Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Rockwell International Corporation

Rockwell Science Center, Inc.

Richard S Haendel

Scott J Zogg

Ronald R Meyer

James C Neisch

John C Wauer

Robert J Frank

Gary A McGraw

Scott J F Zogg

Stephen M Clark

Bimal P Mathur

H Taichi Wang

Brian L Aanderud

Kenneth M Peterson

Gary C Waller

A method of receiving a plurality of simultaneously transmitted data streams is disclosed. Each data stream is divided into portions and transmitted at predetermined frequencies and times according to a frequency-hopping pattern. The portions are received using a plurality of receivers. Each receiver is configured to receive portions transmitted on one of the predetermined frequencies. The received portions are temporarily stored in a memory such that the received portions are stored as a function of receiver and time. The stored portions are compared to the frequency-hopping pattern. It is determined if any combination of the stored portions corresponds to the predetermined frequencies and times of the frequency-hopping pattern.

Architecture for receiving data from a multiplicity of frequency hopping emitters

A radio is disclosed. The radio system includes radio system nodes that are configured with a transceiver to transmit and receive information over more than one frequency. Each radio system node also includes a processor, the processor being any of a variety of processing elements, including but not limited to general purpose processors, coders, decoders, and the like. The processor is configured to gather a block of information and configured to format the block of information into a plurality of sub blocks. Each sub block of information includes message synchronization information. The sub blocks are dispersed in time and over the more than one frequency and substantially simultaneous transmission and reception of multiple transmissions in the same frequency band is enabled.

Waveform for virtually simultaneous transmission and multiple receptions system and method

A follower aircraft is guided to a lead aircraft using a datalink that determines range between the two. The lead aircraft has an antenna array and processing system for determining azimuth/elevation of the follower aircraft. The lead aircraft transmits a ranging message to the follower aircraft and stores a lead aircraft time of transmit (TOT) time. The ranging message is received at the follower aircraft and a follower aircraft time of reception (TOR) time is stored. A second ranging message is transmitted from the follower aircraft to the lead aircraft and a follower aircraft TOT time is stored. The second ranging message is received at the lead aircraft and a lead aircraft TOR is stored. A message is sent from the follower aircraft when follower aircraft TOT and TOR. The range and time offset is determined by the lead aircraft using follower aircraft TOT/TOR and stored lead aircraft TOT/TOR.

Relative navigation for precision rendezvous and station keeping using datalink signals

An airborne network configured to simultaneously transmit video imagery for battle damage indication from multiple airborne missiles to multiple tactical airborne non-launch aircraft.

System and method for communicating with airborne weapons platforms

A method of distributing audio channels to passengers of an aircraft includes digitally encoding a multiplicity of audio channels into a corresponding multiplicity of digital audio channels. Different groups of the digital audio channels are combined into sub-channels having a data rate higher than a data rate of the digital audio channels. The sub-channels are combined into a composite data stream having a data rate higher than the data rate of the sub-channels. A first radio frequency (RF) carrier signal is modulated with the composite data stream to generate a modulated RF signal audio output. The modulated RF signal output containing a large number of audio channels is transmitted over a data network, such as a coaxial cable network, along with a multiplicity of video channel modulated RF carrier signals.

Multi-channel audio distribution for aircraft passenger entertainment and information systems

An integrated side stick controller combines air speed, turning and altitude changing rate control into one pilot input control device. Movements of the integrated side stick controller will perform manipulations on aircraft surfaces devices in order to maneuver the aircraft. For instance, fore and aft movement of the side stick will increase/decrease the air speed, left/right movements of the side stick will control the turning of the aircraft, and up/down movements of the slider on the side stick will change the ascend/descend rate of the aircraft.

Pilot input device to control direction, altitude, and speed of aircraft

An air traffic control system in which an airborne GPS receiver on a trans-oceanic flight is provided pseudo range correction data and satellite integrity information from a group of terrestrial HF transmitters, transmitting on a common set of frequencies and using a time division multiplexing scheme.

Use of GPS correction data on trans-oceanic routes

A differential GPS receiver system in which a first receiver at a known location generates pseudo range correction data and a second GPS receiver at a nearby second known location uses the data to determine an enhanced calculated position of the second GPS receiver, which is then compared with the known second location. If the enhanced calculated position falls within an acceptable level of error from the known position, then the pseudo range correction data is transmitted to mobile receivers.

System and method for monitoring and reporting GPS pseudo range correction data

A system and method for monitoring and recording the mileage a truck travels within a particular state including a GPS receiver, an odometer, and a memory device which contains state boundary information and a processor for determining on a continual basis whether the positioned information received from the GPS receiver is in a particular state boundary and for recording mileage of the truck when the position and state boundary comparison determines that a change in state boundaries has occurred. Additionally, a storage device for storing the data output by the processor which includes the desired mileage within a particular state information is included.

System for accurately determining the mileage traveled by a vehicle

A low cost, real time vehicle lane position detection system is provided for determining and maintaining the position of the vehicle on a highway. The system comprises an image sensor mounted on the front of an automotive vehicle and an integrated processor for performing real-time lane mark detection. The sensor/processor system identifies highway lane marks on the detector image plane by using a nonlinear resistive network for detecting outliers. A line detection algorithm, such as the Hough transform, is used to determine the lane marks from the outliers on the image plane. Because the expected lane position can be determined in advance, an added degree of signal-to-noise discrimination is achieved by providing feedback to the processor for outlier detection. The position of the vehicle in the lane is determined and tracked from the position of the detected lane marks on the image plane given the sensor position and optical geometry.

Vehicle lane position detection system

An FMCW distance measuring device is disclosed which provides nearest return tracking for increased accuracy. A portion of the transmitted wave in an FMCW altimeter is mixed with a received signal indicating distance to a target to produce a beat frequency between the transmitted wave and the received wave. This beat frequency is input to a frequency discriminator. The discriminator output is controlled so that a predetermined point within the spectrum of the returned signal most nearly represents the nearest return. The frequency discriminator thus allows more accurate tracking of altitude in contrast to those conventional systems which track the average or centroid of the spectral return. The frequency discriminator may be used in two ways. In the first technique the transmitted wave is modulated to maintain a constant beat frequency by adjusting the slope of the modulation. The modulation slope is controlled in response to a signal derived from the frequency discriminator to provide nearest return tracking. The system maintains the beat frequency constant based on that nearest return through control of the modulation slope. Nearest return altitude is inversely proportional to modulation slope. In the second technique, modulation slope is held constant or at least is not directly controlled by the frequency discriminator. The frequency discriminator is used in a phase/frequency locked loop to provide an output signal from the VCO that is locked onto the predetermined point within the spectrum of the returned signal. Nearest return altitude is proportional to the frequency of the VCO output signal.

Nearest return tracking in an FMCW system

An FMCW distance measuring system is disclosed which provides a search and track function for enabling searching for nearer returns during altitude tracking, and for more accurately determining altitude rate. A portion of the transmitted wave in an FMCW altimeter is mixed with the received signal indicating distance to target to produce a beat frequency between the transmitted wave and the received wave. The transmitted wave is triangularly modulated to produce separate upsweep and downsweep modulations which are maintained to produce a constant beat frequency from the return signal. The up and downsweep of the triangular modulation are independently operable so that tracking may be maintained on either or both of the sweeps or one sweep may track while the other sweep is searching for a nearer return. By comparing the difference in the modulation slopes during the up and downsweep, a reading can be provided which is indicative of the rate of change in altitude. The operation thus allows altitude searching during nearest return tracking along with a combined instantaneous reading of altitude rate without additional circuitry.

Growing community of inventors

Iowa City, IA, United States of America

Richard S Haendel