Patents by Inventor John Batterson Stetson, Jr.

John Batterson Stetson, Jr. has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5729234
    Abstract: An arrangement for coordinating positional and angle information made on separate relatively moving platforms, such as aircraft, having independent coordinate systems, uses measurements of a common reference made on both platforms. The measurements are transmitted to a common location. Measurements made at a first time are processed to determine two of three coordinate transformation angles. After a period of time, a second set of measurements is used to determine the third coordinate transformation angle. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the direction of motion of one of the platforms is controlled to be orthogonal to a coordinate axis of the other platform. When the coordinate transformation is determined, it can be used to coordinate or align navigation instruments, weapons, or the like. In one embodiment of the invention, a missile is directed toward a target, in a situation in which the target is viewed from the missile and another moving vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 17, 1998
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corp.
    Inventors: John Batterson Stetson, Jr., Randall Deen Morris, Naresh Raman Patel