Navigation system

• US 20060049977A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Vacanti, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,161,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/121
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/882 for altimeters measuring height using barometric means G01C5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/006 using shared front-end circuitry, e.g. antennas G01S13/765, G01S13/825 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/35 Details of non-pulse systems

Abstract

A radar altimeter system with a closed-loop modulation for generating more accurate radar altimeter values. The present invention combines flight safety critical sensors into a common platform to permit autonomous or semi-autonomous landing, enroute navigation and complex precision approaches in all weather conditions. An Inertial Navigation System (INS) circuit board, a radar altimeter circuit board and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) circuit board are housed in a single chassis. VHF (Very High Frequency) Omni-directional Radio (VOR), Marker Beacon (MB), and VDB (VHF Data Broadcast) receiver circuit boards may also be implemented on circuit boards in the chassis.

Claims

1. A navigation system comprising:

a single antenna radar device comprising;

a circulator;

a transmitter in signal communication with the circulator for transmitting a radar signal using closed-loop modulation;

a receiver in signal communication with the circulator and the transmitter, the receiver configured to receive reflections of the transmitted radar signal; and

an analog-to-digital converter in signal communication with the receiver for outputting a digital signal of the received reflections;

a chassis remotely located from the single antenna radar device, the chassis comprising;

a radar altimeter processing component;

an instrument landing system (ILS) component;

an inertial navigation system (INS) component;

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver component; and

a controller being in data communication with the radar altimeter processing component, the ILS component, the INS component, and the GPS receiver component; and

a data communication device coupled to the single antenna radar device and the controller, the data communication device includes at least one of an Ethernet cable or a fiber optics cable.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of each of the components are disposed on one or more circuit boards, wherein the circuit boards are received within the chassis.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital signal of the reflections includes a composite of frequency over time.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the chassis further comprises one or more of a microwave landing component, a marker beacon component, a VHF data broadcast component, or a VHF omni-directional component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the closed-loop modulation is performed by a phase-locked loop circuit as controlled by a direct digital synthesizer

6. A navigation radio unit being in digital data communication with a radar system, the unit comprising:

a controller for sending signals to the radar system for transmission and receiving digital signals from the radar system via at least one of an Ethernet cable or a fiber optics cable;

a radar altimeter processing component coupled to the controller;

an instrument landing system (ILS) component;

an inertial navigation system (INS) component; and

a global positioning system (GPS) receiver component

7. The unit of claim 6, further comprising a chassis, wherein at least a portion of each of the components are disposed on circuit boards, wherein the circuit boards are received within the chassis.

8. The unit of claim 6, wherein the received digital signals include a composite of frequency over time of radar reflections.

9. The unit of claim 6, wherein the received digital signals are digitized radar reflections of a transmitted radar signals generated using closed-loop modulation.