Method and Apparatus for Determining the Position and Orientation of a Missile

• US 20080211718A1
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Astrium GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Astrium GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Dragon, Dieter, Martin, Sven
• Granted Patent: US 8,044,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/386
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/36 using sensors, e.g. sun-sensors, horizon sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/18 Military applications

Abstract

A system for determining the position and orientation of a flying object such as a missile includes a ground segment having at least one pseudolite station located on the earth'"'"'s surface which transmits into space a navigation signal that uniquely identifies the pseudolite station, and a user segment having at least one sensor which is situated in the missile and is designed to receive the navigation signal from the at least one pseudolite station and to determine its absolute position and orientation in space on the basis of the received navigation signal.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A system for determining the position and orientation of a flying object, said system comprising:

a ground segment having at least one pseudolite station which is located on the earth'"'"'s surface and transmits a navigation signal into space, which navigation signal uniquely identifies the pseudolite station; and

a user segment having at least one sensor which is situated in the object and is designed to receive the navigation signal from the at least one pseudolite station and to determine its absolute position and orientation in space on the basis of the received navigation signal.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein:

the ground segment comprises multiple pseudolite stations; and

said ground segments are configured on the earth'"'"'s surface according to a specified geometry, such that navigation signals from at least five different pseudolite stations may be received during all phases of flight of the object.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the pseudolite stations are configured in such a way that navigation signals may be received from a maximum number of pseudolite stations during the launch of the object from the earth'"'"'s surface.

22. A pseudolite station for use in a system according to claim 19, said psuedolite station comprising:

a signal generator which generates a navigation signal that uniquely identifies the pseudolite station, and transmits the navigation signal as a code multiplexing signal via a code multiplexing process; and

a transmitter antenna for transmitting the code multiplexing signal;

wherein, the signal generator uses a code uniquely associated with the pseudolite station as a spreading code.

23. The pseudolite station according to claim 22, further comprising a control and monitoring unit which controls generation of navigation signals, and monitors transmission of navigation signals in coordination with data for a time standard.

24. The pseudolite station according to claim 23, further comprising a monitor station for monitoring the pseudolite station, which monitor station is configured to receive navigation signals from satellites, and generate synchronization signals for the control and monitoring unit of the pseudolite station from the received navigation signals.

25. The pseudolite station according to claim 24, wherein the monitor station is configured to extract time information from navigation signals received from satellites, and to use said time information to generate synchronization signals.

26. The pseudolite station according to claim 24, wherein the monitor station is configured to obtain time information via a two-way time transfer process, and to use said time information to generate synchronization signals.

27. The pseudolite station according to claim 22, further comprising a high-stability oscillator reference as a local time standard.

28. A sensor for use in a system according to claim 19, said sensor comprising:

at least one antenna and at least one receiver for receiving a navigation signal from at least one pseudolite station; and

processing and computation means for processing the received navigation signal and computing absolute position and orientation of the sensor from the processed navigation signal.

29. The sensor according to claim 28, wherein the at least one antenna and the at least one receiver are also configured to receive navigation signals from satellites.

30. The sensor according to claim 28, wherein the processing and computation means are also configured to process data from an inertial navigation system of an object, and to take the data from the inertial navigation system into account in computing the absolute position and orientation of the sensor from the processed navigation signals.

31. The sensor according to claim 28, wherein the processing and computation means have a digital signal processor which is programmed to reconstruct and decode navigation signal data from received navigation signals.

32. The sensor according to claim 31, wherein the processing and computation means also have a central processing unit which is programmed to compute the absolute position and orientation of the sensor from the navigation signal data generated by the digital signal processor, taking into account the position data from at least one pseudolite station.

33. The sensor according to claim 32, wherein:

the processing and computation means also have a data memory in which position data from at least one pseudolite station together with the unique code for the pseudolite station are stored; and

the central processing unit is programmed to read from the data memory the position data associated with the pseudolite station on the basis of navigation signal data from a pseudolite station, and to compute the absolute position and orientation of the sensor.

34. A method for determining the position of a missile, in particular a flying object, said method comprising:

at least one pseudolite station of a ground segment which is located on the earth'"'"'s surface transmitting a navigation signal into space, which navigation signal uniquely identifies the pseudolite station; and

at least one sensor for a user segment, provided in the object, receiving the navigation signal from the at least one pseudolite station, and determining absolute position of the sensor in space based on the received navigation signal.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein, in determining said absolute position in space, the sensor also uses at least one navigation signal from a satellite.

36. The method according to claim 34, wherein in determining said absolute position in space, the sensor also uses additional data from an inertial navigation system of the object.