The present invention relates to a combined proximity and impact fuze and more particularly to a circuit arrangement for such a fuze for preventing the actuation of a detonation upon impingement on a rain drop.
Combined proximity and impact fuzes are used, in particular, to fight flying targets by means of barrel weapons or missiles, but can also be used against ground and water target objects. In principle, the type of sensor employed in the proximity fuze is of no significance. Such sensors may operate, for example, not only according to the radar principle but also according to all other electronic target detection methods known in the munitions art. For example, the proximity sensor may operate with the aid of a laser, according to an acoustical method or by evaluation of the changes in electrical or magnetic fields upon approach to the target. The impact fuze may likewise be of any desired type, for example, a piezoelectric fuze or a mechanical fuze.
For the impact fuze, in some applications, firing already must be effected with certainty when the fuze impacts on very thin metal sheets, possibly under a very flat impact angle. For that reason, in such cases, the fuze must be set to be so sensitive that impinging rain drops could inadvertently cause a detonation before the factual target has been reached. The same applies, of course, also for snow and hail.
Various rain drop safety devices for impact fuses are already known, but they all prevent the actuation of a detonation signal on the part of the sensor when it impinges on rain drops by mechanical means.