Passive location method
First Claim
1. A passive location method for determining the actual coordinate position of personnel and vehicles, each having a passive location device, relative to an impact point of a round of munition in a simulated battlefield for assessing injuries and damage to said personnel and vehicles inflicted by the round of munition, including a plurality of actuators for transmitting messages to said passive location device, said passive location method comprising the steps of:
- initializing said passive location device with a plurality of parameters by said transmitted messages of said actuators;
setting by said passive location device an initial coordinate position of said passive location device as being located at said impact point;
estimating by said passive location device a plurality of new coordinate positions and corresponding coordinate directions of said passive location device from a previous coordinate position to produce a new candidate coordinate position, said step of estimating including the step of selecting a first one of a set of convergence parameter;
finding by said passive location device coordinate directions from said plurality of coordinate directions having a smallest error metric derived from computation of second range differences for said estimated new coordinate positions, said step of finding including the steps of;
updating ranges of said new candidate coordinate position by said selected convergence parameter; and
fifth finding an error sum for said updated ranges in each of said coordinate directions by said selected convergence parameterdetermining by said passive location device a new coordinate position of said passive location device located a distance of a predetermined step size from said previous coordinate position in said coordinate directions corresponding to said smallest error metric;
iterating by said passive location device said steps of estimating, finding and determining a predetermined number of times to produce said new coordinate position which converges to the actual position of said passive location device; and
indicating by each said passive location device the affects of said round of munition on said personnel and vehicles, as having been hit or missed by said round of munition.
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Abstract
A method for pinpointing the actual coordinate location of a passive location device for a simulated battlefield condition is described. A plurality of actuators transmit to a passive location device which includes the method for determining its coordinate location. The coordinate location of a desired impact point is transmitted to the location device. The determination method initializes a starting coordinate location as the impact point of a round of munition. The method then iteratively determines the gradient direction of the position and moves the position estimate in the direction of gradient. As the estimated position approaches the true position successively smaller steps are taken and additional coordinate directions introduced into the solution until the convergence solution is terminated with least rms error in the neighborhood of the true coordinate position of the passive location device.
34 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A passive location method for determining the actual coordinate position of personnel and vehicles, each having a passive location device, relative to an impact point of a round of munition in a simulated battlefield for assessing injuries and damage to said personnel and vehicles inflicted by the round of munition, including a plurality of actuators for transmitting messages to said passive location device, said passive location method comprising the steps of:
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initializing said passive location device with a plurality of parameters by said transmitted messages of said actuators; setting by said passive location device an initial coordinate position of said passive location device as being located at said impact point; estimating by said passive location device a plurality of new coordinate positions and corresponding coordinate directions of said passive location device from a previous coordinate position to produce a new candidate coordinate position, said step of estimating including the step of selecting a first one of a set of convergence parameter; finding by said passive location device coordinate directions from said plurality of coordinate directions having a smallest error metric derived from computation of second range differences for said estimated new coordinate positions, said step of finding including the steps of; updating ranges of said new candidate coordinate position by said selected convergence parameter; and fifth finding an error sum for said updated ranges in each of said coordinate directions by said selected convergence parameter determining by said passive location device a new coordinate position of said passive location device located a distance of a predetermined step size from said previous coordinate position in said coordinate directions corresponding to said smallest error metric; iterating by said passive location device said steps of estimating, finding and determining a predetermined number of times to produce said new coordinate position which converges to the actual position of said passive location device; and indicating by each said passive location device the affects of said round of munition on said personnel and vehicles, as having been hit or missed by said round of munition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A passive location device for determining a actual coordinate position of personnel and vehicles having said passive location device, relative to an impact point of a round of munition within a simulated battlefield from messages transmitted from a plurality of actuators, for assessing injuries and damage to said personnel and vehicles inflicted by the round of munition, said passive location device comprising:
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input means for receiving said messages and producing decoded messages; microprocessor means connected to said input means, said microprocessor means operating in response to said decoded messages and further operating to execute programs; means for initializing said passive location device with a plurality of parameters by said transmitted messages of said actuators; first memory means connected to said microprocessor means, said first means operating to store a plurality of input parameters; program location means; said program location means including; means for setting by said passive location device an initial coordinate position of said passive location device as being located at said impact point; means for estimating by said passive location device a plurality of new coordinate positions and corresponding coordinate directions of said passive location device from a previous coordinate position to produce a new candidate coordinate position, said means for estimating including means for selecting a first one of a set of convergence parameter; means for finding by said passive location device coordinate directions from said plurality of coordinate directions having a smallest error metric derived from computation of second range differences for said estimated new coordinate positions said means for finding including; means for updating ranges of said new candidate coordinate position by said selected convergence parameter; and means for fifth finding an error sum for said updated ranges in each of said coordinate directions by said selected convergence parameter; means for determining by said passive location device a new coordinate position of said passive location device located a distance of a predetermined step size from said previous coordinate position in said coordinate directions corresponding to said smallest error metric; means for iterating by said passive location device a predetermined number of times to produce said new coordinate position which converges to the actual position of said passive location device; and second memory means connected to said microprocessor means, said second memory means for storing said program location means; said program location means operating under control of said microprocessor means to determine said actual coordinate positions of said passive location device; and means for indicating by each said passive location device the affects of said round of munition of said personnel and vehicles, as having been hit or missed by said round of munition. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of simulating combined arms fire support across a realistic battle field environment through which actual battle personnel and equipment, each having a passive location device, can be moved by locating each of plurality of said passive location devices relative to an impact point of a round of said simulated combined arms fire support, including a plurality of actuators for transmitting a plurality of messages to each of said passive location devices, comprising:
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transmitting by said actuators a plurality of signals across a geographical zone selected as the area of ground affected by the simulated combined arms fire support; independently determined by each said passive location device, at the geographical zone, and for each personnel and equipment within the geographical zone, whether each such personnel and equipment is to be indicated as having been hit by the simulated combined arms fire support; said step of independently determining including the steps of; initializating each said passive location device with a plurality of parameters by said transmitted messages of said actuators; setting by said passive location device an initial coordinate position of each said passive location device as being located at said impact point; estimating by said passive location device a plurality of new coordinate positions and corresponding coordinate directions of each said passive location device from a previous coordinate position to produce a new candidate coordinate position, said step of estimating including the step of selecting a first one of a set of convergence parameters; finding by said passive location device coordinate directions from said plurality of coordinate directions having a smallest error metric derived from computation of second range differences for said estimated new coordinate positions, said step of finding including the steps of; updating ranges of said new candidate coordinate position by said selected convergence parameter; and
ranges in each of said coordinate directions by said selected convergence parameter;determining by said passive location device a new coordinate positions of each said passive location device located a distance of a predetermined step size from said previous coordinate position in coordinate directions corresponding to said smallest error metric; and steps of estimating, finding and determining a predetermined number of times to produce said new coordinate position which converges to the actual position of said passive location device; said method of simulating combined arms fire support further including the steps of; assigning, to each such personnel and equipment, a probability logic of being hit by each type of combined arms fire support to be simulated; and plurality of signals, the probability logic at each such personnel and equipment to indicate which have been hit by the simulated combined arms fire support so that random total hits of personnel and equipment can result from different simulations of the same combined arms fire support. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A battlefield simulator system for simulating the effect of firing a munition at a preselected target area, comprising:
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master station means for transmitting, to remote actuators, first control signals in response to selection of the target area, wherein said master station means is operable away from said munition and wherein said remote actuators are remotely located from said master station means at a plurality of spaced locations; each respective one of said remote actuators including means for receiving said first control signals transmitted by said master station means and for determining if the respective remote actuator has been actuated in response to said first control signals, and means for transmitting, in response to selection of the respective remote actuator, second control signals to indicators mounted on battlefield targets; wherein each of said indicators includes means for receiving said second control signals from a plurality of said remote actuators; means for initializing each said indicators with a plurality of parameters by said transmitted second control signals of said actuators; each of said indicators further includes program means for determining its actual coordinate location within said target area of said battlefield targets by convergence techniques with respect to an impact point of said munition; said program means including; means for setting by said indicator an initial coordinate position of each said indicator as being located at said impact point; means for estimating by said indicator a plurality of new coordinate positions and corresponding coordinate directions of each said indicator from a previous coordinate position to produce a new candidate coordinate position, said means for estimating including means for selecting a first one of a set of convergence parameters; means for finding by said indicator coordinate directions from said plurality of coordinate directions having a smallest error metric derived from computation of second range differences for said estimated new coordinate positions, said means for finding including; means for updating ranges of said new candidate coordinate position by said selected convergence parameter; and means for second finding an error sum for said updated ranges in each of said coordinate directions by said selected convergence parameter; means for determining by said indicator a new coordinate position of each said indicator located a distance of a predetermined step size from said previous coordinate position in coordinate directions corresponding to said smallest error metric; and means for iterating by said indicator a predetermined number of times to produce said new coordinate position which converges to the actual position of said passive location device; and each of said indicators for determining from a presassigned probability whether the respective target to which the respective indicator has been mounted is disabled by the simulated munition.
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Specification