System and method for tracking and guiding at least one object
AssigneeSaab AB
InventorFredrik Dicander
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The object of the present invention is to provide an inventive guidance system for tracking and guiding at least one object, wherein said guidance system comprises a base station (1) including an optical imaging system (3) configured to determine the angular position vector of said at least one object (5, 15), an optical communication link for transmitting guidance control commands from said base station (1) to said at least one object (5, 15), and steering means provided on said at least one object (5, 15) for adjusting the direction of said at least one object (5, 15) in response to said guidance control commands. The invention also provides a corresponding guiding method.
Claims22
A guidance system for tracking and guiding at least one object (5, 15), said guidance system comprising:
- a base station (1) including an optical imaging system (3) configured to determine the angular position vector of said at least one object (5, 15);
- an optical communication link for transmitting guidance control commands from said base station (1) to said at least one object (5, 15), said optical communication link comprising at least one optical uplink transmitter (7) located on said base station (1) and at least one optical uplink receiver (8) located on said at least one object (5, 15);
- and
- steering means provided on said at least one object (5, 15) for adjusting the direction of said at least one object (5, 15) in response to said guidance control commands,
- wherein:
- said optical communication link further includes downlink communication means comprising at least one optical transmitter (11) located on said at least one object (5, 15) and at least one optical downlink receiver (3, 12) located on said base station;
- said optical communication link is configured to measure the range to said at least one object (5, 15) by calculating the elapsed time between the sending of an interrogator signal from said at least one optical uplink transmitter (7) and the receipt of a return signal from said at least one optical transmitter (11).
A guiding method for tracking and guiding at least one object (5, 15), wherein said guiding method comprises the steps of:
- providing an optical communication link comprising:
- (i) at least one optical uplink transmitter (7) located on a base station (1);
- (ii) at least one optical uplink receiver (8) located on said at least one object (5, 15);
- (iii) downlink communication means comprising at least one optical transmitter (11) located on said at least one object (5, 15);
- and
- (iv) at least one optical downlink receiver (3, 12) located on said base station (1);
- determining the angular position vector of said at least one object (5, 15) by means of an optical imaging system (3) located on a base station (1);
- measuring a range to said at least one object (5, 15) by means of said optical communication link by calculating the elapsed time between the sending of an interrogator signal from said at least one optical uplink transmitter (7) and the receipt of a return signal from said at least one optical transmitter (11);
- transmitting guidance control commands from said base station (1) to said at least one object (5, 15) by means of an optical communication link;
- and
- steering said at least one object (5, 15) in response to said guidance control commands by means of steering means provided on said at least one object (5, 15).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.