Patent US3716860A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3716860A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Independent aircraft landing monitor system
Assignee: Texas Instruments Inc
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Filing: 1970-07-15
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Granted: 1973-02-13
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Expires: 1990-07-15
Abstract
Abstract An aircraft landing monitor which is independent of ground-based guidance systems and which includes an antenna comprising an elongated housing pivotally mounted about a vertical axis for horizontal movement in the forward portion of an aircraft. The housing supports an edge-slotted waveguide array which is mounted in an elongated horn reflector to thereby direct an antenna radiation pattern forward of the aircraft which is narrower in the azimuth than in the elevation plane. A motor oscillates the antenna housing about the vertical axis to sweep over an azimuth angle sufficient for airport runway detection during a glideslope approach to the runway by the aircraft. Radar transmitter and receiver circuits transmit and receive pulse radar signals via the antenna for radar detection of the runway. A radarscope mounted in the cockpit control panel is responsive to the radar transmitter and receiver for visually displaying an approaching airport runway in real-world linear perspective.
Inventors
- 👤 B Bechtel
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 13:31
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01Q; H01Q13/00; G; G01; G01S; G01S1/00; G01S1/02; G01S13/00; G01S13/02; G01S13/06; G01S13/08; G01S13/10; G01S13/88; G01S13/91; G01S13/913; G01S7/00; G01S7/02; G01S7/04; G01S7/06; G01S7/20; G01S7/28; G01S7/282; H01Q3/00; H01Q3/02; H01Q3/04; H01Q3/06
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
105 words
An independent aircraft monitor system comprising: an antenna mountable in said aircraft and having a radiation pattern sufficient in the elevation for detection of an airport, said antenna having a narrow radiation pattern in the azimuth to provide high resolution, means for sweeping said antenna over an angle in the azimuth sufficient for detection of an airport, radar transmitter and receiver means for transmitting and receiving radar signals through said antenna, the received radar signals being related to a visual indication of said airport, and means responsive to said radar receiver signals for displaying said visual indication of the approaching airport in real-world linear perspective.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
105 words
An independent aircraft monitor system comprising: an antenna mountable in said aircraft and having a radiation pattern sufficient in the elevation for detection of an airport, said antenna having a narrow radiation pattern in the azimuth to provide high resolution, means for sweeping said antenna over an angle in the azimuth sufficient for detection of an airport, radar transmitter and receiver means for transmitting and receiving radar signals through said antenna, the received radar signals being related to a visual indication of said airport, and means responsive to said radar receiver signals for displaying said visual indication of the approaching airport in real-world linear perspective.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
105 words
An independent aircraft monitor system comprising: an antenna mountable in said aircraft and having a radiation pattern sufficient in the elevation for detection of an airport, said antenna having a narrow radiation pattern in the azimuth to provide high resolution, means for sweeping said antenna over an angle in the azimuth sufficient for detection of an airport, radar transmitter and receiver means for transmitting and receiving radar signals through said antenna, the received radar signals being related to a visual indication of said airport, and means responsive to said radar receiver signals for displaying said visual indication of the approaching airport in real-world linear perspective.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
105 words
An independent aircraft monitor system comprising: an antenna mountable in said aircraft and having a radiation pattern sufficient in the elevation for detection of an airport, said antenna having a narrow radiation pattern in the azimuth to provide high resolution, means for sweeping said antenna over an angle in the azimuth sufficient for detection of an airport, radar transmitter and receiver means for transmitting and receiving radar signals through said antenna, the received radar signals being related to a visual indication of said airport, and means responsive to said radar receiver signals for displaying said visual indication of the approaching airport in real-world linear perspective.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The monitor system of claim 1 wherein said means for displaying comprises: a radar scope.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
20 words
The monitor system of claim 1 wherein said antenna radiation pattern in the elevation has an angle of approximately 17*.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
The monitor system of claim 1 wherein said antenna radiation pattern in the azimuth has an angle of less than 1*.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
The monitor system of claim 1 wherein said antenna is swept over an angle in the azimuth of approximately 30* and said radar signals have frequencies in the Ka-band.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
36 words
The monitor system of claim 1 wherein said antenna comprises: an elongated edge-slotted waveguide array mounted horizontally in said aircraft about a central vertical pivot, and means for mechanically oscillating said antenna about said vertical pivot.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
60 words
The monitor of claim 1 wherein said means for displaying comprises: a radar scope having horizontal and vertical sweep means, means for controlling said horizontal sweep means in direct relation to the azimuth position of said antenna, and means for controlling said vertical sweep means in accordance with the aircraft altitude and the instantaneous target range of said radar signals.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
36 words
The monitor of claim 7 wherein the elevation angle displayed by said vertical sweep means on said radar scope is proportional to the ratio of the aircraft altitude and the instantaneous range of said radar signals.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
The monitor of claim 1 and further comprising: range tracker means in said aircraft and responsive to radar return signals reflected from pseudorandomly coded reflectors adjacent the runway to generate range to touchdown signals for display.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
The monitor of claim 9 and further comprising: glideslope detection means responsive to said range tracker means and responsive to reflected radar signals from reflectors located adjacent the runway to generate indications of the aircraft''s position relative to the desired glideslope.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
82 words
An aircraft landing monitor comprising: an antenna mounted in an aircraft and operable to transmit and receive radar signals for detection of an airport, radar transmitting and receiving circuitry for transmitting and receiving radar signals via said antenna, the received radar signals being related to a visual indication of said airport, and display means responsive to said received radar signals for visually presenting a display of the approaching airport which corresponds to the real-world perspective view of the airport from the aircraft.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
82 words
An aircraft landing monitor comprising: an antenna mounted in an aircraft and operable to transmit and receive radar signals for detection of an airport, radar transmitting and receiving circuitry for transmitting and receiving radar signals via said antenna, the received radar signals being related to a visual indication of said airport, and display means responsive to said received radar signals for visually presenting a display of the approaching airport which corresponds to the real-world perspective view of the airport from the aircraft.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
The aircraft landing monitor of claim 11 wherein said display means presents a visual airport runway indication with a straight forward runway edge having straight line runway edges converging toward the rear runway edge according to real-world linear perspective.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
The aircraft landing monitor of claim 12 wherein said display means continuously presents an indication of desired aircraft touchdown on the runway during the landing of the aircraft.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
59 words
The aircraft landing monitor of claim 12 and further comprising: a radar scope having horizontal and vertical sweep means, means for controlling said horizontal sweep means in direct relation to the azimuth position of said antenna, and means for controlling said vertical sweep means in accordance with the aircraft altitude and the instantanEous target range of said radar signals.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
39 words
The aircraft landing monitor of claim 14 wherein the elevation angle displayed by said vertical sweep means on said radar scope is proportional to the ratio of the aircraft altitude and the instantaneous target range of said radar signals.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
24 words
The aircraft landing monitor of claim 12 wherein said display means visually indicates the lateral offset of the aircraft from the runway center line.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
29 words
The aircraft landing monitor of claim 12 wherein said display means visually indicates the angular position of the aircraft with respect to the airport runway in the roll axis.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
25 words
The aircraft landing monitor of claim 12 and further comprising: means for switching said display means for selectively presenting PPI and B sweep radar displays.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
139 words
An aircraft landing monitor comprising: an antenna having an elongated housing pivotally mounted for horizontal movement in the forward portion of an aircraft, said housing supporting a traveling wave edge-slotted waveguide array mounted in an elongated reflector for directing an antenna radiation pattern narrower in the azimuth than in the elevation, a motor mounted to oscillate said housing to thereby sweep over an azimuth angle sufficient for airport detection during approach, radar transmitter and receiver means for transmitting and receiving radar signals via said antenna, the received radar signals being related to a visual indication of said airport, and a radar scope responsive to said receiver signals for visually displaying an approaching airport in real-world linear perspective, said radar scope including means for controlling the sweep thereof in accordance with the aircraft altitude and range of said radar signals.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
139 words
An aircraft landing monitor comprising: an antenna having an elongated housing pivotally mounted for horizontal movement in the forward portion of an aircraft, said housing supporting a traveling wave edge-slotted waveguide array mounted in an elongated reflector for directing an antenna radiation pattern narrower in the azimuth than in the elevation, a motor mounted to oscillate said housing to thereby sweep over an azimuth angle sufficient for airport detection during approach, radar transmitter and receiver means for transmitting and receiving radar signals via said antenna, the received radar signals being related to a visual indication of said airport, and a radar scope responsive to said receiver signals for visually displaying an approaching airport in real-world linear perspective, said radar scope including means for controlling the sweep thereof in accordance with the aircraft altitude and range of said radar signals.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
40 words
The landing monitor of claim 19 and further comprising: means for continuously sensing the position of said antenna, and means operable in response to the sensed antenna position for driving said motor to maintain the predetermined oscillation of said antenna.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
49 words
The landing monitor of claim 19 wherein said means for controlling comprises: means for nonlinearly driving the vertical sweep of said radar scope to generate a visual display of a straight forward runway edge with straight runway edges converging toward a rear runway edge according to real-world linear perspective.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-02-13 | 1976-08-14 | 1977-02-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-02-13 | 1980-08-14 | 1981-02-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-02-13 | 1984-08-14 | 1985-02-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |