Single-channel radio direction finder using the difference in time of arrival and adapted to process amplitude-modulated signals of the A3J or A1 type

摘要

1. A radiogoniometric method utilizing a single channel radiogoniometric with a shift in the arrival time, the radiogoniometer comprising a measuring base formed by two antennas (A and B) connected with the inputs of a hybrid quadrature coupler (20) by the intermediary of controllable delay lines (10 and 11), a receiver (40), a control circuit for the delay lines (60), a managing circuit (50) and a switch (30), the said method comprising the following stages ; the outputs of the coupler are alternatively connected with the input of the receiver (40) by the intermediary of the switch (30) which is controlled by a switching signal (Hc), the managing circuit (50) generates the switching signal and acts on the signal received in the receiver in order to produce a directional error signal (Se) as a function of the difference of the energy measured for the signal received between successive switching, and the control circuit for the delay lines (60) is controlled by the said directional error signal, characterized in that the managing circuit (50) produces : a phase for the detection of the received signal suring which the switch alternatively connects the outputs of the coupler with the input of the reception channel in a fixed rhythm, a phase of analysis of the signal so detected in order to generate the said switching signal (Hc) synchronized with the detected signal, and a phase for the validation of the energy measurements in order to confirm the continuity of the detected signal conditioning the generation of the directional error signal, and in that an analysis phase follows a positive validation phase, whereas a new detection phase follows a negative validation phase.