Method and apparatus for mapping and similar applications

• US 3,953,856 A
• Filed: 03/04/1974
• Issued: 04/27/1976
• 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): Wilbur, Maynard R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blum, T. M.
• Application Number:
  US05/448,071
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 343/7.5, 343/9, 343/10, 343/15, 343/112 D, 343/112 TC, 343/7.7
• US Class Current: 342/458
• 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 3/46 using antennas spaced apart and measuring phase or time difference between signals therefrom, i.e. path-difference systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0246 involving frequency difference of arrival or Doppler measurements G01S5/02685 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0249 Determining position using measurements made by a non-stationary device other than the device whose position is being determined
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

This invention relates to an improvement in the art of position determination and in particular to the art of mapping, surveying, station keeping, and the like, employing moving craft and measuring quantities linearly related to the simultaneous variations of the simultaneous distances between the moving craft and a plurality of fixed or mobile station points.

Claims

1. A method of determining the unknown position of each of a plurality of points in space relative to the others of said plurality of points comprising the following elements:

Element 1. Establishing a wave station at each of said plurality of points in space;

Element 2. Providing a moving means for travel in continuously unknown motion relative to said unknown positions moving along a continuously unknown path with a continuously unknown velocity;

Element 3. Transmitting waves in the spaces between said wave stations and said means for travel;

Element 4. Using doppler measuring means generating the physical representations of quantities linearly dependent upon the variations of the simultaneously existing unknown and unmeasured distances between said wave stations and said means for travel;

Element 5. Feeding said physical representations into computing means;

Element 6. Using only said physical representations generated in Element 4 computing in said computing means the otherwise unknown position of each of said plurality of points in space relative to the others of said plurality of points in space.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in Element 4 in performing incremental type doppler measurements.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in Element 4 in using said doppler measuring means to perform rate type doppler measurements.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in Element 4 in using said doppler measuring means to measure changes in the distance between each said wave station and said means for travel.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in Element 4 in that said quantities are each proportional to the variation of the algebraic sum of the distance from a first wave station of said plurality of wave stations to said travelling means and the distance from a second wave station of said plurality of wave stations to said travelling means.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in Element 1 in that each of said wave stations is a wave transmitter, in Element 2 in that said means for travel including wave receiving means cooperative with said wave transmitters, in Element 3 in transmitting waves from said wave stations to said means for travel, in Element 4 comprising using said doppler means to determine the variations of the ranges from said means of travel to said wave stations, in Element 5 feeding the information derived in Element 4 into said computer, and in Element 6 computing simultaneously position data relative to said means for travel and the positions of said wave transmitters relative to one another.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in Element 1 in each of said wave stations comprising wave receiving means, in Element 2 in said means for travel including wave transmitting means cooperative with said wave receiving means, in Element 3 in employing said wave transmitting means to transmit waves from said means for travel to said wave stations, in Element 4 comprising using said doppler means to determine the variations of the ranges from said wave stations to said means for travel, in Element 5 feeding the information relative to said variations of the ranges derived in Element 4 into said computer, and in Element 6 computing simultaneously position data relative to said means of travel and the positions of said wave stations.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in Element 1 in at least one of said wave stations comprising wave transmitting means and in at least one of said wave stations comprising wave receiving means responsive to the waves transmitted by at least one of said wave transmitting means, in Element 2 providing wave reflecting means at said means for travel, in Element 3 transmitting waves to said means for travel from at least one of said wave stations and receiving waves from said means for travel at at least one of said wave stations, in Element 4 comprising using said doppler means to determine the variation of the two distances of each pair of a plurality of pairs of said simultaneous distances, each of said pairs comprising the distance between a transmitting means and said means for travel and the distance between a receiving means and said means for travel, Element 5 feeding the information derived in Element 4 into said computer, and in Element 6 computing simultaneously position data relative to said means for travel and the positions of said wave stations relative to one another.

38. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in that said method is a part of a Polystation Doppler method for detecting and tracking wave reflecting objects, such as missiles and the like, and further defined in Element 1 in that at least one of said waves stations comprises wave transmitting means and at least one of said wave stations comprises wave receiving means responsive to reflected signals transmitted by said transmitting means, and further defined in that said means for travel is a wave reflecting object;

and further defined in illuminating said object using said wave transmitting means; and

further defined in using said receiving means to receive the signals of said transmitting means reflected by said reflecting object; and

further defined in employing the signals from said receiving means to perform Element 4.

39. A method as recited in claim 38 further defined in recording the signals from said receiving means, and further defined in employing the recordings of the signals from said receiving means so recorded in the performance of Element 4.

40. A method as recited in claim 1 further defined in that said points in space are in motion relative to each other and further defined in Element 6 in computing dimensions of the position-motion state of said points relative to one another.

9. A method of aerial ground surveying using radio means to determine the positions of a plurality of selected points on the ground comprising the following elements:

Element 1. Establishing at each said selected point a radio transmitter;

Element 2. Controlling the frequency of radio emanations from the transmitter by means of a frequency standard oscillator at the site of said selected point and the transmitter;

Element 3. Receiving simultaneously the signals of the several transmitters aboard an aircraft flying along an unknown path over the area of ground that is to be surveyed and upon which the transmitters have been established;

Element 4. Measuring quantities linearly related to the changes of the unknown and unmeasured ranges between said transmitters and the aircraft as the aircraft moves across the ground that is to be surveyed;

Element 5. Feeding said quantities into a computer;

Element 6. Computing in said computer the positions of the transmitters relative to one another.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in that a standard frequency oscillator is employed aboard said aircraft and further defined in using said standard frequency oscillator to measure said quantities aboard said aircraft.

11. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in employing recording apparatus to record the signals from said transmitter and further defined in measuring said quantities after the flight of said aircraft using said recordings.

12. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in carrying aboard said aircraft a standard frequency oscillator, using signals from said oscillator to detect in suitable receiving equipment the signals from said transmitters, recording aboard said aircraft the detected signals and further defined in subsequently employing the resultant recordings in the process of performing said measuring.

13. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in carrying aboard said aircraft a standard frequency oscillator, using signals from said oscillator to perform said measuring aboard said aircraft and feeding the measured quantities into a computer aboard said aircraft for the performance of Element 6.

14. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in carrying aboard said aircraft a standard frequency oscillator, using signals from said oscillator to perform said measuring aboard said aircraft, recording the measured quantities aboard said aircraft, and further defined in subsequently using said recordings to perform Element 5 at a point other than in said aircraft.

41. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in Element 1, in employing a continuous wave transmitter.

42. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in Element 1 in employing a pulse type transmitter.

43. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in Element 1 employing a transmitter broadcasting a wave with coded modulation.

44. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in carrying aboard said aircraft a recording means and using said recording means to record aboard the aircraft while in flight the signals received simultaneously from the several transmitters, and further defined in subsequently employing the recordings provided by said recording means to perform Element 4.

45. A method as recited in claim 9 further defined in carrying aboard said aircraft a recording means and using said recording means to record aboard the aircraft while in flight the values of said measured quantities produced in Element 4 while the aircraft is in flight and further defined in employing the recordings provided by said recording means to perform Element 5 subsequent to the survey flight of the aircraft.

15. A method of determining simultaneously the position of a moving object relative to a plurality of simultaneously cooperating stations comprised by a multistatic measuring system and of determining the position of at least one of such stations without otherwise derived knowledge of any position occupied by said moving object before, during, or after the measurements used in the method and without any knowledge or measurement of angles, ranges or the sums or differences of simultaneous ranges comprising the following elements:

Element 1. Establishing at each of said stations wave communications means functional in automatically sensing the doppler phenomenon resultant of the variations of the distances of said moving object relative to said stations;

2. Employing the apparatus recited in Element 1 to measure the changes of quantities linearly related to the unknown and unmeasured distances between the positions of the moving object and the stations which the measurement system comprises;

3. Automatically introducing the data derived in Element 2 into automatic computing means;

4. Employing the data of the measurements of Element 2 computing in said automatic computing means the coordinates of the positions of the moving object and at least one of the stations which the system comprises employing in the computing of each coordinate so computed the measurements performed relative to all the stations of the multistatic measuring system.

16. A system for surveying the locations, relative to one another, of a plurality of stations, said system comprising transportation means whose position motion state is unknown comprising means cooperative simultaneously with a plurality of said stations, said system comprising the following elements:

Element 1. Wave means for sending wave signals in at least one direction between said stations and said transportation means as said transportation means moves along an unknown path at an unknown speed;

Element 2. Means for tracking said wave signals simultaneously;

Element 3. Means associated with said tracking means for measuring quantities linearly related to the variations of the unknown and unmeasured simultaneous distances between said stations and said transportation means;

Element 4. Means for feeding said quantities into computing means;

Element 5. Computing means responsive to Element 4 for computing dimensions of position of said stations, each computed dimension being dependent upon a plurality of said quantities.

17. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in each of said stations comprising wave transmitting means, further defined in said transportation means comprising wave detecting means for detecting signals from said transmitting means, and further defined in said system comprising means for conducting the detected signals to Element 2.

18. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in each of said stations comprising wave receiving means, further defined in said transportation means comprising wave transmitting means for sending signals to said stations to be detected by said wave receiving means, and further defined in said system comprising means for conducting the detected signals to Element 2.

19. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in each of said stations comprising transponding means, further defined in said transportation means comprising wave transmitting means for sending signals to said stations to be transponded by said transponding means, and further defined in said transportation means comprising wave receiving means for detecting the signals from said transponding means, and further defined in said system comprising means for conducting the signals detected by said receiving means to Element 2.

20. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in each of said stations comprising wave transmitting means transmitting signals to said transportation means, further defined in said transportation means comprising transponding means responsive to signals from said transmitting means and further defined in said stations comprising wave receiving means for detecting signals from said transponding means, and further defined in said system comprising means for conducting the signals detected by said receiving means to Element 2.

21. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in said plurality of stations comprising wave transmitting means illuminating said transportation means, said transportation means being essentially a wave reflection means, further defined in said plurality of stations comprising wave receiving means for detecting signals reflected from said transportation means, and further defined in said system comprising means for conducting the signals detected by said receiving means to Element 2.

22. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in Element 1 in each of said stations comprising standard frequency oscillator means employed in the functioning of said wave means.

23. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in Element 3 in that said variations are rate type variations.

24. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in Element 3 in that said variations are incremental type variations.

25. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in Element 3 in that said quantities are each proportional to the variation of the range from one of said stations to one of said transportation means.

26. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in that said transportation means is a single vehicle.

27. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in that said transportation means is a plurality of vehicles functioning simultaneously in said system.

28. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in Element 3 in that said quantities are each proportional to algebraic sum of the variations of the ranges from two of said stations to a unit of said transportation means.

29. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in said computing means being remote from said transportation means.

30. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in that Element 2, Element 3, Element 4, and Element 5 are remote from said transportation means.

31. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in that said system is a radio system, further defined in that said transportation means in an aircraft, further defined in said system comprising a radio link between said aircraft and a remote point, and further defined in that the measurement information derived in Element 3 is transferred over said link as a part of Element 4, said computer being located at a point remote from said aircraft.

32. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in Element 2 being digital means.

33. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in said transportation means comprising a vehicle carrying recording means as well as means for receiving signals from said stations, said recording means recording the signals from said stations simultaneously, and further defined in Element 2 operating from the recordings provided by said recording means.

34. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in said transportation means comprising a vehicle carrying recording means as well as receiving means for receiving signals from said stations, and further defined in said recording means being arranged to record the measurement output of Element 3, and further defined in Element 4 comprising means for operating from the recordings provided by said recording means.

35. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in Element 1 in that said wave signals are ambiguous relative to the distances over which said signals are propagated.

36. A system as recited in claim 16 further defined in Element 1 in that said wave signals are unambiguous relative to the distances over which said signals are propagated.

37. A method of determining simultaneously and with common means the positions of each of a plurality of moving objects relative to stations comprised by a multistatic measuring system and of determining the positions of some of such stations without otherwise derived knowledge of any position occupied by the moving objects before, during or after the measurements used in the method and without any knowledge or measurement of angles, ranges or the sums or differences of simultaneous ranges comprising the following elements:

Element 1. Establishing at each of said stations wave communications means functional in automatically sensing the doppler phenomenon resultant of the variations of the distances of said moving objects relative to said stations;

Element 2. Employing the apparatus recited in Element 1 to automatically measure the rates of change of quantities linearly related to the distances between the positions of the moving objects and the stations which the measurement system comprises;

Element 3. Automatically introducing the data derived in Element 2 into automatic computing means;

Element 4. Computing with said automatic computing means the coordinates of the positions of the moving objects and the stations which the system comprises.

46. A method of mapping the Earth'"'"'s surface comprising simultaneously determining the position of a moving vehicle relative to a plurality of ground points whose positions relative to one another and the vehicle are otherwise entirely unknown without otherwise derived knowledge of any position occupied by the vehicle and without any knowledge or measurement of angles, ranges, or the sums or differences of simultaneous ranges, comprising the following elements:

Element 1. Establishing at each of said ground points a wave transponder cooperative with wave means aboard said vehicle;

Element 2. Carrying aboard said vehicle wave transmission and reception means cooperative with said transponders simultaneously;

Element 3. Transmitting wave signals from said vehicle to said transponders simultaneously and receiving signals returned from said transponders to said vehicle simultaneously;

Element 4. Measuring the doppler effect on said returned signals caused by the variation of the unknown and unmeasured distances between said vehicle and said transponders as said vehicle moves at unknown speed along its unknown course;

Element 5. Employing the data derived in Element 4 in a computer to determine simultaneously the positions of said transponders relative to each other and relative to the vehicle.

47. A method as recited in claim 46 further defined in that in Element 4 the measuring of the doppler effect is accomplished by doppler measurements of the incremental type.

48. A method as recited in claim 46 further defined in that in Element 4 the measuring of the doppler effect is accomplished by doppler measurements of the rate type.

49. A method as recited in claim 46 further defined in that said vehicle is an aircraft, and further defined in that the signals returned by said transponders to the aircraft are received at the aircraft and recorded for later measurement in a computer.