Vehicle guidance system

Claim 1

AN AUTOMATIC GUIDANCE SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING A VEHICLE IN FLIGHT ALONG A FLEXIBLE COURSE DETERMINED BY SPACED REFERENCE MAP CHECK POINTS COMPRISING SENSOR MEANS ACTUATED ONLY IN THE VICINITY OF THE SPACED REFERENCE MAP CHECK POINTS FOR RECOGINZING TERRIAN CHARACTERISTICS AND CONVERTING SAID CHARACTERISTICS INTO MAP INFORMATION, A MAP MATCHER ACTUATED ONLY IN THE VICINITY OF THE SPACED REFERENCE MAP CHECK POINTS CONNECTED TO THE SENSOR MEANS TO RECEIVE THE MAP INFORMATION, COMPARE THE MAP INFORMATION WITH THE REFERENCE MAP INFORMATION, AND TO PRODUCE VEHICLE POSITION INFORMATION WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF THE COMPARED INFORMATION, A PROGRAMMER OPERABLE TO STORE FLIGHT PATH INFORMATION AND TRIGGER ACTUATION OF THE MAP MATCHER AND SENSOR MEANS IN THE VICINITY OF EACH RESPECTIVE REFERENCE MAP CHECK POINT, AN INERTIAL GUIDANCE SYSTEM OPERABLE TO CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCE ACCELERATION, AND POSITION INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO VEHICLE MOTION FOR PRIMARY VEHICLE GUIDANCE INFORMATION, COMPUTER MEANS CONNECTED TO THE MAP MATCHER AND THE INERTIAL GUIDANCE SYSTEM OPERABLE AT INTERMITTENT INTERVALS UPON RECEIPT OF INFORMATION FROM THE MAP MATCHER TO CORRECT THE INERTIAL GUIDANCE SYSTEM OUTPUT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INTERMITTENT POSITION INFORMATION FROM THE MAP MATCHER, AND VEHICLE CONTROL MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE OUTPUT OF THE INERTIAL GUIDANCE SYSTEM TO CORRECT THE COURSE OF THE VEHICLE TO CONFORM WITH THE COURSE DETERMINED BY THE SPACED REFERENCE MAP CHECK POINTS.