Attitude determination using two color, dual-sweeping laser system

US4123165A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army · US

Inventors

• David Brown · Huntsville, US
• Jerry W. Vickers · Toney, US
• Kynric M. Pell · Laramie, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 31, 1977
• Grant date: Oct 31, 1978
• Expiry date: May 31, 1997

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S17/875
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A system is provided for remote determination of the attitude of a vehicle. nboard the vehicle are located two separate arrays of corner cube retroreflectors. Each array of retroreflectors is arranged to form a band around the vehicle at one axial position. The two arrays of reflectors incorporate different optical filters so that each array of reflectors and filters is optimized to provide retroreflection in a particular narrow band of the optical spectrum. Each array's optical spectrum band is different from the band used by the other array of reflectors. The system utilizes a remotely located transmitting-receiving station to provide tracking of the vehicle, continuously sweeping the vehicle with a light source located at the station so that position and attitude of the object, relative to the remote station, are obtained. Included at the ground station are two multimode, continuous wave lasers each providing a single two-color beam which matches the bands of the spectrum of the filtered retroreflecting arrays onboard the vehicle. The time intervals between the pulse receptions from the colored retroreflecting arrays provide the data to determine the vehicle attitude.