Daytime stellar imager
US7349803B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 15, 2005 |
| Grant date | Mar 25, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 16, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01C21/025
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An automatic celestial navigation system for navigating both night and day by observation of K-band or H-band infrared light from multiple stars. A preferred embodiment uses three telescopes with each of the three telescopes rigidly mounted with respect to each other and rigidly mounted on a movable platform such as a ship or airplane with each telescope being directed at a substantially different portion of sky. Telescope optics focuses, onto the pixel array of a sensor, H-band or K-band light from stars in the field of view of each telescope. The system also includes an inclinometer, an accurate timing device and a computer processor having access to cataloged infrared star charts.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.