Orientation and navigation apparatus
OwnerPeter D. Poulseninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Multiple telescopes of a telescope array are rigidly aligned at predetermined relative orientations to simultaneously image corresponding predesignated celestial objects. Detection of light from the celestial objects collected by the telescopes enables calculation or estimation of orientation of the telescope array with respect to the celestial sphere. That orientation, in combination with a planetary nadir direction, enables estimation or calculation of position of the telescope array relative to a planetary surface. The nadir can be measured by dropping a probe particle through an evacuated chamber onto or through a two-dimensional sensor.
Claims17
An apparatus comprising:
- (a) a body including an evacuated volume;
- (b) a release mechanism mounted on the body at a first end of the evacuated volume convertible between a hold state and a release state;
- (c) a probe particle, the probe particle being held at the first end of the chamber with the release mechanism in the hold state and being free to move within the evacuated volume in response to a gravitational field with the release mechanism in the release state;
- (d) a two-dimensional particle position sensor mounted on the body and positioned at a second end of the evacuated volume;
- and
- (e) a control and acquisition system, operatively coupled to the release mechanism and the particle position sensor, that is structured and connected so as to (i) switch the release mechanism from the hold state to the release state, (ii) detect a two-dimensional position relative to the particle position sensor where the moving probe particle passes through or lands on the particle position sensor, a line of fall connecting a release position of the particle and the position detected by the particle position sensor at least approximating a planetary nadir, and (iii) calculate, based on the position detected by the particle position sensor, and on relative mounted positions on the body of the release mechanism and the particle position sensor, a measured orientation of the body relative to the planetary nadir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.