Jessica L Pistole

US Patent:

20070038366, Feb 15, 2007

Filed:

Mar 15, 2005

Appl. No.:

11/080143

Inventors:

Christopher McCubbin - New Market MD, US
Christine Piatko - Columbia MD, US
Steven Marshall - Columbia MD, US
Jessica Pistole - Baltimore MD, US
Cheryl Resch - Highland MD, US
Paul McNamee - Ellicott City MD, US

International Classification:

G01C 21/00

US Classification:

701202000, 701200000

Abstract:

A means for mine avoidance that enables a battle group commander to rapidly detect, classify, and identify mines, and form a tactical picture of mined areas. The system is enabled by a graphical user interface which generates a display of the minefield and an avoidance path which is calculated by a rapidly-explored random trees algorithm interacting with algorithms defining avoidance object spaces inserted by an operator in two or three dimensions and transit vehicle characteristics. The apparatus enables a method which establishes the parameters of an area representing a minefield. The area is then populated with obstacle spaces whose areas are functions of the probability of the existence of a mine and through which an avoidance route through the minefield may not pass. The start and end points of the avoidance route are entered on a graphic display of the minefield and an avoidance path there between is calculated and presented as an avoidance route.