Communications: electrical – Visual indication
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-02
2003-05-27
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Visual indication
C340S999000, C033S628000, C701S013000, C701S226000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06570506
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS
This invention relates to astronomy, specifically to an electronic device capable of locating and identifying celestial objects.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS
People have always been fascinated with the heavens. They have been cited for the origins of the universe and life. Stars and constellations are the basis of fables, myths, and stories in almost every culture on the earth. The stars are used as indicators of peoples, future by some. Sailors and other travelers rely on certain stars and constellations as indicators of position and direction. Further, there is an enormous amount of professional and hobbyist interest in the stars.
Both professionals and hobbyists use celestial object identifying devices to locate a star, constellation, planet, comet, asteroid, artificial satellite, deep sky object or other heavenly objects, which shall be referred to collectively as celestial objects. Some existing celestial object identifying devices function by using a combination of mechanical electrical or pre-tabulated charts or tables.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,365 to Moliard discloses a method which uses a flat spinning disc that contains a pictorial representation of a celestial hemisphere containing constellations and stars. The user must rotate the disc to the current time and date, and then orient himself or herself with the proper compass direction. Identification of a celestial object is attempted by the user comparing the sky with the celestial hemisphere pictorial representation. This method proves rather difficult to locate a celestial object, in that the sky and the pictorial representation of the celestial hemisphere are two different scales. Additionally, the disc contains a flattened perspective of the celestial hemisphere making it difficult to judge at what angle of declination one would locate the desired celestial object. Further, the sky contains many more celestial objects than the pictorial representation can possibly contain, making it difficult to determine which pattern of stars on the pictorial representation corresponds to a particular region of the sky.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,653 to Lee discloses a pictorial representation of the celestial hemisphere in which is incorporated an electronic compass. The electronic compass identifies which region of the sky the operator of the Lee device is facing. The compass assists in pointing to the approximate azimuth of the celestial object. However, the task of determining the proper declination, and performing a mental translation from a set of maps, to the particular region of the sky one is observing, is still handled unaided by the operator. This leaves most of the work in locating a celestial object to the operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,697 to Mayer contains a somewhat clumsy and complicated mechanical method of directly observing a region of the sky without a map. It requires a good deal of understanding of the devices workings to obtain any success. In addition, it can only locate a star-group or constellation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,793 to Atamian contains a method for location of stars and constellations, yet it requires manual alignment of a sphere oriented with the sky to work properly. It also has the same scale difference problem mentioned above in regard to U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,365 and leaves much ambiguity in observing heavenly bodies.
Thus, there is a need for a more user-friendly device to locate celestial objects.
SUMMARY
An improved celestial object-locating device has been discovered. In an aspect of the invention, a device allows a user to point the device at a celestial object and the device announces to the user of the celestial object's identity. In another aspect of the invention, the user directs the device to find a desired celestial object. This is done through a view port and the instrument detects the geographical location or position of the user, the time, and the azimuth and nadir of the direction of the view port automatically, resulting in a simple to use celestial object location device. Other embodiments of the invention comprise combinations of the above aspects. These aspects of the invention eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art concerning scale and translation from a celestial map. Further, in an aspect of the invention, the device is hand-held or attached to a computational device such that the device is portable.
In an aspect of the invention, a celestial object location (COL) device or for viewing from a location at a time and a date comprises a means for viewing an object (a viewing means), a processor, a 3-axis magnetic sensor, a 3-axis gravitational sensor, a location means, a time means, and a database. The viewing means assists a user of the COL device in observing along a viewing axis defined by an azimuth angle and a nadir angle. The 3-axis magnetic sensor is adapted to provide the processor with azimuth data representing the azimuth angle. The 3-axis gravitational sensor is adapted to provide the processor with nadir data representing the nadir angle. The locations means provides location data representing the location to the processor. The time means provides time and date data representing the time and date to the processor. The database is adapted to be accessed by the processor and provide data such that the processor determines celestial coordinates of right ascension and declination corresponding to the viewing axis based on the azimuth data, the nadir data, the location data, and the time and date data.
In a further aspect of the invention, the viewing means comprises a viewing channel adapted to enable a user to observe through the device along the viewing axis.
In a further aspect of the invention, there is a direction indicator adapted to announce directions to change the angular orientation viewing axis, wherein the direction indicator is further adapted to be controlled by the processor and comprises a visual indicator, an auditory indicator, or a tactile indicator.
In a still further aspect of the invention, the direction indicator is adapted to be controlled by the processor, comprises an illuminate-able visual display that is viewable by the user when the user is observing through the viewing channel, and is adapted to illuminate at least a portion of the visual display such that a user changes the viewing axis based, on the illuminated visual display. The visual display may be a circularly arranged series of illuminate-able arrows, wherein the processor and the arrows are adapted such that the processor directs a least a portion of the arrows to be illuminated.
In an aspect of the invention, a reticule is present and adapted to be viewable by the user when the user is observing through the viewing channel.
In an aspect of the invention, the viewing means comprises a display screen adapted to display an image observed along the viewing axis. Furthermore, there may be a direction indicator adapted to announce directions to change the angular orientation viewing axis, wherein the direction indicator is further adapted to be controlled by the processor and comprises a visual indicator, an auditory indicator, or a tactile indicator.
In an aspect of the invention, the device comprises a housing and wherein the viewing means comprises a viewing channel extending through the housing and adapted to permit a user to observe through the viewing channel along the viewing axis. In a further aspect of the invention, the processor is spaced apart from the housing. In an additional aspect of the invention, the housing is adapted to be held by the user while the user is observing through the viewing channel.
In a further aspect of the invention the COL device comprises a direction indicator adapted to announce directions to change the angular orientation of the viewing axis, wherein the direction indication is further adapted to be controlled by the processor and comprises a visual indicator, an auditory indicator, or a tactile indicator. This COL device may further comprise a user interface adapted for the user to input an identification of a celest
Crockett & Crockett
Crockett, Esq. K. David
Goins Davetta W.
Wu Daniel J.
Yamcon, Inc.
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