Scanning polarized RF reference sources for angular orientation measurement for munitions and the like

• US 8,446,577 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnitek Partners LLC
• Original Assignee: Omnitek Partners LLC
• Inventors: Rastegar, Jahangir S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lyons, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US12/645,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20120313812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 356/138, 342/28, 342/62, 342/118, 342/126, 342/146, 342/147, 342/154, 342/157, 342/158, 343/756, 343/757, 343/762, 343/772, 343/775
• US Class Current: 356/138
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/28 Radio guidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/44 Rotating or oscillating beam beacons defining directions in the plane of rotation or oscillation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude

Abstract

A method for determining an angular orientation of a sensor relative to a source. The method including: amplitude modulating at least two synchronized polarized Radio Frequency (RF) carrier signals with a predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation of their electric field components and their polarization states to provide a scanning polarized RF reference source with a desired scanning range, pattern and frequency; detecting the scanning polarized RF reference source at the sensor; and using peak detection or pattern matching analysis on a signal detected at the sensor to determine the angular orientation of the sensor relative to scanning polarized RF reference source.

Claims

1. A method for determining an angular orientation of a sensor relative to a source, the method comprising:

amplitude modulating at least two synchronized polarized Radio Frequency (RF) carrier signals with a predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation of their electric field components and their polarization states to provide a scanning polarized RF reference source with a predetermined scanning range, pattern and frequency;

detecting the scanning polarized RF reference source at the sensor; and

using peak detection analysis on a signal detected at the sensor to determine the angular orientation of the sensor relative to the scanning polarized RF reference source.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the peak detection analysis utilizes a different non-symmetrical scanning pattern.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the peak detection analysis utilizes a modulated signal pattern.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the modulated signal pattern is used to differentiate a positive or negative orientation of the sensor relative to a mean direction of the scanning polarized RF reference source.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the signal is synchronized with a clock of a processor used at the source for processing of the signal received by the sensor to determine the angular orientation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the scanning pattern or the amplitude modulating varies over time.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein one or more of the scanning pattern or the amplitude modulating is varied at a pre-determined manner which is only known to a processor at the sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the sensor output as a function of its distance to the scanning polarized RF reference source; and

determining an actual distance of the sensor from the scanning polarized RF reference source in addition to the angular orientation based on the sensor output.

9. A method for determining an angular orientation of a sensor relative to a source, the method comprising:

amplitude modulating at least two synchronized polarized Radio Frequency (RF) carrier signals with a predetermined relationship between their amplitude modulation of their electric field components and their polarization states to provide a scanning polarized RF reference source with a predetermined scanning range, pattern and frequency;

detecting the scanning polarized RF reference source at the sensor; and

using pattern matching analysis on a signal detected at the sensor to determine the angular orientation of the sensor relative to the scanning polarized RF reference source.