Directional steering and navigation indicator

• US 5,592,382 A
• Filed: 03/10/1995
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
• Inventors: Colley, Jaime B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US08/402,434
• Time in Patent Office: 669 Days
• Field of Search: 364/424.01, 364/444, 364/449, 364/452, 364/458, 364/447, 364/460, 364/424.02, 342/357, 342/358, 342/457, 840/988, 840/989, 840/992, 840/994, 840/995, 840/425.5, 840/815.55, 840/815.78
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/005 Flight directors indicating arrangements specially adapted for rotary gyroscopes G01C19/32

Abstract

A navigation and guidance system which directs a user toward a desired destination. Position and steering information are integrated into a single display to allow the user to immediately determine whether the correct course is being traveled, and to inform the use of any directional changes which may be necessary to be directed toward the desired destination waypoint. The user'"'"'s position and course are determined by a navigation system and indicated on the display as a directional pointing icon, such as a line or arrow. The destination is displayed as a point. The user'"'"'s Point of Closest Approach (PCA) can then be calculated according to current position, course, and the position of the desired destination. As the use'"'"'s course gets closer to the bearing of the destination waypoint the PCA indicator can correspondingly shift with the user'"'"'s movements. By superimposing the PCA over the destination waypoint, the user may precisely steer his or her craft to the desired destination.

Claims

1. A system for indicating directional information to a user having a current position traveling on a current course toward a desired destination, comprising:

a computer having a display;

a navigation system coupled to the computer for providing position and course data;

means for determining a point of closest approach (PCA) to the desired destination in accordance with the desired destination, the user'"'"'s current position, and current course, the desired destination having an associated waypoint representing the desired destination on the display;

means for indicating integrated steering information to the user including;

means for informing the user whether the current course will direct the user to the waypoint, and

means for correcting the current course of the user to enable the user to reach the waypoint by directing the PCA to coincide with the waypoint; and

means for displaying the corrected current course to the user, wherein the user'"'"'s current position and course, the PCA, the desired destination, and the integrated steering information are simultaneously and integrally displayed on the computer display.

2. A positioning apparatus for indicating integrated directional and point of closest approach (PCA) information to a user traveling along a current course toward a desired destination, the positioning apparatus operable with a computer and a navigation system providing the user'"'"'s current position data, destination position data, bearing data, and course-over-ground (COG) data, comprising:

destination position means for indicating the position of the desired destination;

current position means for indicating the current position of the user relative to the desired destination;

PCA means for indicating a position along the current course that is closest to the desired destination;

COG position means for indicating the COG data, the COG position means coupled to the current position means, wherein the COG data represents the direction of travel of the user at the user'"'"'s current position, further wherein the PCA means is coupled along a line formed by the current position means and the COG position means;

bearing-to-destination (BTD) means for integrally coupling the destination position means with the current position means; and

alignment means for aligning the COG position means with the BTD means such that the PCA means coincides with the destination position means, wherein the user is oriented such that the COG means superimposes the BTD means, further wherein when the PCA means coincides with the destination position means, the user'"'"'s current course is directed toward the desired destination.

3. The positioning apparatus of claim 2, further comprising display means for displaying the destination position means, the current position means, the PCA means, the COG position means, and the BTD means, such that as the alignment means aligns the COG position means with the BTD means, the PCA means gets closer to the destination means, wherein when the PCA means matches the destination position means, the PCA means superimposes the destination position means.

4. The positioning apparatus of claim 3, further comprising an arrival indicator for indicating that the PCA means is getting closer to the destination position means.

5. The positioning apparatus of claim 4, further comprising an alarm for indicating that the PCA means has reached the arrival indicator.

6. The positioning apparatus of claim 2, further comprising numerical data means for indicating to the user numerical information regarding the COG position, the distance between the user'"'"'s current position and the desired destination.

7. The positioning apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display means is a computer screen.

8. The positioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the distance between the current position means and the PCA means varies as the COG position means is aligned with the BTD means.

9. The positioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the navigation system comprises the global positioning system.

10. The positioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the navigation system comprises a LORAN navigation system.

11. The positioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the navigation system comprises an inertial navigation system.

12. An integrated steering indicator operable with a programmable computer and a navigation system, the integrated steering indicator for displaying point of closest approach (PCA), route, and position information to a traveling operator, to direct the operator from an origin to a desired destination, the origin and desired destination having an associated origin waypoint and a destination waypoint, respectively, the positions of the origin and destination waypoints being determined by the navigation system, respectively, the integrated steering indicator comprising:

an origin waypoint indicator for displaying the position of the origin waypoint;

a destination waypoint indicator for displaying the position of the destination waypoint relative to the origin waypoint;

a current position indicator for indicating a current position of the operator;

a course-over-ground (COG) indicator integrally coupled to the current position indicator for indicating a direction of travel of the operator;

a PCA indicator positioned in line with the COG indicator;

a bearing-to-destination (BTD) indicator defining a line between the destination waypoint and the operator'"'"'s current position;

means for steering the COG indicator toward the destination waypoint such that the PCA indicator moves toward the destination waypoint indicator, wherein as the PCA indicator moves toward the destination waypoint indicator, the operator travels toward and in the direction of the desired destination; and

alignment means for aligning the COG indicator with the BTD indicator such that the PCA indicator superimposes the destination waypoint indicator, such that the operator is traveling directly toward the desired destination.

13. The integrated steering indicator of claim 12, further comprising

icons for representing the origin waypoint, destination waypoint, COG, BTD, PCA, and current position indicators, and

a screen coupled to the computer for displaying the representative icons.

14. The integrated steering indicator of claim 13, further comprising an arrival indicator encompassing the destination waypoint indicator for indicating when the PCA indicator is within a predetermined distance to the destination waypoint.

15. The positioning apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an alarm for indicating that the PCA indicator has reached the arrival indicator.

16. A method for steering a user having a current position toward a desired destination, wherein the user moves in a direction of travel associated with course-over-ground (COG) data, comprising the steps of:

providing location information of the user'"'"'s current position, the desired destination, and the user'"'"'s COG data representing the user'"'"'s direction of travel;

displaying the position of the desired destination;

simultaneously indicating the current position of the user relative to the desired destination;

displaying the COG data integrally with the user'"'"'s current position to indicate a direction of travel of the user;

displaying a point-of-closest-approach (PCA) of the user'"'"'s current position integrally with the user'"'"'s direction of travel, wherein the PCA indicates whether the user will reach the desired destination according to the user'"'"'s current direction of travel; and

aligning the PCA with the desired destination, such that when the PCA superimposes the position of the desired destination, the user'"'"'s current direction of travel accurately matches the bearing of the desired destination.

17. A positioning apparatus for integrally displaying directional and point of closest approach (PCA) information to a user traveling along a current course toward a desired destination, the positioning apparatus operable with a computer and a navigation system providing the user'"'"'s current position data, destination position data, bearing data, and course-over-ground (COG) data, wherein the user'"'"'s current position data, destination position data, bearing data, and COG data are graphically represented on the computer, the positioning apparatus comprising:

a display coupled to the computer;

destination position means for indicating the position of the desired destination on the display;

current position means for indicating the current position of the user relative to the desired destination on the display;

PCA means for displaying a position along the current course that is closest to the desired destination;

COG position means for indicating the COG data on the display, the COG position means coupled to the current position means, wherein the COG data represents the direction of travel of the user at the user'"'"'s current position;

bearing-to-destination (BTD) means for integrally coupling the destination position means with the current position means; and

alignment means for enabling the COG position means to be aligned with the BTD means, the PCA means being displayed to move toward the destination position means, such that the user is oriented to cause the COG means to move closer to the BTD means, wherein when the PCA means coincides with the destination position means the display indicates that the user'"'"'s current course is directed toward the desired destination.