Method and apparatus for tdma slot synchronization with precision ranging

Abstract

In a time division multiple access spacecraft communication system, each ground station determines when to send its information packets to arrive at the spacecraft at the beginning of a time slot. The calculation is based upon knowledge of the location of the spacecraft. A master ground station determines the location of the spacecraft by the use of the propagation delays between the various ground stations (including itself) and the spacecraft, together with knowledge of the locations of the ground stations. The spacecraft location is then transmitted back to the various ground stations. The determination of propagation delay by each ground station is performed in two major steps. The first step determines coarse time delay to within one bit interval by repeatedly transmitting a multibit unique word to the spacecraft, and counting bits until the next unique word is received from the spacecraft. To determine fine propagation delay, a high-frequency clock signal is counted from the time of transmission of each bit edge until the reception of the next bit edge. The sum of the coarse and fine delays, together with a plurality of frame intervals, establishes the range to the spacecraft.