Patent ID: 8996203
Filing Date: 2015-03-31
Classification: B64D

Abstract:
1. A system for pointing a searchlight onboard a vehicle, the system comprising: a processor; a position determination module configured to determine a vehicle position of the vehicle and an onboard searchlight; an airborne mobile platform module configured to determine a vehicle orientation of the vehicle based on a pitch, a roll, and a yaw of the vehicle; and an electronic moving map module configured to: receive a desired destination to be illuminated by the onboard searchlight; compute a route to the desired destination based on the vehicle orientation and the vehicle position; and guide the vehicle to the desired destination by pointing the onboard searchlight along the route in a direction of the desired destination; a searchlight pointing module configured to: point the onboard searchlight to the desired destination; record an azimuth and an elevation reading of the onboard searchlight to provide recorded azimuth and ground elevation data of the desired destination; and compute a pointing coordinate for the onboard searchlight based on the desired destination, the vehicle orientation, the route, and the recorded azimuth and ground elevation data.