Method and apparatus for automatically orienting a computer display

A system for automatically orienting directional information being displayed on a computer display being viewed by a computer operator so as to enable the computer operator to give accurate directional information of computer display signals of aircraft being shown on the display to a gunner operating a shoulder-fired missile launcher, said system comprising:

• a hand-held targeting computer capable of being held by the computer operator, said hand-held computer including the computer display;
• a radio receiving positional information of the aircraft and transmitting positional signals of the aircraft to the hand-held computer, said hand-held computer displaying signals indicative of the aircraft position on the computer display;
• an electronic compass secured to the hand-held computer, said electronic compass generating compass signals with reference to a particular compass direction in response to the movement of the hand-held computer;
• and
• an embedded computer responsive to the compass signals from the electronic compass, said embedded computer including a compass controller that is responsive to the compass signals and generates computer signals indicative of the compass signals, said embedded computer further including a computer controller responsive to the computer signals from the compass controller, wherein the hand-held computer is responsive to the computer signals from the embedded computer so as to adjust the directional information on the display in accordance with the movement of the computer operator;
• and
• a global positioning system reciever, said global positioning system receiver sending position signals to the embedded computer, said computer controller within the embedded computer being responsive to the position signals from the global positioning system receiver, said computer controller sending the computer signals from the compass controller and the position signals from the global positioning system receiver to the hand-held computer along a single line in accordance with an interleaving scheme.

A method for automatically orienting a computer display, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a first computer including the computer display, said first computer being a portable computer;
• providing an electronic compass structurally connected to the first computer to cause the electronic compass to move with the movement of the first computer, wherein the electronic compass generates compass signals with reference to a particular compass direction in response to the movement of the first computer such that the display is updated and reoriented in accordance with the movement of the first computer;
• providing a second computer including a compass controller and a computer controller;
• sending compass signals from the electronic compass to the compass controller within the second computer said compass controller converting the compass signals to computer signals;
• sending the computer signals from the compass controller to the computer controller;
• sending the computer signals from the computer controller to the first computer to reorient the computer display;
• and
• providing a global positioning system receiver that sends position signals to the computer controller within the second computer of the position of the system receiver, said computer controller using an interleaving scheme to send computer signals from the global positioning system receiver and the computer signals from the compass controller to the first computer along a single line.