Method and system for using a database and GPS position data to generate bearing data

• US 8,059,030 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2008
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Original Assignee: Garmin Switzerland GmbH (Garmin Limited)
• Inventors: Oberg, Joseph M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Nga X
• Application Number:
  US12/188,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20080297397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 34235701-35717, 342401-406
• US Class Current: 342/404
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/15 Aircraft landing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/51 Relative positioning

Abstract

A method and system for providing a bearing from a vehicle to a transmitting station are described. The method includes accessing a database to obtain transmitter position information for the transmitter, obtaining vehicle position information based on a GPS signal, and generating the bearing from the vehicle to the station utilizing the transmitter position information and the vehicle position information. The system includes a database storing transmitter position information identifying a position of the transmitter, a GPS receiver obtaining vehicle position information identifying a current position of the vehicle based on a GPS signal, and a controller generating a bearing from the vehicle to the transmitter utilizing the transmitter position information and the vehicle position information.

Claims

1. A method for providing a bearing from a vehicle to a transmitting station, said method comprising:

accessing a database to obtain transmitter position information for the transmitting station;

obtaining vehicle position information based on a GPS signal;

generating the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station utilizing the transmitter position information and the vehicle position information;

identifying when the vehicle is in a VOR cone of confusion extending from the transmitting station based on the transmitter position information and the vehicle position information; and

calculating an estimated deviation representing a deviation from a desired course to the transmitting station using the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accessing obtains transmitter position information for the location of at least one of a VOR transmitter, a localizer transmitter of an instrument landing system (ILS), and a glide slope transmitter of the ILS.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a distance to the transmitting station; and

calculating a deviation representing a deviation from a desired course to the transmitting station using the distance and the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a distance to the transmitting station;

calculating a deviation representing a deviation from a desired course to the transmitting station using the distance and the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station; and

utilizing the calculated deviation in connection with control of the vehicle when the signals from the transmitting station are of insufficient strength to be captured by a signal receiver.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the bearing comprises:

determining vehicle latitude and longitude from the vehicle position information and transmitting station latitude and longitude from the vehicle position information; and

calculating a bearing to the transmitting station from the differences between the vehicle and transmitting station latitudes and longitudes.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising calculating a flight director roll command utilizing the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising initiating a flight director roll command to an auto-pilot function utilizing the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting station is a localizer transmitter, and wherein generating the bearing comprises:

calculating a deviation from a desired path to the localizer transmitter using the vehicle position information; and

using the deviation to calculate a bearing to a capture point for the signals transmitted from the localizer transmitter.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting station is a glide slope transmitter, and wherein generating the bearing comprises:

calculating a deviation from a desired path to the glide slope transmitter using the vehicle position information; and

using the deviation to calculate a bearing to a capture point for the signals transmitted from the glide slope transmitter.

10. A method for providing a bearing from a vehicle to a transmitting station, said method comprising:

accessing a database to obtain transmitter position information for the transmitting station;

obtaining vehicle position information based on a GPS signal;

calculating a deviation from a desired path to the transmitting station using the vehicle position information and the transmitter position information; and

using the deviation to calculate a bearing to a capture point for the signals transmitted from the transmitting station.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transmitting station is at least one of a localizer transmitter and a glide slope transmitter and the accessing includes accessing a database including transmitter position information for a plurality of localizer transmitters and glide slope transmitters.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining a distance to the transmitting station; and

calculating a deviation representing a deviation from a desired course to the transmitting station using the distance and the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining a distance to the transmitting station;

calculating a deviation representing a deviation from a desired course to the transmitting station using the distance and the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station; and

utilizing the calculated deviation in connection with control of the vehicle when the signals from the transmitting station are of insufficient strength to be captured by a signal receiver.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising calculating a flight director roll command utilizing the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising initiating a flight director roll command to an auto-pilot function utilizing the bearing from the vehicle to the transmitting station.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein said generating partitions processing among multiple processors to generate the bearing and a resulting flight director command.