System for determining direction or attitude using GPS satellite signals

Abstract: For determining spatial orientation based on the carrier phase of signals received from a set of GPS satellites, an antenna array (16) includes a number of antennas (20a, 20b, 20c) coupled to GPS radio receivers (22a, 22b, 22c), a mechanism (28, 30) for reconfiguring the positions of the antennas (20a, 20b, 20c) within the array (16) and a signal processing module (24) for processing the data collected by the antennas (20a, 20b, 20c) and the receivers (22a, 22b, 22c). The mechanism (28, 30) for reconfiguring the antenna array (16) is adapted for exchanging the positions of one pair of antennas (20b, 20c) and for rearranging the antennas (20a, 20b, 20c) from collinear (Fig. 8a, Fig. 8b) into non-collinear patterns (Fig. 8c). Phase measurements are taken by the antennas and their associated receivers, both before and after antenna exchange and after antenna rearrangement in order to provide the data necessary to determine direction or attitude.

Description: This invention relates to a method of kinematic surveying using GPS satellites and a pair of antennas, including the steps of: receiving and phase sampling signals from a plurality of GPS satellites with each antenna; exchanging the positions of the pair of antennas while maintaining continuous phase tracking; and thereafter receiving and phase sampling signals from the plurality of GPS satellites with each antenna. The invention also relates to kinematic surveying apparatus. GPS Navigation Systems include a constellation of satellites each of which provides a coded signal which may be picked up by radio receivers on the surface of the earth. Separate coded signals from a set of satellites may be processed by a receiver system for use in determining location as defined by latitude and longitude based on the code carried by the signals. The operation of GPS Systems in determining location based on coded signals received from satellites reflects the conventional functioning of such systems. However, it has been found that the signals generated by GPS satellites may be used in other ways and in particular the carrier phase of the signals may be used in certain surveying applications. For example, a pair of stationary antenna/receiver combinations may be located at the ends of a baseline (whose length is required to be determined) and used to track and measure the phase of a GPS carrier signal arriving at their respective antenna locations. The situation may be described by Equation 1:  A -  B = Δ  = COSϑ * ΔX or Δ  = Δ  ₀ + Δ  N = COSϑ * ΔX Where:  A = phase measured by antenna A at point A  B = phase measured by antenna B at point B Δ₀ = measured phase difference Δ N = initial integer (phase) ambiguity in whole cycles ϑ = angle between the horizontal and the signal path from the satellite to point A (or B) ΔX = distance between points A and B in which the total phase delay may be seen as indeterminate due to the nature of oscillatory signals since an unknown number of whole cycles may be involved. This unknown quantity Δ N is commonly referred to as the initial integer ambiguity and can only be resolved by additional steps in a surveying procedure. For static surveying, the simplest manner of resolving the initial integer ambiguity is by observing carrier phase over a period of time. It is clear from Equation 1 that the two unknowns Δ N and ΔX cannot be solved with one measurement equation at a single instant in time. However, with a second measurement Δ₁ made at a different time the T₁, the measurement situation becomes two dimensional in nature as indicated by matrix Equation 2: Where: the subscripts 0 and 1 indicate measurements at different points in time and the distance ΔX may be readily determined. In real life three-dimensional GPS static surveying, the amount of time necessary to obtain a solution is typically on the order of twenty to forty minutes for relatively short baselines. It may be appreciated how the principles given above can be extended to kinematic surveying applications so long as the phase of the carrier signal is continuously tracked. Continuity in the carrier phase profile provides the user with an exact history of positional changes of a roving antenna provided that some sort of initialization procedure has been used to resolve the initial integer ambiguity prior to antenna displacement. The situation may be described by Equation 3: Δ - Δ N + δ = cosϑ * ΔX + cosϑ * δX Where: δ = measured phase increment δX = distance increment Since the variables Δ N and ΔX should have already been solved from the initialization, this leaves only δX which can be solved instantaneously from a single phase tracking measurement δ. Kinematic surveying in accordance with the above procedures constitutes the primary application of GPS carrier phase techniques since distances may be easily derived from the carrier phase tracking measurements as long as continuous carrier tracking is maintained after initialization. In order to speed up the resolution of the initial integer ambiguity during initialization, an alternative technique may be employed called "antenna exchange" as first introduced by B. W. Remondi in his article "Kinematic and Psuedo-kinematic GPS" in the Proceedings of the Satellite Division of the Institute of Navigation's First International Technical Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1985. B. W. Remondi suggested that by moving one antenna to the location of the other the total phase delay can be solved just as effectively as waiting for satellites to move appreciably. However, since there is no way to physically merge two antennas that need to occupy exactly the same location, the most effective approach is simply to exchange or swap the locations of the two antennas at the ends of the baseline. Antenna exchange can therefore be interpreted as kinematic movement of one antenna by an amount equal to 2*ΔX while the other is kept stationary. This situation may be described by Equation 4: Δ₀ + δ = cosϑ * (ΔX - 2*ΔX) - Δ N Measurement before and after the antenna exchange result in two simultaneous equations as shown in matrix Equation 5: which may be readily solved to determine the initial integer ambiguity Δ N and baseline distance ΔX. A method of kinematic surveying of the kind defined hereinbefore at the beginning (see preamble of claims 1 and 7) is described by B.W. Remondi in an article entitled "Performing centimeter-level surveys in seconds with GPS carrier phase: initial results" at pages 1229 to 1249 of the Proceedings of the 4th International Geodetic Symposium on Satellite Positioning held 18th April to 2nd May 1986 at Austin, Texas, U.S.A. B.W. Remondi there describes a survey carried out at the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.A., in which phase measurements with a pair of antennas were used to calculate the positions of a number of points. One of the antennas was used as a fixed antanna. The positions of the two antennas were initially exchanged to determine the initial coordinates of the roving antenna. The foregoing discussion indicates how the phase of GPS signals may be used in determining distances in surveying applications and how antenna exchange may allow for rapid "initialization." However, surveying applications have appeared to be the limit of the usefulness of carrier phase information derived from GPS satellite signals. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system adapted for determining spatial orientation based on phase measurements of GPS satellite signals. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for determining direction and/or attitude using an antenna array including antennas which may be configured in different patterns and which are each adapted for receiving and measuring the phase of signals from a set of GPS satellites. It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for determining spatial orientation using GPS signals which may be employed on large scale vehicles such as ships and which is accurate in operation, economic to implement and reliable in service. According to one aspect of the invention, a method of kinematic surveying of the kind defined hereinbefore at the beginning is characterised in that a third antenna receives and phase samples signals from the plurality of GPS satellites; the three antennas are initially arranged in a collinear pattern in which the three antennas are spaced apart by known distances; and the direction defined by the three collinear antennas is calculated on the basis of the received and sampled signals from the GPS satellites. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided kinematic surveying apparatus for use with GPS satellite signals, the apparatus comprising: a pair of antennas disposed for receiving signals at spaced apart locations from a plurality of GPS satellites and being exchangeable to occupy each other's location; means adapted to sample the phase of such signals received by the antennas from the GPS satellites at the locations of each antenna and to track the phase of the signals received by the antennas during exchange of location of the pair of antennas; and means adapted to process data obtained from the sampling and tracking means characterised by a third antenna coupled to the sampling and tracking means and in that means are provided to set the three antennas in a collinear pattern with predetermined mutual spacing and to exchange the said pair within the collinear pattern; and in that the processing means is such as to calculate the direction defined by the three collinear antennas on the basis of signals received by the antennas from the GPS satellites and sampled by the sampling and tracking means, and the distances apart by which the antennas are spaced. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention which constitutes a system for determining attitude and/or direction (i.e. spatial orientation) based on the carrier phase of signals received from a set of GPS satellites, the system comprises an antenna array including a number of antennas coupled to GPS radio receivers, a mechanism for reconfiguring the positions of the antennas in the array and a signal processing unit for processing the data collected by the antennas and receivers. The mechanism for reconfiguring the positions of the antennas within the antenna array is constructed for enabling one pair of antennas to be exchanged and for allowing the antennas to be rearranged from collinear into non-collinear patterns. The antennas and receivers are used in taking samples and tracking the carrier phase of GPS signals received from a number of different satellites. These measurements are taken both before and after the positions of an antenna pair is exchanged in order to provide the information necessary to determine direction. Further, phase measurements may also be taken after the positions of the antennas are rearranged in order to provide the information necessary to determine attitude. In the preferred embodiment, three collinear antennas are initially spaced apart by equal distances and are separately connected to three receivers. Carrier phase measurements are taken by each of the antenna/receiver combinations with respect to signals from four different satellites. The positions of two of the antennas are then exchanged while continuous phase tracking is maintained and phase measurements are again taken by each of the antenna/receiver combinations with respect to signals from the same four satellites. The antennas are then rearranged from their collinear to a non-collinear pattern while continuous phase tracking is again maintained and phase measurements are again taken by each of the antenna/receiver combinations with respect to signals from the same four satellites. The phase information gathered pursuant to the foregoing measurements is then processed by a microprocessor system in which the phase ambiguities between the signals are resolved and the components of vectors representing the orientation of the antenna array are calculated based on the phase information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 provides a diagrammatic view illustrating the use of GPS satellites and their signals in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 provides a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of the electronic system associated with the present invention. Fig. 3 provides a diagrammatic view of the geophysical relationships of the antennas comprising the antenna array of the present invention during various stages of its operation. Fig. 4 provides a system of matrix equations representing conditions before and after antenna exchange which may be solved in accordance with phase measurements to yield vectors indicating direction Where: - and + superscripts refer to conditions before and after antenna exchange numerical superscripts (in parentheses) comprise indexes referencing particular satellites and double superscripts denote differences between measurements associated with different satellites numerical subscripts comprise indexes denoting particular antennas and referring to particular pairings of antennas comprise unit direction vectors to the satellites indicated by the superscripts (i). For Example Δx⁻, Δy⁻ , Δz⁻ = components of baseline vector between antennas before exchange Fig. 5 is a system of matrix equations corresponding to the system of Fig.4 in which the initial integer ambiguities are expressed as independent variables. Fig. 6 is a system of matrix equations representing conditions before and after antenna rearrangement (from collinear to non-collinear positions) which may be solved in accordance with phase measurements to yield vectors indicating attitude Where: X A , Y A , Z A = baseline vector between antennas 1 and 0, pointing from 1 to 0. X B , Y B , Z B = baseline vector between antennas 2 and 1, pointing from 2 to 1. Fig. 7 provides a pair of equations which may be solved to yield unit direction vectors. Figs. 8a, b and c provide a diagrammatic view of the preferred embodiment of the mechanical system for antenna array configuration in accordance with the present invention also showing its operation by successive stages. Fig. 9 provides a diagrammatic view of an alternate embodiment of the mechanical system for antenna array configuration in accordance with the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT HARDWARE SYSTEM AND ITS OPERATION Referring now to Fig. 1, a set of four GPS satellites 10 are shown orbiting around the earth 12 while continuously providing GPS signals. The GPS signals broadcast by the satellites 10 may be picked up by vehicles on the surface of the Earth such as the ship 14 using an antenna structure such as the antenna array 16. The present invention allows the ship 14 to determine its direction and/or attitude from the signals provided by the satellites 10 as picked up by the antenna array 16. Referring now to Fig. 2, the antenna array 16 includes three separate antennas 20a, 20b and 20c suitable for receiving GPS signals such as microstrip patch antennas. The antennas 20a, 20b and 20c are separately connected to three multichannel radio receivers 22a, 22b and 22c adapted for receiving GPS signals from the antennas 20a, 20b and 20c and sampling the carrier phase of such signals as received at the antennas. The receivers 22a, 22b and 22c ordinarily have separate clocks but may operate in accordance with a common clock signal generated by a single clock 26 as shown in the figure whereby clock timing errors between the receivers may be eliminated. The phase measurement information generated by the receivers 22a, 22b and 22c is transferred to the microprocessor system 24 where it may be processed to yield the desired directional and/or attitude information as will be hereinafter described. The microprocessor system 24 also serves to regulate the operations of the receivers 22a, 22b and 22c and the array control unit 28. The array control unit 28 controls the configuration of the antenna array 16 so that the antennas 20a, 20b and 20c within the array 16 may be exchanged and rearranged in coordination with the taking of carrier phase measurements by the receivers 22a, 22b and 22c so that the required data may be timely acquired for properly calculating direction and attitude. Referring now to Fig. 3, the antennas 20a, 20b and 20c are first arranged in a collinear pattern in which they are spaced apart by equal distances. Phase measurements are taken at each of the antennas of the signals received from each of the four satellites 10. The positions of antennas 20b and 20c are then exchanged while continuous carrier phase tracking is maintained so that the antenna 20b occupies exactly the same location as previously occupied by antenna 20c and antenna 20c occupies exactly the same position previously occupied by antenna 20b. Phase measurements are then taken at each of the antennas of the signals from each of the same four satellites 10. The antennas 20a, 20b and 20c are then rearranged in a non-collinear pattern in which the antenna 20b is located "orthogonal" (at right angles and comparatively nearby)to the line segment defined by the positions of the antennas 20a and 20c while continuous phase tracking is again maintained. Phase measurements are again taken at each of the antennas 20a, 20b and 20c of the signals from each of the same four satellites 10. Phase information comprising 36 separate phase measurements over three different antenna array configurations and associated phase tracking data may thereby be provided to the microprocessor system 24 for processing in order to determine direction and/or attitude. Referring now to Figs. 8a-c, a mechanical assembly is shown which is suitable for reconfiguring the antennas 20a, 20b and 20c within the antenna array 16 as required for the operation of the present invention. The mechanical assembly 30 includes a stationary frame 32 and a lever arm 34 rotatable about a fixed pivot 36. The antenna 20a and the pivot 36 are located on opposite ends of the frame 32 while the antennas 20b and 20c are located on opposite ends of the lever arm 34. The Figs. 8a, 8b and 8c illustrate the role of the mechanical assembly 30 in the operation of the present invention whereby the it allows the antennas 20b and 20c to be physically exchanged and the array 16 to be rearranged into different pattern. Fig. 8a shows the antenna array 16 including the antennas 20a, 20b and 20c in its initial position with the antennas arranged in a collinear pattern in which they are equally spaced apart by known distances. Fig. 8b shows the antenna array 16 subsequent to the positions of the antennas 20b and 20c being exchanged with the antennas still however being in a collinear pattern and being equally spaced apart. Fig. 8c shows the antenna array 16 subsequent to rearrangement of the antennas 20a, 20b and 20c into an non-collinear pattern. The exchange and rearrangement of the antennas within the array 16 is simply accomplished by the rotation of the lever arm 34 about the pivot point 36 either by 180 degrees (in the case of an exchange) or by a 90 degrees (in the case of a rearrangement). In actual practice, the lever arm 34 is driven by a servo motor actuated by the array control unit 28 under direction of the microprocessor system 24. Referring now to Fig. 9, an alternate type of mechanical assembly 40 for exchanging and rearranging the positions of the antennas within the array 16 is shown as comprising the frame 40, lever arm 42 and track 44. The lever arm 42 is rotatable about a pivot point 46 and it performs the antenna exchange function through a 180 degree rotation. The track 44 allows an antenna 20a to be translated from a position collinear with the antennas 20b and 20c to an "orthogonal" type position non-collinear with these antennas thereby accomplishing the antenna array rearrangement function. MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND It should be understood that, for the sake of simplicity, the surveying examples described in the background section were one dimensional in nature. However, the principles discussed may be readily extended to higher spatial dimensions by including more spatial variables and formulating a proportionately greater number of equations as necessary to obtain solutions. The measurements required for making the system solvable may be obtained by taking proportionately greater numbers of phase samples over time or by adding additional satellites to the measurement set until there is enough additional information to overcome the undetermined condition. The mathematical calculations necessary to obtain solutions can be rapidly and easily performed by modern digital signal processing machinery such as the microprocessor system 24 shown in Fig. 2 In determining direction and/or attitude many more variables exist than ordinarily present in surveying applications and accordingly more equations and measurement sets must be obtained in order to allow for solutions to be computed. First of all, the baseline defined by the antennas is not fixed to the GPS frame of reference for even the duration of the initialization procedure. Equation 4 describing the kinematic surveying situation may be seen to apply except that the variables ΔX and δX are as yet unsolved. Consequently, three variables are now present which may be solved by forming additional equations and processing more measurements, although, further measurements from the same satellite over time are not determinative since every such measurement would simply add a different phase increment. However, by adding another satellite to the measurement set enough additional information may be acquired to overcome the undetermined condition. matrix Equation 6 illustrates the resulting system of equations for a one dimensional example. It should be noted parenthetical superscripts assigned to the variables denote an index for the satellite associated with the variable. The example of Equation 6 may be generalized to real life GPS by elevating the spatial dimensionality of the model and by accommodating troublesome receiver timing errors. The Equations may be generalized to three dimensions by simply including variables representing three initial positions and three incremental positions. However, the accommodation of receiver timing errors is somewhat more complicated. It is inconvenient to deal with receiver timing errors in carrier phase surveying because the error is inestimable due to the inability of the measurement situation to distinguish between the initial integer ambiguity Δ N and timing errors Δt both of which reside in the range/measurement space of the model. Nevertheless, timing errors may be accommodated by eliminating them from consideration altogether through proper mathematical handling. This end can be realized by forming so called "double difference" expressions between pairs of satellites which can be made from single difference phase measurements between pairs of antennas. Equation (or expression) 7: illustrates a typical double difference expression in which superscripts reference satellites and subscripts reference antenna pairings. If phase measurements are made nearly simultaneously from both satellites at the two antennas, the timing errors conveniently cancel out in the double difference expression so formed. The number of double difference measurements always turns out to be one less than the total number of satellites being tracked and therefore one additional satellite must be added to the measurement set to allow the equations to be formulated in terms of double difference expressions. Again, referring to the example of Equation 6 and its generalization to three dimensions, six initial integer variables corresponding to six satellite pairs are required to provide 12 double difference equations (at two time points) and to thereby match the variables generated: three initial positions, three incremental positions and six initial integer ambiguities. Therefore, a total of seven satellites would be required to satisfy this model when the additional satellite necessary to set up the double difference expressions is included. The above principles would allow a baseline between two antennas to be determined although the procedure would appear to be cumbersome in requiring both a substantial time interval over which measurements must be made and the simultaneous tracking of seven satellites. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the principles referred to above would allow for the determination of a direction and in an application of GPS Satellites unrecognized previous to this time. The original antenna exchange technique called for a mutual exchange of antennas between fixed locations in which the baseline used between the antennas was required to remain unchanged during the period of the exchange. In accordance with the original technique, there would be no way to determine the original locations of the antennas if they were subject to movement. Nevertheless, an extension of the antenna exchange technique to a mobile platform can be accomplished if the spatial relationship between the antennas during the exchange is either known or maintained and an additional antenna is used to form a three antenna array. This amounts to a substantial simplification of the non-static initialization problem whereby solutions can be immediately calculated enabling practical applications of the technique to vehicular platforms of moderate dynamics such as ships and transport aircraft. The antenna array must remain rigidly fixed to the moving platform whose direction and/or attitude is to be determined and be constructed so as to allow the position of a pair of antennas to be exchanged and to allow the pattern of the antennas to be changed in the case of attitude determinations as will be hereinafter explained. In the most straightforward case, the antennas within an array would be collinear and the spaced apart by known and equal distances. These conditions may be readily fulfilled allowing the feasibility of many practical applications. Referring now to Figure 4, a system of equations is shown employing double difference phase expressions in which phase measurements from four satellites provide three double differences for each of two antenna pairs. Therefore, by making measurements both before and after antenna exchange, a total of twelve measurements are provided as required to solve twelve variables; three positions before exchange, three positions after exchange and six initial integers. The variables ΔX⁺, ΔY⁺, ΔZ⁺ define a vector representing the baseline running between the antennas which corresponds to a direction for the antenna array and also the platform on which it is mounted immediately subsequent to the completion of antenna exchange. The system of equations shown in Figure 4 may be partially solved to yield the system shown in Figure 5 whereby the initial integer ambiguities corresponding to the double difference measurements may be readily solved by means of a constant coefficient matrix. Now, not only direction but also attitude may be calculated with the knowledge of these initial integer ambiguities, if the antenna array is rearranged so that one of the antennas is non-collinear with the others while phase tracking is maintained and a further set of phase measurements is made with respect to the same four satellites. Referring now to Figure 6, the system of equations shown allows the vectors X A , Y A , Z A and X B , Y B , Z B to be immediately calculated representing the coordinates of the two baselines defined by the antenna positions within the array which correspond to the attitude of the array and the platform upon which it is mounted. In order to further complete this process the two vectors may be normalized through the use of the formulas shown in Figure 7 so that the required directions are expressed in terms of unit vectors useful in subsequent calculations. The orientational information represented by the vectors may then be converted to any desired format such as Ueler angles or the like. The receivers 20a-c may be synchronized to a common clock signal such as the signal provided by the clock 26 thereby eliminating timing errors between the receivers and allowing the equations of Fig.4 to be written in terms of single difference expressions. This simplification may reduce the required number of satellites in the measurement set from 4 to 3 satellites, although careful calibration of the timing for the clock signals provided to the separate receivers is necessary to achieve accurate results. Further by way of example, certain of the functions of receivers 22a, 22b and 22c may be implemeted in a single module having suffient multichannel capacity thereby reducing the amount of electronic hardware necessary for the operation of the system.

Claims: A method of kinematic surveying using GPS satellites and a pair of antennas, including the steps of: receiving and phase sampling signals from a plurality of GPS satellites (10) with each antenna (20b,20c); exchanging the positions of the pair of antennas (20b,20c) while maintaining continuous phase tracking; and thereafter receiving and phase sampling signals from the plurality of GPS satellites with each antenna, characterised in that a third antenna (20a) receives and phase samples signals from the plurality of GPS satellites; the three antennas (20a,20b,20c) are initially arranged in a collinear pattern in which the three antennas are spaced apart by known distances; and the direction defined by the three collinear antennas (20a,20b,20c) is calculated on the basis of the received and sampled signals from the GPS satellites (10). A method according to claim 1, characterised by the steps of: rearranging the three antennas (20a,20b,20c) from the collinear pattern into a non-collinear pattern in which the three antennas are spaced apart by known distances while maintaining continuous phase tracking; thereafter receiving and phase sampling signals from the plurality of GPS satellite (10) with each of the antennas (20a,20b,20c); and calculating the attitude of the pattern of antennas on the basis of the received and sampled signals from the GPS satellites (10). A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the said three antennas (20a,20b,20c) are equally spaced apart in the collinear pattern, and in that one (20b) of the three antennas is orthogonally positioned with respect to the other two antennas (20a,20c) in the non-collinear pattern. A method according to any preceding claim, characterised by the steps of computing a set of double difference phase integer ambiguities between separate antennas, and computing vector coordinates using further phase measurements and the said phase difference ambiguities. A method according to claim 4, characterised in that signals from four separate GPS satellites (10) are received and phase sampled and receiver clock timing errors associated with respective receivers (22a,22b,22c) to which the antennas (20a,20b,20c) are coupled are eliminated from the calculation by double differencing phase measurements between separate antennas and separate satellites. A method according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterised in that signals from three separate GPS satellites (10) are received and phase sampled and one set of receiver clock timing errors is eliminated by synchronizing receiver functions associated with the antennas (20a,20b,20c) to a common clock signal. Kinematic surveying apparatus for use with GPS satellite signals, the apparatus comprising: a pair of antennas (20b,20c) disposed for receiving signals at spaced apart locations from a plurality of GPS satellites (10) and being exchangeable to occupy each other's location; means (22b,22c,24,26) adapted to sample the phase of such signals received by the antennas (20b,20c) from the GPS satellites (10) at the locations of each antenna and to track the phase of the signals received by the antennas during exchange of location of the pair of antennas (20b,20c); and means (24) adapted to process data obtained from the sampling and tracking means (22b,22c,24,26), characterised by a third antenna (20a) coupled to the sampling and tracking means (22a,22b,22c,24,26) and in that means (24,28) are provided to set the three antennas (20a,20b,20c) in a collinear pattern with predetermined mutual spacing and to exchange the said pair (20b,20c) within the collinear pattern; and in that the processing means (24) is such as to calculate the direction defined by the three collinear antennas (20a,20b,20c) on the basis of signals received by the antennas from the GPS satellites and sampled by the sampling and tracking means (22a,22b,22c,24,26), and the distances apart by which the antennas are spaced. Kinematic surveying apparatus according to claim 7, characterised in that means (24,28,30) are provided to set the said three antennas (20a,20b,20c) in a non-collinear pattern in which the three antennas are spaced apart by known distances, and in that the said means (22a,22b,22c,24,26) adapted for sampling, tracking, and processing are adapted to maintain continuous phase tracking during rearrangement of the antennas from the collinear pattern to the non-collinear pattern and to calculate the attitude of the non-collinear pattern of antennas. Kinematic surveying apparatus according to claim 8, characterised in that means (30,40,42) are provided to configure the said antennas (20a,20b,20c) such that the antennas are equally spaced apart in the collinear pattern and that one (20b) of the antennas is orthogonally positioned with respect to the other two antennas (20a,20c) in the non-collinear pattern. Kinematic surveying apparatus according to claim 7 or 8 or 9, characterised in that the means to sample and tracking includes respective receivers (22a,22b,22c) coupled to the three antennas (20a,20b,22c) and a common clock source (26) coupled to the receivers (22a,22b,22c).

Inventors: HWANG PATRICK Y, HWANG, PATRICK Y.
Applicants: ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL CORP, ROCKWELL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
Application year: 1991
Main classification: G01S5
IPC codes: H01Q3, G01S19