Disposable GPS - Test Results of a Low Cost Sensor for Sonobuoy Applications

Peter Brown, Trevor Kirby-Smith

Abstract:	An innovative approach to GPS receiver design is described in this paper that takes advantage of the high-bandwidth simplex communications channel of a sonobuoy to reduce the cost of the GPS sensor. The effectiveness of sonobuoys deployed for submarine detection can be enhanced by an accurate knowledge of the buoy position. This information can be used to determine the geometry of an array of sonobuoys shortly after deployment, and to optimize attack parameters prior to launch of an anti-submarine torpedo. Price is, however, a major factor in sonobuoy design (they are disposables), both for the cost of the GPS sensor and for redesign costs to implement such a sensor. Modifications to the airborne equipment are to be avoided as much as possible. A trial was carried out in 1993 for Defence Research Agency (DRA), Farnborough, with a NAVSYS proprietary TIDGET” GPS sensor. This paper presents the results of this study, demonstrating the capability to achieve near- instantaneous signal acquisition and near- differential accuracy with an extremely low-cost (f50/$75), low-power sensor.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 6th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1993) September 22 - 24, 1993 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	1417 - 1424
Cite this article:	Brown, Peter, Kirby-Smith, Trevor, "Disposable GPS - Test Results of a Low Cost Sensor for Sonobuoy Applications," Proceedings of the 6th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1993), Salt Lake City, UT, September 1993, pp. 1417-1424.
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