US3889267A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Radio interferometer
Assignee: EMI Group Electronics Ltd
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Filing: 1973-05-11
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Granted: 1975-06-10
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Expires: 1993-05-11
Abstract
Abstract An interferometer system for measuring the elevation angle of a remote radio source, comprising a linear array of equallyspaced aerial elements, a series of phase discriminators, each coupled to a common aerial and to one of the other aerials in order to measure phase differences between the incident waves, and signal processing units for averaging out the measured phase differences and to derive therefrom an indication of the elevation angle of the radiation incident on the aerial array.
Inventors
- 👤 David Adrian Lucas
- 👤 Richard Paul Vincent
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 07:56
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S3/00; G01S3/02; G01S3/14; G01S3/46; G01S3/48
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
90 words
A vertical radio interferometer system comprising a vertically-extending rectilinear array of equally-spaced aerial elements forming between a common element and each of the other elements respectively a plurality of interferometer pairs of which the spacing increases in arithmetical progression, a series of phase discriminators each associated with a respective interferometer pair to derive therefrom a respective phasedifference measurement in digital form and digital logic means to derive from the series of respective measurements an average phase measurement representative of the vertical angle theta of radiation incident on the aerial array.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
90 words
A vertical radio interferometer system comprising a vertically-extending rectilinear array of equally-spaced aerial elements forming between a common element and each of the other elements respectively a plurality of interferometer pairs of which the spacing increases in arithmetical progression, a series of phase discriminators each associated with a respective interferometer pair to derive therefrom a respective phasedifference measurement in digital form and digital logic means to derive from the series of respective measurements an average phase measurement representative of the vertical angle theta of radiation incident on the aerial array.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
92 words
A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each phase discriminator is operative to compare signals having a phase difference of delta phi 2 pi (I + F) radians where I is an integer and F is a positive fraction and to derive therefrom a digital measurement of the angle 2 pi F, and wherein the digital logic means is opeRative to calculate the angle 2 pi I and to add thereto the measurement derived by the discriminator to provide a measurement in digital form of the phase difference delta phi .
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
60 words
A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the digital logic means comprises a series of digital logic stages each associated with a respective pair of adjacent phase discriminators in the series of discriminators and wherein each logic stage is operative to receive the digital measurements from the pair of discriminators and to calculate therefrom the angle 2 pi I.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system as claimed in claim 3 comprisisng a further digital logic stage associated with only that discriminator which is associated with the closest-spaced interferometer pair.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
76 words
A system as claimed in claim 4 comprising a chain of digital adding stages each arranged to receive the phase-difference measurement of delta phi n from a respective n the logic stage and each, except the first in the chain for which n 1, arranged to receive from the next preceding adding stage a phase measurement of phi n 1 and to add the two measurements together to produce an output representing the phase phi n.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
A system as claimed in claim 5 comprising digital averaging means operative to receive from the adding stages measurements of the phases phi 1, phi 2 . . . phi n and to derive therefrom an average phase indicative of the vertical angle theta .
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the digital averaging means is operative to weight the respective phase measurements to derive a weighted average phase indicative of the angle theta .
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 for measuring within a range of angles the vertical angle theta , comprising sector-definition means for dividing the said range into a plurality of sectors and defining within which sector the angle theta lies.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
A system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the digital logic means is operative upon receipt of information from the sector-definition means to select from a plurality of logic processes a combination appropriate to the defined sector.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-06-09 | 1978-12-09 | 1979-06-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-06-09 | 1982-12-09 | 1983-06-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-06-09 | 1986-12-09 | 1987-06-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |