A target acquisition system for telemetry tracking systems

White Sands Missile Range target acquisition system is analyzed, stressing the telemetry target acquisition system in particular, and the intelligent interface. In order to collect missile performance data, the White Sands Missile Range provides various types of mobile and fixed tracking instrumentation along the various missile flight corridors. The first target acquisition system, in the mid-1970s, was based on the Instrument Data Converter (IDC) and was implemented on all radar, telemetry and optical tracking instruments. In the second target acquisition system in 1980 the tracking system interface (TSI) performs the functions of the IDC, including the synchronization to the incoming messages and the stripping of the data to form the pointing commands; the periodic reading of the azimuth and elevation shaft angle data to correct for mechanical misalignment of the encoder zeros relative to True North; subtracting of corrected encoder data from the pointing commands to form the tracking errors which are applied to digital-to-analog converters and output to the servo systems as drive signals. This interface is inexpensive for the capability provided and represents a low complexity approach to tracking system interface operations. This translates into simplified ability-to-maintain and higher reliability; and since everything is controlled by software, the interface is highly adaptable to new and changing requirements. A series of block diagrams of the TSI are attached.