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US 12,523,759 B1Granted
Reflector installations for radar-based navigation
AssigneeWisk Aero LLC
InventorsAdam Berger, Andy Smith, Sumant Sharma, Geoffrey Alan Long
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments provide a landing and approach navigation system. The navigation system can use a radar system onboard an aircraft to transmit radio energy. A rotating reflector at a landing area can reflect the radio energy back to the radar system with an amplitude-modulation that is due to the rotation. With synchronized timing between the reflector and the radar system, and known rotation characteristics of the reflector, the radar system can use the reflected radio energy to calculate the bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector and landing area.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a reflector configured to reflect radio energy;
- a motor coupled to the reflector, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the reflector;
- and
- a control system coupled to the motor and configured to:
- maintain a timing signal;
- operate the motor to rotate the reflector with a predetermined rotational rate, thereby causing an aircraft to receive a reflected radio energy signal that is amplitude-modulated, determine a bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector based on a comparison of the reflected radio energy signal with the timing signal, and navigate using the bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector;
- and
- operate the motor to rotate the reflector with a rotation that is phase-locked with the timing signal.
5 more elements
A system comprising:
- a reflector configured to reflect radio energy;
- a motor coupled to the reflector, wherein the motor is configured to rotate the reflector;
- and
- a control system coupled to the motor and configured to:
- maintain a timing signal;
- receive a GPS timing signal;
- synchronize the timing signal with the GPS timing signal;
- and
- operate the motor to rotate the reflector with a predetermined rotational rate and with a rotation that is phase-locked with the timing signal, thereby causing an aircraft to receive a reflected radio energy signal that is amplitude-modulated, determine a bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector based on a comparison of the reflected radio energy signal with the timing signal, and navigate using the bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector.
6 more elements
A method comprising:
- maintaining, by a control system of a ground installation, a timing signal;
- operating, by the control system of the ground installation, a motor of the ground installation to rotate a reflector of the ground installation with:
- a predetermined rotational rate;
- and
- a rotation that is phase-locked with the timing signal;
- and
- reflecting, by the reflector of the ground installation, radio energy emitted by an aircraft, wherein the aircraft receives a reflected radio energy signal that is amplitude-modulated due to the reflector rotating at the predetermined rotational rate, determines a bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector based on a comparison of the reflected radio energy signal with the timing signal, and navigates using the bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- maintaining, by a control system of a ground installation, a timing signal;
- receiving, by the control system of the ground installation, a GPS timing signal;
- synchronizing, by the control system of the ground installation, the timing signal with the GPS timing signal;
- and
- operating, by the control system of the ground installation, a motor of the ground installation to rotate a reflector of the ground installation with a predetermined rotational rate, a rotation that is phase-locked with the timing signal, and a predetermined initial orientation at each instance of the timing signal, wherein radio energy emitted by an aircraft and reflected by the reflector is received at the aircraft in as a reflected radio energy signal that is amplitude-modulated due to the reflector rotating at the predetermined rotational rate, wherein the aircraft determines a bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector based on a comparison of the reflected radio energy signal with the timing signal, and navigates using the bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- maintaining, by a control system of a ground installation, a timing signal;
- and
- operating, by the control system of the ground installation, a motor of the ground installation to rotate a reflector of the ground installation with a predetermined rotational rate, wherein radio energy emitted by an aircraft and reflected by the reflector is received at the aircraft in as a reflected radio energy signal that is amplitude-modulated due to the reflector rotating at the predetermined rotational rate, wherein the aircraft determines a bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector based on a comparison of the reflected radio energy signal with the timing signal, and navigates using the bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector.
A method comprising:
- maintaining, by a first control system of a first ground installation, a timing signal;
- operating, by the first control system of the first ground installation, a first motor of the first ground installation to rotate a first reflector of the first ground installation with a first predetermined rotational rate, and a rotation that is phase-locked with the timing signal, wherein radio energy emitted by an aircraft and reflected by the first reflector is received at the aircraft in as a reflected radio energy signal that is amplitude-modulated due to the first reflector rotating at the first predetermined rotational rate, wherein the aircraft determines a bearing of the aircraft relative to the first ground installation based on a comparison of the reflected radio energy signal with the timing signal, and navigates using the bearing of the aircraft relative to the first ground installation;
- and
- operating, by a second control system of a second ground installation, a second motor of the second ground installation to rotate a second reflector of the second ground installation at a second predetermined rotational rate, wherein the second reflector of the second ground installation is configured to reflect radio energy, and the second predetermined rotational rate is different than the first predetermined rotational rate.
1 more element
A method comprising:
- receiving, by an aircraft, a reflected radio energy signal that was reflected by a reflector, wherein the reflected radio energy signal is amplitude-modulated due to the reflector rotating at a predetermined rotational rate;
- determining, based on a comparison of the reflected radio energy signal with a timing signal, a bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector;
- and
- navigating using the bearing of the aircraft relative to the reflector.
1 more element
A system comprising:
- an aircraft;
- and
- navigation equipment coupled to the aircraft, the navigation equipment including:
- an antenna assembly configured to transmit radio energy and detect radio energy;
- and
- one or more processors configured to:
- receive, from the antenna assembly, a reflected radio energy signal that was reflected by a reflector and detected by the antenna assembly, wherein the reflected radio energy signal is amplitude-modulated due to the reflector rotating at a predetermined rotational rate;
- determine, based on a comparison of the reflected radio energy signal with a timing signal, a bearing relative to the reflector;
- and
- navigating using the bearing relative to the reflector.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.