ANGULAR MOTION SENSOR FOR CANNON MUZZLE

THE PROPOSED ANGULAR MOTION SENSOR SYSTEM IS BASED ON DYNAMICALLY MEASURING THE POSITION OF A LIGHT BEAM RE FLECTED BY A MIRROR MOUNTED ON THE CANNON MUZZLE TO DETERMINE PITCH AND YAW MOTION AND MEASURING THE POSITION OF TWO SMALL LIGHT SOURCES MOUNTED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE MUZZLE TO DETERMINE ROLL. THE PROPOSED SYSTEM LENDS I ITSELF TO BEING RUGGEDIZED FOR USE AS A CONTINUOUS MUZZLE REFERENCE SYSTEM IN FIELDED EQUIPMENT. THE TWO LIGHT SOURCESLOCATED ON THE MUZZLE CAN BE SOLID STATE LIGHT EMITTING DIODES (LED) OR THE ENDS OF FIBER OPTIC STRANDS RUN DOWN THECANNON BARREL PERIPHERY TO THE MUZZLE. THE ELECTO-OPTIC IMAGE SENSOR IS A TWO DIMENSIONAL SILICON POSITION SENSOR THTHAT VIEWS THE MIRROR AND LIGHT SOURCES THROUGH A CATADIOPT TIC TYPE TELESCOPIC LENS WHICH CAN ALSO BE MADE QUITE RUGGED. THE LIGHT SOURCES ARE MODULATED TO ALLOW DISCRIMINATION FROM EACH OTHER AND THE AMBIENT BACKGROUND WILL BE FURTHER REDUCED BY NARROW BAND OPTICAL FILTERS CENTERED ON THE EMISSION WAVELENGTH OF THE LIGHT EMITTING DIODES. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL BE DEVOTED TO DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM THAT WILL BE TESTED IN THELABORATORY, AND THEN MADE AVAILABLE FOR FIELD TESTS.