METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN AN AIRBORNE RECEIVER AND A STATIONARY GROUND TRANSMITTER

Abstract

A method and device for determining the distance between an airborne receiver and a stationary ground transmitter are disclosed. A digital terrain model is implemented to determine a range of distance values containing the transmitter. A receiver distance is found and, with the range of values, a plurality of theoretical distances is calculated, to each of which a corresponding azimuth angle and elevation angle are associated. The thus calculated azimuth and elevation angles are compared to the measured azimuth and elevation angles of the line of sight under which the receiver observes the transmitter.

Claims

1. A method for continuous determination of the distance between a mobile airborne receiver on a known trajectory and a stationary ground transmitter, said transmitter being observed by said receiver following a line of sight of variable direction upon movement of said transmitter, the method comprising: implementing a digital terrain model which is representative of the terrain on which said stationary transmitter is found and which indicates the maximum elevation and the minimum elevation of this terrain, wherein implementing a digital terrain model includes determining a maximum distance value and a minimum distance value, for each of a plurality of successive positions of said airborne receiver for the entirety of its trajectory, and defining a range of distance values in which the real value of the distance between said receiver and said transmitter in the corresponding position of said airborne receiver is found; at each of said successive positions of said airborne receiver, measuring the value of the azimuth angle and the value of the elevation angle of the corresponding direction of said line of sight; for each of a plurality of points of the part of said digital terrain model included in each of said ranges of distance values obtained in said implementing a digital terrain model, calculating the theoretical distance between said point and said receiver, as well as the values of the theoretical azimuth angle and the theoretical elevation angle of the direction of said theoretical distance; comparing the results of the measured values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle to the results of the theoretical values of the azimuth angle and the theoretical elevation angle; and determining that the progression of the real distance between the receiver and the transmitter, while said receiver moves along its trajectory, is represented by the progression of the theoretical distance calculated in said calculating, for which the results of the values of the theoretical azimuth angle and the theoretical elevation angle are respectively the closest of the results of the measured azimuth angle and the elevation angle of said line of sight.

2. In an aircraft equipped with a positioning device which allows the position of said aircraft to be known at every instance and an infra-red detection device, the infra-red detection device comprising: an infra-red detector configured to detect a land-based infra-red emission, and a measurement device indicating the direction of the line of sight under which said infra-red detector observes said infra-red emission, wherein said measurement device delivers values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle for the direction of said line of sight; and wherein said detection device also comprises: a digital terrain model which is representative of the terrain on which said land-based infra-red emission is found and which indicates the maximum height and the minimum height of said terrain; and calculation device configured to: calculate a minimum distance value and a maximum distance value between which the real value of the distance between said infra-red detector and said land-based infra-red emission is found; calculate a plurality of theoretical intermediate distances included between said minimum distance value and said maximum distance value; calculate for each of said theoretical intermediate distances, the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the corresponding direction; and compare the calculated values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of each of said theoretical intermediate distances with the measured values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the direction of said line of sight; wherein said calculation device is configured to attribute, at every instance, the value of the theoretical intermediate distance of which the calculated values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle are the closest of the measured values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the direction of said line of sight to the distance between the infra-red detector and said land-based infra-red emission; and wherein said calculation device is configured to assimilate the progression over time of the distance between the infra-red detector and said land-based infra-red emission into a progression over time of theoretical intermediate distance for which the results of the calculated values of the theoretical azimuth angle and the theoretical elevation angle are respectively the closest of the results of the measured values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of said line of sight.

3. A missile launch detection device, comprising the infra-red detection device according to claim 2.

4. An aircraft equipped with the missile launch detector according to claim 3.

Description

[0037] The figures of the appended drawing will clearly detail how the invention can be implemented. In these figures, identical references indicate similar elements.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the foundation of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 illustrates the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the line of sight of a receiver.

[0040] FIGS. 3A and 3B are chronological diagrams which respectively represent the progression of the azimuth angles and the elevation angles according to successive positions of the receiver.

[0041] FIG. 4 is the synoptic diagram of the detection device in accordance with the present invention.

[0042] In FIG. 1, an aircraft AC has been schematically represented following a trajectory T and bearing an infra-red receiver R. At every instance ti (i=0, 1, 2, 3 . . . integer-n), the position Pi of the aircraft AC (and thus of the infra-red receiver R) is known to an accuracy P in an X (latitude), Y (longitude) and Z (altitude) axis system, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0043] The aircraft AC flies over a terrain represented by a digital terrain model MNT, precision MNT, indicating the minimum altitude Hmin and the maximum altitude Hmax of said terrain. On this, an infra-red transmitter E observed by the infra-red receiver R in accordance with the line of sight LVi is found, while the aircraft AC is in position Pi. As shown in FIG. 2, the direction Di of the line of sight LVi can be defined by its elevation angle hDi and its azimuth angle azDi, to an accuracy D.

[0044] Due to the uncertainty P of the accuracy of the position of the aircraft AC, of the uncertainty MNT of the accuracy of the digital terrain model MNT, and the uncertainty D of the accuracy of the direction Di of the line of sight LVi, this last direction Di can only be known as included between a maximum direction Dimax and a minimum direction Dim in.

[0045] As a result, the real distance between the receiver R and the transmitter E is included between a minimum distance Dimin, corresponding to the distance between the receiver R and the point pmin of intersection between the direction Dim in and the maximum altitude Hmax, and a maximum distance Dimax, corresponding to the distance between the receiver R and the point pmax of intersection between the direction Dimax and the minimum altitude Hmin. The real distance between the receiver R in position Pi and the transmitter E is thus included between Dimin and Dimax, which determines a range of distance D values.

[0046] So, in accordance with the present invention, the first step is to determine, in the manner described above, the range of distance D values in which the real value of the distance between the receiver R and the transmitter E at the position Pi is found.

[0047] Then, with the help of the instruments on board the aircraft AC, the value azDi of the azimuth angle and the value hDi of the elevation angle of the line of sight LVi of receiver R are measured.

[0048] Furthermore, for each of a plurality of points Pj (where j=2, 3, . . . , j, integer-q) of the part mnt of the digital model MNT, included in said range of distance D values, the theoretical distance dj between the point pj of the receiver R, as well as the values azj of the theoretical azimuth angle and hj of the theoretical elevation angle in the direction Dj of said theoretical distance dj, is calculated. Then, the measured values azDi and hDi of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the line of sight LVi are compared respectively with the calculated values azj and hj of the theoretical azimuth angle and the theoretical elevation angle for each of the directions Dj.

[0049] For the position Pi of the aircraft AC on its trajectory T, following this comparison, it can be considered that the real distance between the receiver R and the transmitter E is equal to that of the theoretical distances dj of which the direction Dj has the values azj of the theoretical azimuth angle and hj of the theoretical elevation angle respectively as the closest to the measured values azDi and hDi of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the line of sight LVi.

[0050] Of course, what has been described above for the position Pi of the aircraft AC may be repeated for each position P.sub.1, P.sub.2, . . . , P.sub.n of this. Thus, a series of estimated values of the distance between transmitter E and receiver R is obtained according to the movement of the aircraft AC on its trajectory T.

[0051] This process may be subject to measurement inaccuracies; a preferred variant of the method in accordance with the present invention is that, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B: [0052] a) with the help of the digital terrain model MNT, a maximum distance value Dimax and a minimum distance Dimin is determined, for each of a plurality of successive positions Pi (at instances t.sub.0, t.sub.1, . . . , t.sub.n) of the receiver R, with the corresponding azimuth angles azdimax and azdimin and the corresponding elevation angles hdimax and hdimin, defining a range of distance values in which the real value of the distance between the receiver R and the transmitter E at the position Pi of the receiver R is found; [0053] b) at each of the successive positions Pi of the receiver R, the value of the azimuth angle azDi and value of the elevation angle hDi of the corresponding direction of the line of sight LVi is measured; [0054] c) for each of a plurality of points pj of the part mnt of the digital terrain model MNT, included in each of the ranges of distance values obtained in step a), the theoretical distance dj between said point pj and the receiver R is calculated, as well as the values of the theoretical azimuth angle azth and the theoretical elevation angle hjth of the direction Dj of the theoretical distance dj; [0055] d) the results of the measured values of the azimuth angle azDi and the elevation angle hDi, obtained in step b), are respectively compared to the results of the theoretical azimuth angle azjth and the theoretical elevation angle hjth obtained in step c); and [0056] e) it is estimated that the progression of the real distance between the receiver R and the transmitter E, while the aircraft AC moves along its trajectory, is represented by the progression of the theoretical distance dj, calculated in step c), for which the results of the values of the theoretical azimuth angle azjth and the theoretical elevation angle hjth are respectively the closest of the results of the measured values of the azimuth angle azdi and the elevation angle hDi of the line of sight LVi.

[0057] In FIG. 4, in accordance with the present invention, an infra-red detection device has been represented which is mounted on board the aircraft AC and which includes the receiver R, here in the form of an infra-red detector able to detect a land-based infra-red emission, formed here by the transmitter E. The aircraft AC comprises a positioning device PO which allows its position to be known at every instance and the infra-red detection device comprises measurement means MLV, indicating the direction of the line of sight LV under which the infra-red detector R observes the land-based infra-red emission E, this direction being defined by the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the line of sight.

[0058] The infra-red detection device in FIG. 4 also comprises means of calculation CP, connected to the positioning device PO and to the measurement device MLV, as well as a digital terrain model MNT representative of the terrain on which the infra-red emission E is found and indicating the maximum elevation and the minimum elevation of the terrain, said digital terrain model also being connected to said means of calculation CP.

[0059] From the information received from the positioning device PO, the digital terrain model MNT and the measurement device MLV, the means of calculation CP are configured, in accordance with the present invention: [0060] to calculate a minimum distance value and a maximum distance value between which the real value of the distance between said infra-red detector and said land-based infra-red emission is found; [0061] to calculate a plurality of theoretical intermediate distances included between said minimum distance value and said maximum distance value; [0062] to calculate for each of said theoretical intermediate distances, the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of the corresponding direction; and [0063] to compare the calculated values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of each of said theoretical intermediate distances with the measured values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle in the direction of said line of sight.

[0064] As mentioned above, said means of calculation CP can be configured, to provide to their output S: [0065] information attributing, at every instance, to the distance between the infra-red detector of said land-based infra-red emission, the value of the theoretical intermediate distance of which the calculated values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle are the closest to the measured values of azimuth angle and the elevation angle in the direction of said line of sight; or [0066] information assimilating the progression over time of the distance between the infra-red detector of said land-based infra-red emission into a progression over time of a theoretical intermediate distance for which the calculated values of the theoretical azimuth angle and the theoretical elevation angle are respectively the closest of the results of the measured values of the azimuth angle and the elevation angle of said line of sight.

[0067] As detailed before, it appears that the infra-red detection device of FIG. 4 will find clear application in the detection of missile launches.