초록 ▼

Navigational system for the guidance of automatically piloted aircraft during high-speed (e.g. supersonic) overland flights, the predetermined course of the aircraft including a series of spaced-apart measuring zones registered on a progressively displaceable film strip or other recording medium in

Navigational system for the guidance of automatically piloted aircraft during high-speed (e.g. supersonic) overland flights, the predetermined course of the aircraft including a series of spaced-apart measuring zones registered on a progressively displaceable film strip or other recording medium in the form of two-dimensional arrays of prerecorded altitude markings representing the profile of the overflown terrain within each zone. Each array encompasses several regions of uncertainty defined as a range of possible horizontal deviation of the automatic pilot from the charted course; the markings, which may be in the form of identical asymmetrical figures indicating by their angular orientation the reference parameter (absolute or relative altitude) of the terrain within each elemental area of a region of uncertainty, are electro-optically compared with a bench mark indicating, by its own angular orientation in response to altitude soundings aboard the aircraft, the value of the reference parameter of the terrain actually overflown, the comparison yielding a projected contour line whereby, through a rapid succession of soundings and comparisons within each zone, the true position of the aircraft can be determined from the intersection of the several contour lines so obtained.

대표청구항 ▼

A navigational system for the guidance of an aircraft on a high-speed overland flight, comprising aboard the aircraft, in combination with autopilot means for substantially holding the aircraft on a predetermined course and measuring means for taking instantaneous readings of a reference parameter o

A navigational system for the guidance of an aircraft on a high-speed overland flight, comprising aboard the aircraft, in combination with autopilot means for substantially holding the aircraft on a predetermined course and measuring means for taking instantaneous readings of a reference parameter of the overflown terrain; recording means bearing a plurality of two-dimensional arrays of optically explorable prerecorded markings representing the values of said reference parameter in different elemental areas of respective measuring zones, each array encompassing a series of regions of uncertainty centered on respective measuring points along a simulated trajectory representing said predetermined course within a respective measuring zone, the extent of said regions of uncertainty being determined by the maximum possible deviation of the flight path of the aircraft under the control of said autopilot means from said predetermined course during travel from a preceding point of coincidence between said predetermined course and said flight path; evaluation means forming a receiving surface; comparison means including an orientable bench mark displaceable in response to said measuring means for indicating the reference parameter of the terrain actually overflown at successive instants during passage through a measuring zone, said comparison means further including optical correlator means for concurrently directing light rays upon said bench mark and upon the prerecorded markings of a given zone of uncertainty to correlate said bench mark with any of said markings representing the same reference parameter and to focus the light rays from the last-mentioned markings onto said receiving surface, thereby producing on said surface a contour line defined by all locations within the region of uncertainty having the same reference parameter; programming means for relatively displacing said correlator means and any of said arrays during a respective measuring interval at an average rate proportional to the presumed speed of the aircraft and in a direction keeping said correlator means trained upon said simulated trajectory of the array and for repetitively operating both said measuring means and said comparison means throughout said measuring interval to sample the markings of an array and to project upon said receiving surface a plurality of intersecting contour lines during passage of the aircraft through any given measuring zone; and storage means in said evaluation means for retaining information from the projected contour lines throughout said measuring interval and developing a cumulative output at a location corresponding to the point of intersection of the contour lines on said receiving surface, thereby indicating the true location of said flight path with reference to said predetermined course.