Patent Application
20110073705
1. Field of Invention The technical scope of the present invention is that of devices to control projectile fins, that is devices which, by the action of a motor, enable deployed fins to be pivoted.
2. Description of Related Art
Fins act as stabilizers for a projectile but may also play a role in piloting, similar to the elevons or ailerons of an aircraft, controlled in rotation by a motor piloted by an electronic system. The piloting of the projectile enables its trajectory to be corrected in flight to rectify any launching errors or to orient it towards a target after said target's detection.
Such fins suffer from the principal drawback of needing to be of a large size if they are to be effective (the length of the fin is usually around one caliber), which makes it impossible for the projectile to be fired from a cannon of the same caliber. Thus, for many years, different mechanisms have been developed to deploy fins and elevons. The projectile fitted with such a mechanism may be a missile, a rocket, or sub-projectile. Thus, French patents FR-2864613 and FR-2846079 describe devices to deploy projectile fins and lock them in their deployed position.
Once the fins have been deployed a further mechanism must be provided to enable them to be oriented.
French Patent FR-2846080 describes a device to deploy and pilot projectile fins. The device disclosed in that document enables the simultaneous orientation of pairs of fins integral with a common control shaft. The main advantage of this device lies in its use of only two motors to orient the four fins.
Despite being particularly effective and judicious in design, that device has one major drawback, Indeed, the positioning of the drive motors for the fins and the numerous parts implemented make it particularly voluminous and sensitive to accelerations, namely when the projectile is being fired.
The aim of the present invention is to supply a drive device for deployable fins of a projectile, such device being compact and able to withstand the accelerations experienced during firing of a projectile.
The invention thus relates to a device to drive in rotation fins of a projectile, the fins being of the deployable type integral with fin heads, such device incorporating motors and a body with respect to which said fin heads can be oriented along an axis of spin substantially orthogonal to the projectile's longitudinal (Z) axis, wherein the body incorporates a circular groove in which the fin heads are driven in rotation by the motors by means of substantially ring portion shaped sliders which slide in the circular groove.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the sliders slide in a plane that is orthogonal to the longitudinal projectile axis.
According to yet another characteristic of the invention, each slider incorporates a notch and an arm integral with the drive shaft of a motor cooperating with the notch to make the sliders slide in the groove.
According to another characteristic of the invention, each slider incorporates a portion of a rack gear onto which meshes a pinion gear integral with the drive shaft of a motor.
According to another characteristic of the invention, each slider incorporates a hole cooperating with a finger integral with a fin head to make it pivot.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the end of the finger cooperating with the slider is in the form of a spherical head.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the drive motors for the fins are positioned with their axes of rotation substantially parallel to the longitudinal projectile axis.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the motors are evenly spaced angularly around the longitudinal projectile axis.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the motors are positioned angularly in pairs on each side of each of opposing fins.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the motors are positioned in pairs in an angular quadrant between two fins.
A first advantage of the device according to the invention lies in the fact that it effectively withstands the accelerations due to the projectile being fired.
Another advantage of the device lies in the fact that it enables different configurations of the angular positioning of the fin drive motors.
Another advantage of the device lies in its compactness and in the manufacturing simplicity of its constituent parts.
Other characteristics, particulars and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description given hereafter by way of illustration and in reference to the drawings, in which:
The fin rotation drive device includes a body 4, sliders 1, motors 2 and fin heads 6 connected with fins 7. The fin heads 6 may be oriented along an axis of spin (respectively X and Y) orthogonal to longitudinal axis Z of the projectile. The motors 2 are evenly spaced angularly around longitudinal axis Z of the projectile and each includes a drive shaft 12, with an axis of spin (Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4) parallel to longitudinal axis Z of the projectile. The body 4 incorporates a circular groove 3 in which the sliders 1 are inserted and are able to slide following a circular trajectory around axis Z. The sliders 1 are substantially in the shape of a ring portion or sector and incorporate a hole 11 at one end slider 1 by a finger 5 connected with the fin head 6 and cooperating with the hole 11 in the slider 1. Each motor 2 is connected to a slider 1 by an arm 8, connected with the drive shaft 12 of the motor and cooperating with the notch 9 in the slider 1.
The slider is substantially in the shape of a ring sector or portion. The notch 9 has a first portion 13 that is substantially oblong and radial with respect to the curvature of the slider and a second outwardly opening portion 17 delimited by two oblique planes 14 opposite one another. The notch 9 is symmetrical with respect to a radial axis of the slider and ends with a cylindrical portion 13a. The oblong portion 13 of the notch is also delimited by two parallel planes 13b. The arm 8 cooperating with the notch 9 incorporates a first part 15 connected with the drive shaft 12 of the motor, a central part 16 whose edges are intended to cooperate with the oblique planes 14 of notch 9, and a substantially spherical or cylindrical end 10, of a diameter substantially less than or equal to the width of the oblong portion 13 of the notch. Portion 17 is shaped to ensure a disengagement to leave the arm 8 sufficient angular clearance. Portion 13 ensures guidance with minimal play of the end 10 of the arm.
The hole 11 is an oblong hole, arranged substantially radially with respect to the curvature of the slider 1. The finger 5 cooperating with the hole 11 includes a spherical head of a diameter substantially less than the width of the oblong hole 11.
The device according to the invention operates as follows:
After the projectile has been fired, the fins 7 are deployed and each is connected with the fin head 6. The systems to deploy and secure fin with their heads are sufficiently known to those in this art and thus do not require further description. Reference may be made, however, to French patent FR-2846079 describing such a device which incorporates a spring to ensure the swiveling of the fin 7 with respect to its head 6.
When the projectile trajectory needs to be modified, two opposing motors (or four depending upon the modification required to be made to the trajectory) perform a rotation of their drive shafts 12 along their axes Z1 and Z3 (and/or Z2 and Z4) in opposing directions. The rotation of each shaft 12 causes its slider 1 to slide in the groove 3 by means of the arm 8, whose end 10 presses on the first portion 13 of the notch 9. The opposite pairs of sliders move in the opposite directions about the longitudinal axis Z of the projectile, causing the movement of the upper part 20 of the fingers 5 of the opposite fin heads 6. The slot 19 at the bottom of the groove will be large enough to enable the displacement of the finger 5 when this is driven by the slider 1. The finger 5 is connected with the fin head 6. When the slider 1 moves in its groove, the notch 11 drives the upper end 20 of the finger 5 thereby causing the fin head 6 to swivel.
The fin heads 6 are thus driven in rotation around their spin axis X (or Y) to orient the fins 7. The oblique planes 14 of the notch 9 constitute limit stops limiting the rotation of the fins. Indeed, when one edge of the central part 16 of the arm 8 presses on an oblique plane 14 of the notch, the arm 8 is no longer able to drive the slider 1 and the fin 7 is in its position of maximum orientation.
In this configuration, the motors 2 have moved the sliders 1 in opposing directions F1 and F2. The sliders acting on the opposing fins have been moved in opposing directions to keep the opposite fins in the same plane.
Advantageously, the circular groove 3 is in a plane that is orthogonal to longitudinal axis Z of the projectile and the sliders 1 therefore slide in a plane orthogonal to longitudinal axis Z of the projectile. Such an arrangement has the advantage of being particularly able to withstand a projectile's accelerations along this longitudinal axis Z, namely when it is being fired. In order to also provide good resistance to acceleration for the motors 2, they may be positioned with their axes of rotation substantially in parallel to longitudinal axis Z of the projectile.
The upper end 20 of the finger 5 will preferentially be made in the form of a spherical head to facilitate its cooperation with the oblong hole 11.
The device according to the invention is simple in design. It is particularly easy to machine a single groove in the body 4. This groove provides guidance for the four sliders and ensures the symmetry of the movements.
It is also possible for the length of the sliders 1 to be varied without necessarily modifying the operation of the device and the extent of the invention. Such a variant embodiment of the invention will advantageously enable a fin rotation drive device to be produced whose angular positioning of the motors 2 is uneven.
The manufacture and arrangement of the groove 3, fingers 5, fins 7 and fin heads 6 is the same as that described previously.
Such an embodiment of the invention advantageously enables the motors 2 to be integrated in an uneven more compact manner, whilst retaining the device's ability to withstand accelerations. The invention may also be made using sliders which each have a different length, thereby advantageously enabling a non-symmetrical spacing of the motors 2 and easy adaptation to the constraints of integrating motors and electronics into a projectile body. The deployment and control of the fins may thus be symmetrical with motorization arranged in a non-symmetrical manner.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05.10164 | Oct 2005 | FR | national |
