Patents Assigned to Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
  • Publication number: 20030098387
    Abstract: A device for detecting attacking guided missiles with optical seeker head and for generating a laser beam directed to such guided missile has an all-around seeker with a detector responding to thermal radiation from the guided missile, and a laser which points to the guided missile detected by the all-around seeker. A roll and pitch gimbal system is provided. A roll gimbal is rotatable relative to the structure about a roll axis. A pitch gimbal is rotatable relative to the roll gimbal about a pitch axis orthogonal to the roll axis. The detector is structure-fixed. An imaging optical system is mounted on the roll and pitch gimbal system. The optical system with its optical axis can point to an object scenario. With each position of the gimbal system, an image of this object scenario is generated on the detector. The laser is also structure-fixed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2002
    Publication date: May 29, 2003
    Applicant: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Baumann, Michael Gross, Hagen Kempas
  • Patent number: 6557798
    Abstract: In the missile containing a predeterminate number of swing wings made of a flexible, resiliently elastic, substantially flat material, the substantially flat material contains a closed cavity. Pressurized as can be infed into the closed cavity from a pressurized gas source in the swung out condition of the swing wings. In one embodiment the substantially flat material of the swing wing directly forms the closed cavity. The substantially flat material is made of thin sheet of spring steel. The swing wings are connected at their base to the missile body via respective swivel joints. Each swivel joint comprises a pressurized as cartridge constituting the pressurized gas source for inflating the swing wing. Each swing wing contains two tongue-shaped members of the substantially flat material. The two tongue-shaped members have respective substantially straight base edges and substantially U-shaped external rim portions and are interconnected in the region of their external rim portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2003
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Joachim Wilhelm Giesenberg, Otto-Paul Jakob
  • Publication number: 20030047102
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for triggering a warhead in a target-tracking guided missile. The guided missile has an impact fuse and a proximity fuse for triggering detonation of the warhead. The invention triggers the warhead such that the damage caused to the target, such as an enemy fighter aircraft, becomes maximal. To this end, the miss disdance is predicted from influencing variabled detected during the flight of the guided missile. The warhead triggering delay time of the proximity fuse is set dependent on the predicted miss distance to achieve such maximum damage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2001
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Applicant: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Ulrich Hartmann, Thomas Schilli
  • Patent number: 6421116
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the relative movement between a target tracking missile and a target being located at a target distance from said missile. The missile is equipped with an image processing seeker head provided with a seeker detecting said target. The seeker head observes the target in an observation direction. A target image is generated on the seeker. The size of the target image depends on the observation direction. The target moves with a target velocity relative to the missile. The method has the method steps of: defining a seeker head-fixed coordinate system; defining a maximum absolute size of said target; measuring further relevant quantities; and running a recursive algorithm in order to obtain estimated values of a three-dimensional vector of the target velocity in the seeker head-fixed coordinate system by using as inputs the defined maximum absolute size of the target and the image dimension appearing on the seeker as well as further relevant quantities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2002
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Schilli, Norbert Bins
  • Patent number: 6371684
    Abstract: The invention relates to a clamping ring for connecting cylindrical units of a missile, which have each a circumferential projection and a flat-conical engagement surface. The clamping ring comprises a circumferential portion bent to a arc of a circle and having two ends, which can be tightened together by means of a turnbuckle. The clamping ring has cheeks along its rims. The cheeks have flat-conical engagement surfaces corresponding to the flat-conical engagement surfaces of the circumferential projections of the cylindrical units to be connected. The clamping ring extends with the cheeks over the circumferential projections of the units. In order to increase the strength of the clamping ring by suitable shaping within a predetermined space, the inner surface of the clamping ring is free from edges and guided tightly about the outer contours of the circumferential projections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Giesenberg, Rainer Flickinger, Friedrich Kessler
  • Patent number: 6346697
    Abstract: In an image resolving detector arrangement, an image of an object scene is generated by an imaging optical system. Radiation from a respective one of several adjacent image elements of an image area associated with the detector element is directed consecutively onto each of the detector elements by an image element selection device. Herein the image element selection device is formed by a micro-light stop raster, which is arranged in an image plane and moveable step by step in this image plane, and which, in each position, allows only radiation from a part of an image area associated to a detector element to pass onto the detector element. Thereby, the resolution of the image resolving detector arrangement is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Dirk Krogmann, Hans Dieter Tholl
  • Publication number: 20010035825
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an arrangement for recognizing potential overheating of an object. For this purpose the temperature of the object is measured by means of temperature sensors. A signal processing arrangement determines the temperature gradient from the measured temperature values. A comparator compares the determined value of the temperature gradient with a threshold value generated by a threshold value generator. When the threshold value is exceeded, a warning signal generator triggers a warning signal. This warning signal can be an acoustical or optical signal. In addition or alternatively, the warning signal can activate a protective measure arrangement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2001
    Publication date: November 1, 2001
    Applicant: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Helmut Messmer
  • Publication number: 20010034560
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control system to which a state vector representing the states of a controlled system is applied. The control system provides a correcting variables vector of optimized correcting variables. The relation between state vector and correcting variables vector is defined by a matrix of weights. These weights depend on the solution of the state dependent Riccati equation. An equation solving system for solving the state dependent Riccati equation in real time is provided. The state vector is applied to this equation solving system. The solution of the state dependent Riccati equation is transferred to the control system to determine the weights.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2001
    Publication date: October 25, 2001
    Applicant: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Uwe Krogmann
  • Patent number: 6278612
    Abstract: The invention relates to a housing for electronic units having printed circuit boards and heat sinks attached to said printed circuit boards. The housing comprises side walls formed by a first and a second u-shaped-section each having a central portion and a first and a second side cheek extending perpendicularly to the central portion. The u-shaped-sections extend into each other with clearance along longitudinal edges of the side cheeks. The central portions of the u-shaped-sections are connected to opposite end faces of the heat sinks. This results in an inexpensive construction with stability in dimensions. The heat transmission between the heat sinks and the housing is good.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Kummle, Dieter Stolle, Alfred Schreiber
  • Patent number: 6273362
    Abstract: The invention relates to a window for use in a supersonic or hypersonic target-tracking missile, the window being transparent to electromagnetic radiation. The window consist of several window layers which support each other and which are commonly supported, wherein the materials, the thickness and the arrangement of said window layers are selected to reduce mechanical stresses due to temperature during supersonic or hypersonic flight as compared to a continuously homogeneous window. In one embodiment the window layers are fixedly interconnected with their surfaces facing each other and consist of materials having different thermal coefficients of dilatation such that, with the temperature gradient occurring in said window during supersonic or hypersonic flight, substantially identical thermal dilatations are achieved in each of said window layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2001
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Peter Gerd Fisch, Siegfried Bosch
  • Patent number: 6249589
    Abstract: In a device for the passive friend-or-foe discrimination of targets, in particular of airborne targets, wherein a target to be identified is observed by a video camera, the video camera is mounted for rotation about two mutually orthogonal axes and is aligned with the target by a servo or follow-up device controlled by target radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2001
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Heinz Hoch
  • Patent number: 6196497
    Abstract: An infrared seeker head for target tracking missiles has a main detector and an imaging optical system generating an image of a field of view on the main detector. The field of view contains a target such as an enemy aircraft. The missile is guided to the target in accordance with signals from the main detector. The target, if attacked by the missile, emits high-intensity laser radiation towards the missile as a counter-measure. This is to disturb the operation of the seeker head by dazzling or even destroying the main detector. The seeker head contains a device for defending against such disturbances. Various types of such defending devices are described. Incident light is deviated from the main detector. A second-quadrant-detector of reduced sensitivity guides the missile along the disturbing laser beam. Another embodiment uses attenuating optical elements in front of the main detector under the control of one or more second detectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Gerätetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Simon Lankes, Michael Gross, Reiner Eckhardt, Heinz Hoch
  • Patent number: 6198086
    Abstract: In a method for detecting an image signal by means of an array (30) of photosensitive devices (10) with each of which the charge of a capacitance (12) can be altered, an optical signal (20) of each photosensitive device is first detected by means of the following substeps: creating a charge condition of the capacitance with a predetermined voltage (+U_DD), changing the charge of the capacitance (12) either with a photocurrent generated in the photosensitive device (10) by the optical signal (20) or with a quantity derived from the same and detecting the voltage across the capacitance (12) after a predetermined time period, deciding whether the detected voltage lies within a valid range and, if this is so, determining on the basis of the detected voltage a valid signal which characterizes the detected optical signal, and, if this is not so, repeating the cited steps with a time period which differs from the predetermined time period either a predetermined number of times or until it is determined that the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, Bodenseewerk Gerätetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Schanz, Bedrich Hosticka, Reiner Wertheimer, Hakan Kisakürek
  • Patent number: 6179246
    Abstract: The invention relates to a seeker head for target tracking missiles having an image resolving seeker being gimbal suspended in a seeker gimbal assembly and adapted to be aligned to a target by target deviation signals, and inertial sensors. A virtual inertially stabilized reference coordinate system is adapted to be defined from signals from the image resolving seeker and from the seeker gimbal assembly, said stabilized reference coordinate system having an axis aligned to said target. The stabilized reference coordinate system is adapted to be aligned to predicted target positions in case of deterioration of the tracking function of the seeker to the target in accordance with the line of sight information (e.g. direction, angular rate, angular acceleration) of the reference coordinate system then present. The seeker is adapted to be aligned to the axis of the reference coordinate system when the deterioration ceases, the signals from the seeker taking over the tracking function of the seeker again.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Herbert Fisel, Ulrich Hartmann
  • Patent number: 6122108
    Abstract: A micro-optical beam deflection system, operable to be moved between discrete states with a pair of micro-optical lens grids arranged behind each other in the path of rays, and which can be mutually displaced transverse to the direction of beams, in which the lens grids are arranged substantially in the image plane of an intermediate image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Hans D. Tholl, Michael Gross, Steffen Glockner, Rolf Goring, Peter Schreiber
  • Patent number: 6116537
    Abstract: A seeker head for target tracking missiles having an optical seeker de-coupled from the movements of the missile has a non-rotating platform (16), which is mounted in the missile for rotation about pitch and yaw axes about an origin (30), the platform carrying the optical seeker. A missile-fixed torquer assembly (74) for generating toques about mutually orthogonal axes (48,52) directly engages the platform (16). An inertial sensor unit (26) is mounted on the platform (16), the signals from the inertial sensor unit (26) being applied to the torquer assembly (74) to de-couple the platform (16) from the movements of the missile. A particular way of arranging the inertial sensorunit (26) and a particular design of the torquer assembly are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Hagen Kempas
  • Patent number: 6098928
    Abstract: A connection is described for connecting two tubular fuselage portions of a missile. The inner diameter of the rim of a first tubular fuselage portion to be connected with a second tubular fuselage portion corresponds to the outer diameter of the rim of the second tubular fuselage portion to be connected to the first tubular fuselage portion, deducting a jointing tolerance, The rims of the tubular fuselage portion to be connected are provided with radial bores to accommodate connection screws, Clamp segments are mounted in the second tubular fuselage portion along the inner circumference thereof. The clamp segments define threaded bores, connection screws being screwed into these threaded bores.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Dirk Bross, Klaus-Dieter Knapp, Peter G. Fisch
  • Patent number: 6005721
    Abstract: A device for the detection of a continuous field of view or an arrangement of non-contiguous field of view sectors by means of an image resolving detector is provided such that the field of view sectors can be imaged quickly, one after the other, on the total area of the detector. To this end, a first imaging optical system ist provided, in the pupil of which a plurality of pupil areas is formed, each of which images a field of view sector on a common image plane area. A beam deflecting, microoptical beam deflecting element is arranged in the common image plane area. A second imaging optical system is arranged to image the microoptical beam deflecting element on the image resolving detector. The microoptical beam deflecting element is controllable such that it successively deflects beams from different pupil areas on the second imaging optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Rainer Baumann, Hans D. Tholl, Oliver Giesenberg
  • Patent number: 6002584
    Abstract: In a high-temperature protective arrangement for an electronic device, which as such generates heat, the electronic device is enclosed by a heat protective enclosure provided with gaps for permitting heat removal by air convection. The heat protective enclosure is coated with a material which is subject to swelling under the action of heat to a multiple of the thickness of the original coating whereby a heat-insulating layer is formed and the gaps are closed. Electronic components of the electronic device are disposed within a housing. The heat generated by the electronic components is passed to the housing which is surrounded at a spacing substantially on all sides by the heat protective enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventors: Helmut Messmer, Wolfgang Kummle
  • Patent number: 5983771
    Abstract: Contactless data transfer devices are provided as an interface for the digital data transfer between a missile and a launcher in which the missile is accomodated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: Bodenseewerk Geratetechnik GmbH
    Inventor: Hubert Lehr