EP0798535B1 - System to transmit data between a weapon and a round - Google Patents

Description

The subject of the invention is a transmission system information between a weapon and ammunition, as well as a ammunition firing device equipped with such a transmission.

Ammunition is a device with a system initiation (primer, detonator, inflammator ...) and a payload (explosive; pyrotechnic composition ignition, ejection, propulsion; under ammunition; decoy ...).

Modern ammunition also tends to be equipped electronic circuits to program them in to optimize their characteristics according to the context in which they are used. This ammunition programming, which will become widespread on future ammunition, must be able to be made in time real, that is to say just before firing the ammunition, in based on the latest information collected on the context, namely the target, threats, etc. In these conditions, it is necessary to be able to perform the programming directly from the weapon and transmit data from the latter to the ammunition.

In addition, prior to shooting, it is generally necessary to know the functional state of the ammunition, which implies the transmission of data from the ammunition to the weapon and, in this case, the communication channel between the weapon and the ammunition must be of the bidirectional type.

To ensure such type communication unidirectional or bidirectional, there are solutions derived from those used on missiles, which make use of infrared systems, radio systems, or wired or fiber optic systems. However, in the case of weapons of the cannon, mortar or similar type, these missile solutions are not usable due environmental constraints (metallic masses, high pressures ...).

Existing weapons of the cannon, mortar or similar in which the initiation system ammunition pyrotechnics uses a connection electric between the weapon and the ammunition represent a park Very important. Given the very high cost of these weapons, it would therefore be desirable to be able to use them with existing or future programmable ammunition which in their current configuration is generally not possible.

A system for transmitting a start-up order of a device placed in a device launched from a carrier system is known from document EP-A-0 252 821. In this system, the firing order of the device is transmitted from the carrier system by means of a wire firing command and the latter is used for transmit other information to the device placed in the craft.

In the system according to the aforementioned document, the machine is with its own power source and generates its ignition in response to a command signal from firing received via the control wire.

This prior art system is therefore not suitable for ammunition devoid of any clean source power supply and whose electrical energy intended for its ignition is supplied from the weapon via the weapon-ammunition electrical connection.

The invention therefore aims to provide a system allowing establish real-time communication between a weapon or firing device and ammunition provided with means for electrical connection for firing this ammunition from a source of electrical energy located on the weapon side.

For cost reasons, such a system should not cause a minimum of adaptation of existing weapons and not to increase the price of ammunition taking into account their consumability.

Finally, given the environmental conditions during of shooting, it is necessary that such a system be perfectly reliable, and therefore requires solutions simple and rustic, and perfectly safe, that is to say that the ammunition must be capable of being fired despite a failure of the information transmission system between weapon and ammunition.

To achieve these aims, the invention relates to a information transmission system between a weapon and a ammunition, comprising electrical connection means for the closure of a firing circuit of said ammunition and means for transmitting information from said weapon to said ammunition via said firing circuit, characterized in that that said firing circuit is a supply circuit electric of said ammunition comprising, on the weapon side, a electric firing generator and, on the ammunition side, an electrical initiation device initiated by said firing current, and in that said means of transmitting information include, on the weapon side, means for applying to said supply circuit a electric fire current modulated in function information to be transmitted to said munition and the low intensity is suitable for ensuring an absence initiation of said initiation device and, side ammunition, detection means connected in said supply circuit for detecting said information and a remote supply module galvanically isolated from said supply circuit for electrically supplying said means of detection from said non-fire current module.

Thus, the system according to the invention uses the circuit electric supply used to ignite the ammunition to transmit information to it source of the weapon, by means of a current suitably modulated through the initiation device but whose low intensity is suitable for ensuring an absence initiation of the initiation device (no phlegmatization of the primer).

According to one characteristic, said module remote power supply includes a voltage generator circuit continuous and first means of inductive coupling of said DC voltage generator circuit to said circuit feed.

Preferably, said ammunition comprises means for transmit information to said weapon via said first coupling means and said weapon comprises a circuit for receiving said information transmitted via said supply circuit.

Thus, the system allows to transmit in a way bi-directional information between the weapon and the ammunition.

• la figure 1 est un schéma électrique d'un dispositif conventionnel d'initiation et de test d'une munition ; et
• la figure 2 est un schéma électrique similaire à celui de la figure 1 comprenant un système de transmission d'informations suivant l'invention.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows of an embodiment given solely by way of example and illustrated by the appended drawing in which:

• Figure 1 is an electrical diagram of a conventional device for initiating and testing a munition; and
• Figure 2 is an electrical diagram similar to that of Figure 1 comprising an information transmission system according to the invention.

Referring to Figure 1, the electrical circuit a conventional initiation and test device includes a side A side and a side M side ammunition. For the sake of clarity, Parts A and M have have been represented respectively to the left and to the right of a dashed line L, these two parts being electrically connected, when installing the ammunition (not shown) in the weapon (not shown), by contacts designated by references 1 and 2 on the figure 1.

The initiation circuit for shooting ammunition includes, in part A weapon side, a from safety switches 3 and 4 and a generator current 5 connected in series between contact 1 and a terminal 6 for connection to the positive pole of a source power supply (not shown), and secondly two other safety switches 7 and 8 connected in series between contact 2 and a terminal 9 for connection to the pole negative of the power source. For its part, part M of the ammunition side circuit includes a primer 10 electrically connected between contacts 1 and 2.

On the other hand, the primer test circuit 10 includes, on side A, a test current generator 11 connected between a terminal 12 for connection to the positive pole of the power source and contact 1, as well as a electrical connection between contact 2 and terminal 13 of connection to the negative pole of the power source.

In operation, when terminals 12 and 13 are connected to the power source, the generator 11 does flow through primer 10 a test current of, by example, 0.1 amps, and measurement by means conventional known current flowing through primer 10 makes it possible to determine whether or not it is in a state of operation. To ignite the ammunition, terminals 6 and 9 are connected to the power source and the safety switches 3, 4, 7 and 8 are closed, so that the blast current generator 5 circulates in initiate 10 a current of fire of, for example, 5 amps.

We will now refer to Figure 2 which illustrates an electrical circuit integrating the transmission system information according to the invention. This circuit includes initiation and test circuits or not fire having the same structure as the circuit of Figure 1, so that the same reference numbers have been kept to designate the corresponding elements.

On weapon A side, the transmission system includes a electronic processing circuit 14 adapted for transmit data to ammunition through of a transmission circuit 15 and to receive data from this via a reception circuit 16. The emission circuit 15 controls the current generator 11 so that it produces a current cut with a duty cycle and frequency corresponding to the data to transmit the weapon to the ammunition. A diode 17 is connected between current generator 11 and contact 1 so as to allow the passage of the current from the first to the second and to prohibit it in the opposite direction.

An optocoupler 18 is connected at the input between the generator 11 and contact 1 by an input diode connected head to tail across diode 17, and at output to the reception circuit 16. The optocoupler 18 makes it possible to detect a modulated current generated by the ammunition and thus collect the data transmitted by it to tear.

On the M munition side, the transmission system includes a current transformer 19 whose primary 20 is connected in series with primer 10. An electronic circuit 21 and a remote supply circuit 22 are connected in parallel to the terminals of secondary 23 of the current transformer 19. The circuit of remote power supply 22 is a conventional circuit comprising, for example, a diode 24, a voltage regulator 25 and a capacitor 26 so as to produce a DC voltage U from the AC signal collected across the secondary 23. The voltage U produced by the remote supply 22 supplies the circuit processing electronics 21. The latter, by detecting the induced current across secondary 23 and processing appropriate, collects data transmitted side weapon by the electronic processing circuit 14. It allows also to transmit data to the latter via primary 23 and secondary 20 of the transformer intensity 19, the optocoupler 18, the receiving circuit 16 and the electronic processing circuit 14.

The nature of electronic processing circuits 14 and 21, which is not the subject of this invention, depends on the type of weapon and ammunition considered, the nature of the data to be transmitted from one to the other, parameters to be programmed in the munition, etc ... If it is a temporary munition, for example a artillery rocket, the electronic processing circuit 21 may include a programmable timer when firing from circuit 14 to determine the moment of the explosion. The processing circuit 21 can also include sequencers, memorization of the course to rally in the case of self-guided ammunition, etc ... Of course, the processing circuit 14 includes conventional interface means (not represented) allowing the data to be entered program in the ammunition and receive and read the data from it.

To transmit data to the munition, a source secure power supply is connected to terminals 12 and 13 and the current generator 11 is controlled by the circuit processing 14 via the transmission circuit 15 to produce a chopped current with a duty cycle and a frequency corresponding to the data to be transmitted. This alternating current through the primary 20 of the transformer of intensity 19 and induces an alternating current in the secondary 23. The electrical energy thus induced is collected by the remote supply circuit 22 which generates a direct voltage U supplying the processing circuit 21. This detects the alternating signal generated in the secondary 23 and thus reconstructs the data transmitted through the processing circuit 14.

When the weapon does not transmit data to the ammunition, the latter can send data to the weapon by circulating an appropriate alternating current through the secondary 23. The alternating current which is found induced in primary 20 is detected by optocoupler 18 and the transmitted data are collected through the processing circuit 14 via the receiving circuit 16.

The system according to the invention thus makes it possible to carry out half-duplex transmission between a weapon and ammunition while maintaining the weapon / ammunition electrical interfaces existing, in service to date. For example, the data transmission can be ensured by a current of no fire or 0.1 amp test with flow 19,200 baud. The transmission system described does not have dedicated connection points and offers the possibility of using standard protocols communication. The transmission and reception circuits 15 and 16 can be constituted for example by a UART unit (Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter) working in pulse width modulation, in modulation phase or using any coding and encryption system conventional, such as circuit 8251 of the INTEL Company.

It follows from the above that the system of described information transmission guarantees interoperability future ammunition with the ammunition current without recasting the weapon. The adaptations to be made to the weapon or firing device are not very complex, therefore little expensive, since they only affect structures electronic and software.

No source of electrical energy is stored in ammunition since it is remotely powered from the weapon, which makes it possible to meet very high requirements ammunition security.

The system also offers great discretion since it allows the use, for future ammunition, of weapons existing to date. Finally, the system offers the advantage low cost and high reliability insofar as it uses components and standards of proven communication, as well as interfaces long-qualified weapon / ammunition. For exemple, the transmission system described above can be implemented work with initiation devices of type 1A / 1W fire or not fire, exploded wire systems EBW (Exploding Brigde Wire), EFI (Exploding Foil) sprayed layer systems Initiator).

Such a system can be used, for example, in the decoy domain using chassis interfaces decoy launchers / ammunition known to date in order to program one lure among n, in the field of artillery and mortars, as well as missiles and submunitions.

It goes without saying that the embodiment described is not than an example and we could modify it, in particular by substitution of technical equivalents, without going out for that of the scope of the invention.

Claims (12)

1. A system for transmitting information between a weapon (A) and a round (M), comprising electrical connection means for closing a firing circuit of said round and means for transmitting information from said weapon to said round via said firing circuit, characterized in that said firing circuit is an electrical power supply circuit of said round comprising, on the side connected to the weapon (A), a device (5) for generating a firing electrical current and, on the side connected to the round (M), an electrical initiator device (10) initiated by said firing current, and in that said information transmission means comprise, on the side connected to the weapon (A), means (11, 14, 15) for applying to said power supply circuit a non-firing electrical current which is modulated as a function of information to be transmitted to said round and which has low value adapted to ensure non-initiation of said initiator device and, on the side connected to the round (M), detector means (19, 21) connected into said power supply circuit to detect said information and a remote power supply module (19, 22) galvanically isolated from said power supply circuit to supply electrical power to said detector means by means of said modulated non-firing current.
2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that said remote power supply module comprises a DC voltage generator circuit (22) and first coupling means (19) for inductively coupling said DC voltage generator circuit (22) to said power supply circuit (12, 1, 2, 13).
3. A system according to claim 2, characterized in that said first coupling means comprise a current transformer (19) whose primary (20) is connected in series with said initiator device (10) and to the terminals of the secondary (23) of which are connected said DC voltage generator circuit (22) and a first electronic processor circuit (21).
4. A system according to either claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that said first electronic processor circuit (21) comprises means for transmitting information to said weapon via said first coupling means (19) and in that said weapon comprises a circuit (16) for receiving said information transmitted via said power supply circuit (12, 1, 2, 13).
5. A system according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said weapon comprises, in parallel with said firing current generator device (5), a non-firing current generator (11) controlled by a sending circuit (15) for producing said modulated non-firing current.
6. A system according to claim 5, characterized in that said non-firing current generator (11) is a test current generator of said initiator device.
7. A system according to either claim 5 or claim 6 when dependent on claim 4, characterized in that said weapon comprises, between said non-firing current generator circuit (11) and said connection means (1), second coupling means (18) for coupling said receiving circuit (16) to said power supply circuit (12, 1, 2, 13).
8. A system according to claim 7, characterized in that said second coupling means (18) consist of an optocoupler.
9. A system according to claim 8, characterized in that said optocoupler (18) is connected in reverse parallel with the terminals of a diode (17) connected in series in said power supply circuit between said non-firing current generator (11) and said connecting means (1) .
10. A system according to any of claims 5 to 9 when dependent on claim 4, characterized in that said weapon comprises a second electronic circuit (14) for processing said information connected to said sending circuit (15) and to said receiving circuit (16).
11. A weapon for firing rounds, characterized in that it includes means (14-18) forming, in conjunction with a round, a transmission system according to any of claims 1 to 10.
12. A round characterized in that it comprises means (19-26) forming, in conjunction with a weapon, a transmission system according to any of claims 1 to 10.

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