Patents by Inventor Melville Duncan W. McIntyre

Melville Duncan W. McIntyre 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).

  • Apparatus and method for navigation of an aircraft
    Patent number: 6654685
    Abstract: In accordance with this invention, an apparatus and method for aircraft navigation are provided that utilize a blended architecture consisting of a global positioning system (GPS) and micro-electromechanical sensors (MEMS) for the primary navigation system and a laser gyroscope system for the secondary navigation system. The blended architecture of the present invention provides a navigation system that is at least as accurate, redundant and fault-tolerant as conventional navigation systems. In addition, the navigation system components may be distributed throughout the aircraft and may share computing resources with other avionics systems to process signals and provide data to the avionics systems. Overall, the navigation system of the present invention is significantly less expensive and easier to maintain, but equally or more precise and redundant, relative to conventional navigation systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Melville Duncan W. McIntyre
  • Apparatus and method for navigation of an aircraft
    Publication number: 20030130791
    Abstract: In accordance with this invention, an apparatus and method for aircraft navigation are provided that utilize a blended architecture consisting of a global positioning system (GPS) and micro-electromechanical sensors (MEMS) for the primary navigation system and a laser gyroscope system for the secondary navigation system. The blended architecture of the present invention provides a navigation system that is at least as accurate, redundant and fault-tolerant as conventional navigation systems. In addition, the navigation system components may be distributed throughout the aircraft and may share computing resources with other avionics systems to process signals and provide data to the avionics systems. Overall, the navigation system of the present invention is significantly less expensive and easier to maintain, but equally or more precise and redundant, relative to conventional navigation systems.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2002
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Applicant: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Melville Duncan W. McIntyre