Radio transmitting station

Abstract

Abstract A method of and system for locating a position in which a plurality of frequency standard devices based on the action of the natural frequencies associated with transitions between energy states in atoms and/or molecules are synchronized or phase compared at the same initial location. Two of three frequency standard devices, in a two-dimensional embodiment, are placed at transmitting stations on a known baseline. The third device is at a third station, a receiving station, which receives signals from the two transmitting stations. At each transmitting station, means are provided for producing and transmitting a radio frequency carrier signal of fixed frequency and of fixed phase under the control of the frequency standard device associated with the respective station. The radio frequency carrier signals produced at the different transmitting stations differ in frequency. The radio frequency carrier signal produced at each transmitting station is modulated with a modulating signal produced under the control of the same frequency standard device which controls the means which produce the radio frequency carrier. At the receiving station, means are provided for producing a reference signal corresponding to the modulating signal and two radio frequency signals corresponding, in frequency, to the radio frequency carrier signals transmitted, the means at the receiving station being controlled by the frequency standard device associated with the receiving station. The reference signal is compared at the receiving station with the modulating signals recovered from the radio frequency carriers to determine respective time differences, the differences representing coarse position data from which the total number of phase rotations (full lanes) the receiving station is from each of the transmitting stations are determined. The phase relationships between each of the received radio frequency carrier signals and the respective one of the two radio frequency signals produced at the receiving station are determined, the relationships representing fine position data which are measurements of the receiving station position within a given phase rotation (lane). Methods and systems for locating a position in three dimensions are also described. The fine ranges, distances within given lanes, are respectively added by a computer to respective coarse ranges, each of which represents the total number of lanes to the full lane closest to respective ones of the transmitting stations, the totals being the distances between the receiving station and each of the transmitting stations.

Inventors

• 👤 A Elwood

Bibliographic Details