Electromagnetics and Photonics Commons^™

Sub-Surface Navigation Using Very-Low Frequency Electromagnetic Waves, Alan L. Harner

Theses and Dissertations

This research proposes two schemes utilizing very-low frequency (VLF) electromagnetic waves to navigate underground. The first scheme consists of using above-ground beacon transmitters to broadcast VLF signals to an underground mobile receiver which uses methods such as triangulation and trilateration to obtain a position solution. The second scheme consists of using above-ground reference receivers along with an underground mobile receiver to form time-difference- of-arrival measurements of incoming VLF signals of opportunity, such as lightning strike emissions, to calculate a position solution. The objective of this thesis is to develop positioning algorithms and use simulations as a tool to characterize the …