Donald L Cole

US Patent:

40542548, Oct 18, 1977

Filed:

Dec 4, 1975

Appl. No.:

5/637565

Inventors:

Donald E. Cole - Covina CA

Assignee:

General Dynamics Corporation - Pomona CA

International Classification:

F42B 1502

US Classification:

244 321

Abstract:

The autopilot incorporates a single linear accelerometer transducer and a single pitch rate sensor. The outputs of the accelerometer and pitch rate sensor are summed with the command signal in the control circuit. A servo is controlled by the modified control signal to vary the incidence of a single plane control system, in an intentionally rolling airframe.

US Patent:

43968783, Aug 2, 1983

Filed:

Jul 13, 1981

Appl. No.:

6/282622

Inventors:

Donald E. Cole - Covina CA
John M. Speicher - Upland CA

Assignee:

General Dynamics, Pomona Division - Pomona CA

International Classification:

G05D 108

US Classification:

318648

Abstract:

A system for proportionally navigating an airframe to a target wherein the airframe is maneuvered by an onboard flight control system including body rate gyros for detecting the movement of the airframe relative to a fixed reference. A target sensor is mounted for pivotal movement in the pitch and yaw planes on a gimbal assembly rigidly connected to the airframe body. Mechanisms, such as motor/tachometer/potentiometer assemblies, pivot the sensor in the pitch and yaw planes and provide signals representative of the angular rate of motion and angular position of the sensor. These signals, along with the sensor output, are utilized in a gimbal track loop for pivoting the sensor so that it tracks the target. The outputs of the body rate gyros are utilized to remove or decouple the airframe body motion from the gimbal track loop signal. The system eliminates the need for a costly and complex space stabilized gimballed sensor while offering improved performance over a system utilizing a pure body fixed sensor.