The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 04, 1998
Filed:
Jul. 03, 1997
Seth David Silverstein, Schenectady, NY (US);
Jeffrey Michael Ashe, Gloversville, NY (US);
Gregory Michael Kautz, Burnt Hills, NY (US);
Frederick Wilson Wheeler, Troy, NY (US);
Anthony Wykeham Jacomb-Hood, Yardley, PA (US);
Lockheed Martin Corp., Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Abstract
A Tripulse method determines the orientation or attitude of a phased-array antenna located at a remote site, such as an aircraft or spacecraft. Three pulses are transmitted from the phased-array antenna in an estimated direction toward a coherent receiver, with a sum beam, and with first and second difference beams formed by reversal of the phase of certain elements above a first axis of symmetry, and to one side of a second axis of symmetry. The received signals are processed in a manner which determines the error between the assumed direction and the actual direction of the receiver. To determine the rotational position of the array antenna, the same steps are performed for a second remote receiver, and additional processing determines the complete attitude, including yaw, of the phased-array antenna. The coherent receiver may use the first transmitted pulse as a reference, or it may use a separate reference signal.