MAGNETIC WAKE DETECTOR

• US 20170068012A1
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Published: 03/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Fisk, Bryan N.
• Application Number:
  US15/003,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20170068012A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/032 using magneto-optic devices, e.g. Faraday or Cotton-Mouton effect
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/08 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by objects or geological structures or by detecting devices with electromagnetic waves G01V3/12
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/081 the magnetic field is produced by the objects or geological structures characterised by the method of magnetic field measurement G01R33/00

Abstract

Disclosed are systems, computer-readable mediums, and methods for detecting, using a magnetometer, a magnetic vector of a magnetic field. The magnetic vector of the magnetic field from the magnetometer is received by an electronic processor. A presence of a wake from a flying object is determined based upon the magnetic vector.

Claims

1. A system for detecting a magnetic field comprising:

a magnetometer configured to detect a magnetic vector of a magnetic field;

one or more electronic processors configured to;

receive the magnetic vector of the magnetic field from the magnetometer; and

determine a presence of a wake, based upon the magnetic vector, from a flying object based upon the magnetic field.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine the presence of the wake from the flying object the one or more electronic processors are further configured to:

determine a difference between the magnetic vector of the magnetic field with a vector of the magnetic field of the earth, wherein the difference is used to determine the presence of the wake.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the magnetometer has a sensitivity of 0.01 μ

T.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the range of the magnetometer is one kilometer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more electronic processors are further configured to receive a plurality of magnetic vector values over time.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more electronic processors are further configured to calculate a speed of the flying object based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more electronic processors are further configured to:

calculate a plurality of possible locations of the flying object based upon the magnetic vector;

eliminate a subset of the possible locations based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more electronic processors are further configured to:

calculate an uniformity of the magnetic field over time based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors; and

identify the flying object based upon the uniformity of the magnetic field over time.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the flying object is a missile.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the flying object is a hypersonic glider.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the flying object is a torpedo.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the magnetometer is passive.

13. A method comprising:

detecting, using a magnetometer, a magnetic vector of a magnetic field;

receiving, at one or more electronic processors, the magnetic vector of the magnetic field from the magnetometer; and

determining a presence of a wake, based upon the magnetic vector, from a flying object based upon the magnetic field.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the presence of the wake from the flying object comprises determining a difference between the magnetic vector of the magnetic field with a vector of the magnetic field of the earth, wherein the difference is used to determine the presence of the wake.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the magnetometer has a sensitivity of 0.01 μ

T.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the range of the magnetometer is one kilometer.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a plurality of magnetic vectors over time.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising calculating a speed of the flying object based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

calculating a plurality of possible locations of the flying object based upon the magnetic vector;

eliminating a subset of the possible locations based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

calculating an uniformity of the magnetic field over time based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors; and

identifying the flying object based upon the uniformity of the magnetic field over time.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the flying object is a missile.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the flying object is a hypersonic glider.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the flying object is a torpedo.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the magnetometer is passive.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a computing device cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a vector of magnetic field from a magnetometer; and

determining a presence of a wake, based upon the vector, from a flying object that based upon the magnetic field.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein determining the presence of the wake from the flying object comprises determining a difference between the magnetic vector of the magnetic field with a vector of the magnetic field of the earth, wherein the difference is used to determine the presence of the wake.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the magnetometer has a sensitivity of 0.01 μ

T.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the range of the magnetometer is one kilometer.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a plurality of magnetic vectors over time.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise calculating a speed of the flying object based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise:

calculating a plurality of possible locations of the flying object based upon the magnetic vector;

eliminating a subset of the possible locations based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise:

calculating an uniformity of the magnetic field over time based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors; and

identifying the flying object based upon the uniformity of the magnetic field over time.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the flying object is a missile.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the flying object is a hypersonic glider.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the flying object is a torpedo.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the magnetometer is passive.

37. A system comprising:

a first magnetometer configured to detect a first magnetic vectors of a magnetic field;

a second magnetometer configured to detect a second magnetic vector of the magnetic field;

one or more electronic processors configured to;

receive the magnetic vectors of the magnetic field from the first and second magnetometers; and

determine a presence of a wake, based upon the magnetic vectors, from a flying object based upon the magnetic vectors.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein to determine the presence of the wake from the flying object the one or more electronic processors are further configured to:

determine differences between the vectors of the magnetic fields with a vector of the magnetic field of the earth, wherein the differences are used to determine the presence of the wake.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the magnetometer has a sensitivity of 0.01 μ

T.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the range of the magnetometer is one kilometer.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein the one or more electronic processors are further configured to:

receive a first plurality of magnetic vectors over time from the first magnetometer; and

receive a second plurality of magnetic vectors over time from the second magnetometer.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the one or more electronic processors are further configured to calculate a speed of the flying object based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors from the first and second magnetometers.

43. The system of claim 41, wherein the one or more electronic processors are further configured to:

calculate a plurality of possible locations of the flying object based upon the first magnetic vector;

eliminate a first subset of the possible locations based upon the second magnetic vector;

eliminate a subset of the possible locations based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors from the first and second magnetometers.

44. The system of claim 41, wherein the one or more electronic processors are further configured to:

calculate an uniformity of the magnetic field over time based upon the plurality of magnetic vectors from the first and second magnetometers; and

identify the flying object based upon the uniformity of the magnetic field over time.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the flying object is a missile.

46. The system of claim 44, wherein the flying object is a hypersonic glider.

47. The system of claim 44, wherein the flying object is a torpedo.

48. The system of claim 37, wherein the magnetometer is passive.

49. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

a third magnetometer configured to detect a third magnetic vector of the magnetic field; and

triangulate a location of the flying object based upon the first magnetic vector, the second magnetic vector, and the third magnetic vector.