Antenna boresighting method
AssigneeL-3 Communications Corporation
InventorsLaMar K. Timothy, Merle L. Keller, Roy F. Lunsford
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An antenna positioned (with rough alignment) on an aircraft is calibrated in position and orientation relative to the inertial navigation system of the aircraft by measuring the corresponding position and orientation parameters of the aircraft and a reference target relative to the Global Positioning System (GPS) and calculating differences between azimuth and elevation parameters of the target measured by the antenna control system and corresponding roll, pitch and heading parameters measured by the aircraft system, thereby providing bias parameters for the antenna output in the coordinates of the inertial navigation system.
Claims10
A method of boresighting an A/B antenna positioned on an A/C comprising the steps of:
- a) positioning the A/C over a surveyed reference position on the earth;
- b) storing measured coordinates of the A/C and of a reference target RF source;
- c) pointing the A/B antenna at the reference target with nominal values of Az and El and tuning the direction of said A/B antenna, using the received RF signal from said reference target as a measure of accuracy and recording ΔA1 and ΔE1;
- d) rotating the A/C heading about said survey reference position and repeating steps b) and c), recording values ΔA2 and ΔE2;
- calculating antenna bias parameters ΔR, ΔP, and ΔH for roll pitch and heading with respect to corresponding values of the A/C INS which brings the A/B antenna xyz frame into alignment with INS X1 Y1 Z1 frame;
- and
- storing said antenna bias parameters, whereby measured antenna parameters may be adjusted in operation by said antenna bias parameters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.