Device for detecting the angular position of a luminous source

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR DETECTING FROM A GROUND STATION IN DIGITAL FORM THE ANGULAR POSITION OF AN ACTIVE POINT-LIKE INFRARED PULSE MODULATED LIGHT SOURCE ON BOARD OF A MOVING VEHICLE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A FIRST ASSEMBLY ARRANGED IN THE GROUND STATION AND A SECOND ASSEMBLY ARRANGED ON BOARD OF THE MOVING VEHICLE, SAID FIRST ASSEMBLY INCLUDING TWO EQUAL TELESCOPES HAVING A COMMON FOCAL PLANE, FOR TRAINING SAID LIGHT SOURCE, AN OPAQUE DISC HAVING A NUMBER OF (4XN) OF SAID EQUISPACED RADIAL SCANNING SLITS, A NUMBER OF (4XN) SETS OF (2**M+1) EQUISPACED RADIAL SYNCHRONIZING SLITS SYMMETRICALLY ARRANGED ABOVE SAID SCANNING SLITS WITH THE CENTRAL SLIT LYING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CORRESPONDING SCANNING SLIT, SAID SYNCHRONIZING SLITS HAVING A PITCH ONE FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDING TO TWICE THEIR WIDTH, THE WIDTH OF THE SCANNING SLIT BEING 1.5 TIMES THE PITCH OF THE SYNCHRONIZING SLITS, ON A RADIUS GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID SYNCHRONIZING SLITS, THERE BEING PROVIDED (4XN) LARGE SLITS EACH ARRANGED TWO PITCHES BEFORE THE FIRST SYNCHRONIZING SLIT OF EACH SET THEREOF, COUNTING IN THE ROTATION DIRECTION OF SAID DISC AND ON A RADIUS GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID LARGE SLITS, THERE BEING PROVIDED (4XN) SMALL SLITS EACH ARRANGED ONE PITCH AFTER THE LAST SYNCHRONIZING SLIT OF EACH SET THEREOF, COUNTING IN THE ROTATION DIRECTION OF SAID OPAQUE DISC, THE FIGURE N CORRESPONDING TO AN EVEN NUMBER BETWEEN 2 AND 10, TWO PHOTODETECTORS EACH ARRANGED ON THE OPTICAL AXIS OF THE CORRESPONDING TELESCOPE OF SAID TWO TELESCOPES FOR DETECTING THE LIGHT PULSE OF SAID LIGHT SOURCE AND TRANSFORMING IT TO AN ELECTRIC PULSE, SAID TWO TELESCOPES BEING PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER AND ARRANGED WITH THEIR AXES PASSING THROUGH THE RADIUS CIRCLE OF SAID SCANNING SLITS, OPTO-ELECTRONIC MEANS FOR GENERATING ELECTRIC PULSE SIGNALS SYNCHRONIZED TO THE ROTATION OF SAID DISCLIKE MEANS, DIGITAL COMPUTING ELECTRONIC MEANS FOR PROCESSING AND DISPLAYING IN DIGITAL FORM THE ELECTRIC PULSES SENT FROM SAID PHOTO-DETECTOR MEANS AND THE SYNCHRONIZED ELECTRIC PULSES SENT FROM SAID OPTO-ELECTRONIC MEANS, AND TRANSMITTER MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING TO THE MOVING VEHICLE SAID SYNCHRONIZED ELECTRONIC PULSES, SAID SECOND ASSEMBLY ON THE MOVING VEHICLE INCLUDING RECEIVER MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID SYNCHRONIZED PULSES, MODULATING MEANS FOR MODULATING THE PULSES TRANSMITTED FROM SAID RECEIVER MEANS AND CAUSING THE LIGTING OF SAID LIGHT SOURCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID SYNCHRONIZED PULSES AND POWER SUPPLY MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID MODULATING MEANS AND SAID LIGHT SOURCE, WHEREBY THE MEASUREMENT OF THE ANGULAR COORDINATE OF THE POSITION OF THE MOVING BODY WITH RESPECT TO THE COLLIMATION AXIS OF THE TELESCOPE IS OBTAINED IN DIGITAL FORM BY EFFECTING THE NUMERICAL DIFFERENCE OF SYNCHRONISM PULSES GENERATED BY SAID OPTO-ELECTRONIC MEANS BY ROTATING OF SAID DISC, WHICH PRECEDE AND FOLLOW THE RECEPTION INSTANT OF THE LIGHT PULSE SIGNALS FROM SAID INFRARED LIGHT SOURCE ON THE VEHICLE, SAID SIGNALS GOING THROUGH SAID SCANNING SLITS.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR DETECTING FROM A GROUND STATION IN DIGITAL FORM THE ANGULAR POSITION OF AN ACTIVE POINT-LIKE INFRARED PULSE MODULATED LIGHT SOURCE ON BOARD OF A MOVING VEHICLE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A FIRST ASSEMBLY ARRANGED IN THE GROUND STATION AND A SECOND ASSEMBLY ARRANGED ON BOARD OF THE MOVING VEHICLE, SAID FIRST ASSEMBLY INCLUDING TWO EQUAL TELESCOPES HAVING A COMMON FOCAL PLANE, FOR TRAINING SAID LIGHT SOURCE, AN OPAQUE DISC HAVING A NUMBER OF (4XN) OF SAID EQUISPACED RADIAL SCANNING SLITS, A NUMBER OF (4XN) SETS OF (2**M+1) EQUISPACED RADIAL SYNCHRONIZING SLITS SYMMETRICALLY ARRANGED ABOVE SAID SCANNING SLITS WITH THE CENTRAL SLIT LYING IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE CORRESPONDING SCANNING SLIT, SAID SYNCHRONIZING SLITS HAVING A PITCH ONE FROM ANOTHER CORRESPONDING TO TWICE THEIR WIDTH, THE WIDTH OF THE SCANNING SLIT BEING 1.5 TIMES THE PITCH OF THE SYNCHRONIZING SLITS, ON A RADIUS GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID SYNCHRONIZING SLITS, THERE BEING PROVIDED (4XN) LARGE SLITS EACH ARRANGED TWO PITCHES BEFORE THE FIRST SYNCHRONIZING SLIT OF EACH SET THEREOF, COUNTING IN THE ROTATION DIRECTION OF SAID DISC AND ON A RADIUS GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID LARGE SLITS, THERE BEING PROVIDED (4XN) SMALL SLITS EACH ARRANGED ONE PITCH AFTER THE LAST SYNCHRONIZING SLIT OF EACH SET THEREOF, COUNTING IN THE ROTATION DIRECTION OF SAID OPAQUE DISC, THE FIGURE N CORRESPONDING TO AN EVEN NUMBER BETWEEN 2 AND 10, TWO PHOTODETECTORS EACH ARRANGED ON THE OPTICAL AXIS OF THE CORRESPONDING TELESCOPE OF SAID TWO TELESCOPES FOR DETECTING THE LIGHT PULSE OF SAID LIGHT SOURCE AND TRANSFORMING IT TO AN ELECTRIC PULSE, SAID TWO TELESCOPES BEING PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER AND ARRANGED WITH THEIR AXES PASSING THROUGH THE RADIUS CIRCLE OF SAID SCANNING SLITS, OPTO-ELECTRONIC MEANS FOR GENERATING ELECTRIC PULSE SIGNALS SYNCHRONIZED TO THE ROTATION OF SAID DISCLIKE MEANS, DIGITAL COMPUTING ELECTRONIC MEANS FOR PROCESSING AND DISPLAYING IN DIGITAL FORM THE ELECTRIC PULSES SENT FROM SAID PHOTO-DETECTOR MEANS AND THE SYNCHRONIZED ELECTRIC PULSES SENT FROM SAID OPTO-ELECTRONIC MEANS, AND TRANSMITTER MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING TO THE MOVING VEHICLE SAID SYNCHRONIZED ELECTRONIC PULSES, SAID SECOND ASSEMBLY ON THE MOVING VEHICLE INCLUDING RECEIVER MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID SYNCHRONIZED PULSES, MODULATING MEANS FOR MODULATING THE PULSES TRANSMITTED FROM SAID RECEIVER MEANS AND CAUSING THE LIGTING OF SAID LIGHT SOURCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID SYNCHRONIZED PULSES AND POWER SUPPLY MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID MODULATING MEANS AND SAID LIGHT SOURCE, WHEREBY THE MEASUREMENT OF THE ANGULAR COORDINATE OF THE POSITION OF THE MOVING BODY WITH RESPECT TO THE COLLIMATION AXIS OF THE TELESCOPE IS OBTAINED IN DIGITAL FORM BY EFFECTING THE NUMERICAL DIFFERENCE OF SYNCHRONISM PULSES GENERATED BY SAID OPTO-ELECTRONIC MEANS BY ROTATING OF SAID DISC, WHICH PRECEDE AND FOLLOW THE RECEPTION INSTANT OF THE LIGHT PULSE SIGNALS FROM SAID INFRARED LIGHT SOURCE ON THE VEHICLE, SAID SIGNALS GOING THROUGH SAID SCANNING SLITS.