Abstract:
A radar controlled automatic target illumination system for marine and other moving vessels. A radar system operably connected to the vessel produces an electronic signal corresponding to an azimuth of a target relative to, and in proximity to the vessel. An array of lights are connected to the vessel, each light being aimed outwardly in a different lighting sector, the sectors being adjacent one to another around the vessel, each of said lights, when automatically activated, illuminating one lighting sector. An electronic processor is operably connected between the radar system and the array of lights for the automatic selective activation of one or more of the lights to illuminate the target within a corresponding lighting sector which the radar system has identified.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0003]    Not applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This invention relates generally to vehicle directional safety lighting systems and devices for illuminating nearby targets with a searchlight or spotlight to assist the helmsman in guiding his vessel safely. 
         [0006]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0007]    Technology growth has brought many new capabilities to improve boating safety. The cost of these new capabilities has continued to drop and is now allowing the small boat owner to have high technology products that previously were only available to military and commercial ships or Yachts of wealthy owners. A prime example has been marine radar, first used by the military then by large commercial ships; next by larger fishing boats and yachts and now by small private boat owners. As this marine radar market grew, new features were added following the same trend. The pertinent example of this is Automatic Target Tracking first developed for the military and now available for the small boat operator. ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) is now available as MARPA (Mini Automatic Radar Plotting Aid) at prices below $1000. 
         [0008]    Another pertinent technology has been the incorporation of data networks on boats. The NMEA 0183 standard serial data network was introduced to allow a variety of marine sensors to communicate with each other via a common data link. NMEA2000 (another serial data link) and Ethernet style LANS (Local Area Networks) are now in use on small vessels. 
         [0009]    Vessels equipped with a marine radar and MARPA can provide data on these networks to be used by other instruments such as the device which will be described in this patent application. When a vessel is maneuvering at night and in tight quarters, utilizing radar as the primary sensor, it is often highly desirable to illuminate nearby targets with a searchlight or spot light to assist the helmsman in guiding his vessel safely. The present invention provides an Automatic Target Illumination System to achieve this function. 
         [0010]    Although watercraft are typically provided with a rotatable light beam mechanism for spotting such targets in the dark to aid in navigation and to avoid collision therewith, an operator manually directing the rotational position of such light beams is very limited in their effectiveness of illuminating such targets simply because the operator does not have an initial indication of the general direction in which to point the light beam. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,846 to Anderson teaches a radar collision warning system for ships providing an audio and/or visual alarm upon the identification of an object within a predetermined range of a vessel. A fixed radar principally for use on sailboats providing a continuous forward looking beam and dual range display with limited azimuth information is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,195 to Greene. The indicator lights in the &#39;195 patent represent a different target range and are excited in accordance with video signals received. 
         [0012]    Kaplan, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,290,043 and 6,380,871, discloses an above-the-water system and method for finding targets in a marine environment. An optical transmitter transmits infrared and UV light beams toward different zones of coverage on the water and an optical receiver detects return target reflections. 
         [0013]    A night vision system utilizing an infrared camera and installable onto a marine vessel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,729,016 to Klapper, et al. The system provides visibility in conditions of darkness, smoke, haze and bad weather. Hypes, et al. teach a laser light navigational safety system with safety lighting for use in low visibility conditions in U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,299. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    This invention is directed to a radar controlled automatic target illumination system for marine and other moving vessels such as commercial aircraft. A radar system operably connected to the vessel produces an electronic signal corresponding to an azimuth of a target relative to, and in proximity to the vessel. An array of lights are connected to the vessel, each light being aimed outwardly at a different azimuth adjacent one to another around the vessel, each of said lights selectively illuminating one lighting sector. An electronic processor is operably connected between the radar system and the array of lights for selective activation of one or more of the lights to illuminate a target within a corresponding lighting sector identified by the radar system. 
         [0015]    It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a radar controlled automatic target illumination system for marine vessels which will automatically identify a target of interest or concern and illuminate that target by activating an appropriately-aimed light within an array of lights to assist the operator of the vessel during nighttime operations. 
         [0016]    Yet another object of this invention is to provide an array of lights connected to a moving vessel which will be selective illuminate one or more lights in a lighting array based upon an incoming radar signal which has identified the location and relative azimuth orientation of one or more above water targets. 
         [0017]    Yet another object of this invention is to provide a radar-controlled automatic target illumination system for aircraft which will not only cast a selective light beam onto a moving target such as other aircraft, but will also direct a light beam of high intensity directly at the other aircraft to gain the full attention of the pilot of the other aircraft as to the close proximity of both aircraft one to another. 
         [0018]    In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of the invention. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a simplified flow diagram of the microcomputer electronic operational circuit within the microcomputer ( 18 ) of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation simplified view of the invention attached to the bow rail of a marine vessel. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is another embodiment of the invention shown connected beneath the gunnel of the bow of a watercraft to reduce back glare into the eyes of the operator of the marine vessel. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention illuminating several above-water targets around the watercraft. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a pictorial view of an aircraft embodiment of the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a pictorial view of a home protection embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    Referring now to the drawings, and firstly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the preferred embodiment of the invention utilized in conjunction with marine vessels or watercraft is there shown generally at numeral  10 . This radar-controlled automatic target illumination system  10  includes a radar transmitter/signal receiver  20  typically mounted at an elevated point on the structure of a marine vessel. The radar unit  20  transmits radial signals and receives reflected signals back identifying above-water targets in a conventional manner and displays those reflected target signals on a visual display  22  viewable by the operator of the marine vessel. The screen  24  will display each of the targets shown typically at  26  and will also typically include distance estimates in the form of distance positioning within concentric rings  28  marked on the viewing screen  24 . A relative bearing or azimuth angle T 1 , T 2 , T 3  . . . may also be shown or measurable from the screen  24 . 
         [0027]    A most important aspect of the utilization of a radar-produced signal is that it affords the viewable indicia of the azimuth T 1 , T 2 , T 3  . . . of each of the targets  26  relative to the direction of travel of the marine watercraft. Each of these target signals  26  is electronically fed into a microcomputer  18 , the typical circuitry of which is shown in FIG.  2 . This IC circuit  40  will produce one or more output control signals (Theta) which will each then control one power switch located at  16  for selectively illuminating one or more of the outwardly shining lights  14  of an array of lights  12 . 
         [0028]    Each of these lights  14  produces a light beam shown typically at  30  and  32  having a predetermined beam width of preferably in the range of about 20°. The array  12  of lights  14  is arranged in a predetermined support housing described briefly herebelow which fixedly aim each of these lights  14  so that the width of each light beam  30 ,  32 , etc. are oriented either closely in side-by-side orientation or slightly overlapping orientation to collectively define an overall lighting sector  36  which, in this embodiment  10  is approximately 180°. Again, note that each of the individual lighting sectors  30 ,  32 , etc. have an azimuth width of about 20° so that, collectively each of the nine lights  14  define the overall lighting sector  36  to be approximately 180°. To achieve target lighting aloft of a beam of the vessel, lighting sector  36  may be increased to e.g. 220° by adding two additional lights  14  to the array  12 . 
         [0029]    The array  12  of lights  14  are rigidly mounted on the vessel to provide individually automatically selectable sectors of illumination, e.g. light sector  30  from light  14   h  and light sector  32  from light  14   a . As an example, an array of nine fixed spot lights, each covering a sector of approximately 20 degrees would provide selectable illumination of any targets located directly ahead or in the forward port or starboard quarter of interest. The microcomputer  18  is utilized to receive data of interest from the common serial data link network  40 . An example would be the NMEA Tracked Target Message (TTM). The microcomputer  18  would monitor the network  40  and extract all TTM sentences or data packets. These data packets are then parsed and obtain the range (Rho) and bearing (Theta) information. Those data are then screened for targets of interest, those being targets with Theta in the forward vectors both port and starboard and those with Rho being within the selectable illumination range of the installed lights  14 . The microcomputer  18  would then select and energize the appropriate light or lights  14  to automatically illuminate those targets meeting the programmed criteria. Each light  14  is de-energized by a timer if not reactivated by subsequent messages. 
         [0030]    In  FIG. 3 , another marine vessel B is there shown having a hard roof A for supporting the radar transmitting and receiving mechanism  20 . The target illumination system  12  is mounted atop the forwardly-most portion of the bow rail C to maximize the lighting efficiency of the lights  14  mounted within the housing  34  as previously described and to reduce back glare. Note that the light beams are also preferably angled downwardly ten to twenty degrees to further reduce back glare and to reflect off the water surface to enhance target illumination. 
         [0031]    In  FIG. 4 , another embodiment of a marine watercraft is shown generally at numeral D which also includes a hard roof E for supporting the radar transmitting and receiving mechanism  56 . In this embodiment  50 , the housing  54  which supports the individual lights  52  of the array of lights is mounted beneath the forwardly most portion of the gunnel F so that the back glare into the eyes of the vessel operator is minimized. 
         [0032]    A pictorial view of the invention in use is shown in  FIG. 5  wherein another marine vessel G having hard roof H supporting the radar mechanism  72  is there shown. A bow mounted target illumination system  60  is mounted onto the bow surface J. The housing  62  supports the array of lights  64  each of which are each fixedly aimed having a different lighting sector as previously described. 
         [0033]    The radar  72  will detect targets K, L and M and, via the microcomputer  18  and control switches  16 , will activate the appropriate light  64  to illuminate the above-water targets L and M. However, an additional target illumination system  66  disposed on either rear corner of the hard roof H may also be provided. Each of these lights  70  within the corresponding housing  68  will be aimed to define a lighting sector which is abeam or rearwardly of a transverse line of the vessel G. Thus, the targets in addition to being displayed on the viewing screen  22  as previously described, will also be automatically illuminated within one or more of the lighting sectors  76 ,  78 ,  80  or  82  to assist the operator of the vessel G in maintaining a proper course such as between channel markers L and M and in avoiding a collision with above-water obstacles K. 
         [0034]    Referring now to  FIG. 6 , an embodiment of the invention associated with commercial aircraft is there shown wherein the aircraft N is equipped or is capable of being equipped with a radar system (not shown). The target illumination system  90  will function as previously described, illuminating a target P in this case being another aircraft within the range and azimuth sector of control of the lighting system  90 . The automatically selected beam  92  will not only illuminate the other aircraft P at  94 , but will also provide an additional viewable signal by the pilot of the other aircraft P of the presence of the commercial aircraft N. Moreover, there will be little if any intended declination or inclination of the projected lighting sector  92  as a main risk of collision is between two aircraft which are generally at the same elevation above ground. 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 7 , an embodiment of the invention associated with nighttime protection of a residential home R is there shown. The target illumination system  100  includes an array of narrowed beam directed lights  102  each aimed in a particular lighting sector as previously described, the centerlines of which are shown typically at numeral  104 . The target (not shown) would be an intruder within, for example, the yard Y adjacent to a corner of the home R. The array of lights  100 , positioned along the eave S at, for example, the corner of the home R, will have selected ones of the lights  102  activated as determined preferably by a radar system (not shown as previously) responsive to an intruder within the yard or grounds Y. As an intruder would move, for example, along a path W, selected ones of the lights  102  would be illuminated, tracking the intruder as he prowls within the yard Y. 
         [0036]    The obvious benefit to such a system  100  would be that the intruder would likely be befuddled when being tracked by the array of lights  102 , likely believing that his presence has been detected and that he is being tracked by a person operating the lighting system  100 . An alternate means for sensing the presence of an intruder may be a motion detector as fixed non-targets such as trees, bushes, could defeat the utility of radar. 
         [0037]    While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what are conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to be afforded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.