Hyperbolic Asynchronous Method of a Radio Navigation Technique

Ryszard J Katulski,Wojciech Siwicki,Jarosław Sadowski,Jacek Stefański

doi:10.3390/app10186316

Ryszard J Katulski, Wojciech Siwicki + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/app10186316

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Journal: Applied Sciences	Publication Date: Sep 10, 2020
License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Gdańsk University of Technology

Abstract

Humans have always wanted to determine positions in an unknown environment. At the beginning, methods were simple. They were based on the observation of characteristic points—in the case of shipping, additional observations of the coastline. Then came navigation based on astronomical methods (astronavigation). At the beginning of the XX-th century, a new way of determining the current location was developed. It used radio wave signals. First came radio beacons, then ground-based systems. Currently, satellite systems are being used. At present, the most popular one is the Global Positioning System (GPS). This system is fully controlled by the Department of Defense, and only the U.S. forces and their closest allies have been guaranteed the accuracy offered by the system. Armies of other countries can only use the civilian version. This situation has engendered the need for an independent radiolocation system. This article describes the construction and operation of such a technology demonstrator that was developed at Gdansk University of Technology. The main advantage of the system is the ability to manage it without the chain organization of the reference stations, which currently work with each other asynchronously. This article demonstrates the functionality of such a system. It also presents results and analysis of its effectiveness.

Highlights

The movement of people and things is one of the basic activities that commonly accompanies our existence and forces us to navigate efficiently, i.e., to guide a moving object along a certain trajectory to a designated destination
The operation of a hyperbolic radio navigation system, operating in synchronous mode based on the TDOA method, consists of determining the differences in the time ∆t of impulse signals coming to the user terminal from individual reference stations
The equivalent of these time differences may be the phase differences ∆φ of these signals at the antenna of this terminal. They are the starting point for determining the hyperbolic lines, at the intersection of which the terminal is located. This means that in practice the position of the user terminal is determined by measuring the phase differences ∆φ of the signals received in the user terminal from the main station and three sub-stations forming the structure of the same chain

Summary

Introduction

The movement of people and things is one of the basic activities that commonly accompanies our existence and forces us to navigate efficiently, i.e., to guide a moving object along a certain trajectory to a designated destination. This process requires locating and determining the position of successive places along which the navigated object moves. This is important in all circumstances, especially in relation to public and private security and in defense situations. Astronavigation used especially in desert areas or at sea is a great example

Methods

Results

Conclusion