Portable interactive heads-up weapons terminal

• US 5,790,085 A
• Filed: 11/06/1996
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Hergesheimer, Peter D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US08/746,134
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• Field of Search: 345/6-9, 345/156, 340/980, 340/853, 434/33, 434/38, 364/424.06, 364/423.444, 89/41.07, 89/41.21, 349/11
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/225 Helmet sighting systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0198 System for aligning or maintaining alignment of an image in a predetermined direction
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted

Abstract

A weapon terminal that includes a sensor for sensing an orientation of the head of an operator of the weapon terminal, a heads-up display supported by the head of the weapon terminal operator for providing a display image viewable by the weapon terminal operator, a weapon terminal processor responsive to the sensing means and radar track reports for radar detected aircraft for controlling heads-up display to produce a display image that includes symbols representing the radar detected aircraft, wherein symbols are located at positions that represent the positions of the radar detected aircraft in relation to a direction in which weapon terminal operator is facing.

Claims

1. A portable weapon terminal for controlling the deployment and engagement of weapons against airborne targets, comprising:

sensing means for sensing a bearing orientation of the head of an operator of the weapon terminal, the sensing means adapted to be carried by the weapon terminal operator;

display means supported by the head of the weapon terminal operator for providing a display image viewable by the weapon terminal operator while viewing the surrounding environment;

processor means adapted to be carried by the weapon terminal operator and responsive to said sensing means and radar track reports for radar detected aircraft for controlling said display means to produce a display image that includes symbols representing said radar detected aircraft, said symbols being located at positions within an image display field that represent the positions of the radar detected aircraft in relation to a bearing direction in which weapon terminal operator is facing, said display image including an elevational image having a horizon line that represents the horizontal viewing angle of the weapon terminal operator, said elevational image further including (a) a central section having a horizontal dimension and (b) lateral sections horizontally on either side of said central section and having respective horizontal dimensions each being less than the horizontal dimension of said central section, and wherein said central sections represents a central horizontal field of view and said lateral section respectively represent lateral horizontal fields of view on either side of said central horizontal field, said central horizontal field of view being less than each of said lateral horizontal fields of view; and

a pointing device adapted to be carried by the weapon operator for allowing the operator to provide interactive signals to the processor for controlling image presentations on said display means.