Self-surveying relative GPS (global positioning system) weapon guidance system

• US 5,554,994 A
• Filed: 06/05/1995
• Issued: 09/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Missile Systems Company
• Inventors: Schneider, Arthur J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blum, Theodore M.
• Application Number:
  US08/461,080
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357, 244/3.19
• US Class Current: 342/357.27
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/346 using global navigation satellite systems, e.g. GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/07 providing data for correcting measured positioning data, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS] or ionosphere corrections
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/45 by combining measurements of signals from the satellite radio beacon positioning system with a supplementary measurement

Abstract

Disclosed is a self-surveying relative GPS (Global Positioning System) weapon guidance system (10). This guidance system (10) includes multiple GPS satellites (12-18) which transmit GPS data to a ground sensor (20). The ground sensor (20) includes a GPS receiver (24), a self-surveying computer (28), a data formatter (30) and a transmitter (32). The GPS receiver (24) receives the GPS data and determines a second location of the ground sensor (20) based on the GPS data. The self-surveying computer (28) determines a first location of the ground sensor (20) based on the GPS data gathered over time, which is more accurate than the second location. The data formatter (30) determines a GPS error between the first and second locations which is transmitted by the transmitter (32). The GPS error is used by guided weapons in the vicinity of the ground sensor (20) to substantially increase the delivery accuracy of the guided weapons (40).

Claims

1. A self-surveying relative GPS (Global Positioning System) weapon guidance system, said system comprising:

a plurality of GPS satellites, said GPS satellites each operable to transmit GPS data;

a transportable unattended ground sensor, said transportable unattended ground sensor including GPS receiver means for receiving said GPS data and determining a second location of the transportable unattended ground sensor, self-surveying means for determining a first benchmark location of the transportable unattended ground sensor, said first benchmark location being more accurate than the second location, error means for determining GPS error between the first benchmark location and the second location, and transmitter means for transmitting the GPS error; and

a guided weapon, said guided weapon operable to utilize the GPS error to substantially increase the delivery accuracy of the guided weapon.

2. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of GPS satellites includes at least four (4) GPS satellites.

3. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 1 wherein the GPS receiver means includes a GPS antenna and a GPS receiver, said GPS receiver is an all-in-view protected code (P-Code) GPS receiver.

4. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 1 wherein the self-surveying means includes a self-surveying computer which determines the first benchmark location of the transportable unattended ground sensor, said first benchmark location is more accurate than the second location after gathering the GPS data for at least four (4) hours.

5. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 4 wherein the self-surveying computer determines the first benchmark location to within about a 2.0 meter accuracy after about four (4) hours and to within about a 0.5 meter accuracy after about seventy-two (72) hours.

6. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 1 wherein said error means includes a data formatter for subtracting second location data from first location data to determine the GPS error between the first and the second locations.

7. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 1 wherein the transmitter means transmits the GPS error about every five (5) to ten (10) minutes.

8. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of guided weapons.

9. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 8 further comprising a plurality of transportable unattended ground sensors for determining a plurality of GPS errors.

10. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 9 further comprising repeater means for receiving GPS errors from the transmitter means and relaying the GPS errors to the guided weapons.

11. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 10 further comprising a command center for gathering the plurality of GPS errors from the repeater means, said command center determining the median GPS error from the plurality of GPS errors and transmitting the median GPS error to the repeater means, said repeater means transmits the median GPS error to the plurality of guided weapons.

12. A self-surveying relative GPS (Global Positioning System) weapon guidance system, said system comprising:

at least four (4) GPS satellites, said GPS satellites each operable to transmit GPS data;

a plurality of transportable unattended ground sensors, said plurality of transportable unattended ground sensors each including a GPS receiver for receiving said GPS data and determining a second location of the transportable unattended ground sensor, a self-surveying computer for determining a first benchmark location of the transportable unattended ground sensor over time, said first benchmark location being more accurate than the second location, error means for determining a GPS error between the first benchmark location and the second location, and transmitter means for transmitting the GPS errors;

a command center, said command center operable to receive the GPS errors from the plurality of transportable unattended ground sensors and determine a median GPS error from the GPS errors; and

a plurality of guided weapons, said guided weapons operable to utilize the median GPS error to substantially increase the delivery accuracies of the guided weapons.

13. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 12 wherein the GPS receiver is an all-in-view protected code (P-code) GPS receiver capable of receiving GPS data from up to ten (10) GPS satellites simultaneously.

14. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 12 wherein the self-surveying computer determines the first benchmark location to within about a 2.0 meter accuracy after about four (4) hours and to within about a 0.5 meter accuracy after about seventy-two (72) hours.

15. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 12 wherein said error means includes a data formatter for subtracting second location data from first location data to determine the GPS error between the first and second locations.

16. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 12 further comprising repeater means for receiving the GPS errors from the transmitter means and relaying the GPS errors to the command center and for relaying the median GPS error from the command center to the guided weapons.

17. The self-surveying relative GPS weapon guidance system as defined in claim 16 further comprising at least one (1) reconnaissance vehicle, said reconnaissance vehicle operable to receive the median GPS error from the repeater means and identify the location of multiple targets in GPS coordinates.

18. A method for accurately guiding a guided weapon, said method comprising the steps of:

positioning a transportable unattended ground sensor within an area of multiple targets having an initially unknown benchmark location;

determining a first benchmark location of the transportable unattended ground sensor from a self-surveying computer within the transportable unattended ground sensor, said first benchmark location being more accurate than a second location;

determining the second location of the transportable unattended ground sensor from a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver within the ground sensor;

determining a GPS error between the first benchmark location and the second location;

transmitting the GPS error from the transportable unattended ground sensor; and

utilizing the GPS error to more accurately guide the guided weapon.

19. The method as defined in claim 18 wherein the step of positioning the transportable unattended ground sensor further includes the step of parachute dropping the transportable unattended ground sensor within the area of multiple targets.

20. The method as defined in claim 18 wherein the step of determining the first benchmark location of the transportable unattended ground sensor from the self-surveying computer further includes the steps of determining the first benchmark location to within about a 2.0 meter accuracy after about four (4) hours and to within about a 0.5 meter accuracy after about seventy-two (72) hours.