Automatic homing systems and other sensor systems

• US 20060221328A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SRS Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: SRS Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Rouly, Ovi Chris
• Application Number:
  US11/135,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20060221328A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/139.40
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors

Abstract

Automatic homing systems are disclosed, operable between pairs of objects. One or both of the objects in the pair may be moving and/or unmanned. Examples of a pair of objects between which the inventive automatic homing systems may be operated are ground vehicles in leader-follower configuration, as well as aircraft, spacecraft, watercraft. The automatic homing systems are based on a relatively simple, elegant concept of rightness/leftness and a line-of-sight link between a respective leader vehicle and follower vehicle. Complex EO/IR cameras, LIDAR, RADAR, and/or SONAR-based sensor systems can be avoided. Convoys of vehicles in leader-follower configuration advantageously may be operated without needing human operators in the follower vehicles.

Claims

1. An automatic homing method, comprising at least the steps of:

emitting light of at least two different frequencies; and

automatically detecting the emitted light.

2. The homing method of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting step is associated with a first object and the light-detecting step is associated with a second object, wherein the first object and second object are in vehicular leader-follower configuration.

3. The homing method of claim 2, wherein the first object and the second object are in line of sight (LOS) but are not in physical contact.

4. The homing method of claim 1, wherein the different-frequency light is emitted along a single, common axis.

5. The homing method of claim 4, wherein UV light and IR light are emitted along a single, common axis.

6. The homing method of claim 1, wherein the different-frequency light is emitted at the same time.

7. The homing method of claim 1, wherein light of one frequency is emitted at a different time than light of another frequency.

8. The homing method of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting step is performed by an array of light sources mounted on a central rear portion of a vehicle;

and the light-detecting step is performed by an automatic sensor system mounted on a follower vehicle.

9. The homing method of claim 8, wherein the vehicles are inhabited or uninhabited, in any combination.

10. The homing method of claim 1, including at least one automated step selected from a return-to-null step and a distance-by-triangulation step.

36. The homing method of claim 1, wherein the light emitting step is automated.

42. The automatic homing method of claim 1, the automatic detection of emitted light occurring at a moveable object having an adjustable course and the method including, after automatically detecting the emitted light, a step of automatically adjusting the course of the moveable object at which the automatic detection occurs.

11. An automatic direction finder system operating between at least a first object which is a leader object and a second object which is a follower object, wherein either or both objects may be moving, wherein the system comprises:

a multiple light automatic direction finder (mLADF) system in which multiple light sources are arrayed, the multiple light sources including at least a first-frequency emitting source and a second-frequency emitting source.

12. The automatic direction finder system of claim 11, wherein at least two different respective frequencies of light are emitted along a single, common axis.

13. The automatic direction finder system of claim of claim 12, wherein at least UV light and IR light are emitted along the single, common axis.

14. The automatic direction finder system of claim 13, wherein the multiple light sources are arrayed in a fan-like array.

15. The automatic direction finder system of claim 13, wherein the multiple light sources are positioned laterally along an axis.

16. The automatic direction finder system of claim 15, wherein the axis is horizontal and the mLADF system is in a ground vehicle leader-follower configuration.

17. The automatic direction finder system of claim 13, wherein the system includes at least a return-to-null system and/or a distance-by-triangulation system.

18. The automatic direction finder system of claim 17, wherein both return-to-null and distance-by-triangulation systems are included.

19. An automatic direction finder system operating between at least a first object which is a leader object and a second object which is a follower object, wherein either or both objects may be moving, wherein the system comprises:

a light source assembly that emits light; and

a multi-carrier detector assembly that senses light emitted by the light source assembly.

20. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, including performance of direct read-out indication of lateral vector magnitude and longitudinal pulse width modulated (PWM) displacements for the follower object.

21. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, wherein the first object and the second object are in line-of-sight (LOS) of each other, with the first object having associated with it the light source assembly and the second object having associated with it the detector assembly.

22. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, wherein the automatic direction finder system includes a set of signaling outputs that encode longitudinal and lateral spatial relationships between the first object and the second object.

23. The automatic direction finder system of claim 22, wherein each of the at least two objects is selected from the group consisting of:

self-propelled objects, ballistics objects, and tethered objects, and the at least two objects are in any combination.

24. The automatic direction finder system of claim 22, wherein the objects are inhabited vehicles or uninhabited vehicles.

25. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, wherein the system is applied in a setting selected from the group consisting of space-based, airborne, ground vehicle homing and convoy.

26. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, wherein the system is operated between two objects and the two objects are not required to be in physical contact with each other.

27. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, wherein the two objects are ground vehicles in a leader-follower setting.

28. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, wherein none of electro-optical (EO) sensors, infra-read (IR) cameras, LIDAR, RADAR or SONAR-based sensor systems is needed.

29. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, wherein the light source assembly that emits light includes at least one selected from the group consisting of:

incandescent lamps;

semiconductor light emitting diodes (LEDs);

light pipes and laser diodes.

30. The automatic direction finder system of claim 19, wherein the light source assembly that emits light consists of a linear array of two independent banks of light sources arranged in a radial, fan-like pattern servicing a single, common axis.

31. The automatic direction finder system of claim 30, wherein optically the linear array is separated into two halves, with each half of the array emitting a respective unique frequency of light.

32. The automatic direction finder system of claim 31, wherein one half of the array emits UV light and the other half of the array emits IR light.

33. A homing device system, wherein none of electro-optical (EO), infra-red (IR) cameras, LIDAR, RADAR or SONAR-based sensor systems is needed.

34. The homing device system of claim 33, comprising a vehicular leader-follower system.

35. The homing device system of claim 33, wherein the system operates in two, three or four dimensions.

37. A homing system for leader-follower ground vehicles, comprising:

a leader ground vehicle from which is emitted at least one radio frequency;

a follower ground vehicle having an automatic detection device automatically detecting the at least one radio frequency emitted from the leader ground vehicle.

38. The homing system of claim 37, wherein only one frequency is emitted by the leader ground vehicle and the only one frequency is automatically detected by the automatic detection device, wherein the automatic detection device comprises a fast processor.

39. The homing system of claim 37, wherein at least two frequencies are emitted by the leader ground vehicle and the at least two frequencies are automatically detected by the automatic detection device.

40. The homing system of claim 37, wherein at least one light frequency is emitted and automatically detected.

41. The homing system of claim 40, wherein the light is laser light.