Patent GB-597769-A (GB)
Title: Radio direction-indicating device and system
IPC: G01S1/24
Filed: 1945-08-25
Abstract: 597,769. Radio-navigation. HAZELTINE CORPORATION. Aug. 25, 1945, No. 21885. Convention date, Sept. 15, 1944. [Class 40 (v)] [Also in Group XXXVI] A system to enable a craft to determine its direction with respect to a transmitting beacon comprises several spaced transmitting aerials fed with separate identifiable signals, some of which are of pulse form, and means on the craft which derives from certain of the signals reference waves of saw-tooth form which are employed in conjunction with the received pulse signals to generate control voltages indicative of the time interval between the receipt of signals, which intervals define the azimuth of the craft with respect to the beacon. In the arrangement of Fig. 1, four spaced aerials N, S, E, W are fed from four transmitters 13, 14, 11, 12 which are pulse modulated in synchronism by a generator 19 and operate on differing carrier frequencies. The use of pulse modulation enables the transmitters to be operated, if desired, only in response to interrogating pulse signals transmitted from a craft which desires to co-operate with the beacon. The receiving apparatus on the craft comprises an aerial 22 feeding receivers 20, 21, 27, 28 tuned to accept the signals from the E, W, Sand N transmitters respectively. The relative time of arrival at the craft of the simultaneously emitted pulses from the N-S or E-W pair of transmitters is dependent upon the azimuthal position of the craft with respect to the beacon, the time interval between the receipt of the signals from the N and S transmitters is t=kd sin a, where is the distance between the N and S aerials and a is the angle formed by a line joining aerial 22 to the midpoint of the line between the E and W aerials. The E and W receivers 20, 21 feed the detected pulse signals to apparatus comprising interconnected saw-tooth generators 23, 24 and evaluating or sampling circuits 25, 26. In response to the first received pulse, these circuits generate a saw-tooth wave which is evaluated by the other received pulse to provide the control voltage proportioned to kd cos a which is fed to the cathode-ray tube indicator 30 to produce deflection in one (the E-W) direction. The Sand N receivers 27, 28 feed a circuit arrangement 29 which is identical with the units 23-26 and derives the control voltage proportioned to kd sin a which is fed to produce the deflection in the N-S direction in the cathode-ray tube. The resultant position of the spot on the screen of the C.R.T. thus depends upon the value of a and indicates the bearing of the aerial 22 with respect to the beacon. The circuit arrangement 29 illustrated in detail comprises a flip-flop circuit composed of valves 34, 35 which, if triggered by a positive pulse from the receiver 27, provides a negative pulse of duration at least substantially as long as the maximum time interval ever to occur between the reception. of the N and S pulses. This pulse cuts off valve 43 so that a sawtooth sweep voltage is built up across condenser 45 and is fed to one grid of the gate valve 49. An identical chain 34<1>-49<1> is arranged to be controlled by the N pulse, but owing to the common cathode resistor 54 the first circuit to be triggered renders the other circuit insensitive to the latter received pulse. The received pulses are, however, also fed to grids of the gate valves 49, 49<1>, and if for example the S pulse is first received so that the saw-tooth wave is applied to valve 49, the N pulse when received is effective to open the gate valve and produce a voltage output at the anode of 49 which depends upon the saw-tooth amplitude at the moment of receipt of the N pulse and thus, owing to the linear slope of the saw-tooth, is proportional to kd sin a. Owing to the repetitive nature of the received pulses and the time constant of the circuit comprising condenser 53 and resistor 51, a substantially unidirectional voltage proportional to kd sin a is fed to the cathode-ray tube indicator. In a modified system, Fig. 3 (not shown), the reference saw-tooth wave is derived from frequency modulation of one of the transmitters of each N-S, E-W pair. A pulse generator controls the modulation circuits of the South transmitter which is frequency modulated by a linear saw-tooth of duration equal to twice the maximum delay possible between reception of N and S signals (2 kd). The output from the pulse generator is fed, via a network introducing a delay of kd, to pulse modulate the north transmitter. Similar modulation arrangements exist for the E-W transmitters. The azimuthindicating apparatus at the craft comprises a frequency-modulation receiver which derives from the South transmission the saw-tooth wave which is fed to one grid of the gate valve (49 of Fig. 1). The N pulse from the output of a separate receiver is fed to the other grid of the gate valve and produces the resultant control voltage which is utilized as in the arrangement of Fig. 1. A similar set of receiving equipment exists to derive the control voltage from the E-W transmissions. Centring voltages fed to the deflecting plates of the C.R. tube indicator in order to cause the spot indication to appear in the correct position, would, in the absence of any incoming signals and resultant control voltages, cause the spot on the tube screen to be deflected and provide a false indication. The C.R.T. is therefore normally biassed off and a diode is employed to generate a brightening voltage by rectification of the received pulse signals so that visible indications are only,provided when signals are received. In a further modification, Fig. 5, only three aerials 74, 75, 76 are employed. A synchronizing signal source 77 controls the modulation circuits of transmitter 72 which is modulated in frequency between limits of f5 and f6 by a linear saw-tooth wave which is at least twice as long as the time of signal travel (2 kd) between either of the pairs of aerials 75, 74 or 75, 76. The synchronizing signals also after equal delays equal to kd in networks 78, 79 pulse-modulate the transmitters 71, 73 which have carrier frequencies of f8 and f7 respectively. The receiving means on the craft comprises a receiver or beat frequency detector 80 which is tuned to receive the signals from transmitters 71 and 72 (f5-f8), but to reject the signal (f7) from transmitter 73. The beat frequency produced depends upon the relative delay (kd sin a) between the pulse modulated wave and saw-tooth frequencymodulated wave and thus upon the relative azimuth of the craft. The beat frequency after amplification and limitation at 81 is fed to a discriminator circuit 82 which produces an output voltage, of amplitude varying with the beat frequency, which is fed to the amplifier and integrating device 83 producing the control voltage proportional to kd sin a which is fed to the vertical deflecting plates of the cathoderay tube indicator. A second channel comprising the beat frequency detector 80<1> responsive to frequencies f5 to f7, and units 81<1>, 82' and 83<1> develop the control voltage kd cos a which is applied to the horizontal deflecting plates of the indicator tube.