METHOD OF POSITIONING A SURFACE/UNDERWATER OBJECT AS IT PASSES ALONG A GIVEN FAIRWAY Russian patent published in 2020 - IPC G01S15/08 

FIELD: measurement.

SUBSTANCE: method of positioning a surface/underwater object as it passes through a given fairway relates to radio engineering equipment for positioning, based on measuring distances under water and can be used, for example, for positioning surface/underwater objects in local navigation systems when controlling their movement. Novelty in the method of positioning a surface/underwater object is to use simultaneously two methods of propagation of wave processes based on different physical principles, both of which are suitable for transmitting signals under water. At the same time for each method of propagation of wave processes several channels of information transfer are used. When using the first wave propagation method, in the first several channels of information transfer one uses inductive coupling of one transmitting and several receiving frame magnetic antennae. Presence of electric conductivity of water does not affect the operation of these channels. By means of these channels, in-phase continuous electric oscillations of audio frequency are formed at the measuring station, which are located on the monitored object, and at the relay stations placed under water and determining the specified fairway. At that, these electric oscillations of audio frequency are modulated in amplitude and in time in time by several signals of sub-tone frequency. Number of sub-tone frequency signals is set by the number of repeater stations located in the controlled fairway. At the relay stations, the received in-phase and amplitude-modulated electric oscillations of the audio frequency are folded together and amplified in one channel until limitation, and in the other channel, the demodulated signal is demodulated and sent to the input of the frequency sub-tone frequency discriminator, signals from the outputs of which the corresponding electronic switch is closed. Amplitude-limited audio signal is transmitted to an acoustic transducer of the same repeater station, the number of which was identified in the frequency discriminator. Thus, an acoustic transducer of a given relay station in a second information channel using another wave process generates an acoustic wave. Actually phase incursion of acoustic wave of low audio frequency is information parameter of determination of distance from acoustic transducer of measuring station, located on object, to acoustic transducer of relay station located in reference point of controlled fairway. At the measurement station itself, the acoustic wave is received and converted into an electrical signal and further successive change of frequency of continuous electric oscillations of audio frequency and accompanying measurement of phase difference of electric signals generated as a result of conversions in an acoustic channel, unambiguously determine distance from acoustic transducer of measuring station, located on the object, to the acoustic transducer of the relay station located in the reference point of the controlled fairway in the local near-range navigation system.

EFFECT: successively in time at measuring station modulation signal of sub-tone frequency is changed, this change is detected at location of relay stations and then, according to the given algorithm, the distance from the measurement station located on the object to each necessary and sufficient relay station located in the reference point of the controlled fairway is determined.

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