METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINING POSITION-MOTION STATE OF A MOVING OBJECT

• US 3,795,911 A
• Filed: 09/21/1970
• Issued: 03/05/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1961
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Calvin Miles Hammack
• Original Assignee: Calvin Miles Hammack
• Inventors: Hammack, Calvin Miles
• Primary Examiner(s): Bentley, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US05/074,180
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 340/3D,6R 343/9,15,112R
• US Class Current: 342/106
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/302 Systems in which the direction is determined by using an interferometric type transmitting antenna array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/10 using Doppler effect
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/66 Radar-tracking systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/466 by Trilateration, i.e. two antennas or two sensors determine separately the distance to a target, whereby with the knowledge of the baseline length, i.e. the distance between the antennas or sensors, the position data of the target is determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/46 using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/40 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4052 by simulation of echoes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4095 the external reference signals being modulated, e.g. rotating a dihedral reflector or modulating a transponder for simulation of a Doppler echo
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52004 Means for monitoring or calibrating short-range imaging G01S7/5205

Abstract

This invention relates to an improvement in the art of detecting and tracking moving objects employing a plurality of stations and variational measurements.

Claims

1. In an automatic position determining system a method of determining in three-dimensional space the position-motion state of a moving vehicle relative to well separated reference points whose positions are known and relative to which the position of said vehicle is entirely unknown at all points along its path including the end points of said path, waves being simultaneously transmitted across the entirely unknown distances between said moving vehicle and said reference points, doppler sensitive means being used to perform simultaneous measurements on said waves, which measurements collectively define physically the positionmotion state of said moving vehicle, the position-motion information contained in said measurements being converted to a more useful coordinate system relative to which the positionmotion states of said reference points are known, said system comprising wave communications apparatuses at the locations of all of the reference points and aboard the moving vehicle, said method comprising the following non-mental elements:

1. establishing at the locations of each of three reference points wave communications means cooperative with wave communications means installed aboard said moving vehicle;

2. installing aboard said moving vehicle wave communications means cooperative with wave communications means established at each of said three reference points;

3. transmitting waves between said cooperative communications apparatuses;

4. detecting said waves using mixing means and filter means to create alternating current electrical signals whose instantaneous time rates of phase change are linearly dependent upon tHe time rates of change of the simultaneous distances between said reference points and said moving vehicle;

5. automatically measuring the magnitudes of the time variations of phase of said alternating current electrical signals and generating physical representations of the magnitudes resultant of said measuring;

6. automatically introducing said physical representations into automatic computing means;

7. introducing into said automatic computing means physical representations of the dimensions of the position-motion state of said reference points;

8. computing automatically in said automatic computing means the dimensions of the position-motion state of said moving vehicle in said useful coordinate system;

9. automatically extracting from said automatic computing means a physical representation of said dimension of the positionmotion state of said vehicle.

2. pulse wave radiation means illuminating said moving object

3. detecting means detecting pulse waves transmitted between the apparatuses recited in Element 1 and the apparatus recited in Element 2, said detecting means creating signals whose time rates of change are linearly dependent upon the time rates of change of the simultaneous distances between said reference points and said moving vehicle;

4. measuring means connected to said pulse wave detecting means automatically measuring the magnitudes of the time variations of said signals and generating physical representations of the magnitudes resultant of said measuring;

5. automatic computing means connected to said measuring means and responsive to said physical representations;

6. automatic data processing means automatically introducing into said automatic computing means physical representations of the dimensions of the position-motion state of said reference points;

7. second automatic data processing means automatically extracting from said automatic computing means physical representations of said dimensions of the position-motion state of said moving object.

8. In an automatic tracking system a method of determining in three-dimensional space dimensions of the position-motion state of a moving vehicle relative to well separated reference points whose positions are known and relative to which the position of said moving vehicle is entirely unknown at all points along its path including the end points of said path, pulse waves being transmitted and received across the entirely unknown distances between said moving vehicle and said reference point, doppler sensitive means being used to perform simultaneous measurements on said wave pulses, which measurements collectively define physically the position-motion state of said moving vehicle, the position-motion information contained in said measurements being converted to a more useful coordinate system relative to which the position-motion states of said reference points are known, said system comprising wave apparatuses at the locations of all of the reference points and aboard the moving vehicle, said method comprising the following non-mental elements:

9. automatically extracting from said automatic computing means a physical representation of said dimension of the position-motion state of said vehicle.

10. A method as recited in claim 8 further limited in that the wave means installed on board said moving vehicle is a pulse wave transmitting means, further limited in that the wave means established at each of said reference points is a pulse wave receiving means sensitive to the pulse waves emitted by said pulse wave transmitting means, said receiving means being connected by communications means to a common location, and further limited in performing the recited automatic functions at said common location.

11. In an automatic position determining system a method of determining in three-dimensional space dimensions of the position-motion state of a moving object relative to well separated reference points whose positions are known and relative to which the position of said moving object is entirely unknown at any point of the path of said object including the end points of said path, pulse waves being simultaneously transmitted across the entirely unknown distances between said moving object and said reference points, said moving object being illuminated by pulse wave radiation means, doppler sensitive means being used to perform simultaneous measurements on the pulse waves reflected from said moving object which simultaneous measurements collectively define the position-motion state of said moving object, the position-motion information contained in said simultaneous measurements being converted to a more useful coordinate system relative to which the position-motion states of said reference points are known, said system comprising pulse wave apparatus at the locations of all of said reference points, said method comprising the following non-mental elements:

12. A method as recited in claim 11 further limited in that said moving object is simultaneously illuminated by pulse wave transmitting means located at each of said reference points.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 further limited in that said moving object is simultaneously illuminated by pulse wave transmitting means located at each of said reference points, further limited in detecting at a single place waves transmitted by all of the pulse wave transmitting means and reflected from said moving object, and performing the recited automatic functions at said single place.

14. A method as recited in claim 11 further limited in illuminating said moving object by pulse wave transmitting means remote from any of said reference points and further limited in that pulse wave receiving apparatus is located at each of said reference points, said pulse wave receiving apparatus being sensitive to the transmitted pulse waves reflected from said moving object.

15. In an automatic position determining system, apparatus for determining in three-dimensional spaced dimensions of the position-motion state of a moving vehicle relative to well separated reference points whose positions are known and relative to which the position of said vehcle is entirely unknown at all points along the path of said vehicle including the end points of said path, said apparatus transmitting waves across the entirely unknown distances between said moving vehicle and each said reference point, said apparatus also performing simultaneous doppler measurements on said waves which measurements collectively define physically the position-motion state of said moving vehicle, said apparatus also converting by computing means the position-motion information contained in said measurements to a more useful coordinate system relative to which the position-motion states of said reference points are known, said apparatus comprising the following elements:

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 further limited in that said wave stations serving as reference points are wave transmitters, further limited in that the wave means aboard said moving vehicle is a wave receiving means sensitive to each of said wave transmitting means.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 15 further limited in that the wave means aboard said moving vehicle is a wave transmitting means, further limited in that said wave stations serving as reference points are wave receiving means sensitive to the waves emitted by said transmitting means, said receiving means being connected by communications means to a common location, and further limited in performing the recited automatic functions at said common location.

18. In an automatic position determining system, apparatus for determining in three-dimensional space dimensions of the position-motion state of a moving object relative to well separated reference points whose positions are known and relative to which the position of said object is entirely unknown at all points along the path of said object including end points of the path, said moving object being capable of reflecting waves, said apparatus transmitting waves across the entirely unknown distances between said moving object and each said reference point, said apparatus performing simultaneous doppler measurements on waves reflected by said moving object which measurements collectively define physically the position-motion state of said moving object, said apparatus also converting by computing means the position-motion information contained in said measurement to a more useful coordinate system relative to which the position-motion states of said reference points are known, said apparatus comprising the following elements:

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 18 further limited in that said wave radiation means are located at each said reference point and illuminate said moving object.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 18 further limited in that said wave radiation means illuminating said moving object are the wave stations serving as said reference points, further limited in said detecting means being located at a single place.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 18 further limited in that said wave radiation means illuminating said moving object is a transmitter located remote from any of said reference points and further limited in that said detecting means are located at each of said reference points, said detecting means being sensitive to the transmitted waves reflected from said moving object.

22. In an automatic position determining system, apparatus for determining in three dimensional space dimensions of the position-motion state of a moving vehicle relative to well separated reference points whose positions are known and relative to which the position of said moving vehicle is entirely unknown at all points along the path of said vehicle including end points of said path, said apparatus transmitting pulse waves across the entirely unknown distance between said moving vehicle and each said reference point, said apparatus also performing simultaneous doppler measurements on said pulse waves which measurements collectively define physically the position-motion state of said moving vehicle, said apparatus also converting by computing means the position-motion information contained in said measurements to a more useful coordinate system relative to which the position-motion states of said reference points are known, said apparatus comprising the following elements:

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 22 further limited in that said pulse wave stations serving as reference points are pulse wave transmitters, further limited in that the pulse wave means aboard said moving vehicle is a pulse wave receiving means sensitive to each of said pulse wave transmitting means.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 22 further limited in that the pulse wave means aboard said moving vehicle is a pulse wave transmitting means, further limited in that said pulse wave stations serving as reference points are pulse wave receiving means sensitive to the pulse waves emitted by said transmitting means, said receiving means being connected by communications means to a common location, and further limited in performing the recited automatic functions at said common location.

25. In an automatic position determining system, apparatus for determining in three dimensional space dimensions of the position-motion state of a moving object relative to well separated reference points whose positions are known and relative to which the position of said moving object is entirely unknown at all points along the path of said object including the end points of said path, said moving object being capable of reflecting waves, said apparatus transmitting pulse waves across the entirely unknown distances between said moving object and each said reference point, said apparatus also performing simultaneous doppler measurements on pulse waves reflected by said moving object which measurements collectively define physically the position-motion state of said moving object, said apparatus also converting by computing means the position-motion information contained in said measurement to a more useful coordinate system relative to which the position-motion states of said reference points are known, said apparatus comprising the following elements:

26. An apparatus as recited in claim 25 further limited in that said pulse wave radiation means are located at each said reference point and illuminate said moving object.

27. An apparatus as recited in claim 25 fUrther limited in that said pulse wave radiation means illuminating said moving object are the pulse wave stations serving as said reference points, further limited in said detecting means being located at a single place.

28. An apparatus as recited in claim 25 further limited in that said pulse wave radiation means illuminating said moving object is a pulse transmitter located remote from any of said reference points and further limited in that said detecting means are located at each of said reference points, said detecting means being sensitive to the transmitted pulse waves reflected from said moving object.