METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MEASURING HIGH ALTITUDES Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: flying vehicles of supersonic and hypersonic speeds. SUBSTANCE: air medium surrounding flying vehicle and determined by intersection of directivity patterns of transmitter and detector unit is irradiated by nanosecond X-ray pulses at predetermined repetition frequency, reflected radiant flux and part of direct-radiation flux limited by thin-beam pattern are recorded, recorded pulses are selected for the time being for which purpose three time-spaced gating pulses are shaped simultaneously with transmitter triggering, selected signals are summed up within preset time (storage interval) with the result that three values are shaped: N₁ - total number of direct- radiation pulses and background pulses; N₂ - total number of pulses scattered by radiant air medium and background pulses; N₃ - number of background pulses after which pure direct and scattered radiation signal is discriminated and its ratio is calculated, and air medium density is found from experimental calibration curve obtained in adjustment, altitude being determined by means of standard atmosphere tables. Device implementing this method has X-ray transmitter, detector unit, microcomputer, master oscillator, gating pulse shaper, multitap delay line whose input is connected to output of gating pulse shaper, three coincidence circuits whose first inputs are connected to respective outputs of multitap delay line, second inputs are connected to detector unit output, and three counters whose inputs are connected, respectively, to outputs of coincidence circuits and outputs are connected to computer input. EFFECT: improved accuracy of altitude measurement. 2 cl, 6 dwg