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System for guiding a vehicle to a position

  • US 7,010,401 B1
  • Filed: 06/26/2003
  • Issued: 03/07/2006
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2003
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A system for providing guidance to a vehicle on an approach to a position, comprising:

  • a guidance transmitter stationed at a position, said guidance transmitter includinglight sources arranged in an array,means coupled to said light sources for defining a primary field-of-view (FOV) from which all of said light sources are visible wherein less than all of said light sources are visible from positions outside of said primary FOV, said means further dividing said light sources into a plurality of sections with each of said plurality of sections having a portion of said light sources associated therewith, anda controller coupled to said light sources for controlling operation thereof in accordance with cyclical on/off sequences, each of said cyclical on/off sequences being (i) associated with a corresponding one of said plurality of sections, (ii) identical for said portion of said light sources associated with said corresponding one of said plurality of sections, and (iii) unique for each of said plurality of sections, wherein a primary waveform of light energy is defined by said cyclical on/off sequences associated with said plurality of sections and visible from within said primary FOV, and wherein a plurality of secondary waveforms of light energy are defined by said cyclical on/off sequences visible from positions outside of said primary FOV; and

    a guidance receiver mounted on a vehicle traveling towards said position, said guidance receiver includingat least one sensor for sensing light energy generated by ones of said light sources visible thereto wherein one of said primary waveform and said plurality of secondary waveforms is sensed,a database for storing a plurality of calibration waveforms wherein each of said calibration waveforms is indicative of a guidance correction signal that can be used to control navigation of the vehicle, andmeans coupled to said at last one sensor and said database for determining which one of said calibration waveforms is closest to said one of said primary waveform and said plurality of secondary waveforms so-sensed, wherein said guidance correction signal associated with said one of said calibration waveforms can be used to control navigation of the vehicle.

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