Spatially-Distributed Antenna Architecture for Platform Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional command guidance fire control systems face significant time delays due to processing overhead and information sharing requirements between the fire control sensor station and the interceptor platform, leading to increased complexity and cost, particularly in aligning coordinate frames and tracking the interceptor's motion.
Innovation Solution
A spatially-distributed architecture of antenna arrays transmits uniquely coded signals, allowing both the fire control sensor station and the interceptor platform to determine their positions and motions in a common coordinate system, eliminating the need for jink maneuvers and reducing processing complexity by using a common coordinate system with orthogonal axes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional command guidance fire control systems use processing overhead and information sharing between fire control sensor station and interceptor platform, then guidance accuracy can be maintained, but time delays increase and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the guidance function into two independent segments: the fire control sensor station determines target position and motion, while the interceptor platform independently determines its own position and motion using uniquely coded signals from a spatially-distributed architecture. This segmentation eliminates the need for continuous information sharing and processing between the two systems, thereby reducing time delays while maintaining guidance accuracy through independent parallel determination of positional data.
2Measurement precision
If conventional systems track interceptor platform motion and align coordinate frames, then guidance solution accuracy is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The interceptor platform performs self-service by independently determining its own position and motion through receiving and processing uniquely coded signals from the spatially-distributed architecture. This self-determination eliminates the need for the fire control sensor station to track the interceptor platform or perform complex coordinate frame alignments, thereby reducing system complexity and processing requirements while maintaining the accuracy needed for guidance solutions.
Data Source
AI summary
A spatially-distributed architecture (SDA) of antennas transmits respective uniquely coded signals. A first receiver having a known position in a coordinate system defined by the SDA receives reflected versions of the uniquely coded signals. A first processor receives the reflected versions of the uniquely coded signals and identifies a position of a non-cooperative object in the coordinate system. A platform with a platform receiver receives non-reflected versions of the uniquely coded signals. The platform determines a position of the platform in the coordinate system. In an example, the platform uses a self-determined position and a position of the non-cooperative object communicated from the SDA to navigate or guide the platform relative to the non-cooperative object. In another example, the platform uses a self-determined position and information from an alternative signal source in a second coordinate system to guide the platform. Guidance solutions may be generated in either coordinate system.