Orientation system

Claim 2

A relative azimuth indication system, comprising: an indicator activating means including a plurality of radiation emitting devices of a type not requiring an evacuated atmosphere; an indicator including an image area which fluoresces when radiated by said radiation emitting devices; means to selectively energize individual ones of said radiation emitting devices; and means to rotate said indicator relative to said indicator activating means.

Claim 3

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 1, wherein said means to rotate said indicator comprises: a means responsive to the earths magnetic field and adapted to rotate said indicator in accordance with relative magnetic heading.

Claim 4

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 1 wherein said means to rotate said indicator comprises: a selsyn receiver including a drive shaft adapted to support said indicator; a selsyn transmitter electrically coupled to said selsyn receiver; and a means responsive to the earths magnetic field and adapted to rotate said selsyn transmitter in response thereto.

Claim 5

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 3, wherein said means responsive to the earths magnetic field is a gyroscopically stabilized flux gate magnetic sensor.

Claim 6

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 3, wherein said means responsive to the earths magnetic field is a gyrosyn compass.

Claim 7

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 1, wherein said means to rotate said indicator comprises a gyro compass.

Claim 8

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 1, wherein said means to rotate said indicator comprises: a gyroscope; a means to support said gyroscope in a plane essentially parallel to a plane tangent to the surface of the earth and permit 360° of rotation about an axis perpendicular to said plane; and coupling means adapted to rotate said indicator as a function of the relative rotation between said gyroscope and said support means about said penpendicular axis.

Claim 9

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 1, wherein said indicator comprises: a light transmissive plate.

Claim 10

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 1, wherein said radiation emitting devices are lasers.

Claim 11

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 1, wherein said radiation emitting devices are light emitting diodes.

Claim 12

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 1, wherein said means to selectively energize individual ones of said radiation emitting devices comprises: a first set of conductors for providing electrical current to said radiation emitting devices; and a second set of conductors for providing an electrical current return means from said radiation emitting devices.

Claim 13

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 11, wherein said first set of conductors comprises a plurality of parallel conductors electrically isolated from each other; and said second set of conductors comprises a plurality of parallel conductors electrically isolated from each other and from said first set of conductors, said second set of conductors orientated perpendicular to said first set of conductors.

Claim 14

A relative azimuth indication system as defined in claim 11, wherein one set of conductors comprises a plurality of concentric conductors forming circles of increasing diameter starting from a point essentially at the center of said image area and electrically isolated from each other and the other set of conductors comprises a plurality of electrically isolated conductors equally spaced from each other and radiating outward from the center of said image area of said indicator.

Claim 15

A relative azimuth indicator system as defined in claim 1, wherein said means to selectively energize individual ones of said radition emitting devices further comprises: a directional radio receiver; a band pass filter means responsive to signals detected by said radio receiver and adapted to pass signals representing lightning generated static signals; a first analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert said signals passed by said band pass filter into range pulses representing the distance between the origin of said lightning generated static signals and said radio receiver; a second analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert the analog azimuth data representing signals received by said directional radio receiver into azimuth pulses representing the relative bearing of the source of said signals; and means to selectively couple said range and azimuth pulses to different ones of said radiation emitting devices.

Claim 16

A relative azimuth indicator system as defined in claim 14, further comprising: means to convert the analog azimuth signal output of a visual omni range navigational receiver converter to azimuth pulses representing magnetic bearing to the source signals; and means to selectively couple said pulses to different ones of said radiation emitting devices.

Claim 17

A relative azimuth indicator system as defined in claim 13, wherein means to selectively energize individual ones of said radiation emitting devices further comprises: a directional radio receiver; a band pass filter means responsive to signals detected by said radio receiver and adapted to pass signals representing lightning generated static signals; a first analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert said signals passed by said band pass filter into range pulses representing the distance between the origin of said lightning generated static signals and said radio receiver; a second analog-to-digital converter adapted to convert the analog azimuth data representing signals received by said directional radio receiver into azimuth pulses representing the relative bearing of the source of said signals; means to couple said range pulses to said individual concentric conductors; and means to couple said azimuth pulses to said individual radiating conductors.