Apparatus and method for locating an emitter using RF carrier or PRF measurement ratios

• US 6,163,297 A
• Filed: 10/20/1999
• Issued: 12/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Litton Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Rose, Conrad M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Issing, Gregory C.
• Application Number:
  US09/421,286
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 342/418, 342/428, 342/430
• US Class Current: 342/418
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/52 using a receiving antenna moving, or appearing to move, in a cyclic path to produce a Doppler variation of frequency of the received signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/04 Position of source determined by a plurality of spaced direction-finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/021 Auxiliary means for detecting or identifying radar signals or the like, e.g. radar jamming signals

Abstract

A method and apparatus for determining from a moving observer the location, in terms of latitude, longitude, altitude, and velocity, of a stationary or moving radar emitting a pulsed or continuous-wave signal. The moving observer extracts from the radar signal significant electronic support measures (ESM) parameters, including frequency, pulse repetition interval, and pulse width, and determines from those parameters whether a radio frequency (RF) or pulse repetition frequency (PRF) measurement technique is appropriate, and whether the radar signal angle-of-arrival (AOA) must be computed. The emitter location is computed using a ratio of sequential frequency measurements, and the moving observer continues to collect frequency measurements until the location of the emitter can be established to within a predetermined degree of certainty.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining from a moving observer the location, including latitude, longitude, altitude, and velocity, of an emitter from the signal Doppler shift, comprising:

a receiver for receiving one of a continuous wave or pulsed signal;

a frequency measuring device for measuring the emitter signal frequency over sequential dwell intervals;

a time measuring device for measuring the time between successive dwell intervals;

an observer velocity measuring device for measuring a change in observer velocity between successive dwell intervals;

first computing means for computing ratios of the frequency measurements from said frequency measuring device;

logic means for associating said frequency ratios with;

(a) the unknown emitter signal angle-of-arrival (AOA) if the moving observer is traveling in a straight path and the time between successive dwell intervals is sufficiently short such that any change in signal AOA is undetectable from said frequency ratios;

(b) the unknown emitter signal direction of arrival (DOA) if the moving observer is performing dogleg maneuvers and the time between successive dwell intervals is sufficiently short such that any change in signal DOA is undetectable from said frequency ratios;

(c) the unknown range to the emitter signal if the moving observer is performing maneuvers within a known envelope and the time between successive dwell intervals is sufficiently long such that any change in signal DOA is detectable from said frequency ratios;

second computing means for computing emitter location using the measurement ratios received from said first computing means and the association received from said logic means, and determining the angle of arrival if association (a) is used, emitter range if association (b) is used, or sequential changes in emitter range if association (c) is used.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an emitter velocity measuring device for measuring a change in emitter velocity between dwell intervals, wherein

said logic means associates said frequency ratios with AOA or DOA;

and

said second computing means computes sequential emitter location and velocity using the observer position and the emitter frequency and change in observer velocity received from said frequency measuring device and said observer velocity measuring device, respectively.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

prediction means for predicting future AOA or DOA measurements using sequential emitter location estimates from said second computing means;

comparison means for comparing the AOA or DOA computed by said second computing means with the predicted AOA or DOA received from said prediction means, and determining any discrepancies between the two which are not attributable to system noise; and

third computing means for receiving the computed emitter velocity from said second computing means and adjusting the predicted AOA or DOA measurements from said prediction means, such that the discrepancies between the computed AOA or DOA measurements from said second computing means and the predicted AOA or DOA measurements from said prediction means converge to a predetermined minimal level.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a storage medium for storing a predetermined set of instructions associated with a range of signal frequencies;

fourth computing means for predicting the position of the observer at the time of a future dwell cycle;

a controller for receiving the set of instructions from said storage means and predicted position from said fourth computing means and directing said receiver to tune to a specific frequency during a particular dwell interval at a particular future time.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the time interval measured by said time measuring device is sufficiently short such that the change in AOA of the emitter signal is undetectable, said logic means associates said frequency measurement ratio with the observer and emitter positions according to ##EQU6## wherein ##EQU7## and whereby c is the speed of light in vacuo, ƒ

is the emitter signal frequency, r_e =emitter position vector, r_o =observer position vector, Δ

v_o (j) is the change in observer velocity, j is a first instant in time, and j+1 is a subsequent second instant in time.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the time interval measured by said time measuring device is long so that the change in AOA is not negligible, said logic means associates said frequency measurement ratio with sequential observer and emitter positions according to ##EQU8## whereby c is the speed of light in vacuo, f is the emitter signal frequency, r_e =emitter position vector, r_o =observer position vector, v_r =relative emitter-observer velocity, j is a first instant in time, and j+1 is a subsequent second instant in time.

7. A method for determining from a moving observer the location of a radar signal from an emitter, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving the signal from the emitter;

(b) extracting electronic support measures (ESM) parameters from the signal, said parameters including frequency, pulse repetition interval (PRI), and pulse width;

(c) flying a constant-velocity track with the moving observer;

(d) measuring the signal frequency during said constant-velocity track;

(e) generating a ratio of signal frequency measurements;

(f) associating said ratio of signal frequency measurements with one of emitter signal angle-of-arrival or emitter location;

(g) calculating an estimate of emitter location;

(h) repeating steps (c) through (g) until said calculation of emitter location reaches a predetermined convergence.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of determining the length of time of said constant-velocity track based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signal measurement, PRI, and pulse width.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of determining whether to use an RF or PRF measurement technique.

10. A method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of computing the signal angle of arrival (AOA) before determining emitter location.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of computing the time at which a subsequent measurement of signal frequency will be taken, and predicting observer position at said time.

12. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein step (h) comprises repeating steps (c) through (g) sequentially at least three times to calculate the latitude and longitude of a stationary emitter;

at least four times to calculate the latitude, longitude, and altitude of a stationary emitter; and

at least seven times to calculate the position and velocity of a moving emitter.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising the step of changing at least one of the speed or heading of the observer between two successive constant-velocity tracks.

14. A method as claimed in claim 7, further comprising the step of adjusting the position of the observer, based on the classification of the emitter as moving from the ESM parameters measured in step (b), to assure convergence of said calculation of an estimate of emitter location and velocity to a predetermined level.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said frequency measurement ratio is associated with the change in observer velocity and the emitter signal direction-of-arrival to m_j =Δ

v_o (j)·

u(j), whereby Δ

v_o (j) is the change in observer velocity between two successive constant-velocity tracks, u is the emitter signal direction-of-arrival vector, and ##EQU9## whereby c is the speed of light in vacuo and ƒ

is the emitter signal frequency.

16. A method as in claim 7, wherein step (f) further comprises the step of utilizing nonsequential frequency measurements when the emitter is classified as nonmoving.