, ammunition footprint, and overlap requirements. Instead of using excessive ammunition to ensure coverage, the system computes the optimal minimum number of shots required, firing only what is necessary to achieve complete coverage while minimizing waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculations before firing to determine the optimal firing pattern. The fire control unit pre-calculates azimuth and elevation directions for each shot based on the geographical area to be covered and the ammunition characteristics, ensuring that each shot contributes efficiently to area coverage and eliminating redundant ammunition expenditure.
3Measurement precision
If automatic calculation of shot number and directions is implemented, then coverage precision improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fire control unit serves multiple functions within a single integrated system: it receives target position data, selects appropriate ammunition types, calculates the number of shots required, determines azimuth and elevation directions for each shot, and accounts for environmental factors like wind and temperature. This multi-functionality achieves high coverage precision while consolidating complexity into a single versatile control unit rather than multiple separate systems.
4Measurement precision
If environmental factors like wind and temperature are accounted for in calculations, then firing accuracy improves, but calculation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fire control unit adjusts firing parameters (azimuth and elevation) based on environmental conditions by incorporating wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and humidity as input variables. The system modifies the calculated firing solutions to compensate for environmental effects on ammunition trajectory, thereby maintaining high firing accuracy while integrating these factors into a unified calculation framework that manages complexity through systematic parameter adjustment.
Data Source
AI summary
A remote weapon system (10) includes: a fire control unit (12); and a mechanical support (14) to which a weapon (18) capable of firing airburst ammunition is mountable, the mechanical support being adapted to move the weapon in azimuth and elevation directions. The fire control unit is adapted to receive input parameters including at least one area parameter related to a geographical area to be covered by the airburst ammunition from the weapon. Further, the fire control unit is configured to automatically calculate a number of shots of the weapon as well as azimuth and elevation directions of the mechanical support for each shot based on the input parameters such that substantially the entire geographical area is covered by the airburst ammunition when the weapon is fired.