Patent GB-1241874-A (GB)
Title: Position location system and method
IPC: G01S5/00
Filed: 1969-01-15
Abstract: 1,241,874. Radio navigation system. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS & SPACE ADMINISTRATION. 15 Jan., 1969 [30 Jan., 1968], No. 2394/69. Heading H4D. General.-Specification describes a comprehension navigation system whereby, by using OMEGA system transmitters 19, 20, 21, Fig.. 1 a synchronous relay satellite and a control station 15, a plurality of signals are produced and the position of supersonic aircraft 11/13 may be determined at the station 15 and relayed to. the aricraft using three different systems: (a) Fig. 1 OMEGA signals, Fig. 2 are received by the aircraft e.g. 11, transmitted as modulations on L band carriers to the satellite 14, where they are retransmitted as modulations on a C band carrier to the control station 15. The positions of the aircraft are determined in a computer at the station 15 and are transmitted to the aircraft for collision avoidance display thereat (b) Fig. 3 Position of the aircraft is defined by the point of intersection of (1) Sphere 24 centred on the Earth's centre and having a radius equal to (r + a) the Earth's radius plus the altitude of the aircraft, the latter being determined on the aircraft and transmitted to the station 15 in digital format. (2) Circle 26 on sphere 24 being locus of points on sphere 24 being distant R from satellite 14, R being measured by go and return phase comparison of side tones transmitted from control station, to satellite, to aircraft and then back to the satellite and control station, and (3) Circle 25 on sphere 24, being locus of points distant R<SP>1</SP> from OMEGA transmitter 20, R<SP>1</SP> being measured by phase comparison of the 10À2KH 3  OMEGA signal of transmitter 20 received by the aircraft and retransmitted thereby to the station 15 and the reference 10À2KA 3  signal transmitted from station 15 to the aircraft, via satellite and back. (c) Fig. 4 Velocity Vector of aircraft is determined at aircraft in terms of othogonal components V x , V y , V 3 , by means of accelerometers. Velocity V of aircraft relative to satellite is determined by means of Doppler shift of carrier signal transmitted to aircraft via satellite and then back. The control station computer calculates from V, Rs = R 1 , Fig. 3, and sphere of radius R t +h n  = Ra = sphere 24, Fig. 3, what the velocity vector of the aircraft should be at any point on the circle 26, Fig. 3. When the computed velocity equals the determined velocity vector thus gives the aircraft position. In all of these systems the L-band signal transmitted by the satellite is received by the aircraft with a large Doppler shift fD. Similarly the signal transmitted by the aircraft is received at the satellite with a large Doppler shift. To overcome the necessity for having receives circuits at the satellite and control station with very wide bandwidths, the aircraft receiver/ transmitter detects the Doppler shift fD in the received satellite signals by frequency comparing with a standard and then so shifts the transmitted signal to the satellite by a number n of predetermined incremental frequency steps f that the signal is received at the satellite and subsequently at the control station with a frequency steps. The Doppler frequency shift not compensated for i.e. fD - nf, is determined at the aircraft and transmitted to the control station in a digital format. Exact synthesis of the signals as received at and transmitted by the aircraft is thus enabled. Transmission of signal by control station is to satellite.-The spectrum of the modulated signal transmitted by the control station to the satellite and by the satellite to the aircraft, is shown, in Fig. 5, the carrier frequency fol in the first case being in the C (5GH 3 ) and in the latter case being is the L band (1À5GH 3 ). The tone signals at 3À4KH 3 , 5À67KH 3  and 6À8KH 9  are used to determine distant R and circle 26, Fig. 3, and tone signals at 3À626KH 3 , 5À746KH 3  and 6À8113KH 3  are used to resolve ambiguities in said determination. The signal at 10À2KH 3  is the reference signal used to determined distance R<SP>1</SP> on circle 25 using one received OMEGA signal. The signal centred on 1KH 3  contains digital coded information relationg to the transmission sequence of the OMEGA transmitters. The digital data centred on 100KH 3  contains the output of the station computer relating the various parameters of the aircraft's position. In the control station, Fig. 7, the six tone signals are produced by respective oscillators 44, 44À1, 45, 45À1, 46, 46À1 and are combined is summing logic 38 for application via summing logic 35 to single side hand modulator 34. The OMEGA signals are received at 51 and passed to the computer 41. An identification network 52 produces T signals on its four outputs when the 10À2KH 3  is received from the respective four OMEGA transmitters. Said four outputs are combined in OR circuit 53. The T signal from transmitter 19 is fed to control trigger circuit 56 whereby a square wave is produced having a 20 sec. period and values at #O and #I an alternate 10 sec. OMEGA formats. The square wave and the output of OR circuit 53 are fed to digital coder 54 the output of which modulates the 1À0MH 3  output of oscillator 48. The resultant signal is fed to summing logic 38 and modulator 34. The reference signal at 10À2KH 3  is produced by oscillator 47. Voice communication is by means of microphone 43 feeding f.m. modulator 37 to modulate the 100KH 3  carrier from oscillator 42. The output of the computer 41 similarly frequency modulates the 100KH 3  carrier from oscillator 39. Although the satellite is normally stationary with respect to the control station, some movement may be present, causing a Doppler shift in the signals from the satellite. Such shift is detected and compensated by means of a phase locked loop 68 receiving the L-band transmission from the satellite and comprising a variable oscillator 66 caused to track the received transmission and supply by means of frequency multiplier 70 the C-band carrier suitably "pre-frequency" shifted. Satellite, Fig. 8.-At the satellite the C-band signal of Fig. 5 is synchronously detected at 84 with the output of voltage controlled oscillator 87. The resultant side band signals are fed, via AGC amplifier 91 to a phase modulator 89 fed with an IF carrier produced in frequency synthesizer 83 from the output of the oscillator 87. The phase modulated signal is heterodyned up to L-band from transmission by a further synthesized signal at 93. The use of servo loop 84, 86, 87 and the derivation of the synthesized L-band carrier from the output of oscillator 87 ensures that the transmitted L-band carrier is coherent with the received C-band carrier. Aircraft transponder, Fig. 9.-The L-band signal of Fig. 5 is received at the aircraft and is converted and is converted to its side band components by heterodyning stages 155/158 using the output of coherent voltage controlled oscillator 154 (suitably frequency multiplied). Oscillator 154 will track the received L-band carrier and will thus show the large Doppler shift. The various components of the spectrum of Fig. 5 are separated out by band pass filters 197, 199, 213, 216, 217. The outputs of the control station computer are decoded at 221 and the position of the aircraft and those surrounding it are displayed at 222. The voice communication is heard in speaker 219. The OMEGA signals are received directly at 211, the 10À2KH 3  signals passing via filter 212 to one input of two way switch 206 and the other signals passing via filter 213À1 to summing circuit 214. The reference signal at 10À2KH 3  is passed from filter 213 to the other input of switch 206. Under the control of the detected signals defining the OMEGA transmission format switch 206 couples the two inputs to the circuit 214 for alternate periods of 5 secs. The OMEGA signals at the output of circuit 214 are at 10À2KH 3 , 11À33KH 3  and 13À6KH 3 . These are converted to 6À8KH 3 , 5À67KH 3  and 3À4KH 3  respectively by mixing at 215 with the 17KH 3  output of frequency divider 169, said divider being fed with the coherent output of oscillator 154. These frequency shifted OMEGA signals thus have the same frequencies as the tone signals and can share the same filters 193/195 on a time shared basis, the switch 196, switching over every ten secs. Accelerometers 184/186 and altimeter 187 produce the signals representing the aircraft's velocity vector and altitude respectively and are time division multiplexed on to a 4À25KH 3  carrier. This carrier is combined with the outputs of filters 193/195 in circuit 172 to produce the spectrum of Fig. 6. The base-band spectrum of Fig. 6 is heterodyned up in a plurality of stages in means 173 to become the transmitted L-band signal. The doppler shift in the received L-band signal is determined in means 168 by comparing the frequency of the output of oscillator 154 with that of standard. The frequency difference is detected as a voltage level and said level is expressed as the nearest integral number of level increments by means of a multiple threshold detecting means. Said integral number is coded at 171 and added to the modulation of the 4À25KH 3  carrier. Said integral number also causes a corresponding variation in the heterodyning output of means 168 whereby the transmitted L-band carrier is shifted to produce the partial doppler shift compensation at the control station. The L-band signal of Fig. 6 is received at the satellite, Fig. 8, and converted to a phase modulated C-band signal before retransmission to the control station. Reception of satellite signal at control station.- The C-band signal is received at 101, Fig. 7, and an i.f. signal produced from phase locked demodulator 102. Where two or more aircraft respond to the control station the aircraft transmit on different carriers spaced by 9KH 3 . The i.f. output of 102 therefore may comprise several spectra of Fig. 6. Only one receiving