General purpose navigation aid device

• US 4,220,994 A
• Filed: 07/27/1978
• Issued: 09/02/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eldon W. Planalp
• Original Assignee: Eldon W. Planalp
• Inventors: Hendrickson, Alvin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruggiero, Joseph F.
• Application Number:
  US05/928,635
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424, 364/443, 364/444, 364/449, 364/450, 364/451, 364/445, 364/460, 364/400, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 358/103, 358/903, 343/112 C, 343/112 PT, 340/27 NA, 340/24
• US Class Current: 701/217
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/12 executed aboard the object being navigated; Dead reckoning
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0034 Assembly of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

A device for assisting a pilot in the navigation of a small aircraft which comprises a micro processor with a keyboard input device, a cathode ray tube as output and a mini-disc memory. The device is housed in a portable package which can be installed in the control panel of the aircraft.

The data base comprises most of the information usually derived from a sectional aeronautical chart for the preparation of a flight plan, including location coordinates of airports and V.O.R. stations, transmitting frequencies and runways characteristics. The program library comprises dialectical routines for guiding the pilot through the preparation of flight plans, and the resolution of common navigational problems such as dead reckoning, wind effect, bearing correction, fuel consumption and range determination.

Claims

1. A method for assisting a pilot in the navigation of an aircraft which comprises:

compiling in a data processing apparatus a data base comprising the names, latitudes and longitudes of a plurality of airports located with the area travelled by the aircraft; and

the name, frequencies latitudes and longitudes of a plurality of VOR stations detectable within said area;

by means of said data processing apparatus,

indexing said data base whereby the information compiled therein for each said airport can be retrieved by calling said airport name, and the information compiled therein for each said station can be retrieved by calling said station name or said station frequency,

computing as needed the distance and heading from any of said airports or stations to any other airport or station using their respective latitude and longitude retrieved from said data base;

dead-reckoning the location of the aircraft as needed by retrieving from said data base the names and sets of coordinates of any two VOR stations detected by an aircraft VOR receiver, computing the distance and heading between the two VOR stations and computing the distances between the aircraft and each said two VOR stations in function of the distance and heading between the VOR station and the radial bearing detected by the receiver from each station;

checking the performance of the aircraft along its itinerary by tuning the VOR receiver to the frequency of a VOR station which has radials substantially perpendicular to the aircraft track;

by means of said data processing apparatus, retrieving from said data base the latitudes and longitudes of said VOR station and of the airport of departure or the airport of arrival,

computing the distance and heading between said airport and said VOR station in function of said latitudes and longitudes; and

computing the distance travelled in function of the current radial bearing detected by the VOR receiver from said VOR station and said distance and heading between said airport and said VOR station.

2. An apparatus for assisting a pilot in the navigation of an aircraft which comprises:

a programmable central processor unit;

a keyboard input unit;

a cathode-ray-tube display output unit;

an auxiliary memory unit;

a data base stored within the auxiliary memory unit which comprises

the longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates and names of a plurality of airports located within the general area to be travelled by the aircraft;

the longitduinal and latitudinal coordinates, frequencies and names of a plurality of VOR stations detectable within said area;

a program library comprising;

a routine for indexing and displaying information contained in the data base;

a routine for computing the distance between two points defined by their longitudinal and latitudinal coordinates and

a routine for determining the heading from any said points to any other;

a receiver tuned to the transmitting frequency used by an air traffic radar station transmitting radar images to an air traffic control center; and

means for displaying said radar images on the cathode-ray-tube unit.

3. The apparatus claimed in 2 wherein said means for displaying comprise means for detecting the aircraft identification code;

and

means responsive to said means for detecting for identifying the aircraft echo in the radar image displayed on the cathode-ray-tube unit.