Location system for a flying craft

• US 9,348,011 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2012
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thales SA
• Original Assignee: Thales SA
• Inventors: Cornic, Pascal, Garrec, Patrick, Artis, Jean-Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr
• Application Number:
  US13/607,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20140028486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,353 Days
• Field of Search: 342 42- 51, 342 61- 65, 342/118, 342/146, 342/147, 342149-157, 342/175, 342188-197, 342/350, 342/351, 342/385, 342/417, 342/428, 342/430, 342/432, 89/6, 89/65, 244 31- 323, 244 324- 33, 356/138, 356/140, 356/141.2, 356/141.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/301 Details
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/305 for spin-stabilized missiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/14 using amplitude comparison of signals transmitted simultaneously from antennas or antenna systems having differently oriented overlapping directivity-characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude

Abstract

A location and guidance system including a flying craft and a reception device. The flying craft includes a plurality of antennas distributed around its fuselage and emitting rearwards with rectilinear polarization, the emitted signals being specific to each antenna, the positions and the dimensions of the antennas being configured such that the body of the flying craft avoids by masking for at least one antenna the reflections of the signal emitted by this antenna off the ground or off lateral obstacles whatever the position of the flying craft. The reception device is placed substantially on a trajectory axis of the flying craft and configured to be oriented to sight the rear thereof and includes at least two single-pulse antennas operating in orthogonal planes determines a position of the flying craft by analyzing the emitted signals received by the antennas of the reception device.

Claims

1. A flying craft comprising:

a plurality of antennas distributed around a fuselage of the flying craft and configured to emit signals rearwards from the flying craft with rectilinear polarization, the emitted signals being specific to each antenna, positions and dimensions of the antennas being configured such that the fuselage of the flying craft avoids by masking for at least a first one of the antennas reflections of the signal emitted by the first antenna off the ground or off lateral obstacles irrespective of a position of the flying craft; and

a reception device comprising;

a plurality of monopulse antennas pointed in a same direction of sighting and operating in orthogonal planes; and

means for identifying and processing, separately, signals received from respective antennas of the flying craft, such that signals emitted by separate antennas are identified and processed separately, and for automatically detecting and rejecting received signals disturbed by reflections.

2. The flying craft according to claim 1, wherein the antennas are embodied on a basis of rectilinear microwave leakage lines, and are disposed substantially perpendicular to the fuselage of the flying craft.

3. The flying craft according to claim 1, further comprising fins serving to guide the flying craft, wherein the antennas are fixed to the fins.