Aircraft proximity warning system

• US 3,345,633 A
• Filed: 10/22/1965
• Issued: 10/03/1967
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1965
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomas M. Runge
• Original Assignee: Thomas M. Runge
• Inventors: Runge, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US04/500,716
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• US Class Current: 342/455
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft

Claims

1. A COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM FOR AIRCRAFT AND THE LIKE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION:

A UHF TRANSMITTER SYSTEM LOCATED ON SAID AIRCRAFT INCLUDING OMNIDIRECTIONAL RADIATING MEANS FOR RADIATING A PULSE SIGNALS OF A PREDETERMINED PULSE WIDTH AND REPETITION RAT ON A UHF CARRIER TO OTHER AIRCRAFT;

A RECEIVER SYSTEM LOCATED ON SAID AIRCRAFT BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID PULSE SIGNAL RADIATED FROM SAID OTHER AIRCRAFT AND COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ANTENNAS EACH HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FAN-SHAPED RADIATION PATTERN AND LOCATED ON SAID AIRCRAFT SO AS TO PROVIDE AN ARRAY WHICH WILL BE DIRECTIONALLY RESPONSIVE, A UHF RECEIVER INCLUDING AN OF SAID PLURALITY OF ANTENNAS, SAID RECEIVER INCLUDING AN RF SECTION AND A DETECTOR FOR DEMODULATING SAID UHF PULSES AND PROVIDING A DC SIGNAL IN ACCORDANCES WITH THE RECEIVED SIGNAL STRENGTH THEREOF, GATING MEANS COUPLED TO EACH RECEIVER AND BEING SYNCHRONIZED WITH SAID TRANSMITTER MEANS LOCATED ON THE RESPECTIVE AIRCRAFT FOR RENDERING SAID RECEIVER MEANS INOPERATIVE DURING THE TRANSMISSION PERIOD OF SAID UHF PULSE SIGNAL AND ONBOARD SAID UHF TRANSMITTER SYSTEM;

A LOGIC CIRCUIT COUPLED TO EACH SAID UHF RECEIVER FOR DETERMINING THE MAGNITUDE OF THE LARGEST DC SIGNAL AND PROVIDING A PULSING OUTPUT SIGNAL WHOSE REPETITION RATE IS PROPORTIONAL TO SAID LARGEST DC SIGNAL;

AND A THREE DIMENSIONAL INDICATOR MEANS COUPLED TO SAID LOGIC CIRCUIT, SAID INDICATOR MEANS COMPRISING A TRANSPARENT SUBSTANTIALLY HOLLOW SPHERICAL BODY EQUALLY DIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF EQUAL SECTORS SIMULATING CORRESPONDING SECTORS IN SPACE SURROUNDING SAID AIRCRAFT AND A SINGLE STATIONARY INDICATOR LIGHT MOUNTED AT SUBSTANTIALLY THE CENTER OF EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF EQUAL SECTORS AND OPERATED BY SAID PULSING OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM SAID LOGIC CIRCUIT FOR PROVIDING A VISUAL INDICATION FOR THE LOCATION, COURSE, AND RANGE OF THE NEAREST AIRCRAFT BY THE INTENSITY AND/OR RATE OF BLINKING OF A PREDETERMINED INDICATOR LIGHT.