Rockwell Collins, Inc.

Marvin R Lovato

Carlo L Tiana

Brandon E Wilson

David I Han

Ming Yu

Daniel S Wald

A method of determining the angular orientation of headgear is described. The headgear has tracking points being at least four tracking points, the relative position of the tracking points is calibrated and stored as relative position information, each of the tracking points comprises an infra-red (IR) reflective point. Light reflected from at least some of the tracking points of the headgear is filtered to allow only light in an IR wavelength band to pass. The filtered IR light is imaged to provide a detected image including at least some of the tracking points. At least some of the tracking points in the detected image are identified, and the position of the identified tracking points in the detected image is determined. The angular orientation of the headgear is determined in multiple different angular directions based on the stored relative position information and the position of the identified tracking points.

Optical head tracking and object tracking without the use of fiducials

A modulated lighting infrastructure for a runway approach lighting system includes a network of LED emitters, emitting primarily in the visible spectral band, driven by control logic to emit brief high-frequency pulses of energy at peak brightness for a fraction of their duty cycle while emitting no energy for the remainder of the duty cycle. While the pulsed emissions of the approach lighting system are so brief as to appear normal to pilots (as the average intensity is unchanged), an onboard detection system can integrate a camera for short bursts at a high frame rate to detect images of the emitted high-frequency pulses against competing atmospheric and background illumination and display the detected images to the pilot. The emitter network may include additional emitters configured to emit energy in infrared and other spectral ranges for detection by onboard enhanced vision systems.

Modulated lighting infrastructure for improved low visibility detection

A system and method can provide an enhanced or other sensed image on a display. The system and method can sense an environment using an enhanced vision sensor or other sensor and provide an enhanced vision image or other image in response to data from the enhanced vision sensor. The enhanced vision or other vision system adjusts the sensing operation when an aircraft light is on to reduce back scatter effects.

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West Linn, OR, United States of America

Marvin R Lovato