TRACKING SYSTEMS EMPLOYING THE DELAY-LOCK DISCRIMINATOR
Abstract
A delay-lock discriminator is described. It is a statistically optimum device for measuring the delay between two correlated waveforms. The application of this device to range- and anglemeasuring systems is discussed. Utilization of the delay-lock discriminator can lead to substantial simplification as compared to tracking systems relying exclusively on phase-lock loops. Such improvements result because the delay-lock loop is free of the ambiguities inherent in phase-lock measurements. The characteristics of presently available delay lines, an essential component of the delay-lock loop, and, in particular, the limited accuracy of which they are capable at present prohibits the immediate exploitation of the full capability of the delay-lock technique. For this reason, an attractive possibility for an immediate implementation is a hybrid system in which a delay-lock measurement is made to resolve ambiguities, while a phase-lock measurement determines the ultimate accuracy. A combined range- and angle-tracking system employing this hybrid concept is described, in which the delay-lock measurement is made on a low-pass noise waveform which, for transmission purposes, is applied as amplitude modulation to a stable carrier. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1961
- Accession Number
- AD0261473
Entities
People
- M.r. O'sullivan
Organizations
- Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space