EP0337880B1 - Storage and launch unit for a wire guided missile - Google Patents

Abstract

In order, during the starting phase, to protect the first turns of the wire (16) connecting a wire-guided missile (10) to its storage and launch container (12), particularly when this wire comprises an optical fibre, a deformable tubular protective device (22) is placed between the rear of the missile and the bottom of the container. This device, which can consist particularly of a flexible sleeve or of telescopic rigid ferrules, is elongated during the ignition of the propulsion units (14) of the missile, to form a screen protecting the wire (16) from the hot gases leaving the propulsion units, as long as these remain within the container. The device (22) subsequently detaches automatically from the missile (10). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a packaging and launching installation of a guided missile equipped with lateral ejection thrusters.

A guided missile is a missile which is launched from a container to which it remains connected after its launch by a flexible information transmission member called "wire" in the following description. This wire is used to transmit orders to the missile during flight, in order to modify its trajectory. This technique has been used for many years for short or medium range missiles (up to 10 km), in particular because of its low cost and its relative insensitivity to interference. Usually, the wire consists of a mini-cable comprising at least two copper conductors and carrying filaments made of organic materials such as polyester, polyaramide, etc. The information used to modify the trajectory of the missile can also be transmitted through an optical fiber possibly reinforced with synthetic fibers.

The launch of a wire-guided missile from its container constitutes a very delicate phase for the wire used to transmit information.

In fact, as illustrated very diagrammatically in FIG. 1, when the missile 10 begins to move inside the container 12 under the effect of the actuation of the lateral ejection thrusters 14, the wire 16 for transmitting information that is wound inside the missile 10 begins to unfold. Consequently, the part of the wire which is located between the rear of the missile 10 and the attachment assembly 18 of the member 16 on the launcher container 12 is subjected to the jets of hot gas leaving the lateral thrusters 14.

As long as the thrusters 14 have not left the launcher container 12, the unwound part of the wire 16 is thus subjected both to thermal stress and to aerodynamic forces which tend to cause the unwinding of an unnecessary length of wire 16 This inevitably leads to the rupture of the latter.

In the case where the wire comprises copper conductors, and as illustrated in particular by document US-A-3 868 883, serving as a basis for the preamble of rev. 1, the solution generally used to avoid thermal stresses consists in strengthening the first meters of this organ, which amounts to increasing its diameter. This increase in diameter has the effect of increasing aerodynamic forces. Generally, these efforts are then countered by strongly reinforcing the bonding of the first meters of wire wound inside the missile. As illustrated very diagrammatically in Figure 2, the high bonding strength of leads, during the unwinding of the yarn 16, to the formation of a radius of curvature r very small.

When the wire comprises copper electrical conductors, this small radius of curvature is generally not very restrictive. Indeed, the ductility of copper is high and its electrical conductivity is not affected by this radius.

However, this solution cannot be transposed to the case of a wire comprising an optical fiber. Indeed, the optical fibers have an almost zero ductility and therefore withstand very weak radii of curvature which, generally, cause a break and therefore stop the transmission. In addition, even if there is no break, small radii of curvature provide a significant increase in attenuation of the level of the transmitted signal. This property is illustrated by document DE-C-3 132 547, which provides for this purpose to exit the optical fiber through a lateral orifice formed on the missile.

In the case where the wire comprises copper conductors, there are other solutions to combat the aerodynamic effects. However, known solutions generally use local fixings of the element wound inside the missile, which lead to extremely small radii of curvature. Consequently, these solutions are also not transposable when the wire comprises an optical fiber.

In document US-A-3,613,618, it has been proposed to pass the first meters of wire through a flexible sheath, the ends of which are fixed respectively to the bottom of the container and to the missile, the end fixed to the missile being automatically detaching when the latter leaves the container.

When the transmission of information takes place through an optical fiber, a known solution consists in ensuring that the missile's thrusters are only actuated when they are outside the container. This result is obtained by providing an additional device making it possible, during a first phase of the launch, to bring the missile partly out of the container so that the thrusters are outside the latter. The propellants are then ignited during a second launch phase.

This latter solution effectively makes it possible to prevent the jets of hot gas leaving the propellants from damaging the wire when the missile is launched. However, this solution also has drawbacks, among which there will be mentioned in particular its colt, the increase in the firing sequence of the missile, as well as a very appreciable reduction in the length of guidance of the missile in its container leading to reducing the accuracy of the start.

The subject of the invention is precisely an installation for packaging and launching a guided missile, which can be used regardless of the nature of the wire and in particular when the latter comprises an optical fiber, and the implementation of which does not modify the missile firing sequence and does not affect launch accuracy, this facility being also inexpensive and requiring no special treatment of the first meters of wire.

Thus, it is proposed in accordance with the invention an installation for launching and launching a wire-guided missile equipped with lateral ejection propellants, comprising a container-launcher for conditioning the missile provided with a bottom supporting an attachment assembly for '' a flexible information transmission coil in the missile and leaving the latter by a rear orifice, a deformable protection device being placed around the information transmission member, until the moment the thrusters arrive in outside the container, characterized in that the protective device is a tubular device, centered on the axis of the container and comprising a first end connected to the container around the attachment assembly and a second end connected to the missile, around said rear orifice, by connection means able to detach automatically from the missile during a launch, when the propellants arrive outside the container.

Although the invention can be used regardless of the nature of the information transmission member, it advantageously applies to the case where this member comprises an optical fiber, for which these advantages are most notable.

In order to prevent the information transmission member from being damaged, in particular by humidity during the storage of the missile, the protection device is preferably sealed and its ends are tightly connected respectively to the container and to the missile.

Advantageously, the second end of the protection device is fixed to a device for wedging and guiding the missile in the container, this device being able to slide in the container during of the launch and being connected to the missile around the rear orifice, so as to detach from it automatically when the thrusters arrive outside the container.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the protection device comprises a sleeve made of flexible material. If it is necessary to give this sleeve a certain rigidity, guide pieces of the sleeve during deployment are fixed to the container, around the attachment assembly and inside the sleeve.

In a second embodiment of the invention, the protection device comprises rigid telescopic ferrules. These ferrules can either be provided with guidance and positioning appendages, or connected together by a sleeve made of a flexible material. The latter solution is used in particular when sealing is necessary.

• la figure 1, déjà décrite, représente de façon schématique une installation de conditionnement et de lancement d'un missile filoguidé selon la technique antérieure ;
• la figure 2, déjà décrite, illustre à plus grande échelle le déroulement du fil selon la technique antérieure, dans le cas où ce fil comprend des conducteurs en cuivre dont les premières spires sont collées fortement ;
• les figures 3a à 3c sont des vues comparables à la figure 1 représentant schématiquement une installation de conditionnement et de lancement d'un missile filoguidé réalisée conformément à l'invention, lors du stockage et à différents stades du lancement ;
• la figure 4a est une vue en coupe à plus grande échelle représentant plus en détail l'installation de la figure 3, selon un premier mode de réalisation de l'invention ;
• la figure 4b est une vue comparable à la figure 4a illustrant une variante de réalisation de cette dernière ;
• la figure 4c est une vue comparable aux figures 4a et 4b représentant un deuxième mode de réalisation de l'invention ; et
• la figure 4d est une vue comparable aux figures 4a à 4c illustrant une variante du mode de réalisation de la figure 4c.

Different embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• FIG. 1, already described, schematically represents an installation for conditioning and launching a wire-guided missile according to the prior art;
• Figure 2, already described, illustrates on a larger scale the unwinding of the wire according to the prior art, in the case where this wire comprises copper conductors whose first turns are strongly bonded;
• FIGS. 3a to 3c are views comparable to FIG. 1 schematically showing an installation for conditioning and launching a wire-guided missile produced in accordance with the invention, during storage and at different stages of launch;
• Figure 4a is a sectional view on a larger scale showing in more detail the installation of Figure 3, according to a first embodiment of the invention;
• Figure 4b is a view comparable to Figure 4a illustrating an alternative embodiment of the latter;
• FIG. 4c is a view comparable to FIGS. 4a and 4b showing a second embodiment of the invention; and
• Figure 4d is a view comparable to Figures 4a to 4c illustrating a variant of the embodiment of Figure 4c.

FIG. 3a schematically represents an installation for packaging and storing a wire-guided missile 10 equipped with lateral ejection thrusters 14, under the storage conditions of this missile. This installation comprises, in a known manner, a cylindrical conditioning and launching container 12 in which the missile 10 is housed entirely. This container is provided with a bottom supporting in its central part an attachment assembly 18. A flexible transmission member information such as an optical fiber 16 is wound in a rear central part of the missile 10. The end of this fiber leaves the missile 10 through an annular orifice 20 (FIG. 4a) formed at the rear of the latter, for be fixed to the attachment assembly 18 of the container 12.

In accordance with the invention and as illustrated very diagrammatically in FIGS. 3a to 3c, a deformable tubular protection device 22 is placed in the container 12, between the bottom of the latter and the rear of the missile 10, so as to surround the part of the optical fiber 16 which unwinds between the bottom of the container and the rear of the missile when the propellants are fired 14.

More specifically, the deformable tubular protection device 22 has a diameter approximately equal to the outside diameter of the missile and it is arranged coaxially inside the container 12. In addition, the end of the protection device 22 located at the rear relative to the direction of advance of the missile when it is launched is fixed on the bottom of the container 12, around the attachment assembly 18. The front end of the protection device 22 is fixed in turn on a member 24 ensuring the setting and guiding of the rear end of the missile inside the container 12.

This member 24 behaves like a carriage capable of sliding freely inside the container when the missile is launched and it is connected to the outer casing 10a (FIG. 4a) of the rear part of the missile surrounding the orifice 20, so as to move inside the container 12 with the missile 10 as long as the deformable protection device 22 is not fully deployed, as illustrated in FIG. 3b. The connection of the member 24 on the rear end of the missile is however designed so that the member 24 is automatically detached from the missile when the protection device 22 is fully deployed as illustrated in FIG. 3c. Under these conditions, the propellants 14 are outside the container 12.

In addition to its function of wedging and guiding the rear of the missile in the container, the member 24 can serve as an intermediary for a device (not shown) allowing the missile to be locked inside the container.

Advantageously, a second member 26 for wedging and guiding the front part of the missile is mounted inside the container 12. Like the member 24, this member 26 moves with the missile 10 by sliding freely inside the container when the missile fired. However, when the member 26 arrives near the outlet end of the container 12, a device (not shown) such as a stop automatically detaches it from the missile.

The members 24 and 26 can have any shape and, if necessary, be made in several parts. They can also, in some cases, be deleted. The front end of the protection device 22 according to the invention is then connected directly to the rear part of the outer shell of the missile, around the annular orifice 20, so as to detach from it automatically when the protection device is fully deployed, as described above.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3a to 3c, the deformable tubular protection device 22 according to the invention makes it possible to prevent the part of the optical fiber 16 which unwinds when the propellants 14 of the missile are ignited from being damaged when these thrusters are still inside the container 12.

Indeed, as well illustrated in FIG. 3b, the protection device 22 then constitutes a tubular screen which channels the jets of hot gases leaving the propellants in the annular space delimited between the container 12 and this device 22. As this device is deformable, it deploys automatically as the distance between the rear of the missile 10 and the bottom of the container 12 increases, so that its role as a screen is ensured as long the propellants are inside the container. As soon as the propellants leave the container (FIG. 3c), the jets of hot gas leaving the propellants are no longer folded down by the walls of the container towards the optical fiber 16, so that protection of the latter is no longer necessary. The protection device 22 then detaches automatically from the missile, which continues to run freely.

The above description clearly shows that, thanks to the protection device 22 according to the invention, it is possible to use, for transmitting the information between the launch site and the guided missile 10, a flexible member of any kind, and in particular a optical fiber, without this body being subjected to thermal aggression or aerodynamic forces when the thrusters are still inside the container. Consequently, the first meters of the information transmission unit do not require any special treatment. Furthermore, this solution is inexpensive, does not in any way modify the firing sequence of the missile and does not disturb the accuracy of the launch.

Different embodiments of the deformable tubular protection device 22 according to the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 4a to 4c.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4a, the protection device according to the invention consists of a sleeve 22a made of a flexible and waterproof material such as an elastomer. The rear end of the sleeve 22a is tightly fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the attachment assembly 18. The front end of the sleeve 22a is tightly fixed on the central part of the wedging member 24 and guidance. This latter member is fitted on the rear part of the outer casing 10a of the missile, so as to be made integral with the latter by the friction forces.

Preferably, a seal 28 is placed inside the member 24 and cooperates sealingly with the cylindrical outer envelope 10a of the missile. Similarly, a second seal 30 is placed on a projecting central part 32 formed on the attachment assembly 18 and on which is fitted a ferrule 34 of the missile 10 internally delimiting the annular orifice 20 formed at the back of the latter. This arrangement makes it possible to seal the part of the missile in which the optical fiber 16 is wound from the outside atmosphere. The optical fiber, which is subjected during the storage of the missile to stresses due in particular to its winding and to differential expansions, is thus protected from the influence of humidity which would be extremely harmful under these conditions.

When the missile 10 is stored inside its container 12, the sleeve 22a is coiled in successive folds in an area situated around the attachment assembly 18 and delimited between the bottom of the container and the frustoconical rear part of the envelope 10a of the missile. As indicated previously, the length of the deployed sleeve 22a is chosen so that it ensures the automatic separation of the member 24 and the missile when the lateral thrusters of the latter arrive outside the container 12.

In FIG. 4b, a variant of the embodiment of FIG. 4a is shown, usable in particular when it is necessary to give the flexible sleeve 22a a certain rigidity. In this case, sleeve guide pieces such as rods 36 are fixed to the bottom of the container, around the attachment assembly 18, and inside the sleeve 22a. These rods 36, the number of which is at least equal to four, are regularly distributed around the axis of the container 12 and extend approximately parallel to the generatrices of the outer shell of the missile, when the latter is in the storage position. They thus delimit the inner envelope of the sleeve 22a.

As illustrated in FIG. 4b, the front ends of the rods 36 pass through the wedging and guiding member 24, which slides freely on these rods and inside the container 12 during ignition.

FIG. 4c shows a second embodiment of the invention in which the deformable tubular protection device is constituted by a set of rigid telescopic ferrules 22b, of cylindrical shape. The ferrule 22b of larger diameter is fixed to the device 24 for setting and guiding the missile while the ferrule 22b of smaller diameter is mounted on the attachment assembly 18 of the container 12. Between these two ferrules, the diameter of the other ferrules 22b decreases progressively from the missile towards the bottom of the container. Consequently, when the protection device constituted by the set of ferrules 22b is deployed, it is in the form of a slightly frustoconical tube whose diameter decreases towards the bottom of the container. This structure gives the device 22b good resistance to the pressure of the gases leaving the missile propellants and promotes the relaxation of these gases.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4c, the rear ends of the ferrules 22b have guide and positioning appendages 23 projecting radially inwards as far as the adjacent ferrule of smaller diameter and the front ends of the ferrules 22b are provided with guide and positioning appendages projecting radially outward to the adjacent ferrule of larger diameter. By cooperating with each other, these appendages 23, 25 automatically control the successive deployment of the ferrules during firing, as well as their positioning and their maintenance. The total length of the protection device constituted by all of the fully deployed telescopic ferrules 22b is calculated so that these ferrules and the member 24 automatically detach from the missile when the propellants of the latter arrive outside the container 12.

FIG. 4d illustrates a variant of the embodiment of FIG. 4c.

In this case, the protection device is constituted by a series of telescopic ferrules 22b arranged in the same way as in the embodiment of FIG. 4c, but devoid of appendages. The ferrules 22b can be either cylindrical or slightly frustoconical. In order to ensure both their deployment and their relative positioning, the front ends of the neighboring ferrules 22b are connected together by a sleeve 27, made of a flexible and waterproof material such as an elastomer. In the storage position, the sleeve 27 is folded between the adjacent rigid ferrules 22b. Thus, when fired, it automatically ensures the deployment of the ferrules as illustrated in FIG. 4d. Compared to the embodiment of FIG. 4c, this variant makes it possible, like the embodiment of FIG. 4a, to seal the volume in which the optical fiber 16 is wound inside the missile. For this purpose, seals comparable to seals 28 and 30 in FIG. 4a can be provided. In addition, it makes it possible to benefit from the advantages mentioned above of the embodiment of FIG. 4c.

The protection device can be connected directly to the missile, the setting and guiding member being omitted. Furthermore, in the case where guide pieces must be placed inside the sleeves 22a as described above with reference to FIG. 4b, these guide pieces can take a different shape from the rods 36, in particular the shape of a tapered ferrule carrying a series of rods oriented parallel to the axis of the container.

Claims (9)

1. Packaging and launching installation for a wire-guided missile (10) equipped with lateral-ejection motors (14), comprising a launch container (12) for packaging the missile provided with a bottom supporting an attaching assembly (18) for a flexible information transmission member (16) coiled in the missile and coming out of the latter via a rear orifice (20), a deformable protection device (22) being placed around the information transmission member, up to the moment when the motors (14) arrive outside the container, characterised in that the protection device is a tubular device, centred on the axis of the container (12) and comprising a first end connected to the container (12) around the attaching assembly (18) and a second end connected to the missile (10), around the said rear orifice (20), by connecting means (24) able to be detached automatically from the missile during launch, when the motors (14) arrive outside the container.
2. Installation according to Claim 1, characterised in that the information transmission member comprises an optical fibre (16).
3. Installation according to either one of Claims 1and 2, characterised in that the protection device (22) is leaktight, its first and its second ends being connected in a leaktight way respectively to the container (12) and to the missile (10).
4. Installation according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the connecting means comprise a member (24) for setting and guiding the missile in the container, onto which is fixed the second end of the protection device (22), this member (24) being able to slide in the container during launch and being connected to the missile (10) around the said rear orifice (20) in such a way as to be detached automatically therefrom when the motors arrive outside the container.
5. Installation according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the protection device comprises a sleeve (22a) made in a flexible material.
6. Installation according to Claim 5, characterised in that guide parts (36) of the sleeve (22a) in the course of deployment are fixed to the container (12), around the attaching assembly (18) and inside the sleeve (22a).
7. Installation according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the protection device comprises telescopic rigid ferrules (22b).
8. Installation according to Claim 7, characterised in that the ferrules (22b) are fitted with guide and positioning appendices (23, 25).
9. Installation according to Claim 7, characterised in that the ferrules (22b) are linked together by a sleeve (27) made in a flexible material.

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