Portable navigational communications transceiver

• US 4,843,399 A
• Filed: 07/30/1986
• Issued: 06/27/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Narco Avionics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Narco Avionics, Inc.
• Inventors: Bongiorno, Robert A., Smith, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swann, Tod
• Application Number:
  US06/892,065
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 342/401, 342/404, 342/49, 342/50, 342/51, 342/413, 342/419, 342/455, 342/394, 342/396, 342/442, 342/451, 342/127, 324/83 D, 364/451, 364/452, 364/461, 328/133, 328/134
• US Class Current: 342/404
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/04 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/46 Broad-beam systems producing at a receiver a substantially continuous sinusoidal envelope signal of the carrier wave of the beam, the phase angle of which is dependent upon the angle between the direction of the receiver from the beacon and a reference direction from the beacon, e.g. cardioid system

Abstract

A hand held navigational-communications transceiver is compressed into a case having a volume of about 37 cubic inches by defining functional implementation for VOR (VHF omni-directional range) navigation. The transceiver can be selectively switched to process and display directional radial information. A microprocessor circuit provides primary circuitry information in combination with transceiver function software held in ROM (read only memory). A plurality of pre-programmed frequencies may be selected.

Claims

1. A navigational communications transceiver for providing radio communication, bearing information and a localizer signal indicator, comprising:

antenna connection;

a radio receiver circuit connected to said antenna connection;

an audio amlifier circuit connected to said radio receiver circuit;

a speaker connected to said audio amplifier circuit;

a RF phase lock loop circuit connected to said radio receiver circuit;

a microprocessor connected to said phase lock loop circuit and to said radio receiver circuit;

a display connected to said microprocessor;

a keyboard connected to said microprocessor;

a radio transmitter circuit connected to said microprocessor;

a microphone connected to said radio transmitter circuit;

an output amplifier circuit connected to the output of said radio transmitter circuit, the output of said output amplifier circuit being connected to said antenna connection;

a VOR phase lock loop circuit connected between said radio receiver and said microprocessor; and

a programmable memory connected to said microprocessor and containing instructions;

wherein said memory and the instructions thereof operate in conjunction with said microprocessor to calculate bearing information and to provide the bearing decoder function whereby the phase difference between two signals establishes an electronic counter period wherein pulses received are counted and converted into bearing information by said microprocessor under stored program instructions, this calculation being performed entirely within the microprocessor and memory structure.

2. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor connection to said radio receiver circuit is for receiving signals therefrom;

wherein said microprocessor connection to said VOR phase lock loop circuit is for receiving signals therefrom;

wherein said microprocessor connection to said radio transmitter circuit is for receiving signals therefrom; and

also including a connection between said RF phase lock loop circuit and said microprocessor for sending signals in both directions therebetween.

3. The transceiver of claim 2 wherein said RF phase lock loop circuit includes transmitter inhibit logic circuit connected from said RF phase lock loop circuit, said transmitter inhibit logic circuit providing an inhibit signal output and a NAV and a COM status signals output;

a push to talk (PTT) logic control circuit connected on its input to the inhibit logic circuit and on its output to said radio receiver circuit; and

a push to talk switch connected to said PTT logic circuit.

4. The transceiver of claim 3 wherein said transmitter inhibit logic circuit, COM and NAV status output signals are connected to said radio receiver circuit.

5. The transceiver of claim 4 wherein said radio receiver circuit includes:

an RF amplifier connected to said antenna connection;

a mixer circuit connected to said RF amplifier output;

an IF filter connected to said mixer circuit output;

an IF amplifier connected to said IF filter output;

a detector circuit connected to said IF amplifier output;

an A.G.C. circuit connected on its input to said detector circuit and on its outputs to said IF amplifier circuit and having inputs being said NAV and COM status signals from said transmitter inhibit logic; and

to said RF amplifier circuit;

a noise limiter circuit connected to the output of said detecter circuit;

a volume control connected between said noise limiter output and said audio amplifier input; and

a squelch circuit connected on its output to said audio amplifier and on its input to said A.G.C. circuit.

6. The transceiver of claim 5 wherein said phase lock loop circuit also includes:

a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit connected on an output into said mixer circuit;

a buffer amplifier connected to said VCO circuit output;

a prescaler circuit connected to said buffer amplifier;

an RF loop filter connected on its output to said VCO circuit and to said RF amplifier circuit; and

wherein said phase lock loop circuit includes a synthesizer circuit connected on its output to said loop filter and on another output to said transmitter inhibit logic and to said prescaler circuit.

7. The transceiver of claim 6 also including an RF buffer connected to said VCO output;

a buffer amplifier connected to said RF buffer;

a transmitter circuit connected to said buffer amplifier;

an output amplifier connected to said transmitter circuit; and

a low pass filter connected between said transmitter circuit and said antenna connection.

8. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor includes a decoder board connected thereto, said decoder board being connected to said antenna connection and containing an operational amplifier connected to said antenna connection;

an FM discriminator circuit connected to said operational amplifier;

a 30 Hz FM filter connected to said FM discriminator circuit;

a 30 Hz AM filter connected to said operational amplifier; and

a threshold detector connected to said operational amplifier.

9. The transceiver of claim 8 also including a first zero cross over detector circuit connected to said 30 Hz AM filter output;

a second zero cross over detector circuit connected to said 30 Hz FM filter output; and

a differential phase counter circuit connected to said first and second zero cross over detector circuit outputs, said differential phase counter circuit being connected on its output to a said microprocessor input.

10. The transceiver of claim 9 wherein said threshold detector output is a NAV FLAG signal which is connected to an input of said microprocessor.

11. The transceiver of claim 10 wherein said differential phase counter circuit includes a pair of D-type flip flops connected in series, an output from said second flip flop being connected to said microprocessor, said first cross over detector output being connected to clock said first flip flop and said second cross over detector output being connected to clock said second flip flop.

12. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor includes a bearing clock circuit connected to said microprocessor to provide separate clock signals thereto.

13. The transceiver of claim 12 wherein said bearing clock circuit includes a triad of NOR gates connected to establish a bearing calculation timing clock circuit, said triad being connected to said microprocessor inputs.

14. The transceiver of claim 1 wherein said microprocessor calculation of bearing information and provision of bearing decoder function under said stored program instructions includes determining bearing angle TO a ground station and converting it into bearing angle FROM that ground station.

15. The transceiver of claim 14 wherein said microprocessor calculation also includes calculating the difference between a reference signal and 360 degrees to establish a first difference value and evaluating that first difference value with respect to 180 degrees.

16. The transceiver of claim 14 wherein said microprocessor calculation of bearing information is continually reiterative with said microprocessor being in said bearing calculation operation state.