The need in the art is addressed by the improved missile fire control system
of the present invention. In the illustrative embodiment, the inventive system
is adapted for use with TOW missile systems and includes a telescope cluster assembly
(10) for generating target position signals (18,20). A digital error
detector (22) receives and processes target position signals (18,20)
from the telescope cluster assembly (10). The processed signals (24,26)
are then fed to a stabilization control amplifier (50), where a microcontroller
(56) steps through a set of instructions eliminate angular noise from the
target position signals (24,26). The stabilization control amplifier (50)
subsequently provides feedback to the telescope cluster assembly (10) for
adjusting the line-of-sight in the telescope cluster assembly (10). Software
instructions for the microcontroller (56) and constant reference data are
stored in the microcontroller memory (not shown). An erasable programmable logic
device (58) is used to output discreet signals for controlling mirror positioning.
The inventive set of instructions includes sampling azimuth and elevation error
signals (70); calculating the average of said azimuth and elevation error
signals (72); performing a comparison of the average to a specified boresight
limit (74); performing calculations on the averages in response to information
received from the output of the comparison for determining motor runtimes (76,78,80,82,84);
and repeating the above steps as necessary for obtaining azimuth and elevation
signals within a specified limit.
