GB1581919A

GB1581919A - Unit load containers

Info

Publication number: GB1581919A
Application number: GB25486/78A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Ferranti PLC
Current assignee: Ferranti International PLC
Priority date: 1978-05-31
Filing date: 1978-05-31
Publication date: 1980-12-31
Also published as: IT1116865B; DE2920853A1; IT7949141A0

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO UNIT LOAD CONTAINERS (71) We, FERRANTl LIMITED, a Company registered under the Laws of Great Britain of Hollinwood in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: THIS INVENTION relates to unit load containers for the transport of projectiles and in particular to the setting of fuzes of projectiles carried by such containers.

It is known to transport projectiles, such as shells, to a battlefield in unit load containers and to distribute unit load containers between the different gun emplacements. Each unit load container (U.L.C.) comprises a rack of, say, seventeen compartments each containing a shell. At the gun emplacement an operative removes the shells, one at a time, and sets the fuzes as instructed by the gunnery officer before stacking them for use.

In general a fuze is 'set' with a time delay, initiated by firing, after which delay the shell is armed or even detonated. With mechanical fuzes setting is a relatively lengthy procedure involving rotating parts of the shell body to align markers and so has to be done well in advance of the use of the shell. This results not only in an inability to use most recently available data for setting but also in a large number of shells lying around out of the container waiting for use, which clutters the area around the gun, and the possibility of the gunner picking up a set shell out of sequence.

If the mechanical fuzes are replaced by electrically set fuzes then the setting time may be lessened, reducing the time before use at which a fuze has to be set, but the lack of visual indication of the fuze setting to the gunner increases the burden on him not to make a mistake.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a unit load container which mitigates the above fuze setting problems.

According to the present invention a unit load container having a plurality of compartments each arranged to receive a projectile having an electrically settable fuze for transport to a weapon includes for each compartment a fuze setting cap adapted to be attached to a projectile as it is loaded into the compartment and by way of which electrical signals may be applied to the fuze in the compartment to set it, a wiring network connecting each setting cap to input means by way of which input means coded signals can be transferred between control means and the unit load container and decoding means responsive to a succession of coded signals received by the input means to direct the signals through each setting cap in turn to set a fuze of each projectile coupled to a setting cap.

Each setting cap may include decoding means responsive to coded signals unique to that setting cap received on wiring common to all setting caps connected to the input means.

The input means may contain decoding means responsive to signals received from the control means to provide signals for switching means, individual switches of the switching means being associated with each setting cap.

The decoding means may comprise a demultiplexer decoder responsive to input signals from the control means to produce output signals at each in turn of a plurality of output terminals corresponding to the number of compartments. The switching means may also be carried by the input means the output of each switch being connected individually to an associated setting cap. Alternatively the switching means may be carried, one switch in each setting cap, each switch being responsive to signals received on individual connections to the counter output terminals to couple the input signals received on wires common to all set ting caps to the fuze associated with that switch.

Each switch may comprise a relay and driver transistor.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a general view of a unit load container, Figure 2 is a sectional elevation through one compartment of the container of Figure 1 showing the relationship of setting cap and fuze, Figure 3 is a schematic wiring layout of one form of decoding arrangements, and Figure 4 is a schematic wiring layout of an alternative form of decoding arrangement.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 a unit load containerU.L.C. comprises a framework 10 by means of which it may be handled and an array of 3 rows of compartments 11, juxtaposed to provide seventeen compartments each to hold and transport a projectile, such as a shell 12. Each compartment is closed at one end by a lid 13 and contains at the other end a fuze setting cap 14. The setting cap is connected by way of extensible cable 15 in the compartment to a wiring loom 16 interconnecting all of the compartments and running to input means 17. Input means 17 includes a socket by way of which the U.L.C.

may be connected to a control unit 18.

The shell 12 has an electronically settable fuze which forms the nose of the shell and to which contact is made by locating the setting cap 14 over the end of the fuze such that contact fingers 19 in the cap engage contacts on the fuze. The cap is formed of a plastics material having projections 20 which engage with corresponding detents in the fuze to align the fingers 19 with the fuze contacts (not shown).

As each shell is loaded in a compartment at a depot for distribution the loader withdraws the setting cap from the container and snaps it into place over the end of the fuze before returning it to the compartment with the shell.

When the U.L.C. is delivered to a gun emplacement it is connected to control means 18 which feeds to it signals in accordance with fuze settings ordered by the gunnery officer.

To simplify the interconnection between the control means and the U.L.C. the fuze setting is performed in sequence for each shell using the same interconnection cables and the U.L.C. carries decoding means to ensure that each fuze setting is distributed to different shells in order.

Decoder and distribution may take several forms depending upon the cost and complexity involved and upon the setting procedure.

In general electrically settable fuzes are electronic and contain electronic oscillators and counters which count a set number of oscillations to measure the fuze set time. The rigorous operating conditions of such fuzes prohibit the use of accurate crystal controlled oscillators and it is necessary to employ insensitive counter circuits, whose counting rates vary from fuze to fuze. Thus each fuze to be set has first to be 'interrogated' by the control means as to its exact operating frequency before being told the number of oscillations it has to count. This requires three connections to the fuze a common return through the shell body, a power supply, and data path.

Referring to Figure 3 the interconnection between the U.L.C. and control means comprises a 9-core cable 21 comprising power supply cable 22, common return 23, data line 24, and identification coding cable 25. The cables 22-24 form part of the wiring loom 16 and are connected to each setting cap, shown schematically at 26. The cable 25 comprises a 5-core cable which feeds coded identification signals to input means 19 which includes decoding means 27. The decoding means comprises a 4 line-to -16 line decoder / demultiplexer to which 4 core of the cable one connected at 28. Binary coded signals received at 28 are decoded and energise each of sixteen output terminals 29, one at a time.

The fifth core of the cable 25 feeds to a strobe input terminal 28' which energised causes all output terminals 29 to be de-energised. Thus by employing the signal on the fifth line input 28', when energised, effectively becomes a seventeenth output terminal. The decoder employed is a commercially available integrated circuit such as National Semiconductor MM74C154 4 line - 16 line decoder / demultiplexer. The output terminals 29 and 28' are connected one each to the setting caps 26 by cables 30, in particular to turn on a switching transistor 31 to operate a relay 32 by which the cables 22-24 are connected to the contact fingers 19.

The control means thus sets each fuze in turn by sending a coded signal along cable 25 to decoding means 27 followed by fuze setting data the relays in the setting caps being operated in turn by the coded signals to connect the power and data lines 22 and 24 to the fuzes to apply the data to their associated fuze in turn.

Each transistor 31 and relay 32 comprises a switch of switching means and are conveniently moulded into the setting cap such as illustrated at 33 in Figure 2.

An alternative arrangement shown in Figure 4 has the switches of the switching means mounted with the decoding means at the input. This arrangement as will be seen involves a larger number of wires in the connecting loom but may be preferred from a fault-finding point of view in that all the active components are collected in one unit at the input means.

A more-elegant solution is to employ a solid state decoding and switching means in each setting cap such that only the cables 22-26 from the control means are required to be common to each setting cap. The decoding means in each cap, which may be a decoder such as 28 (Figure 3) having one output unique to the switching means in the setting cap, responds only to data intended for the fuze in that compartment.

At the gun position the fuzes are set automatically by the control means and the gunner merely removes each shell in turn from the relevant compartment, which compartments are numbered for use in accordance with the order in which the fuzes are set, andafter removing the setting cap inserts the shell directly into the gun for firing without any possibility of confusion with shells having fuzes set to different times.

The control means has not been described in detail and comprises no part of this invention other than as a source of fuze setting data appropriate to the fuze to the U.L.C.

which data is fed serially for the total number of fuzes and includes a signal to cause distribution of the data to the different fuzes by the decoding means.

Similarly the switches have been described as electromechanical relays. It will be understood that, solid state switches such as transistors may be employed instead.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A unit load container having a plurality of compartments, each arranged to receive a projectile having an electrically settable fuze for transport to a weapon, including for each compartment a fuze setting cap adapted to be attached to a projectile as it is loaded into the compartment and by way of which electrical signals may be applied to the fuze in the compartment to set it, a wiring network connecting each setting cap to input means by way of which input means coded signals can be transferred between control means and the unit load container, and decoding means responsive to a succession of coded signals received by the input means to direct the signals through each setting cap in turn to set a fuze of each projectile coupled to a setting cap.

2. A unit load container as claimed in claim 1 in which each setting cap includes decoding means responsive to coded signals unique to that setting cap received on wiring common to all setting caps connected to the input means.

3. A unit load container as claimed in claim 1 in which the input means contains decoding means responsive to signals received from the control means to provide signals for switching means, individual switches of the switching means being associated with each setting cap.

4. A unit load container as claimed in claim 3 in which the decoding means comprises a decoder responsive to binary coded input signals from the control means to produce output signals at each in turn of a plurality of output terminals corresponding to the number of compartments.

5. A unit load container as claimed in claim 4 in which the switching means is carried by the input means and the output of each switch is connected individually to an associated setting cap.

6. A unit load container as claimed in claim 4 in which the switching means comprises one switch in each setting cap, each switch being responsive to signals received on dividual connections to the decoder output terminals to couple the data signals received on wires common to all setting caps to the fuze associated with that switch.

7. A unit load container as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6 in which each switch comprises a relay and driver transistor. 8. A unit load container having a plurality of compartments, each arranged to transport a projectile having an electrically settable fuze, substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. at the input means. A more-elegant solution is to employ a solid state decoding and switching means in each setting cap such that only the cables 22-26 from the control means are required to be common to each setting cap. The decoding means in each cap, which may be a decoder such as 28 (Figure 3) having one output unique to the switching means in the setting cap, responds only to data intended for the fuze in that compartment. At the gun position the fuzes are set automatically by the control means and the gunner merely removes each shell in turn from the relevant compartment, which compartments are numbered for use in accordance with the order in which the fuzes are set, andafter removing the setting cap inserts the shell directly into the gun for firing without any possibility of confusion with shells having fuzes set to different times. The control means has not been described in detail and comprises no part of this invention other than as a source of fuze setting data appropriate to the fuze to the U.L.C. which data is fed serially for the total number of fuzes and includes a signal to cause distribution of the data to the different fuzes by the decoding means. Similarly the switches have been described as electromechanical relays. It will be understood that, solid state switches such as transistors may be employed instead. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A unit load container having a plurality of compartments, each arranged to receive a projectile having an electrically settable fuze for transport to a weapon, including for each compartment a fuze setting cap adapted to be attached to a projectile as it is loaded into the compartment and by way of which electrical signals may be applied to the fuze in the compartment to set it, a wiring network connecting each setting cap to input means by way of which input means coded signals can be transferred between control means and the unit load container, and decoding means responsive to a succession of coded signals received by the input means to direct the signals through each setting cap in turn to set a fuze of each projectile coupled to a setting cap.

7. A unit load container as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6 in which each switch comprises a relay and driver transistor.

8. A unit load container having a plurality of compartments, each arranged to transport a projectile having an electrically settable fuze, substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.