NAVIGATIONAL APPARATUS

• US 3,781,530 A
• Filed: 04/03/1972
• Issued: 12/25/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Colin Morris Britland, John Bernard Joseph Thorpe
• Original Assignee: Colin Morris Britland, John Bernard Joseph Thorpe
• Inventors: Britland, Colin Morris, Thorpe, John Bernard Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrison, Malcolm A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dildine, Jr., R. Stephen
• Application Number:
  US05/240,406
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 235/150.23,150.26 343/5DP,5W,7TA,112CA 444/1
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/953 mounted on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Navigational apparatus comprises a primary hazard sensor, for example a weather radar, for providing signals representing the distribution of hazards ahead of a moving vehicle, connected to a computer. The computer is programmed to compute at least one path substantially avoiding the hazards. An indicator may be connected to an output of the computer to display the paths computed in relation to the hazards. The vehicle guidance system may also be controlled by the computer output so that the vehicle follows one of the computed paths. The computer may be programmed to consider a number of possible paths through a given hazard distribution and to select advantageous paths from those considered for display together with an indication of the risk and economy of each selected path.

Claims

1. Navigational apparatus for use in a moving vehicle, comprising a hazard indicating means for providing signals representing the location of hazards with respect to the position of said hazard indicating means, said hazard indicatIng means being operative to provide signals representing the locations of a plurality of hazards, and computer means connected to receive the said signals from the hazard indicating means and programmed for the computation of parameters which define at least one distinct path substantially avoiding said plurality of hazards, said computer means including means for providing signal outputs representing the computed parameters.

2. Navigational apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hazard indicating means includes a weather radar means for locating storm centers.

3. Navigational apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the computer means is programmed to provide program steps operative to consider a plurality of possible paths in sequence, the program including steps for rejecting any pathe found to involve more than a predetermined measure of risk, and the program also including program steps for calculating hazard scores and penalty scores for the paths not rejected.

4. Navigational apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the computer means is programmed to provide program steps which select and indicate the parameters of paths having the lowest penalty scores associated with various acceptable hazard scores.

5. Navigational apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the computer means is programmed to provide program steps operative to consider paths which are composed of arcuate segments of equal length, wherein consecutive ones of said segments have a common tangent at their junction, wherein the radii of the arcuate segments are chosen from a plurality of predetermined radii, and wherein each path is represented by a set of parameters indicating the radii of its arcuate segments.

6. Navigational apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including visual display means connected to the computer means for displaying a map-like representation of the location of the hazards, said display means being operative to also display at least one path avoiding the hazards.

7. Navigational apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said computer means is programmed to provide steps operative to calculate a hazard score for each unrejected path by summing contributions comprising a contribution for each hazard which is detected by said hazard indicating means, said programmed computer being operative to calculate each contribution as a predetermined function of the nearest distance from a hazard to a point on the path being considered.

8. Navigational apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the computer is programmed to provide program steps which make an allowance for the effect of the prevailing wind on the distribution of turbulence associated with each storm center by deriving a list of notional storm centers having locations downwind from the actual storm centers, said programmed computer being operative to treat said notional storm centers as additional hazards.