Battlefield IFF method and system for its application

• US 5,001,488 A
• Filed: 04/26/1990
• Issued: 03/19/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LMT Radio Professionnelle
• Original Assignee: LMT Radio Professionnelle
• Inventors: Joguet, Jean-Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): Hellner, Mark
• Application Number:
  US07/515,694
• Time in Patent Office: 327 Days
• Field of Search: 342/13, 342/45, 342/53, 455/604
• US Class Current: 342/45
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/74 Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe

Abstract

An IFF system interrogating station comprises an IFF interrogator which has its transmission antenna joined to the infra-red camera of a field observation device. Each friendly vehicle is fitted with an IFF receiver antenna and an infra-red laser transmitter transmitting a laser pulse at each IFF interrogation.

Claims

1. A method of battlefield IFF identification comprising the steps of:

detecting a vehicle in a zone under surveillance by way of an infra-red camera by sending at least one directional and rotating coded IFF interrogation signal to the vehicle in the zone wherein said detection and transmission of the IFF interrogation signal is under the control of an operator of a detecting vehicle; and

transmitting from a friendly vehicle a laser light response, said response being caused by the automatic triggering of a transmitter within said friendly vehicle, upon the decoding of a true IFF interrogation as soon as said vehicle under interrogation receives the interrogation signal.

2. Method according to the claim 1 wherein the interrogator also transmits no-response codes to which no friendly vehicle must respond.

3. Method according to the claim 1 wherein the interrogation is transmitted in the X band.

4. Method according to the claim 1 wherein the interrogation is transmitted in the Ku band.

5. Method according to the claim 1 wherein the interrogation is transmitted by a laser transmitter.

6. Method according to the claim 1 the interrogation signal has a wide spectrum.

7. A battlefield IFF system comprising an IFF interrogator with its transmission transducer, which can move rotationally, being mechanically coupled to an infra-red receiving camera connected to a display device, a system wherein each friendly vehicle has a reception transducer that works in cooperation with the said transmission transducer, the said reception transducer being connected to an IFF receiver which has its IFF signals decoding output connected to a laser pulse triggering input of an infra-red laser source, the transmitter of the said source being pointed in the same direction as the said receiving transducer.

8. System according to the claim 7 wherein the reception transducer and the laser transmitter are fixed to a support which is substantially vertical and moves rotationally.