18 September 2014 | Sherborne Sensors Ltd
Royal Canadian Navy selects EMS Weapon Alignment System incorporating Sherborne Sensors
Sherborne Sensors, a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of sensors for military, aerospace and industrial applications has announced that the Royal Canadian Navy will use its DSIC inclinometer as part of a new Weapons Alignment System for its warships.
Sherborne Sensors, a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of sensors for military, aerospace and industrial applications has announced that the Royal Canadian Navy will use its DSIC inclinometer as part of a new Weapons Alignment System for its warships.Developed by UK-based Electronic Measurement Systems Ltd (EMS), the Weapons Alignment System is a Computerised Electronic Tilt Angle Measuring System (CETAMS). It measures relative tilt errors between weapons systems components.
Corrections based on these measurements maintain the accuracy of the weapons system. Static alignment of weapons platforms is of critical importance to achieving accuracy. A warship’s structure will bend and flex over the course of its lifetime.
Exposure to rough seas, variations in temperature, and changes in loading cause a changing stress on the frame. Refits and accidents cause more permanent changes to the structure. Sherborne Sensors’ DSIC inclinometers measure tilt errors between the rotational axes of different weapons components to better than 1/600th of a degree (0.1 arc minutes).
By measuring these tiny tilt differences between different components over a period of several seconds, the Fire Control System can then be programmed to correct for them. This improves gun fire control and increases the accuracy of naval weapons.
“Slight changes to the structure mean a ship’s weapons platforms no longer rotate on parallel axes and the slightest deviation impacts on the accuracy of weapons system,” says Jon May, Technical Director, Electronic Measurements Systems.
“We developed our Weapon Alignment System to measure the tilts between platforms on floating vessels. We selected the DSIC from Sherborne Sensors for its ability to provide high precision measurements via a digital output. Sherborne’s proactive attitude in customising the standard device to meet the specific demands of our technology was also a key selection factor.”
Selection of the EMS CETAMS system by the Royal Canadian Navy adds a further endorsement to the DSIC. Raytheon Australia selected a CETAMS system using the DSIC earlier this year for alignment use on the Royal Australian Navy’s prestige air warfare destroyer (AWD) programme.
Sherborne Sensors’ DSIC is a dual axis gravity referenced digital output servo inclinometer. The standard device offers high precision angular measurements. It has a total error band of less than 0.08° over a range of -20°C to +70°C. Dynamic filtering removes unwanted vibration and noise. It is also robust, being able to encounter vibration and mechanical shock up to 1250g.
A low pass filter with a 3dB cut-off frequency at 20Hz ensures a 40dB per decade attenuation. The DSIC has internal temperature and linearity compensation programmed in during calibration. “We pride ourselves on our ability to deliver sensors with the highest levels of precision, accuracy and reliability,” said Mike Baker, Managing Director, Sherborne Sensors. “The inclusion of our DSIC inclinometers in leading-edge Naval programmes is testament to our ability to meet the most exacting applications. Sherborn Sensors is also delighted to be working with an innovative company such as EMS. The company''s Weapons Alignment System is another great example of Britain''s engineering excellence.”