Automatic telescope

Abstract

An automatic telescope ( 10 ) capable of determining an orientation without requiring input from a user or any external source. The telescope ( 10 ) preferably includes a database ( 22 ) to store astronomical information, a processor ( 24 ) to control a drive mechanism ( 18 ), a vision device ( 30 ) to sense bright stars, and a motion sensor ( 32 ) to generate a motion signal. When the vision device ( 30 ) is slewed from alignment with a first bright star to a second bright star, the motion signal is preferably representative of a measured angle between the first and second bright stars. This process is preferably repeated for several bright stars to generate several measured angles. The processor ( 24 ) can then use the measured angles to identify the bright stars and determine the orientation of the telescope ( 10 ).

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:  
     
         1 . An automatic telescope operable to determine an orientation, the telescope comprising: 
 a vision device operable to sense bright stars;    a base operable to support the vision device;    a cradle attached to the base and operable to movably support the vision device with respect to the base;    a drive mechanism operable to move the cradle with respect to the base; and    a processor operable to control the drive mechanism in order to determine the orientation of the vision device using a vision signal from the vision device.    
     
     
         2 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the vision device is a CCD camera operable to generate a vision signal representative of the bright stars.  
     
     
         3 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 1 , further including a database operable to contain information relating to a plurality of known stars.  
     
     
         4 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein the processor is further operable to determine the orientation of the telescope by comparing measured angles between the bright stars with the information stored in the database.  
     
     
         5 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 3 , wherein each bright star is sensed by analyzing the vision signal received from the vision device.  
     
     
         6 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 3 , further including a motion sensor operable to detect the measured angles between the bright stars as the vision device is slewed from alignment with one of the bright stars to another of the bright stars.  
     
     
         7 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 1 , further including a motion sensor operable to sense motion of the telescope.  
     
     
         8 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the motion sensor is operable to sense motion along a first and second axis of motion.  
     
     
         9 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the processor is further operable detect the measured angles using a motion signal from the motion sensor as the vision device is slewed from alignment with one of the bright stars to another of the bright stars.  
     
     
         10 . The telescope as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to control the drive mechanism in order to align the telescope with a specified star.  
     
     
         11 . A method of determining a telescope's orientation, the method comprising the steps of: 
 sensing a first bright star using a vision device;    sensing a second bright star using the vision device;    detecting a first measured angle between the first bright star and the second bright star;    sensing a third bright star using the vision device;    detecting a second measured angle between the second bright star and the third bright star;    comparing the measured angles with central angles stored in a database, thereby identifying the bright stars; and    determining the orientation of the telescope by analyzing known locations of the bright stars.    
     
     
         12 . The method as set forth in  claim 11 , further comprising detecting a third measured angle between the third bright star and the first bright star.  
     
     
         13 . The method as set forth in  claim 11 , wherein at least four bright stars and six measured angles are used to determine the orientation of the telescope.  
     
     
         14 . The method as set forth in  claim 11 , further including the step of receiving an identity of a specified star.  
     
     
         15 . The method as set forth in  claim 14 , further including the step of retrieving the specified star's location from the database.  
     
     
         16 . The method as set forth in  claim 15 , further including the step of comparing the location of the specified star with the orientation of the telescope in order to align the telescope with the specified star.  
     
     
         17 . The method as set forth in  claim 16 , further including the step of aligning the telescope with the specified star.  
     
     
         18 . The method as set forth in  claim 17 , further including the step of using signals received from the vision device to substantially center the specified star within the telescope's field of view.  
     
     
         19 . The method as set forth in  claim 11 , wherein the measured angles are measured by monitoring motion as the telescope is slewed between the bright stars.  
     
     
         20 . A method of displaying a specified star through a telescope, the method comprising the steps of: 
 sensing a first bright star using a vision device;    aligning the telescope with the first bright star;    sensing a second bright star using the vision device;    monitoring motion as the telescope is slewed from alignment with the first bright star to the second bright star;    detecting a first measured angle between the first bright star and the second bright star;    sensing a third bright star using the vision device;    aligning the telescope with the second bright star;    monitoring motion as the telescope is slewed from alignment with the second bright star to the third bright star;    detecting a second measured angle between the second bright star and the third bright star;    monitoring motion as the telescope is slewed from alignment with the third bright star to the first bright star;    aligning the telescope with the first bright star;    detecting a third measured angle between the third bright star and the first bright star;    comparing the measured angles with central angles stored in a database, thereby identifying the bright stars;    determining the orientation of the telescope by analyzing known locations of the bright stars;    receiving indication of a specified star;    retrieving the specified star's location from the database; and    aligning the telescope with the specified star.