Roke Manor Research Limited

Timothy John Quilter

Robert John Weedon

David Herbert Brandwood

James Joseph Fisher

David Sherry

Adam Alexander Baker

Philip Edward Roy Galloway

In a multilateration apparatus a correlator is provided with a time of arrival correlation window which is set to cater for the path lengths that may be experienced before a signal from an object to be located is received by receivers in the system. This may be on the basis of the largest possible path length in the system or on a receiver by receiver basis.

Multilateration apparatus

In a multilateration system receivers are grouped into two groups. The first group is used to determine a position of a signal source, for example, an aircraft equipped with a SAR transponder. From the determined position, predicted time of arrival values are produced for the second group receivers. These are compared with the actual time of arrival values for the signals arriving at the second group receivers. A difference is determined and then the variation of that difference is determined as the aircraft travels in its track. The groupings are then varied and further variations determined. When the minimum variation is determined an alert is given that the second group has a receiver which is operating with a larger than desirable group time delay.

Apparatus and method for determining receiver performance in a multilateration system

To cater for the positioning of an aircraft in a boundary zone between two adjacent multilateration systems, the controller () in one system receives Time Difference of Arrival data provided by the controller () in the second system. The controller () derives the TDoA data from time of arrival data provided by its receiver stations (-). By furnishing TDoA data the timings of the two systems do not need to be synchronised. The controller () uses the TDoA data and also time of arrival data from its local receiver stations (-) to perform a multilateration to determine the location of the aircraft ().

Apparatus for multilateration and method

Method and apparatus for providing accurately synchronized timing signals at mutually distant locations employs a GPS or similar receiver at each location. These receivers are interconnected by a communications network, and exchange data over the network to agree a common timing reference.

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Salisbury, United Kingdom

Timothy John Quilter