406 MHZ RECEIVER MEASURING TOA AND FOA FOR USE IN DETERMINING THE POSITION OF AN EMERGENCY BEACON

• US 20140354481A1
• Filed: 05/30/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WS Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WS Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Holmes, Kevin Conrad, Street, William Austin
• Application Number:
  US14/292,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20140354481A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/465
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/11 wherein the cooperating elements are pseudolites or satellite radio beacon positioning system signal repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0246 involving frequency difference of arrival or Doppler measurements G01S5/02685 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0263 by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems

Abstract

A method for locating a Cospas-Sarsat emergency beacon comprises transmitting a Cospas-Sarsat compliant transmission from an emergency beacon and receiving the transmission at a plurality of receivers wherein the plurality of receivers comprises at least one terrestrial receiver operable to receive the transmission directly from the emergency beacon. The method further comprises measuring, utilizing a processing circuit, at the at least one terrestrial receiver a frequency of arrival and time of arrival of the transmission and transmitting the frequency of arrival and the time of arrival of the transmission to a central processing terminal operable to determine the location of the emergency beacon.

Claims

1. A method for locating a Cospas-Sarsat emergency beacon comprising:

transmitting a Cospas-Sarsat compliant transmission from an emergency beacon;

receiving said transmission at a plurality of receivers wherein said plurality of receivers comprises at least one terrestrial receiver operable to receive said transmission directly from said emergency beacon;

measuring, utilizing a processing circuit, at said at least one terrestrial receiver a frequency of arrival and time of arrival of said transmission; and

calculating the location of said emergency beacon from said frequency of arrivals and said time of arrivals as measured by said plurality of receivers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one terrestrial receiver comprises a plurality of terrestrial receivers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein all of said plurality of receivers comprise terrestrial receivers.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of said terrestrial receivers is affixed to land.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining comprises receiving information relating to the location of the beacon from external sources.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculating further includes receiving information relating to the location of the beacon from external sources.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein a processing circuit associated with one of said receivers is operable to determine the location of said emergency beacon.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting said frequency of arrival and said time of arrival of said transmission to a central processing terminal operable to determine the location of said emergency beacon.

9. A method for locating a Cospas-Sarsat emergency beacon comprising:

transmitting a plurality of Cospas-Sarsat compliant transmissions from an emergency beacon;

receiving said plurality of transmissions at a terrestrial receiver operable to receive said transmission directly from said emergency beacon wherein each of said plurality of transmissions is received at unique locations of said terrestrial receiver;

measuring, utilizing a processing circuit, at said terrestrial receiver a frequency of arrival and time of arrival of each of said plurality of transmissions; and

calculating from said frequency of arrival and time of arrival for said plurality of transmissions the location of said emergency beacon.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising storing said frequency of arrival and time of arrival of each of said plurality of transmissions and transmitting said frequency of arrival and said time of arrival for each of said plurality of transmissions to a central processing terminal operable to determine the location of said emergency beacon.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said determining is performed by said processing circuit of said receiver.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said calculating further includes receiving information relating to the location of the beacon from external sources.

13. A system for locating a Cospas-Sarsat emergency beacon comprising a plurality of receivers wherein said plurality of receivers comprises at least one terrestrial receiver operable to receive said transmission directly from said emergency beacon wherein each of said terrestrial receivers having a processing circuit adapted to determine a frequency of arrival and said time of arrival of a transmission from said emergency beacon.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said at least one terrestrial receiver comprises a plurality of terrestrial receivers.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein all of said plurality of receivers comprise terrestrial receivers.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of said terrestrial receivers is affixed to land.

17. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of said terrestrial receivers is supported on an aircraft.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein a processing circuit associated with one of said receivers is operable to calculate the location of said emergency beacon.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said central processing terminal is adapted to receive information relating to the location of the beacon from external sources.

20. The system of claim 13 further comprising a central processing terminal in communication with said plurality of receivers operable to calcuate the location of said emergency beacon from said frequency of arrival and said time of arrival as measured by said plurality of receivers.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein said central processing terminal is adapted to receive information relating to the location of the beacon from external sources.