Ship's maneuver assessment system

Claim 2

Apparatus for providing a maneuver assessment display for mobile vehicles comprising: sensor means for generating coordinate and velocity component data of a first vehicle with respect to a second vehicle, computing means responsive to said coordinate and velocity component data for computing a predicted track for said first vehicle to a point of probable collision with said second vehicle and a region about said point of probable collision representing a region of possible collision, and display means for displaying said predicted track and said region relative to each other.

Claim 3

Apparatus for providing a maneuver assessment display for mobile vehicles comprising: sensor means for generating coordinate and velocity component data of a first vehicle with respect to a second vehicle, computing means responsive to said coordinate and velocity component data for computing a predicted track for said first vehicle to a point of probable collision with said second vehicle and a region about said point of probable collision representing a region of possible collision, and display means for displaying said predicted track and said region relative to each other.

Claim 4

Apparatus for providing a maneuver assessment display for mobile vehicles comprising: sensor means for generating coordinate and velocity component data of a first vehicle with respect to a second vehicle, computing means responsive to said coordinate and velocity component data for computing a predicted track for said first vehicle to a point of probable collision with said second vehicle and a region about said point of probable collision representing a region of possible collision, and display means for displaying said predicted track and said region relative to each other.

Claim 5

Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said sensor means comprises: azimuth scanning radar means for detecting coordinate data of said first vehicle with respect to said second vehicle, intermediate display means for displaying an image representing said first vehicle, transducer means for generating an electrical impulse upon intensification of said image on said intermediate display, and means responsive to said impulse for automatically tracking and storing coordinate and velocity component data characterizing said first vehicle.

Claim 6

Apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said computing means comprises digital computer means programmed to compute the terminal points of a said predicted track of said first vehicle.

Claim 7

Apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said digital computer means is programmed to calculate a dimension defining a region surrounding said point of probable collision representative of a region of possible collision.

Claim 8

Apparatus as described in claim 4 wherein said means for display comprises: line symbol generator means under control of said digital computer means and having first output means, circle symbol generator means under control of said digital computer means and having second output means, cathode ray tube indicator means, timing means for controlling said line symbol generator and said circle symbol generator, and means coupling said first and said second output means to said cathode ray tube indicator means for displaying said predicted track and said region.

Claim 9

Apparatus for providing a maneuver assessment display for mobile vehicles comprising: sensor means for periodically detecting sets of coordinate data of a first vehicle with respect to a second vehicle, means for storing at selected times sets of said coordinate data, means for calculating velocity components of said first vehicle from said stored sets of coordinate data and for storing same, output means adapted to supply the most recently stored of said sets of coordinate data and the most recently computed of said velocity component data, means coupled to said output means for computing a predicted track for said first vehicle to a point of probable collision with said second vehicle and a region about said point of probable collision representing a region of possible collision, and means for displaying said predicted track and said region with respect to each other.

Claim 10

Apparatus for providing a maneuver assessment display for mobile vehicles comprising: sensor means for periodically detecting sets of coordinate data of a first vehicle with respect to a second vehicle, means for storing at selected times sets of said coordinate data, means for calculating velocity components of said first vehicle from said stored sets of coordinate data and for storing same, output means adapted to supply the most recently stored of said sets of coordinate data and the most recently computed of said velocity component data, means coupled to said output means for computing a predicted track for said first vehicle to a point of probable collision with said second vehicle and a region about said point of probable collision representing a region of possible collision, and means for displaying said predicted track and said region with respect to each other.

Claim 11

A display system for providing a maneuver assessment display for representing first and second mobile vehicles characterized by parameters: xOT, yOT representing a first set of position coordinates of said first vehicle, xT, yT representing a second set of position coordinates of said first vehicle at the time tPPC of probable collision between said first and second vehicles, xT, yT representing velocity components of said first vehicle at time tPPC, and VO representing the speed of said second vehicle, comprising: computer means responsive to the application of measured values of said parameters xOT, yOT, xT, yT, and VO for solving a value of the said parameter tPPC using the equation:

Claim 12

A display system for providing a maneuver assessment display for representing first and second mobile vehicles characterized by parameters: xOT, yOT representing a first set of position coordinates of said first vehicle, xT, yT representing a second set of position coordinates of said first vehicle at the time tPPC of probable collision between said first and second vehicles, xT, yT representing velocity components of said first vehicle at time tPPC, and VO representing the speed of said second vehicle, comprising: computer means responsive to the application of measured values of said parameters xOT, yOT, xT, yT, and VO for solving a value of the said parameter tPPC using the equation: