Alignment system

• US 8,354,958 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Shows, Gilbert M., Kim, Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Dao
• Application Number:
  US12/951,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20120127033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 342/154, 342/354, 342/359, 342/369, 342/372, 343/754, 343/757
• US Class Current: 342/359
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/02 Light- or radiation-emitting guns ; Light- or radiation-sensitive guns; Cartridges carrying light emitting sources, e.g. laser
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/26 Teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying shooting games A63F9/02; light- or radiation-emitting guns F41A33/02; targets therefor F41J; responders, transponders for radar, sonar, lidar G01S13/767, G01S15/74, G01S17/74
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/28 using amplitude comparison of signals derived simultaneously from receiving antennas or antenna systems having differently-oriented directivity characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 11/08 Helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/02 providing sum and difference patterns H01Q25/04 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for determining alignment of a first subsystem relative to a second subsystem. The apparatus includes a first antenna system for simultaneously transmitting a delta pattern radiation beam at a first frequency and a sum pattern radiation beam at a second frequency. The apparatus also includes a second antenna system for receiving the delta pattern radiation beam at the first frequency and the sum pattern radiation beam at the second frequency. The apparatus also includes a processor to process the received delta pattern radiation beam and sum pattern radiation beam to determine if a predetermined alignment criterion between the first antenna system and the second antenna system is satisfied.

Claims

1. A system for determining alignment of a first subsystem relative to a second subsystem, the system comprising:

a first antenna system for simultaneously transmitting a delta pattern radiation beam at a first frequency and a sum pattern radiation beam at a second frequency;

a second antenna system for receiving the delta pattern radiation beam at the first frequency and the sum pattern radiation beam at the second frequency; and

a processor to process the received delta pattern radiation beam and sum pattern radiation beam to determine if a predetermined alignment criterion between the first antenna system and the second antenna system is satisfied.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna system comprises a four arm helix antenna to transmit both the delta pattern radiation beam at the first frequency and the sum pattern radiation beam at the second frequency.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna system is a multi-arm planar antenna system, conical spiral antenna system, multi-radial strip antenna system, multi-radial slot antenna system, slotted flat plate antenna system, or an array antenna.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sum pattern radiation beam peak is centered axially along a desired orientation axis of a first subsystem coupled to the first antenna system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the delta pattern radiation beam null is centered axially along a desired orientation axis of a first subsystem coupled to the first antenna system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines whether the predetermined alignment criterion is satisfied based on the amplitudes of the received delta pattern radiation beam at the first frequency and the sum pattern radiation beam at the second frequency.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna system is coupled to a transmitting body and the second antenna system is coupled to a receiving body.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna system transmits linearly polarized beams and the second antenna system receives linearly polarized beams, wherein the beams have the same polarization.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first antenna system transmits a circularly polarized beam and the second antenna system receives linearly or circularly polarized beams.

10. A method for determining alignment of a first subsystem relative to a second subsystem, the method comprising:

simultaneously transmitting, with a first antenna system, a delta pattern radiation beam from a first antenna system at a first frequency and a sum pattern radiation beam at a second frequency;

receiving, with a second antenna system, the delta pattern radiation beam at the first frequency and the sum pattern radiation beam at the second frequency; and

processing the received delta pattern radiation beam and sum pattern radiation beam to determine if a predetermined alignment criterion between the first antenna system and the second antenna system is satisfied.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sum pattern radiation beam peak is centered axially along a desired orientation axis of a first subsystem coupled to the first antenna system.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the delta pattern radiation beam null is centered axially along a desired orientation axis of a first subsystem coupled to the first antenna system.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the second antenna system is an omni-directional or broad beam antenna oriented in the direction of the first antenna system.

14. The method of claim 10, comprising determining whether the predetermined alignment criterion is satisfied based on the relative amplitudes of the received delta pattern radiation beam at the first frequency and the sum pattern radiation beam at the second frequency.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined alignment criterion is determined to be satisfied based if the amplitude of the received sum pattern radiation beam at the first frequency is determined to be greater than the amplitude of the delta pattern radiation beam at the second frequency by a predetermined threshold.

16. The method of claim 10, comprising:

transmitting, from a transmitting body coupled to the first antenna system, the delta pattern radiation beam at the first frequency and the sum pattern radiation beam at the second frequency; and

receiving, at the second antenna system coupled to a receiving body, the delta pattern radiation beam and the sum pattern radiation beam.