초록 ▼

A star tracker for generating positional information for a vehicle includes a telescope 40 having multiple fields of view for imaging stellar objects. The telescope includes a plurality of radiation detectors 58 and an input lens 45 comprised of, in one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of ho

A star tracker for generating positional information for a vehicle includes a telescope 40 having multiple fields of view for imaging stellar objects. The telescope includes a plurality of radiation detectors 58 and an input lens 45 comprised of, in one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of holographic elements 45a and 45b. The holographic elements direct incident radiation originating from a plurality of stellar objects to an associated one of the radiation detectors. In another embodiment the multiple field of view telescope is comprised of a monocentric ball lens 80. The tracker may further include a multiplexer 60 for sequentially reading out a signal from each of the radiation detectors and a controller 62 coupled to the multiplexer for receiving the signals and for determining from the positions of the stellar objects imaged by the telescope a position of the vehicle.

대표청구항 ▼

A strapdown star tracker for generating navigational navigational information from an assumed position given by an inertial measurement unit aboard a vehicle, and said star tracker being adapted to be strapped down to the vehicle as it moves, comprising viewing means having an entrance aperture and

A strapdown star tracker for generating navigational navigational information from an assumed position given by an inertial measurement unit aboard a vehicle, and said star tracker being adapted to be strapped down to the vehicle as it moves, comprising viewing means having an entrance aperture and a field of view for simultaneously focussing radiation from a plurality of stellar objects, or other heavenly bodies, separated one from another by an angular displacement, means for strapping down said viewing means in a fixed orientation in said vehicle, means for converting the focussed radiation to plurality of detectable electrical signals one for each stellar object or heavenly body, and means coupled to said converting means and responsive to each said electrical signal for deriving inertial measurement unit correctional information from said electrical signal and for applying the correctional information to the assumed position.