DIVER HOMING DISPLAY SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090171565A1
• Filed: 02/02/2009
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phillip M. Adams
• Original Assignee: Phillip M. Adams
• Inventors: Adams, Phillip M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,027,785 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/201
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 2213/00 Navigational aids and use thereof, not otherwise provided for in this class
• CPC Class Codes: B63C 11/02 Divers' equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/166 Mechanical, construction or arrangement details of inertial navigation systems

Abstract

A relative positioning system enabling a user to return to a starting position or some other point on the user'"'"'s path. The system may include an array of accelerometers. The output from the accelerometers may be integrated to quantify movement of the array. The various movements of the array may be reconstructed to determine a net two or three dimensional translation. The current location of the array may be compared to a reference point to derive at trajectory directing the user to the reference point, such as an originating point. The trajectory may be continuously or periodically updated. Applications may include various displays presenting images, numbers, pointers, paths, vectors, or data by digital screens, watch faces, or other devices integrated with or remote from the processor calculating the vector back to the point of origin.

Claims

1. A homing display method comprising:

connecting to a user a portable, self-contained apparatus moving with the user, the apparatus comprising a processor executing relative positioning software, an array of accelerometers operably connected to the processor and detecting acceleration of the user in at least two of transverse, longitudinal, and lateral directions, and a display;

positioning the array and user in an environment;

activating, at a starting point, the array to detect motion corresponding to the user;

providing to the processor a first signal from the array, corresponding to motion of the array;

moving of the apparatus with the user through a series of locations in the environment;

integrating exclusively by the apparatus the first signal to quantify movement of the array along an indirect path from a starting point, fixed in space with respect to the earth, through the series of locations to a current position;

calculating, by the processor, a vector pointing directly back from the current position to the starting point;

providing by the processor to a display a second signal corresponding to the vector; and

displaying to the user a sensible signal directing the user directly along the vector toward the starting point.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensible signal is a director pointing to the starting point and the method further comprises:

traveling, by the user, in a first direction indicated by the director toward the starting point;

updating, by the relative positioning software, the vector from the current position of the user; and

displaying to the user, on the display, connected to the user, an updated director pointing to the starting point from the current position of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

traveling by the user through and with respect to a fluid moving with respect to the earth;

operating the relative positioning software to receive updates to the first signal;

substantially continually, by the relative positioning software, altering the vector to reflect the relative position of the starting point with respect to the current position of the user;

updating substantially continually the director to point directly toward the starting point with respect to the user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the fluid is water and the display is selected from a liquid crystal display, a video device, an analog device, and an audio device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the director is selected from a pointer on the liquid crystal display, a pointer on the video device, a needle on the analog device, and an audible signal from the audio device, designating a direction.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the processor executes a signal processing module filtering at least one of the first and second signals.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising converting, by the signal processing module at least one of the first and second signals.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein converting includes at least one of analog-to-digital conversion and digital-to-analog conversion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the display is selected from the group consisting of a video display, LCD display, audio sound generator, a heads-up display, a projector projecting onto a face mask, a watch face, watch hands, and a combination of one or more thereof.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensible signal is selected from the group consisting of a graphic, a digital pixel image, a pointer, an arrow, a picture of a trajectory of the user, toggled alternative views of an arrow pointing a future trajectory toward the starting point and an image of a past trajectory from the starting point, a needle pointing a direction, a needle pointing a direction on a marked watch face, alphanumeric data, a pointer on an image of the points of a compass, a pointer on a Cartesian grid, a pointer on a polar grid, alphanumeric data representing at least one of position, direction, velocity, and distance, graphical data representing at least one of position, direction, velocity, and distance, a map, a projection onto a mask of the user, an animation of the path of the user, and a combination thereof.

11. A method of guiding a user back toward an origin of a trip, the method comprising:

providing an apparatus, self contained and connected to the user, the apparatus comprising a processor programmed to calculate and maintain at substantially all times during the trip the relative position of the user with respect to the origin;

providing data to the processor from an array of accelerometers in the apparatus detecting during the trip the acceleration thereof in at least two of transverse, longitudinal and lateral directions;

moving the entire apparatus with the user along a path from the origin to a current position;

calculating, by the computer, based on the data, a future trajectory of the user, the future trajectory pointing directly back from the current position to the origin; and

displaying to the user a sensible signal communicating the direction of the future trajectory.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising;

traveling by the user toward the origin a first distance;

calculating by the processor a new future trajectory pointing directly back to the origin;

traveling by the user toward the origin a second distance; and

displaying to the user an updated trajectory pointing directly back to the origin.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the display is configured to present to the user an image, and wherein displaying further comprises displaying an image selected from the group consisting of a graphic, a picture rendered on digital pixels, a pointer, an arrow, an image of the path from the origin to the current position, two alternatively toggled images showing an arrow pointing back to the origin and the entire path of the trip at least up to the current position, a map of the entire path of the trip.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the display is selected from the group consisting of an LCD, a video screen, and a static digital monochrome display.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the display presents a watch face.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the display is an audio sound generator presenting sounds intelligible to the user and directing the user back to the origin.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a path reflects the locations of the user along the trip from the origin to the current position and wherein displaying further comprises the display presenting to the user at least one of

a context of the path;

a perspective of the path;

a map; and

a schematic image of at least two of;

the path,

the origin,

the current position, and

a vector directing the user directly to the origin.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the map is marked to indicate at least one of

the origin,

the path,

the current position,

a pointer directed to the origin, and

a vector representing distance and direction from the current position to the origin.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying comprises presenting to the user at least one of:

the standard points of a compass;

a Cartesian coordinate grid;

a polar coordinate grid;

a digital image of the origin and the current position;

a heads-up display;

an LCD on a mask of the user;

projections of an image onto a mask of the user;

an animation of the path;

a reconstructed image of the path showing the path closed to the origin

data sensible directly by the user and directing the user directly to the origin, and

data representing velocity and distance of the user from the current position toward the origin.

20. A method comprising:

providing an apparatus, self-contained, connected to a user, and comprising a processor, display, and an array of inertial sensors, all operably connected;

sending by the array to the processor first signals reflecting motion of the user, beginning at an origin;

moving by the user away from the origin along a path comprising translations and rotations with respect to the earth;

executing, by the processor, an executable comprising a relative positioning system calculating a current position of the user based on the first signals;

sending to the display from the processor second signals reflecting a vector pointing directly back to the origin from the current position;

displaying by the display a third signal sensible to the user and pointing to the origin substantially regardless of the current position of the user and changes thereof.