GPS Aided Coherent Focusing for Distributed Jamming Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current precision surgical jamming technologies require collocated beacons and precise atomic clocks for coherent energy focusing at a distant target, leading to increased costs and potential interference with friendly forces.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a distributed array of nodes with GPS receivers, reference oscillators, and frequency synthesizers, where a master node provides phase data to auxiliary nodes to align their transmit phases, eliminating the need for beacons and precise clocks through kinematic carrier phase tracking and phase lock loops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high power blanket jamming is used to deny communication and navigation services, then jamming effectiveness is improved, but electromagnetic interference to friendly forces increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by transitioning from blanket jamming to spatially selective jamming. Each node in the distributed array transmits jamming signals with specific spatial characteristics, creating localized jamming zones that target enemy forces while preserving communication for friendly forces. The coherent focusing mechanism concentrates RF energy precisely at the intended target location, ensuring that jamming effects are confined to the specific geographic area where enemy forces are located.
2Measurement precision
If precision surgical jamming with closed loop technology is used, then jamming precision is improved, but system complexity increases due to requirement of beacons and precise clocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex beacon infrastructure and precise atomic clock requirements from the jamming system. Instead of using closed-loop feedback with beacons, the system employs open-loop coherent focusing where each node independently calculates its transmission parameters based on pre-computed geometric relationships and GPS timing. This extraction of unnecessary components significantly reduces system complexity while maintaining jamming precision through the distributed array's coherent signal combination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by having each node in the distributed array replicate the same jamming signal waveform and modulation characteristics. Each node generates an identical copy of the reference signal, then applies individual phase and amplitude adjustments based on its spatial position. This copying approach ensures all nodes contribute coherently to the focused jamming energy at the target, achieving precision surgical jamming without requiring complex real-time synchronization infrastructure.
3Measurement precision
If distributed array with coherent focusing is used, then jamming precision is improved, but cost increases due to requirement of precise clocks for synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive atomic clocks with inexpensive GPS-disciplined oscillators in each node. The GPS PPS (pulse per second) signal provides sufficient timing precision for coherent focusing without requiring the extreme accuracy of atomic clocks. This substitution with cheaper timing sources significantly reduces the cost of deploying distributed jamming arrays while maintaining adequate precision for surgical jamming applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables coherent focusing of jammer energy at a distant target without beacons or precise clocks, reducing operational costs and minimizing collateral effects on friendly forces.
Implementation Method 1
The GPS receiver in each of the plurality of nodes measures carrier phases of satellite signals transmitted by a plurality of GPS satellites relative to a carrier phase of the reference oscillator in the respective node
Implementation Method 2
frequency synthesizer, and signal transmitter. The GPS receiver in each of the plurality of nodes measures carrier phases
Implementation Method 3
A transmit phase of the transmitter in each of the auxiliary nodes is aligned based on the determined phase difference
Implementation Method 4
Each of the plurality of nodes transmits a jamming signal directed to a remote target based on the aligned transmit phase. The energy from the jamming signals are configured to be combined at the remote target for disrupting communication or navigation of the remote target
Data Source
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AI summary
Precision surgical jamming of a target located at a distance uses GPS to coherently focus the jamming energy transmitted from a plurality of nodes. One of the nodes is designated as a master node and the remaining nodes are designated as auxiliary nodes. Each node tracks the carrier phases of satellite signals transmitted by a plurality of GPS satellites relative to a carrier phase of a reference oscillator in the respective node. The master node provides the tracked phase measurements along with its position information to all of the auxiliary nodes. The auxiliary nodes determine the phase offset of its reference oscillator relative to the reference oscillator of the master node based on the transmitted data. The transmit phase of a jammer transmitter in each of the nodes is then aligned to the phase of the reference oscillator to transmit a coherent focused beam to a distant target.