System and method for aircraft altitude measurement using radar and known runway position

• US 8,698,669 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Woodell, Daniel L., Jinkins, Richard D., Rademaker, Richard M., McCusker, Patrick D.
• Primary Examiner(s): GREGORY, BERNARR E
• Application Number:
  US12/976,871
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 342 33- 35, 342/118, 342/120, 342/123, 342/146, 342/147, 342165-175, 342192-197, 342/352, 342356-358, 342 26 R- 26 D, 342 61- 65, 342 73- 81, 701 1- 18, 701300-302, 340/945, 340/947, 340/951, 340/952
• US Class Current: 342/120
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/882 for altimeters measuring height using barometric means G01C5/06

Abstract

Another embodiment of the disclosure relates to an altitude system for an aircraft. The aircraft radar system includes a processor configured to determine an altitude of the aircraft using runway position information, and an angle to the runway associated with a radar beam to the runway. The angle to the runway is being determined using a pointing angle of the antenna adjusted with an angular offset. The angular offset is determined from phase processing.

Claims

1. A method of determining an altitude of an aircraft using aircraft position information and runway position information, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of radar returns from a runway associated with the runway position information;

determining a range between the aircraft and the runway using the aircraft position information and the runway position information;

determining an angle between the aircraft and the runway using the radar returns; and

determining the altitude of the aircraft based at least in part on the angle between the aircraft and the runway and the range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the altitude of the aircraft is a relative altitude with respect to the runway and the angle is an angle within a radar beam.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the altitude of the aircraft is an absolute altitude and the angle is an angle within a radar beam.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of radar returns uses at least one sub aperture technique.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the angle between the aircraft and the runway is determined using a phase offset caused by a position shift in a phase center of an antenna.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the phase offset is determined using three consecutive pulses.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the angle between the aircraft and the runway is equal to a pointing angle of the antenna adjusted by an angular offset related to the phase offset.

8. An altitude system for an aircraft including an antenna directed at a pointing angle toward a runway, the altitude system comprising:

a memory configured to store runway position information for the runway; and

a processor configured to determine an altitude of the aircraft using the runway position information, and to determine an angle to the runway associated with a radar beam directed to the runway by the antenna, wherein the angle to the runway is determined using the pointing angle adjusted with an angular offset, where the angular offset is determined using phase processing by the processor.

9. The altitude system of claim 8, wherein the processor determines an absolute altitude.

10. The altitude system of claim 8, wherein the angular offset is determined using data from at least three radar returns.

11. The altitude system of claim 10, wherein the angular offset is calculated by multiplying conjugates associated with the data.

12. The altitude system of claim 11, wherein the processor uses coherent integration to calculate the angular offset.

13. The altitude system of claim 8, wherein radar beams are transmitted as a full aperture beam and a return is received as a partial aperture return.

14. The altitude system of claim 8, wherein the processor is part of a weather radar system.

15. The altitude system of claim 8, wherein the altitude is determined from the angle to the runway and a range determined from a position of the aircraft and the runway position information.

16. The altitude system of claim 8, wherein the angle to the runway is determined using a phase offset caused by a position shift in a phase center of the antenna.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

an antenna; and

a processor in communication with the antenna for processing radar return data associated with at least two radar returns from a runway received by the antenna, the processor providing a pointing angle for the antenna, wherein at least one of the radar returns is received using less than a full aperture of the antenna, wherein the radar return data is processed by the processor to determine an angle to the runway, wherein the angle to the runway is related to an angular offset calculated by the processor from the radar return data and the pointing angle, wherein the processor determines an altitude of the aircraft using the angle to the runway and range to the runway.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the angular offset is related to a phase offset caused by a position shift in a phase center of the antenna.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the phase offset is calculated using vector multiplication.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the angular offset is calculated by multiplying conjugates associated with the radar return data and coherently integrating.