Patents by Inventor Steven D. Colby

Steven D. Colby 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: 10822110
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a countermeasure assistance system that, in response to detecting a threat to an aircraft, calculates and presents via a user interface an instruction to assist a pilot in evading the threat. For example, the system may determine a direction to which the aircraft should be turned to present a beam of the aircraft toward the threat, which may assist in evading a radar-enabled threat. The system may calculate a shortest turn to present the beam to the threat. The system may additionally display information regarding a position, nature, and degree of the threat, including through formatting of at least a portion of a user interface for displaying information regarding the threat. The system may additionally calculate and display an intervisibility zone for the threat and for the aircraft's current position to further assist the pilot in navigating to an area at which the threat may be evaded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Patent number: 10392124
    Abstract: Combined modality hover drift cueing methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, some implementations can include a system comprising one or more sensors, and a combined modality hover drift cueing controller coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to determine hover drift and to control a plurality of indicators in response to determined hover drift. The system can also include a mode selector coupled to the combined modality hover drift cueing controller and configured to provide an indication of mode selection between one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode, wherein the first mode is a combined modality mode. The system can further include a peripheral vision hover drift indicator coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of an aircraft cockpit, and a tactile feedback indicator coupled to the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Patent number: 10119833
    Abstract: Projected synthetic vision methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, a system can include one or more sensors, a terrain database, and a projected synthetic vision controller coupled to the one or more sensors and the terrain database, the projected synthetic vision controller configured to generate and project synthetic vision images based on aircraft position, terrain information and aviator boresight information. The system can also include one or more projectors coupled to the projected synthetic vision controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Publication number: 20170183104
    Abstract: Some embodiments include a countermeasure assistance system that, in response to detecting a threat to an aircraft, calculates and presents via a user interface an instruction to assist a pilot in evading the threat. For example, the system may determine a direction to which the aircraft should be turned to present a beam of the aircraft toward the threat, which may assist in evading a radar-enabled threat. The system may calculate a shortest turn to present the beam to the threat. The system may additionally display information regarding a position, nature, and degree of the threat, including through formatting of at least a portion of a user interface for displaying information regarding the threat. The system may additionally calculate and display an intervisibility zone for the threat and for the aircraft's current position to further assist the pilot in navigating to an area at which the threat may be evaded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2016
    Publication date: June 29, 2017
    Applicant: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Publication number: 20170096237
    Abstract: Combined modality hover drift cueing methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, some implementations can include a system comprising one or more sensors, and a combined modality hover drift cueing controller coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to determine hover drift and to control a plurality of indicators in response to determined hover drift. The system can also include a mode selector coupled to the combined modality hover drift cueing controller and configured to provide an indication of mode selection between one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode, wherein the first mode is a combined modality mode. The system can further include a peripheral vision hover drift indicator coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of an aircraft cockpit, and a tactile feedback indicator coupled to the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Inventor: Steven D. COLBY
  • Publication number: 20170059354
    Abstract: Projected synthetic vision methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, a system can include one or more sensors, a terrain database, and a projected synthetic vision controller coupled to the one or more sensors and the terrain database, the projected synthetic vision controller configured to generate and project synthetic vision images based on aircraft position, terrain information and aviator boresight information. The system can also include one or more projectors coupled to the projected synthetic vision controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventor: Steven D. COLBY
  • Patent number: 9563276
    Abstract: Combined modality hover drift cueing methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, some implementations can include a system comprising one or more sensors, and a combined modality hover drift cueing controller coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to determine hover drift and to control a plurality of indicators in response to determined hover drift. The system can also include a mode selector coupled to the combined modality hover drift cueing controller and configured to provide an indication of mode selection between one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode, wherein the first mode is a combined modality mode. The system can further include a peripheral vision hover drift indicator coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of an aircraft cockpit, and a tactile feedback indicator coupled to the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Patent number: 9366546
    Abstract: Projected synthetic vision methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, a system can include one or more sensors, a terrain database, and a projected synthetic vision controller coupled to the one or more sensors and the terrain database, the projected synthetic vision controller configured to generate and project synthetic vision images based on aircraft position, terrain information and aviator boresight information. The system can also include one or more projectors coupled to the projected synthetic vision controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2016
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Publication number: 20150277561
    Abstract: Combined modality hover drift cueing methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, some implementations can include a system comprising one or more sensors, and a combined modality hover drift cueing controller coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to determine hover drift and to control a plurality of indicators in response to determined hover drift. The system can also include a mode selector coupled to the combined modality hover drift cueing controller and configured to provide an indication of mode selection between one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode, wherein the first mode is a combined modality mode. The system can further include a peripheral vision hover drift indicator coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of an aircraft cockpit, and a tactile feedback indicator coupled to the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2014
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Publication number: 20150241221
    Abstract: Projected synthetic vision methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, a system can include one or more sensors, a terrain database, and a projected synthetic vision controller coupled to the one or more sensors and the terrain database, the projected synthetic vision controller configured to generate and project synthetic vision images based on aircraft position, terrain information and aviator boresight information. The system can also include one or more projectors coupled to the projected synthetic vision controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Publication number: 20150169273
    Abstract: Peripheral vision hover drift cueing methods, systems and computer readable media are disclosed. For example, a system can include one or more sensors, and a peripheral vision hover drift cueing controller coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to determine hover drift and to control a plurality of indicators in response to determined hover drift. The system can also include a first hover drift indicator coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of a vehicle cockpit; and a second hover drift indicator coupled to the controller and mounted on an inside surface of the vehicle cockpit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2013
    Publication date: June 18, 2015
    Applicant: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventor: Steven D. Colby
  • Patent number: 8730065
    Abstract: A system for tactile presentation of information to a pilot of an aircraft. The system comprises a pilot seat, a plurality of tactors, and a controller configured to control the plurality of tactors to tactually present the threat information to the pilot by producing one or more tactile stimuli based on situational awareness information. The tactors in the plurality of tactors are physically coupled to the pilot seat and the threat information is indicative of a threat to the aircraft. In some embodiments, at least one pressure sensor may be physically coupled to the pilot seat and the plurality of tactors may be configured to tactually present the threat information to the pilot based at least in part on data obtained by the at least one pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Carl R. Herman, Jason C. Twedt, Jean-Francois Darcy, Steven D. Colby
  • Publication number: 20130249262
    Abstract: A system for tactile presentation of information to a pilot of an aircraft. The system comprises a pilot seat, a plurality of tactors, and a controller configured to control the plurality of tactors to tactually present the threat information to the pilot by producing one or more tactile stimuli based on situational awareness information. The tactors in the plurality of tactors are physically coupled to the pilot seat and the threat information is indicative of a threat to the aircraft. In some embodiments, at least one pressure sensor may be physically coupled to the pilot seat and the plurality of tactors may be configured to tactually present the threat information to the pilot based at least in part on data obtained by the at least one pressure sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Carl R. Herman, Jason C. Twedt, Jean-Francois Darcy, Steven D. Colby
  • Publication number: 20130179011
    Abstract: Systems and methods for automatically identifying one or more candidate emergency landing sites to a pilot of an aircraft are described. The candidate emergency landing sites lie within a current flight-capable range of an aircraft, and may include non-airfield landing sites. The candidate sites may be calculated by an on-board processing system. Various types of data, such as digital terrain elevation data, ground-cover data, hostile-threat data, surface-water data, aircraft parameter data, and flight-obstacle data may be used by an on-board processing system to calculate one or more candidate emergency landing sites suitable for landing the aircraft. A pilot may initiate an emergency landing site identification process during in-flight distress via a button, touch-sensitive screen, or voice-recognition input. The systems and methods may be useful in combat scenarios.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Publication date: July 11, 2013
    Applicant: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Steven D. Colby, Stephen C. Moraites