MISSILE CONTROL SYSTEM

SYSTEME DE CONTROLE DE PROJECTILE

English Abstract

A missile or other moving body has a rotatable portion,
first and second control members on the rotatable portion for
separate actuation by first and second actuator mechanisms
movable in response to the energisation of first and second
electromagnetic coils forming part of the mechanisms and
contained in the other portion of the missile of body. The
coils are mounted in spaced relation along the rotary axis of
the rotatable portion and concentric with respect thereto, with
the first coil nearer to the rotatable portion than the second
coil. The first actuator mechanism has an axially movable
sleeve coaxial with the rotary axis and extending at one end
into the rotatable portion and at the other end carrying an
armature disc mounted concentrically with respect to the sleeve
and in cooperating relation with the first coil which upon
energisation causes the disc and the sleeve to move axially to
effect actuation of the first control member. The second
actuator mechanism has an axially movable shaft coaxial with the
rotary axis and slidable within the sleeve, said shaft extending
beyond the sleeve at each end, one end of the shaft extending
into the rotatable portion of the missile or body and the other
end carrying a further armature disc concentric with the shaft
and arranged in cooperating relation with the second coil which
upon energisation causes the further disc and the shaft to move
axially to effect actuation of the second control member.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A missile or other moving body comprising a rotatable
portion arranged for rotation about a predetermined axis
relative to another portion of the missile or body, first and
second control members on said rotatable portion for separate
actuation by first and second actuator mechanisms movable in
response to the energisation of first and second electromagnetic
coils forming part of the mechanisms and contained in the said
other portion of the missile of body, said coils being mounted
in spaced relation in the said other portion along the rotary
axis of the said rotatable portion and concentric with respect
thereto, with the first coil nearer to the rotatable portion
than the second coil, the first actuator mechanism comprising an
axially movable sleeve co-axial with the rotary axis and
extending at one end into the rotatable portion and at the other
end carrying an armature disc mounted concentrically with
respect to the sleeve and in cooperating relation with the first
coil which upon energisation causes the disc and the sleeve to
move axially to effect actuation of the first control member,
and the second actuator mechanism comprising an axially movable
shaft coaxial with the rotary axis and slidable within the
sleeve, said shaft extending beyond said sleeve at each end, one
end of the shaft extending into the rotatable portion of the
missile or body and the other end carrying a further armature
disc concentric with the shaft and arranged in cooperating
relation with the second coil which upon energisation causes the

further disc and the shaft to move axially to effect actuation
of the second control member.
2. A missile according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve and
the associated armature disc as well as the shaft and its
associated armature disc are rotatable about the rotary axis of
the rotatable portion of the missile.
3. A missile according to claim 1, wherein a spool is
provided on the end of the shaft and a further spool on the end
of the sleeve each spool being co-axial with the rotary axis of
the rotatable portion and being engaged by a pin which is
carried by the associated control member, said pin being in
sliding engagement in a peripheral groove in the spool and being
constrained thereby to follow the axial displacement of the
spool whilst rotating with the rotatable portion.
4. A missile according to claim 3, wherein the spools are
rotatably mounted on the ends of the shaft and sleeve.
5. A missile according to claim 3, wherein said first and
second members are first and second aerodynamic control surfaces
pivotally mounted on the rotatable portion of the missile for
pivotal movement about lateral axes and wherein the pin engaging
one of the spools is carried by a supporting shaft for one of
the control surfaces in such a manner that axial displacement of
the spool causes a pivotal turning movement of the control

surface, and wherein the pin engaging the spool is carried by a
supporting shaft for the other control surface in such a manner
that axial displacement of the spool causes a pivotal turning
movement of the said other control surface.
6. A missile according to claim 5, wherein the first
control surface serves as an elevator in cooperation with a
third control surface arranged on the rotatable portion for
pivotal movement about the same lateral axis as the first
control surface, and wherein the third surface carries a pin
which engages in the groove in the spool engaged by the pin
actuating the first control surface, on the same side of the
spool as the pin actuating the first control surface, the
arrangement being such that axial displacement of the spool
causes a pivotal turning movement of the first and third control
surfaces in the same sense.
7. A missile according to claim 6, wherein the second
control surface serves as an aileron in cooperation with a
fourth control surface arranged on the rotatable portion for
pivotal movement about the same lateral axis as the second
control surface, and wherein the fourth control surface is
arranged to carry a pin which engages in the groove in the spool
engaged by the pin actuating the second control surface, on the
side of the spool opposite to that engaged by the pin actuating
the second control surface, the arrangement being such that an
axial displacement of the spool causes pivotal turning movement

of the second and fourth control surfaces in opposite senses.
8. A missile according to claim 1, wherein said shaft is
hollow and wherein an electrical lead is arranged to pass
through the hollow shaft for conducting electrical current
between the rotatable portion and the other portion of the
missile.
9. A missile according to claim 8, wherein said rotatable
portion includes a space-stabilised gyroscope adapted to
generate an electrical signal representative of the roll
attitude of the rotatable portion with respect to a datum
attitude, and wherein said signal is conducted to the said other
portion of the missile by said electrical lead.
11

Description

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The present invention relates to control systems for
moving bodies and ls particularly though not exclusively
concerned with a control system for an aerial body such as a
mlssile.
In the complete specification of our copending
Canadian Patent Applicatlon No. 904308/64 there ls clalmed a
mlssile comprising a rotatable portion arranged for rotation
relative to another portion of the mlsslle, means for rotating
said rotatable portion and bringing it to any one of a number of
preselected posltions ln relation to a datum, and means on sald
rotatable portlon for exertlng a thrust thereon away from the
axis of rotatlon to produce a steering effect on the misslle.
According to the present invention, there is provided
a misslle or other moving body comprlslng a rotatable portion
arranged for rotation about a predetermlned axis relative to
another portion of the mlssile or body, first and second control
members on said rotatable portion for separate actuation by
first and second actuator mechanisms movable in response to the
energlsatlon of flrst and second electromagnetlc colls formlng
part of the mechanlsms and contalned in the said other portion
of the misslle or body, said coils being mounted in spaced
relation ln the sald other portlon along the rotary axls of sald
rotatable portlon and concentrlc wlth respect thereto, with the
flrst coil nearer to the rotatable portion than the second coil,
the first actuator mechanism comprising an axially movable
sleeve coaxlal wlth the rotary axls and extending at one end
into the rotatable portion and at the other end carrying an
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armature disc mounted concentrlcally with respect to the sleeve
and in cooperating relation with the first coil which upon
energisation causes the disc and the sleeve to move axially, to
effect actuation of the first control member and the second
actuator mechanism comprislng an axially movable shaft coaxial
with the rotary axis and slidable within the sleeve, said shaft
extending beyond said sleeve at each end, one end of the shaft
extending into the rotatable portion of the missile or body and
the other end carrying a further armature disc concentric with
the shaft and arranged in cooperating relatlon with the second
coil which upon energisatlon causes the further disc and the
shaft to move axially along the rotary axis of the rotatable
portion to effect actuation of the second control member.
The sleeve and its associated armature disc as well as
the shaft and its associated dlsc may be rotatable about the
rotary axis of the rotatable portion of the misslle, but in a
preferred embodlment of the lnventlon although capable of
rotation the latter are not re~uired to rotate with the
rotatable portion, and a spool is provided on the end of the
shaft and a further spool provlded on the end of the sleeve,
each spool being coaxial with the rotary axis of the rotatable
portion and being engaged by a pin whlch slides in a perlpheral
groove in the spool and is constrained to follow the axlal
displacement of the spool whilst rotating with the rotatable
portion.
In an embodlment of the invention hereinafter to be
descrlbed, the spools are rotatably mounted on the ends of the
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shaft and sleeve so that they may turn with the rotatable
portion and remaln stationary wlth respect to their cooperating
plns.
One embodiment of the invention wlll now be described
by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings ln
which:-
Fig. 1 ls a side elevatlon of a mlsslle according tothe invention,
Fig. 2 is a part-sectional slde elevation of a forward
portlon of the mlssile shown ln Flg. 1, drawn to a larger scale,
Flg. 3 ls a sectlonal end elevation taken on the line
III-III ln Flg. 2, and
Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation taken on the llne
IV-IV ln Flg. 2.
Referrlng to the drawlngs, a mlsslle 11 comprlses a
maln body portlon 12, a flxed nose portlon 13 whlch is screwed
on to the maln body portlon 12, and a rotatable nose portlon 14
whlch ls rotatably mounted on bearlngs 15 for rotatlon about the
longltudlnal axls of the mlssile. The rotatable nose portion 14
includes a palr of elevator control surfaces 16 and 17 and a
palr of aileron control surfaces 18 and 19. The control surface
16 is rotatably mounted ln bearlngs 20 for rotatlon about an
axls passlng through the longltudinal axls of the misslle and at
rlght angles thereto and each of the other control surfaces 17,
18 and l9 are likewlse rotatably mounted ln the rotatable nose
portlon 14. The elevator control surfaces 16 and 17 have a
common plvotal axls and are arranged to be plvoted about thls

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axis by an actuator mechanism comprislng a palr of solenold
colls 21 and 22 which are arranged coaxially on the longitudinal
axis of the missile and are spaced apart so as to receive in the
gap between them an armature dlsc 23 which ls flxedly mounted on
the rear end of a hollow shaft 24 lying on the longltudinal axis
of the mlssile and extending forwardly into the rotatably nose
portion 14 and terminating at the forward end in a spool 25
rotatably mounted thereon in bearings 26, and the solenoid coils
21 and 22 are so wound and adapted to be alternately energlsed
that the armature dlsc 23 is pulled within the gap to the one or
other o~ the coils and causes a longitudinal displacement of the
shaft 24 and a corresponding displacement of the spool 25.
The aileron control surfaces 18 and 19 are likewise
pivotal about a common lateral axis and are controlled by an
actuator mechanism comprising a pair of solenoid colls 27 and 28
flxedly mounted ln spaced relatlon in the fixed nose portion 13
and coaxlal wlth the longltudlnal axis of the misslle and an
armature disc 29 concentrlc wlth the colls and arranged in the
gap between them. The disc 29 ls flxedly mounted on the end of
a sleeve 30 withln which the hollow shaft 24 ls slldably and
rotatably mounted, and the sleeve 30 ls itself slidably and
rotatably mounted in a supportlng framework 31 of the flxed nose
portlon 13 and pro~ects at lts forward end into the rotatable
nose portion 14, terminating in a spool 32 rotatably mounted on
its forward end in bearlngs 33. The solenoid coils 27 and 28
are likewlse so wound and energised alternately that the
armature disc 29 is pulled wlthin the gap to the one or the

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other of the coils and causes a longitudinal displacement of the
sleeve 30 and a corresponding dlsplacement of the spool 32.
Referrlng partlcularly to Flg. 3, the elevator control
surface 16 is provlded with an lnwardly extendlng boss 34 which
carrles a curved pin 35 which engages in the peripheral groove
in the spool 25, and elevator control surface 17 is likewise
provided with a bush and curved pin the latter of which engages
in the groove in the spool 25 on the same side as that of the
pin 35 so that longitudinal displacement of the spool 25 results
in a pivoting movement of the control surfaces 16 and 17 ln the
same sense.
Referrlng partlcularly to Flg. 4, the aileron control
surface 18 ls provided with an inwardly directed boss 36 carry-
ing a curved pin 37 which is arranged to engage in the peri-
pheral groove in the spool 32 and the aileron control surface 19
is likewise provided with a bush and curved pin the latter of
whlch is arranged to engage in the groove in the spool 32 on the
side opposite that engaged by the pin 37 so that displacement of
the spool 32 along the longitudinal axls of the misslle results
in a pivoting movement of the control surfaces 18 and 19 in
opposlte senses.
The rotatable nose portion of the misslle carries a
free gyroscope 38 which is arranged to generate signals repre-
sentative of the roll attitude of the nose portion 14, on a
potentlometer 39 and these signals are fed along a signal
carrying lead 40 which passes through the hollow shaft 24 to a
slip ring assembly 41.
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In the control system descrlbed and claimed ln our
copending French patent appllcatlon No. 979774, signals for
controlllng the operatlon of the elevator and alleron control
surfaces are transmltted from a ground statlon and recelved by a
recelver mounted ln the maln body 12 of the mlsslle, and these
slgnals are employed to operate swltches for alternately energl-
sing the colls 21, 22, 27 and 28 and the control is made such
that the alleron control surfaces 18 and lg are flrst operated
to brlng the rotatable nose portlon to a predetermined roll
attltude ln space and the elevator control surfaces 16 and 17
subse~uently operated to produce a lateral steerlng thrust on
the mlsslle.
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