Portable localizer siting system

• US 5,022,751 A
• Filed: 08/21/1989
• Issued: 06/11/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sundstrand Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sundstrand Data Control, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Howard, Bruce S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Buczinski, Stephen C.
• Application Number:
  US07/396,495
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 356/1, 356/5, 356/141, 356/152, 342/33, 342/34, 342/35, 342/410, 342/412, 342/413
• US Class Current: 356/3.11
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/08 optical
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7032 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/06 Aircraft navigation

Abstract

A portable siting system particularly useful for siting a portable localizer for a collocated approach guidance system for aircraft utilizes a laser range finder in conjunction with a shaft encoder to determine the distance between the localizer and two arbitrary points along a runway center line as well as the azimuth offset between the two points. A microprocessor is used to compute the number of degrees the antenna of the localizer must be rotated so that its beam intersects the extended runway center line at a predetermined point based on trigonometric computations performed on the two measured distances and the measured angle.

Claims

1. A self-siting ground station for an azimuth guidance system for guiding aircraft on approach to a runway, comprising:

a supporting structure;

a rotatably mounted antenna having a predetermined directional transmitting beam supported by supporting structure, said antenna being rotatable in azimuth;

a rotatably mounted range finder collocated with said antenna, said range finder having a predetermined sighting direction and being rotatable in azimuth;

means coupled to said antenna and to said range finder for providing a signal representative of the difference in azimuth between the direction of the transmitting beam of the antenna and the sighting direction of the range finder; and

computing means responsive to two measured distances between the range finder and each of two arbitrary points along the runway and responsive to the difference in azimuth between the two points for determining the azimuth of the direction of the transmitting beam of the antenna required to cause the transmitting beam to intersect a third predetermined point above an extended portion of a line connecting said two arbitrary points.

2. A self-siting ground station as recited in claim 1 wherein said range finder is an optical range finder.

3. A self-siting ground station as recited in claim 2 wherein said range finder is an infrared range finder.

4. A self-siting ground station as recited in claim 3 wherein said azimuth difference signal providing means includes a shaft encoder.

5. A self-siting ground station as recited in claim 4 further including a second shaft encoder interposed between said antenna and said supporting structure for providing a signal representative of the rotary orientation of the antenna relative to the supporting structure.

6. A method for siting a portable ground station for an aircraft azimuth guidance system comprising:

colocating a laser range finder that is rotatable in azimuth with the ground station;

placing the ground station and the range finder at an arbitrary point beside a runway;

using the range finder to measure the distance and azimuth to each of two arbitrary points along the center line of the runway;

using a microprocessor coupled to the range finder and responsive to the range and azimuth information for determining the azimuth of a third point located at a predetermined position on an extended center line of the runway; and

rotating the antenna to the azimuth thus determined so that the transmitting beam of the antenna intersects the extended runway center line at the third point.

7. A portable self-siting localizer, comprising:

a base;

means for generating localizer signals;

a directional antenna having a predetermined directional transmitting beam pattern rotatably supported by said base and electrically coupled to said localizer signal generating means;

an optical range finder rotatably supported by said base;

means coupled to said antenna and to said range finder for determining the orientation thereof; and

computing means coupled to said range finder and to said orientation determining means and receiving range and orientation data therefrom, said computing means being responsive to measured range and orientation data obtained by measuring the range and orientation to first and second arbitrary points along the runway for computing the orientation of the antenna required for the beam of the antenna to intersect a third predetermined point above an extended portion of a line connection said two arbitrary points.

8. A portable self-siting localizer as recited in claim 7 wherein said localizer is disposed adjacent a runway having a longitudinally extending center line, and wherein said first and second points are located on the runway along the center line thereof and said third point is located off of said runway along an extension of said center line.

9. A self-siting localizer as recited in claim 7 further including means coupled to said computing means for displaying the change in orientation of the antenna required to orient the antenna so that the beam thereof intersects the third predetermined point.

10. A self-siting localizer as recited in claim 7 wherein said orientation determining means includes a shaft encoder disposed between said antenna and said range finder.

11. A self-siting localizer as recited in claim 7 wherein said orientation determining means includes a shaft encoder disposed between said antenna and said base.

12. A self-siting localizer as recited in claim 7 wherein said range finder is an active range

13. A self-siting localizer as recited in claim 12 wherein said range finder includes a laser.

14. A self-siting range finder as recited in claim 12 wherein said range finder is a pulsed infrared range finder.