VISUAL SURFACE GUIDANCE APPARATUS

• US 3,599,143 A
• Filed: 02/07/1968
• Issued: 08/10/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert D. Brown, William H. Tygart
• Original Assignee: Albert D. Brown, William H. Tygart
• Inventors: Brown, Albert D., Tygart, William H.
• Application Number:
  US04/703,589
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• US Class Current: 340/958
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/002 Taxiing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 9/00 Traffic control systems for craft where the kind of craft is irrelevant or unspecified

Abstract

Guidance apparatus providing lateral and longitudinal visual guidance information to the operator of an aircraft or other vehicle to facilitate vehicular surface maneuvering. A light projection apparatus and a filter provide several multicolor laterally disposed beam segments to provide course guidance and also provide a longitudinal guidance beam portion positioned either above or below the laterally disposed segments to be undershot or overshot by the line of vision of the vehicle operator.

Claims

1. Directional guidance apparatus for defining a desired path of travel along a surface, comprising:

an optical system including a source of illumination and being operative to project a beam of illumination along a predetermined direction corresponding to a desired path of travel;

said optical system including a filter means positioned to divide said beam of illumination into a first beam portion indicating lateral position relative to the desired path of travel and a second beam portion indicating longitudinal distance from said optical system as measured along the desired path of travel; and

said optical system being positionable to project said second beam portion at an angle with respect to the surface of travel to enable a vehicle being guided by said beam of illumination to enter said second beam portion at a certain longitudinal distance from said optical system.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said filter means divides said first beam portion into a plurality of optically distinct segments which are disposed serially along a direction lateral of the desired path of travel, each of said segments being of predetermined angular width along the direction of said lateral disposition.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said filter means comprises a first filter portion including a plurality of optically distinguishable filter segments serially disposed across said filter means in a first direction to produce a corresponding plurality of optically distinguishable beam segments serially disposed lateral of the desired path of travel, said beam segments comprising said first beam portion; and

said filter means additionally comprises a second filter portion optically distinguishable from each of said filter segments and extending in said first direction across a part of said filter means not containing said filter segments to produce said second beam portion displaced from said first beam portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of travel.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said optical system includes support means selectively adjustable to set the angle of projection of at least said second beam portion to a selected one of a plurality of predetermined angles with respect to the surface of travel.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4, wherein said support means comprises:

a support member on which at least part of said optical system is received, said support member being mounted for angular movement;

a source of motive power operatively connected to said support member to impart angular movement thereto;

position responsive control means connected to be responsive to the angular position of said support member and to produce an output indicative of said angular position of said support member; and

selector means connected to the output of said position responsive control means and to said source of motive power to render said source inoperative when a selected predetermined angular position of said support member exists.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5, wherein:

said support member includes a platform on which beam forming portions of said optical system are mounted, said platform being pivotally mounted for angular movement about an axis of rotation; and

further comprising motion transmitting means connected to said source of motive power and operatively engaging said platform for imparting angular movement about said axis of rotation in response to the operation of said source of motive power; and

said position responsive control means connected to be responsive to the angular position of said platform.

7. Apparatus as in claim 5, wherein:

said optical system includes reflective means receiving illumination from said source of illumination and reflecting such illumination onto a desired path to accomplish a substantial folding of the beam of illumination;

said reflective means being mounted for movement with said support member such that the included angle between the illumination received and the illumination reflected by said reflective means is determined by the angular position of said support member.