Microprocessor navigational aid system
First Claim
1. A navigational aid system for use in navigating a vessel toward a destination mark whose course and distance are known, comprising:
- (a) means for measuring variable navigational parameters defining the motion of the vessel relative to the water, the motion of the wind relative to the vessel and the compass heading of the vessel;
(b) means for converting the parameters sequentially into digital data inputs;
(c) addressable memory means for storing data in digital form;
(d) manually settable fixed parameter means for inserting information defining said course and distance to said destination mark and for defining current drift and set, along said course the information being stored in the addressable memory means in the form of digital data inputs;
(e) a microprocessor having input and output ports, and having a main routine and subroutines for calculating navigational output data from said measured and fixed data inputs and for continuously updating and storing said input and output data as digital data in said addressable memory means;
(f) a digital display operative to display selected digital data; and
(g) multiple actuatable selection means corresponding respectively with the various input and output digital data stored in said memory means, said selection means being connected with the microprocessor to be sequentially polled thereby during said routines, and the microprocessor being operative to transfer that digital data which corresponds with each actuated selection means for display on said digital display.
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Abstract
A navigational aid system including a microprocessor having peripheral memory devices and being programmed by a read only memory, the system including sensors for measuring variable parameters and thumb switches for inserting known fixed data, and the microprocessor computing from such parameters and data readout data needed for optimum navigation taking into account such factors as leeway and current set and drift, the system having switches to select which data is displayed as the switches are sequentially polled, and the displayed data being accompanied by alpha indicia uniquely identifying each displayed numeric value.
50 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A navigational aid system for use in navigating a vessel toward a destination mark whose course and distance are known, comprising:
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(a) means for measuring variable navigational parameters defining the motion of the vessel relative to the water, the motion of the wind relative to the vessel and the compass heading of the vessel; (b) means for converting the parameters sequentially into digital data inputs; (c) addressable memory means for storing data in digital form; (d) manually settable fixed parameter means for inserting information defining said course and distance to said destination mark and for defining current drift and set, along said course the information being stored in the addressable memory means in the form of digital data inputs; (e) a microprocessor having input and output ports, and having a main routine and subroutines for calculating navigational output data from said measured and fixed data inputs and for continuously updating and storing said input and output data as digital data in said addressable memory means; (f) a digital display operative to display selected digital data; and (g) multiple actuatable selection means corresponding respectively with the various input and output digital data stored in said memory means, said selection means being connected with the microprocessor to be sequentially polled thereby during said routines, and the microprocessor being operative to transfer that digital data which corresponds with each actuated selection means for display on said digital display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A navigational aid system for use in navigating a boat along a course from an origin to a destination mark, comprising:
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(a) sensor means for measuring data defining the motion of the boat relative to the water, and for measuring data defining the heading of the boat; (b) manual means for entering data representing the direction and distance from the origin to the mark, and representing the set and drift of the current along said course; and (c) microprocessor means connected to receive data from said sensor means and said manual means and operative to repeatedly compute therefrom data representing the actual speed and direction of the boat, and to integrate computed data with respect to real time to obtain data representing the distance and direction of the boat from the origin, and operative to compute data representing the distance and direction of the boat to the mark based on the manually entered distance and direction of the mark relative to the origin minus the distance and direction of the boat from the origin. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification