The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 12, 1985
Filed:
Nov. 13, 1981
Otto Hofmann, Kirchstockach, DE;
Abstract
A sensor device of the type to be carried on aircraft or spacecraft which avel along an arbitrary flight path, operates to provide data corresponding to the course and orientation of the craft, and a digital display of the terrain over which the craft is traveling. The device includes at least first, second and third sensor lines comprising rows of photosensitive semiconductor elements, arranged transversely of the flight path in an image plane. Each of the sensor lines provides line images corresponding to a terrain image projected onto the sensor line. At least one of the sensor lines extends in the image plane to form angles relative to the other sensor lines, so that the terrain line images produced by the angled sensor line intersect the terrain line images produced by the other sensor lines. This arrangement results in establishing clearly defined connecting points of the images, and provides high accuracy in the determination of the orientation data and of the terrain.