Abstract:
A beam of light or other electromagnetic field is emitted and received in a vacuum, all within an apparatus in motion. The nature of light permits the beam of light to retain the characteristics of its motion in vacuum, regardless of motion of the apparatus in which the emitted light propagates. The light beam retains its position in space relative to the direction of motion of the apparatus. Since both entities, light beam and apparatus, are disposed in the same frame of reference, characteristics of their motion can be compared. The result of this comparison represents the vector of velocity V of the apparatus which is utilized in navigation of the apparatus.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. The Field of the Present Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of onboard navigational instrumentation. More specifically the present invention relates to an apparatus and methods for accurately establishing the vector of velocity of an object in motion from the information provided within and directly by the motion of the object itself and which is relative to initial spatial parameters of the object. 
     2. General Background 
     For the purposes of this application, the terms “electromagnetic media”, “non-inertial media”, “light”, “beam of light”, “pulse of light”, “luminous flux” or equivalent terminology are meant to be synonymous unless otherwise stated. Likewise, the terms “instruments”, “devices”, “apparatus” or equivalent terminology are meant to be interchangeable unless otherwise stated. Similarly, the terms “body”, “object”, “inertial frame”, or equivalent terminology are meant to be synonymous unless otherwise stated. References made in the English measurement system are hereafter assumed to include their metric equivalent values and vice versa. 
     Various-methods and apparatus are know for measuring the speed of objects in motion. They all function on the basis of one or the other of two well-established methods: 
     (1) measuring object speed by comparing its motion against other object (e.g., reading the speed of a car by measuring its motion relative to the Earth surface. (2) measuring object speed by integrating its measured acceleration (i.e., speed as the integral of acceleration). 
     These methods have limitations: the needs for continuous outside referencing, lack of accuracy and consistency, and most of all inability to vectorize motion i.e. provide simultaneous information on speed and direction of travel from direct onboard readings of an individual instrument. 
     Corpuscular-wave nature of light and its independence from inertial frames of references because of photon zero mass and zero electric charge are well known in classic and quantum electrodynamics. The zero-mass photon provides the basis for the navigational instrument of this invention. 
     Michelson and Gale in 1925 experimented to measure the speed of Earth rotation by means of counter-rotating light beams channeled within vacuum tubes disposed in a large rectangle planar array corresponding to East-West and North-South axes. Developments in optics and laser technologies in the 1970s allow for significant improvement of Michelson-Gale experiment and development of Canterbury Ring Laser which opened the way to development of whole new family of navigational instruments, functionality of which based on Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) effects. RLG brought great improvements to space navigation, but the main problems and shortcomings of the gyro based navigational technology continue to hinder abilities to successfully navigate in 2-dimensional 3-dimensional space. 
     Advances in photonics open the way for development of a new class of navigational devices called “Velometers”. Velometer utilizes the measurements of displacement of inertial frame a body or an object in relation to independent and straight-line propagation of light in vacuum within the same inertial frame. The ability to measure displacement of an object in relation to independent straight-line propagation of light provides information on velocity i.e. speed and direction of travel of the object from within the object in motion itself. One caveat must be taken into account: there is no absolute rest in nature, the Velometer provides velocity measurements in relative terms i.e. measurements that null or discount the object&#39;s initial position and velocity in space. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention include apparatus and methods to internally detect and measure the speed and the direction of travel a moving object by measuring displacement of the object relation to independent straight-line propagation of light in vacuum within the object itself. 
     Advantages of this invention include its ability to provide spatial 2 and 3 dimensional velocity of an object in space, simplicity of operation, quality and stability of the measurements, cost effective navigation, and stealth i.e. independence from external influence. 
     In a first aspect, this invention includes apparatus having an emitter and a receiver positioned in the same plane at fixed distance and facing each other, with light traveling in vacuum in-line with the vector of velocity. To prevent possible inconsistencies, there is vacuum within the apparatus. The emitter and said receiver are separated by a fixed distance, and due to the constant speed of light in vacuum, the distinctive characteristics (e.g. timing) of light arriving at the receiver correlates with the velocity of said apparatus. Now, placing the apparatus along two or three axes provide measurement of the velocity vector of the object in 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional space. 
     Some embodiment of this invention is similar to that described above but with light traveling transverse to the velocity of said apparatus. In addition, optical elements reflect and/or refract light are placed between said emitter and said receiver in such ways that due to motion of said apparatus light encounters such optical elements which alter the light&#39;s characteristics (e.g. phase, frequency, modulation, etc.) in accordance with the velocity of said apparatus. 
     In another embodiment, an emitter and receiver are positioned in vacuum, in the same plane, at fixed distance and facing each other, with means to reflect and/or refract light. A beam of light from the emitter travels transverse to the velocity of the object. Due to the object&#39;s motion along its emitter-receiver axis, the emitter moves away from its position and the receiver is brought into contact with the beam of light. Because the speed of light in vacuum is universally constant, and the distance between emitter and receiver is fixed, elapsed time for travel from emitter to receiver is a measure of the speed of the object. 
     In another embodiment, the emitter is placed at fixed distance above and facing the receiver which is an array of light detectors placed in-line or area-wide. Light emitted toward the receiver, due to the motion of the object along the plane of array of light detectors, energizes a specific detector, the place of which in the array is correlated with speed and direction of the object&#39;s movement. 
     In yet another embodiment, an emitter is positioned at some angle to and apart from the receiver. Between emitter and receiver is placed an optical wedge to divide and reflect light from the emitter. The wedge includes a front beam splitter to reflect light of specific characteristics, and a back full mirror to reflect all incoming light at specific angle relative to the front mirror. In this embodiment, a beam of light is emitted toward the wedge. At the front mirror of the wedge, one part of the beam (a reference beam) is reflected directly toward the receiver and the other part (an information beam) is directed to the back mirror. From the back mirror, the information beam is reflected to the receiver. The angle between front and the back surfaces is such that after the second reflection the information beam joins the reference beam at the receiver. Since the wedge has different thickens at different points of the profile, the motion of the object that is in-line and along the emitter-wedge-receiver axis, places the emitted beam at different parts of the wedge hence changing correlation between characteristics of the beams. The detector measures that difference by which the velocity of the object is determined. 
     Thus, according to this invention, a velocity vector of an object in motion may be determined by the time of arrival of light at a receiver, or it may be determined by comparing specific characteristics (e.g. frequency, polarization, etc.) of light that composed of elements of the required characteristics. 
    
    
     
       THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a fragmentary section diagram of an apparatus include an emitter and a receiver facing each other. 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of similar with a receiver of numerous light detectors. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram of apparatus in which emitter and a receiver are in same plane. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of an apparatus with emitter and a receiver in another form of my invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of apparatus according to another the embodiments of this invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of a detail from  FIG. 5   
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying Drawing. 
     Two principles provide the basis for the method and apparatus of this invention: (1) light travels in space or vacuum in a straight line, independent of any inertial system, and with a universally constant speed, and (2) the corpuscular-wave nature of light and its independence from inertial frames of reference because of zero mass and zero electric charge of the photon. 
       FIG. 1  shows an apparatus  1  include an emitter  2  and a receiver  3  which positioned in the same plane at fixed distance, across from, and facing each other. The apparatus  1  is moving at a velocity V emitted light  4  travels in-line with the velocity vector V of the apparatus. To prevent possible inconsistencies, the interior of the apparatus  1  is at. vacuum. Since the emitter  2  and receiver  3  are at a fixed distance from each other, the distinctive characteristic (timing) of light  4  arriving at the receiver  3  correlates with the velocity V of the apparatus  1 . 
       FIG. 2  an apparatus  5  having, at the bottom, a receiver including array of light detectors  7 . Located a fixed vertical distance above the centered light detector  8  of the array  7  is a light emitter  6 . The apparatus S is moving along the plane of the receiver with velocity V. The interior of the apparatus S is at vacuum. At specific intervals, pulses of light are emitted from the emitter  6  toward the array of light detectors  7 . Light pulses move in a. straight line to the detector array  7 , regardless of motion or velocity of apparatus  5 , with at constant speed “c”. When the tight pulse reaches the plane of receivers  7 , they have moved from their initial position, hence, the light pulse strikes a specific light detector different from the centered light detector  8 . The displacement or distance of the activated peripheral tight detector  7  relative to the central detector  8  is related to the velocity “V”of the apparatus S. 
       FIG. 3  shows an emitter  9  and receiver  10  positioned within an apparatus  14  on one side  12 , and at a fixed distance from each other. The emitter/receiver side  12  and opposing side  13  are reflective and/or reflective of light. The inside of the apparatus  14  is at vacuum. A pulse of light  11  is emitted from emitter  9  toward the opposite side  13 . Due to the transverse apparatus motion with velocity V relative to the emitter-receiver axis, the emitter  9  moves away from its position and the pulse of light  11  continuously travels between sides until the receiver  10 , moving with apparatus  14  at velocity V moves into contact with the pulse of light  11 . Since speed of light in vacuum is universally constant and the distance between emitter and receiver is a fixed dimension, the time elapsed between emission from emitter  9  and incidence at receiver  10  is proportional to the velocity of the apparatus  14 . 
       FIG. 4  shows an apparatus  15  including an emitter  16  and receiver  17  positioned in the same plane at fixed distance from each other, and facing each other. A reflector/refractor  18  is disposed in the optical axis between emitter  16  and receiver  17 . The beam of light  19  emitted along the optical axis transverse to the motion velocity V of the apparatus  15 . The reflector/refractor  18  has optical characteristics that vary with velocity V. The interior of apparatus  15  is at vacuum. The position of light and its interaction with the reflector/refractor  18  alter characteristics of light at the receiver  17  in accordance with the velocity of the apparatus  15 . 
       FIG. 5  shows an apparatus  20  which includes and emitter  21 , receiver  22 , and wedge optics (e.g. prism  23 ) disposed in the optical axis between emitter  21  and receiver  22 . The interior of apparatus  20  is at vacuum. Apparatus  20  is moving relative along the emitter/wedge/receiver plane with velocity V. A beam of light  24  is emitted along the path  25  toward the wedge optics  23 . At the point of incidence with wedge optics  23 , part of the beam  25  is reflected toward the receiver  22  as a “reference”beam  26 . The other part of the beam  25  is refracted into the wedge optics  23  as an “information”beam  27 . At the back surface of the wedge optics  23 , the information beam  27  is further reflected back to the front of the wedge optics where it is refracted again. This last refraction puts the information beam  27  on its path to the receiver  22 . The length of trajectory of the information beam  27  inside the wedge  23  changes arrival time and/or light characteristics between the information  2 . 7  and reference Z 6  beams at the receiver  22 . These measurable changes are proportional to the thickness of the wedge  23  and the internal trajectory of the beam  27 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , we will describe the process on which our apparatus ( 20 ) is built. The optical wedge ( 28 ) shown in phantom line denoted position of the apparatus ( 20 ) when said apparatus is in stationary position (V=0). In that position, the beam of light ( 30 ) is emitted toward the wedge ( 28 ). At the point “A” the beam of light ( 30 ) intersect front of the wedge, where one part of the beam of light is reflected toward the receiver and the other part is refracted inside of the wedge ( 28 ). At the back surface of the wedge ( 28 ) the refracted beam further reflected back toward the front of the wedge ( 28 ) creating trajectory ( 31 ). The length of the trajectory ( 31 ) is proportionally changes arrival time and/or light characteristics between the reflected or reference beam and the refracted or information beam at the receiver. 
     The apparatus  20  is moved, with velocity V, in the emitter-wedge-receiver plane. When the apparatus  20  was stationary, the light beam  30  was emitted toward the wedge. When the light beam  30  reaches the wedge, the last, as a part of the apparatus in motion under velocity V, moves into position denoted on  FIG. 6  by the wedge optics  29 . 
     At Point B, the light beam  30  strikes the front of the wedge optics  29 . At that point, similarly as described above, one part of the light beam is reflected toward the receiver and the other part is refracted with the wedge  29 . In this case the trajectory  32  of the light path within the wedge  29  is longer than the trajectory  31 , hence arrival time and/or light characteristics between the reflected and refracted beams at the receiver is different from the characteristics created by the trajectory  31 . Having constancy of physical dimensions inside of the apparatus and universal constancy of the speed of light in vacuum (c=3×10 8  m/sec), the difference between the trajectories  3 t and  32  is proportional to the velocity of the apparatus  20 . 
     In the following claims, any terms indicative of orientation (e.g. front, back; left, right; top, bottom; horizontal, vertical) are meant only to correspond with the illustrations to facilitate an understanding of the claimed invention. Such terms are not intended as positive limitations. 
     The foregoing description of preferred embodiments is illustrative. The concept and scope of the invention are limited not by such details but only by the following claims.