Ranging system having reduced recognition jitter

Claim 3

The method defined in claim 1 and further comprising the step of pulsing said conditioning signal.

Claim 4

The method defined in claim 2 and further comprising the step of synchronizing said pulsed conditioning signal to said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 5

The method defined in claim 3 and further comprising the step of providing said pulsed conditioning signal coherent with said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 6

The method defined in claim 2 and further comprising the step of providing said pulsed conditioning signal for a time duration approximately 20% of the time duration of said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 7

The method defined in claim 2 and further comprising the step of providing said pulsed conditioning signal for a time duration sufficient to fill the entire interval between pulsed recognition signals.

Claim 8

The method defined in claim 1 and further comprising the step of providing said conditioning signal and said recognition signal at substantially the same amplitude.

Claim 9

The method defined in claim 7 and further comprising the step of attenuating said conditioning signal by at least about six decibels relative to said recognition signal by said narrow bandwidth bandpass filtering means.

Claim 10

The method defined in claim 8 and further comprising the step of attenuating said conditioning signal by about ten decibels relative to said recognition signal by said narrow bandwidth bandpass filtering means.

Claim 11

The method defined in claim 1 and further comprising the step of providing a continuous conditioning signal.

Claim 12

The method defined in claim 10 and further comprising the step of providing the amplitude of said conditioning signal less than the amplitude of said recognition signal.

Claim 15

The method defined in claim 12 and further comprising the step of pulsing said conditioning signal.

Claim 16

The method defined in claim 13 and further comprising the step of synchronizing said pulsed conditioning signal to said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 17

The method defined in claim 14 and further comprising the step of providing said pulsed conditioning signal coherent with said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 18

The method defined in claim 13 and further comprising the step of providing said pulsed conditioning signal for a time duration approximately 20% of the time duration of said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 19

The method defined in claim 13, and further comprising the step of providing said pulsed conditioning signal for a time duration sufficient to fill the entire interval between pulsed recognition signals.

Claim 20

The method defined in claim 12 and further comprising the step of providing said conditioning signal and said recognition signal at substantially the same amplitude.

Claim 21

The method defined in claim 18 and further comprising the step of attenuating said conditioning signal by at least about six decibels relative to said recognition signal by said narrow bandwidth bandpass filtering means.

Claim 22

The method defined in claim 19 and further comprising the step of attenuating said conditioning signal by about ten decibels relative to said recognition signal by said narrow bandwidth bandpass filtering means.

Claim 23

The method defined in claim 12 and further comprising the steps of providing a continuous conditioning signal.

Claim 24

The method defined in claim 21 and further comprising the step of providing the amplitude of said conditioning signal less than the amplitude of said recognition signal.

Claim 25

An arrangement for reducing recognition jitter in a ranging system comprising, in combination: a limiting constant false alarm rate receiver having broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, limiter means, narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, limiter means, narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, detector means, smoothing filter means and threshold-responsive recognition means, connected in cascade; means for providing a conditioning signal to said receiver, wherein said conditioning signal has a frequency distribution of power lying substantially within the passband of said broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means and wherein said conditioning signal frequency distribution of power is displaced from the center of the passband of said narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means to inhibit said conditioning signal driving the input level at said threshold-responsive recognition means above a preselected recognition threshold level; and transmitter means for initiating propagation of a pulsed recognition signal from said transmitter means to said receiver, wherein said pulsed recognition signal has a frequency distribution of power lying substantially within the passbands of said broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means and said narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means.

Claim 26

An arrangement for reducing recognition jitter in a ranging system comprising, in combination: a limiting constant false alarm rate receiver having broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, limiter means, narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, limiter means, narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, detector means, smoothing filter means and threshold-responsive recognition means, connected in cascade; means for providing a conditioning signal to said receiver, wherein said conditioning signal has a frequency distribution of power lying substantially within the passband of said broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means and wherein said conditioning signal frequency distribution of power is displaced from the center of the passband of said narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means to inhibit said conditioning signal driving the input level at said threshold-responsive recognition means above a preselected recognition threshold level; and transmitter means for initiating propagation of a pulsed recognition signal from said transmitter means to said receiver, wherein said pulsed recognition signal has a frequency distribution of power lying substantially within the passbands of said broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means and said narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means.

Claim 27

The arrangement recited in claim 23, wherein said means for providing a conditioning signal comprises means for providing a pulsed conditioning signal.

Claim 28

The arrangement recited in claim 23, wherein said means for providing a conditioning signal comprises means for providing a pulsed conditioning signal which is synchronized to said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 29

The arrangement recited in claim 23, wherein said means for providing a conditioning signal comprises means for providing a pulsed conditioning signal which is coherent with said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 30

The arrangement recited in claim 23, wherein said means for providing a conditioning signal comprises means for providing a pulsed conditioning signal for a duration of approximately twenty percent of the duration of said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 31

The arrangement recited in claim 23, wherein said means for providing a conditioning signal comprises means for providing a pulsed conditioning signal for a duration substantially equal to the time interval between successive pulsed recognition signals.

Claim 32

The arrangement recited in claim 23, wherein said means for providing the conditioning signal comprises means for providing said conditioning signal having an amplitude substantially equal to the amplitude of said pulsed recognition signal.

Claim 33

The arrangement recited in claim 29, wherein said narrow-bandwidth bandpass filter of said receiver comprises means for attenuating said conditioning signal in an amount substantially equal to six decibels relative to said recognition signal.

Claim 34

The arrangement recited in claim 29, wherein said narrow-bandwidth bandpass filter of said receiver means comprises means for attenuating said conditioning signal in amounts substantially equal to ten decibels relative to said recognition signal.

Claim 35

The arrangement recited in claim 23, wherein said means for providing a conditioning signal comprises means for providing a continuous conditioning signal.

Claim 36

The arrangement recited in claim 23, wherein said means for providing a conditioning signal comprises means for providing a continuous signal having an amplitude at a value less than the amplitude of said recognition signal.

Claim 37

An arrangement for reducing recognition jitter in a ranging system comprising, in combination: first limiting constant false alarm rate receiver means having first broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, first limiter means, first narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, first detector means, first smoothing filter means, and first threshold-responsive recognition means, connected in cascade; first transmitter means for initiating propagation of a first pulsed signal from said first transmitter means to said first receiver means, wherein said first pulsed signal includes a first conditioning signal portion having a frequency distribution of power sufficiently displaced from the center of the passband of said first narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means to inhibit said first conditioning signal driving the input level at said first threshold-responsive recognition means above a first preselected recognition threshold level, and wherein said first pulsed signal further includes a first recognition signal portion having a frequency distribution of power lying substantially within the passband of said first broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means and said first narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, and wherein the transmission of said first conditioning signal portion precedes in time the transmission of said first recognition signal portion of said first pulsed signal; second constanty false alarm rate receiver means having second broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means second limiter means, second narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, second detector means, second smoothing filter means and second threshold-responsive recognition means, connected in cascade; and second transmitter means operatively coupled to said first constant false alarm rate receiver to respond to said first receiver means for the condition of said input level at said first threshold-responsive recognition means rising above said first preselected recognition threshold level to thereby initiate propagation of a second pulsed signal from said second transmitter means to said second receiver means, wherein said second pulsed signal includes a second conditioning signal portion having a frequency distribution of power sufficiently displaced from the center of the passband of said second narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means to inhibit said second conditioning signal driving the input level of said second threshold-responsive recognition means above a second preselected recognition threshold level, and wherein said second pulsed signal further includes a second recognition signal portion having a frequency distribution of power lying substantially within the passband of said second broad bandwidth bandpass filtering means and said second narrow bandwidth bandpass filtering means, and wherein the transmission of said second conditioning signal portion precedes in time the transmission of said second recognition signal portion of said second pulsed signal.

Claim 38

An arrangement for reducing recognition jitter in a ranging system comprising, in combination: first limiting constant false alarm rate receiver means having first broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, first limiter means, first narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, first detector means, first smoothing filter means, and first threshold-responsive recognition means, connected in cascade; first transmitter means for initiating propagation of a first pulsed signal from said first transmitter means to said first receiver means, wherein said first pulsed signal includes a first conditioning signal portion having a frequency distribution of power sufficiently displaced from the center of the passband of said first narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means to inhibit said first conditioning signal driving the input level at said first threshold-responsive recognition means above a first preselected recognition threshold level, and wherein said first pulsed signal further includes a first recognition signal portion having a frequency distribution of power lying substantially within the passband of said first broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means and said first narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, and wherein the transmission of said first conditioning signal portion precedes in time the transmission of said first recognition signal portion of said first pulsed signal; second constanty false alarm rate receiver means having second broad-bandwidth bandpass filtering means second limiter means, second narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means, second detector means, second smoothing filter means and second threshold-responsive recognition means, connected in cascade; and second transmitter means operatively coupled to said first constant false alarm rate receiver to respond to said first receiver means for the condition of said input level at said first threshold-responsive recognition means rising above said first preselected recognition threshold level to thereby initiate propagation of a second pulsed signal from said second transmitter means to said second receiver means, wherein said second pulsed signal includes a second conditioning signal portion having a frequency distribution of power sufficiently displaced from the center of the passband of said second narrow-bandwidth bandpass filtering means to inhibit said second conditioning signal driving the input level of said second threshold-responsive recognition means above a second preselected recognition threshold level, and wherein said second pulsed signal further includes a second recognition signal portion having a frequency distribution of power lying substantially within the passband of said second broad bandwidth bandpass filtering means and said second narrow bandwidth bandpass filtering means, and wherein the transmission of said second conditioning signal portion precedes in time the transmission of said second recognition signal portion of said second pulsed signal.