Patent GB-695085-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to radio navigation systems
Inventor: EARP CHARLES WILLIAM
IPC: G01S3/54
Filed: 1951-12-13
Abstract: 695,085. Radio navigation; phase modulation. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES, Ltd. Dec. 13, 1951, No. 29195/51. Classes 40 (v) and 40 (vii). Relates to radio direction-finders and beacon systems of the type in which the received or transmitted signal is phase modulated due to a cyclic variation in the length of the transmission path between the transmitter and the receiver caused by mechanically moving a single aerial around a circular path or by rendering the elements of a circular aerial away sequentially operative at a frequency p, the phase of the modulation relative to a reference signal synchronized with the cyclic aerial operation being dependent on the bearing of the straight line joining the transmitter and receiver; the modulated signal may comprise a carrier or a sub-carrier such as a pulse train. In such prior systems the modulation is extracted by a phase discriminator and since conventional discriminators are only linear if the phase deviation does not exceed one radian, the radius of the aerial system and hence the change in path length is kept relatively small and the system is liable to site error and errors caused by interfering signals. According to the present invention such errors are avoided by increasing the radius of the aerial system to produce an increased phase deviation, e.g. 5 radians, and applying the phase modulated signal to a discriminator giving an output rich in harmonics of the frequency p, at least two harmonics which are prime to each other, e.g. the fourth and fifth, being selected and combined to give a signal of frequency p whose phase relative to the reference signal provides an unambiguous indication of the bearing. Direction-finder, Figs. I and 3. The aerial system comprises a circular array 1 of nine aerials sequentially operative at frequency p by a control unit 4 and also a non-directional aerial 9 located at the centre of the array or at twice the operating wavelength from the nearest point of the array. The signals from aerials 1 and 9 are applied through separate mixers 3, 10 having a common local oscillator 6 to I.F. filters 7, 11 and the output from I.F. filter 11 is heterodyned in mixer 12 with an output of frequency P from a crystal-controlled oscillator 13, the upper sideband being selected by a filter 14 and heterodyned with the output from I.F. filter 7 in mixer 8 to give a frequency P phase modulated at frequency p which is selected by filter 15 and applied to the discriminator 16 whose output includes a plurality of harmonics of the frequency p. The fifth and fourth harmonics. Fig. 3 (c) and (b), are selected by filters 20 and 17 and applied directly and via phase shifter 18 respectively to circuits 21 and 19 producing pulse trains (e) and (d) which are applied to a coincidence circuit 23 giving a pulse train (f) of recurrence frequency p which is converted to a sine wave (g) by filter 24 and applied together with a reference sine wave (a) from control unit 4 to phase meter 25. Alternatively the reference signal may comprise a pulse train which is compared with pulse train (f). ). Other pairs of harmonics may be employed, e.g. 3p and 4p, p and 5p, but maximum reduction of site error is achieved by using the highest possible harmonics ; table II (not shown) gives suitable pairs of harmonics for different diameters of the circular array. Beacon system. Fig. 4 shows a receiver for use in conjunction with a beacon transmitter of the type disclosed in Specification 635,487 which comprises (1) a circular array of nine aerials energized sequentially by 1Ás pulses at a rate of p = 1111 c/s giving a radiated pulse train of recurrence frequency 10 Kc/s which is phase-position modulated at frequency p, the phase of the modulation being dependent on bearing and (2) a centre aerial radiating (a) an interleaved 10 Kc/s train of 1Ás pulses frequency-position modulated at the reference frequency p and (b) an interleaved 10 Kc/s train of 2Ás sync, pulses. At the receiver the bearing and reference pulse trains are separated by the channel selector 47 under the control of the sync. pulses and the 50th harmonic of the bearing pulses is selected at 49 and applied to discriminator 53, the 3rd, 4th and 5th harmonics of the modulation frequency p being selected by filters 54, 56, 55 and converted to corresponding pulse trains at 57, 59, 58 which are combined in coincidence circuit 62 giving a pulse train of recurrence frequency p which is converted to a sine wave at 63 and applied to a phase meter 64 together with a reference wave obtained by demodulating the reference pulses at 51. By utilizing the coincidence of three sets of pulses, the effect of interfering signals is further reduced but two sets only may be employed as described above with reference to Fig. 3. In both embodiments of the invention, the lower order harmonics are applied to the pulse producing circuits via phase shifters, 18, Fig. 1 and 60, 61, Fig. 4, to adjust the required coincidence and the pulses derived from the lowest harmonic may be longer than the other derived pulses. Specifications 594,530 and 638,292 are referred to. Phase discriminator, Fig. 2, producing harmonics of the modulation frequency. The phase modulated signal is applied to the primary 27 of transformer 26 and one secondary 28 is coupled through a delay network 30 to the primary of transformer 32, one end of the other secondary 29 being connected to the centre of secondary 33 and each end of secondary 33 being connected through a rectifier 39 and load resistor 41 to the other end of secondary 29. Delay network 30 produces a phase shift of 90 degrees or preferably some odd multiple thereof such that the delay time is approximately equal to half the modulation period so that the phase difference between the two signals applied to transformer 32 varies cyclically, the signals being in phase quadrature for zero modulation, and the differential output across terminals 42 comprises odd harmonics of the modulation frequency. In order to produce even harmonics across terminals 43, the phasesplitting bridge network 36 is connected to another pair of rectifiers, the arrangement being such that the differentially combined signals are co-phasal for zero modulation. Specification 635,487 also is referred to.