Data processing for signal source location

Abstract

The application relates to a method of processing data for estimating a location of a source of an electromagnetic signal, a system comprising apparatus for carrying out the method, and a computer-readable medium storing a computer program for carrying out the method, wherein the method comprises: obtaining a plurality of sample streams, each sample stream comprising a plurality of data values representative of successive samples of a property of the signal as received at a respective one of a plurality of vehicles, each sample stream further comprising timestamp information comprising one or more timestamps, each timestamp indicating the time at which a corresponding one of the data values was sampled; obtaining start-time-aligned sample streams by (i) comparing pairs of timestamps, each pair comprising a timestamp from a first sample stream of the plurality of sample streams and a timestamp from a second sample stream of the plurality of sample streams, the comparing further comprising determining a respective time difference between at least one pair of timestamps, (ii) selecting a pair of timestamps which have a time difference that does not exceed a first predetermined maximum time difference, said selected pair comprising a first selected timestamp from the first sample stream and a second selected timestamp from the second sample stream, and (iii) time-aligning the starts of the first and second sample streams based on the selected pair of timestamps, by disregarding data values in the first sample stream which are earlier than the first selected timestamp, and disregarding data values in the second sample stream which are earlier than the second selected timestamp; and estimating a location of the source of the signal, based upon the start-time-aligned sample streams. The location determination preferably being TDOA (time difference of arrival).

Inventors

Idir Edjekouane
Rami Othman

Assignees

BAE SYSTEMS PLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240815
Priority Date: 20240815