High-Speed, High-G Air Bearing Optical Mount for Rosette Scan Generator

A missile with an electronic steering device is provided with a gimballed seeker having a scanner for directing electromagnetic rays from a target into patterns for alignment of the seeker with the rays. The steering device directs the missle to home on the target responsive to the alignment. The scanner provides a continuous line of sight with opposed optical filters disposed for discrete rotations to provide scan patterns for the alignment.

FIG. 1 is a partly cutaway view of a missile with steering means and a seeker secured therein.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the gimbal arrangement in FIG. 1.

Missile 11 for operation between a launch pad and a target (not shown) is provided with a plurality of peripherally spaced propulsion means such as nozzle 13 and a device 15 for steering missile 11 such as electronic means for controlling flow of fuel to nozzles 13.

A seeker 17 includes a scanner 24 gimballed at 25 in missile 11. Scanner 24 includes tube 19 with filter 21 and collection 23 optics spaced therein for transmission therethrough of electromagnetic waves from the target. Scanner 24 includes rotor 25a, 25b carriers journaled in intermediate bearing mounts 28, 28a that are supplied with compressed air by sources 27 to define air bearing spaces 30, 30a between rotor 25a and bearing 28 and air bearing spaces 32, 32a between rotor 25b and bearing 28a. Air from the air bearing spaces is exhausted into the space within missile 11 to the atmosphere. Rotor carriers 25a, 25b each include peripheral buckets 29 in registry with compressed air sources 31 for application of discrete pressures to the buckets to produce relative rotations of rotor carriers 25a and 25b. Rotor carriers 25a and 25b are centrally pierced and optical prisms 33 are oppositely disposed on the respective carriers to direct the electromagnetic rays from predetermined target scan patterns onto conventional detector 23a such as an infrared or ultra-violet detector. A servo device 35 of seeker 17 can be used to direct scanner 24 to alignment with the electromagnetic rays responsive to the predetermined patterns by utilizing signals from detector 23a. Steering device 15 is disposed to direct missile 11 to home on the target responsive to the alignment in response to electronic signals from detector 23a.

The predetermined target scan patterns can be varied in accordance with the respective rotations of carriers 25a and 25b produced by predetermined pressures in compressed air sources 31 to include a straight line, a circle or rosette figures with multiple lobes to produce scan patterns desirable for particular detection applications. For the prototype described the speeds are substantially 6000 and 18000 RPM to produce a scan pattern with (23) leaves for clarity of target definition within a scan area.