Position determination system

• US 3,242,494 A
• Filed: 01/25/1962
• Issued: 03/22/1966
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1962
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Francis A. Gicca
• Original Assignee: Francis A. Gicca
• Inventors: Gicca, Francis A.
• Application Number:
  US04/168,767
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• US Class Current: 342/357.29
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Claims

1. A POSITION FINDING SYSTEM COMPRISING:

A VEHICLE INCLUDING MODULATION MEANS FOR PRODUCING MODULATED SIGNALS AND TRANSMITTER MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID MODULATION MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING SAID MODULATED SIGNALS;

AND, VEHICLE POSITION DETERMINING MEANS LOCATED AT A PREDETERMINED REFERENCE SITE AWAY FROM SAID VEHICLE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF INDEPENDENT PHASE MEASUREMENT MEANS EACH LOCATED AT DIFFERENT PREDETERMINED POSITIONS AND COMPRISING RECEIVING MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID VEHICLE MODULATED SIGNALS, OSCILLATOR MEANS FOR PRODUCING REFERENCE SIGNALS, AND PHASE COMPARISON MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID RECEIVING MEANS AND TO SAID OSCILLATOR MEANS FOR MEASURING THE PHASE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN SAID MODULATED SIGNALS AND SAID REFERENCE SIGNALS AND PRODUCING PHASE DIFFERENTIAL SIGNALS A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT TIMES, AND COMPUTING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID PLURALITY OF INDEPENDENT PHASE MEASUREMENT MEANS FOR RECEIVING FROM EACH A PLURALITY OF SAID PHASE DIFFERENTIAL SIGNALS AND IN REPONSE THERETO CALCULATING THE POSITION OF SAID VEHICLE.