Hand-held personal planetarium
US8684745B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 6, 2009 |
| Grant date | Apr 1, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 31, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG09B27/00
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Method and apparatus are provided for a hand-held planetarium which displays a sky pattern comprising graphical representations of one or more celestial objects. A sensing system comprising one or more sensors provides information about an orientation of the device. A controller receives the information about the orientation of the device from the sensing system and determines therefrom an altitude angle of a pointing axis and an azimuthal angle of the pointing axis. The controller accesses a database of celestial objects and determines, from within the database, one or more selected celestial objects for display based at least in part on a measure of proximity of the celestial objects to the pointing axis. Graphical representations of the one or more selected celestial objects are displayed on a display screen. The planetarium may switch between a normal orientation mode and a downward facing orientation mode.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.