Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
8
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 relative to a main body portion of the missile or body, and
means for rotating said rotatable portion to bring it to any one of a number
of preselected positions in relation to a datum and for exerting a thrust
thereon away from the axis of rotation to produce a steering effect on the
missile or body, said means comprising a control surface pivotally mounted
on the rotatable portion on one side thereof for rotation about a lateral
axis, an actuating mechanism for turning said control surface in one sense
to a first deflected position and in the opposite sense to a second deflected
position, and a fixed control surface fixedly mounted on the other side of
the rotatable portion at a predetermined angle of incidence, the arrangement
being such that the movable control surface pivots from one of its two de-
flected positions to the other through an angle which is divided by the
plane containing the fixed control surface and the pivotal axis of the
movable control surface.
2. A missile or other moving body comprising a rotatable portion arranged
for rotation relative to a main body portion of the missile or body, and
means for rotating said rotatable portion to bring it to any one of a number
of preselected positions in relation to a datum and for exerting a thrust
thereon away from the axis of rotation to produce a steering effect on the
missile or body, said means comprising a first movable control surface pivo-
tally mounted on the rotatable portion on one side thereof for rotation
about a lateral axis, a second movable control surface pivotally mounted on
the rotatable portion on the other side thereof for rotation about the same
lateral axis as the first control surface, and an actuating mechanism to
cause said first movable control surface to turn between first and second
deflected positions and the second movable control surface to turn between
said positions in the same manner as but in the opposite direction to said
first movable control surface, each movable control surface in pivoting
from one of its two deflected positions to the other being moved through an
angle which is divided by a plane inclined at a predetermined angle of
incidence and containing the pivotal axis of the movable control surface moved.
3. A missile according to claim 1, wherein the said angle through which
the movable control surface pivots is equally divided by said plane.
4. A missile according to claim 3, wherein the movable control surface
or each movable control surface has a positive angle of incidence greater
than said predetermined angle of incidence in one of its deflected positions
and a positive angle of incidence less than said predetermined angle of
incidence in its other deflected position.
5. A missile according to claim 4, wherein said actuating mechanism is
movable in response to the energisation of an electromagnetic coil or coils
forming part of the mechanism and contained in the main body portion of the
missile, wherein said coil or coils are mounted in the body portion concen-
tric with respect to the rotary axis of the rotatable portion, and wherein
said actuating mechanism comprises an axially movable shaft 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 shaft and in cooperating relation with said coil or coils which upon
energisation causes or cause the disc and the shaft to move axially to effect
actuation of the movable control surface.
6. A missile according to claim 5, said shaft and armature disc being
rotatable about the rotary axis of the rotatable portion of the missile.
7. A missile according to claim 5, wherein the actuating mechanism in-
cludes a spool provided on the end of the shaft, said spool being co-axial
with the rotary axis of the rotatable portion and being engaged by a pin
which is carried by the movable control surface, the pin slidably engaging
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.
8. A missile according to claim 7, wherein the pin engaging the spool
is carried by a supporting shaft for the movable control surface in such
a manner that axial displacement of the spool causes a pivotal turning
movement of the movable control surface.
9. A missile according to claim 1, wherein said actuating mechanism
is arranged to be operated by control apparatus in the missile, said control
apparatus comprising a gyroscope mounted in the rotatable portion of the
missile and arranged to generate a signal representative of the attitude
of the rotatable portion with respect to a predetermined datum roll attitude
in space, a receiver mounted in the missile for receiving a control signal
from a remote control station representative of a required roll attitude
for the rotatable portion with respect to said datum attitude, a comparator
to which the signal generated by the gyroscope and the signal received from
the control station are applied to produce a switching signal the sign of
which represents the direction in which the rotatable portion is required
to turn to reach the required roll attitude, and a switch for controlling
the energisation of the actuating mechanism and responsive to said switching
signal to cause movement of the movable control surface to the appropriate
deflected position in response to a switching signal of one sign and to
cause movement of the movable control surface to the other deflected posi-
tion in response to a switching signal of opposite sign.
10. A missile according to claim 9, wherein means are provided for
modifying the switching signal in response to a lateral demand signal trans-
mitted from the remote station so that by an increase in the amplitude of
the signal applied to the switch the movable control surface is held for
longer times in its deflected positions resulting in an increase in the
amplitude of the roll oscillation of the rotatable portion and producing
a smaller mean steering effect on the missile and by a decrease in the
amplitude of the signal applied to the switch the movable control surface
is held for shorter times in its deflected positions resulting in a decrease
in the amplitude of the roll oscillation of the rotatable portion and a
greater mean steering effect on the missile.
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11. A missile according to claim 1, wherein said first rotatable portion
is constituted by a nose portion of the missile which is mounted for rota-
tion about the longitudinal axis of the missile on the forward end of the
main body portion of the missile.
12. A missile or other moving body comprising a rotatable portion
arranged for rotation relative to another portion of the missile or body
and control means for rotating said rotatable portion to bring it to any
one of a plurality of preselected positions in relation to a datum and for
exerting a thrust thereon having a lateral component with respect to the
axis of rotation of said rotatable portion to produce a steering effect
on the missile or body, said control means including a variable-incidence
control surface mounted on the rotatable portion for rotation about a rotary
axis transverse to the rotary axis of the rotatable portion, and actuator
means responsive to control signals applied thereto for turning said control
surface about its rotary axis to a first disposition in which it produces
a component thrust causing rotation of said rotatable portion, and a second
disposition in which it produces a lateral steering force on the missile.
13. A missile or other moving body comprising a rotatable portion
arranged for rotation relative to another portion of the missile or body,
a first aerodynamic control surface fixedly mounted on the rotatable portion
at a predetermined angle of incidence, a variable-incidence aerodynamic
control surface mounted on the rotatable portion for rotation about a rotary
axis transverse to the rotary axis of the rotatable portion and actuator
means responsive to control signals applied thereto for turning said variable-
incidence control surface about its rotary axis to bring it to either of two
dispositions in each of which it produces with said fixed control surface
a thrust on said rotatable portion having a lateral component with respect
to the axis of rotation of said rotatable portion to produce a steering
effect on the missile, in one of which it produces with said fixed control
surface a component thrust causing rotation of said rotatable portion in
one direction and in the other of which it produces with said fixed control
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surface a component thrust on said rotatable portion causing rotation of
said rotatable portion in the opposite sense.
14. A missile or other moving body comprising a rotatable portion
arranged for rotation relative to another portion of the missile or body
about a longitudinal axis of the missile or body, a pair of variable-
incidence aerodynamic control surfaces mounted on the rotatable portion for
rotation about a rotary axis transverse to the rotary axis of the rotatable
portion and actuator means responsive to control signals applied thereto
for turning said control surfaces about their rotary axes between two dis-
positions in each of which the control surfaces produce together a thrust
on said rotatable portion having a lateral component with respect to the
axis of rotation of said rotatable portion to produce a steering effect on
the missile, in one of which they produce a component thrust causing rota-
tion of said rotatable portion in one direction and in the other of which
they produce a component thrust on said rotatable portion causing rotation
of said rotatable portion in the opposite direction.
15. A missile according to claim 14, wherein each variable-incidence
control surface pivots from one of its dispositions to the other through
an angle which is divided by a plane inclined at a predetermined angle
of incidence and containing the pivotal axis of the variable-incidence
control surfaces.
16. A missile according to claim 15, wherein the said angle through which
each control surface pivots is equally divided by said plane.
17. A missile according to claim 16, wherein each control surface has
a positive angle of incidence greater than said predetermined angle of
incidence in one of its two deflected positions and a positive angle of
incidence less than said predetermined angle of incidence in its other
deflected position.
18. A missile according to claim 17, wherein said actuating mechanism
is arranged to be operated by control apparatus in the missile, said control
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apparatus comprising a gyroscope mounted in the rotatable portion of the
missile and arranged to generate a signal representative of the attitude
of the rotatable portion with respect to a predetermined datum roll attitude
in space, a receiver mounted in the missile for receiving a control signal
from a remote control station representative of a required roll attitude,
a comparator to which the signal generated by the gyroscope and the signal
received from the control station are applied to produce a switching signal
the sign of which represents the direction in which the rotatable portion
is required to turn to reach the required roll attitude, and a switch for
controlling the energization of the actuating mechanism and responsive to
said switching signal to cause movement of each control surface to the
appropriate deflected position in response to a switching signal of one
sign and to cause movement of each control surface to the other deflected
position in response to a switching signal of opposite sign.
19. A missile according to claim 14, wherein said first rotatable portion
is constituted by a nose portion of the missile which is mounted for rota-
tion about the longitudinal axis of the missile on the forward end of
the main body portion of the missile.
20. A missile according to claim 14, wherein said actuating mechanism
is movable in response to the energization of an electromagnetic coil or
coils forming part of the mechanism and contained in the main body portion
of the missile, wherein said coil or coils are mounted in the body portion
concentric with respect to the rotary axis of the rotatable portion, and
wherein said actuating mechanism comprises an axially movable shaft 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 shaft and in cooperating relation with said coil or coils
which upon energization causes or cause the disc and the shaft to move
axially to effect actuation of the variable-incidence control surfaces
21. A missile according to claim 20, wherein the shaft and armature
disc are rotatable about the rotary axis of the rotatable portion of the
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missile
22. A missile according to claim 21, wherein the actuating mechanism
includes a spool provided on the end of the shaft, said spool being coaxial
with the rotary axis of the rotatable portion and being engaged by a pin
which is carried by each control surface, each pin slidably engaging 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.
23. A missile according to claim 22, wherein each pin engaging the
spool is carried by a supporting shaft for the control surface in such a
manner that axial displacement of the spool causes a pivotal turning
movement of the movable control surface.