Personal navigation system

• US 8,140,197 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lumus Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Lumus Ltd.
• Inventors: Lapidot, Zvi, Aharoni, Abraham
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/816,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 701/209, 701/9, 701/10, 701/16, 701/17, 701/120, 701/213, 701/301, 340/951, 340/980, 340/909, 345/419, 345/157, 345/7, 345/8, 345/632
• US Class Current: 701/9
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing 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 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements

Abstract

There is provided a personal navigation system, including a head-mounted orientation sensor, a coordinate position sensor, a head-mounted display, and a processor receiving an input from the head-mounted orientation sensor and an input from the coordinate position sensor and providing a visually sensible output for displaying on the head-mounted display.

Claims

1. A personal navigation system comprising:

a) a unit directly attachable to a navigator'"'"'s head, the unit including;

(i) a head orientation sensor;

(ii) a display firmly connected to the senor and oriented to be in front of at least one eye of the navigator, the display having a light-transmitting substrate, an optical means for coupling light into the substrate by total internal reflection, and a plurality of partially reflecting surfaces located in the substrate;

(b) a coordinate position sensor; and

(c) a processor receiving input from the head orientation sensor and the coordinate position sensor, and providing a visually sensible output for displaying on the display.

2. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the display is an at least partially transparent display.

3. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate position sensor is a portable coordinate position sensor.

4. The personal navigation system according to claim 3, wherein the portable coordinate position sensor includes at least one of a user-worn sensor and a user-carried sensor.

5. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor operates autonomously from any inputs from navigational instrumentation of a carrier vehicle.

6. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate position sensor is an onboard carrier vehicle coordinate position sensor.

7. The personal navigation system according to claim 6, wherein the carrier vehicle is an aircraft and the system is an aviation navigation system.

8. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor comprises a portable processor.

9. The personal navigation system according to claim 8, wherein the portable processor comprises at least one of a user-worn processor and a user carried processor.

10. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate position sensor comprises a GPS receiver.

11. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the personal navigation system is coupled with a headset.

12. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the head orientation sensor comprises an inertial sensor.

13. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor and the display provide location indication functionality.

14. The personal navigation system according to claim 13, wherein the location indication functionality comprises landing strip designation functionality.

15. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor and the display provide approaching vehicle warning and designation functionality.

16. The personal navigation system according to claim 15, wherein the approaching vehicle warning and designation functionality comprises an audio warning.

17. The personal navigation system according to claim 15, wherein the approaching vehicle warning and designation functionality comprises a visual warning.

18. The personal navigation system according to claim 17, wherein the visual warning comprises a flashing visual warning.

19. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor and the display provide airport approach path designation functionality.

20. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor and the display provide temporary flight restriction zone designation functionality.

21. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor and the display provide user head-turning direction designation functionality.

22. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the head-mounted display is operative to display visually sensible navigation outputs superimposed on a view of a scene seen through the head-mounted display.

23. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the head-mounted display is operative to display a visual symbol utilizable to designate a location on the ground in the line-of-sight of a pilot, for identifying a designated location.

24. The personal navigation system according to claim 11, wherein the head-mounted display is configured to be located in front of an eye of a user.

25. The personal navigation system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is mounted on the display.